JAIME RODRIGUEZ

Real Name: Jaime Rodriguez

Identity/Class: Human

Occupation: Stockman at a fish wholesaler

Group Membership: None

Affiliations: Duke, Luis, Nimrod (of Earth-811), Phil, Senora Rodriguez, Tomas Rodriguez

Enemies: Kulan Gath, Stephens

Known Relatives: Senora Rodriguez (wife), Thomas Rodriguez (son)

Aliases: "Hermano" (nickname for himself)

Base of Operations: New York City, New York, USA

First Appearance: Uncanny X-Men I#188 (December, 1984)

Powers/Abilities: Jaime Rodriguez had no superhuman powers but was a good, honest dock worker who cared deeply for his family.

Height: Unrevealed (see comments)
Weight: Unrevealed (see comments)
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Black

History: (Uncanny X-Men I#193 (fb) - BTS) - Jaime Rodriguez grew up alongside a boy named Luis, when he was taught to judge people based on their deeds, rather than their looks.

(Uncanny X-Men I#188 (fb) - BTS) - Years later, Jaime at some point became a dock worker at a fish wholesaler.

(Uncanny X-Men I#188) - While working on a loading dock, Jaime Rodriguez was asked by his co-worker Duke if they were going to be catching the ball game after work and Jaime replied that he would have to stop by his house and pick up his son on the way. Duke started to question Jaime but Jaime quickly replied that he had to take his son, as his son had gotten an A on his report card. As Jaime moved a box full of snapper fish, some of the other workers behind him dropped a crate, spilling fish all over the dock. Before his boss could get too angry, Jaime volunteered to help clean up the mess and while cleaning, Jaime spotted a shiny glint on one of the fish. Picking up the fish, Jaime found a glittering, ornate golden necklace and thought perhaps he had hit the jackpot...until the necklace began speaking to him, promising that if Jaime were to obey him, the world would be his.

(Uncanny X-Men I#189) -  After completing the last load from a truck, Jaime told his co-worker Phil that he was taking a break. Visiting the break room, Jaime thought about how the upcoming payday would allow him to purchase books for his son but he soon found a group of his co-workers surrounding his locker. Realizing his co-workers were admiring the golden necklace he had found and put into his locker, Jaime shoved his co-worker Stephens down and warned that if any of his co-workers messed with his stuff again, he would take it out of their hides. He then yelled at everyone to leave, thinking to himself that it had to be the necklace, which he had been too scared to take home. When Jaime thought how he hadn't told anyone that he had found the necklace, the necklace once again began to speak, explaining how it had summoned the men to it. Further explaining how it favored Jaime more since he had found it, the necklace asked for Jaime to yield a portion of his soul in exchange for a great gift. Scared, Jaime slammed his locker door and declined to give up his soul, secretly thinking how the more he listened, the more he wanted to accept the necklace's offer. Admitting that he couldn't resist its influence much longer, Jaime became determined to get rid of the necklace that night. Later that night, Jaime left work and prepared to catch a train home, all the while thinking how he would destroy the necklace. While waiting for the train, Jaime began watching his portable television, unaware of a petty criminal approaching behind him.

(Uncanny X-Men I#191) - Still watching on his portable television an anti-mutant news report and unaware of the criminal approaching him with a knife, Jaime Rodriguez failed to see the appearance of Earth-811's Nimrod. Nimrod sensed the murder about to occur and incinerated the criminal, saving Jaime's life. The shock from the blast sent Jaime sprawling and caused him to drop his portable television and the golden necklace, which fell into the muck near the subway tracks with no one to answer the necklace's call. Helping the stunned Jaime to his feet, Nimrod assumed a normal human voice and remarked that whoever hit Jaime would not do so again.

(Uncanny X-Men I#193 (fb) - BTS) - Unaware of Nimrod's true nature as a Sentinel, Jaime took Nimrod into his house.

(Uncanny X-Men I#193) - Jaime Rodriguez had his friend Luis over for dinner with his family. At the table, Luis asked Jaime why he kept sticking up for mutants, reminding Jaime of the televised anti-mutant reports and suggesting mutants would wipe out humanity. Jaime replied that Luis' comment was the stupidest thing he had heard of, reminding Luis that some mutants were bad just as some humans were bad. Jaime then asked Luis what would happen if Jaime or perhaps his son Tomas, Luis' godson, were a mutant. Luis replied that it was different since he knew both Jaime and Tomas but an angry Jaime said he wasn't so sure he knew Luis anymore. Jaime then summoned his son and asked if he had done his homework. Tomas replied that Nimrod had helped him with his homework and asked to use Tomas' computer, allowing Tomas a break. Jaime then told Tomas to help his mother with the dishes, much to Tomas' chagrin. As Tomas went into the kitchen, Luis admitted that Nimrod made him nervous but Jaime reminded Luis that he was taught to judge men by their deeds instead of their looks. Jaime then said Nimrod saved his life and that was good enough for him, unaware Nimrod was using Tomas' computer to research the world he found himself in.

(Uncanny X-Men I#197) - Jaime and Nimrod, who had taken a job working with Jaime at the fish wholesaler, visited a restaurant, where Jaime discussed how Nimrod was enjoying his new job. Admitting he had not figured Nimrod to be interested in a dock worker job after he had taken so well to Tomas' computer, Jaime thanked Nimrod for helping Tomas with his homework before two thugs attempted to rob the restaurant. When one threatened Nimrod, Nimrod assumed its true robotic form and vaporized the two thugs, promising a stunned Jaime that if he had not killed them, the thugs would have used their weapons to kill Jaime and possibly others in the restaurant. The patrons then cheered Nimrod for defending them.

(Uncanny X-Men I#208 - BTS) - Nimrod stood on the roof of Jaime's apartment building and scanned the city for mutant targets. When Tomas came up to see Nimrod, it quickly assumed human form and admitted that he had business downtown and couldn't look over Tomas' homework. After promising Tomas he would check it over the next morning, Nimrod flew off to exterminate its targets.

(X-Force I#35 (fb) - BTS) - Nimrod's time boarding with Jaime Rodriguez was recorded into a file on Nimrod by the X-Men.

(X-Force I#35 - BTS) - The X-Men's file on Earth-811's Nimrod was acquired by Cable of X-Force, who displayed the file to his team to prepare them to take down a Nimrod that had been created on Earth-616. While reviewing the file, Cable explained to X-Force about how Earth-811's Nimrod had taken human form and was taken in by Jaime Rodriguez.

Comments: Created by Chris Claremont, John Romita, Jr. and Dan Green.

Poor naive and good natured Jaime Rodriguez. First, the dedicated father and husband picks up a Kulan Gath-possessed necklace and proves good-hearted enough to resist its influence, only to be callously murdered by a mugger. When that reality was reversed and diverged via time travel, Jaime ends up befriending a mutant-killing robot from an alternate future and is at first completely unaware of how murderous the robot is. Then, after witnessing it completely vaporize two thugs, he STILL lets the murderous robot stay in his house and help his son with his homework, despite earlier remarking that he was afraid to bring the possessed necklace into his home. I guess he was just REALLY convinced that Nimrod was good after the robot saved his life....and Jaime was pro-mutant too. Maybe that's why we never saw Jaime again after Uncanny X-Men I#208. Maybe he learned Nimrod actually hunted mutants and he refused to allow Nimrod back into his home...not that there would be much Jaime could do about it if Nimrod forced his way in. He'd probably just get murdered again...

The reality that is shown in Uncanny X-Men I#189-191, in which Kulan Gath transformed New York into a realm resembling the Hyborian era and in which Jaime Rodriguez was murdered by a crook who inadvertently released Kulan Gath from the golden necklace, was reversed by Dr. Strange in Uncanny X-Men I#191, diverging the altered reality from Earth-616 at the point Jaime was murdered. The divergent reality became Earth-8591.

Uncanny X-Men: Official Index to the Marvel Universe lists Jaime's son's name as "Thomas" with "Tomas" in quotes but in every appearance of Tomas, it spelled "Tomas."

Jaime's height & weight were impossible to determine, as he was never seen next to a character who had been given an official height/weight.'

Senora Rodriguez was never actually identified on-panel. The title of "Senora" is the Spanish-speaking equivalent of "Mrs."

Props for Kurt Busiek for picking up the dangling plot thread of whatever happened to Kulan Gath's necklace when he was writing Avengers! Kulan Gath was originally reborn through the necklace simply by a mugger stabbing & killing Jaime Rodriguez to pick up the necklace and unwittingly unleash Kulan Gath. Since that reality was prevented on Earth-616 due to time travel, it always seemed strange to me that no one ever picked the necklace up out of the dirt of the subway tracks after Jaime instead dropped it on Earth-616 (rather than being killed & it taken). Since Kulan Gath was able to influence others into picking up the necklace, one would think at some point, a greedy person would've walked into the subway and been lured into picking it out of the dirt. Since the necklace is found in a fishnet over in Kurt Busiek's Avengers, perhaps at some point, another strong-willed person like Jaime picked up the necklace out of the subway and, like Jaime, felt it better to rid himself of it before they were corrupted, throwing it into the ocean, where it was later picked up in a fishnet?

Profile by Proto-Man.

CLARIFICATIONS:
Jaime Rodriguez and his family have no KNOWN connections to:

Duke has no KNOWN connections to
 Luis has no KNOWN connections to
 Phil has no KNOWN connections to
 Stephens has no KNOWN connections to
Duke

Duke was a co-worker of Jaime Rodriguez who attempted to get Jaime to attend a ballgame after they both got off work. Jaime agreed to go but informed Duke that he had to pick up his son Tomas first, since he had promised Tomas a game for getting an A on his report card.







--Uncanny X-Men I#188
Luis

Luis was a lifelong friend of Jaime's who ended up becoming godfather to Jaime's son Tomas. When Jaime acquired a talking golden necklace, he considered using Luis' furnace to destroy the necklace and later, Luis was invited over to the Rodriguez home for dinner, where he spouted anti-mutant rhetoric. His remarks prompted Jaime to question how well he really knew Luis and asked what Luis would do if Jaime or Tomas were a mutant. Luis replied that the situation would be different and moments later, informed Jaime of his distrust of Jaime's newest houseguest, Nimrod.








--Uncanny X-Men I#189 (mentioned); Uncanny X-Men I#193 (seen)
Phil

Phil was a co-worker of Jaime Rodriguez. Following a long bit of unloading fish, Jaime informed Phil that his current load was the last and told Phil he was taking his break afterwards, to which Phil had no arguments.






--Uncanny X-Men I#189
Senora Rodriguez

Senora Rodriguez was Jaime's wife and mother to their son, Tomas. During a visit from Jaime's friend Luis, Senora Rodriguez managed the table as they all ate dinner.



--Uncanny X-Men I#193 (unidentified)
Tomas Rodriguez

Tomas Rodriguez was the young son of Jaime Rodriguez. Somewhat struggling in school, Tomas was promised by Jaime a visit to a ballgame if Tomas could get an A on his report card and Jaime also bought books for Tomas to study. After Jaime took Nimrod into the Rodriguez home, Nimrod helped Tomas with his homework in exchange for time on Tomas' computer, continuing to help Tomas even after his true robotic nature was revealed to Jaime.






--Uncanny X-Men I#188 (mentioned, unidentified); Uncanny X-Men I#193 (seen & identified) (#208,

Stephens

Stephens was one of Jaime's co-workers who was influenced by Kulan Gath's necklace. While Jaime worked, Stephens and a small group of other co-workers were lured to Jaime's locker, where they began eyeing the necklace. Visiting his locker while on break, Jaime saw Stephens and the others and angrily warned them not to touch his stuff, going so far as to even knock Stephens down. After seeing the way Stephens and the others reacted to the talking necklace, Jaime then realized he had to destroy it.








--Uncanny X-Men I#189

images: (without ads)
Uncanny X-Men I#191, p25, pan1 (Jaime Rodriguez waiting for a train, main image)
Uncanny X-Men I#193, p39, pan5 (Jaime Rodriguez, headshot)
Uncanny X-Men I#188, p22, pan6 (Jaime finding Kulan Gath's necklace)
Uncanny X-Men I#189, p6, pan2 (Jaime pushing a dolly & Phil image)
Uncanny X-Men I#188, p22, pan2 (Duke)
Uncanny X-Men I#193, p39, pan3 (Luis)
Uncanny X-Men I#193, p39, pan2 (Senora Rodriguez)
Uncanny X-Men I#208, p8, pan5 (Tomas Rodriguez)
Uncanny X-Men I#189, p6, pan4 (Stephens)

Appearances:
Uncanny X-Men I#188 (December, 1984) - Chris Claremont (writer), John Romita, Jr., Dan Green (art), Ann Nocenti (editor)
Uncanny X-Men I#189 (January, 1985) - Chris Claremont (writer), John Romita, Jr. (pencils), Steve Leiloha (inks), Ann Nocenti (editor)
Uncanny X-Men I#191 (March, 1985) - Chris Claremont (writer), John Romita, Jr., Dan Green (art), Ann Nocenti (editor)
Uncanny X-Men I#193 (May, 1985) - Chris Claremont (writer), John Romita, Jr., Dan Green (art), Ann Nocenti (editor)
Uncanny X-Men I#197 (September, 1985) - Chris Claremont (writer), John Romita, Jr., Dan Green (art), Ann Nocenti (editor)
Uncanny X-Men I#208 (August, 1986) - Chris Claremont (writer), John Romita, Jr., Dan Green (art), Ann Nocenti (editor)
X-Force I#35 (June, 1994) - Fabian Nicieza (writer), Tony Daniel (pencils), Jon Holdredge, Harry Candelario, Kevin Conrad, Dan Green, Keith Champagne, Joe Rubinstein (inks), Bob Harras (editor)

Last updated: 01/17/17

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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