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MASTERMIND
Earth-295

Real Name: Jason Wyngarde

Identity/Class: Alternate Earth (Earth-295), human mutant, citizen of the United States

Occupation: Adventurer, resistance fighter

Group Membership: None, formerly Outcasts (Brute/Mark Hallett, Forge, Soaron/Karl Lykos, Sonique/Theresa Cassidy, Toad/Mortimer Toynbee)

Affiliations: Magneto (Eric Magnus Lensherr), Morph (Kevin Sidney), Mimic (Calvin Rankin), X-Man (Nate Grey)

Enemies: Apocalypse (En Sabah Nur), Caliban, Domino (Neena Thurman), Grizzly (Theodore Winchester), Infinites, Mr. Sinister (Nathaniel Essex), Sugar Man

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: Unrevealed;
    formerly mobile throughout the United States;
    formerly Sugar Man's lab, Niagara Falls

First Appearance: X-Man I#1 (March, 1995)

Powers/Abilities: Mastermind possessed the mutant power of illusion casting. He could psionically cause others to see, hear, touch, smell and/or taste things that do not exist. He could use his powers to make himself look and sound like a completely different person. His powers affected everyone in range. Under optimal conditions, his range was citywide. Mastermind was also able to alter a person's perceptions, memory and belief, creating false memories and background histories in much the same way a hypnotist can suggest certain scenarios. This power best worked on children or impressionable minds, though the memories he created were often flawed. Exceptionally strong willed people were able to break through his illusions, though everyone had a natural tendency to assume his creations were reality even though they were consciously aware they were being manipulated. The speech center of Wyngarde's brain was damaged as a result of torture, which rendered him permanently mute.

Height: 5'8"
Weight: 140 lbs.
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Grey-brown (partially shaved)

History:

(X-Man '96 I#1 (fb) - BTS) - During Apocalypse's rise to power, the illusion casting mutant Jason Wyngarde befriended like minded mutants including the shapeshifter Kevin Sidney.

(X-Man '96 I#1 (fb) - BTS) - Wyngarde was captured by Apocalypse's underling Sugar Man and taken to his lab facility at Niagara Falls. There, the evil scientist conducted gruesome experiments on Wyngarde and his fellow prisoners including the power aping Mimic. Sugar Man's probes unintentionally destroyed the speech center of Wyngarde's brain, leaving him barely able to form words.

(X-Man '96 I#1 (fb) - BTS) - Sydney was desperate to save Wyngarde. He reached out to the mutant inventor Forge who helped him come up with a plan. While Forge contacted Magnus, Kevin's assignment was to infiltrate Sugar Man's Niagara Falls facility to learn as much as he could and to signal the others to come to his aid at the appropriate time.

(X-Man '96 I#1 (fb) - BTS) - Sydney posed as a lab worker, watching Sugar Man test new, more virulent strains of the deadly virus the villain planned to unleash in the water supply. Sydney did not blow his cover, even when he had to witness Mimic's tragic death as Sugar Man's latest test subject.

(X-Man '96 I#1) - When Sugar Man began to experiment on his friend Jason, Kevin could no longer keep himself hidden. He didn't realize Wyngarde had actually forced his hand by casting the illusion that he was already in mortal peril from the Sugar Man's viral agent. Now free, the two men held off Sugar Man's forces long enough for Forge and Magnus to arrive along with a future version of Nate Grey. After the fight, Wyngarde looked on while Forge and Magnus returned Sugar Man and Nate Grey back to their proper reality using a hastily constructed fargate.

(X-Man I#1 (fb) - BTS) - The now permanently mute Wyngarde remained with Forge. Over time, they gathered a band of mutant outcasts while Apocalypse's conquest of the United States continued. The group tried to help the human population as best they could, traveling the country disguised as a theater troupe that would entertain human communities. Mastermind used his powers to enhance the performance and to make his fellow mutants appear human.

(X-Man I#1) - Mastermind stood by while Forge berated their latest recruit Nate Grey. The powerful, inexperienced psionic had inadvertently unleashed a massive mental blast which not only leveled their campsite, it also alerted the Shadow King to his existence. The troupe continued on, performing their show that night with Mastermind making sure the crowd saw the performance he wanted them to see. Later that night the group's real mission began: freeing a cargo train full of human prisoners. When Soaron dropped a bomb to derail the train, Mastermind's illusions calmed the prisoners to make the evacuation proceed more smoothly. Eventually, the incident drew the attention of the Infinites, especially when one of the young female prisoners turned out to be a mutant herself. After Nate Grey defeated the Infinites, the Outcasts took the girl, Theresa Cassidy, with them as they continued on their way. A little while later, their horse drawn carriage was stopped by the mysterious Essex who claimed he could be of help to them.

(X-Man I#2) - Mastermind quietly observed a campfire training lesson between Forge and Nate Grey which ended when the teenager grew frustrated at his mentor's constant, well intended berating. Grey found a much better teacher in the new arrival Essex who continuously dared him to push the boundaries of his abilities. Essex also overruled Forge's strategies and suggested they strike a nearby factory where human bone marrow was being harvested.

(X-Man I#2 - BTS) - Mastermind remained behind with Theresa Cassidy, now known as Sonique, and Soaron whose wing had been injured during the raid on the train. The mission to the factory almost ended in tragedy, leading Forge to talk it over with Mastermind and the others: they voted to part ways with Essex. When Forge went to tell him, they found themselves under attack from Apocalypse's assassins Domino, Caliban and Grizzly.

(X-Man I#3) - Forge rushed to Mastermind's side, asking him to buy them some time with his illusion casting powers. Wyngarde obliged and made Domino believe she was being attacked by Apocalypse himself for having failed him. Though terrified by how real this all felt, she also realized this had to be an illusion caused by the old man next to Forge. She grabbed her energy blaster and fired a single shot that instantly reduced the illusion caster to a pile of bones.

Comments: Created by Stan Lee & Jack Kirby;
    adapted by Jeph Loeb, Steve Skroce, Mike Sellers, Cam Smith, Bud Larosa, Will Conrad.

Considering Earth-295's divergence point from Earth-616 is the death of Charles Xavier, this means that technically Earth-295's Jason Wyngarde should largely have the same upbringing as his Earth-616 counterpart. It's interesting that he never hooked up with Magneto unlike his 616 counterpart who was already a founding member of the Brotherhood of (Evil) Mutants when they showed up in X-Men I#4.

The X-Man annual showed us that that Forge used to be a close ally of Magneto's and Wyngarde's own personal friend Kevin Sidney became an X-Man as well. The team could have used a good illusion caster, but it's hard to work with someone who can't communicate in the field and after Jean Grey left, the X-Men didn't have any telepaths on hand.

Domino killing Mastermind with a single blast is a bit of an unceremonious end to a fun character. It also feels like a huge tactical error on Wyngarde's part. If your power was casting illusions, wouldn't you make damn sure you always made people believe you were standing somewhere else? Guess Sugar Man caused more brain damage than he thought.

All locations mentioned are Earth-295, unless otherwise specified.

Profile by Norvo

CLARIFICATIONS:
Jason Wyngarde of Earth-295 should not be confused with

Images: (without ads)
X-Man I#3, p5, pan4 (main image)
X-Man Annual 96, p23, pan1 (held by Sugar Man)
X-Man I#3, p8, pans3,4,5 (dies)

Appearances:
X-Man I#1 (March, 1995) - Jeph Loeb (writer), Steve Skroce (pencils), Mike Sellers, Cam Smith, Bud Larosa, Will Conrad (inks), Bob Harras (editor)
X-Man I#2 (April, 1995) - Jeph Loeb (writer), Steve Skroce (pencils), Mike Sellers, Bud Larosa, Scott Hanna, Will Conrad (inks), Bob Harras (editor)
X-Man I#3 (May, 1995) - Jeph Loeb (writer), Steve Skroce (pencils), Mike Sellers, Bud Larosa (inks), Bob Harras (editor)
X-Man Annual '96 (December, 1996) - Terry Kavanagh (writer), Alan Davis (pencils), Mark Farmer & Robin Riggs (inks), Jaye Gardner (editor)

First Posted: 01/06/2025
Last Updated: 01/06/2025

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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