Cerebra's Files

Masque


Real Name: Unknown
Affiliation: Morlocks
Status: Deceased (Shatterstar)
Alternate-X Versions: None
Codename Etymology: Pronounced măsk [From Latin, masca: "specter"]; A covering to hide one's face.
Powers & History: Masque had the ability to mold flesh like clay. He could make a person's face into anyone else's face, make it beautiful or grotesque. Ironically, Masque's own face was horribly scarred, but his power could not affect it. Masque could also change parts of the body, turning hands into tentacles and so on. After the Mutant massacre, Masque usurped control of the surviving Morlocks from Callisto, who had gone to Muir Island with the wounded. When Callisto returned, Masque and his followers attacked her, and Masque healed her scars and had Beautiful Dreamer erase her memories, allowing her to live a normal life topside (and stay out of his way). Masque then tried to break into the underground complex at the X-Mansion to get access to its advance technology. To that end, he kidnapped Jean Grey with X-Men doppelgangers, forcing Forge and Banshee to come to her rescue. Later, Masque came into conflict with Cable and the New Mutants. After the New Mutants became X-Force with the Morlock Feral as part of their number, Masque joined forces with Toad's Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, even "lending" them Thornn in order to find Feral and to revenge himself on Cable and the team. Cable, fed up with Masque's stupidity and plans, and angry over the apparent death of Cannonball, finally had Shatterstar kill Masque, leaving the Morlocks leaderless.

Somehow, Masque reappeared in a woman's body. It is possible that Masque's near-death experience catalyzed a second mutation, giving him (or her) the ability to control his own form, or that s/he found someone who could affect his disfigured body. Masque recruited a number of other mutants with mind- and pain-control abilities and used them to take control of underground fighting Arenas and their fighters, including his former leader Callisto, to whom s/he gave tentacled arms. Masque positioned Cal to fight Storm, who had infiltrated the mutant Arenas for her own purposes, and Callisto won. Eventually, however, Storm and Callisto broke Masque's hold on them and ousted her from the Arena business.

Following M-Day, Masque (again? in male disfigured form) returned to the Morlock tunnels and discovered some prophecy about Magneto and mutant ascendancy that he interpreted and related to other Morlocks, convincing them to follow him. He had them ambush Caliban and Leech and shrank Caliban's body back to its original form. The prophecy and Masque's intentions are still unknown.
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