History
Origins[]
Solem was an Arakkii mutant with Adamantium skin. When raiding a village, he was found by Sevyr Blackmore. Blackmore took interest in him and took him, however, the cages that Blackmore put him in could not contain him. Therefore, Blackmore decided to train Solem. Eventually, Blackmore was betrayed by Solem, who sliced off his nose and stole his ship.[1]
Imprisoned[]
One-hundred years ago, Bracken, former lover of Solem, was challenged in a duel to the death and then killed by him using Blightswill, because Bracken many times had insulted Solem for his libertine ways. For this murder, Solem was imprisoned in the pit of the Tower of Broken Will via a law created ad personam by Ora Serrata the Witness.[2] Bracken's wife, War, gave Solem Bracken's Hellblade believing that the solitude would drive him mad and that he would kill himself with it. However, Solem was undaunted as he actually enjoyed the solitude, while other Arakkii who still adored him came to visit and brought him gifts.[5]
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Imprisoned in the Tower of Broken Will
While imprisoned, Solem was visited by the rebellious Night Seats of the Great Ring of Arakko, who were trying to recruit him to their cause against Genesis and the Horsemen of Apocalypse, but he declined their offer, preferring to stay alone in his cell.[3]
X of Swords[]
As Solem was one of the chosen individuals for Saturnyne's Ten of Swords challenge, War and Pestilence were forced to break him free in order to win the challenge.[5] After getting the information he needed from the Oracle of Arakko, Solem used the Hellblade to access Hell. There he met his opponent, Wolverine, imprisoned while regenerating. After he introduced himself to Logan, the two were forced to cooperate in order to get their hands on the Muramasa Blade. They went looking for Muramasa himself, who had become a slave for the Hand. They stumbled across the wedding between the Hellbride, daughter of the demon Beast, and her spouse, with Muramasa giving the couple their own blades. The mutant duo assaulted the wedding and killed the groom, with Solem taking the two swords, while Wolverine was snatched by the Beast himself. Solem offered to help Logan escape with one of the swords, in exchange for a favor, to which Logan agreed.[6]
During the tournament, Solem was pitted against his own teammate, War, in a challenge to see who could cut a limb off of an opponent first. Solem called in his favor with Logan, asking Saturnyne to summon him and telling War that he had just killed her son, before leaving. Logan was successful in winning the challenge, slicing off War's hand.[7] Following the end of the tournament, Solem snuck behind Saturnyne's guards and exited Otherworld through the Krakoa Gateway in Avalon.[8]
Life on Earth[]
During the Hellfire Gala, Solem stole the Logic Diamonds gifted by the Shi'ar stored on the Marauder, leaving behind a casino chip that allowed Blackmore to identify him as the initial attacker. Blackmore later sent Wolverine on a mission to kill Solem, using Solem's Muramasa Blade as leverage. Wolverine met Solem at the Green Lagoon, where Solem requested his help in taking down Blackmore. Wolverine agreed, not knowing Solem and Blackmore had their own agreement. While Wolverine and Blackmore battled, Solem returned to Krakoa, where he had established a hideout beneath the External Caldera on the Arakkon Point.[9]
During Judgment Day the Hellbride decided to take revenge on Solem and Logan. When Solem understood the Hellbride was hunting them, he came to the Summer House, where Wolverine was staying that day, to alert him about the danger, but Logan already decided to go to the North Pole and face the Progenitor directly. The struck a deal to kill the Celestial first and then face together the demon. While searching for the Progenitor, the two found an unonscious Hellbride: while Solem wanted to kill her instantly, Wolverine convinced him to spare and rescue her. When she woke up, she renounced her mission and went back to Hell and Solem decided to follow her, abandoning Logan in the Artic.[10]
Sometimes after that, Solem infiltrated the Prison Moon built by Hank McCoy to illegally contain and experiment on prisoners and criminals. Since Solem feared to be captured, he dressed up as a prison guard and started a riot along with Sevyr Blackmore, who was recently captured by the mercenary Maverick. The prison break was successful and Solem returned to Earth after Maverick and his mercenaries had left the Prison Moon.[11]
Fall of X[]
After the third Hellfire Gala, Solem stationed in Madripoor at the Lucky Tiger casinò where he found a clone of Wolverine nicknamed "Patch". He used the clone to kill crime bosses and gain power in the island. When Logan came to the city along with Bruce Banner to eliminate the clone, Solem kidnapped Banner and made him fight Patch in a gladiatorial arena. Logan then killed his clone and left Madripoor.[10]
When X-Corps declared war on Selene and the Externals she had made help her, Solem was hired by Sunspot to distract Gideon at his West Town penthouse in Chicago. Given ten minutes Solem faced Gideon, as Burke happened to be there, watched on. Seemingly evenly matched, Solem made an attempt on Burke. Failing to kill Burke, Gideon got in between them, but Solem jumped over Gideon, and plunged his sword into Burke's back and split his spine, killing him. Gideon decided to stop messing around and mimicked Solem's abilities, and took on his Adamantium skin. But as they started to fight again, and quested why Solem would involve himself. Sunspot, looking to get Gideon's DNA to shut down the software, but also wanting payback for all Gideon had done to him, appeared. Solem watched as Gideon and Sunspot fight, as they fought Solem reminded Sunspot, Sunspot had him join in the fight. Despite having mimicked both Solem and Sunspot at the same time, Sunspot was surprisingly able to hurt Gideon. Even more surprising Gideon gave up and returned to his normal state.[12]
with Gideon defeat, Solem offered Sunspot his sword to finish the job. But as Sunspot held the sword to Gideon's neck, he reminded Sunspot that he has tomorrow and will not only out outlive them all but will rebuild. At that, Sunspot made a call to Sebastian Shaw, who was waiting in the background to bankrupt Gideon and steal his fortune. Solem then offered to decapitate Gideon, but Gideon revealed to them of a dead man's switch. That if his heart stops the mutant-tracking software that Sunspot came for will get uploaded to an External server. But if Sunspot let him and Burke go, they will abandon the rite of ascension and his allegiance with Selene. Still, with the time up on the deal Sunspot made with Solem, he cut Gideon's right hand off and left it to Sunspot to decide. With Gideon's hand and the DNA needed for the software, Sunspot left Gideon to save the kidnapped mutants and stop Selene's ascension.[13]
Solem decided to give away his Muramasa Blade to Death Grip of the Touch, who was willing to use it to kill Deadpool.[14]Personality
Attributes
Powers
Solem is a mutant with the following powers:
- Adamantium Skin: Solem's skin is comprised of Adamantium.[6]
- Superhuman Durability: Because of his Adamantium skin, Solem is invulnerable to physical injury.[4]
- Superhuman Strength: Solem was able to break free from Wolverine's grip with ease.[5]
- Advanced Longevity: Solem is more than one hundred years old and still looks young.[5]
Abilities
Weaknesses
Paraphernalia
Weapons
Hellblade: A blade which previously belonged to Bracken, and acted as a key to Hell.[6]
Muramasa Blade: A brand new blade forged by Muramasa.[6]Notes
- Solem was initially envisioned by Jonathan Hickman and designed by Pepe Larraz.[15][16]
- Solem is known as a great seducer, always knowing how to please and attract anyone he meets.[6] Moreover, even after being sentenced for his crimes the citizens of Arakko continued to adore him and visited him in the pit he was imprisoned at, bringing gifts.[5]
Rap Sheet[]
The mutant record keeper Sage tracked and recorded all Solem's transgressions. She monitored scrolls, ciphers etched in cave walls, songs and stories from wandering chroniclers, facial recognition algorithms, police reports, cellular scans, and social media.[1]
On Arakko[]
- A figure identified as S. was burned at the stake after stealing the sacred pearls from the Temple of Mariner in the port town of Karna Blu, but after the flames melted his restraints, S., stepped out of the inferno with his skin glowing silver and slit the necks of his prosecutors.[1]
- He is named as secondarily responsible for the death of a tribal judge. He allegedly had congress with the wife, son, and daughter of Emil Raver and somehow convinced them to kill their patriarch in his sleep.[1]
- A bay named Solem is notable for its shipwrecks and unpredictable currents.[1]
- In one season, all the child bearers in Dorn -- Male and Female -- became pregnant and gave birth to silver-skinned children.[1]
- The Seven Holds -- the most elaborate labyrinth vault in Arakko -- was allegedly breached by Solem, who stole only one thing from its vast riches: a thousand-year-old bottle of wine that fermented its grapes in the blood of Mad Queen Vesper.[1]
On Earth[]
- He has been banned from every casino in Nevada and New Jersey.[1]
- He has been banned from six dating apps.[1]
- He is suspected of stealing no fewer than thirty luxury sports cars worth and estimated $20 million U.S. dollars.[1]
- He ordered champagne for every table in the exclusive Cloud Lounge and the walked out on the tab.[1]
- Several nude paintings of Solem were discovered inside the Palace of Versailles and a mural of him inside the Louvre.[1]
- He was photographed inside the skybox at the Super Bowl.[1]
- The Crown Jewels disappeared for twelve hours from the Tower of London, after which time they were returned in a brown bag that read, "Now THAT was a fun night."[1]
Trivia
- In the Annals of Arakko: The Trial of Solem, it is mentioned that Solem is attracted to both genders as he indulged in excess to various men and women's cravings of him. Moreover, it is speculated that Solem had an affair with Bracken and that he had also made advances towards War.[5]
- According to Emma Frost, Solem "really, really wants to &%$# Wolverine. Then again, he really, really wants to &%$# everyone and everything."[4]
- Solem is a fan of the French because of their sensual culture and of dogs because of their "whorish affection".[4]
See Also
- 20 appearance(s) of Solem (Earth-616)
- 3 minor appearance(s) of Solem (Earth-616)
- 2 mention(s) of Solem (Earth-616)
- 46 image(s) of Solem (Earth-616)
- 5 quotation(s) by or about Solem (Earth-616)
- 2 victim(s) killed by Solem (Earth-616)
- 3 item(s) used/owned by Solem (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 1.16 Wolverine (Vol. 7) #15
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Marvel's Voices: X-Men #1
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 X-Men: Red (Vol. 2) #15
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Wolverine (Vol. 7) #16
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 Wolverine (Vol. 7) #6
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 X-Force (Vol. 6) #13
- ↑ Wolverine (Vol. 7) #7
- ↑ X of Swords: Destruction #1
- ↑ Wolverine (Vol. 7) #15–16
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Wolverine (Vol. 7) #24–25
- ↑ X-Force (Vol. 6) #34–35
- ↑ X-Men Unlimited Infinity Comic #133–134
- ↑ X-Men Unlimited Infinity Comic #134–135
- ↑ Deadpool (Vol. 9) #3
- ↑ Hassan, Chris (October 12, 2020) X-Men Monday #79 – Jordan D. White Answers Your X of Swords Week 4 Questions AIPT. Retrieved on October 13, 2020.
- ↑ The X-Men Confront the Swordbearers of Arakko in the New X of Swords: Stasis Trailer PREVIEWS World. Retrieved on October 13, 2020.