DIRGE
Real Name: Unrevealed
Identity/Class: Human mutant (Neo)
Occupation: Unrevealed, if any
Group Membership: Lost Souls (Desolation, Lament, Requiem)
Affiliations: Shockwave Riders
Enemies: X-Men (Beast/Henry McCoy, Gambit/Remy LeBeau, Phoenix/Jean Grey, Storm/Ororo Munroe)
Known Relatives: None
Aliases: None
Base of Operations: Unrevealed hidden city of the Neo, possibly South America or Alaska
First Appearance: Uncanny X-Men I#382 (May, 2000)
Powers/Abilities: Dirge is a Neo with powerful telepathic abilities, able to possess others and access and manipulate his victims thoughts and memories, Dirge would trap his victims in their guilt. Dirge was also immune to certain physical attacks, including Gambit's explosive playing cards. In addition to his defensive capabilities, Dirge is highly skilled hand-to-hand combatant. Like his name suggests, Dirge has a distinctive melancholic voice.
Height: Unrevealed (approximately 6'2")
Weight: Unrevealed (approximately 179 lbs.)
Eyes: Unrevealed (Dirge's eyes were nearly closed every panel)
Hair: Black
History:
(X-Men II#99 - BTS) - Dirge and the Neo lived peacefully for years until the High Evolutionary, influenced by Mr. Sinister deactivated the X-gene in all of Earth's mutants, leading to the demise of many Neo. Consequently, the Neo targeted the X-Men, seeking vengeance against those behind their suffering.
(Uncanny X-Men I#381 - BTS) - Confronted with the formidable Shockwave Riders, Jean Grey and her team of X-Men succeeded in overcoming them. However, as one of the Riders attempted to take his own life, Jean Grey utilized her telepathic powers to delve into his mind, aiming to uncover the motive behind the Shockwave Riders' assault.
(Uncanny X-Men I#382 - BTS) - Learning Cable had sent Storm, Gambit and Beast to assist Jean Grey in the psyche of the Shockwave Rider, Dirge and the Lost Souls prepared to oppose them.
(Uncanny X-Men I#382) - As Jean was addressing the aftermath of the Shockwave Rider encounter, Dirge and the Lost Souls appeared. Beast humorously noted that Dirge's speech reminded him of Ravel's Bolero. The Lost Souls each chose an X-Man as their opponent, with Dirge confronting Gambit. Despite Gambit's efforts, his explosive cards had no effect on Dirge, who also showcased his superior hand-to-hand combat skills, effortlessly parrying Gambit's moves. The tide turned when Desolation possessed Jean Grey's body, leading Dirge and the others to do the same and probe the minds of the X-Men, seeking to overwhelm them with their worst fears. However, the X-Men's extensive history of dealing with personal traumas made them largely resistant to such psychological attacks. Rallying against this strategy, they managed to repel the Lost Souls, forcing them to withdraw.
(X-Men: Giant-Size#1 - BTS) - Dirge and all Neo worldwide were apparently disintegrated by the Evolutionaries when the Guardian Clan invaded the X-Men's home on Utopia.
Comments: Created by Chris Claremont, Tom Raney, and Tim Townsend.
Dirge is a song or hymn of grief or lamentation. Especially one intended to accompany funeral or memorial rites, a funeral dirge.
Dirge's face looks very similar to that of Mister Sinister with his pale skin and black hair.
The Neo received a profile in the X-Men - Earth's Mutant Heroes (2011). The Neo were a society of Homo sapiens superior, an evolutionary offshoot of humanity born with the mutant X-gene, which gave them superhuman abilities. The Neo lived in seclusion for many generations and believed they were superior to humans and other mutants.
Profile by MarvellousLuke
CLARIFICATIONS:
Dirge has no known connections to
Images: (without ads)
Uncanny X-Men I#382, cover (main image)
Uncanny X-Men I#382, p13, pan3,4&5 (countering Gambit's attacks)
Uncanny X-Men I#382, p14, pan6 (possessing Gambit)
Appearances:
Uncanny X-Men I#382 (May, 2000) - Chris Claremont (writer), Tom Raney (pencils), Tim Townsend (inks), Mark Powers (editor)
First Posted: 03/18/2024
Last Updated: 03/18/2024
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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