Wither (Kevin Ford) is a
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, ...
, 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 ...
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 has been a member of the student body 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 ...
, a member of the
Hellions training squad, and a supervillain as a 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 Coven.
Fictional character biography
When Kevin Ford's powers first manifested, he panicked. His father tried to calm him down, but Kevin's power reduced him to dust.
A talented artist, Kevin lives in a scrap yard and turns unwanted scrap into beautiful art. He is found by
Danielle Moonstar
Danielle "Dani" Moonstar, originally codenamed Psyche and later Mirage, is a fictional Northern Cheyenne superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. She first appeared in the graphic novel ''The New Mutants'' (Sept. ...
and brought to the Xavier Institute, where he begins to develop friendships with
Laurie Collins,
David Alleyne David Alleyne may refer to:
* David Alleyne (cricketer) (born 1976), English cricketer
* David Alleyne (footballer) (born 1972), Barbadian footballer
* Prodigy (David Alleyne), a Marvel Comics superhero
{{hndis, Alleyne, David ...
, and
Sofia Mantega
Sofia Elizabeth Mantega, also known as Wind Dancer and formerly known as Renascence, is a fictional character, a mutant appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. One of the student body in the Xavier Institute, she is a member of the N ...
. When
Donald Pierce
Donald Pierce is a fictional supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is depicted as a cyborg and is commonly an enemy of the X-Men.
The character was portrayed by Boyd Holbrook in the 2017 film '' ...
attacks them and impales Laurie, Kevin lashes out and uses his power on Pierce. To stop him from killing Pierce, Moonstar shows him his worst fear - using his power on an innocent person. Frightened by the physiological pleasure he experienced when using his power on Pierce, he leaves the Institute.
Some months later
Emma Frost
Emma Grace Frost is a fictional Character (arts), character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, most commonly in association with the X-Men. The character first appeared in ''The Uncanny X-Men'' #129 (Jan. 1980), and was ...
persuades him to return, and he joins the
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 ...
squad under the codename Wither. Clashing with
Elixir
ELIXIR (the European life-sciences Infrastructure for biological Information) is an initiative that will allow life science laboratories across Europe to share and store their research data as part of an organised network. Its goal is to bring t ...
, the current object of Laurie's affections,
Mercury
Mercury commonly refers to:
* Mercury (planet), the nearest planet to the Sun
* Mercury (element), a metallic chemical element with the symbol Hg
* Mercury (mythology), a Roman god
Mercury or The Mercury may also refer to:
Companies
* Merc ...
of the
Hellions reaches out to him, having developed a crush on him. He is arrested by the FBI for killing his father. While the Hellions try to rescue him, the New Mutants stop them, fearing the consequences of involving the Institute in a fight with the FBI. Kevin sees this as a betrayal, and he switches to the Hellions squad.
He discovers Elixir's former relationship with
Wolfsbane and reveals it to the school, successfully ending Josh's relationship with Laurie.
Kevin spends some time vacationing with the Hellion squad. They get caught up with the powerful 'Kingmaker' who grants people their wishes in return for favors later. Kevin spends some time without his powers due to drugs supplied by their new ally. However, once the Hellions discover the favor is stealing a biological weapon, they rebel. Kevin loses access to the drugs. He uses his powers to destroy the weapon.
After M-Day, Kevin believes he has lost his powers like most of the mutant population. When he touches Laurie's hand, however, it withers. After a session in David Alleyne's Danger Cave, Kevin overhears
Julian Keller referring to him as "dangerous." Kevin again runs away from the institute, unaware that Julian also wanted to help him..
Kevin goes to Mutant Town, and lives in the company 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 ...
, in disguise as an old lady. After seeing Selene shot by the police, he kills two policemen in a rage. Wither and Selene embrace as Kevin accepts Selene's offer to be her "king" as they fade away, presumably to Selene's dimension. Wither lives a life of luxury with Selene, but he still has feelings for Laurie and because of this is still reluctant to use his powers. Using illusions of Elixir and Laurie, Selene is able to get him to renounce these inhibitions.
Wither is among Selene's Inner Circle, dispatched to retrieve Selene's mystical knife from the X-Men. During the resulting fight, he is distracted by Dust, her transient form proving difficult for him to affect. However, when Onyxx attacks, Wither uses his powers to disintegrate his rocky form, killing him instantly.
During a quarrel with Eli Bard, Wither transforms, revealing that Selene has used her powers to make him an immortal vampire, much like Bard. Bard is killed immediately after their argument by Selene herself. Elixir and Wither face against one another. Wither accuses Elixir of failing to save Wallflower. This causes him to switch from his Gold Healing form to his Black Death form, which overwhelms Wither's destructive power. Elixir reluctantly kills him, completely disintegrating his body.
Years later, Wither resurfaced in the newly-founded mutant nation of Krakoa, having been presumably reborn by the hand of The Five, a group of mutants capable of combining their powers into a process of resurrection, brought together by Charles Xavier as part of his plans for mutant ascension. He was seen talking to Bevatron with his old Hellions Squad, living on the Akademos Habitat..
Powers and abilities
Wither decays, and eventually disintegrates, organic matter by touch—a power which is involuntary. With extended contact he would reduce almost anything—or anyone—organic to dust. As a result of his power, he is only able to wear clothing made of synthetic textiles. This power is even more difficult to deal with due to Kevin's self-styled interpretation that his ability wants him to use it. It has a "hunger", which gives Kevin a desire to use it, though this could just be a psychological aspect of his power. He is also sometimes shown to see things in their decayed form, such as live
pigeon
Columbidae () is a bird family consisting of doves and pigeons. It is the only family in the order Columbiformes. These are stout-bodied birds with short necks and short slender bills that in some species feature fleshy ceres. They primarily ...
s appearing to be decayed through his eyes. He had the ability to put out fire with his bare hands in a few issues. During the Necrosha crossover Wither was somehow able to disintegrate and kill
Onyxx
Onyxx (Sidney Green) is a fictional mutant appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. He first appeared in ''X-Men'', vol. 2 #171 and was created by Peter Milligan and Salvador Larroca.
Fictional character biography
Onyxx passes from v ...
, despite his granite skin. During a later confrontation with
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 ...
, Wither shows also that he now can turn himself to a vampire-like being, due to Selene's manipulation.
[''X-Force'' (vol. 3) #24]
Other versions
House of M
Wither works alongside Elixir as an interrogator for
S.H.I.E.L.D.
S.H.I.E.L.D. is a fictional espionage, special law enforcement, and counter-terrorism agency appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in ''Strange Tales'' #135 (August 1965), it often dea ...
Wither uses his power to decay a part of his victim nearly to death, at which point Elixir steps in and uses his power to heal the victim. The process is apparently extremely painful. Wither also wears a containment suit, although Elixir comments that he doesn't need it and only wears it for psychological effect.
X-Men: The End
Wither saves
Joanna Cargill
Joanna Cargill, also known as Frenzy, is a fictional character, a mutant superhuman appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. She has been a member of supervillain groups, including the Alliance of Evil and the Acolytes, ...
from a
Warskrull
The Skrulls are a fictional race of extraterrestrial shapeshifters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The Skrulls first appeared in ''Fantastic Four (comic book), Fantastic Four'' #2 and were created by Stan Lee and Jac ...
posing as
Genesis
Genesis may refer to:
Bible
* Book of Genesis, the first book of the biblical scriptures of both Judaism and Christianity, describing the creation of the Earth and of mankind
* Genesis creation narrative, the first several chapters of the Book of ...
. After he kills the Warskrull he hopes Dani can forgive him for using his powers to kill. He is killed in the explosion of the X-Men's mansion.
References
External links
UncannyXmen.net Spotlight On Wither
{{New Mutants
Comics characters introduced in 2003
Fictional artists
Fictional characters from Georgia (U.S. state)
Marvel Comics mutants
Marvel Comics superheroes
Marvel Comics supervillains
Marvel Comics male superheroes
Marvel Comics male supervillains
Fictional characters with death or rebirth abilities
New Mutants
Characters created by Nunzio DeFilippis
Characters created by Christina Weir