UNDYING UNDYING
Classification: Psionic energy-based extraterrestrial race ;
trapped in the form of terrestrial cockroaches; previously used a
variety of hosts from a multitude of humans and various
extraterrestrial races;
active from the distant past (several million years ago) to 5000 B.C. on a variety of planets, inclusive of the pre-Cataclysmic and Hyborian eras;
active from 5000 BC to the modern era on Earth, inclusive of 5000-"0" B.C.; 0 - 1000 A.D; 1001-1699 A.D.; 1700-1899 A.D.; 1900-1929 A.D.; 1930-1945 A.D.; 1946-1959 A.D.; and the "pre-Modern era" (1960 A.D until the shifting period of 15-ish years before the present); and the "Modern era" (the shifting 15-ish year time period extending from Fantastic Four I#1 until the present)
Location/Base of Operations: Unspecified locations throughout Earth;
bodies/former hosts contained within Azazel in the Sinai desert;
formerly mobile throughout the universe and across multiple planets via the ship Azazel;
originally created on the world of the Serayn
Known Members: Aentaros, Lothan, Semijan, Tiamet, Vaudois
Affiliations: Azazel;
formerly the Serayn;
their hosts (which are currently cockroaches) are their unwilling servants (notably Blockade/Dexter Parish, Andy Carmody, the Circle Killer, Domino/Neena Thurman, Irene Merryweather, Esther Parrish, Randall Shire, unidentified male former host, numerous others unidentified)
presumably the Cockroach Conspiracy
Enemies: Professor Berger, Blaquesmith, Cable
(Nathan Summers/Nathan Dayspring Askani'son), Beast (Hank McCoy),
Clarity (and his agents Greg and Lea), Jean
Grey, Sheik Hamid, Key (Lachlan Patterson), the Serayn, Wall;
their hosts (which are currently cockroaches) are their unwilling servants (notably Blockade/Dexter Parish, Andy Carmody, the Circle Killer, Domino/Neena Thurman, Irene Merryweather, Esther Parrish, Randall Shire, unidentified male former host, numerous others unidentified);
countless victims of their hosts on Earth and on
various worlds (including whole races presumably exterminated by them,
notably the races from which they chose their favored hosts,
specifically the hosts of Aentaros, Lothan, Semijan, Tiamet, and Vaudois)
Aliases: Dybbuks, Restless Dead, Sleepless Ones, others
First Appearance: Cable II#79 (May, 2000)
Powers/Abilities:
The Undying are artificial, asexual creatures of pure intellect and
energy that meld their energy fields with the minds of any other living
creatures, possessing and controlling them.
Such hosts, even ones with strong
wills, such as Domino, or with psychic powers, such as Randall Shire,
were unable to resist their control or exert their own wills, even to
the point of killing friends and family.
Once possessing a host, the
Undying could only transfer to another via the host's physical death or
via the artificial intelligence Azazel specifically transferring them.
Once a host perished, Azazel placed the Undying member into a new host.
Full cardiopulmonary arrest was sufficient to expel one of the Undying, and a host
could be liberated at great risk via inducing this and then recovering
via cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
Surviving such a resuscitation,
a former host will remember only a small amount of what he or she had
experienced while possessed. The thoughts of the Undying are alien and
difficult to understand.
Following reprogramming by Key,
Azazel is only able to transfer the Undying into cockroaches at least
until the death of the last cockroach on Earth.
The Undying feed on and thrive on
blood and death, both those slain by their hosts and by the deaths of
their hosts themselves. They drive their hosts to kill, and they grow
in more the more beings their host slays.
As energy beings, the Undying's true forms have not been revealed. Hosts can be recognized by a glowing circle-within-a-circle pattern on their foreheads, although these do not apparently always show. Perhaps some of the Undying can make these invisible.
At least some hosts gain
superhuman powers while possessed. For example, Andy Parrish had
powerful claws for hands and could bend Cable's telekinetic force field
while possessed by Aentaros; the already superhumanly strong and
durable Blockade was reportedly ten-times stronger while possessed by
Aentaros; the limited psychic abilities of Randall Shire were vastly
enhanced so that any who heard him speak fell completely under his
influence.
Each of the Undying maintained a favored alien lifeform in stasis on
Azazel to which they could be called back to defend their ship. However, after an extensive time in stasis, they rapidly decayed
within a few minutes after being exposed to Earth's atmosphere, at least..
Traits: The Undying thrive on and have an
unquenchable thirst for blood and death. They have no sense of right or
wrong, and they consider the lives of other beings as no more than food
and sport.
The Undying compete in a game/competition, aided and judged by Azazel: Whichever killed the most lifeforms won. Each match lasts 10,000 years or until all life on the planet was destroyed. To keep the game fair, the Undying gave Azazel the power to transfer their energy matrix from one specific host to another at the moment of death. This insured that none of the Undying gained an "unfair advantage." When circumstances unbalanced the competition, Azazel stabilized the situation by using another member of the Undying as its executioner.
The Undying's desires and abilities are currently limited by Azazel's programming to only transfer them into
Type: Sentient energy beings, possessing a variety of alien lifeforms as needed
Eyes: (True forms) none; (hosts) varies
Fingers: (True forms) none; (hosts) varies
Toes: (True forms) none; (hosts) varies
Skin color: (True forms) none; (hosts) varies
Average height: (True forms) inapplicable; (hosts) varies
History:
(Cable II#84 (fb)) - Several million years ago, the Serayn -- who were driven by scientific curiosity and sought the secrets of creation but whose bodies could not survive leaving their world -- built a virtually indestructible spaceship to explore the universe for them. Desiring a crew that would be immortal (for all practical purposes), the Serayn created five artificial energy beings of pure intellect that they dubbed the Undying.
Wishing to learn everything about other races, the Serayn gave the Undying the power to meld their energy field with the mind of any creature and thus observe alien life directly. Once one of the Undying gained control of a host body, it could only be released by the host's death.
However, the Undying fed on the energy released during death. Lacking any sense of right or wrong, the Undying turned on their creators to feed their unquenchable thirst for death.
After a thousand years, the Serayn were no more.
(Cable
II#84 (fb) - BTS) - The Undying spent the next several million years
traveling from world to world aboard the Serayn ship, the artificial intelligence of which became
known as Azazel, devouring the death energies of a multitude of lifeforms.
Eventually, they grew bored, so
they started a game/competition, aided and judged by Azazel: Whoever
killed the most lifeforms won. Each match lasted 10,000 years or until
all life on the planet was destroyed. To keep the game fair, the
Undying gave Azazel the power to transfer their energy matrix from one
specific host to another at the moment of death. This insured that none
of the Undying gained an "unfair advantage." When circumstances
unbalanced the competition, Azazel stabilized the situation by using
another member of the Undying as its executioner.
Each of the Undying kept a favored alien lifeform in stasis aboard Azazel.
(Cable
II#84 (fb) - BTS) <7000 years ago> - Azazel established a base on Earth in the deserts around Mt. Sinai.
(Cable
II#81 (fb) - BTS) - Azazel apparently killed anyone who attempted to speak of the location.
Many perished with Azazel's name on their lips.
(Cable
II#81 (fb) - BTS) - The Book of Enoch identified Azazel of the leader
of the fallen Angels known as the Sleepless Ones; Azazel was also
referred to as the Star fallen from Heaven.
(Cable
II#81 (fb) - BTS) - The Undying possessed various humans throughout the
world and across time, sending them on killing sprees, and the Undying
grew more powerful the more their hosts murdered.
(Cable
II#82 (fb) - BTS) -The Undying led various peoples to war.
(Cable
II#81 (fb)) <1882> - Barmaid Esther Parrish served poison rum to
20 men in a London tavern, and among the dead were her father and two
brothers. At her trial, Esther mocked the judge and jury. She was
sentenced to be hung, and she laughed all the way to the gallows.
(Cable II#80 (fb) - BTS / Cable II#81 (fb)) <1947> - A serial murderer known as the Circle Killer (possessed by one of the Undying) stalked the street of Cleveland, leaving his "circle within a circle" mark at the scene of all of his murders. He was finally caught and convicted of 17 murders. At his execution, his last words were "I can't be stopped...for I am Undying."
(Cable
II#82 (fb) - BTS) - Semijan possessed low-level psychomorph, Randall
Shire, who ran a small traveling carnival in Australia. Semijan's
presence boosted Shire's powers to astonishing heights.
Whenever Shire spoke, he bound people to him by the sound of his voice. Anyone who heard him became his slave, starting with Shire's allies, Key and Wall. Semijan led Shire to America, from which he intended to conquer the world.
(Cable
II#84 (fb) - BTS) - In this unbalanced situation, Azazel chose Aentaros to execute Shire.
(Cable II#79 (fb)) - Aentaros possessed family man Andy Carmody while he was out on a camping trip with his sons. The possessed Andy then drove off, purchased a machine gun and other weapons, and went to Madison Square Garden with the intention of slaying Randall Shire.
(Cable II#79) - Forewarned of this threat by the Fates via a vision of Reality-25400 (see comments) Cable rushed to Madison Square Garden and telekinetically intercepted the bullets just as Andy opened fire. Sensing the alien presence possessing Andy, Cable then contained Andy in a force field; although Aentaros' power allowed Andy to bend his force field, he remained contained while ranting about murder, blood, violence, Azazel, and specifically killing Shire.
Unable to escape, Aentaros spoke through Andy, mocking Cable as a false messiah and noting that while even Cable feared death, his (Aentaros') people laughed at death, which was made them strong. Advising Cable to remember him and that he would return, Aentaros introduced himself, noted that he was Undying, and then activated a pair of hand grenades, killing Andy and allowing Aentaros to escape his form.
At Shire's request, Key noted that there were 18,975 attending his lecture, which brought his monthly total to 74,327 slaves. Shire countered that he preferred to think of them as his Harmonious Family, but Key again noted them to be slaves. Key subsequently informed Shire/Semijan of the man who had killed himself at the building's northeast entrance eight minutes before, as well as noting apparent mutant involvement due to the presence of the force field and that the man had said "Aentaros" right before he had committed suicide.
Shire/Semijan correctly realized that Azazel had acted to prevent
Semijan from accumulating too much power, and he noted that Aentaros
would be back in one body or another as he was very determined. When
Wall assured Shire that Aentaros would not get past him, Shire/Semijan
expressed confidence in him but instructed him not to kill Aentaros, as
they needed him alive. 
Meanwhile, Professor Henry Oxton discovered the lair of Azazel on Mt. Sinai.
Aentaros subsequently possessed the otherwise comatose Blockade (whose mind Cable had destroyed after he had tried to kill Domino) from his hospital bed at a S.H.I.E.L.D. military hospital in Bethesda, Maryland, and resolved to kill Cable first and then Shire.
(Cable
II#80 (fb)) - Blockade awakened, and Aentaros prevented the alarms set
to sound if Blockade moved. Looking at the invisible cameras,
Blockade/Aentaros ranted about death and destruction and then stated,
"Fear me, humans. I am Aentaros. I am Undying."
(Cable
II#80 (fb) - BTS) - Blockade/Aentaros broke out of the S.H.I.E.L.D. hospital,
killing eight and wounding 23 more, while 37 others were missing.
(Cable II#80) - Randall Shire/Semijan spoke at Madison Square Garden, apparently bringing another approximately 18,975 people under his control with his message of harmony.
(Cable
II#80 - BTS) - As
Oxton's laser device failed to scratch the surface of the door, his
assistant Berger advised him that armed locals, including Sheik Hamid, had come to investigate
his activities. Hamid further advised Oxton that great, powerful,
and evil genii still existed in the cavern and that their seal was on
the door. Additionally, he noted that the circle within a circle
represented a mind within a mind, and that the genii were demons and
Undying.
(Cable II#80 - BTS) - Another S.H.I.E.L.D. agent showed Commander G.W. Bridge footage of Blockade's revival, after which he noted that the symbol on Blockade's head reminded him on an old serial murder case of the "Circle Killer."
(Cable
II#80 - BTS) - Regarding the apparent possession of Andy Carmody, Irene
Merryweather advised and arranged for Cable to meet with the man known
as Clarity.
(Cable
II#80) - Aentaros stalked Cable.
(Cable
II#80) - As Cable met with Clarity, Blockade/Aentaros broke into
the room, and almost immediately, soldiers of the Ranshi Empire of
Earth-2775 arrived and assaulted Cable as well.
(Cable II#81) - After some struggle, Cable found normal assaults to be ineffective against Aentaros/Blockade. Cable broke Aentaros' fingers to little effect, but finally damaged Aentaros/Blockade's lumbar spine, leaving him paralyzed from the waist down. However, when Cable tried to force answers from his foe, Aentaros mockingly told him that this shell/body meant nothing and that death made him strong. After telling Cable that his friends would perish and that he would follow, Aentaros caused Blockade to twist his own neck around until it broke, killing Blockade and liberating Aentaros to possess another.
(Cable II#81 - BTS) - Clarity analyzed the battle via Lea and Irene's recordings.
(Cable
II#81) - G.W. Bridge and his assistant met with Shire, intending to warn
him of the threat to his life and learn what he might know about
Blockade's recovery. However, as soon as they met Shire, they fell
under Semijan's influence and agreed to his instructions to station
twenty agents to watch over him each night, changing the guards each
night so he could take control of them as well. They further agreed to
bring some of their colleagues from the Defense Department. After they
left, Key considered that Aentaros' attempt to stop him had delivered
federal law enforcement into his hands and that within a week he would
control the entire US government. With his accelerated schedule, Key
projected that Shire would conquer the world in 23 days, and Shire
noted that thereafter, the killing would begin. 
Greg and Lea spoke for Clarity,
detailing the histories of the Circle Killer, Esther Parrish, and
numerous other similar murderers throughout the world and across
history (longer than recorded history), concluding that they were
caused by a quintet of beings known as the Undying. They further noted
that the only way to stop them was by killing the host but that no one
knew how to destroy these fiends without shape.
(Cable
II#81 - BTS) - Cable subsequently enlisted Blaquesmith to create a
portable immobilizing trap he could use to keep the Undying paralyzed
for hours, no matter what it's strength: A device that channeled the
creature's kinetic energy in a loop so that the harder it moved, the more the bonds holding it tightened.
Outside Azazel's lair, Sheik Hamid told Professor Oxton about Azazel and how he had slain anyone who attempted to tell others of this location. Considering this all ridiculous superstitious, Oxton contacted Hafia and prepared to relate his finding, but as soon as he mentioned Azazel, he died, but was left standing, "solid as a stone statue."
Appreciating that the internet was
not active in that location and that Azazel might not understand what the internet was,
Oxton's assistant, Berger, prepared jpg and wav files of the site while
discussing that he had no desire to upset Azazel, and he subsequently
uploaded them to his web page.
(Cable II#81 - BTS) - Cable met with Bridge and discussed Blockade, after which Bridge tried to convince Cable to come see Shire speak.
(Cable
II#82 (fb) - BTS) - Blaquesmith worked on a device to prevent the Undying from escaping a host.
(Cable II#81 (fb) - BTS) - Aentaros possessed Irene Merryweather, who incapacitated Blaquesmith.
(Cable II#81) - When Cable returned to his base, Irene/Aentaros confronted him at knife point.
(Cable
II#82) - As Cable battled Irene/Aentaros,
Cable telepathically made a call to a hospital, leading them to send an
ambulance to arrive just as he telekinetically induced cardiac arrest in Irene,
causing Aentaros to depart her form.
(Cable
II#82 - BTS) - Cable telepathically communicated with Irene as the EMTs
used external defibrillators to restore her heart function and keep her
alive.
The somewhat recovered Blaquesmith
informed Cable that he would have his weapon to trap the Undying in a
host within the hour.
(Cable
II#82) - Randall Shire/Semijan told Key and Wall that everything was
going so well, and that it was too bad that they all must die. Key
suggested that he might rule the world instead of destroying it. As
Semijan considered that it would be amusing, and that if he ruled the
world, he could change the rules, Key secretly sent information to Clarity without directly defying his master's wishes,
(Cable
II#82 - BTS) - Cable met with Irene, who shared the little that she
remembered from her possession, notably that the creature was not just
thousands, but rather millions, of years old. She further explained
that they were energy beings, living on blood and death and made
stronger by intense emotions and great pain, becoming more powerful the
more they killed. Immortal and sexless, they were truly Undying, and
they numbered five, with Azazel being a sixth, not one of them but
rather the judge. Additionally, she noted that Randall Shire was also
possessed by one of the Undying.
Lea subsequently told Cable that
Clarity had located Azazel, and when Cable met with Clarity, his
associate Greg informed him of Berger's file although it would still
take a few hours of satellite scans to find the exact spot. Greg
further detailed information sent from Key regarding Randall Shire.
(Cable
II#82) - Bridge informed Shire/Semijan of Blockade's death but warned
that another, more deadly mercenary was now after him. As Bridge had
men stationed at the airports, highways, and train stations,
Semijan/Shire refused to cancel his lecture, and he instructed Bridge
to triple his security agents and kill anyone who tried to stop him.
(Cable II#83 (fb) - BTS) - Aentaros possessed Domino (Neena Thurman).
(Cable II#82 - BTS) - Meanwhile, Cable communicated with representatives of both Reality-2775, who told him that if Cable saved Shire from an assassin that night that Shire would establish the Ranshi Empire, ruling Earth and the the Milky Way Galaxy; and of Reality-22073, in which the assassin slew Shire, but he was martyred, leading his religion, Harmony, to prosper, although mutants were prevented/outlawed. Regardless, he learned that Domino (Neena Thurman) was to be the assassin.
(Cable
II#83) - Blaquesmith supplied Cable with the weapon he sought, after
which Cable met with the Shire/Semijan-controlled G.W. Bridge, who had
snipers prepared to kill Domino or anyone who approached Shire.
When Domino attacked, Cable
stopped Bridge and then ultimately used Blaquesmith's weapon to
immobilize/incapacitate Domino, with Aentaros trapped within her.
Cable listened as Semijan taunted
Aentaros, and then he shared Semijan's words with the crowd listening
to Shire, and his message of hatred led the crowd to hate him. This
resulted in diverging both the Ranshi and Harmonist futures.
Cable then instructed Bridge to
gag Shire and put him in solitary confinement, and to place Domino in
maximum security. He subsequently met with Wall and Key, and they agreed to
help him against the Undying.
(Cable
II#84 (fb) - BTS) - One of the Undying possessed an unidentified man and sent him to kill his own daughter.
(Cable
II#84) - Cable -- joined by Key, Wall, and X-Men Beast (Hank McCoy) and Jean
Grey -- traveled to the door of Azazel and met with Professor Berger and
Sheik Hamid.
Beast noted its door to be virtually indestructible, while Jean sensed
five alien beings, apparently each of radically different species, with
no conscious thought patterns flowing in any of them, as if they were
in a trance or suspended animation.
Jean also noted a sixth presence, a
powerful psi-force broadcasting some sort of low-frequency alpha-waves,
strong enough to scramble a normal person's thought patterns; she
surmised this to be Azazel, and she blocked its mental attack from
them, although it continued to fight, increasing the pressure. 
As Key determined the code and unlocked the door, Azazel sent a distress signal, summoning the Undying back to their host bodies in stasis.
Meanwhile, Beast noted the
mountains to not be natural, and Cable concluded that it was
camouflage, which Key determined to be 500 feet in diameter.
After they passed through and
sealed the outer door, the inner door opened, and they appreciated this
to the airlock of a spaceship. After Beast confirmed the beings in
stasis to be from different worlds, Cable added that they must be
former victims of the Undying, ones they liked.
Key discovered that
Azazel was the starship's artificial intelligence, and that it's name
meant -- in the language of its creators, the Serayn -- scorekeeper.
Jean then announced that their presence had accelerated some kind of
emergency recall program, and that those in stasis were returning to
life quickly.
(Cable
II#84 - BTS) - As the Undying were recalled, Domino, Randall Shire, the
man who was about to kill his own daughter, and presumably two others
were freed from the Undying's influence.
(Cable
II#84) - Released from stasis, the Undying attacked the invaders. As
the Undying proved difficult to harm, the enraged Cable came close to
unleashing the power that kept his techno-organic virus in check.. The
Undying taunted that they could not lose, as if their hosts were
slain, they would just be freed to reclaim new hosts.
Via information downloaded from
Azazel, Key related the history of the Serayn and the Undying. As
Berger noted that they could not kill the creatures or they would just
be unleashed into new bodies, Beast further advised that these ancient
lifeforms that had been in stasis were rapidly decaying in the
atmosphere;as these forms would not last more than a few minutes,
after which the Undying would inhabit new bodies, leaving the Undying
alone was also not an option. 
Tiamet taunted the heroes that all of their efforts and sacrifices were for naught and that the Undying would win as they had always won. However, having gained control of Azazel, Key adjusted the settings: As the Undying had called humanity insects, Azazel would now only be able to transfer the Undying into cockroaches; and not just for 10,000 years but until the last cockroach on Earth died. Despite Aentaros roaring that they dare not and could not, Cable and Jean Grey formed a telekinetic shield to hold the Undying off until the transfer took effect.
The Undying's hosts perished soon
thereafter, and Key noted that he had locked the settings so that once
they left, they could not be changed "for all eternity." Cable and Jean
Grey then caused a rockslide to cover the door and prevent others from
accessing Azazel.
Comments: Created by Robert Weinberg, Michael Ryan, and Andrew Pepoy.
The Aentaros' true forms are
energy and have not been seen on panel. The forms shown in the profile
are their hosts.
The names of Lothan, Tiamet, and Vaudois, as well as the identification of the favored forms (from Cable II#84) of Aentaros, Semijan, Tiamet, and Vaudois were provided and/or approved by Robert Weinberg, as he received a special thanks in All-New Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z#12.
And this is why you should not kill a cockroach. If it is the last cockroach on Earth, the Undying will be free to possess humanity again!
Three futures associated with Randall Shire:
There's something about the Undying storyline that has
always bothered me. The Serayn were supposed to be these brilliant
super-scientists who created the artificial energy beings later known as the
Undying, and their starship with its artificial intelligence later known as
Azazel. The Serayn were killed off by the Undying because, once the energy
beings melded with their hosts, they were trapped in those forms until
their hosts died. And yet, Azazel somehow had the ability to transfer the Undying
from their hosts without the hosts having to die.
I know that the story said that the Undying gave Azazel that
ability but, given how brilliant the Serayn were supposed to be and the fact
that they survived for a thousand years before being finally killed off, it
always seemed unlikely that none of them were able to discover how to transfer
the Undying energy fields for themselves, and then use that ability to transfer
the Undying into a succession of lower animals, as Cable arranged to have
happen a few million years later. Surely that would have given them enough time
to find a way to destroy the Undying forever.
--Don Campbell
Profile by Snood.
CLARIFICATIONS:
The Undying should be distinguished from:
 .. Lothan was one of the five Undying created by the Serayn who then slaughtered their creators before traveling throughout the universe, possessing and destroying numerous races on numerous worlds. Eventually they did this as part of a contest run by Azazel, the artificial intelligence of their spaceship. Lothan kept the body of one of its preferred hosts in stasis within Azazel. Starting circa 5000 B.C., they continued this practice on Earth with humanity. In recent years, when Professor Berger, Cable, Sheik Hamid, Key, Wall, and X-Men Beast (Hank McCoy) and Jean Grey located and accessed Azazel, the AI summoned the Undying back into its favored hosts to deal with the intruders. In this form, Lothan battled Wall, but these long-preserved hosts swiftly decayed, while Key reprogrammed Azazel to only be able to transfer the Undying into cockroaches. --(Presumably as one of the Undying possessing a human over the years) Cable II#81; (confirmed appearance, unidentified) Cable II#84; (identified) Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z hardcover#12 Note: See the main entry for extended history and abilities. As Aentaros had been possessing Domino and Semijan had been possessing Randall Shire, this unidentified host must have been possessed by Lothan, Tiamat, or Vaudois. Lothan, Tiamet, and Vaudois were not identified in the original stories. Unlike Tiamet and Vaudois, Lothan was not identified in the image from Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z hardcover#12. However, as the other four are identified, it's just a process of elimination. Lothan's favored host's form can also be seen in the image of Cable holding them back with a telekinetic shield as well as in the image of the favored forms decomposing. Lothan's name is presumably an homage or otherwise drawing on Lotan, a dragon-creature associated with the Annunaki (Mesopotamian) sea god Yammu, who was defeated by Baal. You can Google Lotan for more information. There are parallels between Lotan and Tiamat, as well as the Biblical Leviathan....I may discuss this further if I ever convert Lothan into a full profile, but for now, that's what you get.... |
  Tiamet was one of the five Undying created by the Serayn
who then slaughtered their creators before traveling throughout the
universe, possessing and destroying numerous races on numerous worlds. Eventually they did this as part of a contest run by Azazel, the artificial intelligence of their spaceship. Tiamet kept the body of one of its preferred hosts in stasis within Azazel. Starting circa 5000 B.C., the Undying continued this practice on Earth with humanity. In recent years, when Professor Berger, Cable, Sheik Hamid, Key, Wall, and X-Men Beast (Hank McCoy) and Jean Grey located and accessed Azazel, the AI summoned the Undying back into its favored hosts to deal with the intruders. In this form, Tiamet battled Beast, but these long-preserved hosts swiftly decayed, while Key reprogrammed Azazel to only be able to transfer the Undying into cockroaches. --(Presumably as one of the Undying possessing a human over the years) Cable II#81; (confirmed appearance, unidentified) Cable II#84; (identified) Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z hardcover#12 Note: See the main entry for extended history and abilities. As Aentaros had been possessing Domino and Semijan had been possessing Randall Shire, this unidentified host must have been possessed by Lothan, Tiamat, or Vaudois. Lothan, Tiamet, and Vaudois were not identified in the original stories, but instead in Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z hardcover#12, which also clarified which of the favored hosts was possessed by Tiamet. Tiamet's favored host's form can also be seen in the main image, the image of Cable holding them back with a telekinetic shield, and the image of the favored forms decomposing. See clarifications for further discussion of the name Tiamet/Tiamat/etc. |
 Vaudois was one of the five Undying created by the Serayn
who then slaughtered their creators before traveling throughout the
universe, possessing and destroying numerous races on numerous worlds. Eventually they did this as part of a contest run by Azazel, the artificial intelligence of their spaceship. Vaudois kept the body of one of its preferred hosts in stasis within Azazel. Starting circa 5000 B.C., they continued this practice on Earth with humanity. In recent years, when Professor Berger, Cable, Sheik Hamid, Key, Wall, and X-Men Beast (Hank McCoy) and Jean Grey located and accessed Azazel, the AI summoned the Undying back into its favored hosts to deal with the intruders. In this form, Vaudois battled Sheik Hamid and Professor Berger, who fought back with guns, but these long-preserved hosts swiftly decayed, while Key reprogrammed Azazel to only be able to transfer the Undying into cockroaches. --(Presumably as one of the Undying possessing a human over the years) Cable II#81; (confirmed appearance, unidentified) Cable II#84; (identified) Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z hardcover#12 Note: See the main entry for extended history and abilities As Aentaros had been possessing Domino and Semijan had been possessing Randall Shire, this unidentified host must have been possessed by Lothan, Tiamat, or Vaudois. Lothan, Tiamet, and Vaudois were not identified in the original stories, but instead in Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z hardcover#12, which also clarified which of the favored hosts was possessed by Vaudois. Vaudois' favored host's form can also be seen in the main image, the image of Cable holding them back with a telekinetic shield, and the image of the favored forms decomposing. Vaudois' is never really seen fully, but his form almost certainly mirrors those in the images of its race. Vaudois is not I am familiar with from mythology or otherwise |
(Cable
II#84 (fb) - BTS) - The Undying spent the next several million years
traveling from world to world aboard the Serayn ship, the artificial intelligence of which became
known as Azazel, devouring the death energies of a multitude of lifeforms. Eventually, they grew bored, so
they started a game/competition, aided and judged by Azazel: Whoever
killed the most lifeforms won. Each match lasted 10,000 years or until
all life on the planet was destroyed. To keep the game fair, the
Undying gave Azazel the power to transfer their energy matrix from one
specific host to another at the moment of death. This insured that none
of the Undying gained an "unfair advantage." When circumstances
unbalanced the competition, Azazel stabilized the situation by using
another member of the Undying as its executioner. These beings seem to be amorphous creatures able to extend tendrils, tentacles, etc., and perhaps having pink, purple, and blue forms, at least. --Cable II#84  Note: While not confirmed in-story, these lifeforms look like the favored form Semijan kept in stasis within Azazel, and it would seem very likely that this was the race from which Semijan/Azazel obtained that lifeform. As that lifeform perished, it would also seem very likely that this race is also extinct, unless the Undying left after 10,000 years but before destroying all life on the planet OR if there were other members of this race off-world when the Undying attacked them. |
(Cable
II#84 (fb) - BTS) - The Undying spent the next several million years
traveling from world to world aboard the Serayn ship, the artificial intelligence of which became
known as Azazel, devouring the death energies of a multitude of lifeforms. Eventually, they grew bored, so
they started a game/competition, aided and judged by Azazel: Whoever
killed the most lifeforms won. Each match lasted 10,000 years or until
all life on the planet was destroyed. To keep the game fair, the
Undying gave Azazel the power to transfer their energy matrix from one
specific host to another at the moment of death. This insured that none
of the Undying gained an "unfair advantage." When circumstances
unbalanced the competition, Azazel stabilized the situation by using
another member of the Undying as its executioner. --Cable II#84 Note: While not confirmed in-story, these lifeforms look like the favored form Tiamet kept in stasis within Azazel, and it would seem very likely that this was the race from which Tiamet/Azazel obtained that lifeform. As that lifeform perished, it would also seem very likely that this race is also extinct, unless the Undying left after 10,000 years but before destroying all life on the planet OR if there were other members of this race off-world when the Undying attacked them. |
(Cable
II#84 (fb) - BTS) - The Undying spent the next several million years
traveling from world to world aboard the Serayn ship, the artificial intelligence of which became
known as Azazel, devouring the death energies of a multitude of lifeforms. Eventually, they grew bored, so
they started a game/competition, aided and judged by Azazel: Whoever
killed the most lifeforms won. Each match lasted 10,000 years or until
all life on the planet was destroyed. To keep the game fair, the
Undying gave Azazel the power to transfer their energy matrix from one
specific host to another at the moment of death. This insured that none
of the Undying gained an "unfair advantage." When circumstances
unbalanced the competition, Azazel stabilized the situation by using
another member of the Undying as its executioner. --Cable II#84 Note: While not confirmed in-story, these lifeforms look like the favored form Vaudois kept in stasis within Azazel, and it would seem very likely that this was the race from which Vaudois/Azazel obtained that lifeform. As that lifeform perished, it would also seem very likely that this race is also extinct, unless the Undying left after 10,000 years but before destroying all life on the planet OR if there were other members of this race off-world when the Undying attacked them. |
|
(Cable II#84 (fb) - BTS) - One of the Undying possessed a man and sent him to kill his own daughter. (Cable II#84 - BTS) - As the Undying were recalled, Domino, Randall Shire, the man who was about to kill his own daughter was freed from the Undying's influence. --Cable II#84 Note:
As Aentaros had been possessing Domino and Semijan had been possessing
Randall Shire, this host must have been possessed by Lothan, Tiamat, or
Vaudois |
images: (without ads)
Cable II#81, pg. 14, panel 6 (Undying hosts throughout the ages);
#82, pg. 10, panel 5 (Irene Merryweather considering the Undying);
pg. 11, panel 2 (people warring via Undying);
#84, pg. 1, panel 1 (recent hosts: Andy Carmody, Blockade, Irene Merryweather, Domino, Randall Shire);
pg. 9, panel 4-5 (possessed man preparing to kill daughter; man released from possession);
pg. 11, panel 1 (Aentaros, Tiamet, Semijan
& Vaudois emerging from stasis in favored forms within Azazel);
pg.10-11, panel 3 (Semijan in favored form);
pg. 12, panel 3 (Lothan in favored form);
pg. 13, panel 1 (Vaudois in favored form);
panel 3 (Tiamet in favored form);
pg. 16, panel 1 (Undying attacking alien race);
panel 2-3 (affecting amorphous race);
panel 4 (involved with
green race with tentacles...looks like what Vaudois possessed);
pg. 18 (Undying in favored forms desperately assaulting Cable and allies);
pg. 19, panel 1 (Undying's favored forms dying/decomposing);
panel 7 (cockroach)
Appearances:
Cable II#79 (May, 2000) - Robert Weinberg (writer), Michael Ryan (penciler),
Andrew Pepoy (inker), Mark Powers (editor)
Cable II#80 (June, 2000) - Robert Weinberg (writer), Michael Ryan (penciler), Scott Hanna (inker), Mark Powers (editor)
Cable II#81-82 (July-August, 2000) - Robert Weinberg (writer), Michael Ryan (penciler),
Andrew Pepoy (inker), Mark Powers (editor)
Cable II#83 (September, 2000) - Robert Weinberg (writer), Michael Ryan (penciler), Walden Wong (inker), Mark Powers (editor)
Cable
II#84 (October, 2000) - Robert Weinberg (writer), Michael Ryan (penciler),
Nathan Massengil & Andrew Pepoy (inkers), Mark Powers (editor)
All-New Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z#12 (December, 2006) - Jeff Christiansen (head writer/coordinator), Michael Hoskin, Stuart Vandal, Al Sjoerdsma, Eric J. Moreels, Sean McQuaid, Chad Anderson, Mark O'English, Anthony Flamini, Ronald Byrd, Jacob Rougemont, Mike Fichera, Madison Carter & Chris Biggs (writers), Michael Short (assistant editor), Jeff Youngquist & Jennifer Grunwald (editors)
Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z hardcover#12 (March, 2010) - Jeff Christiansen (head writer/coordinator), Mike Fichera, Markus Raymond, Mike O'Sullivan & Madison Carter (coordination assistants), Stuart Vandal, Sean McQuaid, Michael Hoskin, Mike O'Sullivan, Ronald Byrd, Mike Fichera, Madison Carter, Rob London, Gabriel Shechter, Eric J. Moreels, David Wiltfong, Jacob Rougemont, Chris Biggs, Rich Green, Kevin Garcia, Jeph York, & Mark O'English (writers), Brian Overton (copy editor), John Denning & Alex Starbuck (assistant editors), Mark D. Beazley (editor, special projects), Jeff Youngquist & Jennifer Grunwald (editors)
First posted: 05/14/2023
Last updated: 11/24/2023
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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