SATURNINE

Real Name: Saturnine

Identity/Class: Demon (Class Two)

Occupation: Demon, guardian of the Road of Lost Souls; would be ruler

Group Membership: Former servant of Asmodeus (and presumably Mephisto);
    former leader of a group of unidentified demon minions (including his "nurse")

Affiliations: Unidentified demon servants
    formerly Asmodeus (and presumably Mephisto)

Enemies: John Blaze, Mrs. Gwynn (Pixie's mother), Lady Mastermind (Regan Wyngarde), Mastermind (Martinique Wyngarde), X-Men (Anole, Armor/Hisako Ichiki, Blindfold/Ruth Aldine, Emma Frost, Mercury/Cessily Kincaid, Nightcrawler/Kurt Wagner, Pixie/Megan Gwynn, Psylocke/Betsy Braddock, Rockslide, X-23/Laura Kinney), Zarathos

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: Hell dimension (presumably Mephisto's)

First Appearance: Ghost Rider II#76 (January, 1983)

Powers/Abilities: Saturnine is superhumanly strong and durable (to unspecified levels) and is likely immune to aging. In Asmodeus' realm, he was seen as around 50' tall, though when appearing on Earth, he seemed to range between 10 to 20' tall; presumably he can alter his size at will. He formerly directed an army of perhaps dozens to hundreds of demon minions, most of whom had tentacles of some sort. Either he or some of his minions could open a portal to Earth, as well as to harvest Pixie's dust.

Height: Variable
Weight: Variable
Eyes: Yellow
Hair: Bald (sometimes has white beard)

History:
(Ghost Rider II#76 (fb) - BTS) - Saturnine was assigned the role of guardian of the Road of Lost Souls, within Asmodeus' Hell-realm.

(Ghost Rider II#76 (fb) - BTS) - Centuries ago,  the demon Zarathos passed over the Road of Lost Souls, spitting on its brutish guardian, Saturnine, whom he thought so far beneath him.

(Ghost Rider II#76 (fb) - BTS) - Over the centuries, Saturnine grew stronger and wiser.

(Ghost Rider II#76) - When the demons Asmodeus and Mephisto gambled on whether Johnny Blaze and Zarathos (Ghost Rider, briefly separated from each other by the major demons) could escape from Asmodeus' realm, one of the challenges was crossing over the Road of Lost Souls. As Zarathos (his powers greatly limited and his memories largely blocked by Mephisto) and Blaze crossed the overpass on their motorcycles, Saturnine suddenly thrust his right hand, obstructing their paths and threatening Zarathos. When Zarathos called him insignificant, Saturnine shattered the rocky road with a single blow, and Zarathos needed Blaze's aid to prevent himself from falling off. Saturnine taunted Zarathos with the reversal of their power levels, but Blaze guided Zarathos to ride their motorcycles at Saturnine, then to jump atop his right arm, ride over his shoulders and then off onto the other side of the road. Zarathos then taunted Saturnine with being outwitted by a mortal, provoking Saturnine to such fury that he leapt after them, heedless of what he was doing, and impaled himself on the jagged remnant of the bridge. As Saturnine collapsed, Blaze and Zarathos continued their quest.

(Ghost Rider II#76 - BTS / X-Men: Pixie Strikes Back#2 (fb) - BTS) - When Mephisto obliterated Asmodeus for his losing their wager, Saturnine (and other demons) were left master-less (or perhaps Mephisto ruled them for a time, but eventually lost interest, or they were freed under some other circumstances).

(X-Men: Pixie Strikes Back#2 (fb) - BTS) - Saturnine plotted how he might become powerful enough to never need a master again.

(X-Men: Pixie Strikes Back#3 (fb) - BTS) - Saturnine sought to convert Pixie's soul dagger into a powerful soul sword by manipulating Pixie's fairy (or faerie) mother, Mrs. Gwynn. To maintain the advantage, Saturnine sought to bring Pixie's mother to his realm, away from her land, her people, and her defenses.

(X-Men: Pixie Strikes Back#2 (fb) - BTS) - Saturnine's agents covertly invited Pixie to a "super-exclusive private Dazzler show,"  but Pixie invited her friends Armor, Blindfold, Mercury, and X-23. Not enjoying dancing, Blindold turned down the offer.

(X-Men: Pixie Strikes Back#2 (fb) - BTS / X-Men: Pixie Strikes Back#1 - BTS) - At the false Dazzler concert (at a place called something-something-"6DK", Saturnine's agents apparently used Pixie's own "pixie dust," combined with their own magic to manipulate Armor, Mercury, Pixie and X-23, making them see themselves as normal high school students while physically transporting them to the abandoned St. Andrews High School. Blindfold was included in this illusion, as well, though she remained in the girls' bathroom on Utopia.

(X-Men: Pixie Strikes Back#1 - BTS) - Having determined she had been in their too long, Rockslide and Anole broke into the girls' bathroom, and found Blindfold there, noting that the other girls were gone.
    Pixie's fairy mother came to Utopia Isle seeking her missing daughter, encountering Nightcrawler and Psylocke, but left after determining the X-Men would be no use in locating her.
    When a scuffle broke out at the high school, a demon "cafeteria lady" stabbed Pixie. In the school nurse's office, the demon "nurse" gave Pixie some medicine (more Pixie dust) to "help her keep her strength up."

(X-Men: Pixie Strikes Back#1) - Saturnine angrily confronted Pixie within his pocket dimension as she made a commotion while struggling to overcome the effects of her own Pixie dust.

(X-Men: Pixie Strikes Back#2) - Saturnine's "nurse" demon assistant told him how Pixie was restructuring the illusion herself, making her seem to be Prom Queen, and noting how things would likely come apart prematurely. Saturnine noted how Pixie thrived on adoration and acceptance and was thus more adaptable. The nurse demon further noted that one of the girls (presumably X-23) was fighting it too hard. Saturnine silenced the nurse demon, telling her he was going to pry open the dark place in Pixie's soul (her soul dagger) even if it killed her.
    Anole and Rockslide brought Blindfold to Emma Frost, noting Armor, Mercury, Pixie and X-23's absence, as well as their finding Blindfold in the girls' bathroom, talking about trouble. Nightcrawler soon arrived, discussing his encounter with Pixie's mom.
    As Saturnine expected, Pixie sought to push her friends to accept the illusion and "fit in a little better"; when they continued to resist, Pixie pulled her soul dagger and stabbed Blindfold, who dropped to her knees in reality, noting "trouble, trouble, trouble." Investigating the girls' rooms, the X-Men found the invitation to the Dazzler show and set out to find the missing girls.
    Meanwhile, Pixie's fairy mother sought out Pixie's half-sisters (by common father Mastermind/Jason Wyngarde), Regan and Martinique Wyngarde, aka Lady Mastermind and Mastermind, respectively.
    Meanwhile again, Pixie remained in Saturnine's palm (literally? who knows?).

(X-Men: Pixie Strikes Back#3) - Saturnine was irritated as Pixie seemed unable to remain conscious, and he told his nurse demon assistant (while he gave the nurse demon a little strangling) that he would hold her personally responsible if Pixie died. The nurse demon argued that it wouldn't be her fault, as they had drained her dry while exploiting Pixie's weakness to peer acceptance. Saturnine assured the nurse demon Pixie's mother would come, but the nurse demon feared what forces might accompany her, as the mutants who accompanied Pixie had brought near disaster already.
    Within the illusion, Pixie had her friends, Armor, Mercury, and X-23, locked up for refusing to accept things, but, without repeated infusion of Pixie dust, X-23 swiftly awakened. Armor and Mercury soon awakened, as well.
    Meanwhile, Pixie's mother convinced the two Mastermind sisters to help Pixie, convincing that they would be part of mystic trinity (with the mother acting in Pixie's stead until they could bring Pixie into it) that would grant them great power.
    Meanwhile again, the X-Men investigated something-something-"6DK", a long closed and dilapidated establishment.
    Back in Hell, Pixie called for help, her message apparently received by Emma Frost as well as Pixie's mother and her two half-sisters' triad. As Pixie, half-conscious, noted her mother's approach, Saturnine carried her off, and the nurse demon tried to warn him that the mutant girls were recovering. Telling the nurse demon it was too late for the girls to do anything, he shoved her head into a stone wall. Slumping to the floor, she noted how it was always about him. As Saturnine threw open the St.Andrews high school's doors, he was confronted by Pixie's mom, Regan and Martinique Jason, and the X-Men (Anole, Emma Frost, Nightcrawler, Psylocke, Rockslide).

 

 

(X-Men: Pixie Strikes Back#4) - Saturnine's minions attacked the X-Men, and Nightcrawler confronted the demon nurse as she attempted to flee with several tanks of Pixie dust; surprised, she dropped the tanks, and the dust incapacitated both her and Nightcrawler for the duration of the conflict. The school shattered atop Saturnine during the struggle, but he easily broke free, then sent Pixie to go to her mother, show her the soul dagger, get her to bind her magic to it, and to bring him back the more powerful sword; and if her mother would not give her the magic, Pixie was to take her dagger and cut it from her. Inspired by her mother, Pixie seemingly physically beat her half-sisters into submission and then used the soul dagger to threaten her mother into compliance. Via the Masterminds' illusions, Saturnine and her mother seemed to transform the soul dagger into an immense sword, which she handed to Saturnine; in reality, they just conjured a giant sword. No longer needing his minions, Saturnine slaughtered them with the giant sword, then announced his intent to become ruler of his former realm. Realizing the "soul sword" would be useless against the non-magic mutants, Saturnine was goaded by Psylocke into sheathing the sword to physically confront them; as soul swords were sheathed within the user's body, Saturnine shoved the sword into his body, and was surprised when it physically impaled and incapacitated him.

 

 

 

 

Comments: Created by J.M. DeMatteis, Don Perlin, and Dave Simons.

    Took me four reads of X-Men: Pixie Strikes Back to figure a few points out. I THINK I got the stuff right, but one can never be sure.

Profile by Snood.

CLARIFICATIONS:
No KNOWN connections to:

images: (without ads)
Ghost Rider II#76, pg. 10, panel 6 (Saturnine and Road of Lost Souls)
X-Men: Pixie Strikes Back#1, last page - mostly full body
X-Men: Pixie Strikes Back#2, last page - face close-up, with Pixie in his hand
X-Men: Pixie Strikes Back#3, pg.19 (not including intro page), panel 1 (show's Saturnine's tentacles)
X-Men: Pixie Strikes Back#4, pg. 1, panel 3 - showing hooves
        p17, panel 3 - impaling self

Appearances:
Ghost Rider II#76 (January, 1983) - J.M. DeMatteis (writer), Don Perlin (pencils), Dave Simons (inks), Tom DeFalco (editor)
X-Men: Pixie Strikes Back#1-4 (April-July, 2010) - Kathryn Immomen (writer), Sara Pichelli (art), Daniel Ketchum (associate editor), Nick Lowe (editor)

First Posted: 10/16/2010
Last updated: 10/17/2010

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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