Robert Kelly (Marvel)

Revision as of 08:32, 18 November 2023

Robert Kelly is a male comic character who features in Marvel Comics.

Biography

Robert Edward Kelly

When the hero Blue Marvel was revealed to be the African American man Adam Brashear, Senator Kelly was alarmed at the prospect of such a powerful man being a part of a minority group. The President at the time was considering using Brashear as a way to heal the divisions within the country, but Kelly consulted with the President and advised him otherwise. Ultimately on Kelly’s advice, the President asked Brashear to step away from the limelight, removing one of the most powerful up-and-coming African American superheroes from the political landscape. (Adam: Legend of Blue Marvel v1 #1)

After uncovering the Mutant Agenda, Carol Danvers and Logan discovered the existence of Mutants with groups such as the Hellfire Club. However, she lacked any evidence but believed that they should reveal their findings to people in government with her believing that freshman Senator Kelly would be interested in their findings. (Logan: Shadow Society v1 #1)

Over the next few weeks, Senator Kelly increased his anti-mutant rhetoric and became a serious contender for the presidency. Whilst he gained a lot of supporters who were concerned with the rise in mutants, he also attracted the attention of people who wanted to silence his opinions. The shapeshifter Mystique had formed her own Brotherhood of Mutants and the group had set their sights firmly on Kelly, hoping to put an end to the hatred he was spewing. Working with Shaw, Kelly had been drafting a series of propositions he wanted to invoke that would harshly deal with the mutant threat. One such proposal was the Mutant Registration Act, that would require all mutants to register with the government so they could be monitored. Senator Kelly met with the rest of congress to propose this law, but the hearing was violently interrupted by Mystique and her Brotherhood. The X-Men had been tipped off to Mystique’s activities by a time-travelling Kitty Pryde, and the team fought against the Brotherhood whilst Senator Kelly rushed to safety. The precognitive Destiny managed to corner him, but his life was saved by Kitty’s intervention, knocking Destiny’s shoulder just as she fired a crossbow at Kelly. (X-Men v1 #142)

At Washington, he attempted to get others in government to help him pass the Mutant Affairs Control Act 1984. (Uncanny X-Men v1 #181)

Years after his death, a facility known as the Robert Kelly Correctional Facility was established to house Homo Superior prisoners with the site being informally known as the Box. (X-Men: Gold v2 #24)

Overview

Personality and attributes

Powers and abilities

Notes

• Robert Kelly was created by Chris Claremont and John Byrne where he made his first appearance in Uncanny X-Men v1 #135 (July, 1980).

Alternate Versions

• In X-Men v1 #141 (1981), an alternate version of Robert Kelly appeared in the Days of Future Past reality set on Earth-811 in the Multiverse. This version was a possible future timeline that was set in 2013. On this Earth, anti-Mutant attitudes arose after the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants assassinated Presidential candidate Senator Robert Kelly along with Charles Xavier and Moira MacTaggert in 1980. This led to the governments of the world passed the Mutant Control Act in 1988 leading to mass deployment of Sentinels that targeted Mutants with the machines eventually taking over North America.

In other media

Television

• In X-Men, Robert Jefferson Kelly appeared in the 1990s animated television series where he was voiced by actor Len Carlson.
• In X-Men: Evolution, Edward Kelly appeared in the animated television series where he was voiced by actor Dale Wilson.
• In Wolverine and the X-Men, Senator Kelly appeared in the animated television series where he was voiced by actor Richard Doyle.
• In Iron Man: Armored Adventures, Robert Kelly featured in the episode "X-Factor" where he was voiced by actor Dale Wilson. Kelly was an anti-Mutant politician where he pushed his agenda against Mutants following Magneto's attack on Simon Trask. Magneto intended to get 'Annie Claremont' to use her telekinetic powers to mimic natural death on Robert Kelly. Kelly later attended a public event where he was a proponent for Proposition X that sought to forcibly register Mutants. Magneto later attempted to kill Senator Kelly but he was saved by 'Annie' along with Iron Man and War Machine. However, Kelly attempted to lynch on 'Annie' for being a Mutant but Iron Man admonished him for his lack of gratitude. The crowd that once consisted of his supporters then turned on the humiliated Senator Kelly as the protestors threw objects at him.

Films

• In X-Men, Senator Kelly appeared in the 2000 live-action film where he was portrayed by actor Bruce Davison. He was shown as being a U.S. Senator who attempted to pass the Mutant Registration Act in Congress which would have forced Mutants to publically reveal their identities and abilities with Magneto and Professor X witnessing this event. Magneto later had Toad and Mystique kidnap Kelly who was brought to their hideout on the uncharted island of Genosha. Lensherr had created a machine powered by his magnetic abilities that generated a field of radiation and used Kelly as a test subject. The effects of the device induced mutation in normal humans thus transforming Kelly who gained an elastic skin which he used to escape his confinement.

Video games

Appearances

• X-Men v1: (1980)
• Adam: Legend of the Blue Marvel v1:

External links

• Marvel Database Entry
• Wikipedia Entry

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