ASHLEY MARTIN
Real Name: Ashley Martin
Identity/Class: Human mutant
Occupation: Student
Group Membership: None
Affiliations: Beast (Hank McCoy), "Big Bot", Fred
Duncan, Charles Xavier
Enemies: None
Known Relatives: Teri Martin (mother), father (name
unrevealed, deceased)
Aliases: "Little miss" (nickname used by Teri
Martin)
Base of Operations: Dunfee, Illinois
First Appearance: X-Men: The Hidden Years#9 (August,
2000)
Powers/Abilities: Ashley Martin is a mutant capable
of psychokinetic bonding. She could project her own lifeforce into
unliving matter, making them obey her commands. She could force the
molecules of objects to propel at speeds well over 100 mph.
Her willpower was able to override a robot's primary functions, even
preventing a Sentinel from killing mutants. With no formal training in
the use of her powers, Martin acted purely on instinct. Mental blocks
placed in her mind by Charles Xavier prevent her from activating her
powers, even subconsciously.
Height: 5'1" (by approximation)
Weight: 90 lbs. (by approximation)
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Brown
History:
(X-Men: The Hidden Years#18 (fb) - BTS) - Ashley Martin was born a
month before her father, a navy man, was killed in action aboard a
nuclear submarine (see comments).
Ashley was raised by her mother Teri in Dunfee, Illinois. Teri tried to
be both mother and father to the young girl.
(X-Men: The Hidden Years#12 (fb) -BTS) - Ashley's mutant
powers started to slowly manifest themselves when she was around 10
years old. She began to unconsciously manipulate her toys, which gave
her mother the strangest feeling her playthings were alive somehow.
(X-Men: The Hidden Years#11 (fb) - BTS) - Ashley's mutant signature
was picked up by one of Larry Trask's damaged Sentinels, cobbled
together out of spare bodyparts of units B-7, D-3, A-4, G-9 and G-12.
The composite robot decided to investigate his potential target.
(X-Men: The Hidden Years#9) - Ashley was playing with her toys in the
yard outside her house when the Sentinel suddenly showed up.
(X-Men: The Hidden Years#11 (fb) - BTS) - Before the Sentinel could
attack Ashley, its heavily damaged internal systems caused it to crash
temporarily. Ashley, unaware of the Sentinel's purpose and intentions,
unwittingly used her powers to animate its form. Excited by having a new
robotic friend to play with, she nicknamed the Sentinel "Big Bot" and
told it to stay hidden in the Martin's barn outback
(X-Men: The Hidden Years#10 - BTS) - Ashley's mental domination of the
Sentinel caused her to be picked up by Cerebro. Intrigued by the
powerful signal, Charles Xavier concluded this new mutant had great
potential. The professor decided to travel to Dunfee, taking Beast along
for the ride to visit his parents who happened to live nearby.
(X-Men: The Hidden Years#10) - Ashley woke up early in the morning to
visit with "Big Bot" before school. Seeing her daughter all dressed and
ready for school surprised her mother, she even noticed that Ashley had
been in the barn, since she left the door open. Ms. Martin wondered what
her daughter was doing out there, somehow unaware of the giant killer
robot inside. A few hours later, Xavier and Beast arrived at the
Martin's home to find nobody home. Beast decided to check out the
premises, even venturing into "Big Bot's" barn. At the same time, Ashley
returned from school and met Charles Xavier who was sitting on the porch
in his wheelchair. The professor immediately determined Ashley was the
mutant Cerebro detected, but before he could investigate further they
were interrupted by the Beast who was fighting "Big Bot". The Sentinel
easily overpowered the two X-Men, knocking out Beast with nerve gas, and
refusing to listen to Ashley. He grabbed the child and announced it was
complying with the last orders issued by its creator Lawrence Trask:
destroy all mutants.
(X-Men: The Hidden Years#11) - Ashley managed to reassert control over
the Sentinel long enough to order him to let her go. Fascinated, Xavier
observed how she was apparently controlling the killer robot. When Beast
woke up, unaware of the situation and still seeing the Sentinel, he
immediately attacked the automaton again. This caused the girl to lose
control again for a brief moment, causing the Sentinel to destroy most
of the Martin's home. Ashley eventually got "Big Bot" under control
again, just as Ms. Martin returned home, scared for her daughter's life.
After Xavier explained the situation to the stunned Teri and Ashley
forced the Sentinel to reveal its origins, things took a turn for the
worst when the girl lost control over "Big Bot" again. When he refused
to obey her commands and tried to kill everyone in sight, Ashley was fed
up with her new friend and used her powers to force the Sentinel to rip
itself apart. In the aftermath, her eyes still bright red with fury and
power, Ashley told her concerned mother to stop whining before she
really got mad.
(X-Men: The Hidden Years#12) - Ashley, overcome with rage and not in
control of her powers, refused to listen to reason. She even
subconsciously forced the molecules of Xavier's wheelchair to suddenly
move away from her at close to a hundred miles an hour. Charles was
saved by Beast, the two mutant geniuses figured out Ashley's mutant
powers were far more than simple telekinesis.
(X-Men: The Hidden Years#13) - Xavier tried to calm Ashley down, but
the girl was too upset, blaming everything that happened on the
professor and Beast. While Hank tried to comfort the sobbing Teri
Martin, Ashley decided to take action. She reanimated the torn apart
Sentinel, manipulating it like a marionette and sending it against the
visitors. Beast tried his best to dodge the Sentinel, but admitted he
was otherwisely powerless against it. This forced Xavier to take
action: he used his telepathy to perform a psychic operation of sorts,
reaching into the girl's brain to sever all the connections her
conscious mind had with the mutated part of her brain. The procedure was
a delicate one, causing Xavier considerable strain as he likened it to
trying to repair a Swiss watch with a sledgehammer. After he was
finished, both Charles and Ashley fainted from exhaustion, leaving Beast
and Teri to wonder if the professor had succeeded.
(X-Men: The Hidden Years#14) - Ashley was still barely awake and
unsure what happened when the authorities arrived to check out the
devastation caused by the Sentinel fight. Xavier used his powers of
persuasion to convince the police he and his colleague Hank McCoy were
mutant experts, tracking a malfunctioning Sentinel that just happened to
crashland in this yard, thereby keeping Ashley's involvement and status
as a mutant a secret.
(X-Men: The Hidden Years#14 - BTS) - To make sure his telepathic
surgery had no unexpected negative side effects, Xavier decided to stay
with Ashley and her mother to observe the girl for a while. He sent
Beast back to Westchester while he took up residence in the Martins'
downstairs guest room.
(X-Men: The Hidden Years#16) - Ashley watched the cops clear out the
wreckage of the Sentinel before coming inside to ask her mother for some
aspirin because she had a headache. Xavier telepathically told her
concerned mother that this headache was in no way the result of any
brain damage.
(X-Men: The Hidden Years#18 (fb) - BTS) - To make sure Ashley wouldn't
suffer any latent traumas from being attacked by a Sentinel, Xavier
placed mental blocks inside the girl's mind. Not only would they prevent
her from using her powers, the blocks also blanked out her memory of the
last several days, including the Sentinel attack.
(X-Men: The Hidden Years#21) - Ashley woke up one morning, almost too
late for school. She found her mother in Xavier's room, watching over
the professor's lifeless body (Charles' astral form was out confronting
Magneto). Not wanting to upset her daughter, Teri told her that the
professor was "meditating" before deciding to drive her to school
herself. On the way to school, Ashley wondered when the professor would
be leaving. Teri replied that she didn't know, but that she hoped it
wouldn't be soon.
(X-Men: The Hidden Years#22) - Ashley briefly said goodbye to the
professor who had decided to return to his school. As Ashley left to go
play, Charles assured her mother that he had finished monitoring
Ashley's recovery and that she was fine. He added that in a few years he
would return to remove the blocks he'd put in to allow her mutant powers
to manifest naturally.
Comments: Created by John Byrne (writer, pencils), Tom Palmer (inks).
It would be interesting to find out whatever happened to
Ashley since Xavier placed his mental blocks inside her mind. There's no
mention of him ever revisiting her for a check-up or eventual removal.
Maybe, as psychic blocks are wont to do, she outgrew them. Maybe she
lost her powers on M-Day and grew up never knowing she had them.
Ashley's pet Sentinel scanned her mother Teri and disccovered she had no
abnormal genetic traits. Which means her X-gene must have come from her
father, who conveniently worked aboard a nuclear powered submarine.
Profile by Norvo.
CLARIFICATIONS:
Ashley Martin should not be confused with
images: (without ads)
X-Men: The Hidden Years#9, p19, pan3 (main image)
X-Men: The Hidden Years#10, p22, pan1 (chastizing Big Bot)
X-Men: The Hidden Years#11, p20, pans 2-3 (mad at mom)
X-Men: The Hidden Years#21, p9, pan4 (ready for school)
Appearances:
X-Men: The Hidden Years#9 (August, 2000) - John Byrne (writer,
pencils), Tom Palmer (inks), Jason Leibig (editor)
X-Men: The Hidden Years#10 (September, 2000) -
John Byrne (writer, pencils), Tom Palmer (inks), Jason Leibig (editor)
X-Men: The Hidden Years#11 (October, 2000) - John Byrne (writer,
pencils), Tom Palmer (inks), Jason Leibig (editor)
X-Men: The Hidden Years#12 (November, 2000) - John Byrne (writer,
pencils), Tom Palmer (inks), Jason Leibig (editor)
X-Men: The Hidden Years#13 (December, 2000) - John
Byrne (writer, pencils), Tom Palmer (inks), Jason Leibig (editor)
X-Men: The Hidden Years#14 (January, 2001) - John Byrne (writer,
pencils), Tom Palmer (inks), Jason Leibig (editor)
X-Men: The Hidden Years#16 (March, 2001) - John Byrne (writer,
pencils), Tom Palmer (inks), Jason Leibig (editor)
X-Men: The Hidden Years#18 (May, 2001) - John Byrne (writer, pencils),
Tom Palmer (inks), Jason Leibig (editor)
X-Men: The Hidden Years#21 (August, 2001) - John Byrne (writer,
pencils), Tom Palmer (inks), Jason Leibig (editor)
X-Men: The Hidden Years#22 (September, 2001) - John Byrne (writer,
pencils), Tom Palmer (inks), Jason Leibig (editor)
Last updated: 06/29/15
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