Phantazia

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Phantazia

Phantazia. Art by Mark Pacella.

Publisher	Marvel Comics
First appearance	X-Force #6 (Jan 1992)
Created by	Fabian Nicieza Rob Liefeld

Characteristics
Alter ego	Eileen Harsaw
Species	Human Mutant
Affiliations	Brotherhood of Evil Mutants
Abilities	Electromagnetic energy manipulation/disruption, flight, invisibility

1 Biography
2 Powers
3 Alternate versions
4 Bibliography

[edit] Biography

Phantazia (real name Eileen Harsaw) is a fictional mutant super villain in the Marvel Comics universe who first appeared in X-Force #6. She was recruited into Toad's Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. She was one of the more powerful members of the group, with the ability to project bio-energy in the forms of blasts that could disrupt an individual's bioelectric field, toy with one's sense of sight, taste, touch, hearing, or smelling, and the power to levitate. Her first mission with the Brotherhood led her to battle the mutant strike force called X-Force. There, she easily shut off Cable's weaponry, and disrupted Cannonball's blast field, allowing Sauron to stab him in the chest.

A rather psychotic Phantazia.

After Thornn's defeat, Phantazia fled, leaving Masque to be killed by Shatterstar's sword. Other missions set the Brotherhood up against X-Factor, Darkhawk, Spider-Man, and Sleepwalker. Eventually, Phantazia was invited to Avalon, a mutant sanctuary, by Exodus. She rejected the offer and stayed with the Brotherhood. Pyro's sickness was getting to him, so they stayed with the mutant Empyrean, who could ward off Pyro's pain. The X-Men eventually found out what was going on and during the battle, Phantazia was stabbed in the head by Psylocke's psychic dagger. She recuperated, but after the Brotherhood split up, Phantazia disappeared.

She was most recently seen as one of Magneto's elite guards in the House of M mini-series. She is currently being held in SHIELD's psychological ward, apparently having gone insane. She was also one of the many mutants who lost their powers on M-Day. S.H.I.E.L.D. Director Maria Hill states in a conversation with Iron Man (Tony Stark) that Eileen has been muttering the words "House of M" repeatedly in her cell for some time after losing her powers. This is deemed very odd by fans, as only those heroes who were "cured" by Layla Miller and protected by Dr. Strange's magics and Emma Frost's psychic powers have any recollection of the House of M events.

[edit] Powers

Phantazia is a mutant with the ability to sense and manipulate electromagnetic energy fields.

Phantazia is able to sense, manipulate, and disrupt various fields and wavelengths of various forms of energy (she has referred to her power as 'harmonizing'). Though the upper limits of her powers were never clearly defined, it is assumed that Phantazia could use her power to disrupt energy fields, including anything of an electromagnetic nature. This ability allowed her to levitate herself, presumably by using her power to affect the gravity around herself.

Phantazia is able to disrupt the bioelectric energy fields and nervous systems of other living beings as well, resulting in pain, paralysis, loss of physical coordination, and in the case of superhumans, the inability to control their powers, causing them to fluctuate in strength, cease functioning altogether, or spew out uncontrollably. She has, for example, disrupted the blast field of Cannonball, and negated an optic blast from Cyclops in mid-air as it approached her, temporarily nullifying his mutant power in the process.

By disrupting the electrical fields of machinery, Phantazia could short them out completely, or even control them to some degree, opening computer-locked doors, jamming weapon and targeting systems, etc.

Phantazia could also generate a masking effect as well, rendering herself and others near her undetectable to human senses and electronic surveillance.

Her power also granted her the ability to sense various forms of energy in her environment, such as electronic devices and atmospheric distortion preceding a teleportation effect.

[edit] Alternate versions

Phantazia had a very brief appearance in the Age of Apocalypse storyline, in which she was one of the prisoners of Sinister's Breeding Pens. She was one of the countless victims of the Dark Beast's genetic experiments, to the point that she lost her hair and powers. She tried to escape with other prisoners, but was quickly recaptured, being too weak to defend herself. She and her companions were returned to Dark Beast, who killed them by dissolving them into his genetic "soup".