Donald Pierce is a
fictional
Fiction is any creative work, chiefly any narrative work, portraying individuals, events, or places
Place may refer to:
Geography
* Place (United States Census Bureau), defined as any concentration of population
** Census-designated place, ...
supervillain
A supervillain or supercriminal is a variant of the villainous stock character that is commonly found in American comic books, usually possessing superhuman abilities. A supervillain is the antithesis of a superhero.
Supervillains are oft ...
appearing in
American comic book
An American comic book is a thin periodical originating in the United States, on average 32 pages, containing comics. While the form originated in 1933, American comic books first gained popularity after the 1938 publication of ''Action Comics'' ...
s 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 ...
. The character is depicted as a
cyborg
A cyborg ()—a portmanteau of ''cybernetic'' and ''organism''—is a being with both organic and biomechatronic body parts. The term was coined in 1960 by Manfred Clynes and Nathan S. Kline. and is commonly an enemy of the
X-Men
The X-Men are a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, first appearing in Uncanny X-Men, ''The X-Men'' #1 by artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby and writer/editor Stan Lee in 1963. Although initially cancelled in ...
.
The character was portrayed by
Boyd Holbrook
Robert Boyd Holbrook (born September 1, 1981) is an American actor. He has starred in the Netflix series ''Narcos'' (2015-2017) as DEA agent Steve Murphy and '' The Sandman'' (2022-) as the Corinthian, as well as in the History miniseries '' Ha ...
in the 2017 film ''
Logan''.
Publication history
Donald Pierce first appeared in ''
The Uncanny X-Men
''Uncanny X-Men'', originally published as ''The X-Men'', is an American comic book series published by Marvel Comics since 1963, and is the longest-running series in the X-Men comics franchise. It features a team of superheroes called the X- ...
'' #132 April 1980, and was created by
Chris Claremont
Christopher S. Claremont (; born November 25, 1950) is a British-born American comic book writer and novelist, known for his 17-year stint on ''Uncanny X-Men'' from 1975 to 1991, far longer than that of any other writer,Claremont, Chris. ''Marvel ...
and
John Byrne. Pierce's name and appearance were modeled by Byrne upon
Donald Sutherland
Donald McNichol Sutherland (born 17 July 1935) is a Canadian actor whose film career spans over six decades. He has been nominated for nine Golden Globe Awards, winning two for his performances in the television films ''Citizen X'' (1995) an ...
. The character's last name comes from
Benjamin Franklin "Hawkeye" Pierce, Sutherland's character in the 1970 film ''
M*A*S*H
''M*A*S*H'' (Mobile Army Surgical Hospital) is an American media franchise consisting of a series of novels, a film, several television series, plays, and other properties, and based on the semi-autobiographical fiction of Richard Hooker.
The ...
''.
Fictional character biography
Donald Pierce was born in
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
,
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
. He first appears as a high-ranking member of the Inner Circle of the
Hellfire Club
Hellfire Club was a name for several exclusive clubs for high-society rakes established in Britain and Ireland in the 18th century. The name most commonly refers to Francis Dashwood's Order of the Friars of St. Francis of Wycombe. Such clubs, ...
, where he holds the position of White Bishop. However, Pierce is in fact a genocidal mutant hater, and has only joined the Hellfire Club in order to kill the Inner Circle's other members, all of whom are mutants.
[''Marvel Graphic Novel'' #4. Marvel Comics.] In addition to hating mutants, Pierce is also bigoted towards certain nationalities and harbors a sense of self-loathing due to his cyborg status, referring to himself as "only half a man". He is the CEO and principal shareholder of Pierce-Consolidated Mining, and operates out of a mining and laboratory complex in Cameron, Kentucky. Pierce and his mercenaries kidnap
Professor X
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 ...
and
Tessa
Tessa is a feminine given name, sometimes a shortened form of Theresa. It may refer to: People
* Tessa Albertson (born 1996), American actress
* Tessa Balfour, Countess of Balfour (born 1950), British aristocrat
* Tessa Blanchard (born 1994), Ame ...
in a plot against the Hellfire Club and
X-Men
The X-Men are a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, first appearing in Uncanny X-Men, ''The X-Men'' #1 by artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby and writer/editor Stan Lee in 1963. Although initially cancelled in ...
, but he is defeated by the Professor despite a device shielding against telepathic attacks. Pierce is handed over to Tessa of the Hellfire Club, expelled from the Inner Circle,
and taken to a secret holding facility in one of Shaw Industries' Kentucky installations.
[''Uncanny X-Men'' #245 (June 1989). Marvel Comics.]
The Reavers
Many months later, Pierce is violently liberated from the holding facility.
Though his rescuers are never explicitly identified, he resurfaces alongside three members of the
Reavers, a band of cyborg criminals which Pierce claims to have built and assembled, and which had recently been all but wiped out by the X-Men. The four of them ally with
Lady Deathstrike
Lady Deathstrike (Yuriko Oyama), occasionally spelled "Deathstryke", is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. She is a foe of the X-Men, especially Wolverine (character), Wolverine.
Her father Lord Dark Win ...
and three Hellfire Club mercenaries (Cole, Macon, and Reese) who were cybernetically enhanced by Pierce. Under Pierce's leadership, the new Reavers are dedicated to exterminating mutants, with highest priority given to the X-Men and
Sebastian Shaw (CEO of Shaw Industries).
The Reavers take over the X-Men's headquarters in their absence, but after the X-Men leave through the
Siege Perilous
In Arthurian legend, the Siege Perilous ( cy, Gwarchae Peryglus, also known as The Perilous Seat, cy, Sedd Peryglus) is a vacant seat at the Round Table reserved by Merlin for the knight who would one day be successful in the quest for the Holy ...
, they manage to capture only
Wolverine
The wolverine (), (''Gulo gulo''; ''Gulo'' is Latin for "gluttony, glutton"), also referred to as the glutton, carcajou, or quickhatch (from East Cree, ''kwiihkwahaacheew''), is the largest land-dwelling species of the family Mustelidae. It is ...
whom they torture and
crucify
Crucifixion is a method of capital punishment in which the victim is tied or nailed to a large wooden cross or beam and left to hang until eventual death from exhaustion and asphyxiation. It was used as a punishment by the Persians, Carthagin ...
. During this time, Pierce develops a romantic attraction towards Lady Deathstrike but the woman is disgusted by Pierce's arrogance and spurns him, and Wolverine is rescued by
Jubilee
A jubilee is a particular anniversary of an event, usually denoting the 25th, 40th, 50th, 60th, and the 70th anniversary. The term is often now used to denote the celebrations associated with the reign of a monarch after a milestone number of y ...
and the two mutants go into hiding. Pierce tracks the two down, but is incapacitated by Jubilee. Assuming the mutants fled to
Muir Island
The comic book stories published by Marvel Comics since the 1940s have featured several noteworthy concepts besides its fictional characters, such as unique places and artifacts. There follows a list of those features.
Places
Certain places fe ...
, Pierce and the Reavers attack Muir Island, and battle
Moira MacTaggart
Dr. Moira MacTaggert (sometimes spelled ''MacTaggart'', ''McTaggart'', ''McTaggert''), more recently known as Moira X, is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. She first appeared in ''The Uncanny X-Men ...
's "Muir Island X-Men" and
Freedom Force. With the Reavers, he also attacks Frost Technologies' plant in California. Pierce creates two super intelligent sentient androids (
Elsie-Dee
Elsie-Dee is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is usually depicted as an ally of Wolverine. The character first appeared in ''Wolverine'' vol. 2 #37 in an inanimate state suspended ...
and
Albert
Albert may refer to:
Companies
* Albert (supermarket), a supermarket chain in the Czech Republic
* Albert Heijn, a supermarket chain in the Netherlands
* Albert Market, a street market in The Gambia
* Albert Productions, a record label
* Alber ...
), programming the two to find Wolverine and self-destruct. However, the androids' intelligence allows the two to put the bomb in Elsie-Dee on hold, and abandon the Reavers.
The
Upstarts' members
Trevor Fitzroy
Trevor Fitzroy is a fictional supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is usually depicted as an enemy of the X-Men, in particular Bishop. Created by Jim Lee and Whilce Portacio, he first appeared i ...
sends reprogrammed
Sentinels to destroy the Reavers, as they are a threat to mutants and the former White King is worth a lot of "points" in the deadly game the Upstarts play. Only Lady Deathstrike and Cylla escape. Pierce has
Gateway teleport him to the one responsible for the attack on the Reavers, but the Sentinels accompanying Fitzroy to electrocute him.
[''Uncanny X-Men'' #281. Marvel Comics.] Despite his seeming demise, he later resurfaces, starts an anti-mutant hate group, and enlists several members; revealing a plot to take militant terrorist actions against mutants and thwarted by the X-Men, he is beaten by Wolverine in hand-to-hand combat. Very little of Pierce's human tissue remains, which explains how he was able to survive the massacre in Australia with only portions of his upper torso intact.
Pierce would remain with the Hellfire Club for some time, eventually showing a more adversarial relationship with Shaw as the current Black King. He heads out to an outpost in Switzerland believed to be the immortal tyrant
Apocalypse
Apocalypse () is a literary genre in which a supernatural being reveals cosmic mysteries or the future to a human intermediary. The means of mediation include dreams, visions and heavenly journeys, and they typically feature symbolic imager ...
's old stronghold, in order to obtain the first mutant's power and technological marvels, also to secure his position within the Hellfire Club's inner circle. In one such botched expedition involving the mutant time traveler
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 ...
, he was believed to be flash incinerated when he, Shaw and a guide leading them through another of the first mutant's lairs unleashed a techno-organic entity created by the mutant overlord in the past. All managed to survive unscathed, save for Pierce himself whose injuries further cost him much of his remaining flesh, revealing his head to be his only remaining fully organic component. Due to his constant failures and Shaw's general contempt of him, Pierce is eventually cut loose from the Inner Circle, left to plummet to his death from an escaping helicopter. Ironically enough he would later find refuge in one of Cable's old safe-houses, whose futuristic resources and databases he would use in reconstructing his damaged body, making himself a new cybernetic shell out of solid
Adamantium
Adamantium is a fictional metal alloy appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics and in various games in the Elder Scrolls franchise. It is best known as the substance bonded to the character Wolverine's skeleton and claws. In ...
he stole from another cyborg's secret cache. When Logan and Jubilee happened upon his machinations thanks to Gateway, the two were able to preempt whatever plans he had alongside Khyber, the mysterious cyborg whose Adamantium reserves Pierce stole, who had intervened.
[''Wolverine'' Vol 2 #141, Marvel Comics.]
Pierce later re-emerges, employing cyborgs Pico, Lady Deathstrike, and Skullbuster in an attempt to abduct Milo Thurman (Domino's estranged husband) from his US government holding facility. As Thurman has the genius ability to predict future events accurately from current data, Pierce wishes to integrate Thurman into his cybernetic brain so he may use this ability to exert further control of the world's future.
[''Domino'' Vol.1 #1 - 3. Marvel Comics.] Pierce reveals that after the events involving Fitzroy at the Hellfire Club,
his mind and body were restored by a mysterious benefactor, and he now has a new prime directive. Just as Pierce downloads Thurman's mind into his own,
Domino
Dominoes is a family of tile-based games played with gaming pieces, commonly known as dominoes. Each domino is a rectangular tile, usually with a line dividing its face into two square ''ends''. Each end is marked with a number of spots (also ca ...
destroys Pierce's appropriated Weapon X base. Domino escapes, but Pierce and Thurman both seemingly perish in the ensuing explosion.
As a Purifier
Pierce next tries to take over Sebastian Shaw's new Hellfire Club, launching an attack and slashing Shaw's chest. Though Shaw is left critically injured and later needed to be hospitalized, Shaw is able to punch off Pierce's head.
[''Uncanny X-Men'' #454. Marvel Comics.] Pierce later is forcibly recruited into the
Purifiers' ranks and infected with the Technarch transmode virus. Being under the control of the mutant-hunting robot
Bastion
A bastion or bulwark is a structure projecting outward from the curtain wall of a fortification, most commonly angular in shape and positioned at the corners of the fort. The fully developed bastion consists of two faces and two flanks, with fi ...
, he shows his mutant target: the newly formed
Young X-Men
''Young X-Men'' was a comic book series published by Marvel Comics. It lasted for 12 issues, from April 2008 through March 2009. The series was written by Marc Guggenheim.
Plot summary
Final Genesis (Issues 1–5)
Blindfold has a vision of a t ...
.
Young X-Men
He appears in a nightmare of the precognitive mutant
Blindfold
A blindfold (from Middle English ') is a garment, usually of cloth, tied to one's head to cover the human eye, eyes to disable the wearer's visual perception, sight. While a properly fitted blindfold prevents sight even if the eyes are open, a ...
, battling a not yet formed team of X-Men and killing one of their number. Pierce himself recruited this team using an image inducer to pose as
Cyclops
In Greek mythology and later Roman mythology, the Cyclopes ( ; el, Κύκλωπες, ''Kýklōpes'', "Circle-eyes" or "Round-eyes"; singular Cyclops ; , ''Kýklōps'') are giant one-eyed creatures. Three groups of Cyclopes can be distinguish ...
(the X-Men's leader). His reasons for recruiting these mutants as "X-Men" are not entirely clear, however, it appears that his primary focus is to eliminate the Hellfire Club's current Lord Imperial
Roberto da Costa and former
New Mutants
The New Mutants are a group of fictional mutant superheroes
A superhero or superheroine is a stock character that typically possesses ''superpowers'', abilities beyond those of ordinary people, and fits the role of the hero, typically us ...
allies. He also hires
Ink
Ink is a gel, sol, or solution that contains at least one colorant, such as a dye or pigment, and is used to color a surface to produce an image, text, or design. Ink is used for drawing or writing with a pen, brush, reed pen, or quill. Thicker ...
to deliver Dani and Blindfold to him, misleading him. Following the confrontation with the Young X-Men, his face is scoured by
Dust
Dust is made of fine particles of solid matter. On Earth, it generally consists of particles in the atmosphere that come from various sources such as soil lifted by wind (an aeolian process), volcanic eruptions, and pollution. Dust in homes ...
.
With face's synthetic skin restored, he is kept captive by the Young X-Men. Ink is allowed to stay on the team and despite contention from
Rockslide
A rockslide is a type of landslide caused by rock failure in which part of the bedding plane of failure passes through compacted rock and material collapses ''en masse'' and not in individual blocks. Note that a rockslide is similar to an avalanc ...
, later apologizes to Blindfold for working for Pierce, who remains in X-Men captivity. Pierce and Dust have frequent conversations while he is imprisoned, despite his vocal hatred of mutants and derogatory remarks toward Dust's faith in
Islam
Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...
, noting that his attitude reminds Dust of home. While they talk, Dust admits to Pierce of dying, as he is "the only one who won't care" and he agrees to share with Dust the secret information he has about teammates. He tells Dust that Ink is the mystery "non-mutant" among them, which is later discovered by the rest of the team. Also, he subtly says that three will die soon, referring to
Boom Boom,
Hellion and
Surge
Surge means a sudden transient rush or flood, and may refer to:
Science
* Storm surge, the onshore gush of water associated with a low-pressure weather system
* Surge (glacier), a short-lived event where a glacier can move up to velocities 100 ...
, who were captured by the Sapien League and injected with a strain of the
Legacy Virus
The Legacy Virus is a fictional plague (disease), 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 w ...
.
Second Coming
It was eventually revealed that Pierce was only captured to act as Bastion's mole inside the X-Men's headquarters, all the while building several structures that surround Utopia.
Later after receiving the green light from Bastion to proceed with their plan, Pierce provokes an explosion that decimates all the X-Men's jets and the Blackbirds. Pierce stands amid the debris, and muses to the X-Men that he is sorry that he will not live to witness the decimation of the mutant race. Cyclops eliminates him with an optic blast.
Uncanny Avengers
Donald was seen alive again with the rest of the Hellfire Club's Inner Circle on a pleasure cruise reserved for super criminals and cabals. He along with his compatriots were seen at a gambling den aboard the vessel as the
Avengers Unity Division were searching for The
Red Skull
The Red Skull is an alias used by several supervillains appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics and its predecessor Timely Comics. The first version, George Maxon, appeared in ''Captain America Comics'' #1 and #4. The main ...
across the world.
Hunt for Wolverine
Shortly after his return as seen during the "
Hunt for Wolverine
"Hunt for Wolverine" is a 2018 comic book storyline published by Marvel Comics, starring the character Wolverine. The storyline is the follow-up to the ''Death of Wolverine'', and is continued with '' Return of Wolverine.''
Premise
The plot will ...
" storyline, Pierce and the Reavers were left in dire straits since they failed a couple of jobs as a unit. Worn down and nearly broken by hard times the cyborg posse took up one last job in order to earn enough cash for a total refit - exhuming the grave for the deceased Wolverine. They were disappointed to find that Logan's body had been removed from the Adamantium casing after Cylla Markham had cracked it open using a Molecular Rearranger, to which after a lengthily battle with the X-Men, Pierce and the others were rounded up and deposited into the care of
Alpha Flight
Alpha Flight is a fictional team of Canadian superheroes appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The characters premiered in ''The Uncanny X-Men'' #120 (April 1979), and were created to serve as part of the X-Men member W ...
, as their attempt at grave robbery happened upon Canadian soil.
O*N*E Conscription
Due to lack of resources and proper jurisdiction however, Pierce and the rest of the Reavers were eventually turned over to the
Office of National Emergency
The comic book stories published by Marvel Comics since the 1940s have featured several noteworthy concepts besides its fictional characters, such as unique places and artifacts. There follows a list of those features.
Places
Certain places fe ...
. The mutant related activity hating General Robert Callahan had Pierce run a couple of missions for the mutant crimes task force bureau on the false promise of freedom and much-needed system overhauls. With the latest acquisition of
Miss Sinister however, General Callahan revealed the duplicity by triggering remote fail-safes installed during the Reavers' refitting.
[''Astonishing X-Men'' Vol. 4 #13. Marvel Comics.] Pierce and select members of his crew were forced to impart their technologies and mechanical skills into building up Callahan's mutant-hunting gear, the rest of whom had been given the kill order by the corrupt commander to his soldiers, an event which soon made public news and garnered the attention of some ragtag X-Men.
After many of these mutants had been captured on live television, the remains of Pierce's cyborg crew, led by leftover mutant heroes
Havok and
Warpath
Warpath may refer to:
*Great Indian Warpath, a network of trails in eastern North America used by Native Americans
Games
* ''Warpath'' (video game), a 2006 FPS video game by Digital Extremes for the PC and Xbox
*'' Warpath: Jurassic Park'', a 199 ...
, launched an assault on the Location 22 base camp of O*N*E withholding and experimenting on their friends.
[''Astonishing X-Men'' Vol. 4 #16. Marvel Comics.] Where it is revealed that the list of mutant targets Callahan had the Reavers go after were the likely holders of what was the last component needed to upgrade the Sentinel Squad One unit.
Havok, having had it in possession since the moral inversion, traded it for the Reavers' help, learning too late that the final piece was a nanite-coded module fashioned by Bastion that enables any machine to adaptively assimilate and incorporate any new technology into themselves.
A deadly new modification which Pierce's forces put to horrifying use as they assimilated the Squad Sentinels, turning them into new bodies for their penultimate use.
With the ultimate augmentation in tow, Pierce and the now giant mech-upgraded Reavers move out to attack the
X-Mansion
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-Me ...
, showing off their extravagant Technomorphing upgrades as they take and receive damage in battle.
[''Astonishing X-Men'' Vol. 4 #17. Marvel Comics.] But they are soon undone by the mutants they believed to have double-crossed and destroyed back at the 22 base.
Dazzler, after having absorbed
Sean's shriek after the latter had nanotech parasitically hot-wired by Skullduster, let out a massive photokinetic pulse blast which stunned the Reavers and totalled their Sentinel bodies, putting them down for the count. Eventually O*N*E would show up taking both Havok and the Reavers back into their custody.
During the "Iron Man 2020" event, Albert was directed by Tyger Tiger to Reavers Universal Robotics (Pierce's company) in
Madripoor
The Principality of Madripoor or Madripoor is a fictional island located in maritime Southeast Asia appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, mostly associated with stories from the ''X-Men'' series. Based on illustrations, it ...
and is confronted by Bonebreaker and the Reavers. Pierce arrives to prevent the lobby from being wrecked. Taking Albert on a tour, Pierce states that he has been upgrading his operations with the help of a 3D Printer. When Pierce stated that Elsie-Dee is not here and that previously appearing asking to have the self-destruct mechanism disarmed, Albert retaliates while claiming that Pierce doesn't own the two androids. After Albert subdues the Reavers, Pierce states having sold Elsie-Dee's head to yakuza boss Kimura, the arms to the Jade Dragon Triad, and the legs to the Vladivostok Mafia. After Albert heads out, Bonebreaker reports that some toxic fumes escaped from the air lock and advises to put a respirator on as Pierce plans to put a suffering chip in Albert's head. After getting the parts from them, Albert puts Elsie-Dee back together. In light of Albert's actions towards them, the Reavers, Kimura, the Jade Dragon Triad, and the Vladivostok Mafia to take action against Albert vowing that Albert will never make it out of Madripoor alive. In downtown Madripoor, Pierce and the Reavers are traveling through the vacant streets as they state that Albert and Elsie-Dee will have to travel through the Vladivostok Mafia's turf before they can engage them. Arriving at Madripoor Airport, the Reavers cover all the entrances there to make sure Albert and Elsie-Dee do not leave Madripoor. The Reavers bring a high velocity railgun in. During Albert and Elsie-Dee's fight with Kimura's men, Kimura stops the attack and informs Albert and Elsie-Dee about the ambush. As Kimura's limousine fools the Reavers into thinking that Albert and Elsie-Dee hijacked it and fire the railgun on it, Kimura smuggles Albert and Elsie-Dee out of Madripoor in a box claiming that it is filled with slot machine parts bound for Macao. The Reavers check the limousine wreckage and find that Albert and Elsie-Dee are not there.
Powers and abilities
Donald Pierce is a
cyborg
A cyborg ()—a portmanteau of ''cybernetic'' and ''organism''—is a being with both organic and biomechatronic body parts. The term was coined in 1960 by Manfred Clynes and Nathan S. Kline. originally with four artificial limbs which provide him with
superhuman strength
Superhuman strength is a superpower commonly invoked in fiction and other literary works such as mythology. A fictionalized representation of the phenomenon of hysterical strength, it is the power to exert force and lift weights beyond what is ...
. His speed, reflexes and agility are also inhumanly high. Attributes derived from his replacement extremities. His body has great resistance to damage and even if it is destroyed, as long as his head is intact he will probably survive. Before and after securing some of Cable's technology from the future and incorporating it into himself, he boasted a wide cadre of skills and abilities, such as generating a shocking plasma current through his cyborg limbs or hurling it as electrical force over short distances.
His bionic body once hosted adamantium as an outer shell which further bolstered his resistance to damage.
He also boasts bionic optics which feed into his Technarch mind in order to memorize and relay information, giving him an eidetic memory and photography vision.
[''X-Force'' Vol 3 #3. Marvel Comics.] Pierce can plastically morph his arms into weapons like skeins, cannons, pincers, finger missiles and razor claws; likely through nanotechnology.
His elongated nails can channel the electrical energies he generates into them increasing his cutting edge.
There is nothing left of his original human body, save for his head, which was given fake flesh and bone structural appearance through a synthetic skin hiding a robotic skull underneath. As such he is immune to
psionic
In American science fiction of the 1950s and 1960s, psionics was a proposed discipline that applied principles of engineering (especially electronics) to the study (and employment) of paranormal or psychic phenomena, such as telepathy and psycho ...
infraction thanks to various brain implants for telepathic resistance,
also having the ability to turn psionic assaults against the attacker to a limited degree. He also boasted rocket powered flight capabilities, enabling Pierce to fly at unknown speeds for prolonged extents of time.
He also has an Image Inducer to disguise himself with, used for infiltration purposes like moving undercover through the Xavier Institute as Cyclops for a time. He even boasts a personal teleporter device of his own design for quick escapes.
[''Young X-Men'' #5. Marvel Comics.] It is unknown if he still has his original brain or if he uploaded his memories, intelligence, and thought
engrams into a cyborg computer brain. As a member of the Reavers, he often wore body armor.
During his indoctrination into Bastion's Purifiers Donald was also modified with a Transmode Virus infection that made him subservient to the killer A.I.'s command code.
While he hasn't shown any mechamorphing abilities of the Technarch, he has shown the ability to simulate Scott's optic blast power while disguised as him.
Aside from his physical advantages, Donald Pierce is a
genius
Genius is a characteristic of original and exceptional insight in the performance of some art or endeavor that surpasses expectations, sets new standards for future works, establishes better methods of operation, or remains outside the capabiliti ...
in robotics, cybernetics and electronics. In these fields he has developed technology that exceeds that of conventional science by approximately two centuries. He is also a seasoned leader with vast financial and human resources (a prerequisite for membership in the Hellfire Club). He is a college graduate in geological engineering and business administration, and is an accomplished strategist and business administrator. Pierce is a fair hand-to-hand combatant, but mainly relies on his cyborg strength and is more prone to letting others fight his battles for him rather than fight on the front lines. In later publishing after coming under the services of the Office of National Emergency, Pierce as with all of his Reavers gained the ability to cyperpathically possess and/or assimilate any piece of engineered conveyance he can get his hands on.
Effectively rebuilding and bulking himself up from any and every automated fabrication around him, I.E. commandeering a Sentinel for a new body or turning a truck into an arm cannon.
Reception
* In 2017, ''
WhatCulture
WhatCulture Ltd. is an online entertainment news website and magazine which was launched in 2010. The site offers news in the field of professional wrestling, television, films, video games, and board games.
History
Originally started by Peter ...
'' ranked Donald Pierce 9th in their "10 Most Evil X-Men Villains" list.
Other versions
Age of Apocalypse
In the
Age of Apocalypse
"Age of Apocalypse" is a 1995 comic book crossover storyline mostly published in the X-Men franchise of books by Marvel Comics. The ''Age of Apocalypse'' briefly replaced the universe of Earth-616 and had ramifications in the main Marvel Comic ...
, Pierce was the leader of the Reavers, a band of human assassins enhanced by Apocalypse's techno-organic virus. Thanks to the virus, Pierce and his band of assassins become cyborgs with regenerative abilities and the power to assimilate both organic and non-organic material to mutate themselves. Pierce infiltrated the territory of the Human High Council in an attempt to destroy the Council fleet and later attempted to kill
Gateway, an ally of the HHC. After the fleet was assembled for an attack on
Apocalypse
Apocalypse () is a literary genre in which a supernatural being reveals cosmic mysteries or the future to a human intermediary. The means of mediation include dreams, visions and heavenly journeys, and they typically feature symbolic imager ...
's empire, Pierce infected
Carol Danvers
Carol Susan Jane Danvers is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Roy Thomas and artist Gene Colan, Danvers first appeared as an officer in the United States Air Force and a colleague of the ...
with the remains of the Reaver Vultura to aid him in the destruction of the fleet. During his attack he also used Brian Braddock, who was under Apocalypse's mind control, to kill Emma Frost, though he resisted Pierce's orders, for which Pierce killed him. In the end, Pierce was destroyed by
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 List of government agencies in Marvel Comics, Department K, which turns willing ...
.
A human team known only as X-Terminators had used Pierce's blood sample before he was infected by the techno-organic virus to create several clones of him in order to help the fight against the mutants. One such clone began operating under the codename "Goodnight" and infiltrated the Hellfire Club, becoming a great friend of Sebastian Shaw. The general public and Club members think he is in fact a mutant.
House of M
In the
House of M
"House of M" is a 2005 comic book storyline published by Marvel Comics, consisting of a core eight-issue comic book limited series written by Brian Michael Bendis and illustrated by Olivier Coipel and a number of crossover tie-in books. Its fir ...
, Donald was a member of the Human Liberation Front, one of the many human resistance groups labeled as terrorists by the
House of M
"House of M" is a 2005 comic book storyline published by Marvel Comics, consisting of a core eight-issue comic book limited series written by Brian Michael Bendis and illustrated by Olivier Coipel and a number of crossover tie-in books. Its fir ...
. Alongside Seiji Ashida, the father of
Surge
Surge means a sudden transient rush or flood, and may refer to:
Science
* Storm surge, the onshore gush of water associated with a low-pressure weather system
* Surge (glacier), a short-lived event where a glacier can move up to velocities 100 ...
, he was part of the HLF's base in Tokyo, which had targeted Project Genesis, a plan of
Emperor Sunfire to forcefully mutate baseline humans.
In other media
Television
* Donald Pierce appears in the ''
X-Men
The X-Men are a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, first appearing in Uncanny X-Men, ''The X-Men'' #1 by artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby and writer/editor Stan Lee in 1963. Although initially cancelled in ...
'' animated series. As seen in the episodes "The Dark Phoenix Saga (Part 1): Dazzled" and "The Dark Phoenix Saga (Part 2): The Inner Circle", he is depicted as much younger than his comics counterpart.
* Donald Pierce appears in the ''
Wolverine and the X-Men'' animated series. This version, instead of a mutant-hating cyborg, is a mutant capable of emitting energy blasts. In the episodes "Shades of Grey", "Foresight (Part 1)", "Foresight (Part 2)" and "Foresight (Part 3)", he is shown as part of the Inner Circle.
Film
Donald Pierce appears in the 2017 film ''
Logan'', portrayed by
Boyd Holbrook
Robert Boyd Holbrook (born September 1, 1981) is an American actor. He has starred in the Netflix series ''Narcos'' (2015-2017) as DEA agent Steve Murphy and '' The Sandman'' (2022-) as the Corinthian, as well as in the History miniseries '' Ha ...
.
Taking
Kimura Kimura (written: lit. "tree village") is the 17th most common Japanese surname. Notable people with the surname include:
*, Japanese novelist
*, Japanese footballer
*, Japanese botanist
*, Japanese idol and singer
*, Japanese footballer
*, Japanes ...
's place as
Laura's handler, the version of the character is
Zander Rice's chief of security for Transigen with a cybernetic right arm and claims to be a "fan" of
Logan. After finding Gabriela Lopez and Laura, Pierce kidnaps
Caliban
Caliban ( ), son of the witch Sycorax, is an important character in William Shakespeare's play '' The Tempest''.
His character is one of the few Shakespearean figures to take on a life of its own "outside" Shakespeare's own work: as Russell H ...
to track Logan, Laura and Charles Xavier. Pierce survives Caliban's suicide by grenade then uses a fleet of drones to find the gathering place of Laura and other mutant children who are trying to escape to Canada. The children kill or incapacitate several of the Reavers, then combine their powers to kill him.
References
External links
Donald Pierceat Marvel.com
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pierce, Donald
Characters created by Chris Claremont
Characters created by John Byrne (comics)
Comics characters introduced in 1980
Fictional characters from Pennsylvania
Fictional inventors
Fictional technopaths
Male characters in film
Marvel Comics characters who can move at superhuman speeds
Marvel Comics characters with accelerated healing
Marvel Comics characters with superhuman strength
Marvel Comics cyborgs
Marvel Comics film characters
Marvel Comics male supervillains
X-Men supporting characters