Unus the Untouchable (also known as Gunther Bain, born Angelo Unuscione) is a
supervillain appearing in
American comic books 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 ...
. Unus 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 ...
, and is named for his ability to consciously project an invisible
force field which protects him from harm.
Publication history
Unus first appeared in ''
X-Men
The X-Men are a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, first appearing in ''The X-Men'' #1 by artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby and writer/editor Stan Lee in 1963. Although initially cancelled in 1970 due to lo ...
'' #8 (November 1964), and was created by
Stan Lee and
Jack Kirby
Jack Kirby (born Jacob Kurtzberg; August 28, 1917 – February 6, 1994) was an American comic book artist, writer and editor, widely regarded as one of the medium's major innovators and one of its most prolific and influential creators. He gre ...
.
Fictional character biography
Origin
Angelo Unuscione was born in
Milan, Italy
Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city ...
. After his arrival in the United States, he legally changed his name to Gunther Bain. He became a wrestler, and, when the Beast briefly left the X-Men, he was able to defeat him in a wrestling match. Once in America, he sought out the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants to join them. He turned criminal, and joined with the Brotherhood as they fought the
X-Men
The X-Men are a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, first appearing in ''The X-Men'' #1 by artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby and writer/editor Stan Lee in 1963. Although initially cancelled in 1970 due to lo ...
. During the battle, his powers were enhanced by a shot fired from Beast's gun, increasing his power beyond his ability to control it, and making him unable to touch anything. He promised to reform, and his normal power level was restored by the Beast. He became a good friend of the
Blob
Blob may refer to:
Science Computing
* Binary blob, in open source software, a non-free object file loaded into the kernel
* Binary large object (BLOB), in computer database systems
* A storage mechanism in the cloud computing platform M ...
,
[''X-Men'' #20] and they teamed up together on various schemes, such as posing as the X-Men and framing them for robbery,
before both mutants went their separate ways. It was revealed the alien invader
Lucifer
Lucifer is one of various figures in folklore associated with the planet Venus. The entity's name was subsequently absorbed into Christianity as a name for the devil. Modern scholarship generally translates the term in the relevant Bible passa ...
was behind this, and had made sure the Beast's weapon did not work on Unus anymore.
Factor Three/Brotherhood
Unus then joined the villainous organization Factor Three in a conspiracy to conquer Earth. They fought the X-Men, but turned against the
Mutant Master
M-11
Originally known as the Human Robot, the character was given the name "M-11" in the 2006 to 2007 ''Agents of Atlas'' miniseries as an allusion to its first appearance in '' Menace'' #11 from Marvel Comics' 1950s predecessor, Atlas Comics. ...
when the latter was exposed as an extraterrestrial. Unus later visited
Ogre
An ogre (feminine: ogress) is a legendary monster depicted as a large, hideous, man-like being that eats ordinary human beings, especially infants and children. Ogres frequently feature in mythology, folklore, and fiction throughout the world ...
at their Mt. Charteris base. However, shortly after he was captured by
Sentinels alongside several others mutants, but was later released, after which he teamed with the Blob and
Mastermind
Mastermind, Master Mind or The Mastermind may refer to:
Fictional characters
* Mastermind (Jason Wyngarde), a fictional supervillain in Marvel Comics, a title also held by his daughters:
** Martinique Jason, the first daughter and successor of th ...
as agents of the second
Secret Empire; they were defeated by the Beast, and then held prisoner by the Secret Empire. Unus then joined an incarnation of
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 of Evil Mutants
The Brotherhood of Mutants (originally called the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, sometimes referred to as BoEM or B.O.E.M) is a fictional team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The characters are depicted as being devoted ...
. As a member of the Brotherhood, Unus joined in their battle against the X-Men and
Kruger. Alongside the Brotherhood, Unus battled the
Defenders
Defender(s) or The Defender(s) may refer to:
*Defense (military)
*Defense (sports)
**Defender (association football)
Arts and entertainment Film and television
* ''The Defender'' (1989 film), a Canadian documentary
* ''The Defender'' (1994 f ...
, but Magneto and the Brotherhood were reduced to infancy by their team member
Alpha the Ultimate Mutant
Abomination
Absorbing Man
Abraxas
Abraxas, sometimes called the Dark Man, is a cosmic entity who embodies the destruction of the Marvel multiverse. The existence of Galactus prevents him from emerging. The character, created by Carlos Pach ...
. Unus and the others were kept at
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 ...
. When the Brotherhood was reverted to adulthood and reorganized, Unus teamed with the
Vanisher
Vanisher (Telford Porter) is a fictional character and mutant supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Vanisher's primary ability is teleportation. He is usually depicted as an opponent of the X-Men. The charac ...
, Blob and Mastermind and fought alongside the group against the
Champions
A champion (from the late Latin ''campio'') is the victor in a challenge, contest or competition. There can be a territorial pyramid of championships, e.g. local, regional / provincial, state, national, continental and world championships, a ...
. However, he left the team disheartened. He came in conflict with
Doc Samson
Doc Samson (Leonard Skivorski Jr.) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is usually depicted as a superhero and psychiatrist in the Marvel Universe, known as a supporting character in ...
, and
Power Man, and then embarked on a New York crime spree, but was defeated by
Iron Fist and Power Man.
Not long after, Unus decided to retire from the life of the organized supervillain, deciding to use his talents in less "lofty" ways; he was making a living as a wrestler. At some point, he fathered the Canadian mutant
Radius
In classical geometry, a radius ( : radii) of a circle or sphere is any of the line segments from its center to its perimeter, and in more modern usage, it is also their length. The name comes from the latin ''radius'', meaning ray but also the ...
. It is also believed that the
Acolyte
An acolyte is an assistant or follower assisting the celebrant in a religious service or procession. In many Christian denominations, an acolyte is anyone performing ceremonial duties such as lighting altar candles. In others, the term is used f ...
Carmella Unuscione is either his daughter or sister, but no official confirmation of this has ever been given.
Coming out of retirement and teaming with his friend the Blob again, Unus discovered, during a fight against the
Hulk, that his powers had become nearly uncontrollable, and his field was smashed by the Hulk. Unus lost complete control of his powers, and his force-field became so thick that it repulsed the very oxygen molecules in the air until he suffocated and passed out. He fell into the arms of the Blob who, believing Unus to be dead, went on an angry rampage through Brooklyn leading to a fight with both
Spider-Man and
Black Cat.
Genosha
Years later, Unus reappeared on the decimated island of
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-M ...
, traumatized by the devastation and speaking of "ghosts." Usually arrogant and somewhat fearless, due in no small part to his invulnerable force field, he was shaken by apparent "ghosts" being able to pass through it. At some point, he stopped seeing them, and returned to his former hubris.
Unus later formed his own band of mutant rebels (which included Toad and
Paralyzer
"Paralyzer" is a song by Canadian rock band Finger Eleven. It was released as the lead single from their fourth studio album, '' Them vs. You vs. Me'', on March 1, 2007. The song received high airplay in both the United States and Canada, and was ...
), trying to survive on the harsh island that Genosha had become. They most commonly had arguments with Professor Charles Xavier and Magneto, and surprisingly never recognized Magneto out of costume. In their first confrontation, the mutant known as
Freakshow ends up literally swallowing Unus in order to end the tensions. His powers protected him.
Unus leads Appraiser and Stripmine, two superhuman poachers, to Genosha which caused him to be at odds with all the remaining mutants on Genosha.
House of M and death
Unus stayed on the island until before 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 (comics), limited series written by Brian Michael Bendis and illustrated by Olivier Coipel and a number of fictiona ...
, and was depowered after the events of
Decimation.
Unus is later found by Quicksilver on Genosha. Quicksilver granted him his powers back, however in an altered form. 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 ...
soon stepped in and took the mists from Quicksilver and his daughter.
Lockjaw managed to teleport Luna and Pietro away before ONE could capture them, leaving a battle between the Inhumans and the repowered mutants of Genosha. During the battle Unus faced
Karnak
The Karnak Temple Complex, commonly known as Karnak (, which was originally derived from ar, خورنق ''Khurnaq'' "fortified village"), comprises a vast mix of decayed temples, pylons, chapels, and other buildings near Luxor, Egypt. Constr ...
, who was amazed that he could not break Unus's shield. However, Unus's powers soon evolved beyond his control and a pink metallic shell began to form all over his body. Both the Inhumans and the repowered mutants tried to save Unus's life, but it was too late. As Unus's field began to dissolve, it was discovered that he had died from lack of oxygen.
Necrosha
Unus was among the many on the island of Genosha who have been resurrected by Eli Bard and his version of the techno-organic virus. He appeared repowered by the T.O. virus.
Spider-Man and the X-Men
Unus was confirmed to be alive and repowered again after the events of Necrosha when he attacked the Jean Grey School for Higher Learning before being defeated by the then-new Special Class
Guidance Counselor Spider-Man.
X of Swords
Unus became one of the many former villains granted amnesty on the mutant nation of
Krakoa. During the Dawn of X event ''
X of Swords'', Unus escorted Apocalypse's grandchild Summoner through
Otherworld
The concept of an otherworld in historical Indo-European religion is reconstructed in comparative mythology. Its name is a calque of ''orbis alius'' (Latin for "other Earth/world"), a term used by Lucan in his description of the Celtic Otherwor ...
to Arakko along with
Banshee
A banshee ( ; Modern Irish , from sga, ben síde , "woman of the fairy mound" or "fairy woman") is a female spirit in Irish folklore who heralds the death of a family member, usually by screaming, wailing, shrieking, or keening. Her name i ...
. He was taken captive by Amenthi forces during an ambush that also gravely injured Banshee. He was rescued by a Krakoan team and safely transported back to Krakoa.
Powers and abilities
Unus the Untouchable 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 possessed the power to generate a field of invisible psionic energy around his body. The field acts to deflect objects and even energy beams, and can withstand great concussive force. Normally, Unus can control the force field at will and certain types of radiant energy, such as sunlight, can pass through the field, as do air and sound waves (at least within certain unknown limits). Unus has deflected beams of energy, objects of high mass, objects traveling at high speed and telepathy, including that of
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- ...
. Unus was at one point vulnerable to the
Beast's ray gun that augmented his force field power beyond his control; in later years Unus's power again became uncontrollable due to unknown reasons, finally repelling air molecules.
Unus's force field was not impenetrable, and could be disrupted by a sufficiently powerful force. The Incredible Hulk did this on two occasions, the first time by simply shattering it with a punch enhanced by his anger. When they battled again in Australia during 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 (comics), limited series written by Brian Michael Bendis and illustrated by Olivier Coipel and a number of fictiona ...
crossover, the Hulk created a sonic boom by clapping his hands, which resonated with Unus's force field and caused shockwaves that stunned the villain. Although it was temporarily disrupted, the force field would eventually regenerate itself.
Unus is also an athletic man and an expert wrestler. Unus sometimes carried a baseball bat, which, when encased in his force field, can deliver blows with superhuman force.
Other versions
Age of Apocalypse
Unus 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 Comics ...
(also known as Earth-295) was a Prelate in
Apocalypse's Infinites. Prelate Unus's appearance was cut short, however, as he was frozen by
Iceman and shattered.
Ultimate Marvel
Unus also appeared briefly within the
Ultimate Universe
Ultimate Marvel, later known as Ultimate Comics, was an imprint (trade name), imprint of comic books published by Marvel Comics, featuring re-imagined and modernized versions of the company's superhero characters from the Ultimate Marvel Univers ...
as a member of
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 ...
. In this version, he had some sort of astral projection powers. In ''
The Ultimates 3
''The Ultimates 3'' was a five-issue, monthly comic book miniseries published in 2008 by Marvel Comics in the Ultimate Marvel imprint. Written by Jeph Loeb, and illustrated by Joe Madureira, it is a sequel to ''The Ultimates'' and ''The Ultimates ...
'', Unus is charged with protecting Magneto's citadel from the
Ultimates
The Ultimates is a superhero comic book series published by Marvel Comics and created by writer Mark Millar and artist Bryan Hitch, which first started publication from ''The Ultimates'' #1 (March 2002), as part of the company's Ultimate Marvel ...
. His forcefield deflected blows from
Thor
Thor (; from non, Þórr ) is a prominent god in Germanic paganism. In Norse mythology, he is a hammer-wielding god associated with lightning, thunder, storms, sacred groves and trees, strength, the protection of humankind, hallowing, an ...
, but, ultimately, Thor broke through and apparently killed Unus for defying a god.
House of M
In the "House of M", Unus was a lieutenant of Exodus and was eradicating the remaining human population in Australia. However, while tracking several runaway humans he stumbled upon and attempted to destroy a tribe of
Aboriginal people
Indigenous peoples are culturally distinct ethnic groups whose members are directly descended from the earliest known inhabitants of a particular geographic region and, to some extent, maintain the language and culture of those original people ...
who had adopted the Hulk into their midst. In the ensuing conflict, Unus was severely injured and put in a hospital.
X-Men Noir
In ''
X-Men Noir
''Marvel Noir'' is a 2009/2010 Marvel Comics alternative continuity combining elements of film noir and pulp fiction with the Marvel Universe. The central premise of the mini-series replaces super powers with driven, noir-flavored characterizatio ...
'', Angelo Unuscione is an unpowered human and a dangerous mob boss known as "Unus the Untouchable". Unus struggled with the Brotherhood for control of New York City. For his own security, he only let a few select people be near him, and hence his name, "untouchable." He eventually became a target for the Brotherhood after Unus refused to join in the Brotherhood's and Sebastian Shaw's illegal act in land profiting. He was to be kill by
Peter Magnus when he was about to leave the city for Central City by airship. However, Unus avoided his assassination due to the X Men, and was taken to safety to Welfare Island, where he would be transferred to Washington, D.C. and under protection from the federal authorities. As Unus was about to leave with the X Men, he was killed by Eric Magnus and his men, who appeared out of nowhere.
[''X-Men Noir'' #2-4]
References
External links
*
Unus the Untouchable at Marvel Directory*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Unus The Untouchable
Characters created by Jack Kirby
Characters created by Stan Lee
Comics characters introduced in 1964
Fictional characters with energy-manipulation abilities
Fictional immigrants to the United States
Fictional Italian American people
Marvel Comics martial artists
Marvel Comics mutants
Marvel Comics supervillains