Christopher Bradley, formerly known as Bolt and Maverick, is a
fictional character
In fiction, a character (or speaker, in poetry) is a person or other being in a narrative (such as a novel, play, radio or television series, music, film, or video game). The character may be entirely fictional or based on a real-life perso ...
appearing in
American comic books published by
Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...
, in particular those featuring the
X-Men
The X-Men are a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, first appearing in ''The X-Men'' #1 by artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby and writer/editor Stan Lee in 1963. Although initially cancelled in 1970 due to lo ...
. He is a young
mutant
In biology, and especially in genetics, a mutant is an organism or a new genetic character arising or resulting from an instance of mutation, which is generally an alteration of the DNA sequence of the genome or chromosome of an organism. It ...
who first appeared in ''
X-Men Unlimited
''X-Men Unlimited'' was the title of three comic book series published by Marvel Comics.
The purpose of this title was to run stories that fit between the main X-Men comics. The stories included all characters (heroes and villains) from the X-tit ...
'' #8.
The character has appeared in several
X-Men
The X-Men are a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, first appearing in ''The X-Men'' #1 by artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby and writer/editor Stan Lee in 1963. Although initially cancelled in 1970 due to lo ...
animated series
An animated series is a set of animated works with a common series title, usually related to one another. These episodes should typically share the same main characters, some different secondary characters and a basic theme. Series can have eith ...
and was portrayed by
Dominic Monaghan
Dominic Bernard Patrick Luke Monaghan (born 8 December 1976) is a British actor. He is best known for playing Meriadoc "Merry" Brandybuck in Peter Jackson's film trilogy ''The Lord of the Rings'' (2001–2003), and Charlie Pace on J. J. Abram ...
in the 2009 film, ''
X-Men Origins: Wolverine''.
Fictional character biography
Legacy Virus
Chris Bradley was first introduced as a young boy who began suffering from increasingly painful headaches. The headaches resulted from his electrical mutant powers, which manifested and grew out of control in the middle of a class at school, leaving him unconscious. He was rescued by
Jean Grey
Jean Elaine Grey is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character has been known under the aliases Marvel Girl, Phoenix and Dark Phoenix. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist/co-plotter Jack K ...
and
Gambit
A gambit (from Italian , the act of tripping someone with the leg to make them fall) is a chess opening in which a player sacrifices with the aim of achieving a subsequent advantage.
The word '' gambit'' is also sometimes used to describe sim ...
, who had been sent by
Professor Xavier
Professor X (Charles Francis Xavier) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is depicted as the founder and sometimes leader of the X-Men. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist/co-writ ...
to keep an eye on him and approach him should his powers reveal themselves. After taking him home, the
X-Men
The X-Men are a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, first appearing in ''The X-Men'' #1 by artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby and writer/editor Stan Lee in 1963. Although initially cancelled in 1970 due to lo ...
offered him training at the
Xavier Institute for Higher Learning
The X-Mansion or Xavier Institute is the common name for a mansion and research institute appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The mansion is depicted as the private estate of Charles Francis Xavier, a character in X ...
. At first Chris was reluctant, but after being shunned by his best friend, agreed to join the school.
Chris spent several weeks at the school, quickly developing close friendships with the X-Men, particularly
Iceman, whose own youthful personality seemed to connect well with Chris'. However, when the
Beast ran a medical test on Chris, it was revealed that he was infected with the
Legacy Virus
The Legacy Virus is a fictional plague appearing in American comic books featuring the X-Men published by Marvel Comics. It first appeared in an eponymous storyline running through Marvel Comics titles from 1993 to 2001, during which it swept thro ...
, which would eventually kill him. Chris was afraid of what his future would hold, but Iceman and the other X-Men offered him aid should he ever need it.
During the
"X-Men: Zero Tolerance" storyline, in which the mutant hating
Bastion began to target the X-Men, they lost touch with Chris. This left Bradley hurt with feelings of abandonment, particularly as his illness was growing steadily worse.
New Warriors/Bolt
He soon found a mentor in
Maverick
Maverick, Maveric or Maverik may refer to:
History
* Maverick (animal), an unbranded range animal, derived from U.S. cattleman Samuel Maverick
Aviation
* AEA Maverick, an Australian single-seat sportsplane design
* General Aviation Design Burea ...
who was also suffering from the Legacy Virus. Chris stayed with him for a while before joining the
New Warriors
The New Warriors is a fictional superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. They traditionally consisted of teenage and young adult heroes, and were often seen to serve as a junior counterpart to Avengers (comics), ...
. After the break-up of his New Warriors team, he teamed up again with Maverick.
Maverick
When Maverick disappeared and was believed dead, Bolt took the Maverick alias for himself and joined the Underground, a group founded by
Cable
Cable may refer to:
Mechanical
* Nautical cable, an assembly of three or more ropes woven against the weave of the ropes, rendering it virtually waterproof
* Wire rope, a type of rope that consists of several strands of metal wire laid into a hel ...
to battle
Weapon X
Weapon X is a fictional clandestine government genetic research facility project appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. They are conducted by Department K, which turns willing and unwilling beings into living weapons, ca ...
and expose its existence. Following the group's defeat, Chris remained in the Underground, though it was taken over by
Marrow and remade into a new incarnation of the extremist mutant supremacist group
Gene Nation
Morlocks are a group of mutant characters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The characters are usually depicted as being associated with the X-Men in the Marvel Universe. Created by writer Chris Claremont and artist Pa ...
. Chris did not leave as he wanted to undermine Gene Nation from within and prevent its terrorist attacks, though he was ultimately killed by his former mentor himself, now bearing the codename "Agent Zero", who did not find out Chris had been the new Maverick until it was too late. Disgusted by Agent Zero and not wanting to know his true identity, Chris died in his arms, stating that he took on Maverick's persona in order to ensure that his mentor's name would live on and that he wanted his mentor to be proud of him.
[''Weapon X'' vol. 2 #20-21]
Necrosha
"Necrosha" is a 2009–10 comic book crossover storyline published by Marvel Comics featuring the X-Men family of characters.
Publication history
Necrosha had been slowly building in the pages of ''X-Force'' and began in earnest with the one-sh ...
Chris is later resurrected by means of the
Transmode Virus to serve as part of
Selene
In ancient Greek mythology and religion, Selene (; grc-gre, Σελήνη , meaning "Moon"''A Greek–English Lexicon's.v. σελήνη) is the goddess and the personification of the Moon. Also known as Mene, she is traditionally the daughter of ...
's army of deceased mutants. Under the control of Selene and
Eli Bard
Nakia Bahadir
Nakia Bahadir is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. She is a Turkish girl and friend of Kamala Khan.
Nakia Bahadir in other media
Nakia Bahadir appears in ''Ms. Marvel'', portrayed ...
, he takes part in the assault on the mutant nation of
Utopia
A utopia ( ) typically describes an imaginary community or society that possesses highly desirable or nearly perfect qualities for its members. It was coined by Sir Thomas More for his 1516 book '' Utopia'', describing a fictional island societ ...
.
[''X-Force'' vol. 3 #22 (Feb. 2010)]
Powers and abilities
Chris could absorb ambient charges of static electricity from the atmosphere and was also able to absorb electricity from electricity-generating sources to empower himself. Typically, Chris’ body harmlessly expended this energy; however, he was able to store and release it for a variety of effects, an ability he primarily manifested as devastating, electrical blasts which he fired from his hands, but he could surround himself with an energy shield that shocks anyone who touches it, conduct electricity through metal objects, or short circuit electronic devices as well. When he was fully powered up, his body was surrounded by a blazing aura that obscured his features, giving him the appearance of a being composed of electricity, which manifested as blue flames. When he originally manifested his powers, he surrounded his entire high school in an electrical field, but has not shown that level of power since, being cured of the Legacy Virus (which boosts mutant-power levels while it kills them).
In other media
Film
*
Dominic Monaghan
Dominic Bernard Patrick Luke Monaghan (born 8 December 1976) is a British actor. He is best known for playing Meriadoc "Merry" Brandybuck in Peter Jackson's film trilogy ''The Lord of the Rings'' (2001–2003), and Charlie Pace on J. J. Abram ...
plays Chris Bradley in the 2009 film ''
X-Men Origins: Wolverine''. Bradley is not mentored by
David North, but is his teammate (Agent Zero). Bradley is a part of
Team X
Team 10 – just as often referred to as Team X or Team Ten – was a group of architects and other invited participants who assembled starting in July 1953 at the 9th Congress of the International Congresses of Modern Architecture (CIAM) and c ...
, alongside
Logan,
Victor Creed
Sabretooth (Victor Creed) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, most commonly in association with the X-Men, in particular as an enemy of the mutant Wolverine (character), Wolverine. Created by wri ...
,
Agent Zero
David North (Christoph Nord) is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He was originally known as Maverick, and more recently as Agent Zero. The character first appeared in ''X-Men'' #5 and was created by wri ...
,
Fred Dukes,
John Wraith and
Wade Wilson, and is led by Major
William Stryker
The Reverend William Stryker is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. A minister and former sergeant with a strong hatred for mutants, he is usually depicted as an enemy of the X-Men. He is also the ...
. He has the ability to remotely control and power anything electric and in that capacity pilots the airplane that transports him and his teammates. He also has the ability to send and receive radio transmissions telepathically. Six years after the events in Africa, Bradley works in a circus in Springfield, Ohio. He is visited by Victor Creed, who kills him in his trailer causing all electronic hardware to shut down in the surrounding area. Bradley's electrical capabilities are later used for the mutant killer Weapon XI / Deadpool, specifically so that Stryker can completely control Deadpool from a computer. Bradley speaks with Monaghan's own English accent, which differs from the comics origin of the character as an American from
Dutchess County, New York
Dutchess County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 295,911. The county seat is the city of Poughkeepsie. The county was created in 1683, one of New York's first twelve counties, and later or ...
.
* In the 2017 film ''
Logan'', a child named Bobby (portrayed by Bryant Tardy) is created by Transigen and has the powers of Chris Bradley because he is based on Bradley's genetic code. Bradley's name can also be seen on a document talking about Bobby.
Video Games
* In the movie-tie in game ''
X-Men Origins: Wolverine'', Bradley doesn't appear on screen but is mentioned in a Weapon X weblog, stating that Stryker was disappointed in his former team's whereabouts.
References
External links
Chris Bradleyat Marvel Wiki
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bradley, Chris
Comics characters introduced in 1995
Marvel Comics mutants
Marvel Comics film characters
Fictional characters with electric or magnetic abilities
Characters created by Howard Mackie
X-Men supporting characters