DR. RONALD RANKIN
Real Name: Dr. Ronald Rankin
Identity/Class: Human
Occupation: Biochemist
Group Membership: None
Affiliations: Canadian government, Project Alpha/Project Omega
Enemies: None
Known Relatives: Calvin Rankin (Mimic, son)
Aliases: None
Base of Operations: Unidentified cave/mine, Quebec Province, Canada
formerly Passaic, New Jersey
First Appearance: X-Men I#19 (April, 1966)
Powers/Abilities: Dr. Ronald Rankin possessed no known superhuman abilities. He was a skilled biochemist in high demand for his expertise on various subjects including bonding living tissue with metals.
Height: 6'0" (by approximation)
Weight: 170 lbs. (by approximation)
Eyes: Black
Hair: Grey
History:
(Marvel Comics Presents I#59/1 (fb) - BTS) - Before his son was born, Dr. Ronald Rankin was working for the Canadian government on the early stages of Project Alpha/Project Omega. He tried several experiments on his own body, including one where he successfully infused his body with Adamantium.
(X-Men I#19 (fb) - BTS) - After his son Calvin was born, Dr. Ronald Rankin began to work from home in a private lab. Because he was working on a strange and dangerous experiment, he told his young son the lab was off limits.
(X-Men I#19 (fb)) - Calvin couldn't help himself and interrupted one of his dad's experiments one day. Ronald once again explained to his son he wasn't allowed in the laboratory.
(X-Men I#19 (fb) - BTS) - When Rankin was out on an errand, the naturally curious Calvin entered the lab anyway. While investigating the various experiments Rankin was running, he knocked over a fluid-filled beaker that interacted with other nearby chemicals, creating a gas that Calvin breathed in. Exposure to the unknown mixture of chemicals gave the young boy the ability to mimic other peoples' powers.
(X-Men I#19 (fb)) - When Rankin finally found out what had happened he knew men would some day rise against his son because of his powers and thus choose to hide themselves in a lone cave in Canada.
(Marvel Comics Presents I#59/1 (fb) - BTS) - Rankin blamed himself for what had happened to his son, especially because he had experimented on himself while working for the Canadian government.
(X-Men I#19 (fb)) - During the months they were in hiding, Rankin built a machine designed to remove his son's powers. But because the boy was all too pleased with his abilities, Ronald lied and told him the apparatus would make his son's powers last forever.
(Marvel Comics Presents I#61/1 (fb) - BTS) - Apprehensive about dying and what might happen to his son, Rankin secretly built an extra, complex machine that included part of his essence and his pulse. The machine was to serve as Calvin's caretaker.
(X-Men I#19 (fb)) - When the machine was finished, it caused a massive power drain that short-circuited every fuse in the county. This eventually led a giant mob of angry and fear-crazed men to head for the Rankins' cavern hideout. In an effort to protect themselves, Rankin detonated an explosive that would seal off the entrance to the cave. Sadly, Ronald underestimated the force of the explosive charge and was killed by the blast. Hours later, Calvin managed to dig out his father's body and gave him a proper burial. Unsure what had happened, he swore vengeance on the men responsible for his father's death.
(Marvel Comics Presents I#61/1 (fb) - BTS) - Now that his human form had passed away Rankin's secret machine was activated, restoring him to a semblance of life. Able to exist as a holographic image, Rankin continued to watch over his son's exploits.
(X-Men I#29 - BTS / Marvel Comics Presents I#61/1 (fb) - BTS) - Rankin continued to work on a way to rid his son of his powers, even as Calvin himself joined the X-Men as Mimic. Ronald was eventually able to shut down his son's abilities seemingly forever.
(Marvel Comics Presents I#61/1 (fb) - BTS) - Content that he had succeeded in giving Calvin a chance at a normal life, the essence of Ronald Rankin planned to shut down the system keeping him alive. However, he was forced to act again when Calvin's powers somehow returned in strange and erratic ways. His absorption abilities grew out of control, increasing in range and intensity. If he wasn't stopped, the Mimic would eventually drain the life out of everyone in the world. After the Hulk temporarily stopped him, Rankin began to generate a perpetual pulsing beacon that would keep his son's powers under control, at least while he remained within range.
(Marvel Comics Presents I#61/1) - When Calvin Rankin, Wolverine and the Hulk came to Canada the beacon was reactivated and lured the three towards Rankin's old cavern base. Here Dr. Rankin revealed himself as the holographic image and explained its purpose. However, this feat somehow exceeded the limits of the machinery, causing his image to slowly fade out. Just before the holographic image faded completely, he spotted Wolverine and was pleased to know his early experiments on Adamantium-bonding had paid off. The Hulk noted he could possibly repair most of the damage to the machine, but Calvin chose to let his father rest in peace.
Comments: Created by Stan Lee (writer), Jack Kirby, Jay Gavin (pencillers), Dick Ayers (inks).
Profile by MarvellousLuke
Rankin's real name and profession as a biochemist was revealed in Mimic's entry in 1984's Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe I#14.
The Project Alpha/Project Omega that Rankin worked on was (partly) responsible for the development of Wolverine.
CLARIFICATIONS:
Dr. Ronald Rankin has no known connections to
images: (without ads)
X-Men I#19, p15, pan2 (main image)
X-Men I#19, p15, pan1 (moving to the cave)
Marvel Comics Presents I#61, p6, pan3,4,5 (hologram)
Appearances:
X-Men I#19 (April, 1966) - Stan Lee (writer), Jack Kirby, Jay Gavin (pencillers), Dick Ayers (inks), Stan Lee (editor)
Marvel Comics Presents I#59/1 (September, 1990) - Michael Higgins (writer), David Ross (pencils), Dan Day (inks), Terry Kavanagh (editor)
Marvel Comics Presents I#61/1 (October, 1990) - Michael Higgins (writer), David Ross (pencils), Dan Day (inks), Terry Kavanagh (editor)
Last updated: 11/05/15
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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