MALCOLM WHITMAN

Real Name: Malcolm Whitman

Identity/Class: Human mutant

Occupation: Revolutionist

Group Membership: None

Affiliations: Dean Crawford, Tippy Kingston; formerly William Sumner, Sterling Whitman

Enemies: Cyclops (Scott Summers), Jean Grey, the Mutant Civil Rights Task Force (Agent Catherine Gray, Agent Aaron Kearse, others), William Sumner, Sterling Whitman

Known Relatives: Sterling Whitman (father)

Aliases: "The new Malcolm X," "the new Nat Turner," "the new Denmark Vesey" (all self-proclaimed titles)

Base of Operations: The City on the Hill, Malibu Hills, Los Angeles, California, USA

First Appearance: X-Factor II#1 (June, 2002)

Powers/Abilities: Malcolm Whitman was a mutant with pyrokinetic abilities. Whitman could create and manipulate fire, even from a far distance away, though use of his powers left his skin horribly blistered. He also possibly had some low-level telepathic abilities, as he was able to sense Dean Crawford being interrogated from miles away and set him aflame from such a distance.

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

History: (X-Factor II#1 (fb) - BTS) - During the production of his father's movie, Hero X, Malcolm Whitman met "Nathan Plummer" (actually young Third Species member Billy Sumner) and Dean Crawford, soon becoming very close to "Plummer." Eventually, the mutant revolutionist Malcolm and "Nathan" had a major falling out when Malcolm learned that "Nathan" was not an actual mutant, but had only replaced his liver with one of a mutant. Now thinking "Plummer" was an FBI mole into his revolution, Malcolm secretly had "Nathan Plummer"/Billy Sumner killed.

(X-Factor II#1) - When Billy Sumner was found dead, Malcolm's father, civil rights activist Sterling Whitman, contacted the FBI's Mutant Civil Rights Task Force to suggest Malcolm be questioned. Wishing to avoid stressing out Malcolm, who was relaxing in the pool to soothe his blistered skin, Sterling prepared a dossier with everything Malcolm knew about Billy Sumner/"Nathan Plummer," hoping that would be enough information for the MCRTF to leave Malcolm alone. Later, after suspect Dean Crawford burst into flame while exclaiming to Malcolm, who was not present, that he was not squealing, the MCRTF began suspecting Malcolm of having more to do with Sumner's death than the Whitmans were stating. Investigating the Whitman mansion, known as the City on the Hill, MCRTF Agents Kearse and Gray found numerous weapons and plans for a pro-mutant militia attack. Just as the agents began to suspect they were being led into a trap, Malcolm Whitman attacked them, suspecting that his father had led them there in an attempt to have him killed by the agents rather than publicly ruin his activist image by turning his own son in. Monologuing that it was a shame neither Dean nor Sumner, whom Malcolm announced as an FBI mole, survived long enough to spill the beans, Malcolm admitted that Sumner's harvested mutant liver fooled most blood tests but explained that it would take more than that to fool Malcolm. Proclaiming himself the new Malcolm X, Malcolm pulled a gun on the two MCRTF agents and announced that the event would be considered the shot heard 'round the world but he was halted by the X-Men Jean Grey and Cyclops, who forced all present to sleep. When Agent Kearse awoke, he found that the memories of all present had also been selectively wiped and that Malcolm Whitman had been taken into FBI custody. His father Sterling publicly denouncing the Mutant Civil Rights Task Force as Nazis who had brought ridiculous and unfounded charges against his son, exclaiming that his son was not a mutant.

Comments: Created by Jeff Jensen and Arthur Ranson.

Malcolm Whitman's height & weight were impossible to determine, as he was never seen standing next to a character whose height & weight were officially given. He did encounter Cyclops & Jean Grey but was never shown next to them in a way where height & weight could be approximated.

Profile by Proto-Man.

CLARIFICATIONS:
Malcolm Whitman and Sterling Whitman have no KNOWN connections to:

The City on the Hill has no KNOWN connections to:
 Dean Crawford has no KNOWN connections to:
 Tippy Kingston has no KNOWN connections to:
The City on the Hill

The City on the Hill was the home of civil rights activist Sterling Whitman and his mutant son Malcolm. Located within the Malibu Hills area of Los Angeles, California, the City on the Hill was originally a sanctuary for the radicals of the Civil Rights movement but in recent years, Sterling Whitman began to transform the City on the Hill into a mecca of mutant culture, even devoting a section of it for a gallery of art made by mutant artists. Sterling welcomed mutants into the City on the Hill and his son Malcolm often relaxed in the City's pool to soothe his severe skin blistering. After Malcolm was insinuated in the murder of Billy Sumner, the FBI's Mutant Civil Rights Task Force, having earlier met with Sterling and obtained a dossier on Sumner in hopes of avoiding a public spectacle, returned to the City on the Hill to look more into Malcolm, who ultimately attacked the agents and was defeated by the X-Men Cyclops and Jean Grey.





--X-Factor II#1
Dean Crawford

Dean Crawford was a friend of Malcolm Whitman and Billy Sumner (in his guise as "Nathan Plummer") who befriended the two during the production of the movie Hero X. After the revolutionist Malcolm Whitman suspected Sumner of being an FBI mole, he had Sumner killed, garnering the attention of the FBI's Mutant Civil Rights Task Force. Eventually, Dean Crawford was apprehended by the FBI as a suspect but he refused to speak despite FBI interrogation. Sensing the interrogation, Malcolm Whitman set Dean Crawford on fire from afar, prompting Dean to yell that he was not saying anything or incriminating Malcolm. After putting out the now-deceased Dean with a fire extinguisher, the MCRTF decided to investigate Malcolm personally due to Dean's pleas.

Being part of Malcolm's mutant revolution, Dean Crawford likely possessed mutant powers but they were never shown if he actually had any.




--X-Factor II#1
Tippy Kingston

Tippy Kingston was the publicist for Malcolm's father, Sterling Whitman. On orders from Sterling, Tippy phoned Catherine Gray of the Mutant Civil Rights Task Force to inform them that Sterling had information on their open murder case. When Agents Kearse and Gray arrived at Sterling's home, the City on the Hill, Tippy greeted them and went over Sterling's entire career as she led them to Sterling himself. After explaining Malcolm's ties to the murdered Billy Sumner, Sterling was handed a dossier containing everything the Whitmans knew about Billy Sumner.





--X-Factor II#1
Sterling Whitman

Sterling Whitman was Malcolm's civil rights activist father. Becoming a millionaire off blaxpoitation movies such as Black Rose, which he considered his greatest triumph due to its pioneering in bringing African-American heroines to the screen, Sterling Whitman eventually decided to use his money and influence to focus on more socially-conscious movies that tended to win Oscars. He eventually became one of the most political and influential figures in Hollywood. In recent years, Sterling fathered the mutant pyrokinetic Malcolm Whitman but publicly denied Malcolm's mutant nature, claiming Malcolm's skin blistering was due to a skin condition. Nonetheless opting to devote his home, which was dubbed the City on the Hill, into a haven of mutant culture, Sterling transformed a section of the City on the Hill into a gallery of mutant art and devoted his creative energies towards cultivating mutant cinema such as the movie Hero X. Realizing his son was becoming a revolutionary after Malcolm became close to supposed mutant Billy Sumner (who claimed to a "Nathan Plummer") during the production of Hero X, Sterling had his publicist contact the FBI's Mutant Civil Rights Task Force when Billy Sumner was killed. Hoping to spare a public scandal by involving his son too deeply into the MCRTF's investigation, Sterling prepared a dossier with all information the Whitmans had on Sumner and gave it to the MCRTF, who had to leave their meeting with Sterling early when murder suspect Dean Crawford was taken into custody. A short time later, the MCRTF were led back to the City on the Hill when Crawford combusted during his interrogation, exclaiming that he was not squealing on Malcolm. Suspecting Sterling had led the agents there to have him killed rather than publicly ruin his own civil rights image by turning in his own son, Malcolm attacked the MCRTF agents but was defeated by the X-Men Cyclops and Jean Grey, who selectively erased Malcolm and the agents' memories of the encounter. After Malcolm was taken into FBI custody, Sterling publicly denounced the Mutant Civil Rights Task Force, claiming Malcolm was not a mutant.



--X-Factor II#1
images: (without ads)
X-Factor II#1, p19, pan5 (Malcolm Whitman on fire, main image)
X-Factor II#1, p15, pan8 (Malcolm Whitman, headshot)
X-Factor II#1, p10, pan5 (City on the Hill)
X-Factor II#1, p16, pan6 (Dean Crawford)
X-Factor II#1, p11, pan2 (Tippy Kingston)
X-Factor II#1, p14, pan4 (Sterling Whitman)

Appearances:
X-Factor II#1 (June, 2002) - Jeff Jensen (writer), Arthur Ranson (art), Mark Powers (editor)

Last updated: 01/18/17

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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