Hybrid (Marvel Comics)

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caption=Cover of "X-Man" #31
Art by Rick Leonardi and Dan Green
comic_color=background:#ff8080
character_name=Hybrid
real_name=James "Jimmy" Marks
species=Dire Wraith/Human hybrid
publisher=Marvel Comics
debut="Rom" #17 (Apr 1981)
creators=Bill Mantlo and artist Sal Buscema
alliance_color=background:#cccccc
alliances=
aliases=
powers=Telekinesis,
Telepathy,
Transformation,
Superhuman strength|The Hybrid (real name James "Jimmy" Marks) is a fictional character, a supervillain appearing in the Marvel Comics universe. He first appeared in "Rom" # 17 (April 1981) by writer Bill Mantlo and artist Sal Buscema.

Publication history

The Hybrid was featured in the comic book series "Rom" # 17-18 (1981), "Rom" #30-32 (1982), "Rom Annual" #3 (1984), and "X-Man" #31 (1997). He was seen (on a TV screen) in "New Avengers" #18 (2006).

Fictional character biography

The Hybrid was conceived when a male Dire Wraith who lived in the fictional town of Clairton, West Virginia under the identity of "Jacob Marks" married a human woman named Marjorie whom he had fallen in love with, and allowed himself to be convinced by her to sire a son. The baby instinctively used his powers to assume a human form at birth, and so was believed by everyone to be a normal child. Jimmy himself was not aware of his true nature. He is said to be the first hybrid offspring of a human and a Dire Wraith.

When Jimmy turned 15, however, he was visited by strange men. Jacob allowed this despite his wife’s protests. The men revealed themselves to Jimmy to be Dire Wraiths as well, and they told him the truth about his origin. They then began to teach Jimmy to use his latent powers, as well as the ways of evil. Eventually Marjorie tried to run away with Jimmy, but he refused, and frightened her with a display of his mental powers.

One day, however, Jimmy’s teachers stopped coming. Unknown to him, this was because they had been banished to Limbo by Rom. This infuriated him, and in his anger he lashed out against his parents, even using his powers to turn his mother into an extremely old woman.

That same night, Rom arrived at the Marks’ farmhouse to investigate Jimmy. The boy revealed his true, monstrous forms to the cyborg hero, and then fought against him. Finally overcoming his guilt in allowing his Wraith masters to use Jimmy, his father tried to kill him with a pitchfork, only to be himself killed with it by The Hybrid. Rom tried to banish the Hybrid to Limbo with his neutralizer weapon, but it failed, and Jimmy knocked the weapon out of his hands.

Just then, The X-Men arrived at the farm, seeking a powerful mutant they had detected with Cerebro. Jimmy reverted to his human form, giving the appearance that he was a normal child attacked by a robot. This led to a battle between Rom and the X-Men. Eventually, Jimmy revealed his true form to the X-Men as well and fought them, until Sprite used Rom’s neutralizer at full power to dematerialize him. Jimmy’s mother died of old age during these events.

Months later, The Hybrid was able to reform himself. This time he temporarily allied himself with the mutant villainesses Mystique, Rogue and Destiny against Rom. However, both Rogue and Destiny came to realize that the Hybrid's ultimate goal was to use super-powered females as breeding stock, and they joined with ROM to defeat him. ["Rom" #31-32]

Hybrid reformed again in the fictional town of Cumberland, Kentucky, where he passed himself off as a miracle worker. This brought him into conflict with the New Mutants since the town was the home of one of its members, Cannonball. Rom found him again but couldn’t prevent him from transforming his ally Starshine back into a human. Once again, Hybrid was disintegrated in the end.

Hybrid reconstituted himself a fourth time, but this time his memories were affected; he couldn’t remember being anything else than Jimmy Marks. The mutant hero X-Man found him and helped him to recover his memory, accidentally recreating the evil Hybrid again. However, a part of his mind was still the innocent Jimmy, and with his help X-Man seemingly destroyed him.

Recently, Hybrid was listed by S.H.I.E.L.D. as one of the mutants who lost their powers as a result of the events of House of M. Whether this means that he returned a fifth time, or if he will appear again, is as yet unknown.

Powers and abilities

Hybrid possesses the ability to switch between human and alien form at will. In his alien form he possesses incredible strength; in both forms he can use telekinesis and telepathy, including the ability to take control of other mutants' powers. He can reform himself after being destroyed, though it takes time. He knows Dire Wraith magic. He also suffers from a split personality (has a child persona and an evil one.)

Notes

*In the Ultraverse, Simon Carthan had the mantle of Hybrid. He worked for Aladdin and used science and sorcery to try to cure himself. He first appeared in "Mantra" vol. 1 #24.

Bibliography

*"Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A-Z" #5
*"Rom" #17-18, 30-32
*"Rom Annual" #3
*"X-Man" #31

References

External links

* [http://home.hiwaay.net/~lkseitz/comics/Rom/enemies/hybrid.shtml Hybrid profile]