Spike (Marvel Comics)

Spike and The Spike are the names of several fictional characters in Marvel Comics. Recent characters of this name have had similar powers to generate projectile spikes, possibly inspired by Spyke from X-Men: Evolution.

The Spike is a character in the X-Statix series from Marvel Comics. He first appeared in X-Force #121, and was created by Peter Milligan and Mike Allred. He is a mutant with superhuman powers. He should not be confused with Spike Freeman, another character in X-Statix/X-Force.

Spike is also the name of a similar character from New X-Men, and also appeared in the film X-Men: The Last Stand, albeit as a villain with no apparent connection to the more commonly known character, aside from name and powers.

The Spike (X-Statix)

After watching video footage of the Spike in action, the senior members of X-Statix, except the Anarchist, vote to have him join the team. At the press conference to announce his membership, the Spike calls the Anarchist racial names and the two began butting heads. Eager to gain more media attention, Vivisector and Phat jump into a fight with the Spike in “defense” of their teammate. Later, Anarchist expresses fears that his life is endangered with the addition of another young black male to the team.

When U-Go Girl hosts the Larry King Show, she has the Spike show up as her first guest. This swiftly erupts once again into a battle between the Anarchist, Vivisector, Phat, and the Spike. In the middle of the battle, Lacuna travels between seconds and removes everyone’s clothing. After announcing her candidacy in X-Statix, she returns their clothing and left.

Secrets

During some downtime with the team, the Spike, along with some other members of X-Statix, were transported to a dimension residing inside Doop, where they each face their worst fears. In Spike’s “torture realm,” the only thing Doop finds is a book entitled “Spikey Cross-Dressing,” bearing the image of the Spike wearing a red dress and fishnets. After saving them and returning them to their Santa Monica HQ, Doop notices that only a second had gone by and no one appears to have any memory of ever leaving.

The Spike returns home from a mission with the rest of X-Statix, but they wind up in the ocean, due to U-Go Girl’s malfunctioning mutant power. She attempts to teleport them from the ocean, only to wind up in a forest. In the forest, the team signals a plane and they hitch a ride to California via Federal Express.

He was among the X-Statix members seen at a parade in their honor, after they successfully took out a Japanese terrorist sect. The mutant terrorist group the Brotherhood attacks X-Statix, calling them “mutant sellouts,” due to their popularity and media attention. During the fight, the Spike aids the Orphan in killing one of the Brotherhood members by impaling her as she fell backwards from the Orphan’s punch. After defeating the Brotherhood, the Orphan asks what just happened and U-Go Girl replies, “The end of a revolution?”

The Spike participates in a battle in Central America alongside his teammates in X-Statix, where his rivalry with the Anarchist came to blows, as they competed to kill as many militiamen as possible, as if trying to beat each other in the “amount killed” department.

Double Crosses In Space

The Spike returns to Santa Monica with the rest of the team, where they were bombarded with questions by the media. After U-Go Girl, the Orphan, and the Anarchist returned from their failed attempt to contact Dead Girl, the team's manager Spike Freeman instructs X-Statix on its upcoming mission to help the C.I.A. get a better image. The team was to head into space to stop the "Bush Rangers" who has seemingly taken control of the Mars 2010 Space Station. They would then forfeit and get saved by the C.I.A., thereby making the C.I.A. look good. In reality, the Bush Rangers were death row convicts, mostly black, altered to gain mutant powers.

The C.I.A. wants this specific mission done because the Orphan had hidden Paco Perez, a mutant with the power to make multinational drug corporations even richer. However, the companies owe the C.I.A. so it balances out.

The Spike personally expresses anger about the situation. As U-Go Girl and the Orphan argue with C.I.A. Agent Wright, the Spike seems very disturbed at seeing Vivisector and Phat high-five each other. The team voted on whether or not to go on the mission, with the Spike sided with the Orphan, creating a stalemate. Dead Girl then arrives and put her vote with the Orphan and the team heads into space.

While traveling to the station, the Spike sees Vivisector and Phat holding hands. He slashes Myles and demands to know the situation. His homophobia becomes part of a multi-team member argument. On board, the crew members are happy to see the team and want autographs. Or so it seems. The Bush Rangers had killed and replaced the crew and they ambush X-Force moments later.

During the fight, the Spike is seemingly convinced to join the Bush Rangers. The other X-Force members manage to back off and wait for the appropriate time to 'surrender'. As the team relaxes and waits for the C.I.A. Crack Squad led by Agent Wright to arrive, the Spike argues with the Bush Rangers who had seemingly won him over to their side. One of them whispers to the Spike what he had done to put him on death row. This noticeably disturbs the Spike. When the Orphan arrives looking for the Spike, all he found were the remaining Bush Rangers, all disguised to look like the Spike. As a battle broke out, the “real” Spike arrives and rejoins his teammates in X-Statix, stating his "defection" had been a ruse.

When the Crack Squad finally boards the space station, they attempt to kill the senior members of X-Force. Agent Wright had altered the plan as a way of revenge; his daughter might have been saved by Paco Perez, the mutant child the Orphan had hidden away.

To escape weapons fire, the senior members teleport into one of the station's spacescraft. It goes out of control, heading into deep space. Thinking their teammates dead, the remaining X-Statix members (Vivisector, Phat, 'the Spike', and Dead Girl) battle and kill the C.I.A Crack Squad. Agent Wright reaches into his jacket and is killed by the impostor Spike. All he wanted to show the team was a picture of his daughter.

The real Spike, dressed in Bush Ranger clothing, is seen, battered and bruised, claiming he was no traitor. The Orphan and U-Go Girl make it back to the others using the spacecraft's lifepod, then use their powers to rescue the Anarchist.

The real Spike meets up with the rest. The impostor attacks, driving several projectiles deep into his double's body. X-Force attacks but the Bush Ranger takes several punishing blows and fires spikes all across the room. He is soon killed in a combined result. The Spike is seen dead, sprawled on the floor. U-Go Girl has taken another projectile to her stomach and soon dies of her injuries.

Spike's death is dismissed on the news; according to the reporter, he simply wasn't famous enough for America to care.

Powers and abilities

He could generate razor-sharp spikes from his body, which he could fire outward with deadly accuracy.

Other comic characters named Spike

• Spike Freeman is also associated with X-Statix.
• A member of The People was known as Spike. The youth had six arms but apparently perished in the destruction of her mansion. She first appeared (and perished in) Sub-Mariner vol. 1 #42
• Spike is also the name of a Deviant mutant, who along with Coal and String, was sent by Ghaur to retrieve the Proteus Horn which could summon undersea monsters. He was mistaken for Sunspot by Namorita. He first appeared in New Mutants Annual #5
• A member of Hellbent was also called Spike. He could fire spikes that caused delusions. He first appeared in Moon Knight vol. 3 #58.
• An agent of Rainman is known as Spike as well. He was forced to give information about the Rainman by the White Tiger and first appeared in Crew #2.
• There was also a similar character named Spike who was a student at the Xavier Institute, introduced in New X-Men # 126. This Spike was also a friend to Kid Omega, a mutant who went insane.
• A student of the Xavier Institute named Spike appeared in X-Men vol. 2 #134.

In other media

Film

In the movie X-Men: The Last Stand, a "Spike" character portrayed by Lance Gibson appeared in a battle with Wolverine, where he was depicted with the ability to extrude bony spikes from his flesh and hurl them with great speed and force. The battle culminates in a mutual stabbing.

References