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REFLEX

Real Name: Unrevealed

Identity/Class: Human mutate (pre-modern era)

Occupation: Adventurer

Group Membership: First Line (Black Fox/Robert William Paine, Blackjack, Doctor Mime, Effigy/Velmax, Firefall, Flatiron/Russell, Frank, Katyusha/Anya, Liberty Girl/Beverly, Major Mercury/Makkari, Mr. Justice/Timothy "Tim" Carney, Morph, Nightingale, Oxbow/Sam Matonabbe, Pixie, Positron/Veronica, Rapunzel, Rebound, Squire, Templar/Ian Fitzwilliam Dare, Vulcan, Walkabout/William Carmody, Yankee Clipper/Patrick "Pat" Carney, Yeti) 

Affiliations: Mary Carmody, Jim Fitzpatrick, Gadfly (T. Ruth MacRae), Princess Khadijah, Cassandra Locke, Riot-Act;
    brief alliance of convenience: Mako

Enemies: Axis, Howler (Luke Garrow), Kang the Conqueror (Nathaniel Richards), Nocturne, Nocturne's zombie Invaders, Scimitar, the Scythe, Skrull invasion forces, Typhoon;
    formerly Blackjack, Positron

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: Unrevealed;
    formerly Carmody Institute, New England;
    formerly First Line Headquarters, Colorado Rockies

First Appearance: Marvel: The Lost Generation I#12 (March 2000)

Powers/Abilities: Through unrevealed means, Reflex gained the ability to generate a reverse-kinesis field, capable of absorbing kinetic energy and reflecting it back at greatly increased levels--this usually sent whoever attacked or ran into him flying. The field was invisible and always active, even reacting when he wasn't consciously controlling it (which might explain his codename). It's not been revealed if it acted as a force field of sorts, shielding him from any and all incoming damage. It's also unclear what the minimum threshold of his reflection field's response was (presumably there was a minimum requirement, otherwise taking a shower could be a bit of a messy ordeal). 

Height: 5'7" (by approximation)
Weight: 145 lbs. (by approximation)
Eyes: Unrevealed
Hair: Blonde

History:
(Marvel: The Lost Generation I#6 - BTS) - At an unrevealed point during the late-1960s, Reflex joined the First Line.

(Marvel: The Lost Generation I#6) - On July 20th, 1969, at 4:58 in the morning, Reflex and the other members of the First Line answered a summons from their leader Effigy (Velmax). After cursing out Black Fox for being incommunicado (he was enjoying a romantic interlude with the Russian defector Katyusha), Effigy explained that he had sufficient evidence the alien race that had built the ship they discovered back on Long Island in 1958 was planning to destroy the Apollo 11 spacecraft scheduled to land on the Moon. Reflex and the others boarded the semi-restored ship to reach the Moon, where they fought Earth villains Positron, Typhoon, Howler, Axis and the Scythe, who had all been hired by three disguised Skrull agents to make sure the Apollo mission would end in disaster. In the aftermath, only Positron and the Scythe survived the encounter and were taken into custody by the First Line.

(Marvel: The Lost Generation I#7) - Reflex joined Templar, Vulcan, Pixie and Katyusha in a rescue mission of fellow teammates Oxbow and Mr. Justice. Traveling to Cleveland, Ohio, they found the two heroes were being held hostage by their old enemy Nocturne, the Red Skull and seemingly, curiously enough, the war-time heroic group known as the Invaders. The team tangled with their war-time foes, until Reflex took on Captain America, pulled off his mask and realized the Invaders and the Skull were actually zombies created and controlled by Nocturne. Reflex was unfazed by the sight of Templar disemboweling the creatures (as opposed to his teammate Katyusha, who was visibly shocked). Reflex then joined in the search for the fleeing Nocturne, only to come up empty. 

(Marvel: The Lost Generation I#9) - In the late-1970s, Nightingale was one of the First Line members who agreed to go to Halwan to rescue the captured Mr. Justice. They were unaware that the First Line's presence in Halwan was actually meant as a diversion (so that CIA agent Nick Fury and a team of covert agents could carry out Operation: Clean Sweep, intended to free a number of diplomats being held hostage, which was the reason Mr. Justice was there in the first place). Excited by the prospect of going on another adventure with her teammates, Pixie accidentally bumped into Reflex. This caused his reverse-kinesis field to activate, which sent the Eternal flying. Angered by this, Pixie's overly protective partner Oxbow was ready to punch out Reflex, who tried to calm his teammate down by claiming he'd never mess with her--after all, she wasn't even his type (see comments). After the First Line traveled to Halwan and managed to gain access to the Halwani royal palace, Reflex and most of his teammates were busy fighting the palace guards until Oxbow seemingly took Halwan's ruler princess, Zafina, hostage, thereby making it possible for the First Line to leave (by that point Mr. Justice had already managed to free himself). On the way home, Reflex was amused by the situation since he'd never taken a hostage before. "Zafina" assured him he still hadn't, shifting "her" form to reveal Effigy had been posing as the princess. Later in Tel Aviv, where Mr. Justice received medical treatment, Reflex was sitting around Ben-Gurion Medical Center when the Black Fox became incensed over the fact Effigy and the government had used the First Line as pawns.

(Marvel: The Lost Generation I#12 - BTS) - Reflex was among First Line members past and present summoned by Effigy when it became apparent a Skrull invasion fleet was headed for Earth. Reflex boarded one of the ships bound to meet the armada in space.

(Marvel: The Lost Generation I#12) - Uatu the Watcher and the time-traveling historian Cassandra Locke from Earth-700 watched from his lunar domicile as Reflex and the First Line engaged the Skrulls on the lead vessel of their armada. Fighting a losing battle, Reflex was one of the few heroes still alive when Pixie and Effigy caused the ship to self-destruct, thereby wiping out the entire Skrull fleet and, presumably, killing Reflex in the process.

Comments: Created by Roger Stern (writer), John Byrne (pencils), Al Milgrom (inks).

    Some have claimed Reflex might be gay, based on his comment that Pixie "wasn't his type," combined with his somewhat effeminate stance. Though completely unconfirmed (maybe he prefers blondes over brunettes?), the notion that at least one of the First Liners wasn't straight makes a decent (one might even say fabulous) amount of sense.

Profile by Norvo.

CLARIFICATIONS:
Reflex should not be confused with


images: (without ads)
Marvel The Lost Generation I#9, p9, pan1 (main image)
Marvel The Lost Generation I#7, p7, pan1 (unmasks zombie cap)


Appearances:
Marvel: The Lost Generation I#12 (March 2000) - Roger Stern (writer), John Byrne (pencils), Al Milgrom (inks), Ralph Macchio (editor)
Marvel: The Lost Generation I#9 (June 2000) - Roger Stern (writer), John Byrne (pencils), Al Milgrom (inks), Ralph Macchio (editor)

Marvel: The Lost Generation I#7 (August 2000) - Roger Stern (writer), John Byrne (pencils), Al Milgrom (inks), Ralph Macchio (editor)
Marvel: The Lost Generation I#6 (September 2000) - Roger Stern (writer), John Byrne (pencils), Al Milgrom (inks), Ralph Macchio (editor) 


First Posted: 02/14/2014
Last updated: 10/23/2019

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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