History
Origin[]
Nils Styger is the son of Azazel[3] and is also Nightcrawler's half-brother, and was born in Genosha.[1]
Legacy Virus[]
At some point, the Genoshan Mutate Abyss contracted the debilitating Legacy Virus. He acted as a protector for the Genoshan research scientist Renee Majcomb, who was researching possible cures for the virus. When former Magistrates attacked Rene, he fought them off and nearly killed them until Cable's arrival. He was cured when Colossus triggered the cure for the Legacy Virus.[4]
X-Corps[]
Abyss was later in Berlin, Germany battling the former Gene Nation member known as Fever Pitch. Both mutants were captured by Banshee's mutant militia known as the X-Corps. While being held by the X-Corps, Abyss witnessed Sunpyre's murder. When the terrorist Mystique revealed herself and her intentions to use the X-Corps, the wounded Banshee freed Abyss from his confinement. Abyss then sucked Mystique through his interdimensional void, and, unable to shut off his power, almost swallowed Banshee as well. The timely arrival of some other members of X-Corps stopped that however.[5]
Fighting Azazel[]
Abyss later resurfaced when his father Azazel psychically summoned his many children to attempt to release him from the Brimstone Dimension that he had been banished to hundreds of years before. In an attempt to lose himself and his comrades, Azazel had traversed the dimension barrier many times and sired children in the hopes that one of them would be able to breach the dimensional barrier. Abyss joined forces with the X-Men to avert Azazel's attempt to bring his army into Earth's dimension and succeeded in foiling his father's efforts. He was subsequently revealed to be Nightcrawler's half-brother.[6]
M-Day[]
Abyss was one of scores of mutants who lost their powers after the events of the House of M,[7] losing both his organic tentacles and his control over the Brimstone Dimension.[8]
He joined the X-Cell, a terrorist group that blamed the government for M-Day.[9] and was given mechanical tentacles by The Isolationist, who also provided equipment to the other members of the team, that mimicked their lost powers.[10][8]
As X-Factor Investigations' members Strong Guy and Wolfsbane were heading to attack the X-Cell headquarters, he intervened, fighting with Guido before using his tentacles to send him blocks away, while Quicksilver took down Rahne.[11]
Quicksilver gave him and other members of X-Cell their powers back. Soon, X-Factor came for a final street brawl, and the group began falling apart after their leader Elijah Cross lost control of his newly restored powers and exploded.[12]
Abyss absorbed his unstable teammates Reaper and Fatale into his newly reformed brimstone dimension and jumped in as well, in order to prevent them from exploding in the street,[12] also hoping that the Brimstone Dimension would stabilize or drain their powers.[8]
The status of their powers and whereabouts were unknown to Madrox and Valerie Cooper.[12]
Frozen and returned[]
The experience bored out as Abyss hoped, as time froze around them while they were in the dimension, preventing them from exploding.[13]
A.I.M. scientist Terrance Hoffman managed to drag the mutants out using some machine, and captured them, draining them of their energies, leaving them powerless.
When Serval Industries X-Factor came to the base to free mutants (unaware of their identities) from A.I.M.,[14] Hoffman came to find Abyss and Reaper to drain their powers again and use the energies to power himself. Growing to giant size and destroying part of the base, he accidentally freed them.[13]
Once the battle was over, Abyss stayed silent but seemingly sided with Fatale and Reaper who were first intending to slay the unconscious Hoffman and then kill Quicksilver, currently part of X-Factor, as he was directly and indirectly responsible for their successive torments.[13] Ultimately the three left without enacting their vengeance on Pietro.
Fall of X[]
At some point in time, he was captured by Orchis. When an alternate Madelyne Pryor invaded the Limbo Embassy, he was used to give them an entrance. In the subsequent fight that followed, his neck was snapped, resulting in his death at the hands of his father.[2]Attributes
Powers
Nils is a Neyaphem[6] Alpha Class mutant.[4] He was depowered on M-Day, but retained his physical mutated appearance.[11] He was repowered by Terrigen Mist, but the effect was unstable and almost caused him to die.[12] His unstable powers were drained by Terrance Hoffman, and has been powerless[13] until he was seen with his powers after the Fall of X.[2]
Unraveling Body: The cells of his body are extremely pliable that allows him to unravel any part of his body into ribbon-like tendrils.[15] He can freely control these tendrils and use them to grapple, constrict and bind his opponents. The tendrils possess great tensile strength and elasticity, they could be stretched for at least several meters and are durable enough to bind opponents with cybernetic enhancements[4] or superhuman strength.[12] They are also seems to be resistant to high temperature.[1] Normally Abyss unravels his arms and front side of the body that allows him to easily drag opponents into the portal inside of his chest.[4][1]
Living Portal: Within his chest exists an interdimensional portal,[15][16] but it is unclear how much control Nils have over the portal, how exactly it works and there it is leading.
While infected with the Legacy Virus, which had often negatively affected mutants' control over their powers, Nils was able to freely pull people in and out of the portal,[4] but later on he had stated what nothing ever came back from his portal[3] and Sunpyre concluded what he is just a living conduit between dimensions and have limited conscious control over the portal.[15] At one point while Nils was overwhelmed by anger he had lost control over the portal and in result all nearby objects were pulled inside, including Banshee. Nils was extremely panicked about it, likely indicating what he had no way to bring Banshee back if he was pulled into the portal.[17]
Originally Nils said what on the other side of his portal is a cold, dark abyss, which was confirmed by Cable's telepathic reading of Amy Neils who entered and exited the portal.[4] However, Azazel later stated what the portal is leading to the Brimstone Dimension, which does not seems to be much different from the Earth.[18] Amy Neils was on the verge of death after a short time within the portal, while Mystique had spent at least several days or maybe even months on the other side and hadn't seemed to be affected in any way,[18] and Fatale later on had stated what while they were in Abyss' dimension the time froze around them.[13] While Nils was in the Brimstone Dimension, the portal's work had reversed and instead of pulling objects into it, it ejected everything that had ever been pulled inside[3] and was now leading to Earth.[18] It is possible what the portal in his body does not lead directly to the Brimstone Dimension, but instead to a cold, dark, lifeless void with no time flow that is positioned in-between the Brimstone Dimension and the Earth and could be accessed from both sides.
- Teleportation: Abyss once demonstrated what he can also enter his portal, completely disappearing in result.[12]
Paraphernalia
Equipment
See Also
- 16 appearance(s) of Nils Styger (Earth-616)
- 4 appearance(s) in handbook(s) of Nils Styger (Earth-616)
- 1 minor appearance(s) of Nils Styger (Earth-616)
- 3 mention(s) in handbook(s) of Nils Styger (Earth-616)
- 15 image(s) of Nils Styger (Earth-616)
- 1 quotation(s) by or about Nils Styger (Earth-616)
Links and References
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Uncanny X-Men #402
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Dark X-Men (Vol. 2) #4
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Uncanny X-Men #431
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 Cable #40
- ↑ Uncanny X-Men #402–406
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Uncanny X-Men #429–434
- ↑ New Avengers #18
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 X-Men: Messiah Complex - Mutant Files #1
- ↑ X-Factor (Vol. 3) #18–19
- ↑ X-Factor (Vol. 3) #23
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 X-Factor (Vol. 3) #19
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 12.4 12.5 X-Factor (Vol. 3) #20
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 13.4 All-New X-Factor #2
- ↑ All-New X-Factor #1
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 Uncanny X-Men #404
- ↑ Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z #1
- ↑ Uncanny X-Men #406
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 Uncanny X-Men #433
- ↑ Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z #1
- ↑ Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z Vol 1 1