scab-infernobabies-nm3-18-kneelingish-bootsscab-infernobabies-nm3-18-chargeSCAB

Real Name: Unrevealed

Identity/Class: Human mutant (possibly magically-enhanced)

Occupation: Warrior

Group Membership: "Inferno Babies" (see comments; Alex, Bob, Loca, Face, Maw, Russell, Shauna, Timothy, Toko, Trista; Nathan Summers (later Cable) was also one of these infants, although he didn't share their fate in limbo/Otherplace), Project Purgatory

Affiliations: Dr. Noc, General Ulysses and his demon-mutated troops (including McDonald);
    formerly New Mutants (Cannonball/Sam Guthrie, Gossamyr, Magik/Illyana Rasputin, Mirage/Dani Moonstar, Sunspot/Roberto DaCosta, Warlock/technarch, Wolfsbane/Rahne Sinclair), X-Factor (Angel/Archangel/Death/Warren Worthington, Beast/Hank McCoy, Cyclops/Scott Summers, Iceman/Bobby Drake, Marvel Girl/Jean Grey), X-Men (Colossus/Peter Rasputin, Dazzler/Alison Blaire, Havok/Alex Summers, Longshot, Psylocke/Betsy Braddock, Rogue/Anna Marie, Storm/Ororo Munroe, Wolverine/James Howlett/Logan), X-Terminators (Boom-Boom/Tabitha Smith, Rusty Collins, Leech, Artie Maddicks, Rictor/Julio Richter, Skids/Sally Blevins, Wiz Kid/Taki Matsuya)

Enemies: General Combest, Nanny, N'astirh, N'asteris, New Mutants (Cannonball/Sam Guthrie, Cypher/Doug Ramsay, Karma/Xi'an Coy Manh, Magik/Illyana Rasputin, Magma/Amara Aquilla, Dani Moonstar, Sunspot/Roberto DaCosta), Orphan-Maker (Peter), Pixie/Megan Gwynn, S'ym, US Army, Witchfire, demons of limbo/Otherplace

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: Unrevealed;
    formerly the limbo realm Otherplace

First Appearance: (Unidentified infant) X-Terminators I#3 (December, 1988);
    (Scab; unidentified) New Mutants III#16 (October, 2010)


scab-infernobabies-nm3-18-cutting

Powers/Abilities: When Scab bleeds, his body forms hard, rock-like armor of the cut regions, greatly enhancing and strength and durability. The more of his body that is covered by the armor, the stronger and more durable he is. Fully armored, he is stronger than the energized Sunspot, who can lift approximately 50 tons.

    After a period of time, presumably as his skin heals over, the armor begins to flake off. Scab will sometimes pick at the flaking armor, much to the disgust of some of his teammates, notably Russell.

    Scab will happy cut himself to stimulate his armor's production, and he enjoys the pain of others. He also cares little for the fate of others, even the entire population of Earth.

Height: Unrevealed (approximately 6'; perhaps closer to 7' or even 8' when fully armored)
Weight: Unrevealed (approximately 210 lbs; perhaps 300 lbs. or more fully armored)
Eyes: Blue
Hair: Blond

scab-infernobabies-nm3-18-scabbing


History:

(X-Terminators#1-4/Uncanny X-Men I#236,239-242/X-Factor I#34-37/New Mutants I#71-73 - mostly BTS and completely unidentified) - With the limbo realm Otherplace, S'ym instructed N'astirh to find and steal thirteen power-filled babies (beings of both purity and great potential power) and to bring them to the chosen place (Manhattan's Times Square) for the performance of his rite and the attainment of his purpose: the sacrifice of the infants would allow S'ym to hold open the mystic portal to allow his demonic hordes to invade and conquer Earth.

    N'astirh's hordes (the N'asteris) gathered the mutant children and performed the rite, but the New Mutants and X-Terminators disrupted the ritual and rescued most of the children. The Goblin Queen and N'astirh subsequently attempted to sacrifice the infant Nathan Christopher and three other of the Inferno babies to reopen the portal, but the X-Men and X-Factor thwarted this plot. Nanny and Orphan-Maker attempted to abduct the babies, but the heroes fought them off and then turned the mutant babies over the US government.

scab-infernobabies-nm3-17-mostlyfull(New Mutants III#16 (fb) - BTS) - Using flesh from the mutant infants used to open the portal to limbo, Dr. Noc reverse-engineered a portal to limbo. Dr. Noc continued working to weaponize the infants in a few years.

(New Mutants III#16 (fb)) - General Combest showed General Ulysses the Inferno babies and the limbo-portal and gave him a mission to raise and train the babies in the timeless realm.

(New Mutants III#16 (fb)) <Mission day 1533 / elapsed Earth time of 263 days> - Therein, Dr. Noc sought to stress trigger the young (now 4-5 years old) children's mutant powers, such as by placing the child within a barred cage, surrounded by multiple chained limbo demons seeking to reach the child.

(New Mutants III#16 (fb)) <Mission day 1673 / elapsed Earth time of 287 days> - After General Ulysses' agents recovered a bloodstone locket from a corpse of an Illyana, Witchfire led an army of demons to assault the military base.

(New Mutants III#18 (fb) - BTS) - The mutants slew the demons, although one of the mutants had his face torn off.scab-infernobabies-nm3-18-kneeling-rearview-emblem

(New Mutants III#16 (fb)) - Ulysses instructed Noc to check on the Inferno mutants, and he found that the demons had gotten into the hatchery. Shocked, he reported "They're all dead."

    Ulysses then requested permission to exit through portal Epsilon, but Combest ordered the portal sealed to prevent contamination.

(New Mutants III#18 (fb)) <Mission day 1674 / elapsed Earth time of 287 days> - As Scab and the others watched, Noc clarified to the arriving Ulysses that the children survived, and that it was the demons who had died.

(New Mutants III#18 (fb)) <Mission day 1704 / elapsed Earth time of 292 days> - Scab and the others watched as safety and firing mechanisms were installed on Face. When Noc noted to Face that they were not the bad guys, oneof the mutants asked who were the bad guys.

(New Mutants III#17 (fb) - BTS) - Ulysses and his men, as well as the now mature "Inferno Babies" traveled 600 miles "blood-north" through the shifting worlds of the Elsewhere Desert.

(New Mutants III#15 (fb) - BTS) - Ulysses and his men, as well as the now mature "Inferno Babies" returned to Earth (allegedly after 26 years in limbo, but with only 4 years having passed on Earth).

(New Mutants III#15) - Ignoring orders from General Combest, Ulysses led forces to capture the X-Man Pixie, taking possession of her soul dagger.

(New Mutants III#16) - When Combest attempted to take Ulysses into custody and chastised him for losing his "weapons," Ulysses noted that the mutants did not like being called weapons. Face and the other mutants then slew Combest and announced their presence/revealed their survival.

(New Mutants III#17 (fb) - BTS) - Scab and the other mutants obliterated an entire battalion of the US Army in approximately 30 seconds.

(New Mutants III#17) - General Ulysses' demon-enhanced agent McDonald's enhanced vision/senses allowed him to report that while Magik and her New Mutants allies had arrived in limbo and knew they had Pixie, they weren't close to discovering Ulysses' group's location.

    When one of Ulysses' soldiers wondered if they were safe in their location after having taken out the army battalion, Scab and the others looked on with amusement as Timothy noted that he and his mutant allies had been the ones to take out the army, and that with the speed and ease with which they had done so, they were safe there for as long as they needed.


scab-infernobabies-nm3-18-punchsun(New Mutants III#17 - BTS) - Magik led her New Mutants allies (Cannonball, Cypher, Karma, Magma, Moonstar, Sunspot) to confront Ulysses and his forces.

(New Mutants III#17) - Ulysses summoned the "Inferno Babies," and Toko tore the Soulsword from Magik and then Russell beat Magik into submission before sending Scab and the others to take out the other New Mutants.

(New Mutants III#18) - When the New Mutants attacked, Scab faced Sunspot, delivering and then taking a punch before Sunspot drew a sword and told him to stay down. Identifying himself, Scab laughed as he grabbed the sword and sliced his chest and chin, after which he was soon covered with more massive crust/armor and he charged Sunspot anew. Continuing to bleed as they fought, Scab grew more massive and powerful and soon battered Sunspot into submission.

scab-infernobabies-nm3-18-punchedbysun
 


    After his teammates finished off the rest of the New Mutants, Scab asked what they would do with them now, and Russell told him, "Whatever we want."

(New Mutants III#19 (fb) - BTS) - Scab was assigned to watch over Magik, who was bound in manacles and kept from teleporting by anchor slugs

(New Mutants III#19) - Scab stood by as Ulysses spoke with Magik, noting his intention to use the Soul Sword to steal a portion of Pixie's soul and use that to complete the Bloodstone Amulet.

scab-infernobabies-nm3-18-covered     After that was done, Scab carried Magik back to her cell, during which time he picked his scabs and asked his teammate Russell how he knew Trista wasn't using her voice-controlling powers to make him do things; Russell told he didn't care, and he also told Scab not to pick himself in front of him, as he found it disgusting.

    As they arrived at the cell, Scab hurled Magik to the ground, telling her to "have a seat." As they departed, Scab mockingly told Sunspot, Magik, and the unconscious Magma, "See you, ladies..."

    Ulysses subsequently summoned Scab and the rest of the "Inferno Babies" to their transport as they planned to return to limbo (to use the Bloodstone amulet to slaughter the resident demons). Following the departure of Scab and most of the others with Ulysses, Karma was able to connect to Face's mind, and -- using her eyes to see -- Face slew the other "Inferno Babies (Maw & Timothy) and the soldiers watching over Magik and Karma.

(New Mutants III#20) - After Ulysses, his crew, and Scab and the remaining "Inferno Babies" arrived in limbo, Ulysses explained to Scab that they were waiting to trigger the amulet until all of the demons arrived so that they could end them all at once.

(New Mutants III#20 - BTS) - Toko subsequently placed the soul "bloodstone" in the amulet, activating a spell that unleashed immense demons ("Elder Gods," which has consistently referred to the N'Garai masters) that tore through the portal from limbo to Earth. scab-infernobabies-nm3-21-death

(New Mutants III#21) - Little caring that they had potentially doomed Earth, Scab joked about this having been "not a bad day's work" as he Ngoc and others traveled in some monorail deal. When one of Ulysses' agents pointed out the approaching Cannonball -- furiously vengeful after what Ulysses and his forces had done -- Scab only had time to turn, look, and realize the danger before Cannonball smashed through their transport, apparently killing everyone aboard.

    Legion (David Haller), released via a plan of Magik and Illyana, apparently destroyed the invading demons and the "bloodstone" amulet.

Comments: Inferno babies created by
    Scab created by Zeb Wells and Leonard Kirk.

    It's hard to believe they never got a better name than the "Inferno Babies..."

    We see so many stories where Spider-Man or someone fights to uphold this no killing standard...in this one, Dani Moonstar shoots Loca in the neck with an arrow, and Cannonball deliberately smashes though a monorail, killing Scab, Noc, and others.

    This profile was completed 2/24/2021, but its publication was delayed as it was intended for the Appendix 20th anniversary 's celebratory event.

Profile by Snood.

CLARIFICATIONS:
Scab should be distinguished from:

images: (without ads)

New Mutants III#17, pg. 18, panel 3 (mostly full, distant, jumping down);
    #18, pg. 10, panel 1-2 (punching and punched by Sunspot);
          panel 3 (kneeling-ish; full body, showing boots);
          panel 5-6 (cutting self);
       pg. 11, panel 2-3 (growing scabs);
          panel 5 (charging forward, more scabby);
       pg. 19, panel 1 (virtually covered, punching back Sunspot);
    #21, pg. 9, panel 3-5 (seeing Cannonball approaching, apparently slain)
       

Appearances:
 X-Terminators#1 (October, 1988) - Louise Simonson (writer), Jon Bogdanove (penciler), Al Williamson & Al Milgrom (inkers), John Wellington (editor)
Uncanny X-Men I#236 (late October, 1988) - Chris Claremont (writer), Marc Silvestri (penciler), Dan Green (inker), Bob Harras (editor)
X-Factor I#34 (November, 1988) - Louise Simonson (writer), Walter Simonson (penciler), Bob Wiacek (inker), Bob Harras (editor)
X-Terminators#2 (November, 1988) - Louise Simonson (writer), Jon Bogdanove (penciler), Al Milgrom (inkers), Bob Harras (editor)
Power Pack I#42 (December, 1988) - Jon Bogdanove (writer, penciler), Stan Drake (inker), Carl Potts (editor)
Uncanny X-Men I#239 (December, 1988) - Chris Claremont (writer), Marc Silvestri (penciler), Dan Green (inker), Bob Harras (editor)
X-Factor I#35 (December, 1988) - Louise Simonson (writer), Terry Shoemaker (penciler), Joe Rubeinstein (inker), Bob Harras (editor)
X-Terminators#3 (December, 1988) - Louise Simonson (writer), Jon Bogdanove (penciler), Al Milgrom (inkers), Bob Harras (editor)
New Mutants I#71 (January, 1989) - Louise Simonson (writer), Bret Blevins (penciler), Al Williamson (inker), Bob Harras (editor)
Uncanny X-Men I#240 (January, 1989) - Chris Claremont (writer), Marc Silvestri (penciler), Dan Green (inker), Bob Harras (editor)
X-Factor I#36 (January, 1989) - Louise Simonson (writer), Walter Simonson (penciler), Bob Wiacek (inker), Bob Harras (editor)
X-Terminators#4 (January, 1989) - Louise Simonson (writer), Jon Bogdanove (penciler), Al Milgrom (inkers), Bob Harras (editor)
Uncanny X-Men I#241 (February, 1989) - Chris Claremont (writer), Marc Silvestri (penciler), Dan Green (inker), Bob Harras (editor)
New Mutants I#72 (February, 1989) - Louise Simonson (writer), Bret Blevins (penciler), Al Williamson (inker), Bob Harras (editor)
X-Factor I#37 (February, 1989) - Louise Simonson (writer), Walter Simonson (penciler), Bob Wiacek (inker), Bob Harras (editor)
Avengers I#300 (February, 1989) - Walter Simonson (writer), John Buscema (penciler), Tom Palmer (inker), Mark Gruenwald (editor)
Spectacular Spider-Man II#147 (February, 1989) - Gerry Conway (writer), Sal Buscema (artist), Jim Salicrup (editor)
Excalibur I#6 (March, 1989) - Chris Claremont (writer), Alan Davis (penciler), Paul Neary (inker), Terry Kavanaugh (editor)
Fantastic Four I#324 (March, 1989) - Steve Englehart (writer), Keith Pollard (penciler), Romeo Tanghal (inker), Ralph Macchio (editor)
New Mutants I#73 (March, 1989) - Louise Simonson (writer), Bret Blevins (penciler), Al Williamson & Mike Manley (inkers), Bob Harras (editor)
Uncanny X-Men#242 (March, 1989) - Chris Claremont (writer), Marc Silvestri (penciler), Dan Green (inker), Bob Harras (editor)New Mutants III#15 (September, 2010) - Zeb Wells (writer), Leonard Kirk (artist), Daniel Ketchum (associate editor), Nick Lowe (editor)
New Mutants III#15 (September, 2010) - Zeb Wells (writer), Leonard Kirk (artist), Daniel Ketchum (associate editor), Nick Lowe (editor)
New Mutants III#16-18 (October-December, 2010) - Zeb Wells (writer), Leonard Kirk (artist), Jake Thomas (assistant editor), Daniel Ketchum (associate editor), Nick Lowe (editor)
New Mutants III#19 (January, 2011) - Zeb Wells (writer), Leonard Kirk (artist), Jake Thomas (assistant editor), Daniel Ketchum (associate editor), Nick Lowe (editor)
New Mutants III#20-21 (February-March, 2011) - Zeb Wells (writer), Leonard Kirk w/ Andrew Currie (artist), Jake Thomas (assistant editor), Daniel Ketchum (associate editor), Nick Lowe (editor)

First posted: 09/11/2021
Last updated: 09/09/2021

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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