Cerebra's Files

Callisto


Real Name: Unknown
Affiliation: X-Cell
Previous Affiliations: The Arena, Gene Nation, Morlocks (Leader)
Alternate-X Versions: (AOA), (Mutant X), (Evolution), (Movieverse)
Codename Etymology: Pronounced kəlĭs'tō [From Greek, kalos: "beautiful"]; A nymph lover of Zeus that was transformed into a bear by Hera. Zeus then turned the bear into a constellation.
Powers: Callisto has enhanced reflexes, senses and coordination, making her a super-human fighter. She has a patch over her right eye. Once the leader of the Morlocks, Cal was bested by Storm in single combat after she abducted Angel to be her husband and had Plague infect Kitty Pryde. Later, Callisto called in the X-Men to defend the Morlocks against the Marauders, and both sides took heavy losses in that battle. Though she was often incensed at Storm's absentee leadership, Cal refused to fight her for it during the time that Storm was powerless (caused by Forge's Neutralizer). Cal remained the de facto leader of the Morlocks, however, until Masque usurped the position and changed her face into a beautiful one, while Beautiful Dreamer wiped her memory and set her up as a model in NYC. She became involved with Colossus, who was at that time living as Peter Nicholas the artist, in the "new life" given to him by the Siege Perilous. After Callisto regained her memory and her face was scarred once more by insane Morlocks she rejoined the Morlocks until they were transported to the Hill by Mikhail Rasputin. There she may have become his consort, but then she escaped to warn the X-Men about Gene Nation's terrorist activities. She had a mentor/pupil relationship with Marrow, which was also somewhat motherly. During Operation: Zero Tolerance, Callisto was gravely injured, and Marrow was caring for her in the tunnels. However, while Cal was delirious, someone, most likely Dark Beast, injected her with some substance, which seemed to cure her, and as a result she left Marrow with the X-Men. This somehow fits into Dark Beast's plan.

Callisto was somehow healed, but was captured or somehow enslaved by Masque, who morphed her arms into super-strong tentacles of various shapes and sizes. Callisto became the Champion of one of Masque's underground fighting arenas, and was forced to challenge Storm in single combat. Using throwing blades and her many tentacles, Cal defeated Storm, but together they broke Masque's hold and took control of the Arenas. While Masque removed all changes from Storm, Callisto opted to keep her tentacled arms. Callisto continued to recruit for the Arena, but was also asked by Storm to check on Professor X, who had ventured to Genosha to bury Magneto's body following Magnus's assault on New York. Cal was shocked to find Magneto alive and well (the attacker of New York had been an impostor) and decided to stay on Genosha for a while and keep tabs on excatly what Xavier was planning.

Cal soon took effective control of the "field" team of mutants who had gathered in Genosha, and when Dark Beast was brutally injured in an ambush, she (along with Karima Shapandar) investigated, only to find the hideous Sugar Man and Rastus from the "Age of Apocalypse." Though Cal was incredibly agile, Rastus caught her and bit her left tentacles in half. Cal and Karima killed both villains, and her wounds eventually healed, but her arms don't appear to have re-grown and remain at half-size. The injury didn't stop Cal from leading the mutants to help the people of Zanzibar against the Weaponeers, where she also fought with Archangel against Viper, and revealed heretofore unknown piloting skills.

Following M-Day, Callisto was depowered and returned to her fully human form. When Quicksilver arrived and offered her the Terrigen Mists as a means of regaining her abilities, Cal gladly accepted. Unfortunately, the Mists caused Callisto's senses to go haywire, overloading her with information to the point where she could feel the slighted shift in the air and hear dust settling. Her mind shut down to prevent permanent brain damage, and Magneto got her to a hospital via the O*N*E troops who had landed on the island. There Callisto recovered as the Mists' effects wore off, and it's assumed she remained human.

Afterwards, Cal got involved with the X-Cell, a group of depowered mutants who believed the government caused their loss of powers. She became the bodyguard for the group's leader, and prevented him from being repowered by Quicksilver when they met with him in Mutant Town.
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