Helix (Rafael Carago) is a mutate superhero 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 ...
. He was created by
Tom DeFalco
Tom DeFalco (born June 26, 1950) is an American comic book writer and editor well known for his association with Marvel Comics, with long runs on ''Amazing Spider-Man'', ''Thor'', and ''Fantastic Four''.
Career
While in college, DeFalco "wrote fo ...
and
Todd DeZago
Todd Dezago (born 1961) is an American comic book writer best known for his collaborations with artist Mike Wieringo on ''The Sensational Spider-Man'' and their creator-owned fantasy series '' Tellos''.
Early life
Todd Dezago was raised in Rhineb ...
in ''
Spider-Man
Spider-Man is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, he first appeared in the anthology comic book '' Amazing Fantasy'' #15 (August 1962) in the ...
: Maximum Clonage Alpha'' (part of the
Clone Saga
The "Clone Saga" is an extended comic-book storyline published by Marvel Comics, revolving around the superhero Spider-Man and clones of him, as well as of other characters. The second and best-known story arc of this name ran from October 1994 t ...
). His first appearance as a New Warrior was in ''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), ...
'' #62.
Fictional character biography
A villain calling himself
Spidercide released an improved version of the Carrion Virus in Springdale,
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, ...
, killing the entire population of the town. Spidercide and his master the
Jackal
Jackals are medium-sized canids native to Africa and Eurasia. While the word "jackal" has historically been used for many canines of the subtribe canina, in modern use it most commonly refers to three species: the closely related black-backed ...
later discovered that there was a single survivor. Rafael Carago was discovered by agents of the
Centers for Disease Control
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is the national public health agency of the United States. It is a United States federal agency, under the Department of Health and Human Services, and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgi ...
. Rafael's skin had hardened and darkened by the time CDC were able to sedate him, he tore himself free and escaped.
The New Warriors and the
Scarlet Spider
The Scarlet Spider is an alias used by several fictional characters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, most notably Ben Reilly and Kaine Parker, both of whom are genetic replicates of the superhero Spider-Man.
Both the ...
showed up, and beat Rafael unconscious. He was then taken into custody by Project: Pegasus, but Spidercide replaced a helicopter pilot, and escaped with Helix. The Jackal further experimented on a helpless Rafael, mutating him further. The Jackal was unable to discover how Helix developed Adaptoid powers, and during a
clone revolt in his labs, Helix escaped.
After a battle in downtown Manhattan between a hallucinating Helix and the Warriors, The Scarlet Spider was able to wrap Helix in a web cocoon and used his stinger dart launchers to inject Rafael with the same hypermorphic serum that knocked him unconscious in their earlier battle. The serum worked and Helix reverted to his normal form. The Scarlet Spider also realized that if nobody attacked Helix, his body would have nothing to adapt to, and would return to normal.
After a series of adventures alongside the Warriors Helix haltingly said his goodbyes in English to
Turbo
In an internal combustion engine, a turbocharger (often called a turbo) is a forced induction device that is powered by the flow of exhaust gases. It uses this energy to compress the intake gas, forcing more air into the engine in order to pro ...
, and promised to call if he needed help, then took off on a quest to find himself.
Powers and abilities
Helix is a reactive
Adaptoid, meaning he can subconsciously recode his
DNA in response to threatening outside
stimuli
A stimulus is something that causes a physiological response. It may refer to:
* Stimulation
** Stimulus (physiology), something external that influences an activity
** Stimulus (psychology), a concept in behaviorism and perception
* Stimulus (eco ...
. Helix is able to alter, or evolve, his body to physically counter kinetic energy or energy-based threats to his well-being. He can increase in size and strength, cancel
psychokinetic
Psychokinesis (from grc, ψυχή, , soul and grc, κίνησις, , movement, label=ㅤ), or telekinesis (from grc, τηλε, , far off and grc, κίνησις, , movement, label=ㅤ), is a hypothetical psychic ability allowing a person ...
energies in his vicinity, and adapt to any environmental
toxin
A toxin is a naturally occurring organic poison produced by metabolic activities of living cells or organisms. Toxins occur especially as a protein or conjugated protein. The term toxin was first used by organic chemist Ludwig Brieger (1849– ...
. His body automatically subconsciously adapts to counter any threat. After the crisis has passed, Helix's body resets itself to its baseline form. His body's adaptive capabilities allowed him to go toe-to-toe with alternate versions of
Wonder Man
Wonder Man (Simon Williams) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby, he first appeared in '' The Avengers'' #9 (October 1964). The c ...
and
Charlie-27
Captain Charlie-27 is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character usually appears in the Earth-691 timeline of the Marvel Universe as a member of the original 31st century incarnation of the tea ...
at the same time.
Other versions
Timeslip's vision
*
Timeslip
''Timeslip'' is a British children's science fiction television series made by ATV for the ITV network and broadcast between 1970 and 1971. It was first broadcast on Friday evenings at around 5:10-5:15pm in the ATV region with the other ITV r ...
saw a possible vision of
Justice
Justice, in its broadest sense, is the principle that people receive that which they deserve, with the interpretation of what then constitutes "deserving" being impacted upon by numerous fields, with many differing viewpoints and perspective ...
,
Powerhouse, and Helix falling into a spiral, which may have been a dimensional or time portal.
References
External links
*{{Marvunapp, http://www.marvunapp.com/Appendix/helix.htm, Helix
Helixat Marvel Database
Helixat Comic Vine
Fictional characters who can change size
Marvel Comics characters with superhuman strength
Marvel Comics mutates
Marvel Comics superheroes