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Nathaniel Grey (X-Man) 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 ...
, commonly in association with 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 ...
. Created by writer
Jeph Loeb Joseph "Jeph" Loeb III () is an American film and television writer, producer and comic book writer. Loeb was a producer/writer on the TV series ''Smallville'' and ''Lost'', writer for the films '' Commando'' and ''Teen Wolf'', and a writer and ...
and artist
Steve Skroce Steve Skroce () is a Canadian comic book and film storyboard artist. He is of Croatian descent. Biography Skroce broke into comics in 1993 on the Clive Barker series ''Ectokid'' for Marvel Comics' Razorline imprint. He went to work on the Marv ...
, the character first appeared in ''X-Man'' #1 (March 1995). X-Man is an alternate version of the regular
Marvel Universe The Marvel Universe is a fictional shared universe where the stories in most American comic book titles and other media published by Marvel Comics take place. Super-teams such as the Avengers, the X-Men, the Fantastic Four, the Guardians of ...
hero
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 ...
, hailing from the alternate timeline
Earth-295 "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 ...
, first established 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 ...
" storyline. He is the biological son of his dimension's
Scott Summers Cyclops (Scott Summers) is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics and is a founding member of the X-Men. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in the comic book ...
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 ...
, born of genetic tampering by Mr. Sinister. His first name is derived from his creator's (Mr Sinister's) real name, Nathaniel Essex, and his last name from his genetic mother Jean Grey.''X-Man'' #-1 Due to not being infected by a techno-organic virus as Cable was, Nate achieved vast
telepathic Telepathy () is the purported vicarious transmission of information from one person's mind to another's without using any known human sensory channels or physical interaction. The term was first coined in 1882 by the classical scholar Frederic ...
and
telekinetic Psychokinesis (from grc, ψυχή, , soul and grc, κίνησις, , movement, label=ㅤ), or telekinesis (from grc, τηλε, , far off and grc, κίνησις, , movement, label=ㅤ), is a hypothetical psychic ability allowing a person ...
powers (reflecting those that Cable would have had without the virus), and was one of the most powerful mutants in existence during his lifetime. ''X-Man'' was originally a mini-series replacing ''
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 ...
'' during 1995's "Age of Apocalypse" alternate reality storyline. However, after that storyline ended, Marvel transported Nate Grey to
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 ...
, the primary shared universe in which most Marvel Comics are set. The series ran until 2001, during which Nate struggled with being the most powerful person in a strange world. The series ended with his seemingly sacrificial death. Despite his name, X-Man was only briefly a member of the X-Men, both in the Age of Apocalypse reality and on Earth 616. Initially, the character was referred to only by his real name, both in "Age of Apocalypse" and on Earth 616. Shortly before the "
Onslaught Onslaught may refer to: Characters * Onslaught (Marvel Comics), a Marvel Comics supervillain * Onslaught (DC Comics), a DC Comics team of Quraci terrorists * Onslaught (Transformers), the leader of the Combaticons in the ''Transformers'' series ...
" storyline, Nate began to be sporadically referred to as X-Man, without explanation for the in-universe origin of the code name.


Publication history

Nate Grey first appeared in an eponymous four-issue miniseries in 1995 written by
Jeph Loeb Joseph "Jeph" Loeb III () is an American film and television writer, producer and comic book writer. Loeb was a producer/writer on the TV series ''Smallville'' and ''Lost'', writer for the films '' Commando'' and ''Teen Wolf'', and a writer and ...
and drawn by
Steve Skroce Steve Skroce () is a Canadian comic book and film storyboard artist. He is of Croatian descent. Biography Skroce broke into comics in 1993 on the Clive Barker series ''Ectokid'' for Marvel Comics' Razorline imprint. He went to work on the Marv ...
. Afterward, the character starred in a self-titled ongoing series. When sales began to wane in
2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from ...
, the series was revamped by
Warren Ellis Warren Girard Ellis (born 16 February 1968) is a British comic book writer, novelist, and screenwriter. He is best known as the co-creator of several original comics series, including ''Transmetropolitan'' (1997–2002), ''Global Frequency'' ( ...
as part of the Revolution event beginning with issue 64. The new direction was unsuccessful, and ''X-Man'' was canceled at issue 75 in 2001. The character returned during the 2008 - 09 " Dark Reign" storyline, appearing in the miniseries ''
Dark X-Men The Dark X-Men are a fictional team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. They made their debut during the crossover between ''Dark Avengers'' and ''Uncanny X-Men'' written by Matt Fraction, as part of the broader Dark Re ...
''. He was also featured in ''New Mutants'' (vol. 3) #25-50.


Fictional character biography


Age of Apocalypse

In the parallel reality known as
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 ...
,
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 Mara ...
, one of the elite Horsemen of the High Lord Apocalypse, artificially created Nate (naming him Nathaniel Grey), from genetic material from Cyclops and Phoenix. Sinister created Nate as the ultimate
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 hoped to use him in his own bid for power against Apocalypse. However, Cyclops, in his many subversive raids on Sinister's pens, helped Nate escape Sinister's hideout; neither Cyclops nor Nate knew their connection to each other. Nate came under the tutelage of
Forge A forge is a type of hearth used for heating metals, or the workplace (smithy) where such a hearth is located. The forge is used by the smith to heat a piece of metal to a temperature at which it becomes easier to shape by forging, or to th ...
and several other mutant outcasts. Forge began the long process of teaching Nate how to control his powers as well as the benefits of being a "good guy". Nate also began to see the horrors of Apocalypse's world firsthand, and was determined to bring him down. Sinister infiltrated Forge's group disguised as the wanderer Essex in order to follow Nate's progress. Sinister eventually killed both Brute and Forge. Nate battled Sinister to avenge Forge's death. During the conflict, Sinister allowed Nate to read his mind, revealing both Nate's origin and his ultimate destiny of defeating Apocalypse. Sinister emerged from the fight mortally wounded, and Nate left to battle Apocalypse. That battle occurred while the alternate X-Men were beginning their final gambit—defeating this reality with the
M'Kraan Crystal 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 ...
.
Holocaust The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe; a ...
interrupted Nate's battle with Apocalypse as the X-Men's plan succeeded and the Age of Apocalypse was washed away. In response, an angry Nate impaled Holocaust with a shard of the M'Kraan Crystal, with unexpected results — both vanished.


A New World

The consequences of that act were unexpected and far-reaching, as Nate and Holocaust were both transported to the actual reality when it reasserted itself. Nate arrives in
Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
, and is approached by a very alive but amnesic
Madelyne Pryor Madelyne Jennifer Pryor is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Chris Claremont and artist Paul Smith, the character first appeared in ''Uncanny X-Men'' #168 (April 1983). Madelyn ...
. Madelyne helps Nate adjust to this reality, but they are separated soon after by
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 ...
. Nate wanders the Earth alone, encountering many who either desire to use his power or genuinely want to help him,''X-Man'' #10 only for Nate's own suspicious nature to prompt him to drive them away. During this time, he unintentionally contributes to the eventual manifestation of
Onslaught Onslaught may refer to: Characters * Onslaught (Marvel Comics), a Marvel Comics supervillain * Onslaught (DC Comics), a DC Comics team of Quraci terrorists * Onslaught (Transformers), the leader of the Combaticons in the ''Transformers'' series ...
: Nate senses Xavier's astral form spying on him, and drags him into the real world. This feat inspires the aspects of Onslaught in Xavier's mind to create a psychic body for himself, resulting in Onslaught manifesting an independent body. Eventually, Nate meets
Threnody A threnody is a wailing ode, song, hymn or poem of mourning composed or performed as a memorial to a dead person. The term originates from the Greek word θρηνῳδία (''threnoidia''), from θρῆνος (''threnos'', "wailing") and ᾠδ ...
, one of Sinister's underlings seeking freedom. After rescuing her from the Marauders, the pair form a mutually beneficial partnership: Nate provides protection, while Threnody acts as his guide to the world. They are briefly separated during the events set into motion by Onslaught, but soon reunite and take refuge in New York following his defeat. Their relationship deepens despite Nate's lingering doubts on her connection to Sinister, but Threnody eventually leaves, unwilling to answer questions about her past. Believing Threnody to be dead, Nate takes up a firm if tentative friendship with
Spider-Man Spider-Man is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, he first appeared in the anthology comic book '' Amazing Fantasy'' #15 (August 1962) in the ...
. Nate is then attacked by
Morbius the Living Vampire Morbius the Living Vampire, real name Michael Alexander Morbius, Doctor of Medicine, M.D.,''Morbius the Living Vampire'' (vol. 1) #1. Marvel Comics. Doctor of Philosophy, Ph.D., is a fictional Character (arts), character appearing in American comi ...
, who is drawn to Threnody via the strong attachment to her in Nate's blood. Due to her own death-fueled mutant ability, Threnody is drawn to Morbius as well, but Nate and Spider-Man intervene. Nate challenges Threnody to return to him once she has given up on stealing life from others and leaves her. He soon finds Madelyne collapsed in Switzerland. The reunion is interrupted by Jean Grey, who is alerted to Madelyne's return by Madame Sanctity. Nate is doubly shocked, first when Madelyne immediately begins trying to kill their visitor, and again when he sees that the two women are virtually twins. Madelyne assumes Nate will side with Jean and attacks them both. Nate instinctively aids Jean, and together they are able to pierce Madelyne's mind, in the process revealing that Nate is responsible for her revival. In his confusion, after crash-landed in Switzerland, Nate unconsciously resurrects
Madelyne Pryor Madelyne Jennifer Pryor is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Chris Claremont and artist Paul Smith, the character first appeared in ''Uncanny X-Men'' #168 (April 1983). Madelyn ...
in his subconscious attempt to reach out to his "mother". Nate sorrowfully attempts to undo his mistake, but Madelyne refuses to die again. She returns the power Nate used to animate her and escapes. Nate turns down Jean's offer to contact the X-Men, but then discovers that his telekinesis is gone. Nate visits Moira MacTaggert for answers, which she provides: Nate's telekinetics are still there, but his own body is suppressing them. Havok appears as Nate is leaving, and invites him to join the
Brotherhood of 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 devote ...
. Nate helps the Brotherhood liberate
Aurora An aurora (plural: auroras or aurorae), also commonly known as the polar lights, is a natural light display in Earth's sky, predominantly seen in high-latitude regions (around the Arctic and Antarctic). Auroras display dynamic patterns of bri ...
, a former member of
Alpha Flight Alpha Flight is a fictional team of Canadian superheroes appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The characters premiered in ''The Uncanny X-Men'' #120 (April 1979), and were created to serve as part of the X-Men member W ...
, from
Department H 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 ...
. Havok helps Nate regain his telekinesis to the point where he can fly again via a meditation chamber. Nate later discovers the operation to free Aurora had a second purpose: to obtain canisters of Coldsnap-9, a deadly gas. Worse, Nate learns that Dark Beast is a member of the Brotherhood. Nate tries to separate Aurora from the Brotherhood, but quickly learns that due to her personality shifts, she needs treatment that Dark Beast can best provide. However, Nate refuses to leave the gas in the Brotherhood's hands, and opens all of the canisters, exposing himself to the gas. Nate survives due to the timely return of his telekinetics at their peak, but collapses from exhaustion in New York, where he is found and cared for by three mysterious girls named Jam (Jasmine Archer), Marita, and Bux. Soon after, Nate is telepathically alerted by Cable that he is the only one close enough to protect the children of Jean's sister,
Sara Grey Gaea Gaea is one of the Elder Gods of Earth. Gaia Gaia, also known as the Guardian of the Universal Amalgamator, is a fictional superhero, depicted as possibly being a mutant or extraterrestrial. Created by Larry Hama, she first appeared in ...
, from the
Prime Sentinel Prime Sentinels are an advanced type of Sentinel which exist in Marvel Comics. They are a human/machine hybrid that uses nanotechnology from the " Days of Future Past" alternate future. Creation The Prime Sentinels were created when Bastion in ...
s of Operation: Zero Tolerance. Nate rescues the kids despite his weakened state, leaving
Joey Joey may refer to: People *Joey (name) Animals * Joey (marsupial), an infant marsupial * Joey, a Blue-fronted Amazon parrot who was one of the Blue Peter pets Film and television * ''Joey'' (1977 film), an American film directed by Horac ...
and Gailyn in the care of their grandparents. Nate's time in New York is marked by near-endless conflict and his powers spiraling out of control. He is attacked by the psychotic killer Jackknife, a remnant of the
Abomination Abomination may refer to: * Abomination (Bible), covering Biblical references **Abomination (Judaism) *Abomination (character) The Abomination is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The original ...
's followers. Nate himself unknowingly unlocked Jackknife's latent potential in the past, and though Jackknife proves immune to Nate's abilities, Nate manages to defeat him, earning the favor of many citizens who witness the battle. The next day, Jam loses an arm in a motorcycle crash, but is mysteriously healed by a doctor who has had contact with Nate. The miracle boosts Nate's popularity even more, and he is admired by hundreds of followers. Nate thwarts a terrorist attack, but when lives are still lost, his admirers turn on him. Nate learns that the one responsible for Jam's accident, as well as his curiously fast rise to and fall from fame, is the
Purple Man The Purple Man (Zebediah Kilgrave) is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Joe Orlando, he first appeared in ''Daredevil'' #4 (October 1964). His body produces pheromo ...
, who has been controlling Nate and the citizens with his pheromones. The Purple Man hopes to turn Nate into a modern messiah and use his power to alter reality. The plan backfires: Nate resists being controlled, and upon learning that Jam's healed arm was only a solid psionic projection, he loses faith in himself. In desperation, Nate tries to erase all memories of himself from the minds of New Yorkers. Spider-Man intervenes, pleading with Nate not to do it. The two come to blows, but are attacked by the Psi-Ops, a mysterious team of armored psi-talents seeking to capture Nate. Nate and Spider-Man defeat them, saving a bridge full of people in the process, but are still blamed for the entire mess. Nate is still plagued by self-doubt when Madelyne Pryor returns to him. Once they relocate to Canada, the new Madelyne seems intent on forcing Nate to admit he needs her. Nate resists, and is troubled by a nightmarish vision of his end: battling a masked madman in a pyramid, a stranger watches from the shadows as Nate and half of the world are consumed by an explosion of his power. This causes him to unleash a huge burst of power in the real world, which awakens three of the
Great Beasts Alpha Flight is a fictional team of Canadian superheroes appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The characters premiered in ''The Uncanny X-Men'' #120 (April 1979), and were created to serve as part of the X-Men member Wolv ...
:
Tundra In physical geography, tundra () is a type of biome where tree growth is hindered by frigid temperatures and short growing seasons. The term ''tundra'' comes through Russian (') from the Kildin Sámi word (') meaning "uplands", "treeless moun ...
, Kolomaq, and Somon. Nate destroys Tundra, and launches Kolomaq and Somon into space to keep them from destroying a nearby town. Madelyne refuses to play the part of the hero and help Nate fight, but returns to teleport him back to Switzerland. While recovering in Madelyne's care, Nate realizes that Threnody's mutant power might not only allow her to escape death, but also to drain his power, keeping it at controllable levels. He seeks her on the psi-plane, but Madelyne jealously interferes. Nate's effort is interrupted when the psi-plane shatters around him, robbing he and Madelyne both of their telepathy. Nate and Madelyne protect the town of Clifden from several disasters, which are eventually linked to tech-gnomes. During this they meet and are constantly shadowed by Ness, a member of the secret human/demon hybrid race, the Hellbent, who also had a vision that Nate would soon be responsible for the destruction of the planet. They travel to Dublin, where a series of murders have left victims burned down to their bones. Nate detects an AOA energy signature on the corpses, and discovers that Nemesis is responsible. With Madelyne's help, Nemesis's armor implodes, leaving him to escape in his human form. Nate then learns that
Blaquesmith ''Cable'' is the name of multiple comic book titles featuring the character Cable and published by Marvel Comics, beginning with the original ''Cable'' comic book series which debuted in 1993. Publication history In 1992, the character was featur ...
has been sending him the visions as a warning, and the tech-gnomes as a test, in order to prepare Nate for a future that he must avoid at all costs (the very same that Ness seeks to prevent). He transports Nate and Madelyne to Latveria for a confrontation with the resurrected
Stryfe Stryfe is a fictional supervillain appearing in American comic books A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequen ...
, Cable's evil clone and thus yet another sibling/counterpart of Nate, during the "Blood Brothers" crossover. Stryfe uses Doom's power siphon to drain Nate's enormous power into himself, but with assistance from Cable and Madelyne, he is defeated. It is revealed that it was Stryfe (the masked madman from Nate's vision) and not Nate, who would be responsible for the end of the world. Nate was also continually hunted by Operation: Gauntlet, a special task force of the United Nations, who had been especially ordered to target and destroy him specifically, as the potential single greatest threat to all life on Earth. During their final confrontation in Ireland, Ness was killed and Madelyne was presumed to have died as well. However, she had merely been drained of her life energy during the intense battle to the point that she was now physically extremely aged, and secretly chose to abandon Nate rather than let him see her in such a condition. Nate went on to have additional rematches with fellow AoA refugees Dark Beast (who again teamed up with Gene Nation against Nate, who teamed up briefly with
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 ...
), Sugar Man and Holocaust (now calling himself Nemesis). Nate visited his "parents," Scott and Jean, who were at the time recuperating in Alaska. The strength of the newly forged bonds between Nate and his "parents" was shown when, soon after, as the X-Men had been disbanded, Nate (alongside Archangel, Wolverine and Cable) was one of the few people Jean and Scott called for help, as they needed to defend the new race "the Mannites" from the mysterious "Death". After meeting with the Fantastic Four, Nate would then be captured by a re-villainous Caliban, upon orders of Apocalypse who planned to use Nate as the new host-body for his soul, during the "Twelve Saga". However, Cyclops ultimately sacrificed himself instead, in place of his "son", an act that would eventually have many significant repercussions much later in time for the rest of the X-Men. Nate was also reunited with Threnody, who revealed the circumstances of their separation (mainly, that Madelyne had killed her), which had been unknown to Nate until then. However, during their time apart, Threnody had fully evolved into a mutant death-goddess, constantly pursued by "zomboids", and with no desire to reform despite Nate's devotion to saving her. They separated for good, and though Threnody is revealed to have given birth to a monstrous baby, the father's identity remains unknown.


Shaman to the Mutant Tribe

Madelyne Pryor eventually returned some time later, but she was manipulating Nate in his sleep and making him destroy things. She finally revealed that she was a Madelyne from another dimension, who had killed the original Madelyne shortly after her last meeting with Nate in Ireland. This alternate-Madelyne needed Nate to do something for her and showed him how to shift between parallel earths or alternate realities, and she had Nate take them to the alternate reality that she was from.''X-Man'' #66 She wanted to use Nate's vast power to help her rule her Earth. Nate rejected her, and was located by that alternative reality's version of himself, who was a broken version of Nate Grey (meaning he could never reach his full potential in power) and was slightly insane from his experiences; he also considered himself a shaman to the people of that Earth.''X-Man'' #68 Nate read the mind of his alternate self to learn the intricacies of alternate realities. Nate also learned how Madelyne would take each Nate Grey from these alternate realities hoping to find "fully functional" ones to use as weapons to rule. He also showed Nate how to talk with a dead man so that they could get information from him about Madelyne; the dead man was that reality's Forge, who was at one time Madelyne's lover. Forge revealed that Madelyne was really a Jean Grey from yet another parallel Earth who posed as Madelyne and ruled that world. That reality's real Madelyne had died, but it was said she would return again. Forge also told them how this alternate Jean Grey had used him to make her a machine so she could travel from parallel world to parallel world. At this point, they were attacked by Madelyne's personal bodyguard, Mr. Scratch and in the process, merged parts of themselves to throw him off. Mr. Scratch's mutant power was that no other mutant power had any effect on him, so the Nates had to literally change characteristics to fool him. After the merger, only one Nate remained, so Mr. Scratch crippled him and brought him back to Madelyne, who quickly realized that Mr. Scratch had the wrong Nate. The broken version of Nate told Madelyne he sent Nate somewhere she would never find him. She killed the broken Nate and began to power her parallel world device to find Nate again, but Nate returned and put an end to her world conquering days. As a result of the merger of the two Nates, a black x-shaped
tattoo A tattoo is a form of body modification made by inserting tattoo ink, dyes, and/or pigments, either indelible or temporary, into the dermis layer of the skin to form a design. Tattoo artists create these designs using several Process of tatt ...
appeared on Nate's chest to act as a genetic brand - passed on to him from the alternate version of himself - that prevented his powers from killing him as they had threatened to do from the start.''X-Man'' #69 After the defeat of this evil "Queen Jean", Nate set out to make a difference in the world and considered himself a Mutant Shaman, a teaching he embraced from the alternate version of himself. Nate became immensely powerful, and had few qualms about using his power to mete out justice to his fellow mutants. He then dealt with and stopped the madman Qabiri from destroying all alternate earths on the Spiral of Earths. Qabiri was a being from an alternate Earth far upspiral, he wanted to destroy every earth below his on the Spiral of Earths because he feared that someone from these lower earths would one day invade his earth and bring it to ruin. Qabiri succeeded in destroying several alternate earths before Nate was able to stop him. Finally, he confronted the Anti-Man, an alien sent to Earth to inseminate his genetic code into all living cells on the planet so that his people could harvest the resulting energy. To save the world from destruction, Nate merged himself with the Anti-Man, in essence "poisoning" the cells of Earth with his presence, and dissipating both of them across the globe.
Dark Beast Dark Beast (Henry Philip McCoy), also known as the Black Beast, is a fictional Supervillain ;appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is depicted as an alternate reality evil version of the X-Men's Beast. In t ...
commented that the peculiar circumstances of X-Man's demise would theoretically allow him to be restored to life.


Return

Nate resurfaces once more, in a small town, where his presence causes several of the inhabitants to dreamwalk and continuously repeat "I'm an X-Man." Norman Osborn sends his team of X-Men, consisting of
Mimic MIMIC, known in capitalized form only, is a former simulation computer language developed 1964 by H. E. Petersen, F. J. Sansom and L. M. Warshawsky of Systems Engineering Group within the Air Force Materiel Command at the Wright-Patterson AFB in ...
, Weapon Omega,
Dark Beast Dark Beast (Henry Philip McCoy), also known as the Black Beast, is a fictional Supervillain ;appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is depicted as an alternate reality evil version of the X-Men's Beast. In t ...
and Mystique, to investigate and to raise public opinion. As Norman's X-Men investigate, both Mimic and Omega are overwhelmed with Nate's energies and go on a rampage leaving Mystique and Dark Beast alone with a patient that they were examining. Shortly Nate once more takes physical form, much to Beast's shock and horror, believing Mystique to be his mother Jean Grey, since she had taken her form. Nate angrily attacks Beast but does not realize that Jean is actually Mystique who manages to distract him long enough in order to save Dark Beast's life. Following that incident Osborn tasks his X-Men to hunt down and possibly capture Nate for experimentation and to feed Weapon Omega. In order to do that the Osborn's X-Men go to H.A.M.M.E.R.'s PSI-division, which has taken a cult like appearance. The PSI-Division manages to contact Nate only for him to absorb most of their psychic energies and to learn what has happened to the world and to the mutant race in his absence. Angrily he demands to know what they, presumably Osborn's X-Men, had done.''Dark X-Men'' #2 Nate finally manages to materialize and confronts Norman's X-Men. He dispatches the Sentry by telling him of their mutual past, something that he claims to be the truth, which upsets Sentry so that he retreats in order to consider this. The other members of Norman's team do not fare better either. Only Ares poses a threat. Since Ares is the personification of War, Nate is unable to perceive any future or probability that does not include Ares fighting him. Mimic, still rattled by the vision he saw, attempts to learn more. He drags Nate into another plane of existence. After a short conversation they are once more confronted by Ares, who has followed them and is overjoyed to have an opponent such as Nate. Ares finally manages to overpower Nate and while Norman attempts to confirm Nate's death, a flash of light knocks them all back leaving the room empty and Nate's body missing. Unbeknown to the Dark X-Men, Nate has taken possession of Norman's body, something that only Mystique notices. After trying and failing to persuade Nate to remove the tech in her body which is rigged to explode should she betray Norman, she recruits the rest of the Dark X-Men to invade Norman's mind and to confront X-Man. While Nate and Norman are engaged in a battle of wills Norman gloats that he and Nate are evenly matched. Yet Nate reveals that this was his plan all along, and that while he and Norman are deadlocked his X-Men are free to roam the deepest recesses of Norman's mind. They do and by doing so they unlock Norman's Green Goblin personality which gloatingly states is about to kill them all. After a brief battle between the Green Goblin and the Dark X-Men within Osborn's mind, Nate is defeated when Green Goblin forces Mimic to replicate Omega's powers, turning the pair into a powerful siphon that drains Nate's energies. Now returned to the physical world, a powerless Nate is tortured in front of the Dark X-Men as an example to them. Norman asks him if he has any last words before he's "used as coal" in Dark Beast's Omega Machine, but a gloating Norman cuts off Nate before he has a chance to finish speaking. Nate is taken away to the machine, though his eventual fate is not shown.


Rescue Mission

Learning that Nate Grey had returned to the living, Cyclops reorganizes the New Mutants roster under
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. 19 ...
's leadership and tells them to find Nate and bring him home. Nate is found in an abandoned H.A.M.M.E.R. facility in a sadistic scheme of the
Sugar Man Sabra Sabreclaw Sabreclaw is a character in the MC2 universe who first appeared in '' J2'' #8 (May 1999). He is the half-brother of Wild Thing and the son of Wolverine. The character has claws (similar to Sabretooth), a healing factor, enh ...
. Sugar Man has Nate hooked up into the Omega Machine, a device built by
Norman Osborn Norman Osborn is a fictional character, fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character, created by writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, first appeared in ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' #14 (July ...
to open portals to other realities, hoping that he will open a portal to Sugar Man's home reality. Realizing that the only way Sugar Man will leave him alone is to give him what he wants, Nate uses all of his strength and willpower to open a portal to his home reality, but before Sugar Man can escape into it, he is defeated by the New Mutants and was going to be taken into custody by Captain Steve Rogers. Nate is taken to Utopia, where it is revealed that he burnt out most of his powers while opening Sugar Man's portal, and the only remaining power he has is telekinesis. Cyclops then welcomes Nate to Utopia, hoping he will make it his new home.


Fear Itself

Spending most of his time in Utopia's danger room, Nate tested his new limits and quickly realized just how diminished his telekinesis was. Seeing Nate as a younger version of her father, Cable, Hope Summers took a keen interest in Nate and watched as his frustration grew. She stepped in and offered to teach Nate what Cable taught her: how to get by without powers. Nate gladly accepted and the two began to train regularly together. Perhaps feeling indebted to them for their rescue, Nate joined Moonstar's team without being asked. Although feeling insecure with his lessened powers, he began to use his telekinesis more effectively after taking Sunspot's advice to visualize a symbol. After an accidental side trip to Hell the team journeys to the Nordic Hel to aid the goddess Hela against the Serpent's undead soldiers. Nate's memories of the Age of Apocalypse play a pivotal role in victory and he continues to learn how to cope with his diminished powers.


Schism

After an explosive argument over the way the younger generation of mutants were being treated, Wolverine decided to part ways from Cyclops and reopen the school in Westchester. Agreeing with the idea that the X-Men shouldn't be concerned with shielding kids from the harsh realities of life and wanting to get to know Cyclops better, Nate wanted to stay on his side. At the same time, Nate was used to being independent and decided to join Dani's team when they moved into a house in San Francisco where they would continue to report to Cyclops but attempt to live normal lives, as well as helping the team search for Clarice Fergison. They join her on her mission to discover why a rock band is causing natural disasters. Following their adventure Blink decides to journey to the Jean Grey School to learn more about her powers.


Re-Animator

After suffering a series of nightmares, Doug Ramsey convinced the team to visit Paradise Island, the place where he once died. Tensions flared when Nate began to question Doug's mental stability which led to Dani insulting Nate's low-level telekinesis. While Nate admitted that he could still only pick up with telekinesis what he could lift physically, he later demonstrated his new method of telekinetic attack when the team came under attack from the island's Ani-Mates. By focusing his telekinesis into the shape of an X, Nate was able to target his power more precisely. The trip proved to be worthwhile when they discovered a plot by the Ani-Mator to return to life in virus form. Infected by the virus and fused together, a feverish Nate and Dani began to acknowledge their attraction to each other. The Ani-Mator was defeated but the horrific mission took a toll on the team. Noticing the somber mood, X-Men ally Blink took the team for a night out in Madripoor. While the rest of the team partied, Nate drifted off by himself, unsure how to act in such a jovial atmosphere. Dani reached out to comfort him and the two finally expressed their feelings for each other with an intimate kiss.


Exiled

Nate's mutant abilities began to steadily improve. He mastered his X-shaped telekinetic technique and even managed to use his telepathy in small doses. The New Mutants and the gods of Asgard soon come into conflict when the "First Hero" Sigurd returns and is pursued by the vampiric Disir. When Sigurd's spell turns the Asgardians into mortals and erases their memories it is up to the New Mutants team and Kid Loki to save the day. Danielle Moonstar journeys to Hel to retrieve Bor, the Father of Odin to free the Disir from his curse. Finally the truth behind the Disir is revealed and Hela acquires bold new allies. His knowledge and familiarity of alternate universes became handy when the New Mutants found themselves in one created by a future megalomaniac version of Doug Ramsey. When the X-Men and Avengers went to war over how to handle the Phoenix Force, Nate fought bravely on the front lines; first to protect Hope Summers and then to defend Cyclops' utopian rule. When Cyclops became corrupt due to the Phoenix Force, his leadership came to a disastrous end and Dani's team went their separate ways. When Moonstar joined the superhero team, the Defenders, Nate remained close to her and the pair finally confirmed their relationship status when they awkwardly ran into Dani's former flame, Cannonball. Nate Grey's whereabouts are presently obscure, but Matthew Rosenberg has confirmed that he is backpacking through Europe on a soul-searching journey in response to a fan's comments on
Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
. He later went on to admit that his earlier statement was a joke and has since said that Nate is a mystery, he "vanishes, maybe he'll come back at some point?"


Horsemen of Salvation

Nate Grey has since made his presence known in the Prime Earth apparently with all his powers intact and a change of heart since he had kidnapped Magneto, Warren Worthington, Blob and Omega Red in order to turn them into his Horsemen of Salvation, an inversion of the Horsemen of Apocalypse, and also abducted Kitty Pryde, anti-mutant senator Ashton Allen and Apocalypse himself and sent the Horsemen to remove the X-Men from their way and used his telepathy to reach every mind on Earth to share his vision of the world and to reshape it to his image. He may had also used the Horsemen to hunt down Dark Beast and Sugar Man, or more likely hunted them down himself and while Dark Beast was able to survive, Sugar Man wasn't that lucky. Nate later reveals that his powers are killing him, even though he possesses the black x-shaped tattoo, and for that reason he decided to change the world for better. During the last stand, Nate takes Jean Grey to his own mind and finally reveals to her that he's dying because he found and used the Life Seed on himself which not only made him recover his powers but also increased them to the point of overriding the black x-shaped tattoo which was protecting him and in the process twisted his mind. Though Jean tries to reason with him, Nate nevertheless uses all his powers to finally reshape the world in his image, a world where the X-Men no longer exists.


Age of X-Man

By using the Life Seed he possessed, Nate Grey created hope out of thin air and secretly took the X-Men to this new plane of existence where everyone is a mutant and no longer persecuted for being different. He also implanted fake memories on them so they couldn't remember their old lives in the Marvel Prime Universe. However, fissures in the air teased that everything isn't as it seems with certain individuals beginning to remember their old lives once the floodgates opened. Nate just couldn't stop those memories from appearing, no matter how hard he tried. Eventually some confront X-Man over his deception, while others try to protect him from their attack as he attempts to explain his thought process. At one point a fissure opens, revealing a scene from the Prime Universe with Cyclops, Havok, Mirage and Mystique squaring off against Office of National Emergency soldiers. Later, other X-Men begin to revert to their pre-Age of X-Man appearances. Surprisingly, while a majority of the X-Men are furious with Nate for his deception, there are a few who wish to remain in this false reality. Bishop tries to be the voice of reason among his teammates by urging them to leave the world behind. However, X-Man offers up a solution by handing over the Life Seed that helped him create the utopia. Once the X-Men have passed back through the breach, Magneto would plunge the Life Seed in Nate's chest, destroying the Age of X-Man once and for all. But instead of using the Life Seed, Magneto and Nate sit down to discuss how they both can help one another. Because Nate allowed Magneto to live in a world that was the exact opposite of what he was born into, Magneto hands the Life Seed back to Nate to allow the Age of X-Man to live on. Once Magneto exits, his Age of X-Man counterpart reappears, which possibly means he left a part of himself behind.


Powers and abilities

Originally designed so his powers would eventually kill him, Nate was an Omega-level mutant who had the ability to tap into the enormous psychic resources of the astral plane in order to manipulate matter and energy at vast scales until his powers were burnt out by the Omega Machine. The Omega Machine, designed by Dark Beast, greatly diminished Nate's once incredible psychic powers including
telepathy Telepathy () is the purported vicarious transmission of information from one person's mind to another's without using any known human sensory channels or physical interaction. The term was first coined in 1882 by the classical scholar Frederic W ...
,
precognition Precognition (from the Latin 'before', and 'acquiring knowledge') is the purported psychic phenomenon of seeing, or otherwise becoming directly aware of, events in the future. There is no accepted scientific evidence that precognition is a ...
, and
telekinesis Psychokinesis (from grc, ψυχή, , soul and grc, κίνησις, , movement, label=ㅤ), or telekinesis (from grc, τηλε, , far off and grc, κίνησις, , movement, label=ㅤ), is a hypothetical psychic ability allowing a person ...
. He could use his telepathy to read and control multiple minds at once and even read residual thought imprints left on objects touched by people ( psychometry), communicate with others by broadcasting his thoughts, create illusions by altering the perceptions of others, fire psionic blasts that could scramble an opponent's thought processes (causing the victim either intense pain, or rendering them unconscious), project his mind into the astral plane and even pull the astral projections of other telepaths into the physical world, and sense dimensional rifts or anomalies. He once even used the photoelectric transmission of a Shi'ar hologram to psionically connect his mind with that of
Lilandra Lilandra Neramani () is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, most commonly in association with the X-Men. She is the Empress, or Majestrix, of the Shi'ar Empire and shares a lifelong bond with the le ...
over an unknown interstellar distance. His telekinesis was so powerful that he could move massive objects with his mind, fire blasts of psychokinetic energy that could shatter steel, create mental barriers that could stop most attacks, levitate his body, and fly at supersonic speeds. He was powerful enough to single handedly defeat Tundra of the
Great Beasts Alpha Flight is a fictional team of Canadian superheroes appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The characters premiered in ''The Uncanny X-Men'' #120 (April 1979), and were created to serve as part of the X-Men member Wolv ...
and was even able to psionically isolate the planet's gravitational pull on the two other Great Beasts, Tolomaq and Somon. He also crushed the whole city of San Francisco de Quito, Ecuador while asleep in
Buenos Aires, Argentina Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...
; the cities are over 2600 miles apart. His control over his telekinesis was so acute that he was able to create holograms by mentally manipulating water, molecules and dust to refract light, bend security lasers to avoid detection, and even move the atoms of a wall around his form so that he passed through the wall like a ghost. He was also able to use his telekinesis to bend the Earth's magnetic field and create
electromagnetic pulse An electromagnetic pulse (EMP), also a transient electromagnetic disturbance (TED), is a brief burst of electromagnetic energy. Depending upon the source, the origin of an EMP can be natural or artificial, and can occur as an electromagnetic fi ...
s. His telekinesis extended to at least a molecular level, and he could imbue himself with super human physical attributes by focusing his telekinesis inwards. After his brief return from his dimensional travels that equipped him with a special genetic dampener that would eventually prevent his powers from killing him, Nate displayed further abilities, which included the power to view and traverse higher planes of existence, to reconstitute his body from astral energy in a similar manner as Onslaught and to transform his physical body back into astral energy. Though not a real teleporter, he then could traverse alternate realities by breaking the barriers between universes and once 'teleported' multiple people all over an alternate version of New York into another dimension. Since he was able to connect any point in one dimension with any point in the dimension he was in at the moment, he could theoretically also use this to cross vast interstellar distances by traveling back and forth. An alternate version of
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 ...
, "Queen Jean" described Nate Grey as the ultimate telekinetic with the statement: "It is what all Nate Greys have been on every earth". Upon examination by
Moira MacTaggert Dr. Moira MacTaggert (sometimes spelled ''MacTaggart'', ''McTaggart'', ''McTaggert''), more recently known as Moira X, is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. She first appeared in ''The Uncanny X-Men ...
, she suggested his psionic powers rivaled that of a Phoenix Force-imbued
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 ...
. In another instance, he was measured as having a psionic energy output matching that of the
Dark Phoenix "The Dark Phoenix Saga" is an extended X-Men comic-book storyline published by Marvel Comics, focusing on Jean Grey and the Phoenix Force. It was written by Chris Claremont with art by John Byrne. The Dark Phoenix Saga commonly refers to the s ...
. He was even described by Norman Osborn as powerful enough to go toe-to-toe with the Sentry. However, Nate lost most of his powers after using nearly all of his strength and willpower to open a portal to
Sugar Man Sabra Sabreclaw Sabreclaw is a character in the MC2 universe who first appeared in '' J2'' #8 (May 1999). He is the half-brother of Wild Thing and the son of Wolverine. The character has claws (similar to Sabretooth), a healing factor, enh ...
's home reality, a process that gave him acute nerve damage, which effectively burnt out his power set. Although at first the only ability he had was some residual telekinesis, which has had been defined by himself as an extension of his physical strength and therefore limited to masses equivalent to what he can lift or manipulate physically.''New Mutants'' (vol. 3) #38 He has also shown the power to produce small but powerful telekinetic blasts and demonstrated some residual telepathy that enabled him to deliberately scan and perceive his immediate vicinity for sentient beings; along with assist his teammate Cypher in entering his own mind. He is also able to levitate himself over short-distances. Recently, Nate was able to use a Life Seed to restore his powers. However, this process overruled his X-shaped genetic tattoo. Because of this Nate was slowly being killed once again by the level of his powers. He can capture and humiliate Apocalypse; turn off
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 ...
's powers; control Omega-level mutants like
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, ...
and
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 ...
, turning them into his Horsemen of Salvation; telepathically communicate with everyone on Earth; wipe out all
places of worship A place of worship is a specially designed structure or space where individuals or a group of people such as a congregation come to perform acts of devotion, veneration, or religious study. A building constructed or used for this purpose is somet ...
on Earth with a thought; overpower
Legion Legion may refer to: Military * Roman legion, the basic military unit of the ancient Roman army * Spanish Legion, an elite military unit within the Spanish Army * Legion of the United States, a reorganization of the United States Army from 179 ...
in Legion's own mind and take over his body; and create a new reality where everyone is a mutant, and then transport people to that reality against their will. Legion claims that Nate is so powerful that he belongs to a level above Omega.


Reception

* In 2018, ''
CBR.com ''Comic Book Resources'', also known by the initialism CBR, is a website dedicated to the coverage of comic book–related news and discussion. History Comic Book Resources was founded by Jonah Weiland in 1995 as a development of the Kingdom Co ...
'' ranked X-Man 19th in their "Age Of Apocalypse: The 30 Strongest Characters In Marvel's Coolest Alternate World" list.


Relationship to Cable

Although Nate Grey (X-Man) is the Age of Apocalypse counterpart of Nathan Christopher Summers (
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 ...
), their parentage is not identical. Both are descended from the genetic material of Scott Summers and Jean Grey, but the circumstances of Cable's and Nate's birth/creation are entirely different: Nate was grown in a
laboratory A laboratory (; ; colloquially lab) is a facility that provides controlled conditions in which scientific or technological research, experiments, and measurement may be performed. Laboratory services are provided in a variety of settings: physicia ...
in an alternate dimension by Mr. Sinister from the genes of Scott and Jean, and Cable was born to Scott and Madelyne Pryor (a clone of Jean Grey also created by Mr. Sinister). As a result, Cable has taken to referring to Nate as his half-brother. Due to their genetic similarities, and lending support to the notion of their being counterparts, Nate and Cable have identical psychic profiles, resulting in a painful feedback to both parties when they are in close proximity to each other, in a way never demonstrated when either was in close proximity to Stryfe, Cable's clone - though this is shown to vary with the strength of their respective telepathic abilities. For instance, when Cable's telepathy was burnt out, they did not face that problem. Both are physically quite similar, with the same glowing left eye and blanched hair (though to different degrees due to age). Moreover, when Cable was de-aged in ''
Cable and Deadpool ''Cable & Deadpool'' was a comic book series published by Marvel Comics beginning in 2004. The title characters, Cable (comics), Cable and Deadpool (comics), Deadpool, shared the focus of the book. The series was launched following the cancellat ...
'', he greatly resembled Nate Grey, while a ''What If?'' set in a possible future showed that Nate would grow up to look identical to Cable, though that is not uncommon for siblings, which - genetically speaking - they are. However, Nate and Cable are distinct in a number of ways. First, Nate, having done no time traveling, is much younger than Cable. Second, Nate is much more powerful than Cable, as Cable's techno-virus infection means that he must continuously use most of his power to keep the virus at bay, while Nate has full access to his mutant abilities - though at least at first, Cable had a far greater degree of skill in using those powers. Finally, Cable possesses extensive military and weapons skills as a result of being raised in a war torn future ruled by Apocalypse, while Nate primarily relies on his considerable mutant powers. The juxtaposition of the two characters allowed writers to address issues of identity and nature versus nurture and explore the complex nature of family relationships in the X-Men's world.


Collected editions


Other versions

During his time on Earth 998, ruled by the evil Queen Jean, X-Man not only met one of his counterparts, but he also learned that there had been many Nate Greys in the multiverse. Obviously, he was not as unique as he thought. Apparently, the one thing all Nates had in common was that they had been born/created on a different Earth than the one they later ended up living on. Each Nate Grey being the ultimate telekinetic weapon, Queen Jean hunted them down and lured them to her reality, to make good use of them. She had her scientists come up with a special genetic brand that would prevent the Nates from burning out their powers. However, most of the Nate Greys were dysfunctional and, when the Queen was unsatisfied with their performance, she killed them and moved on to the next. It is unknown how many Nate Greys fell prey to Queen Jean before she was stopped.


Shaman

Nate Grey came to the Earth-998 from his native reality, Earth-2098, which was sacrificed to restore Earth-998. The Red Queen wanted to use him as an ultimate weapon, but he was dangerously unstable, so she gave him a genetic insignia, to stabilize his powers. In the process of experimentation, his mind was damaged and he went mad. The Queen seemingly slew him, but he actually survived and escaped. Becoming a Shaman, he built a hidden village where his "tribe", the people who fought with the Queen, could live. At some point, his tribe had stolen and preserved the body of Forge, Queen's best maker. Eight years later, when Nate Grey from Earth-295 came to Earth-998, Shaman helped him escape from the Red Queen. He told X-Man that the Queen tried to use his powers, but failed, and began traveling to different realities, in search of the perfect weapon, a "working Nate Grey". But in all realities she found only a "defective" Nate, until she met X-Man. Together both Nate's went to a hidden village where, under the guidance of the Shaman, X-Man used his powers to talk with Forge, who told them the truth about the Queen. Immediately thereafter, the village was attacked by Mr. Scratch and the Black Knights. Scratch destroyed Forge's body, paralyzed X-Man, and almost strangled Shaman while the Knights killed all the villagers. Shaman used his powers to stabilize X-Man's power, gave him his X-Gene insignia and sent him home to Earth-616. Thinking it was Nate Grey from Earth-295, Scratch captured Shaman and took him to the Red Queen who, realizing the ruse, killed him.


Nate Xavier

On Earth-253 Nate Xavier was one of the three strongest people on the planet. Nate was a member of the team of heroes known as the People's Protectorate. When Qabiri arrived on Earth-253 the team tried to stop him, but they all failed, Nate was killed by Qabiri, and the entire reality was destroyed.


Earth-9806

Nate Grey used his precognitive powers and saw a future, where he fought with Stryfe to death, and when he died his powers destroyed the half Earth.


Earth-9997

In the universe designated as Earth-9997 (
Earth X ''Earth X'' is a 1999 comic book limited series published by American company Marvel Comics. ''Earth X'' was written by Jim Krueger with art by John Paul Leon. Based on Alex Ross' notes, the series features a dystopian version of the Marvel Uni ...
), Nate Grey was eventually infected by the Techno-Organic Virus, and became Stryfe. He battled Cable, and died trying to protect Madelyne Pryor.


What If?

In the alternate Age of Apocalypse depicted in ''What If? X-Men Age of Apocalypse'', both Xavier and Magneto were killed when Legion travelled back in time. Nate wasn't created in a lab but was the natural son of Scott Summers and Jean Grey and grew up in a peaceful haven that mutants created for themselves in the Savage Land. Apocalypse rose to power and attacked this mutant community, declaring them traitors. Nate was the sole survivor and joined a band of heroes led by Captain America to end Apocalypse's rule. This version of Nate was vengeful and ruthless and when the time came, he deemed that simply killing Apocalypse wasn't enough. Betraying his teammates, Nate acquired the power to travel back in time and stop Legion's initial attack himself. When Captain America attempted to stop him, disaster struck and in addition to Xavier, Magneto, and Legion, thousands of innocent civilians died, resulting in countless new alternate timelines that Apocalypse would also rule.''What If? X-Men: Age of Apocalypse'' #1


In other media


Film

* In '' X-Men: Days of Future Past'', a mutant scavenger resembling Nathaniel Grey / X-Man is seen digging through the rubble of the
X-Mansion 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 private estate of Charles Francis Xavier, a character in X ...
before he is killed by the Sentinels. At the end of the film, he appears in the new timeline of 2023 at the X-mansion.


Video games

* X-Man is a hidden character in the PSP version of '' X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse'', voiced by
Quinton Flynn Quinton Flynn is an American voice actor and comedian, who has provided the English voices of video game characters such as Raiden in the ''Metal Gear'' series, Marcus Damon in ''Digimon Data Squad'', Lea and Axel in the '' Kingdom Hearts'' se ...
.


Trading card games

* X-Man appears as a character in both the
VS System Vs. System (short for Versus System), also written as VS System and abbreviated as VS, is a collectible card game designed by Upper Deck Entertainment (UDE). In the game, players build and play a deck of Vs. System cards in an attempt to win a ...
and
OverPower OverPower is an out-of-print collectible card game produced by Fleer Corporation originally featuring characters from Marvel Comics and later from DC Comics and Image Comics. The game was initially launched in August 1995. In the game, two pla ...
trading card games.


References


External links


X-Man
at Marvel.com
UncannyXmen.net Spotlight on X-Man
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Grey, Nate Characters created by Jeph Loeb Comics characters introduced in 1995 Fictional characters from parallel universes Fictional characters with precognition Fictional characters with energy-manipulation abilities Fictional characters with dimensional travel abilities Fictional characters who can turn intangible Fictional characters with electric or magnetic abilities Fictional characters with elemental transmutation abilities Fictional genetically engineered characters Fictional shamans Marvel Comics American superheroes Marvel Comics characters who have mental powers Marvel Comics characters who can teleport Marvel Comics male superheroes Marvel Comics mutants Marvel Comics telepaths Marvel Comics telekinetics X-Men supporting characters X-Men titles New Mutants