D.J.
Real Name: Mark Sheppard
Identity/Class: Human mutant
Occupation: Student
Group Membership: None;
formerly Paragons (Match/Ben Hamill, Pixie/Megan Gwynn, Preview/Jessical Vale, Trance/Hope Abbott, Wolf Cub/Nicholas Gleason), formerly Corsairs (Dryad/Callie Betto, Quill/Maxwell Jordan, one unidentified member)
Affiliations: the Five (Egg/Fabio Medina, Elixir/Joshua Foley, Proteus/Kevin MacTaggert, Hope Summers, Tempus/Eva Bell), Kyle Jinadu, Xavier Institute Squadron's: Alpha Squadron (Anole/Victor Borkowski, Indra/Paras Gavaskar, Kidogo/Lazaro Kotikash, Loa/Alani Ryan, Rubbermaid/Andrea Margulies, Network/Sarah Vale), Excelsiors, Exemplars, Hellions (Dust/Sooraya Qadir, Hellion/Julian Keller, Mercury/Cessily Kincaid, Rockslide/Santo Vaccarro, Tag/Brian Cruz, Wither/Kevin Ford), New Mutants (Elixir/Joey Foley, Icarus/Joshua Guthrie, Prodigy/David Alleyne, Surge/Noriko Ashida, Wallflower/Laurie Collins, Wind Dancer/Sofia Mantega), Audio (Raymond Keyes) and other students, X-Men (Cyclops/Scott Summers, Emma Frost, Magma/Amara Aquila, Rachel Summers, Wolfsbane/Rahne Sinclair)
Enemies: Purifiers, William Stryker
Known Relatives: None
Aliases: None
Base of Operations: Krakoa, most likely the Sextant, Akademos Habitat;
formerly Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, Westchester County, New York
First Appearance: New X-Men II#2 (August, 2004)
Powers/Abilities: D.J. is a mutant who possesses an advanced form of acoustikinesis which allows him to generate and manipulate energy based on the type of music he hears. In combat, he wore headphones connected to a music player that was also incorporated into his uniform. The exact limits of his abilities or the effects of various kinds of music had on his energy generating powers have not been revealed (see comments).
Height: 5'9" (by approximation)
Weight: 145.lbs (by approximation)
Eyes: Blue
Hair: Black
History:
(New X-Men II#2 - BTS) - After manifesting his mutant abilities, Mark Sheppard enrolled at Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters where co-headmaster Cyclops was assigned as his advisor.
(New X-Men II#2) - While at Xavier's, DJ was among the students selected to join one of the special training squads mentored by various members of the X-Men. He was placed on the Corsairs, led by Cyclops. Scott Summers introduced "his" Corsairs to the entire student body during a special ceremony. However, some time after the official presentation and under unrevealed circumstances, D.J. decided to switch squads, moving to the Paragons, mentored by Rahne Sinclair.
(New X-Men II#5) - D.J. was seen amongst the students walking between classes with Pixie and Audio (Raymond Keyes). Sometime later D.J. was having lunch with Pixie and Dryad while Hellion spoke up on behalf of Wither (Kevin Ford), who was being questioned for crimes. Hellion listed examples of other students whose powers had been responsible for questionable deeds, reminding everyone a mutant's power manifestation could cause all kinds of unforeseeable problems.
(New X-Men II#10 - BTS / New X-Men II#12 (fb) - BTS) - D.J. and his fellow Paragons participated in the second field day. The day was marked with multiple assignments to test a potential X-Man's various skills: battling a Hulk construct in the Danger Room, saving a child, solving a crime and stealing an artifact. The New Mutants won the day, with no word how the Corsairs did in the overall ranking.
(New X-Men II#12 (fb) - BTS) - The Paragons participated in a Danger Room session where they had to fight the Hulk. After completing the exercise, the New Mutants tried the same challenge and beat the record set by the Paragons.
(New X-Men II#12) - During a meeting with their advisor Rahne Sinclair, the Paragons expressed their disappointment that the New Mutants squad had beat their time. Rahne gave her squad a much needed peptalk to lift their spirits, as they would have saved a lot of lives if the situation had been real.
(New X-Men II#13) - D.J. was one of the many students present when Wolverine (brainwashed by the Hand at the time) attacked the Institute and killed Northstar.
(New X-Men II#14) - D.J. and the Paragons squad joined the Alpha Squadron for a joint training session with Karma. Both groups squabbled over the fact that the Paragons had lost during field day and their mentor Ms. Sinclair (Wolfsbane) had disappeared after she was caught having an affair with a student. Later, D.J. most likely attended the school dance.
(New X-Men Yearbook Special#1) - Alongside his fellow Paragons members and their new advisor Amara Aquilla (Magma), D.J. posed for a group photo for the Xavier yearbook. In the yearbook, D.J. was voted "most flirtatious". Among his likes he listed girls and liked all kinds of music, while he disliked math and girls who get too serious too soon.
(House of M#8 - BTS) - D.J. was among the many millions of homo superior who lost their powers when a reality altering spell cast by the Scarlet Witch reduced the number of gene active mutants to a mere 300 worldwide.
(New X-Men II#23) - Two weeks after the global depowering that had become known as M-Day, Xavier Institute headmasters Cyclops and Emma Frost decided all depowered students should return home for their own safety. A first busload of students had already left and a second, carrying another 42 former mutant teens was about to leave. D.J. said his goodbyes to his friend Hellion telling him to say goodbye to the girls from him. Just as the bus left, William Stryker's Purifiers carried out the reverend's orders and attacked the bus, blowing it up in the process.
(New X-Men II#24 (fb)) - Moments after the explosion, Elixir and X-23 rushed towards the wreckage and found D.J.'s lifeless body. X-23's enhanced senses already told her the boy had passed away, but Elixir still tried to use his healing powers on Sheppard, to no avail.
(New X-Men II#25 (fb) - BTS) - Elixir used his healing touch on D.J. and could feel him dying, his life bleeding out of him. Elixer, however, held on to it with everything he had, feeling his entire body burn, nonetheless, D.J. died.
(New X-Men II#24) - D.J. was buried at the Institute's cemetery. The entire teaching staff and student body of Xavier's attended his funeral.
(New Avengers I#17 - BTS) - D.J.'s mutant energies joined with those of the other depowered mutants, creating the Collective, a massive force presence that ended up killing, among others, most of the members of the Canadian superhero team Alpha Flight.
(New Avengers I#18 - BTS) - SHIELD analyzed The Collective's multiple energy signatures and managed to identify D.J.'s, along with 50+ other victims of M-Day.
(New X-Men II#32 - BTS) - D.J. was one of the deceased mutants who was remembered during a memorial service attended by the X-Men, the remaining students and their allies.
(X-Men V#7 - BTS) - Following the Krakoan resurrection protocols, D.J. was among the many mutants resurrected by the Five (Egg, Elixir, Proteus, Hope Summers, Tempus). D.J., now repowered, was one of many who accepted the invitation to remain on the sovereign mutant island nation, ruled by the Quiet Council.
(X-Men V#7) - D.J. was one of the many mutants present during Krakoa's first Crucible, a ceremony in which a depowered mutant had to battle for the change to be killed and reborn a true mutant. The first depowered mutant to enter the arena was young Melody Guthrie, who, like D.J. and millions of mutants had lost her gifts when the Scarlet Witch cast a reality altering spell. Melody Guthrie fought Apocalypse, during the battle she earned the right to be killed and consequently reborn as a true mutant.
(X-Factor IV#5) - Learning former X-Men student Wind Dancer (Sofia Mantega) had been resurrected, D.J. and other former students met up at the Boneyard to celebrate. During the party, D.J. met Northstar's boyfriend Kyle Jinadu and Rachel Summers whom he explained his mutant powers to. Impressed at the boy, Rachel Summers quickly texted Dazzler noting she would love the kid.
Comments: Created by Nunzio DeFilippis, Christina Weir (writers), Carlo Barberi (pencils), Wayne Faucher, Juan Vlasco (inkers).
In much the same way Dazzler can absorb sonic energy and transmit it into (light)energy, D.J. listened to music to activate his abilities. One has to wonder though if D.J. wouldn't have been a bit of a liability in combat with his headphones on. Only a telepath would have been able to communicate with him, and even though you can't throw a rock at Xavier's without hitting at least 5 mind readers, that is still a pretty serious drawback.
D.J. was part of the Xavier's Institute entry in the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe HC#13, it was here that it was revealed his first appearance was with the Corsairs in New X-Men II#2.
Although not specifically shown, D.J. switched training squads in between pages. He went from the Corsairs group to the Paragons, where he switched with Specter.
Profile by MarvellousLuke
CLARIFICATIONS:
D.J. has no known connections to
images: (without ads)
New X-Men II#12, p5, pan1 (main image)
New X-Men Yearbook Special, p24, pan6 (closeup)
New X-Men II#2, p20, pan1 (with the Corsairs)
New X-Men II#23, p22, pan3 (saying his goodbyes)
New X-Men II#24, p8, pan5 (DJ's death)
Appearances:
New X-Men II#2 (August, 2004) - Nunzio DeFilippis, Christina Weir (writers), Randy Green (pencils), Rick Ketcham (inks), Mike Marts (editor)
New X-Men II#5 (November, 2004) - Nunzio DeFilippis, Christina Weir (writers), Michael Ryan (pencils), Rick Ketcham (inks), Mike Marts (editor)
New X-Men II#12 (June, 2005) - Nunzio DeFilippis, Christina Weir (writers), Michael Ryan (pencils), Rick Ketcham (inks), Mike Marts (editor)
New X-Men II#13 (July, 2005) - Nunzio DeFilippis, Christina Weir (writers), Michael Ryan (pencils), Rick Ketcham (inks), Mike Marts (editor)
New X-Men II#14 (July, 2005) - Nunzio DeFilippis, Christina Weir (writers), Paco Medina (pencils), Juan Vlasco (inks), Mike Marts (editor)
New X-Men Yearbook Special (December, 2005) - Nunzio DeFilippis, Christina Weir (writers), Georges Jeanty (pencils), Don Hillsman (inks), Mike Marts (editor)
New X-Men II#23 (April, 2006) - Craig Kyle, Chris Yost (writers), Mark Brooks, Paul Pelletier (pencillers), Jaime Mendoza (inks), Mike Marts (editor)
New X-Men II#24 (May, 2006) - Craig Kyle, Chris Yost (writers), Mark Brooks, Paul Pelletier (pencillers), Jaime Mendoza (inks), Mike Marts (editor)
New X-Men II#25 (June, 2006) - Craig Kyle, Chris Yost (writers), Paco Medina (pencils), Juan Vlasco (inks), Mike Marts (editor)
New Avengers I#18 (June, 2006) - Brian Michael Bendis (writer), Mike Deodato Jr. (pencils), Joe Pimentel (inks), Tom Brevoort (editor)
X-Men V#7 (February, 2020) - Jonathan Hickman (writer), Leinil Francis Yu (pencils, inks), Jordan D. White, Annalise Bissa (editors)
X-Factor IV#5 (December, 2020) - Leah Williams (writer), David Baldeon (pencils, inks), Jordan D. White, Annalise Bissa (editors)
First Posted: 07/12/2015
Last Updated: 01/19/2021
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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