| Unuscione | |
|---|---|
Unuscione using her powers by Humberto Ramos in X-Men vol. 2 #202. |
|
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | Uncanny X-Men #298 (1993) |
| Created by | Scott Lobdell and Brandon Peterson |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Carmella Unuscione |
| Species | Human Mutant |
| Team affiliations | Acolytes |
| Abilities |
|
Carmella Unuscione, commonly known simply as Unuscione, is a fictional character, a mutant supervillain in the Marvel Universe.
Contents |
Carmella Unuscione first appears as a member of the second intake of Magneto's Acolytes. Often portrayed one of the more fanatical and violent members of the team, she bears little more than scorn for humankind and views the X-Men as traitors to their own race for defending them. During the Acolytes' first mission, Unuscione, along with Cargill and the Kleinstocks, attack a school for gifted children, searching for a mutant whose powers had not yet manifested. When the child is revealed to have Down's Syndrome Unuscione and the others reject him and depart after a skirmish with the X-Men.[1] She is also one of the Acolytes responsible for recruiting the young mutant Neophyte into the ranks of the Acolytes.[2]
When Avalon, the Acolytes' base of operations, is destroyed by Holocaust, Unuscione uses her power to protect her teammates and the X-Man Cyclops from being incinerated by reentry into Earth's atmosphere in an escape pod. Stranded in the middle of nowhere, the former enemies cooperate to survive without resources while Professor X and Amelia Voght struggle to find their teammates' whereabouts. As an agreement from their rescue, Unuscione and the other Acolytes agree to turn themselves over to government custody,[3] but later escape and rejoin the Acolytes.[4]
During a subsequent encounter with the X-Men, Unuscione is shown to be far more merciful than in the past.[5]
Unuscione is not seen during Cassandra Nova's assault on Genosha, or for several years after. She eventually resurfaces, however, with her powers intact.[6]
Unuscione returns to action as a member of the newest incarnation of the Acolytes as they attack the X-Mansion. The group attempts to retrieve Destiny's Diaries under Mister Sinister's orders, but were tricked into stealing fake duplicates. During a conflict against the New X-Men, Kitty Pryde, and her former teammate Colossus, Unuscione battles Armor.[7]
Unuscione is present throughout the events of X-Men: Messiah Complex fighting alongside her teammates against the X-Men.
It is revealed that Professor Xavier is in the care of the Acolytes after being critically injured by Bishop. Exodus succeeds in repairing Xavier's damaged brain with his own powers. After defeating Exodus in telepathic combat, Xavier departs New Avalon, the Acolytes' headquarters, and returns to the X-Men.[8]
Xavier later returns to New Avalon, however, and convinces Exodus to disband the Acolytes. Exodus renounces the name Magneto gave him and decides to embark on a personal pilgrimage to seek aid for mutantkind. While the majority of the Acolytes take up Xavier's offer to relocate to San Francisco with the X-Men, Unuscione and Joanna Cargill initially remain undecided.[9] Both eventually move to Utopia, where they are become involved in the Age of X.
Unuscione is mutant with the ability to generate a tangible field composed of bioelectrical-charged psionic energy around herself. This "exoskeleton", as she calls it, acts as a highly effective body armor, protecting her from a high degree of physical damage. She is able to shape her exoskeleton into rudimentary forms, such as a clawed hand or a hammer-like bludgeon with which she can grip or strike with considerable force. She is sufficiently strong to shield herself and several others in a small escape pod from the heat and friction of reentry into Earth's atmosphere, or to squeeze the air out of a superhumanly strong being's lungs, causing them to fall unconscious. Through her exoskeleton, Unuscione can generate bioelectric energy charges that cause intense pain and a temporary disruption of a living being's neurosynaptic impulses, resulting in a loss of autonomic body function.
Unuscione is vulnerable to any force great enough to overcome or destroy her psionic exoskeleton, as proven when she was overcome by both the physical strength of Colossus and the telekinetic powers of Rachel Summers on separate occasions. The psionic backlash usually leaves her stunned or unconscious.
In the Age of X reality, Carmella is known as Stand-Off. She is a member of the Force Warriors, a group of psionic mutants who protect "Fortress X", the last known mutant stronghold, by collectively channeling their powers to generate and reinforce a massive psionic shield around the compound every day.[10] She stands with the Force Warriors when they remove Magneto from power and assume control of the compound.[11]