ONSLAUGHT

Real Name: Inapplicable

Identity/Class: Psionic entity

Occupation: World conqueror

Group Membership: None

Affiliations: Blob (Fred J. Dukes), Dark Beast of Earth-295, Fatale, Havok (Alex Summers), Holocaust of Earth-295, Mimic (Calvin Rankin), Post (Kevin Tremain), Emma Steed

Enemies: Apocalypse (En Sabah Nur), Avengers (Captain America/Steve Rogers, Crystal/Crystalia Amaquelin, Falcon/Sam Wilson, Iron Man/Tony Stark of Earth-96020, Giant-Man/Hank Pym, Hawkeye/Clint Barton, Quicksilver/Pietro Maximoff, Scarlet Witch/Wanda Maximoff, Thor, Vision/Victor Shade, Wasp/Janet van Dyne), Black Panther (T'Challa), Blaquesmith, Cable (Nathan Summers), Doctor Victor von Doom, Doom's seer, Fantastic Four (Ant-Man/Scott Lang, Human Torch/Johnny Storm, Invisible Woman/Sue Richards-Storm, Mr. Fantastic/Reed Richards, Thing/Ben Grimm), Elektra, Fantastic Force (Devlor, Huntara/Mary Richards, She-Hulk/Jennifer Walters, Vibraxas/N'Kano), Inhumans (Black Bolt/Blackagar Boltagon, Gorgon, Karnak, Lockjaw, Medusa/Medusalith Amaquelin Boltagon), Gateway, Heroes Reborn Avengers (Ant-Man/Hank Pym, Captain America/Steve Rogers, Hawkeye/James 'Logan' Howlett, Hellcat/Patsy Walker, Iron Man/Tony Stark, Scarlet Witch/Wanda Maximoff, Swordsman, Thor/Thor Odinson), Heroes Reborn Fantastic Four (Human Torch/Johnny Storm, Invisible Woman/Sue Richards-Storm, Mr. Fantastic/Reed Richards, Thing/Ben Grimm), Hulk (Bruce Banner), Joseph, Juggernaut (Cain Marko), Lyja the Laserfist, Puppet Master (Philip Masters), Franklin Richards, Nathaniel Richards, Secret Avengers (Ant-Man/Eric O'Grady, Beast/Hank McCoy, Black Widow/Natasha Romanova, Sharon Carter, Moon Knight, Steve Rogers), Sebastian Shaw, Namor the Sub-Mariner (Namor McKenzie), Tessa, X-Factor (Forge, Mystique/Raven Darkholme, Polaris/Lorna Dane, Random/Marshall Evan Stone III, Sabretooth/Victor Creed, Wildchild/Kyle Gibney), X-Force (Boomer/Tabitha Smith, Caliban, Domino/Neena Thurman, Rictor/Esteban Rictor, Shatterstar/Gaveedra-Seven, Siryn/Theresa Rourke-Cassidy, Sunspot (Roberto DaCosta) X-Man (Nate Grey), X-Men (Bishop/Lucas Bishop, Cannonball/Sam Guthrie, Cyclops/Scott Summers, Iceman/Bobby Drake, Gambit/Remy LeBeau, Phoenix/Jean Grey, Rogue/Anna Marie, Storm/Ororo Munroe, Wolverine/James Howlett), Young Allies (Gravity/Greg Willis, Firestar/Angelica Jones, Nomad/Rebecca Barnes, Spider-Girl/Anya Corazon, Toro/Benito Serrano)

Known Relatives: Max Eisenhardt, Charles Xavier (creators)

Aliases: 'Charles Xavier', 'Charlie', Nomad (Rebecca Barnes)

Base of Operations: Negative Zone,
                                  formerly his Central Park Citadel, New York City, New York,
                                  formerly Dark Beast's subterranean base,
                                  formerly the Astral Plane

First Appearance: (mentioned) Uncanny X-Men I#322 (July, 1995);
                                (seen) Onslaught: X-Men I#1 (August, 1996)

Powers/Abilities: Onslaught possesses all the mutagenic abilities and omega level mutant potential of Charles Xavier and Max Eisenhardt (Magneto) as well as the reality altering powers of Franklin Richards and Earth-295's Nate Grey. As a result the psionic entity is immune to telepathy and can perform near limitless feats of telepathic and telekinetic power (mind control, mind reading, thought projection, firing psychic bolts, astral projection, erecting psionic forcefields, casting convincing telepathic illusions). Onslaught can control the electromagnetic spectrum, allowing him magnetokinesis, he can manipulate organic iron, perceive the world in patterns of magnetic and unleash devastating electromagnetic pulses that can cause technology destroying blackouts for miles. Onslaught is able to actively manipulate reality on a cosmic scale, creating self sustaining pocket universes he can exert limitless control over. As a psionic entity, Onslaught can absorb the power of any mutant and make their abilities his own. Onslaught can also unlock hidden (mutagenic) potential in others, vastly increasing their natural powers and abilities. There is no known upperlimit to his natural strength. Before he evolved, Onslaught housed himself inside an impervious body armor that could only be breached from the inside. Onslaught has a genius level intellect, is a master strategist and a skilled hand-to-hand combatant. Onslaught can levitate and fly and become intangible.

Height: 10' (variable)
Weight: 900 lbs. (variable)
Eyes: Red
Hair: None

History:

(X-Men II#25 (fb) - BTS) - In a fit of rage over his most recent attacks on the world, Charles Xavier reached out telepathically and shut down Magneto's mind, rendering the master of magnetism catatonic.

(Wolverine II#104 (fb) ) - Xavier wiped Magneto's mind clean on the Astral Plane, but was unaware that during the process a manifestation of Magneto's dark ego jumped over and infected the telepath with its malevolence. In that moment, Onslaught was born. This was witnessed by Wolverine and Elektra who had been sent by Gateway to observe the formation of Onslaught.

(X-Men/Doctor Doom Annual 1998 I#1 (fb) - BTS) - The moment of Xavier's corruption was also witnessed by Doctor Victor von Doom and his seer who were using Doom's timeplatform to learn more about Onslaught.

(X-Men/Doctor Doom Annual 1998 I#1) - Onslaught sensed the presence of Doctor Doom and his seer tracking him throughout the timestream. Effortlessly contacting and overwhelming the psycho-sensitive seer, Onslaught had him pilot the time platform off course. As a result of making contact, the seer learned that Onslaught was comprised of elements of both Magneto and Xavier.

(Uncanny X-Men I#309 - BTS) - Taking on the form of his old friend Erik Lensherr, Onslaught subtly confronted Charles Xavier in his own mind about his past mistakes, subtly starting a slow process to undermine the telepath's on himself, the world and his vaunted dream. Onslaught made Xavier entertain the notion he had far more in common with Magneto than he knew.
(X-Man I#10 - BTS) - As a result of X-Man mentally yanking Charles Xavier's telepathic essence from the Astral Plane to the physical world, Onslaught was now free to manifest itself as a psionic entity as well.

(Uncanny X-Men I#322 (fb) - BTS) - Manifesting as a separate entity for the first time, Onslaught decided to settle past scores and sought out Charles Xavier's stepbrother Cain Marko. Onslaught hunted and tormented the Juggernaut who grew so intimidated by the foe that he was on his way to his old enemies the X-Men. Onslaught deliberately slammed the invulnerable Juggernaut clear across the country making sure he landed in New York City near a team of X-Men. The heroes were stunned to hear a mysterious entity called 'Onslaught' was behind the Juggernaut's defeat.

(X-Men II#46 - BTS) - Using his unseen powers, Onslaught located and shut down a government run Sentinel augmentation research facility. Onslaught abducted the fifteen research scientists, including Evan Donnor. When the military and senator Robert Kelly entered the facility to investigate, all that was left on the computer screens was the word 'Onslaught'.

(X-Men II#49 - BTS) - Onslaught contacted Gateway and somehow intimidated him into helping him. However, the Aborigine teleporter determined telepathy was the psionic entity's weakness. He tried to manipulate the creature into exposing himself to powerful psionics. Acting on orders of Onslaught, Gateway briefly kidnapping the telepathic teen Chamber, subtly hinting at the true culprit by leaving the name 'Onslaught' in the minds of his Generation X teammates.

(X-Men: Onslaught I#1 (fb) - BTS) - Onslaught subtly unlocked the memories of Bishop's time on Earth-295 learning crucial details about the way that reality's Apocalypse realized his plans for world domination. Onslaught used this knowledge to inform his plans to expand his sphere of influence across the globe.

(X-Men II#50 - BTS) - Onslaught encountered Post, finding the mutant ideally suited for his purpose he recruited him as his first herald.

(X-Force I#52 - BTS) - Looking to expand his array of underlings, Onslaught recruited Blob and Mimic, using his resources to grant his followers expanded powers and greater control over their mutant abilities.

(X-Force I#52 (fb) - BTS) - Onslaught continued to raid Sentinel research facilities. Among them Camp Hayden in Kentucky, location of the experimental Nimrod program.

(Cable I#32 (fb) - BTS) - To ensure his anonymity, Onslaught wiped the data chips containing Camp Hayden's security camera footage by magnetizing them.

(X-Force I#52 - BTS) - After clearing out the facility of any useful technologies, he left behind the newly augmented Blob and Mimic to guard the premises. This led to a confrontation with X-Force members Boomer, Domino and Siryn who managed to get Blob and Mimic to retreat.

(Uncanny X-Men I#333 - BTS) - In the weeks that followed, Onslaught raided and destroyed over a dozen anti-mutant research installations that fell under the joint government approved taskforce Operation: Zero Tolerance.

(X-Men II#50 - BTS) - Onslaught had Gateway kidnap Cyclops, Iceman, Storm and Wolverine to an unrevealed virtual reality testing ground controlled by Post who attacked the mutants to test their abilities for the coming battle. In the end, the four X-Men managed to overcome Post and were returned home to the Xavier Institute.

(X-Men II#50) - Disappointed by Post and the X-Men's perfunctory performance, the disembodied psychic energy form of Onslaught taunted the heroes, telling them he was inevitable and that there is no power on this or any other Earth capable of stopping him before zipping away.

(Cable I#31 - BTS) - After observing a psionic blow out between Cable and Nate Grey that affected every psi-sensitive on Earth, Onslaught sent Post out to deal with Cable, adding that he still had plans for Nate Grey.

(Cable I#32 - BTS) - Acting on orders from Onslaught, Post caught up with Cable when he and Domino returned to Camp Hayden to retrieve the security footage, hoping to get a glimpse of Onslaught. Much to Cable's dismay, the chips were magnetized and useless.

(Cable I#32) - Figuring Cable's mentor Blaquesmith was too dangerous to have around, Onslaught sought out the timelost Clan Askani member inside his base aboard an abandoned, rusted frigate in the harbor of Baltimore, Maryland. Onslaught told Blaquesmith he knew all about his precious student and that he would not be able to survive without him. Moments later, Onslaught blew up Blaquesmith's ship.

(Onslaught: X-Men I#1 (fb) - BTS) - Sensing that Earth-295's Hank McCoy had secretly taken the place of the 616-Beast, Onslaught mentally concealed the intruder's presence from the X-Men's telepaths, figuring Dark Beast might prove a useful pawn.

(Uncanny X-Men I#333) - Onslaught monitored a high level security briefing at the Pentagon in which Operation: Zero Tolerance leader Bastion discussed the recent string of attacks on their facilities. The meeting was also attended by Gambit and Jean Grey who were inevitably found out by Bastion. However, Onslaught used his mental powers to knock out the Pentagon's security forces so the X-Men could leave unopposed. Appearing before Grey Onslaught told her to consider his aid a gift.

(Cable I#33) - Learning of the destruction of Blaquesmith's ship, Cable traveled to Baltimore to inspect the wreckage. There, he telepathically picked up Onslaught's trail and correctly deduced the villain's identity. Before he could share this invaluable information, Post arrived on the scene to beat Cable to a pulp. Onslaught grew furious with his servant when Post refused to deliver a killing blow. Cable could do nothing to stop Onslaught.

(X-Men II#53) - Onslaught psionically ambushed Jean Grey when she was out shopping in Salem Center. Dragging the telepath to the Astral Plane and revealing his true form for the first time, Onslaught tried to convince Jean to join his side. To do so, he attempted to show her the hypocrisy of the humans she risked her life to protect, then taking her to the Xavier Institute to shock Grey with the fact her mentor Charles Xavier harbored romantic feelings towards her when she first joined his school. He then forced the frightened Jean to experience all the secret fears, hatreds and dank, shameful thoughts Charles had ever had. Onslaught went on to offer Jean a place in his coming new world order as his consort. When she outright refused him, Onslaught violently expelled her from the Astral Plane back into her body. When she caught a look of herself in the mirror, Jean was shocked to see the villain had mentally branded her with his name across her forehead.

(X-Man I#15-16-17) - Seeking out Earth-295's Holocaust, currently held by Sebastian Shaw and Tessa, Onslaught took care of the two members of the Hellfire Club's Inner Circle before recruiting Holocaust. His first mission was delivering Nate Grey to him. Catching up with X-Man and his ally Threnody on the Greek islands, Holocaust ultimately proved unable to capture Nate. Worried Onslaught would come for him in person next, Nate took Threnody's advice about seeking out the heroes of New York to heart.

(Avengers I#400 - BTS) - Moments after they had defeated Loki, the Avengers were surprised by the arrival of X-Man who had come to request their aid in fighting Onslaught.

(Excalibur I#99) - Onslaught appeared before Emma Steed, telepathic Black Queen of London's Hellfire Club to tell her the gathering was at ahd (see comments).

(Uncanny X-Men I#334) - Onslaught exerted his control over his host Charles Xavier, actively causing the professor to verbally lash out against the insecure, young X-Man Cannonball and making sure the Xavier Institute was cut off from outside communications. Inside Xavier's mind, he reviewed files on X-Man who he thanked for yanking him from the Astral Plane and making his grand scheme possible in the first place. Telepathically projecting himself as Xavier, he had a confrontation with Cyclops, telling Scott what a huge disappointment he had been before vanishing. Cyclops then learned 'Xavier' had been holed up in his study for the past two days.

(X-Men II#54 - BTS) - Onslaught was aware of Juggernaut's presence on the mansion grounds. Cain Marko had sought out Jean Grey to help him mentally unlock the secret of Onslaught's identity. Jean took Marko to the heavily psi-shielded Z'Nox chamber underneath the institute, but realized too late the door was not fully closed, which meant they were still detectable. Jean nevertheless learned that Onslaught was Xavier.

(X-Men II#54) - Onslaught was in and out of Xavier's mind, making him read his files on the reality altering Franklin Richards without Charles fully realizing what he was doing.

(Fantastic Four I#414) - Manifesting inside Four Freedom's Plaza, Onslaught sought out Franklin and approached him in the form of a young boy called Charlie. Telepathically gaining Franklin's trust, Charlie assured the young boy he would show him how to use his power to protect his family.

(X-Men II#54) - While the X-Men continued to search the Institute for Juggernaut, Onslaught subtly manipulated Xavier into a fit of rage so severe he completely lost control, thereby allowing Onslaught to take over the telepath's body. Quickly forming his impervious armor, Onslaught's first action was confront the Juggernaut. Rendering Cain Marko instantly powerless by ripping the Crimson Gem of Cyttorak from his body, he then telepathically summoned the X-Men to him.

(Onslaught: X-Men I#1 (fb) ) - Once again assuming the form of Charles Xavier, Onslaught met with the X-Men, including Jean Grey who had yet to reveal his true identity. Instead, Jean futility tried to reach inside Xavier's mind, hoping to reach Charles. When her attempts tired Onslaught, he psionically muzzled her and then revealed his armored form to the X-Men. After briefly recounting his origins to the increasingly incredulous crowd, he grew furious when they refused to join him in his quest to take over the world to set it straight. He briefly tortured Wolverine, Iceman and Wolverine until an optic blast from Cyclops caught him off guard. Mentally freezing the mutants in their tracks, Onslaught vanished.

(Onslaught: X-Men I#1 - BTS) - Gambit charged the floorboards of Xavier's study, the resulting explosion freed the team.

(Onslaught: X-Men I#1) - Onslaught returned to Franklin's side as Charlie, actively manipulating the clueless youth into joining him. When Franklin didn't respond as planned, 'Charlie' got mad and vanished before he escalated the situation.

(Onslaught: X-Men I#1) - By the time Onslaught returned to the Institute, the X-Men were in the process of securing their systems and by going though Xavier's files, they learned of his interest in Franklin and X-Man. Onslaught then made his presence known by taking over Cannonball's mind and having him take on the team. Onslaught lost control and lashed out when Wolverine pointed out he looked an awful lot like Magneto. The resulting energy blast knocked out most of the X-Men. Onslaught mocked the knocked out Bishop for inadvertently helping him perfect his plans.

(Onslaught: X-Men I#1 - BTS) - Nate Grey convinced the Avengers to investigate the threat of Onslaught.

(Onslaught: X-Men I#1) - Cyclops, Jean, Iceman and Beast were the only X-Men left to secure the Cerebro files, but Onslaught knocked them all out except for Beast. He informed McCoy he had been well aware of his true identity and took him on as his latest recruit. Onslaught refused Beast's request to perform genetic experiments on the team, but they were distracted when Jean sneaked away.

(Onslaught: X-Men I#1 - BTS) - Jean Grey headed for the Z'Nox chamber to reach out to X-Factor, Generation X, Excalibur and X-Force but only got off a partial, scrambled message.

(Onslaught X-Men I#1) - Onslaught confronted Jean, but was surprised when she was joined by the rest of the team. Bruised, battered but ready for action, the X-Men launched another attack that seemingly killed their enemy. However, this was yet another illusion. The real Onslaught was amassing his energies for a lethal blast that would have killed the mutants if not for Bishop absorbing the barrage. Denying he felt any pride about this achievement, Onslaught took Dark Beast and set forth to execute his plans to make the world tremble.

(Onslaught: X-Men I#1 - BTS) - Onslaught quietly took over a Sentinel storage facility in the heart of America, silently reprogramming the robotic mutant hunters to do his bidding. 

(Uncanny X-Men I#335) - Dark Beast took Onslaught to his underground laboratory, offering it as their temporary base of operations. Onslaught seemed pleased, but lashed out at his underling when McCoy started to talk down to him. Onslaught ordered him to keep his promise and provide him with dark attendants to serve him.

(Uncanny X-Men I#335 - BTS) - The X-Men met up with the Avengers and X-Force at the mansion to compare notes on Onslaught. On Muir Island, Excalibur got involved as well.

(Fantastic Four I#415) - In order to kidnap Franklin Richards, Onslaught attempted a two pronged assault on the Fantastic Four. First he used his sway over Franklin as Charlie by dazzling the youth with a lifelike circus he'd created out of his own mind. The visit was cut short when the FF returned from their latest mission and Franklin left Charlie to meet his parents. Shortly thereafter, 'Charles Xavier' showed up at Four Freedoms Plaza to announce he had come to take custody of Franklin to help him master his mutant powers.

(Fantastic Four I#415 - BTS) - Onslaught knocked out the Fantastic Four's technical advisor Scott Lang before he could answer an Avengers priority call warning the FF about Onslaught.

(Fantastic Four I#415) - When Onslaught couldn't convince the FF to hand over Franklin, he showed his true form and attacked. Onslaught managed to hold off the FF, their allies Lyja the Laserfist, Nathaniel Richards and even the arriving X-Men and Avengers Bishop, Crystal, Iceman and Hawkeye. Despite the heroes' most valiant efforts, Onslaught held off his enemies while finally convincing Franklin to accompany him.

(X-Factor I#125) - Onslaught was ready to strangle Dark Beast for not keeping his promise about delivering 'dark attendants' for his cause. As if on cue, Beast's teleporting assassin Fatale joined the fray, as well as the mind controlled Havok (Alex Summers). Onslaught used these pawns as well as his herald Post to keep X-Factor occupied while he took over an army of Sentinels, launching them towards New York City.

(Cable I#34/Incredible Hulk I# 444 - BTS) - To ensure Cable would not interfere with his plans, Onslaught mentally subjugated the Hulk to do his bidding. Now unreasonable, savage and lethal, the combined forces of Storm and Cable were required to relinquish Onslaught's hold on the emerald behemoth. In the aftermath, Hulk agreed to join the fight against Onslaught.

(X-Men I#55) - While his army of Sentinels took over Manhattan, keeping members of the X-Men, Avengers and Fantastic Four busy, Onslaught and 'Charlie' tried to calm down Franklin in an attempt to merge the boy's reality warping powers with his own.

(Amazing Spider-Man I#415 - BTS) - Acting on orders from Onslaught, the Sentinels blocked in and outgoing New York City traffic, which led to an altercation between Peter Parker and one of the robots. Elsewhere in the city, Spider-Man (Ben Reilly) held his own against the Sentinels.

(Spider-Man I#72 - BTS) - After teaming up to fight the Sentinels, Ben Reilly and Peter Parker decided to seek out the other heroes battling Onslaught.

(X-Man I#19) - Sensing Franklin Richards' subconscious, telepathic cries for his mother, Onslaught subtly redirected them across the Astral Plane so Nate Grey would pick them up. Ever ready to help, X-Man saw the boy through a sudden tear in reality and reached out to him. His guard down, X-Man fell for Onslaught's ruse and was taken prisoner by Onslaught instead.

(X-Men I#55) - Adding Franklin Richards' reality warping powers to his own, Onslaught instantly created a massive citadel headquarters in Central Park. Appearing on the perch of his new home, his voice cried out to the world. To show the power of his mighty hand, Onslaught unleashed a massive electromagnetic pulse that caused widespread destruction all across the island of Manhattan.

(X-Men I#55 - BTS) - Chiseling away in North Africa, Apocalypse's seer Ozymandias was horrified when his latest creation revealed Onslaught's upcoming form.

(Uncanny X-Men I#336) - Inside Onslaught, a distraught Franklin discovered Charles Xavier who did his best to calm the child. His efforts were mocked by Onslaught who taunted Charles with the loss of his telepathy while using Franklin's added power to grow and change into a new, more powerful form. His transformation was interrupted when the X-Men, the FF and the Avengers and their allies assaulted his citadel. Onslaught teased the heroes by showing them Charles Xavier, threatening to kill him. Redirecting Joseph's magnetic powers, Cable managed to put a crack in Onslaught's armor, which was widened further thanks to Cyclops' optic blast and the Invisible Woman's forcefield. The opening was now wide enough for Xavier to peek through, leading Cyclops to order Thor to rescue Charles. The thundergod flew though Onslaught, hammer first, and freed Xavier. Expecting this to be the end of Onslaught, getting rid of his human host only made him more powerful. Onslaught lashed out with the full force of Magneto, Franklin Richards and Xavier's powers, which led to a massive energy wave the heroes barely survived. 

(X-Men Legacy II#2 (fb) - BTS) - The new sun cost many people their lives, including the wife and child of Marcus Glove.

(X-Force I#58) - Onslaught attempted to bind the members of X-Force to his will by tempting them with convincing illusions of an idealized past that never was. In the end, they all rebelled against what was and opted to fight for a better future instead. Only Siryn was kept safe thanks to a fleeting remnant of Charles Xavier's goodness that once remained inside the villain.

(Cable I#35) - Onslaught held off a guerilla attack launched by Apocalypse, Cable and the Invisible Woman. Approaching through the Astral Plane, they entered the citadel to free Franklin. Onslaught held off his opponents with psionic simulations of Post, Hulk and Magneto. Onslaught benefited from in fighting when Sue Richards stopped Apocalypse from outright killing Franklin. He dispatched his enemies, returning them from where they came, unaware that seeing his mother had given Franklin a renewed sense of hope.

(Incredible Hulk I#445) - Eager to have his revenge on Onslaught, the Hulk convinced Falcon, Crystal, Hawkeye and Vision to join him for a direct assault on the villain. Tunneling through the city to reach Central Park, the heroes were unaware Onslaught had already noticed them. He trapped Hulk in a psychic illusion in which the other heroes died before he defeated Onslaught. Hulk nevertheless rejoiced, shocking his companions, who once again saw Hulk for the monster he was perceived to be. Pleased with this morale crushing blow, Onslaught let the heroes go.

(Fantastic Four I#416) - Sensing Franklin Richards' attempts to send his psychic form to his parents at Four Freedoms Plaza, Onslaught cruelly distorted the mental missives, causing them to appear as an array of the Fantastic Four's worst enemies. The FF along with their allies in the Fantastic Force, the Inhumans, Agatha Harkness, Kristoff Vernard, Namor and even Doctor Doom and the Puppet Master helped to fight off the quickly vanquished foes. In the end, Mr. Fantastic permanently ended Onslaught's psionic barrage by firing off his neuromantic disruptor.

(Iron Man I#322 - BTS) - In order to better withstand Onslaught's devastating mental abilities, Iron Man spearheaded the construction of personalized psi-shields based on Charles Xavier's psi-armor designs. The early prototypes proved too fragile, leading the heroes to turn to Black Panther who offered to have the devices created out of the rare vibranium he kept at the Wakandan consulate.

(Avengers I#402) - Aware that the vibranium enhanced, personalized psi-shields formed a threat to his power, Onslaught sent Post and Holocaust into New York City to take them from the Avengers who were busy saving civilians. The heroes kept the psi-shields out of enemy hands and even tricked Holocaust into taking out Post. After the Avengers downed Holocaust, Onslaught appeared on the Times Square jumbotron to congratulate the 'pitiful fools' with their hollow triumph. The Avengers, armed with the psi-shielding, prepared for their final confrontation against Onslaught.

(X-Men II#56) - While his Sentinel armada remained active in Manhattan, Onslaught grew frustrated with the X-Man's continued resistance. In order to finally take over his power, Onslaught drained Nate's memories of his time on Earth-295. He was shocked to learn that even as the dominant species, mutantkind was unable to keep the world safe. After finally weakening the young mutant sufficiently to finish the absorption process, Onslaught came to an important conclusion: mutants were just as bad as humans. No one would survive Onslaught. To prove his point, Onslaught mercilessly struck down Charles Xavier who had approached the villain in a brave attempt to reason with him.

(Onslaught: Marvel Universe I#1 (fb) ) - Uatu the Watcher witnessed how the X-Men arrived to rescue Xavier, soon followed by the Fantastic Four, Avengers and Doctor Doom. They were stunned to find Onslaught using his powers to create a second sun which would destroy all life on Earth. Waiting for the sun to do the killing for him, Onslaught retreated into his citadel, erecting a nigh impenetrable wall around the construct.

(X-Men Legacy II#2 (fb) - BTS) - The new sun cost many people their lives, including the wife and child of Marcus Glove.

(Onslaught: Marvel Universe I#1) - Rogue and Vision managed to combine their powers and phased through the barrier to directly hit Onslaught. Distracted and in pain, he dropped his defense leaving him vulnerable to an all out attack from the Hulk who had been rendered near mindless by Jean Grey. The titanic tussle between the Hulk and Onslaught ended with the destruction of Onslaught's armor. Standing revealed as an intangible psychic being, Mr. Fantastic reasoned the villain had to somehow gain mass if he was to be defeated. All non mutant heroes were ready to throw themselves at Onslaught to anchor him with their sacrifice.

(Iron Man II#11 (fb) ) - Stuck in the pocket universe created by Franklin Richards, Iron Man and Doctor Doom crossed time and dimensions to witness how their counterparts sacrificed themselves to stop Onslaught.

(Onslaught: Marvel Universe I#1) - After most of the Avengers and the entire FF along with Doctor Doom had sacrificed themselves, Onslaught was vulnerable to attack and seemingly destroyed by an all out attack from the remaining mutant heroes. With Onslaught gone and Nate Grey and Franklin Richards freed, the new sun vanished as well.

(Thunderbolts Annual 1997 I#1 (fb) ) - Baron Helmut Zemo cursed Onslaught as he watched the heroes sacrifice themselves to stop him. Onslaught had robbed the villain of his inspiration and driving force, leaving Zemo at a loss for what to do next.

(Iron Man II#6) - Inside the gamma core, Hulk briefly saw a rapidly fading image of Onslaught.

(New Avengers I#18 - BTS) - Following the events of M-Day, Onslaught was reborn as an unembodied energy being.

(Onslaught Reborn I#1-4) - Hungry for revenge against Franklin Richards, he launched an attack against the Fantastic Four. Franklin used his powers to escape into a pocket universe similar to the one he originally sent the Avengers and FF to for safe keeping. Onslaught followed him in and soon found himself facing that world's Avengers and Fantastic Four, as well as the young hero Bucky (Rebecca Barnes) who tried to keep Franklin safe while Onslaught kept body jumping to get to Franklin.

(Onslaught Reborn I#5) - Onslaught's quest to kill Franklin ultimately led him to the Baxter Building headquarters of the FF where Earth's heroes had assembled to oppose. With a little help from Franklin, the Avenger Hawkeye remembered he was actually the mutant Logan. Somehow retaining memories of his 616-counterpart, Hawkeye popped his claws and slashed off Onslaught's helmet. Now vulnerable to attack from the heroes, Onslaught was near defeat but attempted one final lunge at Franklin. Bucky sacrificed herself by ramming Onslaught with a Fantasticar and driving them both into the Negative Zone.

(Onslaught Unleashed I#3 (fb) ) - Onslaught quickly took over Rikki Barnes, using the bulk of his essence to consume her and send her back to Earth-616 through a rapidly closing portal he had found. There, she would unwittingly serve him and work towards his escape from the Negative Zone.

(Onslaught Reborn I#5) - Onslaught was later seen floating near Prison 42.

(Onslaught Unleashed I#1 (fb) - BTS) - Onslaught kept influencing Barnes, now known as Nomad of the Young Allies. He sent her strange, vivid nightmares that turn out to be prophetic when her dream comes true and the villain El Dragon does  kidnap her teammate Toro. Bringing in Steve Rogers and his Secret Avengers onto the case, Nomad and the Young Allies realize El Dragon is keeping Toro at Project Power, an energy research facility hidden in the Colombian rainforest. Both teams mount a rescue mission.

(Onslaught Unleashed I#2 - BTS) - Nomad and the heroes learn the source of Project Power's energy research: they are tapping the Negative Zone. This leads them to a confrontation with El Dragon and his army of child soldiers.

(Onslaught Unleashed I#2) - Onslaught makes his presence known and takes over both Nomad and El Dragon's children's army which he uses to attack the heroes.

(Onslaught Unleashed I#3) - Onslaught continued to siphon his energies through Project Power, slowly reasserting himself from the Negative Zone. All the while, he used Nomad's body as a host and delighted in Rebecca's internal pleas to stop hurting her friends while he toyed with Gravity and Firestar making them fight each other. Onslaught was briefly weakened when Nomad figured out a way for the power hungry El Dragon to absorb some of Onslaught's energies. Briefly weakened, the villain was vulnerable to Barnes attacking him from inside their shared mind. In the end, Onslaught managed to rid himself of Barnes and was now his own, separate energy entity ready to press the attack.

(Onslaught Unleashed I#4) - The Secret Avengers and the Young Allies fought to keep Onslaught at bay, but he proved too strong for them to contain. Beast and Sharon Carter came up with a strategy involving a tactical electromagnetic pulse that briefly disrupted the villain's energy matrix. Catching their breath, the heroes were met by Nomad who informed them she was still tethered to Onslaught and that he was using her to reassert himself into this world once again. With a heavy heart, Gravity agreed to use his powers to disperse Nomad's form before Onslaught could return.

(Onslaught Unleashed I#4 - BTS) - Despite the success of their mission, Steve Rogers had a nightmare about Onslaught's inevitable return through Nomad who in turn used Rogers as their host body. 

(Thanos: The Infinity Relativity I#1 - BTS) - Thanos kept abreast of many of the universe's most powerful entities, including Onslaught.

Comments: Created by Scott Lobdell, Mark Waid, Adam Kubert and Dan Green.

As momentous a villain Onslaught is supposed to be, reviewing his appearances does lead one to conclude he was always little more than an empty shell. Even after 25+ years, his motivations remain nebulous and even a bit petty at times. Onslaught is either out to gain power, rule the world or to have his revenge. As motivations for supervillainy go that's about as commonplace as eating and breathing. That's a bit of a shame: he has all these powers and *that* is what he does with it?

Still, hearing the name 'Onslaught'  makes this comics fan all nostalgic for the simpler times of the Summer of 1996. Marvel might have been near bankruptcy, the Onslaught crossover was money in the bank as far as I was concerned. Ah, the innocence of youth.

The iconic moment of the heroes sacrificing themselves to stop Onslaught has been seen in numerous comics, but for clarity's sake this profile only lists the times that flashback actually added new information or served a purpose in the greater story.

Onslaught was introduced by Scott Lobdell without any concrete ideas for his origins or goals. When the X-offices decided Onslaught was going to be a major deal, Lobdell, Waid and the other writers were scrambling to connect all the dots, trying to ensure the myriad clues they'd been dropping about Onslaught made a semblance of sense. For the most part, they succeeded. The kidnapping of Chamber was quietly resolved off panel and the how or why Onslaught was in contact with the Hellfire Club's Emma Steed will probably remain a mystery for the ages.

This profile was completed 03/20/2019, but its publication was delayed as it was intended for the Appendix 20th anniversary's celebratory event.

Profile by Norvo

CLARIFICATIONS:
Onslaught should not be confused with

• Onslaught, Imperial Guard member @ Quasar I#33
• Red Onslaught, the Red Skull version @ Uncanny Avengers I#25
  
• Dark Xavier, Charles Xavier's repressed dark side @ X-Men I#106
• Any other "Onslaught" characters

images: (without ads)
X-Men II#53, p4, pan1 (main image)
Wolverine II#104, p19, pan3 (dark manifestation)
X-Man I#10 p17, pans 2&3 (yanked from the astral plane)
Uncanny X-Men I#333, p19, pans4&5 (helped Jean escape)
Fantastic Four I#414, p16, pan5 (as Charlie)
X-Men I#54, p21, pan1 (defeats Juggernaut)
Fantastic Four I#415, p22, pan1 (takes Franklin)
X-Man I#19, p22, pan2 (grabs Nate Grey)
Cable I#35, p21 pan2 (with Franklin inside him)
Avengers I#402, p20, pan3 (on Times Square jumbotron)
Onslaught Marvel Universe I#1 p24, pan1 (unarmored form)
Onslaught Reborn I#5 p16, pan3&4 (without his helmet)
Onslaught Unleashed I#4 p18, pan4 (fighting Secret Avengers)

Appearances:
X-Men II#25 (October, 1993) - Fabian Nicieza (writer), Andy Kubert (pencils), Matt Ryan (inks), Bob Harras (editor)
Uncanny X-Men I#309 (February, 1994) - Scott Lobdell (writer), John Romita Jr. (pencils), Dan Green (inks), Bob Harras (editor)
Uncanny X-Men I#322 (July, 1995) - Scott Lobdell (writer), Tom Grummett (pencils), Mark Pennington (inks), Bob Harras (editor)
X-Men II#46 (November, 1995) - Scott Lobdell (writer), Andy Kubert (pencils), Cam Smith (inks), Bob Harras (editor)
X-Man I#10 (December, 1995) - John Ostrander (writer), Steve Skroce (pencils), Bud LaRosa (inks), Jaye Gardner & Lisa Patrick (editors)
X-Men II#49 (February, 1996) - Scott Lobdell & Mark Waid (writers), Jeff Matsuda (pencils), Dan Panosian (inks), Ben Raab (editor)
X-Men II#50 (March, 1996) - Scott Lobdell (writer), Andy Kubert (pencils), Cam Smith (inks), Bob Harras (editor)
X-Force I#52 (March, 1996) - Jeph Loeb (writer), Adam Pollina (pencils), Bud LaRosa (inks), Bob Harras (editor)
X-Man I#15 (May, 1996) - Terry Kavanagh (writer), Steve Skroce (pencils), Bud LaRosa & Rob Hunter (inks), Jaye Gardner (editor)
Cable I#31 (May 1996) - Jeph Loeb (writer), Ian Churchill (pencils), Scott Hanna (inks), Mark Powers (editor)
Cable I#32 (June, 1996) - Jeph Loeb (writer), Ian Churchill (pencils), Scott Hanna (inks), Mark Powers (editor)
Uncanny X-Men I#333 (June, 1996) - Scott Lobdell (writer), Pascual Ferry (pencils), Tim Townsend et al (inks), Bob Harras (editor)
X-Men II#53 (June, 1996) - Mark Waid (writer), Andy Kubert (pencils), Cam Smith & John Dell (inks), Bob Harras (editor)
Avengers I#400 (July, 1996) - Mark Waid (writer), Mike Wieringo (pencils), Tom Palmer (inks), Mark Gruenwald (editor)
Cable I#34 (July, 1996) - Jeph Loeb (writer), Ian Churchill & Rick Leonardi (pencils), Scott Hanna (inks), Mark Powers (editor)
X-Man I#16 (June, 1996) - Terry Kavanagh (writer), Steve Skroce (pencils), Bud LaRosa & Rob Hunter (inks), Jaye Gardner (editor)
Uncanny X-Men I#334 (July, 1996) - Scott Lobdell (writer), Joe Madureira (pencils), Tim Townsend (inks), Bob Harras (editor)
X-Men II#54 (July, 1996) - Mark Waid (writer), Andy Kubert (pencils), Dan Panosian (inks), Bob Harras (editor)
Excalibur I#99 (July, 1996) - Warren Ellis (writer), Casey Jones (pencils), Tom Simmons (inks), Suzanne Gaffney (editor)
Fantastic Four I#414 (July, 1996) - Tom DeFalco (writer), Paul Ryan (pencils), John Lowe (inks), Suzanne Gaffney (editor)
X-Man I#17 (July, 1996) - Terry Kavanagh (writer), Steve Skroce (pencils), Bud LaRosa & Rob Hunter (inks), Jaye Gardner (editor)
Onslaught: X-Men I#1 (August, 1996) - Scott Lobdell & Mark Waid (writers) Adam Kubert (pencils), Dan Green (inks), Bob Harras (editor)
Uncanny X-Men I#335 (August, 1996) - Scott Lobdell (writer), Joe Madureira (pencils), Tim Townsend (inks), Bob Harras (editor)
Wolverine II#104 (August, 1996) - Larry Hama (writer), Val Semeiks (pencils), Chad Hunt (inks), Bob Harras (editor)
Cable I#34 (August, 1996) - Jeph Loeb (writer), Ian Churchill (pencils), Scott Hanna & Art Thibert (inks), Mark Powers (editor)
Incredible Hulk I#444 (August, 1996) - Peter David (writer), Angel Medina (pencils), Robin Riggs (inks), Bobbie Chase (editor)
Fantastic Four I#415 (August, 1996) - Tom DeFalco (writer), Carlos Pacheco (pencils), Bob Wiacek (inks), Suzanne Gaffney (editor)
X-Factor I#125 (August, 1996) - Howard Mackie (writer), Jeff Matsuda (pencils), Al Milgrom (inks), Kelly Corvese (editor)
X-Men II#55 (August, 1996) - Mark Waid (writer), Andy Kubert (pencils), Dan Panosian (inks), Bob Harras (editor)
Amazing Spider-Man I#415 (September, 1996) - Tom DeFalco (writer), Mark Bagley (pencils), Larry Mahlstedt & Al Milgrom (inks), Ralph Macchio (editor)
Spider-Man I#72 (September, 1996) - Howard Mackie (writer), John Romita Jr. (pencils), Al Williamson (inks), Ralph Macchio (editor)
X-Man I#19 (September, 1996) - Terry Kavanagh (writer), Steve Skroce (pencils), Bud LaRosa (inks), Jaye Gardner (editor)
Uncanny X-Men I#336 (September, 1996) - Scott Lobdell (writer), Joe Madureira (pencils), Tim Townsend (inks), Bob Harras (editor)
X-Force I#58 (September, 1996) - Jeph Loeb, Anthony Castrillo (writers), Bud LaRosa (inks), Bob Harras (editor)
Cable I#35 (September, 1996) - Jeph Loeb (writer), Ian Churchill (pencils), Scott Hanna & Art Thibert (inks), Mark Powers (editor)
Incredible Hulk I#445 (September, 1996) - Peter David (writer), Angel Medina (pencils), Robin Riggs (inks), Bobbie Chase (editor)
Fantastic Four I#416 (September, 1996) - Tom DeFalco (writer), Carlos Pacheco (pencils), Art Thibert (inks), Suzanne Gaffney (editor)
Iron Man I#322 (September, 1996) - Terry Kavanagh (writer), Joe Bennett (pencils), Tim Dzon & Mark McKenna (inks), Mark Gruenwald (editor)
Avengers I#402 (September, 1996) - Mark Waid (writer), Mike Deodato (pencils), Tom Palmer (inks), Mark Gruenwald (editor)
X-Men II#56 (September, 1996) - Scott Lobdell & Mark Waid (writers), Andy Kubert (pencils), Art Thibert (inks), Bob Harras (editor)
Iron Man II#6 (April, 1997) - Scott Lobdell (writer), Whilce Portacio (pencils), Scott Williams (inks), Mike Heisler (editor)
Thunderbolts Annual 1997 I#1 (August, 1997) - Kurt Busiek (writer), Tom Grummett (pencils), Al Milgrom (inks), Tom Brevoort (editor)
Iron Man II#11 (September, 1997) - Jim Lee & Jeph Loeb (writers), While Portacio (pencils), Terry Shoemaker (inks), Ruben Diaz (editor)
X-Men/Doctor Doom Annual I#1 (June, 1998) - Jorge Gonzalez (writer), Aron Lopresti (pencils), Art Thibert & Jaime Mendoza (inks), Frank Pittarese (editor)
New Avengers I#18 (June, 2006) - Brian Michael Bendis (writer), Mike Deodato Jr. (pencils), Joe Pimentel (inks), Tom Brevoort (editor)
Onslaught Reborn I#1 (January, 2007) - Jeph Loeb (writer), Rob Liefeld (pencils & inks), John Barber (editor)
Onslaught Reborn I#2 (February, 2007) - Jeph Loeb (writer), Rob Liefeld (pencils & inks), John Barber (editor)
Onslaught Reborn I#3 (March, 2007)  - Jeph Loeb (writer), Rob Liefeld (pencils & inks), John Barber (editor)
Onslaught Reborn I#4 (September, 2007) - Jeph Loeb (writer), Rob Liefeld (pencils & inks), John Barber (editor)
Onslaught Reborn I#5 (March, 2008) - Jeph Loeb (writer), Rob Liefeld (pencils & inks), John Barber (editor)
Onslaught Unleashed I#1 (April, 2011) - Sean McKeever (writer), Filipe Andrade (pencils & inks), Lauren Sankovitch (editor)
Onslaught Unleashed I#2 (May, 2011) - Sean McKeever (writer), Filipe Andrade (pencils & inks), Lauren Sankovitch (editor)
Onslaught Unleashed I#3 (June, 2011) - Sean McKeever (writer), Filipe Andrade (pencils & inks), Lauren Sankovitch (editor)
Onslaught Unleashed I#4 (July, 2011) - Sean McKeever (writer), Filipe Andrade (pencils & inks), Lauren Sankovitch (editor)
X-Men Legacy II#10 (July, 2013) - Simon Spurrier (writer), Paul Davidson (pencils & inks), Nick Lowe (editor)
Thanos: The Infinity Relativity I#1 (August, 2015) - Jim Starlin (writer, pencils), Andy Smith (inks), Tom Brevoort (editor)

First Posted: 09/25/2021
Last Updated: 09/24/2021

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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