ARCLIGHT
Earth-92131
Real Name: Philippa Sontag
Identity/Class: Alternate Earth (Earth-92131) human mutant
Occupation: Assasin
Group Membership: Marauders (Harpoon/Kodiak Noatak, Prism/Robbie, Riptide/Janos Quested, Sabretooth/Victor Creed), Sinister Seven (Sienna Blaze, Hazard/Carter Ryking);
formerly Magneto's army (Blockbuster/Michael Baer, Callisto, Copycat/Vanessa Carlysle, Dawnsilk, Feral/Maria Callasantos, Forearm/Michael McCain, Garrison Kane, Kangaroo/Frank Oliver, Marianna, Mole, Moondragon/Heather Douglas, Reaper/Pantu Hurageb, Sunder, Sunfire/Shiro Yoshida, Toad/Mortimer Toynbee, Tusk and unrevealed others)
Affiliations: Acolytes (Burner/Byron Calley, Chrome/Allen Marc Yuric, Fabian Cortez, Delgado/Marco Delgado, Frenzy/Joanna Cargill, Unuscione/Carmella Unuscione, Amelia Voght), Ape, Erg, Glow Worm, Lady Gardener, Lifter (Ned Lathrop), Magneto (Erik Lehnsherr), Mister Sinister (Nathaniel Essex), Peeper (Peter Quinn), Dr. Taylor Prescott, Senyaka (Suvik Senyaka), Shocker (Randall Darby), Slither (Aaron Salomon), Strobe (Juliana Worthing), Dr. Darrell Tanaka, Tommy, Watchdog;
formerly X-Men (Beast/Hank McCoy, Cyclops/Scott Summers, Gambit/ Remy LeBeau, Professor X/Charles Xavier)
Enemies: Genoshan magistrates, Elaine Grey, John Grey, Chet Lambert, Sentinels, Solarr (Bill Braddock), X-Men (Beast/Henry McCoy, Cyclops/Scott Summers, Bishop/Lucas Bishop, Gambit/Remy LeBeau, Jubilee/Jubilation Lee, Morph, "Jean Grey"/Madelyne Pryor, Rogue, Storm/Ororo Munroe, Wolverine/Logan);
formerly Toad (Mortimer Toynbee)
Known Relatives: None
Aliases: None
Base of Operations: Hammer Bay, Genosha;
formerly Skull Mesa, Nevada, United States of America;
formerly Asteroid M, Earth's orbit;
formerly unrevealed
First Appearance: X-Men: The Animated Series cartoon - "Sanctuary - Part I" (October 21, 1995)
Powers/Abilities: Arclight can generate seismic energy, emanating as shockwaves from her hands and feet. Her signature move is the B-52 punch, which causes a massive seismic shockwave that can shatter buildings. Arclight has superhuman strength, enhanced endurance and appears immune to the effects of her powers.
Height: 5'8" (presumably same as her 616 counterpart)
Weight: 126 lbs. (presumably same as her 616 counterpart)
Eyes: Violet
Hair: Black, dyed purple
History:
(X-Men: The Animated Series cartoon - "Sanctuary - Part I" - BTS) - Arclight and mutants from around the world watched as Magneto spoke at the United Nations, announcing the liberation of mutantkind. Magneto revealed that he and several missing scientists had built a mutant-only home on Asteroid M in the Earth's orbit. Magneto invited all mutants, explaining a first exodus would take place near Genosha.
(X-Men: The Animated Series cartoon - "Sanctuary - Part I") - Eager to join Magneto and move to Asteroid M, Arclight quickly made her way to a local airport where large groups of mutants had gathered to buy a ticket to the African nation where the first exodus would take place. Arclight, Blockbuster, Kangaroo and several other mutants gathered on the African planes where Charles Xavier, Gambit and Beast of the X-Men had gathered hoping to persuade Magneto to stop his plan, fearing other nations would retaliate. Soon Magneto arrived with his transport welcoming the mutants and X-Men aboard. Instead of bringing the mutants directly to Asteroid M, Magneto first went to Genosha to free their enslaved mutants.
Upon arrival Magneto urged the Genoshan mutants to cast off their bonds and join them, in a mighty show of force Arclight, Tommy, Sunder and the other mutants left the transport to form a powerful front. Magneto's call, however, was answered by the Genoshan magistrates who refused to release their prisoners which in turn lead to the mutant convoy to attack them. Assisted by the Acolytes (a group of mutants pledging allegiance to Magneto's righteous cause) a fierce battle followed in which Arclight and the mutants quickly gained the upper hand, prompting the Genoshan magistrates to release a group of Sentinels to level the playing field. In the end Magneto, repowered by his Acolyte Fabian Cortez destroyed the Sentinels, forcing the Genoshan magistrates to flee and freed the Genoshan mutants.
Finally arriving on Asteroid M, Arclight and the other newcomers were welcomed and some of them even invited to a ceremonial toast alongside Magneto. Disappointed Magneto wasn't the fearless leader he'd hoped for, Fabian Cortez confronted Magneto, taking away his powers. Believing Magneto would serve their cause better as a martyr Cortez trapped him in his chambers and opened the airlock, causing Magneto's chambers to be pulled into Earth's atmosphere. Suspicious of Asteroid M's alarm, X-Men Beast and Gambit quickly located Cortez only to be accused of killing their enigmatic leader Magneto. Arclight, Blockbuster and Erg were among the first to arrive, eager to believe Cortez.
(X-Men: The Animated Series cartoon - "Sanctuary - Part II") - Although Professor X and Beast successfully escaped, Gambit was taken prisoner by the Acolytes. Arclight, Glow Worm, Slither and several other mutants called out for his blood when Cortez presented them with Gambit, the supposed assassin of Magneto. Sometime later Cortez addressed world leaders, threatening to attack them unless they would release all mutants in captivity and pay restitution for human crimes against them, a feat which Arclight, Ape, Random and other mutants celebrated. Unbeknownst to Arclight and the others, a small strike team of X-Men arrived at Asteroid M to not only save Gambit but deactivate all of Asteroid M's active warheads. In the end Magneto, revived, destroyed the active warheads after which he attacked and defeated Cortez. In a mighty show of force Magneto finally destroyed Asteroid M, Arclight and all other mutants were safely returned to the African planes, under the watchful eyes of Mjnari and the Black Panther.
(X-Men: The Animated Series cartoon - "Secrets, Not Long Buried" - BTS) - Arclight moved to Skull Mesa, Nevada where Dr. Taylor Prescott had established a community where mutants could live in peace. However, the town was soon taken over by the villainous Solarr and his allies Chet Lambert and Toad after learning of it's underground goldmine. Dr. Taylor Prescott opposed the villains but was placed in suspended animation and soon had all of the town's residents living in fear by attacking anyone who questioned his authority, forcing some of them to work in the gold mine.
(X-Men: The Animated Series cartoon - "Secrets, Not Long Buried" - BTS) - When the X-Man Cyclops had come to Skull Mesa to meet his old friend Dr. Taylor Prescott he was confronted by Solarr and his allies. Through the following days Cyclops learned Solarr had taken over the city forcing the residents to live in fear. Determined to stop Solarr, a temporary depowered Cyclops fought back.
(X-Men: The Animated Series cartoon - "Secrets, Not Long Buried") - Arclight, Strobe, Forearm and several other mutants gathered at the town's square when Solarr openly confronted Cyclops. Solarr falsely claimed Cyclops was one of the subversives who wished to destroy their lives, something he'd warned the townspeople of before. Solarr continued, explaining that a crystal sculpture Cyclops was carrying was in fact a transmitter to summon his friends. Cyclops, who was bound to a large golden sculpture of Solarr with Toad's green muck urged the townsfolk to see Solarr for who he really was, a tyrant who held the innocent Dr. Taylor Prescott in the goldmine. Deciding to finally stand up to Solarr, one of the townsfolk, Tusk attacked Solarr and freed Cyclops. As a full fledged fight erupted other townsfolk like the Lady Gardener and Dr. Darrell Tanaka helped Cyclops while others like Arclight, Slither, Copycat, Ape and Sunder stood with Solarr. Cyclops, repowered thanks to Tanaka used his optic blast on the crystal sculpture to take them out with a single blast. When Solarr was defeated the mutants like Arclight had a sudden change of heart, realizing what he'd put them through. Meanwhile Dr. Prescott had been freed and was reunited with Cyclops after which he told the X-Man they would deal with Solarr and his men in Skull Mesa.
(X-Men: The Animated Series cartoon - "Graduation Day" - BTS) - Arclight moved to Genosha where former slave-workers had build their own civilization who viewed Magneto as their leader.
(X-Men: The Animated Series cartoon - "Graduation Day") - When mutant uprisings were seen throughout the world following the televised attack on Charles Xavier over a "mutant containment bill", Arclight and other mutants impatiently wondered when their enigmatic leader Magneto would finally lead them into war against humankind. Then, moments later Magneto addressed his people and calling all mutants from around the world to stand beside them.
However, the X-Men also picked up the message which lead them to send a small strike team consisting of Cyclops, Jean Grey and Wolverine to try and persuade Magneto to stop. During the night when Arclight was sleeping, Sunfire and Feral noticed suspicious movement in the encampment, discovering the X-Men. However, because it was night, both mutants didn't recognize the mutant heroes and inadvertently woke up the sleeping mutants who gathered round the X-Men. But just then Magneto appeared again which allowed the X-Men to sneak away. The X-Men successfully reached Magneto after which they revealed Charles Xavier was dying and could be saved if he'd help them send a message to Shi'ar empress Lilandra. Determined to help Xavier, Magneto called off the impending mutant war and left with the X-Men.
(X-Men '97 I#1 - BTS) - Arclight joined the Marauders, a team of mutant assassins consisting of Arclight, Harpoon, Prism, Sabretooth and Riptide.
(X-Men '97 I#1) - Determined his Nasty Boys weren't suited for the next stage of his battle against the X-Men, Mister Sinister sought to enlist new help in the form of the Marauders, Sienna Blaze and Hazard.
(X-Men '97 I#2) - Arclight, the Marauders, Sienna Blaze and Hazard appeared before Sinister as he explained they would be tasked to remind humanity of the danger that the X-Men would bring right to their doorsteps. As planned, all parties were send to attacked different groupings of the X-Men. Arclight and the Marauders were send to attack Wolverine and Storm at Harry's Hideaway where Storm and Wolverine had a heartfelt moment. After bursting through the facade of the bar, Arclight and the Marauders attacked the X-Men, while in mid-fight a third X-Man arrived, Morph.
(X-Men '97 I#3) - With Morph's additional power, the X-Man quickly gained the upper hand. However, it wasn't until several government agents lead by agent Carl Denti intervened that Arclight and the Marauders managed to successfully flee the scene.
(X-Men '97 I#3) - Several days later, Sinister learned that "Jean Grey" (in reality her clone Madelyne Pryor) would celebrate her baby shower at her family home and send the collective Sinister Seven consisting of the Marauders, Sienna Blaze and Hazard to destroy the entire town to sway public opinion against the X-Men.
(X-Men '97 I#4) - Arclight and the Sinister Seven (without Sabretooth) made their way to the Grey household, eager to fight the X-Men. During the battle Arclight took on Wolverine after which Arclight used her powers to create a large seismic shock which affected both the Marauders and the X-Men. It wasn't until the X-Men decided to switch tactics they gained the upper hand which lead "Jean Grey" to telepathically disable Arclight's mind. Once the other members of the Sinister Seven were defeated they were presumably handed over to the authorities.
Comments: Created by Chris Claremont, John Romita Jr., Brett Blevins, and Al Williamson;
adapted by Steven Melching, David Dermott and AKOM Productions. (see Appearances list for full list of artists)
Arclight, Blockbuster, Sabretooth and Vertigo all part of Mister Sinister's Marauders on Earth-616 were replaced in the X-Men: The Animated Series by the Nasty Boys his main thugs in the show. Although unrevealed it's possible the Marauders would be too violent for the TV show, they did murder most of the Morlocks during the Morlock Massacre. However, in 2024 Marvel released the limited series comic X-Men '97 to bridge the original animated series to the X-Men '97: The Animated Series cartoon in which the Marauders finally made their debut. The team consist of Arclight, Harpoon, Prism, Riptide and Sabretooth.
When, in 2015's Secret Wars, the Multiverse was destroyed following the incursions of planets it appeared as if Reality-92131 was drafted onto Battleworld as the Westchester domain. However, this has since been debunked. As such the reality seen in the two volumes of X-Men '92 (2015 and 2016-2017) now have their own reality-designation of Earth-15730. The X-Men '92: House of XCII (2022) series was inspired by both the animated series and Hickman's House of X run but is its own separate reality. The limited series X-Men '97 (2024), however, is Reality-92131 and bridges the gap between the original X-Men: The Animated Series cartoon and the new X-Men '97: The Animated Series cartoon.
Profile by MarvellousLuke
CLARIFICATIONS:
Arclight has no known connections to
images: (without ads)
X-Men The Art and Making of The Animated Series book, p192 (main image, digitally colored by MarvellousLuke)
X-Men: The Animated Series cartoon - "Sanctuary - Part I" (attacking Genoshan magistrates)
X-Men: The Animated Series cartoon - "Secrets, Not Long Buried" (Skull Mesa)
X-Men '97 I#2, p18, pan2 (with the Marauders)
Appearances:
X-Men: The Animated Series cartoon - "Sanctuary - Part I" (October 21, 1995) - Steven Melching, David Dermott (writers), Frank Brunner, Mark Lewis (model design), Darrel Bowen, Russel Chong, Mark Lewis, Steve Olds, Frank Squillace (prop design), Cesar Magsombol, Frank Squillace, Wayne Schulz, Zhaoping Wei (layout design), Trish Mendelson (color key), Philip Kim, Dennis Venizelos (color backgrounds), Sue Peters (animation director), Patrick Archibald, Francis Barrios, Romeo Francisco, Curt Geda, Greg Garcia, Adrian Gonzales, Rick Hoberg, Larry Houston, Jim Janes, Doug Murphy, Tom Nesbitt, Frank Squillace, Michael Swanigan, Dan Veesenmeyer (storyboards), Patrico Aganasin, Abel Laxamana, Mark Lewis, Romeo Lopez, Tec Manalac, Andre Nieves, Phil Stapleton (storyboard cleanup), AKOM Productions (animation studio), Sharon Janis (editor), Tifany Lenhart (assistant editor)
X-Men: The Animated Series cartoon - "Sanctuary - Part II" (October 28, 1995) - Jeff Saylor (writers), Frank Brunner, Mark Lewis (model design), Darrel Bowen, Russel Chong, Mark Lewis, Steve Olds, Frank Squillace (prop design), Cesar Magsombol, Frank Squillace, Wayne Schulz, Zhaoping Wei (layout design), Trish Mendelson (color key), Philip Kim, Dennis Venizelos (color backgrounds), Sue Peters (animation director), Patrick Archibald, Francis Barrios, Romeo Francisco, Curt Geda, Greg Garcia, Adrian Gonzales, Rick Hoberg, Larry Houston, Jim Janes, Doug Murphy, Tom Nesbitt, Frank Squillace, Michael Swanigan, Dan Veesenmeyer (storyboards), Patrico Aganasin, Abel Laxamana, Mark Lewis, Romeo Lopez, Tec Manalac, Andre Nieves, Phil Stapleton (storyboard cleanup), AKOM Productions (animation studio), Sharon Janis (editor), Tifany Lenhart (assistant editor)
X-Men: The Animated Series cartoon - "Secrets, Not Long Buried" (February 17, 1996) - Mark Onspaugh (writer), Frank Brunner (model design), Mark Lewis (model design, prop design, storyboard clean-up), Darrel Bowen, Russell Chong, Steve Olds (prop design), Frank Squillance (prop design, layout design, storyboards), Cesar Magsombol, Wayne Shulz, Zhaoping Wei (layout design), Patrick Archibald, Francis Barrios, Romeo Francisco, Curt Geda, Greg Garcia, Adrian Gonzales, Rick Hoberg, Jim Janes, Doug Murphy, Tom Nesbitt, Michael Swanigan, Dan Veesenmeyer (storyboards), Patricio Agnasin, Abel Laxamana, Romeo Lopez, Tec Manalac, Andre Nieves, Phil Stapleton (storyboard clean-up), AKOM Productions (animation studio), Sue Peters (animation director), Larry Houston (producer, director, storyboards), Sharon Janis (associate producer, editor)
X-Men: The Animated Series cartoon - "Graduation Day" (September 20, 1997) - James Krieg (writer), Roy Burdine, Mark Lewis (model design), James Agnasin (model clean-up), Marcos Borregales, Vadim Sokolov (prop design), Patricio Agnasin, Zhaoping Wei (layout design), Joe Dempsey, Romeo Francisco, Bob Fuentes, Rick Hoberg, Aleta Kozak Tom Nesbit, Danny Taverna, Thomas Tholen, Danilo Tolentino, Dan Veesenmeyer (storyboard design), Patricio Agnasin, Ernie Chan, Vinton Heuck, Abel Laxamana, John T. Miller, Kirk Van Wormer (storyboard clean-up), Trish Mendelson (color key), Ladonna Hannover, Trish Mendelson (ink and paint), Kelly Akins, Rey Zipagan (color backgrounds), Philippines Animation Studio Inc. (animation), Tom McLaughlin (producer)
X-Men '97 I#1 (March, 2024) - Steve Fox (writer), Salvador Espin (pencils, inks), Jordan D. White (editor)
X-Men '97 I#2 (April, 2024) - Steve Fox (writer), Salvador Espin (pencils, inks), Jordan D. White (editor)
X-Men '97 I#3 (May, 2024) - Steve Fox (writer), Salvador Espin (pencils, inks), Jordan D. White (editor)
X-Men '97 I#4 (June, 2024) - Steve Fox (writer), Salvador Espin (pencils, inks), Jordan D. White (editor)
First Posted: 04/26/2020
Last Updated: 07/26/2024
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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