They (Wolverine/Black Widow foes)

THEY

MEMBERSHIP: The Easterner, Meridian, the Occidental (leaders); Dr. Reigert Ilves (former chief scientist), unnamed scientist, numerous security agents and laboratory technicians

AFFILIATIONS: Lynx (former subject); Enemies of Black Widow (Natasha Romanoff), Imus Champion, Courier (Hans Mittlesteadt), Peregrine, SHIELD II, and Wolverine

ALIASES: The Third Person

BASE of OPERATIONS: Anarctica

APPEARANCES: [Marvel Comics Presents#123 (BTS)], 129 (1993); ([MCP#123-128], 129

HISTORY: The origins of the organization known as They are unrevealed. They describe themselves as the Third Person, the unseen forces that shape and control mankind. They claim to have considerable influence around the globe. They have considerable wealth and access to advanced technology and weaponry, including large laboratories, laser rifles, teleporters, etc.

When first seen, their agent, Dr. Ilves, had created the Panacea, a drug able to cure all known diseases. They realized that the Panacea could result in a rapid overpopulation, worldwide runs on food, shelter and natural resources, and eventually complete global chaos. They intended to use this drug to blackmail the world governments, presumably for large amounts of money and/or power. Ilves had used as his test subject a girl known as the Lynx. However, in a fit of guilt over what he was doing, Ilves destroyed all data on his research, killed himself, and sought to kill the Lynx when he burned down his laboratory.

The Lynx, and the Panacea she contained, were sought by several organizations, including the German government (who felt that the German Ilves had based his research on work stolen from them), Imus Champion and his agents, and SHIELD II. While those groups struggled for possession of the Lynx, They instructed their new chief scientist to continue Ilves work. Unable to recreate the Panacea, he instead created an "antidote" to it, the Malaigent. The Malaigent, in addition to neutralizing the Panacea, could destroy every atom in the human body, and forever contaminate major water sources in relatively small amounts. They planned to use the Malaigent in the same fashion, as blackmail to the World Powers.

However, the agents of the groups who sought the Lynx, all eventually tracked work on the Panacea back to They's base and confronted them. The Black Widow, Courier, Lynx, Peregrine, and Wolverine, as wellas Imus Champion and his forces, attacked They at their base. Black Widow destroyed all data on the Malaigent, and Lynx apparently consumed the only existing sample. The three leaders attempted to flee by teleporter, threatening Wolverine that he would regret making enemies of them. Wolverine, however, ripped open the teleporter while they were in mid-transport, seemingly causing them to discorporate.

COMMENTS: Created by Scott Lobdell, Dan Slott, and Dennis Jensen.

Clarifications: They, are not to be confused with:
They, aka They Who Wield Power, from, among others, Incredible Hulk II#238-243.
They, the combined minds of the people of Counter-Earth, from Warlock and the Infinity Watch#3+4.

Last Updated: 07/07/02