Tempo 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, ...

African-American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...

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 ...

character 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 ...

. She was introduced as a member of the

Mutant Liberation Front This is a list of some of the major foes of the Marvel Comics superhero team, the X-Men. Central rogues' gallery Other recurring antagonists Teams See also * List of X-Men members References {{DEFAULTSORT:X-Men Enemies, List Of Enemies ...

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 ...

'' #86 (February 1990).

Publication history

Tempo first appeared in ''

'' #86.

Fictional character biography

Tempo (alter ego Heather Tucker) is a founding member of the

terrorist Terrorism, in its broadest sense, is the use of criminal violence to provoke a state of terror or fear, mostly with the intention to achieve political or religious aims. The term is used in this regard primarily to refer to intentional violen ...

organization known as the Mutant Liberation Front (MLF). Tempo is a mainstay in the team's adventures, including fighting

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 ...

, Sunfire,

X-Factor ''The X Factor'' is a television music competition franchise created by British producer Simon Cowell and his company Syco Entertainment. It originated in the United Kingdom, where it was devised as a replacement for ''Pop Idol'' (2001–2003 ...

and others in the name of mutant rights, using her time-bending powers. The MLF destroy the Tucker Clinic, an institute for pregnant mothers to undergo

prenatal Prenatal development () includes the development of the embryo and of the fetus during a viviparous animal's gestation. Prenatal development starts with fertilization, in the germinal stage of embryonic development, and continues in fetal devel ...

DNA testing to determine whether or not their babies would be mutants, resulting in the death of Dr. Tucker. The story hints that Tempo may have been his daughter. Soon after, a tyrannical despot named

Reignfire Reignfire is a fictional character and villain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character has appeared in the series ''X-Force''. His original creators were Fabian Nicieza and Matt Broome, who had completely di ...

reforms the MLF and tasks them with killing

Henry Peter Gyrich Henry Peter Gyrich () is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He is a liaison of the United States government who is against the superhuman community. Publication history The character first appeared ...

. Tempo intervenes to save Gyrich and is exiled from the MLF. After leaving the MLF,

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 ...

invites Tempo to join X-Force but she declines, choosing instead to go to college and put aside the super-powered lifestyle. She is again briefly affiliated with the MLF during '' Operation: Zero Tolerance''. After M-Day, Tempo is one of the few to retain her powers. She then becomes a member of the reformed Acolytes. When they disband, she joins Utopia and works alongside the X-Men. In

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 ...

, Tempo is transformed into a soldier of Fortress X. Tempo is fatally wounded while battling humans, but before she dies

Legacy In law, a legacy is something held and transferred to someone as their inheritance, as by will and testament. Personal effects, family property, marriage property or collective property gained by will of real property. Legacy or legacies may refer ...

absorbs her memories. Before being recruited into the Marauders, Tempo was in a relationship with another mutant, Bouncer (Renata Da Lima), but they broke up.

Powers and abilities

Tempo can manipulate time. She is able to slow or stop her opponents and speed up either herself or her teammates. She has prevented grenades from exploding by keeping them in suspended motion, and was also able to successfully attack Rogue by amplifying Rogue's speed, causing her to crash into a wall while flying. Strain limits how long Tempo can maintain a major time manipulation. While it was never established how long that limit is, she was able to completely freeze the X-Men for several minutes while she and the Acolytes conducted a thorough search of the X-Men mansion. Tempo can also levitate herself and fly at subsonic speeds. Besides offering her physical protection, Tempo's helmet also contains electronic equipment that provides her with resistance to

's telepathic probes.''X-Factor'' #78 (May 1992)

References

{{reflist

External links

UncannyXmen.net Character Profile on Tempo
Characters created by Louise Simonson Characters created by Rob Liefeld Comics characters introduced in 1990 Fictional African-American people Fictional characters who can manipulate time Fictional lesbians Marvel Comics female supervillains Marvel Comics LGBT superheroes Marvel Comics mutants