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SPOOR

Real Name: Andrew "Amos" Hamish Graves

Identity/Class: Human mutant, citizen of the United Kingdom

Occupation: Terrorist, criminal

Group Membership: Acolytes (Kamal el Alaoui, Barnacle/Mortimer Everett, Fabian Cortez, Exodus/Bennett du Paris, Frenzy/Joanna Cargill, Gargouille/Lavinia LeBlanc, Katu Kath, Kleinstock Brothers/Harlan & Sven Kleinstock, Seamus Mellencamp, Neophyte/Simon Hall, Polaris/Lorna Dane, Projector/Zachary Williams, Rem-Ram/Marcus Andrews, Scanner/Sarah Ryall, Senyaka/Suvik Senyaka, Static/Gianna Carina Esperanza, Unuscione/Carmella Unuscione, Vindaloo/Venkat Katragadda, Amelia Voght, others)

Affiliations: None

Enemies: Excalibur (Britanic/Brian Braddock, Douglock, Nightcrawler/Kurt Wagner, Phoenix/Rachel Summers, Shadowcat/Kitty Pryde), Doctor Rory Campbell, Valerie Cooper, Heroes for Hire (Ant-Man/Scott Lang, Black Knight/Dane Whitman, Iron Fist/Daniel Rand, Power Man/Luke Cage, She-Hulk/Jennifer Walters, Thena, White Tiger), High Evolutionary (Herbert Edgar Wyndham), Knights Of Wundagore (Bova Ayrshire, Lord Anon (actually Man-Beast), Lord Churchill, Lord Gator, Sir Ram, Sir Tyger, Lady Ursula, Lady Vermin), Moira MacTaggert, Philip Moreau, Jenny Ransome, Scanner (Sarah Ryall), X-Men (Archangel/Warren Worthington III, Lucas Bishop, Colossus/Piotr Rasputin, Cyclops/Scott Summers, Gambit/Remy LeBeau, Jean Grey, Iceman/Bobby Drake, Marrow/Sarah, Nightcrawler/Kurt Wagner, Professor X/Charles Xavier, Rogue/Anna Marie, Shadowcat/Kitty Pryde, Storm/Ororo Munroe, Wolverine/James "Logan" Howlett), X-Factor (Havok/Alex Summers, Multiple Man/Jamie Madrox, Polaris/Lorna Dane, Strong Guy/Guido Carossella, Quicksilver/Pietro Maximoff, Wolfsbane/Rahne Sinclair)

Known Relatives: None 

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: Genosha,
                                  formerly Wundagore Mountain,
                                  formerly Muir Island,
                                  formerly Mont Saint Francis, France,
                                  formerly United Kingdom

First Appearance: Uncanny X-Men I#300 (May, 1993)

Powers/Abilities: Spoor was a mutant that produced mood-altering pheromones affecting the behavior of those around him. Spoor's victims all exhibited increased aggressive tendencies that he could manipulate at will. Spoor's physical mutations included a thick, reddish brown fur over his entire body as well as sharp teeth and claw-like hands. Spoor might have had a measure of super strength and agility. Due to a deeply traumatic childhood, Spoor was a homicidal maniac with a death wish. 

Height: 5'6"
Weight: 150 lbs.  
Eyes: Green
Hair: Brown

History:

(Excalibur I#89 (fb) - BTS) - Andrew Graves was born with visible physical mutations, appearing as half human, half dog. His aggressive, alcoholic father was disgusted by his appearance and forced his son to feed himself from garbage cans. His father also forced Spoor's mother to kill herself by having her drink paint stripper.

(Excalibur I#89 (fb) - BTS) - As Spoor matured, his sociopathic tendencies led him to crave the death of orders. Lacking the stomach for actual killing, he decided to use his newly gained pheromone control to have his victims either kill themselves or each other.

(Excalibur I#95 (fb) - BTS) - Spoor was 13 years old when he began his killing spree.

(Uncanny X-Men I#300 (fb) - BTS) - Spoor was recruited into the Acolytes by Fabian Cortez. Accepting the teachings of Magneto, he joined the other devotees in their hideout inside the monastery of Mont St. Francis in France. Cortez thought so highly of the bloodthirsty Spoor that he made him a member of his private guard.

(Uncanny X-Men I#300 - BTS) - Acting on orders from Cortez, the Acolytes kidnapped Moira MacTaggert from her family estate in the north of France. The mutants tried to make it look like MacTaggert had died in the fire, but Charles Xavier and the X-Men quickly concluded Moira was still alive.

(Uncanny X-Men I#300) - Spoor, Katu and Senyaka were ordered by Cortez to find and kill their fellow Acolyte Neophyte, who he claimed was a traitor (in reality, the young mutant had inadvertently learned the truth about Cortez' involvement in Magneto's death). Catching up with Neophyte outside the monastery where he had befriended a local girl, Senyaka instantly killed her with his whip before the trio turned on their teammate. He was saved by the arrival of the X-Men: Wolverine cut Senyaka's whip, leaving him open for Spoor's attack. But before he could strike, he was taken out of the fight by Iceman who dropped a massive chunk of ice on him.

(X-Factor I#92 (fb) ) - On orders from Fabian Cortez, Spoor joined his fellow Acolytes Senyaka, Javitz and the Kleinstock Brothers in attacking a hospice in Wauntaugh, Virginia. Without mercy, they slaughtered numerous patients and staff at the facility in the name of Magneto. Their killings alerted X-Factor to the Acolytes' activities.

(X-Factor I#92 (fb) - BTS) - Spoor allowed himself to be captured by the authorities, which may or may not have been part of Cortez' plans. Spoor's powers would sow dissent among the enemies ranks (see comments).

(X-Factor I#92) - Spoor used his mood-altering pheromones to turn the members of X-Factor against one another when they showed up to question him. However, when Quicksilver showed up his reverence for the son of Magneto was so great Spoor fell to his knees in worship and freely told them about the location of his teammates: Camp Hayden.

(Excalibur I#71 (fb) - BTS) - Following his arrest, Spoor was transferred to Muir Island where Moira MacTaggert began to study him. She concluded the Acolyte had a death wish, which made him all the more unpredictable and dangerous.

(X-Men II#25 - BTS) - When Magneto unleashed a massive electromagnetic pulse, it disrupted most electronic systems on Earth, including Moira MacTaggert's holding pens. This allowed Spoor and the other captives to escape.

(Excalibur I#71) - Spoor was the final prisoner left for Excalibur to round up. Nightcrawler thought he could get the jump on him, but the suicidal Spoor used his powers to drive Kurt Wagner into a murderous rage, happy to die at his hands. Before Kurt could smash Spoor's head in with a rock, his teammates Kitty Pryde and Rachel Summers restrained him. Spoor was recaptured with Moira expressing hope that conventional therapy could cure his psychiatric disorder.

(Excalibur I#74 (fb) - BTS) - To deal with the effects of Spoor's powers, he was placed in an airtight confinement pod inside Retention Block 17-D.

(Excalibur I#74) - A week after almost pushing Nightcrawler to kill him, Spoor's suicidal moods continued. He was visited again by Nightcrawler who wanted to reason with his fellow mutant, but Spoor was not interested in helping to create a utopia where men and mutants could live together in peace. Clinging to his extremist views, he repeated his desire to be extradited to the United States to stand trial for the massacre at the Virginia hospice, knowing he would be sentenced to death. Feeling that all life was sacred, Nightcrawler refused to participate.

(Excalibur I#88) - Spoor was placed in the care of Moira's colleague, doctor Rory Campbell who came up with an unconventional way of treating him. Campbell had Britanic construct a pen consisting of high intensity lasers that would fire on anyone expressing any aggression. Campbell reasoned that serial killers like Spoor figured that being locked up meant people feared them. By placing him in the pen, Spoor would have no more control, which would count as a start towards a cure. Douglock brought the sneering Spoor into the pen.

(Excalibur I#89) - Doctor Rory Campbell held intense therapy sessions with Spoor in the pen, openly teasing and mocking him with his horrific childhood. Campbell assured Spoor he was immune to his powers because he was on mood stabilizers. He then proceeded to rail him with horrific details of his mother's death at the hands of his father. Learning these facts broke Spoor's facade, allowing Campbell to hammer home the fact that this was but a fraction of the misery the relatives of his many victims had experienced.

(Excalibur I#90) - Believing himself safe from Spoor's powers because of his mood stabilizers, Rory Campbell entered the pen for another session with the serial killer. He was unaware that the effects of the medication were wearing off, allowing Spoor to use his pheromones to take control of Campbell's emotional state. He forced the doctor to attack him, which Rory did by hitting the mutant with a chair. The pen's laser targeting system picked up on the violence and fired on the aggressor, cutting of Dr. Campbell's leg in the process.

(X-Man I#12) - Visiting Muir Island to seek Moira MacTaggert's aid with his powers, Nate Grey went exploring and discovered the facility's holding pens where he ran into Spoor. The villain managed to convince the impressionable youth that Moira was experimenting on mutants there, even alluding that he might be next. X-Man went forth to confront Dr. MacTaggert, which ended in a massive flare up of his telekinesis that destroyed her lab.

(Excalibur I#95) - Moira confronted Nate Grey with the facts about Spoor, telling him to read Graves' mind. X-Man was pained to learn the seemingly innocent mutant had actually been killing people since his early teens. After reading the minds of Moira and the rest of Excalibur, Nate reconsidered his position and left Muir.

(Excalibur I#102) - After reaching an agreement with the British government's ministry of paranormal investigation, the Department, Moira MacTaggert saw Spoor transferred out of Muir. Cussing as helicopters airlifted him away, cell and all, Graves boasted about being the most terrifying creature anyone ever saw, outraged at being "waved around like a shopping bag".

(Quicksilver I#11 - BTS) - Somehow escaping the Department, Spoor located and rejoined the Acolytes, now led by Exodus with his lieutenants Amelia Voght and Fabian Cortez. He joined them on their quest to oppose the High Evolutionary (HE) and take his latest invention Isotope E.

(Quicksilver I#11) - Exodus picked up Isotope E's unique energies at The Haven, a castle owned by HE in upstate New York. He sent Spoor and the Acolytes to fetch the Isotope, telling them to obliterate anyone who would dare oppose him, even the Knights of Wundagore and their leader Quicksilver, even if he's the son of their god Magneto.

(Quicksilver I#11 - BTS) - In the dungeons of the Haven, Heroes for Hire members Ant-Man, Iron Fist and Power Man were continuing to evolve and devolve after an accidental exposure to Isotope E. While they struggled, the HE and his knights had traveled back to Wundagore Mountain.

(Quicksilver I#11) - Amelia Voght teleported Spoor and the Acolytes into the dungeons of Haven, where they immediately encountered the devolved Heroes for Hire. Not recognizing the heroes, Voght ordered the Acolytes to kill them, with Spoor pounding on Ant-Man. Their struggle was interrupted by Quicksilver who kept the Acolytes busy long enough for the Heroes for Hire to regain their normal appearance. Once Voght learned of the HE's whereabouts, she called for an emergency transport back to base.

(Quicksilver I#11 - BTS) - As the Knights girded themselves for battle, while wondering why the Acolytes left so many of their weapon caches intact since taking over the Citadel of Science, Bova discovered there was a traitor in their midst: the Man-Beast had been posing as Lord Anon for months. Rushing to confront him, they were just in time to see Man-Beast stab HE and claim Isotope E for himself.

(Heroes For Hire I#16 - BTS) - The fight between the Man Beast and the Knights of Wundagore was interrupted by Exodus and the Acolytes. After politely asking the Man-Beast to hand over the Isotope led to nothing, Exodus ordered his men to kill the Knights while he himself would take care of the evolved wolf creature. The fight between the two teams ended when Exodus and the Man-Beast agreed to a truce. Man-Beast used his mental abilities to press the Knights into his service. Unbeknownst to them, the Heroes for Hire were making their way to Transia to help out. Joined by the Knights of Wundagore, Spoor was among the Acolytes sent to fight Quicksilver and the Heroes for Hire.
 
(Quicksilver I#12) - Using his superspeed, Quicksilver stole the Isotope E from the Man-Beast and freed the Heroes for Hire from the dungeons of Wundagore Mountain. Armed with the Isotope, the speedster and the heroes faced Spoor and the other Acolytes. The two groups were too evenly matched, which forced Quicksilver to expose himself to the Isotope E. The speedster's powers grew exponentially until he was able to fight off the Acolytes and even managed to defeat their leader Exodus. Growing mad with power, Pietro demanded and got the Acolytes' loyalty. Just then, the HE announced his own godlike powers had been restored (at the cost of his sanity) and was ready to lead the world to the next phase of evolution.

(Heroes for Hire/Quicksilver Annual 1998) - When the HE and the Isotope E enhanced Quicksilver squared off, Pietro ordered the Acolytes to aid him. Egged on by Exodus, Spoor and a handful of other Acolytes joined him in opposing the High Evolutionary, ultimately buying enough time for Thena to create a Uni-Mind between Exodus and Man-Beast to help win the day. 

(X-Men: Magneto War I#1 - BTS) -  Rumors of the imminent return of Magneto led to an ideological rift within the team between Fabian Cortez and Amelia Voght. Spoor sided with Fabian Cortez and, along with Projector, Static, the Kleinstocks and new recruits Barnacle, Static and Rem-Ram, struck out on their own.  Acolytes. Unbeknownst to Fabian Cortez this schism was instigated by Amelia Voght under orders from Magneto himself who only wanted the most loyal of his flock by his side.

(X-Men: Magneto War I#1) - Hoping to find some answers on the status of Magneto and Joseph, his mysterious young lookalike, Fabian Cortez took the Acolytes to the Xavier Institute. Using Rem-Ram's mutant dream reading powers, the Acolytes tormented the X-Men in their dreams before the team realized what was going on  In the fight that ensued, Spoor and Wolverine had a brief rematch. The fight ended because Charles Xavier risked his life trying to stop Cortez from killing Rem-Ram. Cortez ran off, leaving the remaining Acolytes to formally request asylum, only to be swifty dismissed by Xavier who turned them away.

(Magneto: Dark Seduction I#1 - BTS) - The Genoshan fishing port Carrion Cove was the last town to actively resist Magneto's rule. Mayor Böerke had a valid reason for doing so: Carrion Cove housed a device that could boost mutant powers. Böerke feared what Magneto would be capable of he got his hands on it. Rather than simply destroying the machine, Böerke enlisted the aid of Spoor and several other lapsed Acolytes to help protect the city. Böerke exposed them to the device, which granted them increased powers.

(Magneto: Dark Seduction I#1) - Thanks to their power boost, the renegade Acolytes were able to hold their own against the large number of forces sent against them, including their former teammate Frenzy and Genosha's freedom fighters Philip Moreau and Jenny Ransome. 

(Magneto: Dark Seduction I#2 - BTS) - Properly powered up, Spoor was effortlessly beating both soldier and Acolyte alike until he lost his additional powers when he and the other renegade Acolytes were cut off from its influence via remote control.

(New X-Men I#116 - BTS) - Spoor remained on Genosha when Cassandra Nova's Sentinels laid waste to the island. He did not survive the assault.

Comments: Created by Scott Lobdell, John Romita Jr., Dan Green.

Next to Fabian Cortez, Amelia Voght and Frenzy, Spoor might be the most storied Acolyte, just look at the list of enemies he's managed to rack up. What's even more impressive: he did that while being behind bars most of the time. But despite his large rogues list, the man really is his own biggest enemy. A homicidal maniac with suicidal tendencies is an interesting idea, it's also worthy to note that Spoor somehow did not get revived during the Necrosha affair and he hasn't been seen on Krakoa either. It's almost like he wants to stay dead.

X-Factor I#92 is a bit of a mess. It's never explained on panel how or why Spoor was captured. The story simply has him chained up in custody at one point. It makes sense for Cortez to leave Spoor behind, his pheromone power can wreak havoc behind the lines after all. It might also have been Spoor's own choice, later stories reveal he's suicidal and feels so bad about the people he has killed that he wants the authorities to punish him.

'Spoor' is a synonym for an animal's scent or track, a reference to his pheromone controlling mutant powers.

Just why Spoor had a 'Firenze' sign (the Italian name for the city of Florence) in his Muir Island detention cell will probably remain a mystery for the ages.

Spoor, as a member of the Acolytes, received an entry in Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A-Z I#1 and All-New Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z I#1.

This profile was completed 08/15/2021, but its publication was delayed as it was intended for the Appendix 20th anniversary's celebratory event.

Profile by Norvo.

CLARIFICATIONS:
Spoor should not be confused with:

images: (without ads)
Excalibur I#95, p17, pan1 (main image)
Uncanny X-Men I#300, p12, pan1 (attacking Wolverine)
Excalibur I#74, p10, pan3 (stuck in airtight pod)
Excalibur I#89, p9, pans5&6 (learns the truth of his origins)
X-Men Magneto War#1, p30, pan4 (asking for asylum)
Quicksilver Heroes for Hire Annual 1#1998, p25, pan7 (joins Quicksilver in opposing High Evolutionary)

Appearances:
Uncanny X-Men I#300 (May, 1993) - Scott Lobdell (writer), John Romita Jr. (pencils), Dan Green (inks), Bob Harras (editor)
X-Factor I#92 (July, 1993) - Scott Lobdell & J.M. DeMatteis (writers), Joe Quesada (pencils), Al Milgrom (inks), Kelly Corvese (editor)
Excalibur I#71 (November, 1993) - Scott Lobdell (writer), Ken Lashley (pencils), Cam Smith (inks), Suzanne Gaffney (editor)
Excalibur I#74 (February, 1994) - Richard Ashford (writer), Ian Churchill (pencils), Pat Garrahy (inks), Suzanne Gaffney (editor)
Excalibur I#88 (August, 1995) - Warren Ellis (writer), Larry Stroman (pencils), Cam Smith (inks), Suzanne Gaffney (editor)
Excalibur I#89 (September, 1995) - Warren Ellis (writer), David Williams (pencils), Mike Miller (inks), Suzanne Gaffney (editor)
X-Man I#12 (February, 1996) - John Ostrander (writer), Steve Skroce (pencils), Bud LaRosa (inks), Jaye Gardner (editor)
Excalibur I#95 (March, 1996) - Warren Ellis (writer), Carlos Pacheco (pencils), Bob Wiacek (inks), Suzanne Gaffney (editor)
Excalibur I#102 (October, 1996) -  Warren Ellis (writer), Casey Jones (pencils), Rob Haynes (inks), Jaye Gardner (editor)
Quicksilver I#11 (September, 1998) - John Ostrander & Joe Edkin (writers), Derec Aucoin (pencils), Rich Faber (inks), Mark Bernardo (editor)
Heroes for Hire I#16 (October, 1998) - John Ostrander (writer), Pascual Ferry (pencils),Jaime Mendoza (inks), Mark Bernardo (editor)
Quicksilver I#12 (October, 1998) - John Ostrander & Joe Edkin (writers), Derec Aucoin (pencils), Rich Faber (inks), Mark Bernardo (editor)
Quicksilver/Heroes For Hire Annual 1998 (1998) - John Ostrander (writer), Pascual Ferry (pencils),Jaime Mendoza (inks), Mark Bernardo (editor)
X-Men: Magneto War I#1 (March, 1999) - Fabian Nicieza & Alan Davis (writers), Lee Weeks (pencils), Dan Green (inks), Mark Powers (editor)
Magneto: Dark Seduction I#1 (June, 2000) - Fabien Nicieza (writer), Roger Cruz (pencils), Andy Owens (inks), Mark Powers (editor)
Magneto: Dark Seduction I#2 (July, 2000) - Fabien Nicieza (writer), Roger Cruz (pencils), Andy Owens (inks), Mark Powers (editor)
New X-Men I#116 (September, 2001) - Grant Morrison (writer), Frank Quitely (pencils), Tim Townsend (inks), Mark Powers (editor)

First Posted: 09/28/2021
Last updated: 09/27/2021

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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