Maggott (Japheth) is a fictional
superhero
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 using his or her powers to help the world become a better place, ...
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 was briefly a member 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 ...
.
A flamboyant
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
n
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 spoke in exaggerated
Afrikaans
Afrikaans (, ) is a West Germanic language that evolved in the Dutch Cape Colony from the Dutch vernacular of Holland proper (i.e., the Hollandic dialect) used by Dutch, French, and German settlers and their enslaved people. Afrikaans gra ...
slang
Slang is vocabulary (words, phrases, and linguistic usages) of an informal register, common in spoken conversation but avoided in formal writing. It also sometimes refers to the language generally exclusive to the members of particular in-gro ...
, Maggott was advertised as one of the strangest X-Men. His digestive system took the form of two
slug
Slug, or land slug, is a common name for any apparently shell-less terrestrial gastropod mollusc. The word ''slug'' is also often used as part of the common name of any gastropod mollusc that has no shell, a very reduced shell, or only a smal ...
s which could eat through practically any substance. After feeding, the slugs reentered Maggott's
abdomen
The abdomen (colloquially called the belly, tummy, midriff, tucky or stomach) is the part of the body between the thorax (chest) and pelvis, in humans and in other vertebrates. The abdomen is the front part of the abdominal segment of the torso. ...
and passed nourishment into him, giving him incredible power.
Publication history
Created by writer
Scott Lobdell
Scott Lobdell (; born 1960) is an American comic book writer and screenwriter known for his work on numerous ''X-Men'' series for Marvel Comics in the 1990s, various work for DC Comics in the 2010s, namely ''Red Hood and the Outlaws, Teen Titans ...
and
Joe Madureira
Joe Madureira (born December 1974), often called Joe Mad,Smith, Andrew (May 3, 2002). "Canceled Comics Cavalcade Catch-up". ''Comics Buyer's Guide'' #1485. p. 38 is an American comic book artist and game developer, best known for his work on ''Da ...
, he first appeared in ''
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 ...
'' #345 (June 1997).
Fictional character biography
Maggott was first seen as a mysterious mutant who is searching out the X-Men’s adversary
Magneto
A magneto is an electrical generator that uses permanent magnets to produce periodic pulses of alternating current. Unlike a dynamo, a magneto does not contain a commutator to produce direct current. It is categorized as a form of alternator, ...
for an unknown reason. His search led to
Antarctica
Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean, it contains the geographic South Pole. Antarctica is the fifth-largest contine ...
where Magneto was holding the X-Men captive. Maggott then joined up with the team and returned with them to their
Westchester, New York
Westchester County is located in the U.S. state of New York. It is the seventh most populous county in the State of New York and the most populous north of New York City. According to the 2020 United States Census, the county had a population o ...
headquarters.
For a short period of time, Maggott believed his companions were going off on their own and killing innocent people. He even tried to turn himself over to the police before being stopped by the X-Men. His companions turned out to be innocent, as the people had been slain by a faction of
N'Garai
The comic book stories published by Marvel Comics since the 1940s have featured several fictional teams and organizations and this page lists them.
0–9 198
A A-Force
A-Next
A.I. Army
Because of his revelation that he is now a simulated A ...
, though they hated to be called so. These entities are a demonic-type race that the X-Men had faced many times, mainly because a regenerating magical portal lies deep in the woods on the mansion's grounds. A matter which was never resolved was why Maggott's slugs were seemingly related to the N'Garai.
Maggott later was tempted by the entity
Shadow King
The Shadow King (Amahl Farouk) is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is particularly associated with the X-Men family of comics. His nemesis is the X-Men's leader, Professor X, while he also ...
with promises of a better life in exchange for his loyalty and abandonment of the X-Men. He managed to resist the villain.
Marrow and
Cecilia Reyes
Dr. Cecilia Reyes is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Scott Lobdell and Carlos Pacheco, the character first appeared in ''X-Men'' (vol. 2) #65 (June 1997). She belongs to the subspeci ...
were also propositioned by the King, but also resisted.
Psylocke
Psylocke is the name of two connected fictional Mutant (Marvel Comics), mutant superheroes appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics, commonly in association with the X-Men.
The first character to use the Psylocke moniker, Betsy Braddoc ...
then rescues the X-Men after keeping Shadow King in a psionic prison, which forced her in retirement as she could not use her mind powers for anything or else the Shadow King would be released from the prison within Psylocke's mind.
At first, he kept his past to himself, but Maggott eventually revealed his origin to
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 ...
. Maggott had been born a sickly child in
Apartheid
Apartheid (, especially South African English: , ; , "aparthood") was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. Apartheid was ...
-era
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
and was named Japheth. He was always very ill and he could not digest solid food. Feeling himself to be a burden on his family, he ran away from home with his younger brother. Having left home, hoping to die, he was found by Magneto who released the slugs from his body and revealed to Japheth his mutant power. This turned his skin blue for the first time, and he named the slugs Eany and Meany. Compassionate at heart, Japheth immediately rejected Magneto's philosophy and his offer to join him after he shortly witnessed later the Master of Magnetism brutally massacre numerous white South African soldiers who were engaged in racist atrocities against black South African civilians (despite the fact that one of these civilians was Japheth's eldest brother who died in the violence). In spite of this, he later sought out Magneto when he got older, for help in easing the pain caused by his unique mutation. After the then-current roster of the team parted ways, the X-Man
Beast suggested Maggott transfer to the junior team
Generation X
Generation X (or Gen X for short) is the Western world, Western demographic Cohort (statistics), cohort following the baby boomers and preceding the millennials. Researchers and popular media use the mid-to-late 1960s as starting birth years a ...
, but his tenure there lasted only one issue and afterwards he fell out of sight.
Maggott reappeared as an inmate at "Neverland," a
concentration camp
Internment is the imprisonment of people, commonly in large groups, without charges or intent to file charges. The term is especially used for the confinement "of enemy citizens in wartime or of terrorism suspects". Thus, while it can simply ...
run by the covert government program
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 ...
. Along with a number of other mutants, he was exterminated there.
One of his slugs, which he gave away to two children at the camp after foreseeing his death (thanks to his psychometric powers) at the camp, was last seen in a container in
Mister Sinister
Mister Sinister (Nathaniel Essex) is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Chris Claremont, the character was first mentioned as the employer behind the team of assassins known as the Maraud ...
's laboratory.
Maggott is later resurrected by means of the
Transmode Virus
A techno-organic virus (T-O virus) is a fictional virus appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. In the comics, the T-O virus transforms organic material into techno-organic material, which resembles both machinery and living t ...
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 o ...
'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 (book), Utopia'', describing a fictional ...
.
[''X-Men: Legacy'' #231 (January 2010). Marvel Comics.] Maggott's fate is uncertain as it is unknown if he was among the mutants teleported to
Genosha
Genosha ( or ) is a fictional country appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. It is an island nation that exists in Marvel's main shared universe, known as "Earth 616" in the Marvel Universe and a prominent place in the X-Me ...
by
Blink
Blinking is a bodily function; it is a semi-autonomic rapid closing of the eyelid. A single blink is determined by the forceful closing of the eyelid or inactivation of the levator palpebrae superioris and the activation of the palpebral portio ...
to serve as a sacrifice to the newly-deitious Selene or if he was among the mutants that managed to escape Utopia.
Maggott was confirmed to still be alive and powered (though with only one of his slugs) as he was a guest at a superheroes and supervillains-themed costume party of New York branch of the Hellfire Club and was later apparently passed out drunk with other party guests (such as Rocket Raccoon) around an outdoor swimming pool.
Maggott appeared (along with both of his slugs) along with the other X-Men as part of Cyclops' Million Mutant March in Washington D.C.
Most recently, Maggott briefly appeared during the ''X-Men Disassembled'' storyline as part of the last ditch battle against
Nate Grey
Nathaniel Grey (X-Man) is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, commonly in association with the X-Men. Created by writer Jeph Loeb and artist Steve Skroce, the character first appeared in ''X-Man'' ...
. Eventually returning to the primary Marvel Universe he and many others left behind while living separate lives in the Age of X-Man universe.
After the proclamation set up by
X was telepathically broadcast to the whole world, Japheth was one amongst thousands to accept the invitation to the new mutant nation of
Krakoa
Krakoa is a fictional living island appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. It first appeared in ''Giant-Size X-Men'' #1 and was created by Len Wein and Dave Cockrum. Initially depicted as an antagonist, Krakoa has since gro ...
. He was later seen enjoying wine & revelry on his new homeland with a great many others among the revived mutant flock.
During the "
Judgment Day
The Last Judgment, Final Judgment, Day of Reckoning, Day of Judgment, Judgment Day, Doomsday, Day of Resurrection or The Day of the Lord (; ar, یوم القيامة, translit=Yawm al-Qiyāmah or ar, یوم الدین, translit=Yawm ad-Dīn, ...
" storyline, Maggott was among the mutants that were hunted by
Kraven the Hunter
Kraven the Hunter (Sergei Kravinoff; Russian: Сергей Кравинов) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Debuting in ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' issue #15 (August 1964) as an adversary to ...
.
Powers and abilities
* Digestive system replaced by a hollow cavity that houses a pair of semi-sentient slugs called Eany and Meany who bore their way out of his torso and then use powerful enzymes to process and digest any solid objects in their path at super speeds, transmitting food energy back to their host to supercharge his physical size, strength, stamina, and sturdiness while turning his skin blue and his eyes red, but the slugs must re-enter through his belly and release their storage internally to feed his body properly.
* Psychometric power enables him to draw psychic imprints from his environment, replaying in his mind's-eye events which once took place or will soon take place in his general vicinity.
Reception
* In 2014, ''
Entertainment Weekly
''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...
'' ranked Maggott 100th in their "Let's rank every X-Man ever" list.
Other versions
Age of X
In the
Age of X
"Age of X" is a comic book storyline published by Marvel Comics as part of its ''X-Men'' series. The storyline is set in an alternate reality known as Earth-11326. Running from January to April 2011, it is similar in name and tone to the 1995 " A ...
alternate reality, Maggott was shown as a prisoner of the prison camp called Camp Gorge. He was killed by that reality's
Iron Man
Iron Man is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was co-created by writer and editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby. The charact ...
.{
Ultimate Marvel
In the
Ultimate Marvel
Ultimate Marvel, later known as Ultimate Comics, was an imprint of comic books published by Marvel Comics, featuring re-imagined and modernized versions of the company's superhero characters from the Ultimate Marvel Universe. Those characters in ...
universe, a version of Maggott made a cameo as a teenage mutant in
Manhattan
Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...
, killed by
Mister Sinister
Mister Sinister (Nathaniel Essex) is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Chris Claremont, the character was first mentioned as the employer behind the team of assassins known as the Maraud ...
acting on orders from
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 ...
. An alternate, child version of Maggott later appears in the
Morlock
Morlocks are a fictional species created by H. G. Wells for his 1895 novel,''The Time Machine'', and are the main antagonists. Since their creation by H. G. Wells, the Morlocks have appeared in many other works such as sequels, films, televisio ...
tunnels underneath New York. He and his slug (named Joshua) seek out
Kitty Pryde
Katherine Anne "Kitty" Pryde is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, commonly in association with the X-Men. The character First appearance, first appeared in ''The Uncanny X-Men'' #129 (January 1980) and was ...
and her resistance cell after
Jimmy Hudson
Jimmy Hudson is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character appears in the Ultimate Marvel universe and is the son of Wolverine (Ultimate Marvel character), Ultimate Wolverine. After the Secret ...
is injured by
Reverend Stryker's forces.
Battleworld X-Tinction Agenda
Japheth is one amongst many citizens of the X-Topia Province governed by God Emperor Doom selected baroness Rachel Grey. He was present when Havok and his Jenoshan's invaded X-City to kidnap one of Ms. Grey's people but not on scene during the battle between rival X factions. Maggott would attend the meeting wherein Rachel addressed her intent to invade Genosha to get her people back, but again he did not participate in the Melee that followed.
Age of X-Man
In the new human free dimension created by Nate Grey, Maggott is a disciple of En Sabah Nur. He helped Anole blow up the Hope Summers Library.
[''Age of X-Man: Nextgen'' v5 #4]
References
External links
Maggotton the Marvel Universe
Maggottat UncannyXmen.net
Maggottat World of Black Heroes
{{X-Men characters
Characters created by Joe Madureira
Characters created by Scott Lobdell
Comics characters introduced in 1997
Fictional South African people
Marvel Comics male superheroes
Marvel Comics mutants
Marvel Comics characters who have mental powers
Marvel Comics telepaths
X-Men members