Nobody ever told me a lot about girls. Dad was so busted up after mum left, his thought on the subject were mostly anger and confusing. Spent a lot of my life playing the round-bellied ginger boy who likes to listen. Girls told me their troubles, treated me like the harmless pup I was. But not Nara. She treated me like scum from the start. Made a game out of it. Tried to break me. I used to hate her gut. But now-- well, everything's different now-- isn't it? 
- —Anachronism[src]
History
Origin
Aiden Gillespie was born in Aviemore, Scotland to Lorne and Mhairi Gillespie. He was raised by a single father after his mother left, and grew as an unathletic and socially insecure youth,[1] playing the "round-bellied ginger boy who likes to listen", used as a confidant by girls who treated him like an "harmless little pup". His father was so busted up after Aiden's mother left, that he didn't manage to tell his son about girls. His father's thoughts on the topic were mostly angry and confusing.[6]
In his early teens, while playing in the Glenmore Forest Park,[1] Aiden gained the body of an immortal Celtic warlord[5] when his soul was merged with his spirit.[1] Since then, Aiden started changing, initially a couple times a month, and struggled to suppress the fighting craving of his muscular warrior form.[6]
Braddock Academy
He was enrolled in the Braddock Academy and moved into the Braddock Manor in England. There he soon adopted the code-name Anachronism, and became best friends with Cullen Bloodstone.[1]
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Aiden's true form
Despite his new found powers, Aiden still suffered from low self-esteem, and was frequently bullied by Kid Briton.[7]
Cullen eventually entrusted Aiden with his secret that he was the unwilling host to a Glartrox, a demonic parasite held in check only a Bloodstone ring. He had Aiden to promise to slay him in case he would ever lose control over the parasite.[8] Cullen became attracted to Aiden, oblivious to him.[4]
One night, he interrupted Kid Briton as he was in a passionate clinch with Atlantean student Nara, while officially dating Apex (Katy Bashir). Kid Briton beat up Aiden, wanting to ensure that what he saw would remain secret, inadvertently triggering his transformation,[4] apparently permanently. Aiden was desperate about this, having to experience and resist to the warlord's bloodlust and urges.[6]
Aiden being physically more attractive, Nara started expressing interest, and Aiden grew attracted to Nara, despite Kid Briton's agressivity about it, and to Cullen's annoyance.[6]
At least one time, the warlord took over Aiden and went to a football pub to pick a fight. The whole scene was seen by Nara who had followed him.[6]
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Murder World
On Christmas Eve,[9] one month later,[6] six months after obtaining his powers,[5] and along with four of his fellow Braddock Academy students: Cullen, Kid Briton, Nara and technopathic Apex, and eleven other young heroes, Aiden was captured and brought to Murder World by Arcade. After releasing them from stasis, some of the heroes attacked Arcade but to no avail. They stopped when it appeared that Arcade couldn't be defeated. He instructed them that if they wanted to survive they had to kill each other.[2] The groups splat off as they began a battle to the death.[10]
- Arcade made the kidnapping look like a fugue: The cameras were disabled at the moment of their "departure", and during the time they were missing, Arcade had Life-Model Decoys of the five Braddock Academy students to appear at various places (including the Playboy Mansion, museums, and even Braddock's house, and post them (always after leaving) on Fritter and Wastebook. Brian Braddock always arrived to late to catch them but had to pay for the mess they left.[11]
When Arcade grew bored of his captives' inactivity, he created a series of environmental disasters that forced them to journey to safe zones he scattered across the island. At one of these zones, he left a supply crate full of food, medicine, and weaponry. Aiden and the others began making their way to safety, but were separated when a land bridge he and Cullen were crossing collapsed. The two fell into a ravine, but were uninjured. Nara was subsequently blasted into the water by Death Locket (Becca Ryker),[7] who was swayed into doing so by Apex. Eventually, Arcade set it up so the Braddock Academy would reunite and Nara began to attack Apex. Apex manipulated Death Locket into attacking Nara and Anachronism but Bloodstone blasted Death Locket out of the way, revealing the plot. Apex then provoked Brian into saving her, who then attacked and wounded Nara. Before he could finish her off, Anachronism intervened and instinctively decapitated his rival.[6]
Apex and Death Locket departed the scene as Aiden remained phased out for a time, realizing what he had done, until Nara engaged physical relationship with him. Bloodstone welcomed the Runaways Nico Minoru and Chase Stein,[4] and they were then rejoined by Timothy Bashir (Katy's shared-body-brother), Death Locket, Cammi, Avengers Academy's X-23, Juston Seyfert. Upon hearing Tim's story, Aiden was among those who refused to kill him because of his sister, while Chase, willing to do it, was cast out. Katy regained control over their shared body, kill Juston and left the scene that very night).[12] Chased by X-23, the technopath soon returned to attack the group who managed to flee thanks to Nico's spell and sacrifice.[3]
Cammi, Nara, Bloodstone, Laura and Anachronism were sent to the quadrant 3, the safe zone where Avengers Academy's Reptil and Hazmat were waiting.[13]
Understanding Aiden was straight still upset Cullen,[1] who lost his temper, causing a brief fight, until Nara took Aiden apart, and pointed out to him Cullen's feelings.
Arcade had Trigger Scent spilled all over the place, leading Cullen to release the Glartrox to oppose X-23.[14] After defeating her, the monster turned against the other heroes. Aiden quickly explained Cullen's status to the other, and Nara went to find back the ring to contain the Glartrox while Aiden and the others tried to keep him at bay. As they were powerless to do so, Aiden resorted to killing the host, Cullen, as he had promised him. Nara timely arrived with the ring before Aiden could execute his friend. The Glartrox immediately attacked her, mortally wounding her, but leaving her enough time to use the ring and contain it back.[8]
Broken, Aiden violently attacked Cullen, until Cammi blasted him into the jungle. At that moment, on the beach, the Runaways started attacking the others, sending Reptil into the jungle as well.[15] Finding X-23 in the woods, he quickly attacked her, taking her for responsible of what had happened, but was opposed by Reptil.[16] The remaining youth fought each other, then back-to-back when Katy Bashir, who had managed to enter Murder World control, began sending various threats to destroy them, until Death Locket, also in the control, killed Katy at Tim's request, ending the twins.
Soon, Captain Britain, Hank Pym, Abigail Brand and Director Maria Hill came along with S.H.I.E.L.D. to rescue the survivors (Aiden, Cullen, Hazmat, X-23, Chase, Nico, Darkhawk (Chris Powell) and Death Locket) and retrieve the bodies.[17]
Undercover
Aiden returned to the Braddock Academy along with Cullen, who grew distant from his best friend, though when Aiden did manage to speak to him it centered solely around getting revenge on Arcade. After a while Cullen packed his things and left. Aiden assumed that he just needed some space in the aftermath of those events, and so left him be.[18] After the revelation of Murder World, Aiden's parents were brought back together.[1]
After three months, Aiden went to check on his friend at Bloodstone Manor only to find it empty besides numerous schematics and plans of Arcade's properties, lists of his known associates and even a list of people that had insulted each of the survivors on the internet. Calling the rest of the survivors (minus X-23 and Darkhawk) to meet him at Manor, Aiden explained them the situation and showed them the most recent video Cullen had uploaded, dated three weeks ago, which showed him attempting to infiltrate Bagalia, the base of operations of Baron Helmut Zemo's Masters of Evil, where he believed Arcade was hiding. Aiden convinced his friends to aid him in trying to rescue Cullen.[18]
Arriving at Bagalia, they were spotted by Young Masters, who were quickly defeated. Aiden refused to bother with a plan and furiously rushed to find his friend, bursting through the window of a nightclub and asking for Cullen. Before a fight could break out Cullen appeared, apparently in perfect health[19] (but in fact under Daimon Hellstrom's control),[1] and calmed down the crowd, and introducing them his friends.
Aiden was shocked and confused to learn that Cullen had apparently joined the ranks of the Masters of Evil, causing an argument between the two which ended in Cullen storming off. Hazmat attempted to cheer Aiden up by dancing with him and explained that they weren't giving up on Cullen, that he probably just needed some time and that they needed to act like they belonged there for now. After four hour of party and Cammi's want to leave, Cullen had Daimon Hellstrom to teleported Aiden and his friends to Arcade's latest party at the Massacrer Casino, to end him.[19] That Arcade was in fact a facsimile created by the Masters of Evil.
Arcade's party, a televised death match,[1] quickly devolved into chaos as he ordered his guests to kill each other. Aiden noticed that Jen went into catatonic shock after seeing Arcade and worried about her, more than anyone else. While Nico, Cullen and Death Locket headed to the control room to shut down Arcade's powers, Aiden, Cammi and Chase battle Arcade but were severely outmatched. Once his powers disabled and his henchwoman Miss Coriander taken down, the Murder World survivors brutally beat Arcade but didn't killed him. After he taunted them about their restraint, Jen snapped and vaporized him with her powers, much to everyone's shock.[20]
Aiden and the others were captured and taken into S.H.I.E.L.D. custody where they were each placed in containment cells. Aiden was visited by his weeping mother and reprimanded by his father. Soon after, Aiden and his friends were all teleported from their cells back to Bagalia by Daimon, much to their confusion. Once there, Aiden again expressed his worry about Jen and she told him she was struggling to process everything that was happening but was hanging in there and thanked him for asking.
The group was then brought to Baron Zemo who lectured them on how villains were only called that way by heroes because of their power and ambition. He also stated that he saw potential in each of them and offered them to join his Masters of Evil.[21] The group was shown around Bagalia, where Aiden, Cammi, and Jen were brought under the attention of Madame Masque who explained they had great leadership qualities such as the ability to inspire loyalty and sacrifice in their friends, and told them if they wanted a life full of power, influence, and devoid of want like here, they could have it by joining her.
Once Masque left, they discussed the fact that the world no longer viewed the group as heroes after Murder World, but as murderers and they had two choices: Stay in Bagalia and join the Masters of Evil or accept their fate and return to prison. Jen offered a third choice: to infiltrate the Masters of Evil and bring them down from the inside. Later, Aiden and the others gathered, apart from Death Locket and Cullen, to discuss Jen's plan of infiltrating the Masters of Evil in order to bring them down. Aiden and Jen explained to a skeptical Chase and Nico that by pulling off such a plan could earn them back the favor of the public and be viewed as heroes again. Aiden asked Nico to look out for Cullen and to try to bring him around to their side as she would probably be closest to him, to which Nico agreed. The group, apart from Cammi who chose to leave, were then summoned by Zemo and agreed to join the Masters of Evil.[22]
During the next three months,[1] Aiden and Hazmat grew closer, battling Hydra, and the Hand. After their first kiss, Madame Masque seemingly confided the plans of Helmut Zemo, which they transmitted to the super-human community. He tried to reconnect with Cullen, only to discover his friend had been taken over by Daimon Hellstrom. Aiden battled Hellstrom and Glartrox-Cullen.[23] The fighting was so violent that even the Celtic warlord's bloodlust ran dry. With the help of Nico and Hazmat, he was able to reach and help Cullen regain control (who thanked with a kiss on the mouth out of gratitude, while acknowledging the nature of their relationship). S.H.I.E.L.D. and Avengers soon invaded Bagalia based on Aiden and Jen's intel, but they were all trapped while the Masters of Evil fled the pit.[24]
After Cammi foiled Helmut Zemo and the Masters of Evil's plans, all charges against the Murder World survivors were dropped by S.H.I.E.L.D. (on the condition that they would inform Director Maria Hill before engaging in heroics) and the others left Bagalia. Aiden rejoined his friends from Avengers Academy, Braddock Academy, and the Runaways, and together they went to enjoy summertime at a lake.[25][9]Personality
Since his youth, and during his time at the Braddock Academy[1] and early in Murder World, Aiden suffered from a lack of self-confidence.[5] He didn't like to fight, but gave in to appease the spirit inhabiting him.[6]
Celtic warlord
Aiden has described the Celtic warlord as being "psychotic", who has bloodlust and violent urges.
Nara considered that there was no alternate personality within Aiden, and that he had seemingly became more aggressive.[6]
Relationships
While becoming best friend with Cullen Bloodstone,[1] he didn't returned Cullen's feelings.[14]
After being stuck in his warlord form and becoming physically attractive, Nara started expressing interest, and Aiden grew attracted to Nara.[6] After saving her from her lover Kid Briton, Nara and Aiden started engaging physical relationship,[4] and Nara eventually realized she loved him and that she had become "a girlfriend".[8] Aiden himself loved her.[15]
Both having lost their partners in Murder World,[19] Aiden and Hazmat (Jennifer Takeda) enter a relationship some time later.[23]Attributes
 |
Powers
Aiden possess the body and powers of an immortal Celtic warlord.[5] His powers have not been fully defined, but has demonstrated the following:
- Transformation: Anachronism appeared to be able to switch between both his mortal body and his immortal warlord form,[7] in short seemingly involuntary internals ,until recently when he permanently changed into the warlord form. According to Aiden, the transformation also replaced half of his mind,[6] while the Celtic warlord owned half of his soul.[24]
- Superhuman Durability[1]
Abilities
Weaknesses
- Increased Aggression: Anachronism claimed that in his warlord form he experiences increased rage and aggression. Aiden even describes it as a psychotic blood-lust. These emotion seem difficult to control.[6]
Paraphernalia
Weapons
- Anachronism's Axe: Aiden carries a large battleaxe.
Notes
Trivia
- Aiden was a gamer guy,[7] and wasn't interested in sports.[4]
- Chase Stein stated that Anachronism was a "football god".[4]
- Dennis Hopeless has stated Anachronism started off as "Scottish He-Man".[26]
See Also
- 24 appearance(s) of Aiden Gillespie (Earth-616)
- 1 appearance(s) in handbook(s) of Aiden Gillespie (Earth-616)
- 1 mention(s) of Aiden Gillespie (Earth-616)
- 49 image(s) of Aiden Gillespie (Earth-616)
- 4 quotation(s) by or about Aiden Gillespie (Earth-616)
- 1 victim(s) killed by Aiden Gillespie (Earth-616)
- 1 item(s) used/owned by Aiden Gillespie (Earth-616)
Links and References
References
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 Avengers NOW! #1 ; Anachronism's entry
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Avengers Arena #1
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Avengers Arena #10
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 Avengers Arena #8
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 Avengers Arena #2
- ↑ 6.00 6.01 6.02 6.03 6.04 6.05 6.06 6.07 6.08 6.09 6.10 6.11 6.12 6.13 Avengers Arena #6
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 7.6 Avengers Arena #5
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Avengers Arena #15
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Avengers NOW! #1 ; Hazmat's entry
- ↑ Avengers Arena #3
- ↑ Avengers Arena #13
- ↑ Avengers Arena #9
- ↑ Avengers Arena #11
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 Avengers Arena #14
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 Avengers Arena #16
- ↑ Avengers Arena #17
- ↑ Avengers Arena #18
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 Avengers Undercover #1
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 19.2 19.3 Avengers Undercover #2
- ↑ Avengers Undercover #3
- ↑ Avengers Undercover #4
- ↑ Avengers Undercover #5
- ↑ 23.0 23.1 Avengers Undercover #8
- ↑ 24.0 24.1 Avengers Undercover #9
- ↑ Avengers Undercover #10
- ↑ https://marvel.com/news/comics/2013/12/17/21650/replay_an_interactive_avengers_arena_chat
- ↑ Avengers NOW! #1, Anachronism's entry
- ↑ Avengers NOW! Vol 1 1