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Icarus (comics)
Encyclopedia
Icarus is a fictional character
, a mutant
superhero
appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics
. He was a member of the student body at the Xavier Institute
and a member of the New Mutants
training squad.
, developed from working in local Kentucky
coal mines. Jay's older siblings Sam (Cannonball
) and Paige (Husk
) are mutants as well, and both have been members of the X-Men
. Another of their siblings, Jeb
, has developed the mutant ability to project electricity from his eyes, as well as his sister Melody (Aero
), were both de-powered during M-Day
. He has several other brothers and sisters, and his whole family is generally hated by his home town because they all seem to be developing mutant powers. When Sam and Paige left home to become X-Men, Jay took over the role of the father in the house, feeling that he had to protect his younger brothers and sisters.
Before Jay developed powers, he helped his brother Sam rescue the mutant musician Lila Cheney
, the mutant Dazzler
and a third band member from a plane crash. Lila had been knocked unconscious, rendering her unable to use her teleportation abilities. Dazzler had run out of the sound needed to fuel her light based powers. Josh, risking his own safety, played some music, giving Dazzler sufficient power to help blast an escape route.
When he himself developed mutant powers, he hid them from his family. However, when performing in his band, playing guitar, he exposed his wings to the crowd as a 'stage gimmick'.
"She Lies with Angels" was an intended homage to Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet
. The feud between the Guthries and the Cabots was designed to parallel the feud between the Montagues and Capulets, respectively, though in Shakespeare's play none of the families are actually "good" or "evil", in fact both of them represent an oppressive, power-seeking system that the young lovers rebel against. Additionally, the climax of "She Lies with Angels" is remarkably similar to the climax of Romeo and Juliet
(With the exception that, unlike Romeo, Jay survived his suicide attempt). Issue 439 has a scene with Jay and Julia that is similar to the famous "balcony scene." Many of the comic's lines are modern incarnations of their Shakespearian counterparts. For example, Romeo says in Act II, SceneII:
Jay says in the scene:
against his will. Jay speculated this was just so she wouldn't feel guilty if he tried to hurt himself again. Originally placed with the Hellions
squad, he traded places with Wither
and joined the New Mutants
. In New X-Men: Academy X, he is portrayed as a sullen, withdrawn loner who keeps mostly to himself, but he always reminds his teammates how fortunate they are to be a "family" when they feud. His team seems to talk to him about their problems, as he isn't usually one to join the fights.
, Icarus was one of the few of the New Mutants team who kept their powers. However, he appeared later with his wings amputated and bleeding at the doorsteps of the mansion. His healing factor did not cure these injuries, as it was later revealed by Dr. McCoy that his healing powers came from his wings. Jay rebuffed efforts by his friend Elixir to heal his wings.
Jay was seemingly tricked by William Stryker
with the promise that if Jay gave his wings "back to God" his friends would be saved by Stryker. Jay called to inform him the children were leaving on a bus, which led to its bombing. Many of the de-powered students died in the blast. Further attacks led to the assassination of Wallflower
, as she was the one in Nimrod's
vision of the future that killed the Purifiers. As X-23
put it to Dust
after he gave her a piece of paper containing the address of Stryker's church, he shouldn't be trusted because "he smells like death". Choosing to trust Jay, Sooraya seemingly proceeded to the church, only to be gunned down upon entering (though it was later revealed to be X-23 dressed in one of her niqab
). When Jay later confronted Stryker, he confessed to Jay that he was the one to having given the Cabots the armors and so the actual responsible for the death of Julia Cabot. Stryker then proceeded to shoot Jay leaving him for dead. Icarus was then shown dying with Nimrod deciding whether or not to finish him off. Nimrod left Jay alone, calculating that he was already mortally wounded. After that, Icarus was found dead by Ms. Marvel
and Iron Man
in Stryker's church with his hand in a position of writing, he was able to write "Nimr" plus half of the "o" with his own blood before he died.
It was eventually revealed that Icarus' wings were removed because Nimrod had provided Stryker with a "vision" of the future, to seek an "angel" and use his wings to create an army. Stryker had hoped to use Icarus' wings to graft onto Purifier soldiers to create The Choir. Upon amputation, Jay's healing factor was negated and the wings were just dead bone and feather. The Purifiers moved on to targeting Angel for his wings.
wings which allow flight and produce extensive regenerative enzymes allowing him to recover from normally fatal injuries. However, this healing factor comes from his wings. When his wings were removed he lost this ability. His powers are closely similar to the X-Man Angel. His voice is capable of producing sonic frequency beyond the range of human capability as well as creating multiple sounds or voices at once.
", the Guthrie family made a reappearance with the addition of "Jay." In this reality they were agents of Apocalypse. Here, Jay (with bionic wings similar to Archangel's
) joined his elder siblings Cannonball, Amazon (his sister Elizabeth, who has not yet manifested powers in the mainstream Marvel Universe), and Husk as a terrorist. After they attempted to harm Magneto's
son Charles and wife Rogue, Magneto killed Jay and Cannonball.
In the "House of M
" alternate universe, where mutants rule the Earth, JAY is a popular singer, with sold out concerts.
In What If
#92, a non-mutant Jay finds and fixes up a broken Sentinel
, reprogramming it to serve and protect him, and using it to make himself a "special" like his super-powered siblings. When Cannonball and Husk come home, the sentinel (which has been reconstructing its memory banks) identifies them as mutants and attacks them, but when it realizes it is a danger to Jay it has to "protect" him by destroying itself. This story is similar to the later comic series Sentinel
by Sean McKeever
and UDON
.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
, a mutant
Mutant (Marvel Comics)
In comic books published by Marvel Comics, a mutant is an organism who possesses a genetic trait called an X-gene that allows the mutant to naturally develop superhuman powers and abilities...
superhero
Superhero
A superhero is a type of stock character, possessing "extraordinary or superhuman powers", dedicated to protecting the public. Since the debut of the prototypical superhero Superman in 1938, stories of superheroes — ranging from brief episodic adventures to continuing years-long sagas —...
appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
. He was a member of the student body at the Xavier Institute
X-Mansion
In the fictional Marvel Comics universe, the X-Mansion is the common name for Professor Xavier's mansion. It is the base of operations and training site of the X-Men and the location of a school for mutant teenagers, the Xavier Institute for Higher Learning, formerly Xavier's School for Gifted...
and a member of the New Mutants
New Mutants
The New Mutants are a group of teenaged mutant superheroes-in-training published by Marvel Comics. They have been the main characters of three successive comic book series, which were spin-offs of the popular X-Men franchise....
training squad.
Introduction
Jay was the son of Thomas and Lucinda Guthrie. Thomas dies early in Jay's life due to black lungCoalworker's pneumoconiosis
Coal workers' pneumoconiosis , colloquially referred to as black lung disease, is caused by long exposure to coal dust. It is a common affliction of coal miners and others who work with coal, similar to both silicosis from inhaling silica dust, and to the long-term effects of tobacco smoking...
, developed from working in local Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
coal mines. Jay's older siblings Sam (Cannonball
Cannonball (comics)
Cannonball is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero, associated with the X-Men. Created by writer Chris Claremont and artist Bob McLeod, Cannonball first appeared in Marvel Graphic Novel #4: The New Mutants ....
) and Paige (Husk
Husk (comics)
Husk is a fictional character from Marvel Comics. Guthrie is a superhero associated with the X-Men.A mutant, Husk has the ability to remove one layer of skin - or "husk" - revealing an epidermis of a different composition beneath...
) are mutants as well, and both have been members of the X-Men
X-Men
The X-Men are a superhero team in the . They were created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, and first appeared in The X-Men #1...
. Another of their siblings, Jeb
Jebediah Guthrie
Jebediah "Jeb" Guthrie is a fictional character, a comic book mutant from the Marvel Comics universe. The character first appeared in Rom Annual. Jeb was a mutant who had the ability to shoot out electrical discharge.-Fictional character biography:...
, has developed the mutant ability to project electricity from his eyes, as well as his sister Melody (Aero
Aero (comics)
Aero is a fictional character appearing in the Marvel Comics universe who first appeared in New Mutants #42.-Fictional character biography:...
), were both de-powered during M-Day
Decimation (comics)
Decimation is the late 2005 Marvel Comics storyline spinning off from the House of M limited series. It focuses on the ramifications of the Scarlet Witch stripping nearly all of the mutant population of their powers, thereby reducing a society of millions to one of scant hundreds.This event, which...
. He has several other brothers and sisters, and his whole family is generally hated by his home town because they all seem to be developing mutant powers. When Sam and Paige left home to become X-Men, Jay took over the role of the father in the house, feeling that he had to protect his younger brothers and sisters.
Before Jay developed powers, he helped his brother Sam rescue the mutant musician Lila Cheney
Lila Cheney
Lila Cheney is a fictional character in the Marvel Universe. She is a mutant with the ability to teleport, but only over vast intergalactic distances.-Publication history:...
, the mutant Dazzler
Dazzler
Dazzler is a Marvel Comics superheroine, associated with the X-Men. She first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #130 ....
and a third band member from a plane crash. Lila had been knocked unconscious, rendering her unable to use her teleportation abilities. Dazzler had run out of the sound needed to fuel her light based powers. Josh, risking his own safety, played some music, giving Dazzler sufficient power to help blast an escape route.
When he himself developed mutant powers, he hid them from his family. However, when performing in his band, playing guitar, he exposed his wings to the crowd as a 'stage gimmick'.
"She Lies with Angels"
Jay fell in love with Julia Cabot, but due to a long feud between the Guthries and the Cabots a fight broke out. Jay was struck down by Julia's father, who had acquired and modified super-powered armor. Believing Jay to be dead, Julia dragged Jay's body to the river. She wrapped his arms around her, heading for the deepest part of the river. The two sank to the river's bottom and Julia subsequently drowned. Neither Jay nor Julia were aware of Jay's mutant regenerative powers, but when Jay sank to the bottom of the river, these powers manifested. Jay awoke at the bottom of the river with Julia in his arms. He swam to the surface with her and brought her to the riverbank. When he discovered she was dead, he tried (unsuccessfully due to his healing factor) to stab himself in the heart with a sharp piece of wood. Warren Worthington arrived on the scene, found Jay, and helped him carry Julia's body back to the Guthrie house."She Lies with Angels" was an intended homage to Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet
Romeo and Juliet
Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy written early in the career of playwright William Shakespeare about two young star-crossed lovers whose deaths ultimately unite their feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's most popular archetypal stories of young, teenage lovers.Romeo and Juliet belongs to a...
. The feud between the Guthries and the Cabots was designed to parallel the feud between the Montagues and Capulets, respectively, though in Shakespeare's play none of the families are actually "good" or "evil", in fact both of them represent an oppressive, power-seeking system that the young lovers rebel against. Additionally, the climax of "She Lies with Angels" is remarkably similar to the climax of Romeo and Juliet
Romeo and Juliet
Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy written early in the career of playwright William Shakespeare about two young star-crossed lovers whose deaths ultimately unite their feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's most popular archetypal stories of young, teenage lovers.Romeo and Juliet belongs to a...
(With the exception that, unlike Romeo, Jay survived his suicide attempt). Issue 439 has a scene with Jay and Julia that is similar to the famous "balcony scene." Many of the comic's lines are modern incarnations of their Shakespearian counterparts. For example, Romeo says in Act II, SceneII:
Jay says in the scene:
New Mutants
After Julia's death, Jay attempted to kill himself a few more times, hoping his healing factor would fail. Eventually his mother sent him to the Xavier InstituteX-Mansion
In the fictional Marvel Comics universe, the X-Mansion is the common name for Professor Xavier's mansion. It is the base of operations and training site of the X-Men and the location of a school for mutant teenagers, the Xavier Institute for Higher Learning, formerly Xavier's School for Gifted...
against his will. Jay speculated this was just so she wouldn't feel guilty if he tried to hurt himself again. Originally placed with the Hellions
Hellions (comics)
There have been several groups of fictional characters in the Marvel Comics universe who have been known as the Hellions. These groups were rivals of various teams of younger mutant heroes in the X-Men franchise....
squad, he traded places with Wither
Wither (comics)
Wither is a fictional character, a mutant appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. He has been a member of the student body at the Xavier Institute, a member of the Hellions training squad, and a supervillain as a part of Selene's Coven.-Early life:Kevin Ford developed his mutant...
and joined the New Mutants
New Mutants
The New Mutants are a group of teenaged mutant superheroes-in-training published by Marvel Comics. They have been the main characters of three successive comic book series, which were spin-offs of the popular X-Men franchise....
. In New X-Men: Academy X, he is portrayed as a sullen, withdrawn loner who keeps mostly to himself, but he always reminds his teammates how fortunate they are to be a "family" when they feud. His team seems to talk to him about their problems, as he isn't usually one to join the fights.
Decimation and Death
After the events of DecimationDecimation (comics)
Decimation is the late 2005 Marvel Comics storyline spinning off from the House of M limited series. It focuses on the ramifications of the Scarlet Witch stripping nearly all of the mutant population of their powers, thereby reducing a society of millions to one of scant hundreds.This event, which...
, Icarus was one of the few of the New Mutants team who kept their powers. However, he appeared later with his wings amputated and bleeding at the doorsteps of the mansion. His healing factor did not cure these injuries, as it was later revealed by Dr. McCoy that his healing powers came from his wings. Jay rebuffed efforts by his friend Elixir to heal his wings.
Jay was seemingly tricked by William Stryker
William Stryker
Col. William "Bill" Stryker, M.D. is a fictional comic book supervillain in the Marvel Comics universe, and enemy of the X-Men. Created by writer Chris Claremont and artist Brent Anderson, he first appeared in the 1982 graphic novel X-Men: God Loves, Man Kills.Rev...
with the promise that if Jay gave his wings "back to God" his friends would be saved by Stryker. Jay called to inform him the children were leaving on a bus, which led to its bombing. Many of the de-powered students died in the blast. Further attacks led to the assassination of Wallflower
Wallflower (comics)
Wallflower is a fictional character, a mutant appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. She is a member of the student body of the Xavier Institute and a member of the New Mutants training squad therein. After the events of M-Day transpired, she was one of a handful of mutants to keep...
, as she was the one in Nimrod's
Nimrod (comics)
Nimrod is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #191 , and was created by writer Chris Claremont and artist John Romita, Jr. Hailing from the "Days of Future Past" timeline, Nimrod is a powerful, virtually...
vision of the future that killed the Purifiers. As X-23
X-23
X-23 is a fictional comic book superheroine appearing in books published by Marvel Comics, in particular those featuring the X-Men. X-23 is a female clone of Wolverine.-Publication history:...
put it to Dust
Dust (comics)
Dust , is a fictional character in Marvel Comics' X-Men-related comic books. She was created by author Grant Morrison and artist Ethan Van Sciver in New X-Men #133 , although her character was not fully developed until the New X-Men: Academy X series written by Christina Weir and Nunzio DeFilippis...
after he gave her a piece of paper containing the address of Stryker's church, he shouldn't be trusted because "he smells like death". Choosing to trust Jay, Sooraya seemingly proceeded to the church, only to be gunned down upon entering (though it was later revealed to be X-23 dressed in one of her niqab
Niqab
A niqab is a cloth which covers the face, worn by some Muslim women as a part of sartorial hijāb...
). When Jay later confronted Stryker, he confessed to Jay that he was the one to having given the Cabots the armors and so the actual responsible for the death of Julia Cabot. Stryker then proceeded to shoot Jay leaving him for dead. Icarus was then shown dying with Nimrod deciding whether or not to finish him off. Nimrod left Jay alone, calculating that he was already mortally wounded. After that, Icarus was found dead by Ms. Marvel
Ms. Marvel
Ms. Marvel is the name of a fictional character appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Roy Thomas and designed by artist Gene Colan, the non-powered Carol Danvers debuted as a member of the United States Air Force in Marvel Super-Heroes #13 and as Ms. Marvel—a...
and Iron Man
Iron Man
Iron Man is a fictional character, a superhero in the . The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby, first appearing in Tales of Suspense #39 .A billionaire playboy, industrialist and ingenious engineer,...
in Stryker's church with his hand in a position of writing, he was able to write "Nimr" plus half of the "o" with his own blood before he died.
It was eventually revealed that Icarus' wings were removed because Nimrod had provided Stryker with a "vision" of the future, to seek an "angel" and use his wings to create an army. Stryker had hoped to use Icarus' wings to graft onto Purifier soldiers to create The Choir. Upon amputation, Jay's healing factor was negated and the wings were just dead bone and feather. The Purifiers moved on to targeting Angel for his wings.
Powers and abilities
Believed to be descended from the ancient race of Cheyarafim mutants. Icarus possesses red-colored, feathered angel-likeAngel
Angels are mythical beings often depicted as messengers of God in the Hebrew and Christian Bibles along with the Quran. The English word angel is derived from the Greek ἄγγελος, a translation of in the Hebrew Bible ; a similar term, ملائكة , is used in the Qur'an...
wings which allow flight and produce extensive regenerative enzymes allowing him to recover from normally fatal injuries. However, this healing factor comes from his wings. When his wings were removed he lost this ability. His powers are closely similar to the X-Man Angel. His voice is capable of producing sonic frequency beyond the range of human capability as well as creating multiple sounds or voices at once.
Other versions
On the tenth anniversary of the "Age of ApocalypseAge of Apocalypse
"Age of Apocalypse" is a 1995 - 1996 comic book crossover storyline published in the X-Men franchise of books by Marvel Comics. The Age of Apocalypse briefly replaced the universe of Earth-616, although it was later retconned as having occurred in the alternate universe of Earth-295, it had...
", the Guthrie family made a reappearance with the addition of "Jay." In this reality they were agents of Apocalypse. Here, Jay (with bionic wings similar to Archangel's
Archangel (comics)
Warren Kenneth Worthington III is a fictional character, a comic book antihero in the Marvel Comics universe. Originally known as Angel and later Archangel, Worthington is one of the founding members of the X-Men. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist/co-creator Jack Kirby, he first appeared in...
) joined his elder siblings Cannonball, Amazon (his sister Elizabeth, who has not yet manifested powers in the mainstream Marvel Universe), and Husk as a terrorist. After they attempted to harm Magneto's
Magneto (comics)
Magneto is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. He is the central villain of the X-Men comic, as well as the TV show and the films. The character first appears in X-Men #1 , and was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby...
son Charles and wife Rogue, Magneto killed Jay and Cannonball.
In the "House of M
House of M
House of M is an eight-issue comic book limited series and crossover storyline published by Marvel Comics in 2005. Written by Brian Michael Bendis and illustrated by Olivier Coipel, its first issue debuted in June 2005 as a follow-up to the events of the Planet X and Avengers Disassembled...
" alternate universe, where mutants rule the Earth, JAY is a popular singer, with sold out concerts.
In What If
What If (comics)
What If, sometimes rendered as What If...?, is the title of several comic book series published by Marvel Comics, exploring "the road not traveled" by its various characters...
#92, a non-mutant Jay finds and fixes up a broken Sentinel
Sentinel (comics)
Sentinels are a fictional variety of mutant-hunting robots, appearing in the Marvel Comics Universe. They are usually portrayed as antagonists to the X-Men. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, they first appeared in The X-Men #14 .According to Marvel canon, Sentinels are programmed to locate...
, reprogramming it to serve and protect him, and using it to make himself a "special" like his super-powered siblings. When Cannonball and Husk come home, the sentinel (which has been reconstructing its memory banks) identifies them as mutants and attacks them, but when it realizes it is a danger to Jay it has to "protect" him by destroying itself. This story is similar to the later comic series Sentinel
Sentinel (comic book)
Sentinel is a comic book series published by Marvel Comics as part of the Tsunami imprint. It is written by Sean McKeever and illustrated by UDON.- Publication history :...
by Sean McKeever
Sean McKeever
Sean Kelley McKeever is an American comic book writer.-Career:Since the end of his creator-owned teen drama series The Waiting Place, which was published from 1997 to 2002, McKeever has written several series for Marvel Comics, including The Incredible Hulk, Sentinel, Mary Jane, Inhumans and...
and UDON
UDON
UDON Entertainment Corporation is a studio of Asian-influenced comic book creators that provides creative services to the entertainment industry. The company is a publisher of comic books, graphic novels, and art books, as well as English editions of Japanese manga and Korean manhwa titles. Erik...
.