Isca the Unbeaten
Isca the Unbeaten is a female comic character who features in Marvel Comics.
Contents |
Biography
Origin
Isca the Unbeaten was a female Mutant born long ago as the sister of Genesis. (X-Men v5 #13) As the younger sister of Genesis, Isca spent her childhood playing games on the shores of her homeland. As a child, Isca lagged behind the other kids, but soon enough found herself unbeatable. This was the manifestation of her mutant gifts, which made her unable to lose. (X-Men: Red v2 #7)
Genesis eventually met and married En Sabah Nur, a mutant warrior from a distant land. To celebrate the birth of her sister’s children, Isca forged the Scarab, a mighty sword in four parts. Thus, Isca came to forge a blade called Scarab as a gift to her brother by marriage. (X-Men v5 #13)
In the distant past, Isca's peaceful life was disrupted by the invasion of the Amenthi Daemons, who split the island in half and spilled from the depths, threatening to overrun the entire Earth. Isca fought alongside her fellow mutants, her powers granting her victory in every battle. (X-Men: Red v2 #7) Thus, she came to be a participant in the war that engulfed the living island of Okaara that was being invaded by the Daemons of the Amenth dimension. Isca came to sense that the land was doomed and decided to betray her kind with her joining the forces of Annihilation's army. This was attributed partly to her power that meant that she would always win. However, it also meant that she could not be on the losing side of a war due to her abilities. In time, it became clear that the Okkarans could not win with Isca being compelled by her powers to switch sides resulting in her defection as she joined Amenth despite what the betrayal did to her family. (X-Men v5 #13) One account claimed that she was driven to join the forces of Amenth by her sister during the war against Okkara. (X-Men v5 #14) Now fighting against her people, Isca took Tarn the Uncaring, a mutant-daemon hybrid and founder of the Vile Schools, as her lover. (X-Men: Red v2 #7)
Thousands of years later, Annihilation came to dispatch her to travel to Arakko in order to parley at the seat of the golden helm's power in the capital. Thus, Isca came to return to Arakko with Genesis being overjoyed at her sister coming back that she mistakenly believed was going to be their inevitable victory. At first, Genesis refused but Isca came to beg her to reconsider and eventually she decided to listen to her sister's words. She then escorted her sibling to the capital where Genesis met with Annihilation and the two came to blow. Isca's sister came to win the match but the reward was being possessed by the golden helm of Annihilation who took her as a host body. For a century, she came to resist the helm's influence but the constant battle weakened her causing her to serve Annihilation's wishes as she besieged Arakko. (X-Men v5 #14)
The Amenthi would secure their control over the rebellious Arakkii mutants with Tarn and his Vile Schools being charged with rooting out dissent. This saw the imprisoning and breaking the wills of those who refused to submit to Annihilation. Isca aided her lover in his endeavors, earning her the hatred of her people. (X-Men: Red v2 #7)
Contest of Swords
With Arakko secured, Annihilation set its sights on the other half of Okkara; Krakoa, where the mutants of Earth had created a new nation. When an Amenthi invasion force was intercepted by a Krakoan expedition, it prompted the intervention of Saturnyne, the Omniversal Majestrix of Otherworld. She came to decree that a tournament be arranged, with the Krakoans and Arakkii fighting each other with the fate of Earth in the balance. Isca was one of the champions chosen by Saturnyne's prophecy to fight for Arakko. By this point, Isca was at a tavern when she was approached by the Horsemen of Apocalypse who looked to recruit her for a new mission. This was during the Amenthi invasion of Otherworld that was stalled after victory was to be decided in a contest between Arakko and its twin Krakoa. As part of the Contest of Swords, ten champions from both islands were chosen by a mystical tarot with Isca being among them where she joined the Swordbearers of Arakko. (X of Swords: Stasis v1 #1)
Prior to the match, she briefly met Betsy Braddock and gave her a 'friendly' warning that their fight would end in Captain Britain's defeat. The two then went to the arena where at first Braddock managed to get the first blow but Isca struck back and Captain Britain shattered into pieces. Opal Luna Saturnyne thus declared Isca to be the victor of the match who earned a point for Arakko as a result. (Excalibur v4 #14) Following that, Isca alongside her fellow swordbearers took part in various other challenges all of which she won. (X-Force v6 #14) However, Krakoa managed to close the gap, and won the final tie-breaking challenge, which caused Annihilation to summon all of her army to conquer Krakoa once and for all. Although victory seemed assured, the Krakoan swordbearers were soon joined by the reformed X-Men, Captain Britain Corps, and the Vescora, turning the tide against Amenth. Isca's powers compelled her to defect to Krakoa's side. (X of Swords: Destruction v1 #1)
Planet Arakko
Afterwards, she was among the inhabitants of Arakko after it was transported back to Earth though the living island refused to reconnect with Krakoa. During this time, the Quiet Council as represented by Professor X and Magneto both met with Usca who was emissary from the Great Ring in order to discuss the merger of the islands. Upon listening to them, Isca deemed the Krakoans to be simply children playing at being a nation and warned them that Arakko was a land of warriors. Thus, she refused their offer and told them to not approach them again at this time. (X-Men v5 #16) Later on, Magneto came to Isca to inform her of growing tensions involving Arakii Mutants journey to areas on Earth and causing disruptions in various nations though cared not for his concerns. Afterwards, he approached the Great Ring Arakko in order to enlist the aid of the three of its members for a special task. This was terraforming of Mars using the powers of the collected Omega-level Mutants. With the planet now inhabitable, they came to transport the entirety of Arakko and all the Arakki Mutants to the red planet that was to be their new home that was now named planet Arakko. (Planet-Size X-Men v1 #1)
Isca continued to tend to the business of the Great Ring, often clashing with the new regent of Arakko, Storm. When Magneto challenged Tarn the Uncaring for his seat in the Great Ring, Magneto's former student Sunspot tricked Isca into wagering against Tarn. Her power to never lose ensured that Tarn would lose and die. Furious that Sunspot had used her to doom Tarn, whom she had fought alongside for a thousand years, Isca snapped his neck. (X-Men: Red v2 #3)
Overview
Personality and attributes
She claimed that one should not leave any enemy alive ever. (X-Men v5 #16)
Due to her powers, she must change allegiances to always be on the winning side which meant Isca was not trusted by other. (X-Men: Red v2 #1)
Her sister was Genesis who came to wed Apocalypse with him becoming Isca's brother-in-law. (X-Men v5 #13)
Isca was one of the few individuals to had gotten along with Tarn with the two having fought alongside one another for a thousand years. (X-Men: Red v2 #3)
Powers and abilities
Isca was noted for being an Omega-level Mutant. (X-Men v5 #16) She was shown to hold an incredibly long lifespan having been alive for around 10,000 years. (X-Men: Red v2 #7)
In contests of chance, probability was manipulated in Isca's favor. (Marauders v1 #15)
Isca's mutant weapon cannot be shut off. (X-Men: Red v2 #3)
She was a member of Arakko's ruling government which was known as the Great Ring of Arakko that had ruled for thousands of years and consisted entirely of Omega-level Mutants. (X-Men v5 #16)
Notes
- Isca the Unbeaten was created by Jonathan Hickman and Pepe Larraz where she made her first appearance in X-Men v5 #12 (September, 2020).
Appearances
- X-Men v5: (2020)
- X of Swords: Stasis v1:
- Excalibur v4:
- X-Force v6:
- Planet-Size X-Men v1: (2021)
- X-Men: Red v2:
External Links
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