Spike is the name of several
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 person, ...
s 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 ...
. They are not to be confused with
Spyke
Spyke (Evan Daniels) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, most commonly in association with the X-Men. He was created for the animated series '' X-Men: Evolution'', and was created by writer Robe ...
from ''
X-Men: Evolution'', nor with
Spike Freeman, another character in the groups
X-Statix
X-Statix are a team of mutant superheroes appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The team was specifically designed to be media superstars. The team, created by Peter Milligan and Mike Allred, first appears in ''X-Force' ...
and
X-Force
X-Force is a fictional team of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, most commonly in association with the X-Men. Conceived by writer/illustrator Rob Liefeld, the team first appeared in ''New Mutants#New Muta ...
.
Spike (Darian Elliott) is a character in the series ''X-Statix'' from
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 ...
.
Spike (Gary Walsh) is a character from ''
New X-Men'', who first appeared in issue #126 of that title. He was a student at the
Xavier Institute
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 Estate (land), private estate of Professor X, Charles Francis ...
before
M-Day.
Lance Gibson portrayed the role in ''
X-Men: The Last Stand.''
Spike (X-Statix)
Publication history
The Spike (Darian Elliott) first appeared in ''X-Force'' #121, and was created by
Peter Milligan
Peter Milligan (born 24 June 1961) is a British comic book writer who has written extensively for both British and American comic book industries. In the UK, Milligan has contributed to numerous anthology titles including '' 2000 AD'', ''Revolv ...
and
Mike Allred
Michael Dalton Allred is an American comic book artist and writer most famous for his independent comics creations, ''Madman'' and ''iZombie''. His style is often compared to pop art, as well as commercial and comic art of the 1950s and 1960s ...
. He is a
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 ...
that could generate razor-sharp spikes from his body, which he could fire outward with deadly accuracy.
Fictional character biography
After watching video footage of independent hero the Spike in action, the
Santa Monica, California
Santa Monica (; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast (California), South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 United Sta ...
-based mutant-superhero group X-Statix agrees to have him join the team. His antagonistic nature creates fighting and tension among himself and his teammates.
During a battle with the mutant terrorist group the
Brotherhood
Brotherhood or The Brotherhood may refer to:
Family, relationships, and organizations
* Fraternity (philosophy) or brotherhood, an ethical relationship between people, which is based on love and solidarity
* Fraternity or brotherhood, a mal ...
, the Spike aids the
Orphan
An orphan (from the el, ορφανός, orphanós) is a child whose parents have died.
In common usage, only a child who has lost both parents due to death is called an orphan. When referring to animals, only the mother's condition is usuall ...
in killing one of the Brotherhood members by impaling her as she fell backwards from the Orphan's punch. In another battle, in
Central America
Central America ( es, América Central or ) is a subregion of the Americas. Its boundaries are defined as bordering the United States to the north, Colombia to the south, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. ...
, the Spike and the Anarchist competed to kill as many militiamen as possible. Sometime later, after seeing Vivisector and Phat holding hands, the Spike's homophobic reaction causes another rift with the team. The Spike eventually is killed by an impostor, who is himself then killed.
Spike (New X-Men)
Publication history
Spike (Gary Walsh) first appeared in New X-Men vol. 1 #126 (but did not receive a real name until eight issues later), he was created by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely. He was listed as depowered during
the M-Day event.
Fictional character biography
Spike 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 ...
enrolled 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 Estate (land), private estate of Professor X, Charles Francis ...
. Spike has the ability to extend sharp, pointed protrusions from his body.
Other comic characters named ''Spike''
*A member of The People was known as Spike. The youth had six arms but apparently perished in the destruction of her mansion. She first appeared (and perished) in ''
Sub-Mariner'' vol. 1, #42
*Spike is also the name of a
Deviant mutant, who along with Coal and String, was sent by
Ghaur
Ghaur () is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. In the Marvel Universe, he is the head of the Deviant race's priesthood.
Publication history
Created by Peter B. Gillis and Sal Buscema, he firs ...
to retrieve the Proteus Horn which could summon undersea monsters. He was mistaken for
Sunspot
Sunspots are phenomena on the Sun's photosphere that appear as temporary spots that are darker than the surrounding areas. They are regions of reduced surface temperature caused by concentrations of magnetic flux that inhibit convection. Sun ...
by
Namorita
Namorita Prentiss is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. She is a mutant clone of her mother, Namora, and a member of the New Warriors. She was killed in the explosion in Stamford that started the Superhero C ...
. He first appeared in ''
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 ...
Annual'' #5
*A member of
Hellbent was also called Spike. He could fire spikes that caused delusions. He first appeared in ''
Moon Knight
Moon Knight is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Doug Moench and artist Don Perlin, the character first appeared in ''Werewolf by Night'' #32 (August 1975).
The son of a rabb ...
'' vol. 3, #58.
*An agent of Rainman is known as Spike as well. He was forced to give information about the Rainman by the
White Tiger
The white tiger or bleached tiger is a leucistic pigmentation variant of the Mainland tiger. It is reported in the wild from time to time in the Indian states of Madhya Pradesh, Assam, West Bengal, Bihar, Odisha, in the Sunderbans region and ...
and first appeared in ''Crew'' #2.
Other versions
*
Earth-616
In the fictional Marvel Comics multiverse, Earth-616 is the primary continuity in which most Marvel Comics titles take place.
History of the term
The term was first used in "Rough Justice", a story credited to both Alan Moore and Alan Davis p ...
: David Munroe
[''X-Men'' Vol. 1 #102. Marvel Comics.] was born in New Jersey to an unknown father and Vivian Munroe (Storm's father's sister). Vivian named her son David, after Ororo's father, who had died too soon. Unfortunately, she later became a drug addict and eventually died of HIV, leaving young David in the care of his loving grandparents. As of yet David hasn't manifested any mutant powers. He also has yet to join the X-Men and has only recently met Storm in this universe.
* A version of Spike appeared in the X-Babies Stars Reborn as an evil, indestructible X-Baby.
In other media
Television
A variation of Spike named Evan Daniels /
Spyke
Spyke (Evan Daniels) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, most commonly in association with the X-Men. He was created for the animated series '' X-Men: Evolution'', and was created by writer Robe ...
appears in ''
X-Men: Evolution'', voiced by
Neil Denis
Neil Denis (born July 13, 1985) is a Canadian actor best known for his role as Rya'c, son of Teal'c, a Jaffa in ''Stargate SG-1''. His first appearance was in ''University Hospital'' in 1995 at the age of 8. He also appeared in the Canadian tel ...
. This version is the teenage son of an unnamed father and Vivian Daniels and nephew of
Storm
A storm is any disturbed state of the natural environment or the atmosphere
An atmosphere () is a layer of gas or layers of gases that envelop a planet, and is held in place by the gravity of the planetary body. A planet retains an atmos ...
. While attending high school as part of the basketball team, Evan's powers begin to develop. Storm,
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 ...
, and
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 ...
approach Evan's parents about him attending the
Xavier Institute
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 Estate (land), private estate of Professor X, Charles Francis ...
, but he refuses. After being framed as a thief by his former teammate
Pietro Maximoff
Quicksilver (Pietro Maximoff) is a fictional character, fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in the comic book ''The Uncanny X-Men'' #4 (March 1964) and was created by St ...
and being bailed out of prison by
Charles 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 ...
, Evan takes the name "Spyke", joins 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 ...
to defeat Pietro and clear his name. Throughout the series, Evan struggles with receiving unwanted special treatment due to being Storm's nephew and behaving selfishly, which culminates in him unknowingly drinking an energy drink that is toxic to mutants, losing control of his powers, and joining the
Morlocks
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 ...
as a result. Over time, he would mutate into an armadillo-like form and gain the ability to heat his spikes while working with the Morlocks to fight humans committing
hate crime
A hate crime (also known as a bias-motivated crime or bias crime) is a prejudice-motivated crime which occurs when a perpetrator targets a victim because of their membership (or perceived membership) of a certain social group or racial demograph ...
s against them and other mutants, though he would join forces with the X-Men to defeat
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 ...
in the series finale.
Film
* A character inspired by Spike makes a non-speaking cameo appearance in ''
X-Men: The Last Stand'', portrayed by
Lance Gibson
Lance "Fearless" Gibson (born November 20, 1970 in Toronto, Ontario) is a retired Canadian mixed martial artist. Having formally competed in the Middleweight division. He is widely considered to be one of Canada's mixed martial arts pioneers an ...
. This version is a member of the Omegas, who join forces with
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, ...
's
Brotherhood
Brotherhood or The Brotherhood may refer to:
Family, relationships, and organizations
* Fraternity (philosophy) or brotherhood, an ethical relationship between people, which is based on love and solidarity
* Fraternity or brotherhood, a mal ...
to oppose the creation of a "mutant cure".
* A character inspired by Spike simply named Daniels appears in ''
X-Men: Days of Future Past'', portrayed by Jaa Smith-Johnson. This version is an American
G.I.
G.I. are initials used to describe the soldiers of the United States Army and airmen of the United States Air Force and general items of their equipment. The term G.I. has been used as an initialism of "Government Issue", "General Issue", or " ...
who fought in the
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...
as part of a mutant military team.
References
{{reflist
Characters created by Mike Allred
Characters created by Peter Milligan
Comics characters introduced in 2001
Fictional blade and dart throwers
Fictional African-American people
Marvel Comics mutants
Marvel Comics superheroes