SWORDSMAN/ELDER COTATI imposter
Real Name: Unrevealed
Identity/Class: Extradimensional (Limbo) mutate (Space Phantom)
Occupation: Agent of Immortus
Group Membership: Space Phantoms
Affiliations: Avengers (Black Widow (Romanova), Captain America (Rogers), Crystal, Giant-Man (Pym), Hawkeye, Hercules, Iron Man (Teen Tony) of Earth-96020, Quicksilver, Swordsman (Jarvert), Vision, Wasp), Century, Iron Man (Stark), Masque;
In reality: See enemies, Tuc
Enemies: Immortus (posing as Kang), Luna imposter, Malachi, Mantis imposter, Tobias, everyone else serving Immortus during the Crossing;
In reality: See affiliations
Known Relatives: Space Phantoms
Aliases: None
Base of Operations: Limbo
First Appearance: Avengers I#392 (November, 1995)
Powers/Abilities: Like all Space Phantoms it possessed the power to assume the appearance and powers of virtually any single mortal being. At the point that it assumed a being's likeness, the model was automatically shunted to Limbo until such time as the Phantom assumed its own form or that of someone else. The person dispatched to Limbo had no recollection of being in Limbo and materialized exactly where he or she was when "shunted". With Immortus help the Phantom could also assume appearance and powers of not existent beings. Through Immortus it also gained a full set of memories for each personality so that it couldn't be unveiled by telepaths because it really believed its own lies.
As the Elder Cotati/Swordsman it could turn into a plant-like form and entangle others with its branches. It could also control plants.
History:
(Avengers Forever#8 (fb) ) - A Space Phantom was transformed by Immortus into the Cotati version of Swordsman.
(Avengers I#392) - Swordsman (Jarvert) tried to find the spot in the Sylvan Glade where Tuc and a Priest of Pama had talked to him. He found the spot and saw how the Elder Cotati/Swordsman was assembled in front of him by an unknown energy from twigs and vines. The Elder Cotati talked to Swordsman how much alike Jarvert was to the Elder Cotati's host. Vision arrived, but behind him a portal opened and Luna, Tobias and Malachi came through. Jarvert tried to protect the Elder Cotati from them, but the Elder Cotati wasn't defenseless and used plants to strike his enemies, but Tobias cut the plants and it hurt the Elder Cotati so much that he went to his knees. Jarvert once again protected the Elder Cotati from their enemies, but he was no match for them unlike the Vision, who managed to protect the Elder Cotati a little while longer. In the end he was defeated as well and the Elder Cotati/Swordsman was taken to Limbo, where Malachi and Tobias brought him to their mother Mantis, who felt nothing but hate for her ex-husband the Elder Cotati/Swordsman.
(Avengers I#395) - Tony Stark, the traitor in the Avengers midst, found the Elder Cotati trapped inside Kang's fortress and saved him from his cell. They left the fortress together to oppose Mantis and Kang, but Kang only laughed. Mantis on the other hand was offered a chance by the Elder Cotati to unite with him, but she didn't take his offer and nearly killed him for she never wanted to be violated by the Elder Cotati again. After Stark had sacrificed his life to save the world from Kang and Mantis, the Elder Cotati was seen lying on the floor not far away. Suddenly Tuc returned with Luna (the small child, not the teenage version) to give her back to her mother and then teleported away with the seriously injured Elder Cotati.
Comments: Created by Bob Harras, Terry Kavanagh, M.C. Wyman & Tom Palmer.
Like many other characters during the Crossing, this Elder Cotati/Swordsman was retconned to have just been a Space Phantom by Busiek in Avengers Forever. This revelation was further cemented in Avengers: The Celestial Quest when the real Elder Cotati seemed to have no recollection of any cruelties done to him by Mantis.
Profile by Markus Raymond.
CLARIFICATIONS:
Mantis should not be confused with:
images: (without ads)
Avengers I#392, p7, pan1 (main image)
Avengers Forever#8, p21, pan6 (transformation)
Avengers I#392, p10, pan3 (head shot)
Appearances:
Avengers I#392 (November, 1995) - Bob Harras & Terry Kavanagh (writers), M.C. Wyman (pencils), Tom Palmer (inks), Ralph Macchio (editor)
Avengers I#395 (February, 1996) - Bob Harras & Terry Kavanagh (writers), Mike Deodato (pencils), Emir Ribeiro (inks), Ralph Macchio (editor)
Avengers Forever#8 (July, 1999) - Kurt Busiek (writer), Carlos Pacheco (penciler), Jesus Merino (inker), Tom Brevoort (editor)
First Posted: 04/15/2007
Last updated: 10/17/2013
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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