MIKE ASHER
Real Name: Michael "Mike" Asher
Identity/Class: Human/Mutant
Occupation: Terrorist
Affiliations: The Brotherhood (London Cell); Kary (Girlfriend)
Enemies: Marshal; Joey; EVIL goths; jocks; Jane Smythe; Hoffman; X-Force
Known Relatives: Carl Asher (father); Donna Asher (mother)
Aliases: None
Base of Operations: Brooklyn, NY
First Appearance: The Brotherhood#1 (July, 2001)
Powers/Abilities: When Asher's blood touches the air, he can cause it to explode.
History: (The Brotherhood#1)- Mike Asher's day started off fairly normally. An argument with parents, skateboarding to school, an argument with his girlfriend Kary, being pushed around by a bully... Then he met Fagin. After skipping school and stealing some lunch, they ran into an angry mob attacking a mutant. Fagin jumped in to rescue the guy, but was quickly outnumbered. Luckily for the 3, Hoffman showed up with Oswald, who cleared the scene.
(The Brotherhood#2)- Pissed at his lot in life, Asher cut open his hand punching his computer monitor. The next day at school, a conversation with Kary didn't go the way he wanted it to, and afterwards a bully beat him down, since he wouldn't defend himself. Kary came to help him up, but he told her he needed to be alone. The evil goth kids then talked to him and told him their EVIL GOTH KID PLAN to shoot up the school. Asher admitted to them he was a mutant, which scared them so much they ran away. Fagin, watching the EVIL goths run away, ran into the bathroom to find Mike, who was trying to commit suicide. Fagin smacked the knife away and told Asher what being a mutant was really all about...Power.
(The Brotherhood#3)- Fagin brought Asher to a nightclub and offered him a joint, which pissed off fellow Brotherhood member Marabeth, who was also there. The next morning, he woke up in Marabeth's bed, where she spouted some Brotherhood propaganda. Showing up at home late, he got into another argument with his parents. The next day his dad drove him to school and gave him a heart to heart. Joey, the bully who usually picked on him, then told him that he had taken Kary's virginity, saying she needed to be with a real man. Asher went to swing at him, but was quickly knocked to the ground, Fagin again saved him and scared off Joey. Fagin warned Asher that the Red Cross trucks scheduled for HIV testing today were actually for testing the students for the X gene. Before the tests could be finished, he noticed the principal and tried to warn him about the EVIL goth kids who were planning to blow up the school. As security tried to restrain him to force him to take the test, Asher outed himself as a mutant, then promptly ran from the anti-mutant mob that followed.
While hiding, he noticed Kary, who told him that Joey had slipped something into her drink and raped her. Hoffman and Orwell showed up at the school and interrupted their conversation. Asher decided he was going to save the school, even though everyone hated him now. Pulling the fire alarm, he ran to the EVIL goth kids' hiding spot (The men's room). Asher was stunned to find the EVIL goths dead, with Fagin and Marabeth standing over their bodies. Asher started to yell at Fagin, but Marabeth told him she did all the killing. Just then, Kary ran in and accused him of using his mutant powers to use her like Joey used the drugs, then Joey ran in and "rescued" her, kicking him in the gut. Then his dad and Hoffman ran in. Realizing he had nothing left of his old life, he ignited the blood that was taken during the X gene tests, and blew up the Red Cross van. Walking away with Hoffman and the other Brotherhood members present, he told his dad he loved him, which his father replied to in kind.
(The Brotherhood#4)- Hoffman announced to Asher and Fagin that they would be getting a look at the Brotherhood from the inside, as they were to join the London Cell.
(The Brotherhood#6)- In London, Asher began questioning the whole point of the Brotherhood to Fagin. After a strike on the London Cell's base, the group had to escape through the sewers. London Cell leader Bryson told Asher to just go home to his family, as they were probably missing him. Asher took him up on the opportunity...
(The Brotherhood#7)- In an unnamed military base, Asher was forced to watch the riot in Philadelphia caused by Hoffman. Marshal offered him a way out, by helping him take down Hoffman and the Brotherhood. Asher said he didn't even have to think about it, he was ready to help Marshal take down his "brothers".
(The Brotherhood#8)- Asher, along with Fagin and Malon, returned to Hoffman, who gave them a new mission-- taking care of a traitor to the cause. Going to Marshal to see what to do, Marshal offered them a stunt body. Going to the traitor's house, Asher tried to knock on his door, which didn't sit well with Fagin. After knocking out the traitor, they realized they had a problem... He was a she. After a call to Marshal and some turning on of gas heaters, Asher cut his arm, and left the stunt body in the apartment. After they all exited, the building was no more. Fagin thought Hoffman might be suspicious, with no evidence of them actually killing the person, Marshal asked Asher if he still had his pocketknife on him... Back in Marshal's office, Asher dropped Jane Smythe's hand on his desk. Hoffman then decided they needed to get a little more creative. Their next target...X-Force's Doop!
(The Brotherhood#9)- Asher wondered aloud if they should try to alert X-Force, which again pissed off Fagin, but Malon pulled them apart. At the parade, they were stuck in between a battle between other Brotherhood members and X-Force, and decided their best way out was to fight! Asher tried to talk to the X-Forcers, but they were all about the killing of Brotherhoodites at that point. Vivisector cut Asher on the backswing from attacking another Brotherhood member, and U-Go Girl opened a portal on him, dropping him on a nearby parked car. Before passing out, Asher heard Hoffman and Marshal arguing, and noticing a trail of his blood flowing towards them, ignited it.
Comments: Created by X and Essad Ribic.
Did Asher die? Does it matter? I'd say he's still out there, possibly enjoying a janitorial job somewhere.
There was much speculation who writer X was when the book first started, but it showed to be pretty smart that he/she didn't reveal his/her secret.
According to Prime Eternal: The popular theory was Devin Grayson.
by Zerostar
CLARIFICATIONS:
None of the Asher family should be confused with...
Carl and Donna Asher were Mike Asher's parents. Despite their arguments, they seemed pretty supportive of Mike, although Carl came off as a little bigoted towards mutants to start. However, when he found out that Mike was a mutant, he didn't seem bothered by it at all. -The Brotherhood#1, 3
First Posted: 11/17/2002
Last updated: 12/06/2002
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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