NANCE WINTERS

Real Name: Nance Winters

Identity/Class: Human, citizen of the United States

Occupation: Terrorist, former SHIELD operative

Group Membership: Acolytes (Chrome/Allen Marc Yuric, Anne-Marie Cortez, Fabian Cortez, Marco Delgado, other unidentified members)

Affiliations: Magneto (Max Eisenhardt);
                     formerly X-Men Blue Squad (Beast/Hank McCoy, Cyclops/Scott Summers, Gambit/Remy LeBeau, Psylocke/Betsy Braddock, Rogue/Anna Marie, Wolverine/James "Logan" Howlett);
                     formerly SHIELD (Major Harry Delgado, Deke, unnamed others)

Enemies: Moira MacTaggert, X-Men (Archangel/Warren Worthington III, Banshee/Sean Cassidy, Beast/Hank McCoy, Colossus/Piotr Rasputin, Cyclops/Scott Summers, Forge, Gambit/Remy LeBeau, Psylocke/Betsy Braddock, Rogue/Anna Marie, Storm/Ororo Munroe, Wolverine/James "Logan" Howlett), Charles Xavier

Known Relatives: None

First Appearance: X-Men II#1 (October, 1991)

Powers/Abilities: Nance Winters possessed no known superhuman abilities. As a SHIELD field operative she was highly trained in several forms of (unarmed) combat.

Height: Unrevealed (approximately 5'6")
Weight: Unrevealed (approximately 150 lbs.)
Eyes: Green
Hair: Black

History:

(X-Men II#1 - BTS) - Nance Winters was an elite SHIELD field operative serving under major Harry Delgado. They were sent after Fabian Cortez and a band of renegade mutants who had launched a stolen space shuttle to look for Magneto and Asteroid M.

(X-Men II#1) - Catching up with the shuttle over Russia, Cortez managed to destroy one of three pursuing SHIELD ships. On board Winters' craft, Nance argued with Delgado about retaliation. He resisted her demand to fire back, fearing the fight might spark a new world war. The point was rendered moot when Magneto emerged from nearby Asteroid M to intervene. He planned to send everyone involved back to Earth, but was convinced by the Cortezes to bring everyone on board his asteroid home. A little later, the mutants turned on the agents sent to stop them. During the altercation, Nance's colleague Deke savagely injured Anne-Marie Cortez which convinced Magneto he needed to take care of his people.

(X-Men II#1 - BTS) - After recovering from her near fatal injuries thanks to her brother's powers, Anne-Marie used her own abilities to dominate the mind of Nance Winters. She swore loyalty to Magneto's cause.

(X-Men II#1) - The now mind controlled Nance Winters watched as Fabian Cortez tended to the injuries Magneto endured at the hands of Wolverine when the X-Men tried to stop him from salvaging the Leningrad's nuclear arsenal. 

(X-Men II#2 - BTS) - Winters was not present during Magneto's fight with the X-Men on Genosha, which ended when her teammate Chrome stepped in to save their messiah by transmuting their opponents into metal. The master of magnetism then took the captured X-Men back up to Asteroid M.

(X-Men II#2 - BTS) - Nance Winters was present when Fabian Cortez made Magneto aware that his genetic structure showed signs of extensive tampering. Realizing this was the handiwork of Moira MacTaggert, he had her and Charles Xavier brought up to Asteroid M as well.

(X-Men II#2) - Winters watched as Magneto forced MacTaggert to subject the X-Men to the same genetic modification to ensure their loyalty to him.

(X-Men II#3) - Winters, her fellow Acolytes and the X-Men Blue team were relaxing in Asteroid M's inside pool when Wolverine's enhanced senses picked up the approaching X-Men Gold Team. Soon, both X-Men factions were fighting one another, with Magneto and the Acolytes joining in. During the struggle, the mind controlled X-Men regained their senses, leading Winters to blast the 'traitor' Cyclops. The altercation was disrupted when SHIELD, the UN and the American and Russian governments okayed the initiation of the Magneto Protocols. As a result, Asteroid Shis retaliatory strike was followed by Fabian Cortez who comm which caused a series of satellites to fire laser cannons on Asteroid M. The initial impacts caused the X-Men to retreat, with Chrome and the other Acolytes to stay at Magneto's side, who refused to abandon the proverbial ship.

(Uncanny X-Men I#304 (fb) - BTS) - As Asteroid M was being destroyed by the UN's laser cannon network, the Acolytes gathered around Magneto in his throne room. Convinced they were about to die, Delgado and the Acolytes joined in a prayer chant next to Magneto's throne. Chrome then called upon all of his quantum transmutative abilities to turn the Acolytes and Magneto's bodies into a form close to indestructible omnium. The part of the Asteroid M containing the throne room landed in Kuwait.

(Uncanny X-Men I#299) - Forge, Henry Peter Gyrich and a SHIELD research team went to Kuwait to investigate the piece of Asteroid M that crashed in the desert. Investigating the wreckage, Gyrich and Forge discovered the deceased Acolytes huddled in front of Magneto's armor which appeared to have burst open from the inside out, like a butterfly's cocoon.

Comments: Created by Chris Claremont, Jim Lee, Scott Williams.

It's always struck me as odd that the Acolytes would even want to have a human founding member, even though Winters was allegedly mentally coerced by Anne-Marie Cortez. Magneto had no use for non-mutants either. But hey, it sure is a clever way to resolve a simple art error.

CLARIFICATIONS:
Nance Winters has no known connections to

• Jeffrey Winters, werewolf aboard the Eighth Avenue Elevated Train in which Hodiah Twist investigated murders, exposed by Hodiah Twist, decapitated and slain with silver blade by Conrad Jeavon--Marvel Preview I#16
• Joan Winters, 1940s, heiress harassed by servants posing as ghosts, rescued by Mantor--Human Torch Comics#2/7
• Julia Winters, formerly the infant Bucky--Captain America V#7
• Mrs Winters, adoptive mother of Julia--Captain America V#7
• Norah Winters, Front Line community events reporter, mocked and then showed romantic interest in Peter Parker--Amazing Spider-Man I#575
• William Winters, pre-modern era, publisher of Ted Wayne, killed by the Clutching Hands, framing Wayne--ourney into Mystery I#1/3
• Mr. Winters, Springdale high school principal, victim of Class Clown, appears similar to Mr. Weatherby from Archie--Marvel Comics Presents#96/4
• or any other "Winters" characters

images: (without ads)
X-Men II#3, p18, pan5 (main image)
X-Men II#1, p1, pan4 (in SHIELD spacesuit)
X-Men II#3, p21, pan2 (goes down with Magneto)