Externals
The Externals are a group that feature in Marvel Comics.
Contents |
History
The Externals were a secret group of immortal Mutants that operated on Earth for centuries.
They were sometimes suspected as being a subspecies or an offshoot of Mutants but it came to be believed that the Externals represented an early tendency towards immortality that the rest of their kind would eventually possess in the future. Regardless, they operated as a kind of Mutant Illuminati who had guided human politics, finance and law. (Excalibur v4 #12)
During the 12th century, two of their number were noted to had clashed at the Ho-Lan Shan Mountains with Garbha-Hsien encountering the young Egyptian Mutant warlord Apocalypse. Their encounter introduced En Sabah Nur to Ship that had been left in the mountains by celestial beings from the stars. Nur then badly injured Garbha-Hsien as he sought to claim the vessel for himself and disappeared until he returned to the Earth whereupon he took the name Apocalypse. He then came to be counted among the ranks of the Externals who continued to operate in the shadows. (X-Force v1 #37)
In the 12th century, the External Candra wanted to place her life energy within a gem to preserve herself over the centuries. Thus, a ritual was conducted with Apocalypse presiding over it and though the power could have been shared she decided to keep it for herself. (Excalibur v4 #11)
In 1896, the youngest of the Externals was Absalom who was a thief and outlaw during this time. Wanted in multiple states, he managed to flee to a town in Wyoming where one of its inhabitants was an elderly Caleb Hammer. Seeing him as a threat, Absalom shot the man in the back but ended up being caught by the authorities where he was sentenced to execution via hanging. It was then that his Mutant powers of releasing bone-like spikes from his body manifested with the townsfolk firing their weapons to kill him. It was then that his External powers manifested where he awoke two days later in a coffin and came back to life. He eventually came to join the ranks of the other Externals who operated in the world in secret. (X-Force v1 #37)
The surviving Externals then gathered at the Guthrie household where Saul began to reveal more about their past and their ties to Apocalypse. (X-Force v1 #37)
Apocalypse later called the other High Lords to gather at the External Caldera on Krakoa where he revealed that he intended to sacrifice some of them to make a gateway. This saw some of the others attack him after seeing his plans but Selene and Gideon came to side with Apocalypse. With Rictor in the fray, he managed to bury the rebelling Externals who were defeated whereupon Apocalypse conducted the ritual that transformed them into the External Gate. However, En Sabah Nur noticed that Candra's body was seemingly a shell and that her mind was elsewhere which was actually within her amulet that was stolen by Gambit. Despite not trusting Apocalypse, Gambit ultimately gave the gem thus placing Candra's mind back in her body thus fully empowering the External Gate. (Excalibur v4 #12)
Overview
They preferred to call themselves the High Lords. (Excalibur v4 #11)
They were noted to share a number of common traits among them. One was that they were Mutants whose lifespans spanned centuries and that they could not die. It was said that their resurrection after their first death which was said to be a defining moment for their kind. (X-Force v1 #37) Another aspect linking them was that that they all possessed some form of rapid healing traits. However, the true nature of the High Lords that whilst capable of being killed that they always were able to return from death via resurrection. Another trait was their ability to commune with one another through a shared life force. If killed by one of their own, the other High Lords were capable of becoming stronger as a result due to the distributed energy. (Excalibur v4 #12)
When desiring to meet, it took little more than a thought for the Externals to gather together. Their energies were said to be linked to one another as if they were one organism. The High Lords never called upon one another but rather appeared when they needed to act as one. (Excalibur v4 #11)
Members
- Absalom : a blonde haired male who had the power to protrude spiky bones from his body where he was a thief around a century ago when he killed a sheriff only to be caught and executed which was when his powers first manifested. He was said to represent despair among the ranks of the Externals. (X-Force v1 #37)
- Apocalypse :
- Candra : She was said to represent guile among the ranks of the Externals. (X-Force v1 #37)
- Crule : He was said to represent ferocity among the ranks of the Externals. (X-Force v1 #37)
- Gideon : a green-haired male born more than 500 years ago where as a child he served as a deckhand on a Spanish ship as it set sail across the Atlantic ocean with him dying of scurvy only to be reborn as an External as the ship reached America. He was said to represent patience among the ranks of the Externals. (X-Force v1 #37)
- Burke : He was said to represent fortitude among the ranks of the Externals. (X-Force v1 #37)
- Nicodemus : He was said to represent wisdom among the ranks of the Externals. (X-Force v1 #37)
- Saul : He was said to represent patience among the ranks of the Externals. (X-Force v1 #37)
- Selene : She was said to represent corruption among the ranks of the Externals. (X-Force v1 #37)
Notes
- The Externals were created by Rob Liefeld, Fabian Nicieza and Mark Pacella where they made their first appearance in X-Force v1 #10 (May, 1992).
- According to Cable v1 #151 (2017), Cannonball was not an External and was only rumoured to be one of them.
In media
Television
- In X-Men, various Externals appeared made largely cameo appearances in the setting of the 1990 animated television series though were not referred to by name as a group. The character Candra had her name changed to 'The External' where she remained the benefactor of the Assassin and Thieves Guilds.
Appearances
- X-Force v1: (1992)
- Cable v1:
- Excalibur v4: (2020)
External Links
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