("CUBIST")"MUTIES"
("CUBIST")
"MUTIES"
Membership: At least 17 members (at least two of whom were slain), none identified;
Purpose: Survival, cannibalism, destruction of anything that threatened them
Affiliations: None known
Enemies:
Deathlok the Demolisher (Luther Manning), Grissom, Spider-Man (Peter Parker) of
Earth-616, Strake
Base of Operations: Manhattan (possibly based near the former Times Square), New York, Earth-7484 / Earth-Deathlok
Aliases: "Muties" is the only name by which they were described in-story;
"Cubists" is a term I use to better distinguish them since "Muties" is so non-specific
First Appearance: Marvel Team-Up I#46 (June 1976)
Powers/Abilities: Their blood was charged with nuclear plasma. Each one carried a small yellow cube through which they could discharge powerful energy blasts; they seemed to require minutes to recharge after unleashing a blast.
The "Cubists" tended to remain in a stupor
until something threatened the group.
They would then slowly develop a semi-coherent group-mind, sometimes with one of them chanting initially. After the chanting stopped, they would soon be collectively swept by an overwhelming emotion, hate, which subjugated reason and overshadowed fear.
The emotion then charged the cubes
they held with radioactive energy, and they pooled these energies,
converting it to pure power that they could project at their target(s).
Injuries to one of them tended to affect the others, disrupting their concentration, and leaving them without focus or organization.
One man appeared to be their leader and could direct them in conflict.
History: The Cubists are natives of the divergent reality designated Earth-7484.
(Astonishing Tales I#35 (fb) / (Captain America I#288 (fb)) - BTS) <1983 A.D. or shortly thereafter> - Explosions from an unrevealed source destroyed Manhattan and a dozen other American cities. Many of the survivors degenerated into savagery and even cannibalism; some of these were "muties."
(Astonishing Tales I#35 - BTS / Marvel Team-Up I#46 (fb) - BTS) - After Simon Ryker lost control of the city, it was overrun by mutants and cannibals.
(Marvel Team-Up I#46 (fb)) <1991 A.D.> - While seeking to take out the mutants and cannibals who had been running rampant since Ryker's downfall, Deathlok began being hunted by the "Cubist" muties, who smelled the decay factor inherent in his body and wished to make a meal out of him.
(Marvel Team-Up I#46) - Deathlok located several of the
Cubists while on a mission in Manhattan, and he prepared to kill them. 
His aim
was disrupted by the time-traveling Spider-Man of Earth-616 who assumed a
monster cyborg was trying to kill innocent kids.
Only vaguely aware of the laser blast that narrowly missed them all, the Cubists began chanting as they began to return to conscious awareness, then they became filled with rage, which they channeled into their cubes, discharging a powerful blast that Spider-Man and Deathlok narrowly dodged.
Realizing his mistake, Spider-Man
smashed into the Cubists, while Deathlok dropped one of them with a
laser (presumably fatally). The entire group screamed as Deathlok's
laser found its target, after which they scattered mindlessly as pain
flooded over their collective, instinctive being. They left behind one
each who had been nailed by Deathlok and Spider-Man.
As Spider-Man and Deathlok sought to locate the other Cubist muties, Spider-Man carried the unconscious Cubist with him. However, the Cubist was slain by Strake, one of a pair of government assassins who was trying to take out Deathlok and his apparently ally but missed his primary targets. Spider-Man then punched out Strake while Deathlok slew his partner, Grissom.
(Marvel Team-Up I#46 - BTS) - The Cubists reorganized under their masked leader, seeking the deaths of those who had assaulted them before.
(Marvel Team-Up I#46) - The Cubists fired another blast at
Spider-Man and Deathlok, who again narrowly dodged it.
Losing their focus, the
group mentality was disrupted by their individual hungers. They became somewhat
disorganized and began rushing the heroes singly.
Deathlok and Spider-Man made short work of the Cubists and, after half of their number were either unconscious or slain, the remaining members fled...to wander, reform, and regroup again...endlessly.
COMMENTS: Created by Bill Mantlo, Sal Buscema, Mike Esposito, and David Hunt.
This group was decidedly different from any of the other
cannibals to appear in the Astonishing Tales series.
Those mutatated by radiation would be mutates,
although their offspring may be mutants, depending on whether you use
the classic Marvel definition of mutants or you use the revised
definition of it being a specific genetic lineage whatever that became
popular in the 21st century real time.
That being said, as the explosions that mutated some
occurred circa 1983, there would not have been any adult children
resulting from the union of such mutates.
There is probably some more unique reason for a
group of 17 cannibalistic beings having radioactive powers associated
with golden cubes and possessing group mind. I wonder if they were
somehow a creation of the Brand Corporation.
And what's the deal with the masked leader guy?
There's got to be a reason he was costumed as opposed to being in
civilian garb like the others.
But, sadly on many levels, Bill Mantlo is no longer
around, so answers are not likely to be forthcoming unless some new
writer revisits these characters.
Spider-Man had actually arrived in
Deathlok's time after traveling from Earth-691 circa 2019 A.D. where he
encountered Killraven.
Old crappy scans replaced by clean
and sparkly digital images courtesy of David A. Zuckerman, with
additional images subsequently added by Snood, with minor text
additions.
Profile by Snood.
CLARIFICATIONS:
No known connection to:
images:
Marvel Team-Up I#46,
pg. 3, panel 5 (dazed);
pg. 4, panel 5 (hate-filled);
pg. 5, panel 3 (charging cubes);
panel 5 (projecting blast);
pg. 26, panel 1 (group with leader)
Appearances:
Marvel Team-Up I#46 (June, 1976) - Bill Mantlo (writer), Sal Buscema (pencils), Mike Esposito (inks), Marv Wolfman (editor)
First Posted: 04/13/2005
Last updated: 06/24/2024
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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