Frederick Slade

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caption= A Young Fredrick Slade as he appears in Apocalypse/Dracula #3
comic_color=background:#ff8080
character_name=Frederick Slade
real_name=Frederick Slade
species=Human Mutant
publisher=Marvel Comics
debut="X-Men: Apocalypse/Dracula #2"
creators=Frank Tieri
Clayton Henry
alliance_color=background:#cccccc
alliances=Clan Akkaba
aliases= Dr. Hartley
powers=Teleportation and molecular rearrangement|

Frederick Slade is a fictional character and mutant in the Marvel Comics universe. His first appearance was in "X-Men: Apocalypse/Dracula #2".

Fictional character biography

The Fittest

Fredrick Slade was born the second child of Margaret Slade and an unknown father during the eighteenth century. Being the second born and physically smaller of the two children he was not given much thought by his mother or even his fellow clansmates. His mother spent most of her time and energy to mold his brother Hamilton Slade. His family was the main branch of Clan Akkaba as they were blessed with a strong dose of Apocalypse's bloodline. His family was also blessed with great wealth whether by way of privilege in the clan or great business strategy. They resided in what was called Alexandria House which also served as the meeting place for their clan.A quiet and reserved child, he grew relatively unseen by his peers and mother. The only person that realized his great potential was Ozymandias. In Fredrick, Ozymandias saw something he had never seen before. For centuries he had watched as the members of the clan had deceived, betrayed and even killed their own relations merely to be deemed closest to Apocalypse. Ozymandias saw Fredrick possess qualities which he had rarely seen among the members of the clan, traits such as courage, fairness and something even rarer - Compassion. Within Fredrick Ozymandias saw a new dawn for the clan, to ensure this new dawn, Ozymandias trained Fredrick for the rites of passage which would make him leader of the Clan Akkaba, the fittest.

Fredrick possessed the molecular rearrangement powers of his mother and a new mutation which Ozymandias thought he should keep secret until the battles which lay ahead, teleportation. He was also a formidable hand to hand combatant honed by training under the centuries old Ozymandias. All was going to plan until big brother Hamilton caught wind that his greatest opponent lay in his own house. Hamilton, despite having more advanced control of his molecular structure was petty and lacked honor, so as Fredrick slept the night before the right of passage, he used his power to crush Fredrick’s spine ensuring that he would never be a threat again. [Apocalypse vs. Dracula #3]

The End of Clan Akkaba

Now in a vegetative state, Fredrick watched as Hamilton took his place as fittest of the clan. He recognized his brother’s lust for power and often blasphemous outburst in regards to their lord Apocalypse. As a warning to those who would question his post or power, Hamilton had Fredrick appointed to the Council, which was the inner circle or heads of Clan Akkaba. His mother betrayed little thought as to what had happened to him as her pride and joy Hamilton ensured that she controlled Clan Akkaba. Time passed and no one gave even a passing thought to Fredrick since he was a vegetable. [Apocalypse vs. Dracula #3]

Hamilton's decadence proved to be the Clan’s undoing as their members started being murdered in a mysterious manner. Their blood was drained and two strange puncture marks could be seen on each victim's neck. Things took a turn for the worse when Hamilton himself disappeared. The clan was left with no alternative but to call Apocalypse for assistance. This was a dangerous request, as Apocalypse would kill a random member as punishment for not being strong enough to deal with whatever threat they were facing. Fredrick watched as Apocalypse was summoned and took his sacrifice. Their meeting however was short lived as Professor Abraham Van Helsing and Jack Starsmore convinced Apocalypse to accompany them to the morgue to prove his suspicions that they were under attack from vampires. [Apocalypse vs. Dracula #2]

Left with his fellow clansmen, Hamilton witnessed his brother’s return and the introduction of his new lord, Dracula. The clan was outraged but were no match for Hamilton and his dread lord. The clan was killed and turned, except for chairman Kabar Brashir who was his main rival and Fredrick who he thought would be a waste of time. [Apocalypse vs. Dracula #3]

When Apocalypse and the others returned, it was too late. The clan was no more, they were now Dracula’s new coven. Apocalypse thought Fredrick a ‘simpleton’ and would have left him to die, but Ozymandias knew that within this boy the clan could live again. Disregarding his lord’s wishes Ozymandias placed Fredrick back in his wheelchair and protected him in the ensuing battle. When it was apparent that they could not defeat their opponents and death was upon them, Fredrick whisked them away via his secret power of teleportation.

So the ‘simpleton’ had given Apocalypse the chance to fight another day. Ozymandias was not as surprised as the others that they were saved by Fredrick and he explained to Van Helsing about the tragic life of Fredrick Slade. In the battle that followed Ozymandias placed Fredrick out of harms way while Van Helsing, himself and Apocalypse dealt with the undead Akkaba. When they had defeated and killed all of the clan, Alexandria house was burnt to the ground and Apocalypse decreed that this was where Clan Akkaba would die.

Fredrick was then instrumental in tracing down Dracula and teleporting them to Transylvania. Ozymandias continued to protect him and as Apocalypse called forth the Riders Of The Dark to aid him in his battle. Fredrick teleported Starsmore, Van Helsing and Ozymandias directly into Dracula’s castle where they were almost killed by Hamilton, but the ‘simpleton’ surprised them all.

Apparently Fredrick was not as ‘paralyzed’ as they thought, as Hamilton prepared to turn Starsmore into a vampire, Fredrick grabbed him by the neck and teleported his head clean off his body, effectively killing him. Starsmore shocked by the turn of events thanked him for saving his life, the gentle Fredrick responded with a smile.

With Clan Akkaba no more and Dracula defeated, Apocalypse went back into hibernation, Starsmore started a new life, Van Helsing departed for Canada and Fredrick and Ozymandias went about rebuilding the clan. In secret Ozymandias has a Ms. Ferguson procreate with Fredrick so that the clan would live on and serve as Ozymandias’s ‘ace in the hole’ and ultimate weapon of revenge against Apocalypse when the time came. [Apocalypse vs. Dracula #4]

New Clan Akkaba

Fredrick was next seen after M-day/Decimation where most of the worlds mutant population were stripped of their power. Apparently he had been keeping tabs on the bloodline of Jack Starsmore which gave birth to Jonothan Starsmore aka Chamber. Realizing that the last of the Starsmore line was at deaths door he took to visiting the lad who was under the watchful eye of Peter Wisdom. Fredrick now an old man realized the interference that would occur if Chamber was left in the hospital and therefore captured the boy and with Ozymandias’s help infused young Starsmore with a massive amount of Apocalypse’s blood. He watched as the blood of Apocalypse rejuvenated the boy as his once decimated body contorted and remade itself in the image of Apocalypse. When Chamber had made a full recovery he introduced the boy to the new Clan Akkaba but Chamber refused to acknowledge them as his family and renounced Fredrick, the clan and Apocalypse. Apocalypse willingly relinquished claims on Chamber and had him leave the new clan headquarters, no doubt they would keep an eye on the heir of Apocalypse. Apocalypse was not as he seemed however he was Ozymandias in disguise; it seemed that Fredrick and his age old teacher had formulated a plan to take over Clan Akkaba for themselves. Frederick is last seen sharing a drink of Apocalypse’s blood with Ozymandias, having finally risen to the place of the ‘’’Fittest’’’. [New Excalibur #9 ]

Powers and abilities

Fredrick is a descendant of Apocalypse and as such possess the powers normally ascribed to them. He has limited molecular rearrangement capabilities that manifest as a very limited form of shape shifting. He uses this to transform his hands into various objects but mostly bladed weapons. Having a large amount of Apocalypse’s blood also granted him an additional and unique power not shared by his kinsmen or family members, that of teleportation.

Fredrick can teleport himself and others at will, additionally he can teleport large masses, including sizable groups of people, he can also teleport 'parts' of objects. He can also open portals that displace projectiles and even enemies that threaten him. A trait shared by himself and his descendant Blink is that his teleportations are always accompanied by a "blink!" sound.

Notes and Facts

* Fredrick is the ancestor of Blink this is supported as a result of him mating with a "Ms. Ferguson." They share the same hair and eye color as well as the ability to teleport themselves and others by "Blinking".

* Blink and Fredrick also share the same sound effects for teleporting.

Footnotes