Huntsman (Weapon XII) (X-Men, Fantomex foe)

HUNTSMAN Weapon XII hunts for mutants

Real Name: Zona Cluster 6

Identity/Class: Hyper-evolved human mutant cyborg

Occupation: Super-evolved killing machine

Group Membership: Weapon Plus program, Super Sentinels

Affiliations: Military Industrial Complex (The World)

Enemies: Mutants, especially Cannonball, Darkstar, Fantomex, Madrox, Monet, Phoenix (Jean Grey), Professor X, Rictor, Siryn

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: Weapon XII

Base of Operations: Euro Tunnel, France;

formerly The World, London, England, U.K.

First Appearance: New X-Men I#129 (September, 2002)

Powers/Abilities: Huntsman was very powerful in that he had bacterial consciousness, his mind spreading like a disease by means of touch, with each infected human/animal then falling under his control, although this control ended at his death. Those under the control of his viral mind shared his bright shining eyes. Unfortunately, those under his control died when he died. Huntsman was aggressive and had been bred to be a hyper-evolved loyal cyborg soldier for future wars, especially confrontations against mutants. He had an exposed brain that shone and was shaped liked coral. He stood over 7' tall with an enlarged muscular physique that was about enhanced human, probably with superhuman stamina and enhanced durability. He had long straight talons that formed part of his hands and served to spread his mind control infection.

Huntsman surrounded by his possessed minions History:

(New X-Men I#129 (fb) - BTS) - Huntsman, initially designated Weapon XII, was developed as the latest in a series of "living weapons" tests conducted by the Military Industrial Complex to counter the mutant threat. Weapon XII, along with Weapon XIII (otherwise known as Fantomex), were bred in experimental time incubators at secret laboratories near London, crudely splicing human genetic material with adaptive sentinel microtechnology and evolved at a hyper-accelerated rate. They were intended to join several others to form a team of murderous Super Sentinels. Some time later, Weapon XII was being transported via train with Weapon XIII in the Euro Tunnel, which connects France with England. However, Fantomex escaped from his capsule and stole a dossier containing information on the Weapon Plus program.

(New X-Men I#128 (fb) - BTS) - A train wreck was faked in the Euro Tunnel, leaving 120 passengers, 30 asylum-seekers and various animals, such as dogs, bats and crows, trapped in the wreckage. The train was carrying the capsule containing Huntsman, but the wreck caused the Super Sentinel to spill out of his container. However, this was all staged to field test Huntsman against trained mutants.

(New X-Men I#128) - X-Corporation members Cannonball, Darkstar, Rictor, Madrox, Monet and Siryn were dispatched by Phoenix (Jean Grey) from the X-Corp Paris Headquarters. As the X-Corp team met at the mouth of the Channel Tunnel, Fantomex revealed his presence to Phoenix and Professor X, and told them that "something big and bad" got loose in the train wreck called Weapon XII. Fantomex suggested that the emergency team might already be dead. Meanwhile, bathed in red light in the Tunnel, the X-Corp team were violently overwhelmed by sheer weight of numbers from people possessed by Weapon XII, even fighting each other.

(New X-Men I#129) - Minutes later, Monet was surrounded by fallen bodies, with no response from her teammates, just a new wave of possessed humans who had glowing eyes that matched Weapon XII's glowing cranial cluster. Elsewhere in the tunnel, possessed dogs tore at non-possessed humans, while other survivors were chased by possessed people toward Darkstar. Back at X-Corp European HQ, Fantomex successfully recruited Professor X and Phoenix to accompany him to destroy Weapon XII.

(New X-Men I#130) - Cannonball, Madrox, Rictor and Siryn were surrounded by panicked individuals, with several Madrox clones having formed a circle around their teammates, fighting off possessed humans and animals. Siryn then lashed out with a sonic scream, clearing a path. However, Weapon XII marshaled his zombified forces and pursued them. Meanwhile, Fantomex gave a brief history of the Weapon Plus Program to Professor X and Phoenix.

When they arrived at the mouth of the tunnel, Phoenix froze Weapon XII's motor functions telekinetically, but the adaptive war machines of his mind countered this. Rictor, who was somehow immune to Huntsman's touch, was taken out of the tunnel by a Madrox, while a wounded Siryn was helped by Cannonball. Fantomex, followed by Phoenix, then rushed into the tunnel to find the Weapon's kill switch, manufactured in case the experiment got out of control, shooting to kill those in his way; unfortunately this included a possessed Darkstar. Professor X then took over an exhausted Madrox's nervous system to aid the two mutants, answering the life manipulating powers of Weapon XII with that of multiple Madroxes, and the two possessed armies clashed. Professor X's actions served as an effective distraction for Fantomex to reach the container that housed Weapon XII, but Phoenix also saw that there was another for Weapon XIII. He then activated Huntsman's kill switch, detonating Weapon XII's brain cluster, but also killing all those minds under his control. Fantomex then disabled his own kill switch before escaping.

(New X-Men I#145) - Fantomex showed Cyclops the meeting room for the Super Sentinels, with large chairs (which had each Weapon's designated name on the back) around a large round table, from where the Super Sentinels would have coordinated their attacks on mutants.

Comments: Created by Grant Morrison (writer) and Igor Kordey (artist).

Huntsman's appearance in the tunnel certainly contained some traditionally vampiric elements.

Profile by Grendel Prime

Clarifications:

Huntsman (Weapon XII) has no known connections to:

Huntsman, agent of Zeus, hunter and tracker of Olympians @ Ka-Zar Quarterly#1/2
Huntsman of Eurth - Kraven counterpart @ Avataars: Covenant of the Shield#2
Weapon Alpha (Guardian) - Canadain superhero in flight-suit, led Alpha Flight @ X-Men I#109
Weapon Omega - masked identity of Wildchild in Alpha Flight @ Alpha Flight I#102
Weapon Prime - team organized to bring in Cable and X-Force, later used against Northstar @ X-Force#10
Weapon X - empowered by Dr. Huxley at secret project at Department H, mutated by exposure to a fatal dose of thetagen-24, committed suicide to prevent worldwide infection @ Alpha Flight II#17
Weapon X - team sent to alternate worlds to right certain wrongs, became despotic under Hyperion, slain in battle with Exiles @ Exiles#5
Weapon-Walker - exo-skeleton creation of Mako, destroyed by Coldblood @ Marvel Comics Presents#32/3
Weapon Y @ New Warriors Annual#3/3
Any other "Huntsman" or "Weapon" characters

And should not be confused with:

Weapon 0 - Weapon IX (mentioned only) @ X-Men II#130
Weapon X (Wolverine), mutant with retractable claws, metal-laced skeleton and enhanced healing factor, member of X-Men and Avengers, guest star extraordinaire @ Incredible Hulk II#180
Weapon X (Kane) - mutant agent with cyborg enhancements @ X-Force#2
Weapon XIII (Fantomex) - debonair mutant with external nervous system (EVA) @ X-Men II#128
Weapon XV (Ultimaton) - developed at Weapon Plus facility, unwittingly released by AIM @ X-Men II#143

images:
New X-Men I#130, p17, panel 4 (war begun?)

p2-3, panel 5 (head)

p18, panel 1 (make war)

New X-Men I#128 (August, 2002) - Grant Morrison (writer), Igor Kordey (artist), Mike Marts (editor)
New X-Men I#129 (September, 2002) - Grant Morrison (writer), Igor Kordey (artist), Mike Marts (editor)
New X-Men I#130 (October, 2002) - Grant Morrison (writer), Igor Kordey (artist), Mike Marts (editor)
New X-Men I#145 (October, 2003) - Grant Morrison (writer), Chris Bachalo (pencils), Tim Townsend (with Vey and Sowd) (inks), Mike Marts (editor)

Last updated: 04/02/06

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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