WRAITH
Real Name: Hector Rendoza
Identity/Class: Human mutant (depowered)
Occupation: Adventurer
Group Membership: None;
formerly Jean Grey's X-Men
(Dazzler/Alison Blaire, Frenzy/Joanna Cargill, Northstar/Jean-Paul Beaubier, Omerta/Paulie Provenzano, Phoenix/Jean Grey,
Sunpyre/Leyu Yoshida)
Affiliations: Amelia Voght,
X-Men/Genoshan assault team (Cyclops/Scott Summers, Wolverine/James
'Logan' Howlett', professor Charles Xavier)
Enemies: Magneto (Max Eisenhardt)
Known Relatives: None
Aliases: None
Base of Operations: Boston, Massachusetts, formerly:
Xavier Institute
First Appearance: Uncanny X-Men I#392 (April 2001)
Powers/Abilities: Hector possessed the mutant
ability to turn people and objects partly transparent. Still untrained,
he wasn't able to access the full range of his powers yet, which would
have allowed him to turn himself and other objects completely
transparent. When he used his powers to turn another person partially
invisible, those subjected to this treatment suffered from temporary but
severe discomfort Hector himself likened to an icecream headache.
Helpful, gracious and polite to a fault, Hector is also a major fan of
Dazzler's music.
Height: 5'6"
Weight: 120 lbs
Eyes: Blue
Hair: Brown (black when fully visible)
History:
(Uncanny X-Men I#392 (fb) ) - Boston teen Hector Rendoza
didn't know he was a mutant until his powers suddenly manifested when he was about 16 years old.
(Uncanny X-Men I#392 (fb) - BTS) - With the Legacy virus
cured, Genosha's ruler Magneto found himself in charge of millions of
combat ready mutants. In preparation for an all-out war, he kidnapped
his old enemy Charles Xavier. With most of the X-Men away on various
missions, Wolverine and Cyclops travelled to Genosha undercover to deal
with the threat while Jean Grey stayed at the Xavier Institute to rally
the troops and gather backup forces. Learning of Hector's existence,
Grey decided to seek him out
(Uncanny X-Men I#392) - After he inadvertently
turned himself transparent in public, Hector found himself chased by a
lynch mob of frightened Bostonians who wanted to kill him for being
different. Right before they caught up with him, Phoenix arrived and
used her telepathy to freeze Hector's assailants in their tracks.
Explaining the situation to the frightened teenager, Jean took him back
to the Xavier Institute.
(Uncanny X-Men I#392 - BTS) - While Phoenix waited outside
for Sunfire (and unexpectedly got his
sister Sunpyre), Wraith was inside the institute with the other
recruits. He witnessed the infighting that occurred when the
homophobic Omerta (Paulie Provenzano) made some uncouth remarks about
Northstar's sexuality. Hector tried to keep the peace, but couldn't
prevent Northstar from slamming some sense into Provenzano.
(Uncanny X-Men I#392) - Undeterred, Phoenix introduced Hector and the
others to the Acolyte Joanna Cargill who she had mind controlled to
ensure her allegiance. Just as Joanna and Jean were done filling the
team in on the situation, they were surprised by the arrival of Dazzler
(Alison Blaire) who had come to Xavier's looking for help. Wraith was
pleasantly surprised to see her, happily telling the clearly distraught
songstress he had both her albums.
(X-Men II#112) - Wraith, along with Dazzler, Phoenix and the other ersatz X-Men boarded the Blackbird and headed for Genosha. While the looseknit team bickered, Dazzler told the still star struck Hector to leave her alone.
(Uncanny X-Men I#393) - In order to prepare her X-Men for the upcoming battle, Jean Grey accessed the minds of Wraith and the other newbies to give them a telepathic crash course in the use of their powers. She also linked them together to have a training session in a "Danger Room" she planned to create on a shared mental landscape. Hector admitted to Sunpyre he admired how calm she was in the face of certain danger. Moments later, they all found themselves in a mental version of Mojo World, based on Dazzler's memories of the realm before she left. Panicked by the experience, Hector wanted to leave immediately, but the team was ambushed and besieged by tiny versions of Earth-295's Apocalypse, Sugar Man, Dark Beast and Holocaust who revealed they had already killed Longshot. The scenario ended before Wraith or the others could engage them, and a sobbing Dazzler revealed that the villains they just saw were the reason she'd come to the X-Men in the first place. Mere moments after that, Magneto tore apart the Blackbird and used his powers to gently bring everyone to him at the center of Magda Square in the capital of Genosha. Surrounded by thousands of his followers, Wraith couldn't help but notice how much scarier Magneto looked in real life than in the papers. Just then, Magnus presented the dumbstruck team with the captured Charles Xavier. Seeing her old mentor chained up and crucified angered Dazzler, who attacked Magneto, only to be seemingly reduced to a pile of ashes when the master of magnetism retaliated.
(X-Men II#113 - BTS) - Jean Grey and Dazzler actually
fooled Magneto into believing he had killed the X-Man. In reality,
Dazzler had used her light powers to create the illusion of her demise,
while she took the place of Charles Xavier on the cross, who had already
been freed by his former lover, the Acolyte Amelia Voght. With Xavier
free to use his mental powers, it was only a matter of time before
Magneto could be defeated.
(X-Men II#113) - Completely unaware of this strategy, the new X-Men attacked Magneto who effortlessly beat them back. After Omerta, Northstar and Sunpyre failed to slow him down, Hector succeeded, much to his own surprise. He caught the villain off guard when he transferred his transparency to Magneto, causing the master of magnetism to experience a few moments of severe discomfort and disorientation before he regained his composure and violently flung Hector away. This gave Jean and Xavier enough time to carry out their true plan. Wraith looked on as Magneto was disabled and later apparently stabbed to death by Wolverine.
In the aftermath, Hector and the others returned with the
X-Men to the Xavier Institute. Although he was asked to stay on, Rendoza
opted to leave as soon as possible.
(House of M#8 - BTS) - Wraith was one of the victims of
the Scarlet Witch's reality altering spell that reduced the millions of
gene active mutants to less than 200 worldwide.
(New Avengers I#17 - BTS) - Hector's mutant energies became part of the Collective that ended up killing, among others, most of the members of the Canadian superhero team Alpha Flight.
(New Avengers I#18 - BTS) - SHIELD analysed the
Collective's multiple energy signatures and traced them back to Hector
and 50+ other former mutants who had all lost their powers on M-Day.
Comments: Created by Scott Lobdell (writer), Salvador Larroca (pencils), Scott Hanna & Tim Townsend (inks).
Hector's hair color changed from light brown to jet black
when he transferred his transparency field to another and he returned to
his fully visible form. While this is obviously a color error, it's very
well possible that Rendoza's powers extend to the keratin levels in his
hair roots. This affects the way light bounces off it and alters the way
others perceive its actual color.
One wonders why Jean would seek out Wraith to go up against Magneto when there were so many more powerful, experienced mutants she could have reached out to. What good is a boy who is barely able to use his powers yet? Then again, Jean herself was sent out to fight Mags on her first day as an X-Man as well. Guess it's part of the unofficial hazing at Xavier's....
Hector was never called "Wraith" in the actual comics, his codename was first revealed in his entry in X-Men: Earth's Mutant Heroes#1.
Profile by Norvo.
CLARIFICATIONS:
Wraith (Hector Rendoza) should not be confused with
images: (without ads)
X-Men: Earth's Mutant Heroes#1, Wraith entry (main image)
Uncanny X-Men I#393, p9, pan2 (with Northstar)
Uncanny X-Men I#392, p7, pan3 (meets Phoenix)
X-Men II#113, p12, pan1&2 (versus Magneto)
Appearances:
Uncanny X-Men I#392 (April, 2001) - Scott Lobdell (writer), Salvador
Larroca (pencils), Scott Hanna & Tim Townsend (inks), Mark Powers
(editor)
X-Men II#112 (May, 2001) - Scott Lobdell (writer), Leinil Francis Yu
(pencils), Dexter Vines (inks), Mark Powers (editor)
Uncanny X-Men I#393 (June, 2001) - Scott Lobdell (writer), Tom Raney
(pencils), Scott Hanna (inks), Mark Powers (editor)
X-Men II#113 (June, 2001) - Scott Lobdell (writer), Leinil Francis Yu
(pencils), Dexter Vines (inks), Mark Powers (editor)
New Avengers I#17 (May, 2006) - Brian Michael
Bendis(writer), Mike Deodato Jr.(pencils), Joe Pimentel(inks), Tom
Brevoort(editor)
New Avengers I#18 (June, 2006) - Brian Michael Bendis(writer), Mike
Deodato Jr.(pencils), Joe Pimentel(inks), Tom Brevoort(editor)
X-Men: Earth's Mutant Heroes#1
(July, 2011) - Jeff Christiansen et al (writers), Gus Vasquez
(pencils), Tom Chu (inks), Jeff Youngquist (editor)
Last updated: 02/06/14
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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