Cerebra's Files

Banshee

Real Name: Sean Cassidy
Affiliation: Generation X, Headmaster
Previous Affiliations: X-Men, Interpol, Factor Three, NYPD
Status: Deceased (Vulcan)
Relatives: Maeve Rourke Cassidy (wife, deceased), Theresa Rourke Cassidy (Siryn, daughter), Thomas Cassidy (Black Tom, cousin)
Alternate-X Versions: (AOA), (DoFP)
Codename Etymology: Pronounced băn'shē [From Old Irish, baen "woman" + síde: "fairy, otherwordly"]; A female spirit known for wailing, and said to be the harbinger of death.
Powers: Banshee has excellent control of a sonic scream. It allows him to fly, and he can use it to pulverize stone or knock people unconscious. He can even use his voice as a type of sonar. As an Interpol agent, Sean encountered the serial killer Arkady Rossovich, who would later become the Soviet Super-Soldier Omega Red, and was approached by Magneto, before the events at Cape Citadel occurred. Following his wife's death and his daughter Theresa's abduction by his cousin Tom, Sean made his way to New York, where he joined the NYPD. As an NYC cop, Cassidy met his future co-headmaster Emma Frost (White Queen) and saved her from a less-than-coherent Dark Beast, although the memory of the event was then wiped. Later, the leader of Factor Three found out about Sean's mutant powers and captured him, placing a device on "Banshee's" head that would explode if he didn't follow orders. It was then that Banshee first came into contact with the X-Men, who fought and then freed him from Factor Three. Banshee was captured again by Factor Three and forced to do their bidding, but was again freed by the X-Men. He ended up in Nashville, where months later, he was recruited into the new X-Men for their first mission to Krakoa. Banshee remained an X-Man until he was injured in the battle with Moses Magnum. Following the battle with Proteus, he stayed on Muir Island with Moira MacTaggert, and the two have been lovers ever since. After the Mutant Massacre, the surviving Morlocks were transferred to Muir, and Banshee was healed by the Morlock Healer. He aided in defending the island against the Reavers, although he was shot in a pre-emptive strike (he was again treated by the Healer). Afterwards, Banshee and Forge left in search of the X-Men, who had apparently died in Dallas months before. They contacted X-Factor, and eventually were found by Storm and Gambit, not long before all of them were captured and taken to Genosha for trial. Banshee finally left the X-Men after his jaw was broken by a genetically-mind-altered Gambit to chase after Moira, who had left in grief over her being forced to do the altering by Magneto. Banshee was back at the Mansion for the Phalanx's attack, and along with Jubilee, Sabretooth and the White Queen, went to contact the next generation of mutants and save them from the Phalanx. Afterwards, Banshee joined Emma as the headmaster of the School for Gifted Youngsters, now located at Frost's Massachusetts Academy.

Sean served as headmaster for a few years, but the deaths of Synch and then of his estranged lover Moira sent Sean over the edge, Moira's most of all. He began drinking heavily, and due to a confluence of factors, the Academy closed, and Sean went back to Ireland. Weeks later, Sean pulled himself together, quit drinking and founded a powerful militaristic organization called the X-Corps in Europe. Using heroes like Multiple Man and Radius (from Alpha Flight), Banshee recruited former villains like Avalanche, Blob and Mastermind II to his cause. Joining him as well were some of his former students. The X-Corps goal was to be paramilitary force that could deal with mutant-instigated violence. Though it had official sanction, other organizations fought against it.

Even more disturbing to the X-Men, who came to see what the X-Corps were doing, was the fact that Banshee effectively imprisoned Mastermind II and was forcing her to use her telepathy to restrain the violent impulses of the "reformed" villains. Worse, Mystique had infiltrated the X-Corps as "Surge" and soon freed Mastermind (and consequently all the other villains), following which she posed as a Madrox and slit Banshee's throat. Meanwhile, the villains killed some of the good members of the X-Corps and wreaked havoc on Paris until they were stopped by the X-Men. The former GenXers in the X-Corps HQ managed to save Banshee's life, but the X-Corps crumbled and Banshee went to a hospital to convalesce and contemplate his actions and their consequences.

Banshee served as a member of the Marauders, a mercenary group hired by the House of M to capture "terrorists" Juggernaut and Nocturne in England. During the fight he was possessed by Nocturne, who used his body to knock out T-Rex.

Following M-Day, Sean was recuperating on the remains of Muir Island. He began to see ghosts of Moira and was led by one apparition to find a video diary Moira had recorded years earlier, before Sean was recruited into the new X-Men team. The video contained a secret Xavier had been keeping, for which Moira hated him. Shocked at his discovery, Sean took a flight to the US, but en route the Blackbird (under a mysterious villain's control) attempted to ram the airliner. Sean tried to stop the Blackbird, but could not prevent the collision, nor his own impact on the supersonic plane, leading to his death.
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