Ahab (comics)

Ahab
Publication information
Publisher Marvel Comics
First appearance Fantastic Four Annual #23
Created by Walt Simonson
Jackson Guice
In-story information
Alter ego Roderick "Rory" Campbell
Team affiliations Horsemen of Apocalypse
Excalibur
MI-13
Hounds
Sentinels
Notable aliases Famine
Abilities Energy harpoons,
Superhuman strength

Ahab (Dr. Roderick "Rory" Campbell) is a fictional supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.

Dr. Roderick Campbell made his live action debut as the main antagonist of the first season of The Gifted television series portrayed by Garret Dillahunt. This version of the character was shown as the head researcher of Trask Industries.

Publication history

Based upon Herman Melville's Captain Ahab, but also named after Stan Lee's childhood friend Rory Campbell from Portland, Oregon, Ahab is a cyborg. Ahab's first appearance was a cameo in Fantastic Four Annual #23, as part of the "Days of Future Present" storyline.

Fictional character biography

In his future timeline, Ahab was the master of the Hounds, mind controlled mutants who hunted down other mutants for Ahab and his masters, the Sentinels. One of the Hounds, Rachel Summers, escaped from him and eventually time travelled to the present. Ahab followed her to the past and was defeated by the X-Men, X-Factor, the New Mutants and the Fantastic Four during the "Days of Future Present" crossover.[1]

Later issues of Excalibur revealed that scientist Rory Campbell was the man who would become Ahab in the future.[2] Campbell learned of this in the present and tried to prevent this fate, but he was eventually merged with his future self. The merged Ahab joined the Four Horsemen of the immortal supervillain Apocalypse, taking up the position of "Famine" within that group. He aided in the capture of several of The Twelve, before being sent into an alternate dimension by Mikhail Rasputin.

In the not too distant future, he captured then killed Cannonball (who is immortal). He worked beside an armored figure, with light coming from his left eye. Due to time travel, it is not known at what point in Ahab's life this was.[3]

Ahab joined the Red Skull as one of his S-Men to fulfill his role during World War Hate.[4]

During the AXIS storyline, Ahab was present when Magneto killed the S-Men.[5]

Powers and abilities

Ahab can generate powerful energy harpoons that are formed from, and attached to, his own life force. Anyone who attempts to grab a harpoon gets burned. Each harpoon is keyed to its target's genetic structure, and cannot be moved or deflected by energy; it only stops when it strikes its target, or a close blood relative thereof. A hit from one of these harpoons can kill or seriously injure the target. A person who survives finds their neural pathways burned out and unable to move.

Ahab is a cyborg. His limbs are mostly of artificial construction and presumably this makes him superhumanly strong. So far he has found no need to engage in hand-to-hand combat due to his ability to use ranged attacks, his Hounds, and giant androids. He is largely immune to telepathic intrusion and attack, even from telepaths as powerful as Rachel Summers. Ahab's technology allows him to track, clothe and control Hounds.

As Famine, Ahab drains his victims' lifeforce resulting in emaciation and worse.

Intended origin

Ahab has the same cybernetic eye and marks over his other eye as Cable, and the same streak of silver hair as Nate Grey. It was hinted early on in "Days of the Future Present" that Cable and Ahab may be the same person, but with the introduction of Stryfe and X-Man (both versions of Cable), Marvel dropped that idea.

In other media

  • Ahab appears as a boss in the Sega Genesis's first X-Men game.
  • Rory Campbell/Ahab appears in the novels 'The Legacy Quest' trilogy written by Steve Lyons.
  • Dr. Roderick Campbell appears in The Gifted set in the X-Men universe portrayed by Garret Dillahunt as a Trask Industries mutant researcher contracted by Sentinel Services, who is on a "morally dubious" mission.[6] Series creator Matt Nix compared the series' adaptation of the comic character to the changes made when adapting the character William Stryker for the X-Men films.[7] In finale season 1, he was killed by Polaris when she used her powers to bring down his plane with fury.

References

  1. ↑ Fantastic Four Annual #23, X-Factor Annual #5, New Mutants Annual #6, Uncanny X-Men Annual #14
  2. ↑ Excalibur Vol 1 #75
  3. ↑ Cable #71
  4. ↑ Uncanny Avengers #23
  5. ↑ Uncanny Avengers #25
  6. ↑ Petski, Denise (September 11, 2017). "'The Gifted': Garret Dillahunt Set To Recur In Fox's Marvel Drama Series". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 2017-09-12. Retrieved September 11, 2017.
  7. ↑ Cairns, Bryan (September 29, 2017). "The Gifted: Matt Nix Explains the Show's Approach to Mutant Mayhem". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on 2017-09-30. Retrieved September 30, 2017.
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