ARIZE

Real Name: Unrevealed

Identity/Class: Extradimensional (Mojoverse/Wildways) mutate/cyborg

Occupation: Scientist, geneticist, freedom fighter

Group Membership: Various Mojoverse rebellions;
    Arize is technically one of the Spineless Ones, though he has significantly altered his original form

Affiliations: Longshot, Quark, Mojoverse/Wildways slave race rebellion, Spiral;
    X-Factor (Havok/Alex Summers, Multiple Man/Jamie Madrox, Polaris/Lorna Dane, Quicksilver/Pietro Maximoff, Strong Guy/Guido Carosella, Wolfsbane/Rahne Sinclair);
    X-Men (Archangel/Warren Worthington, Beast/Hank McCoy, Lucas Bishop, Colossus/Peter Rasputin, Cyclops/Scott Summers, Gambit, Iceman/Bobby Drake, Marvel Girl/Jean Grey, Professor X, Psylocke/Betsy Braddock, Rogue/Anna Marie, Storm/Ororo Munroe, Wolverine/Logan/James Howelett)
    Milton, Shatterstar, & Shecky of Reality-84309's Mojoverse;
    X-Force of Reality-84309 (Cannonball/Sam Guthrie, Cyberlock/combined Doug Ramsey & Warlock, Darkchild/Illyana Rasputin, Powerpax/Francine Power, Shatterstar/Gaveedra-Seven, Siryn/Theresa Cassidy, Sunspot/Roberto Da Costa, Warpath/James Proudstar);
    X-Men of Reality-84309

Enemies: Death Sponsors (Cancellator, Deadair, Lead-In, Sweepzweak, Timeslot), Gog, Gog N'Magog, Mojo;
    formerly the Spineless Ones, Spiral;
    Mojo II: The Sequel; Mojo III, Mojo IV, Mojo V (Reality-84309)

Known Relatives: None; he considers his creations as his children to some extent

Aliases: Toymaker, Giver of Life, Taker of Life, Lord Arize

Base of Operations: Mojoverse;
    formerly Wessington Springs, South Dakota;
    formerly Afghanistan's Hindu Kush mountains

First Appearance: (Identified only) Longshot#3 (November, 1985);
    (seen) Longshot#5 (January, 1986)

Powers/Abilities: Arize can genetically engineer living beings, granting a variety of appearances, abilities, and even sentience and superhuman abilities.

    Arize considers himself to have the proper temperament to be a creator: an impatience for the way things are, and an angry desire to make things better -- "the proper combination of irreverence and rage makes for a great inventor. Although it does nothing for one's modesty."

    Though generally preferring to create, Arize is a sufficiently skilled fighter to defeat experienced combatants in the gladiatorial arena. He may be superhumanly agile and/or swift.

Height: 9' (including artificial limbs)
Weight: 220 lbs.
Eyes: Black cornea; light green irises
Hair: Brown

History:
(X-Force Annual#1 (fb) - BTS) - The Spineless Ones were driven insane by time-twisted transmissions from Earth sent by Arize in the future.

(Longshot#5 (fb)) <Per Arize's own account> - While the rest of his spineless race dragged their spirits through the muck and held their eyes to the ground, Arize was the man who woke up in the dark. He built a frame and taught men to stand upright and look to the spitfires above.

(Longshot#6 (fb) - BTS) - Born short, Arize designed a frame that made him like 9' tall.

(Longshot#5 (fb)) <Per Arize's own account> - He dragged the whole helpless race out of the muck and bog of the outlands; he "raised the dead" (presumably referring to awakening of virtually dead spirits). Some refused spines (a matter of integrity they claimed), and somehow the Spineless Ones became their world's rulers, power mad beings requiring slaves to maintain them.

(Longshot#3 (fb) - BTS / Longshot#5 (fb)) - Arize created the bipedal vertebrates used as slaves by the Spineless Ones/Only Ones of the Wildways/Mojoverse. This form was selected based on the "worst nightmare creatures from their mythology," and "devils from the Spineless Ones' collective mind" and Arize planned this design in a microscopic genetic map, and the slaves were morphogenetically grown in delicate machines.
    While some of the Spineless Ones feared spines would make the slave race better than them, others argued that it was much preferable to be spineless, as they expended so little physical energy that it left their minds more free; the slaves would labor so hard that they wouldn't have a flicker of energy left over to think.

(X-Factor Annual#7 (fb) - BTS) - Arize created biped life in hopes of showing his world how to stand tall and reach for the skies.

(Longshot#6 (fb) - BTS) - Not wanting to truly create slaves for the Spineless Ones, Arize took steps to ensure they would eventually rebel.

(Longshot#3 (fb) - BTS / Longshot#5 (fb) - BTS / Uncanny X-Men Annual#16 (fb) - BTS) - Arize imbued at least one of the slaves (later known as the Lucky One, the Fallen Messiah, and later Longshot) with special powers, as well as intelligence and a strong will that would not be enslaved: the Messiah Imperative.

(Longshot#5 (fb)) - When the Spineless Ones demanded weapons, galaxy-spanning super-weapons of destruction, Arize, considering this suicide, refused; and the Spineless Ones cast him out.

(Longshot#5 (fb) - BTS) - Arize took up residence beyond the bogs, creating only the frivolous, the amusing, the beautiful -- nothing of meaning or purpose.

(Longshot#6 (fb) - BTS) - Arize's inventions began changing, evolving will and coming alive.

(Longshot#5 (fb)) - Seeking his creator, the Lucky One / Fallen Messiah passed through barren bogs and ink lagoons before encounter an intricate, elaborate mechanical butterfly, the beauty of which nearly overwhelmed him. He was further impressed with a miniature, butterfly-winged humanoid woman, and then a snail-creature spoke to him asking if he needed help, and seconds later, Arize appeared, apparently exiting a door in the snail-creature. Arize confirmed the rebel slave to be one of his creations, dismissed his adoration as unnecessary and asked why he had come there. When the slave told him all of the slaves needed his help, Arize revealed his history and then told the slave that it was the slaves turn to do what they could, and they must all rebel. When the slave identified himself as nobody, Arize told him that within him there was a possibility for miracles; he reminded the slave that all the slaves were genetically engineered, not built, and that they were living, breathing creatures, as real as their masters. "Know that and the rest will follow!"

(Longshot#6 (fb)) - Arize told the slave, "It's all in the spirit. Forget you were ever a slave and you will cease to be one. I didn't create you for that." As he continued to encourage the slave to lead a rebellion, Arize further gifted him with a robotic horse that had gained its will and come alive. Arize compared the slave to a man who woke in the dark, with everyone else still asleep. Arize told the slave the horse would help, allowing him to ride far and fast, farther than any of their races had ever gone before.

(X-Men II Annual#1 (fb) - BTS) - The rebels lost to Mojo's forces, then rebelled again only to be defeated again. This repeated itself over and over again, much like a rerun.

(Uncanny X-Men Annual#16 (fb) - BTS / X-Factor Annual#7 (fb) - BTS) - While the others of his race, the Spineless Ones, were genetically predisposed to absorb all signal wavelengths coming from Earth, Arize was immune to / unaffected by these transmissions.

(X-Men II Annual#1) - As Mojo's forces breached the last rebellion stronghold, Arize wrote what he believed would be his last journal entry. Under siege, the rebels scurried Arize to their bunker's lower depth; Arize found it odd that the rebels considered him too important to be captured, while he believed himself the reason for the fighting, as he had both created the slave race and instigated the rebellion. Quark fell trying to hold off Mojo's forces, and Mojo himself blasted the remaining rebels, making his way to confront Arize himself. When Mojo told Arize he would create a new slave race, Arize -- refusing to rerun his past mistakes and not caring whether he lived or died so long as he was not serving Mojo -- activated a device that seemingly disintegrated him, though Major Domo correctly deduced that Arize had instead traveled to Earth.

(X-Men II Annual#1) - Arize arrived in Afghanistan's Hindu Kush mountains. Injured, he was taken in Mujahedin rebels.

(X-Men II Annual#1) - Detecting an unidentified mutagenic alien life form via Cerebro, the X-Men's Blue Team (Beast/Hank McCoy, Cyclops/Scott Summers, Gambit, Psylocke/Betsy Braddock, Rogue/Anna Marie, Wolverine/Logan/James Howelett) were dispatched to investigate. Mojo soon ordered an interruption of scheduled broadcasting as he sent a group to Earth to retrieve Arize over a live-feed. As the X-Men arrived in Afghanistan and convinced one of the rebels to bring them to Arize, Mojo's retrieval team -- Gog, Gog N'Magog, Quark (readjusted to serve Mojo), and a pair of arena warriors -- arrived on Earth in that location, detected Arize, and rushed to locate him. Psylocke scanned Arize's mind and learned his past, but was cut off by the approaching retrieval team. After a battle with the X-Men, Gog and Gog N'Magog fled with the retrieval team back to the Mojoverse, identifying the Fallen Messiah associated with Arize as Longshot as they departed.
    With Arize having awakened, the X-Men pondered his nature. Mojo was humiliated by his public defeat, and his enemies plotted to use this to defeat, slay, and replace him.

(Uncanny X-Men Annual#16 (fb) - BTS) -  The X-Men's Blue Team brought Arize back to the Xavier School. As Arize had lost contact with his memories, Xavier had Jean Grey (a superior telepath to Psylocke) attempt to help him recover them. When the Blue Team went on another assignment, since Jean was already involved, Xavier reassigned Arize to the Gold Team (Archangel/Warren Worthington, Lucas Bishop, Colossus/Peter Rasputin, Iceman/Bobby Drake, Marvel Girl/Jean Grey, Storm/Ororo Munroe).

(Uncanny X-Men Annual#16) -  Mojo's rival network sent the Death Sponsors -- Cancellator, Deadair, Lead-In, Sweepzweak, Timeslot -- to the Xavier School to retrieve Arize, pirating Mojo's transmissions to broadcast this across Mojoworld. As Jean continued her efforts to lead Arize to recover his memories, the Death Sponsor arrived on the premises, defeated a group of X-Men and then then those kept behind to protect Arize, de-powering the latter group. Arize asked we he was so important to them, and Cancellator sent a wire into his head, apparently restoring his memories. As Timeslot cyberlinked the group and began to teleport them all back to Mojoworld, however, Bishop fired a bullet into Timeslot as they hit "midport," disrupting all of the Death Sponsors' energies, apparently killing them. Not connected to their cybernet, Arize was left relatively unharmed, and the others regained their powers upon Sweepzweak's termination.
    Deciding everything that was good and right were the very things that had been perverted and twisted on Mojoworld, Arize determined to discover how his own world went wrong by learning what is right about Earth. He departed to study Earth. 

(X-Factor Annual#7 (fb) - BTS) - Arize relocated to Wessington Springs, South Dakota, 40 miles east of the Crow Creek reservation. He encountered and befriended several Native Americans on the reservation.

(X-Factor Annual#7 (fb) - BTS) - Mojo's rivals, via broadcasting on Mojo's network and using his call signals, made it appear he had sent the Death Sponsors and thus failed again, causing his rating to further plummet.

(X-Factor Annual#7) - Mojo resolved to contact Spiral, long present on Earth, and have her locate and slay Arize.
    Meanwhile, on the 22nd day of his time on Earth, Arize completed his retrieval array, which absorbed Earth's global communication signals, intending to use the collective material to show his people what it meant to be free. As the other Spineless Ones absorbed all signal wavelengths coming from Earth, Arize intended to control their madness by controlling the signals they received, which he transmitted to them across the dimensional void. With this "socially useful vidimagery" he hoped to undo the societal upheaval for which he was responsible.
    While Spiral tracked down Arize for her own reasons (torching the reservation in the process), X-Factor (Havok/Alex Summers, Multiple Man/Jamie Madrox, Polaris/Lorna Dane, Quicksilver/Pietro Maximoff, Strong Guy/Guido Carosella, Wolfsbane/Rahne Sinclair) tracked down Spiral for Val Cooper, hoping to make amends for having used her in Freedom Force. Spiral soon confronted Arize, telling him how, in his future, he would transform Ricochet Rita into her, and that she intended to kill him to prevent this, at least to save one alternate Rita. X-Factor arrived and eventually stunned Spiral, who detailed his origins and reasons for seeking Arize's death. When she quoted that it would be 100 years before the slavery struggle was abolished (and not even then) when the male child of a human and an Arize-spawn led the way, Arize agreed to return to Mojoworld with Spiral, to ensure Longshot did not fail again. As they departed, Spiral told Arize that Shatterstar would be the one to lead Mojoworld, but that he would not be its savior.

(X-Force Annual#1 (fb) - BTS) - Arize's transmissions from Earth to Mojoworld were time-twisted as they passed through the interdimensional breach and served as the catalyst for the very madness that originally drove the Spineless Ones.

See Arize of Reality-84309

Comments: Created by Ann Nocenti, Arthur Adams, and Whilce Portacio.

(X-Factor Annual#7 (ff - possibly in some divergent future)) - When Longshot and Ricochet Rita failed in leading a rebellion against Mojo, Mojo drove Rita insane and then coerced Arize to physically transform Rita via bio-cyberonic implants into Spiral. Mojo then sent Spiral back in time to facilitate Rita's capture and transformation into Spiral.

    I don't know whether Mujahedin rebels is topical or not...they were opposing Soviet forces with US support at the time of this story.

    A lot of people on Mojoworld invoke Za: "Za's vid!" (presumably short for video) or "for Za knows how long." Presumably Za is some great broadcaster from that world, but I don't think we know anything concrete, do we?

Profile by Snood.

CLARIFICATIONS:
No KNOWN connections to:

Arize of  Reality-84309

(X-Force Annual#1 (fb) - BTS) - In Reality-84309, aided by Spiral, Arize used an alliance of Longshot with the X-Men to defeat and destroy Mojo I and Mojo II.

(X-Force Annual#1 (fb) - BTS) - In Reality-84309, In Reality-84309, Arize's genetically engineered bipeds overthrew the tyrannical rule of Mojo III.

(X-Force Annual#1 (fb) - BTS) - Arize's genetically engineered bipeds overthrew the tyrannical rule of Mojo IV.

(X-Force Annual#1 (fb) - BTS) - 100 years in the future of Reality-84309, Arize and Spiral, aided by X-Force (Cannonball/Sam Guthrie, Cyberlock/combined Doug Ramsey & Warlock, Shatterstar/Gaveedra-Seven, Siryn/Theresa Cassidy, Warpath/James Proudstar), overthrew Mojo V and then place Shatterstar as titular ruler of Mojoworld.

(X-Force Annual#1 (fb) - BTS) - In Reality-84309, Shatterstar ruled Mojoworld for 10 years, but the Spineless Ones were then enslaved by the former slaves, participating in gladiatorial games and being slaughtered by Freeman Armed Network Garrison (FANG); Shatterstar was uncomfortable with how things ended up, but was continually manipulated by his "assistant," the Scheduler (an agent of "the Board," a alliance of former slaves), to maintain the new status quo.

(X-Force Annual#1) - In Reality-84309, Arize, joined by the Spineless Ones Milton and Shecky, traveled to Earth-84309's "X-Mansion" (formerly the Xavier School, now the fortress base of X-Force) to enlist the aid of the current incarnation of X-Force (or possibly they were now known as the X-Men -- Cannonball/Sam Guthrie, Cyberlock/combined Doug Ramsey & Warlock, Darkchild/Illyana Rasputin, Powerpax/Francine Power, Siryn/Theresa Cassidy, Sunspot/Roberto Da Costa) in ending Shatterstar's tyranny. Having only known the Spineless Ones as foes, X-Force mistook Milton and Shecky as assailants and attacked them, but eventually X-Force realized their mistake and halted the struggle. Arize then explained what had happened since they helped overthrow Mojo V, and X-Force agreed to help when either Milton or Shecky pledged that their goal was to abolish the network rule and work to establish a true democracy.

(X-Force Annual#1 (fb) - BTS) - In Reality-84309, Arize, Milton, and Shecky returned to Mojoworld alongside X-Force, and they spent three weeks setting up a specific area battle with Arize participating as a masked, unidentified "Spiney-sympathizer," and Milton and Shecky partipating as the Spineless Ones combatants.

(X-Force Annual#1 (fb) - BTS) - In Reality-84309, Arize implanted a device in all of the Spineless Ones from the revolution to block the transmissions that caused insanity.

(X-Force Annual#1) - In Reality-84309, as Arize, Milton, and Shecky's battled started, X-Force fought their way to Shatterstar in the executive viewing box. Upon Arize's order, Milton and Shecky activated a neuralysis field that paralyzed the FANG troops. The Scheduler tried to shut off the telecast, but Shatterstar stopped him, and, after announcing how the people cheered for the underdog, Arize unmasked, and was swiftly recognized. The Scheduler ordered troops to arrest Arize, but X-Force then broke into the viewing box, noting Arize's right to steer his child away from the path of insanity he had walked for too long. Rightly fearing the masses' response to seeing two legends of the overthrow denouncing their ways, the Scheduler announced over the loudspeaker that the beings before them were imposters. When Shatterstar interrupted him and applauded the belief that they had lost their way, the Scheduler struck Shatterstar from behind, knocking him into the arena, noting the ruling council would not let him bespoil the freedom they had achieved. Some of X-Force aided Shatterstar in fighting the FANG troops, while the others defeated the Scheduler's FANG guards and caused the viewing box to crumble to the ground. Agreeing that he had done a poor job of ruling, Shatterstar joined X-Force and Arize in finishing off the FANG troops; it pained Arize to take up arms against his "children," but he knew he must to ensure the planet's future. As the FANG troops fell, the Scheduler struck Arize from behind with a bladed weapon. Shatterstar then defeated the Scheduler but refused to slay him, choosing instead to sever his cybernetic access to the ratings system. After Shatterstar announced a new era of peace for Mojoworld, Arize arose, having narrowly survived, noting that it was not time for his old life to end and that he would work with everyone to start a new life.
    Arize revealed the implants placed within the Spineless Ones in the rebellion and vowed to place them in all other Spineless Ones as they were found. As Arize urged the others to avoid further fighting amongst races / castes, allowing them to finally become free men.
    Hidden in shadows, Longshot was overjoyed to see his people finally achieve true freedom.

Note: Mojo believes he is a unique being with no alternate reality counterparts anywhere in the Omniverse, meaning perhaps that there is only one Mojoverse and that Arize simply went into the future in the Mojoverse, but that still doesn’t explain why Spiral remained in the modern era.

Arize's creations

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The horse was seen in Longshot I#6 (fb), but both butterflies and the snail-deal are from I#5 (fb).

 

 

 

 

images: (without ads)
Longshot#5, pg. 14, panel 1 (robotic butterfly); 5 (butterfly woman); 7 (Arize's home)
        pg. 15, panel 1 + 3 (snail creature); panel 4 (Arize full body) + 6 (face)
    #6, pg. 28 (robot horse)

Appearances:
Longshot#3 (November, 1985) - Ann Nocenti (writer), Arthur Adams (penciler), Whilce Portacio (inker), Louise Jones (editor)
Longshot#5-6 (January-February, 1986) - Ann Nocenti (writer), Arthur Adams (penciler), Whilce Portacio (inker), Louise Jones (editor)
X-Men II Annual#1 (1992) - Fabian Nicieza (writer), Jim Lee (layouts);  P. Craig Russell, Brian Stelfreeze, Adam Hughes, Stuart Immonen, Dan Panosian, Greg Capullo, Mark Texeira (pencilers); P. Craig Russell, Brian Stelfreeze, Joe Rubinstein, Harry Candelario, Dan Panosian, Mark Texeira (inkers); Suzanne Gaffney (managing editor); Bob Harras (editor)
Uncanny X-Men Annual#16 (1992) - Fabian Nicieza (writer), Jae Lee (writer), Jan Harps & Joe Rubinstein (inkers), Suzanne Gaffney (managing editor), Bob Harras (editor)
X-Factor Annual#7 (1992) - Fabian Nicieza (writer), Joe Quesada (penciler), Joe Rubinstein (inker), Suzanne Gaffney (managing editor), Bob Harras (editor)
X-Force Annual#1 (1992) - Fabian Nicieza (writer), Greg Capullo (penciler), Harry Candelario (inker), Suzanne Gaffney (managing editor), Bob Harras (editor)

First Posted: 10/12/2010
Last updated: 10/18/2010

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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