LORD ARCADIUS
Real Name: Arkadine Arcadius
Identity/Class: Sub-species of humanity (Inhuman) mutate
Occupation: Unrevealed; former leader of the Inhuman Genetics Council
Group Membership: Genetics Council (Cynas, Furgar, Porcal, Sapphiras, Targon)
Affiliations: Crimson Cadre (General Ator, Eelak the Agile, Glaboo, Margoyle, Pulssus, Rootar the Irresistible), Maximus the Mad, Morgan le Fay, Seeker (Uys)
Enemies: Avengers (Crystal, Quicksiler/Pietro Maximoff), Fantastic Force (Devlor, Huntara, Psi-Lord/Franklin Richards, Vibraxas/N'Kano), Fantastic Four (Ant-Man/Scott Lang, Doctor Doom/Kristoff Vernard, Human Torch/Johnny Storm, Invisible Woman/Susan Richards, Thing/Ben Grimm), Nathaniel Richards, Royal Family (Ahura, Black Bolt, Gorgon, Karnak, Lockjaw, Medusa), Thor (Odinson), Zarrko the Tomorrow Man (Artur Zarrko) of Earth-6297
Known Relatives: None
Aliases: Chancellor Arcadius
Base of Operations: Attilan
First Appearance: (BTS, name unrevealed) Fantastic Force I#3 (January, 1995); (seen, name revealed) Fantastic Force I#5 (March, 1995); (full name) Fantastic Force I#8 (June, 1995)
Powers/Abilities: Chancellor Arcadius, after undergoing Inhuman Terrigenesis, developed the ability to project his mind into statues across vast distances, altering the matter of the statues and making them capable of speech and movement while at the same time giving them various super-powers. Arcadius' powers grow weaker as he animates more than one statue, depending on distance, effort, and abilities granted. Arcadius also possesses limited telepathy, capable of communicating with others over vast distances, though he does not seem to have the ability to read or control minds. Arcadius has been shown to control four separate statues, granting one the abilities of flight and throwing electric rods; one, a stone gargoyle, capable of flight; one, an immigrant statue that demonstrated super-strength; and one, a stone man capable of throwing an electric net. (See comments for further exploration of these powers). Arcadius, at least for a time, had the full resources of the Attilan government, including ships capable of travel from the moon to earth, as well as the Inhuman military. Arcadius' skin has a cracked earth tone to it. Arcadius has limited ability to control stone and earth, able to cause some minor seismic shakes.
Height: Unrevealed
Weight: Unrevealed
Eyes: Solid white
Hair: White
History:
(Fantastic Four: Atlantis Rising#1 (fb) - BTS) - During a time when the Royal Family of the Inhumans were exiled from Attilan, the Inhuman Genetics Council took over the ruling of Attilan (on the moon) and the Inhumans. Lord Arcadius acted as Chancellor over the group, thus putting Arcadius in charge of all of Attilan for a time.
(Fantastic Force I#3 - BTS) - Arcadius sent the Seeker, Uys, after Devlor, an Inhuman anomaly who was on Earth.
(Fantastic Force I#5 (fb) - BTS) - The Seeker returned to Attilan, reporting that Devlor had been incinerated.
(Fantastic Force I#5) - Arcadius confronted the Seeker, having evidence that Devlor was still alive. Arcadius considered having the Seeker killed as well.
(Fantastic Four: Atlantis Rising#1) - Members of the Genetics Council met to discuss governing the Inhumans. Sapphiras presented satellite images that showed Atlantis had been raised on Earth and she argued they should explore it (as the Inhumans had lived on this land thousands of years ago), but Targon stated that the risks were too great, and they chose to move on to other agenda items. When seismic activity threatened Attilan, Arcadius checked in with General Ator, leader of the Crimson Cadre, then he instructed Cynas to make sure the Terrigen reserves were safe. The Watcher's Citadel vanished, and the Council struggled to save as many civilians as they could as the oxygen over Attilan disappeared into the power vacuum. The Council sent the Crimson Cadre to attack Hawaii while the Council looked into the raised Atlantis. As the Council's ship arrived on Earth to investigate Atlantis, they saw Morgan le Fay manipulating Thor into battling Namor, and the Council approached Morgan, saying they were there to claim Atlantis for the Inhumans.
(Fantastic Force I#8) - Arcadius led a meeting of the Genetics Council and they discussed the threats of the Atlanteans and Thor, who remained under the control of Morgan le Fey. Arcadius realized he would have to accelerate his own agenda. Arcadius sent a psychic projection of himself toward Devlor, a young Inhuman who had problems with his Terrigenesis. Arcadius convinced Devlor that his biology contained the key to staving off genetic struggles in all Inhumans.
(Fantastic Four I#401) - Arcadius, with the Genetics Council standing by, petitioned to Morgan le Fay, who stood with a mind-controlled Thor, that the Inhumans had rights to the land of Atlantis, but she claimed Atlantis for herself. They proposed a hesitant alliance between their forces. They soon realized the Fantastic Four's ship was approaching, run by Maximus the Mad and containing the shrunken Attilan. Arcadius led the Genetics Council back to their ship, where he mentally contacted the Royal Family, alerting them to the events.
(Fantastic Force I#9) - The Genetics Council stood by while Morgan le Fay pushed her agenda forward.
(Fantastic Four I#402) - Arcadius telepathically warned the Royal Family of the threat of Namor. Later, Morgan le Fay summoned Arcadius, telling him that the city of Attilan was being enlarged. Furious, Arcadius notified the Royal Family, telling them to teleport in immediately.
(Fantastic Four: Atlantis Rising#2) - Morgan le Fay stood over the shrunken city of Attilan and claimed it was hers along with Atlantis, causing the Genetics Council to protest. Chancellor Cynas voiced her concerns, as Nathaniel Richards, there against his will, worked to restore the city to its rightful size. When a group of heroes (the Fantastic Four, Namor, Thor) attacked, Arcadius assigned Targon and Furgar to protect the miniature Attilan, and Sapphiras and Cynas to gather the Terrigen Mists. Arcadius then checked on the Royal Family, who were making sure Triton healed from his wounds. Defeated, the Crimson Cadre reported back to Arcadius, who was prepared to move against the Royal Family. Arcadius promised to fix Devlor's powers if the boy agreed to help him, but Devlor refused. Arcadius promised to seek him out again. Arcadius ordered the Genetics Council to leave the room and find Morgan le Fay as he prepared to make his own bid for the throne of Attilan. Nathaniel Richards managed to restore Attilan to its normal size as the heroes defeated Morgan le Fay. Arcadius manipulated the ground beneath them and escaped with the Cadre.
(Fantastic Four Unlimited#11 (fb) - BTS) - Arcadius watched as Attilan slowly returned to normal size, threatening the Royal Family. He sent the Crimson Cadre to contain the royals, but the Cadre was overwhelmed, and the royals used Lockjaw to teleport into New York City. Arcadius projected his spirit into a statue in New York, monitoring the famly.
(Fantastic Four Unlimited#11) - Thinking himself the only surviving member of the Genetics Council, Arcadius planned to accelerate his plans. Arcadius animated a winged golden statue who had a quiver full of electric arrows, and he made the wings work and the arrows actually electric. The statue attacked the Royal Family, and Arcadius revealed his control as they destroyed the statue. Arcadius animated a stone gargoyle, a sculpture celebrating immigrants, and a sculpture of St. Peter (complete with a net of kinetic energy), but the family destroyed the statues with the help of Quicksilver and Crystal of the Avengers. Overwhelmed, Arcadius abandoned his plot, and fled.
Comments: Created by Tom Brevoort, Mike Kanterovich (writers), Dante Bastianoni (penciler) & Ralph Cabrera (inker).
Arcadius seems to have a certain level of reality-altering ability as he manipulates stone statues and grants them super-powers. Certain Inhumans seem to have powers that are similar while distinctly different. For example, Reader can "read" Braille and alter reality, reversing time or creating life, while Kid Kaiju can create monsters just by drawing them. There are other mutants and super-powered beings, from Proteus to Molecule Man to Franklin Richards, who have strong power sets in reality-altering.
What a raucous and bizarre introduction this character had to the MU. He's psychic, he's on the moon, the city is shrunk, there's sorcery and weird super hero fights and a battle over Hawaii, and he's got a secret agenda and he's suddenly using statues to fight the FF before he just...disappears. Maybe his mind got trapped in one of his statues all these years. Maybe the Inhumans threw him in jail for his crimes.
Profile by Chadman.
CLARIFICATIONS:
Lord Arcadius should not be confused with:
images: (without ads)
Fantastic Four Unlimited#11, p14, pan2 (Arcadius, main)
Fantastic Four: Atlantis Rising#2, p34, pan3 (face)
Fantastic Force I#8, p15, pan3 (psychic projection)
Fantastic Four: Atlantis Rising#2, p43, pan4 (manipulating the ground)
Fantastic Four Unlimited#11, p15, pan5 (animating statue)
Appearances:
Fantastic Force I#3 (January, 1995) - Tom Brevoort, Mike Kanterovich (writrs), Dante Bastianoni (penciler), Ralph Cabrera, Don Hudson (inkers), Mike Rockwitz (editor)
Fantastic Force I#5 (March, 1995) - Tom Brevoort, Mike Kanterovich (writers), Dante Bastianoni (penciler), Ralph Cabrera (inker), Mike Rockwitz (editor)
Fantastic Four: Atlantis Rising#1 (June, 1995) - Tom DeFalco, Glenn Herdling (writers), MC Wyman (penciler), Rey Garcia, Don Hudson, Geof Isherwood, Kevin Yates (inkers), Nel Yomtov (editor)
Fantastic Force I#8 (June, 1995) - Tom Brevoort, Mike Kanterovich (writers), Dante Bastianoni (penciler), Ralph Cabrera (inker), Mike Rockwitz (editor)
Fantastic Four I#401 (June, 1995) - Tom DeFalco (writer), Paul Ryan (penciler), Danny Bulanadi (inker), Nel Yomtov (editor)
Fantastic Force I#9 (July, 1995) - Tom Brevoort, Mike Kanterovich (writers), Geof Isherwood (penciler), Ralph Cabrera, Sam DeLaRosa (inkers), Nel Yomtov (editor)
Fantastic Four I#402 (July, 1995) - Tom DeFalco (writer), Paul Ryan (penciler), Danny Bulanadi (inker), New Yomtov (editor)
Fantastic Four: Atlantis Rising#2 (July, 1995) - Tom DeFalco, Glenn Herdling (writers), MC Wyman, Geof Isherwood (pencilers), Rey Garcia, Herb Trimpe, Don Hudson, Sandu Florea (inkers), Nel Yomtov (editor)
Fantastic Four Unlimited#1 (September, 1995) - Roy Thomas (writer), Doug Braithwaite (penciler), Robin Riggs (inker), Nel Yomtov (editor)
First Posted: 04/06/2020
Last updated: 04/12/2020
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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