S'ym
Encyclopedia
S'ym is a fictional supervillain
in the Marvel Comics
Universe
, a demon
of Limbo
who served as a frequent enemy and sometimes supporting character in The Uncanny X-Men and The New Mutants. He was created as an homage to independent cartoonist Dave Sim
's character Cerebus the Aardvark
.
and Brent Anderson
, the character is an homage to Cerebus the Aardvark
and his creator, Dave Sim
, after Sim featured a villain named "Professor Charles X. Claremont" in early issues of Cerebus. S'ym always referred to himself in the third person ("S'ym thinks this is a bad idea"), a trait shared by Cerebus. S'ym also has the same purple-grey coloration as Cerebus, and looks vaguely like Cerebus (right down to his trademark vest), only taller, more muscular, and with a horn. And, of course, "S'ym" is pronounced the same as "Sim".
, the ruler of the demonic dimension known as Otherplace
or Limbo. S'ym first battled the X-Men
when the team were transported to Limbo via teleportation
"discs" in their search for 7-year-old Illyana Rasputin
, the younger sister of the X-Man Colossus
. Because the physical laws of time and space differ between dimensions, Illyana seemingly returned to the X-Men only moments later, but returned as a fourteen-year-old.
During Ilyana's seven years in Limbo Belasco took her as his heir and apprentice, until one day she defeated him, becoming Limbo's new ruler - and S'ym's master - before returning to the X-Men. S'ym made several attempts at challenging Illyana's newfound status as Limbo's ruler. At each turn Illyana defeated S'ym, leaving S'ym to agree to serve Illyana whenever she visited Limbo. Finding a potential way to finally defeat Illyana, S'ym allied himself with the extraterrestrial Magus
, allowing himself to be infected with a techno-organic virus
). Despite the boost in power, that attempt and a subsequent rebellion failed.
S'ym then enlisted the aid of the demon N'astirh
, aiding him in the corruption of Madelyne Pryor
into the Goblin Queen. By manipulating one of Illyana portals from Limbo, the trio unleashed a demonic invasion of New York City
known as the "Inferno
". S'ym was defeated when Illyana sent most of the invaders back to Limbo.
S'ym remained in Limbo, while plotting a new invasion of Earth. He planned on using the Nexus of All Realities
to invade Earth, but was stopped by his former master Belasco, who manipulated Cable
into confronting S'ym. Belasco reasserted his control over both S'ym and Limbo; however the two were later defeated by Nightcrawler
as his girlfriend, Amanda Sefton
, took over Limbo. S'ym turned to an alliance with the Archenemy, a powerful magical entity, and disguised himself as Duke Bleys, becoming one of Sefton's most trusted advisers. As Bleys, S'ym tricked Sefton into allying herself with many other demon lords and merging their various realms and dimensions into a single bastion against the Archenemy. S'ym then revealed his true identity and revealed that the single, united realm was a much easier target for the Archenemy than the countless dimensions he was fighting before. Nonetheless, Sefton and her army managed to slay the Archenemy and undid the merging of realms.
S'ym is next seen in the New X-Men "The Quest for Magik" storyline. Illyana returns to rule Limbo and S'ym is shown to be one of her servants. He appears to be free of the techno-organic virus, with no explanation given.
's claws. This strength level makes him nearly invulnerable. Illyana Rasputin's Soulsword was one of the few weapons that could kill him, before having been infected by the techno-organic virus. S'ym, now a techno-organic being himself, can repair himself and reform from a single molecule, should he be destroyed. Also due to his techno-organic state, S'ym can also infect other objects and feed off its life energies, and/or turn them into techno-organic beings as well. During the Inferno storyline Illyana tried killing S'ym with her Soulsword but it proved ineffective against his new circuitry body.
Supervillain
A supervillain or supervillainess is a variant of the villain character type, commonly found in comic books, action movies and science fiction in various media.They are sometimes used as foils to superheroes and other fictional heroes...
in the 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...
Universe
Marvel Universe
The Marvel Universe is the shared fictional universe where most comic book titles and other media published by Marvel Entertainment take place, including those featuring Marvel's most familiar characters, such as Spider-Man, the Hulk, the X-Men, and the Avengers.The Marvel Universe is further...
, a demon
Demons (Marvel Comics)
The Marvel Comics universe hosts a number of demons, many of whom are at times at conflict with gods and angels. All possess varying degrees of mystical power, feed upon souls for self-sustenance, and are inclined towards dark or “black” magic - evil....
of Limbo
Otherplace
Otherplace, is a fictional location in titles published by Marvel Comics. The concept debuted in Uncanny X-Men #160, and was created by Chris Claremont and Brent Anderson.-History:...
who served as a frequent enemy and sometimes supporting character in The Uncanny X-Men and The New Mutants. He was created as an homage to independent cartoonist Dave Sim
Dave Sim
David Victor Sim is an award-winning Canadian comic book writer and artist.A pioneer of self-published comics and creators' rights, Sim is best known as the creator of Cerebus the Aardvark, a comic book published from 1977 to 2004, which chronicles its main character in a 6,000-page self-contained...
's character Cerebus the Aardvark
Cerebus the Aardvark
Cerebus the Aardvark, or simply Cerebus , is an independent comic book, written and illustrated by Canadian artist Dave Sim, with backgrounds by fellow Canadian Gerhard. Cerebus ran for 300 issues from December 1977 to 2004, and was over 6000 pages long, the longest-running original...
.
Inspiration
Created by Chris ClaremontChris Claremont
Chris Claremont is an award-winning American comic book writer and novelist, known for his 17-year stint on Uncanny X-Men, far longer than any other writer, during which he is credited with developing strong female characters, and with introducing complex literary themes into superhero...
and Brent Anderson
Brent Anderson
Brent Anderson is an American comic book artist known for his work on X-Men: God Loves, Man Kills and the comic book series Astro City.- Early life :...
, the character is an homage to Cerebus the Aardvark
Cerebus the Aardvark
Cerebus the Aardvark, or simply Cerebus , is an independent comic book, written and illustrated by Canadian artist Dave Sim, with backgrounds by fellow Canadian Gerhard. Cerebus ran for 300 issues from December 1977 to 2004, and was over 6000 pages long, the longest-running original...
and his creator, Dave Sim
Dave Sim
David Victor Sim is an award-winning Canadian comic book writer and artist.A pioneer of self-published comics and creators' rights, Sim is best known as the creator of Cerebus the Aardvark, a comic book published from 1977 to 2004, which chronicles its main character in a 6,000-page self-contained...
, after Sim featured a villain named "Professor Charles X. Claremont" in early issues of Cerebus. S'ym always referred to himself in the third person ("S'ym thinks this is a bad idea"), a trait shared by Cerebus. S'ym also has the same purple-grey coloration as Cerebus, and looks vaguely like Cerebus (right down to his trademark vest), only taller, more muscular, and with a horn. And, of course, "S'ym" is pronounced the same as "Sim".
Fictional character biography
S'ym was a minion of BelascoBelasco
Belasco is a fictional supervillain in the Marvel Comics Universe. The character's first appearance was in Ka-Zar the Savage #11; he was created by Bruce Jones and Brent Anderson.-Fictional character biography:...
, the ruler of the demonic dimension known as Otherplace
Otherplace
Otherplace, is a fictional location in titles published by Marvel Comics. The concept debuted in Uncanny X-Men #160, and was created by Chris Claremont and Brent Anderson.-History:...
or Limbo. S'ym first battled 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...
when the team were transported to Limbo via teleportation
Teleportation
Teleportation is the fictional or imagined process by which matter is instantaneously transferred from one place to another.Teleportation may also refer to:*Quantum teleportation, a method of transmitting quantum data...
"discs" in their search for 7-year-old Illyana Rasputin
Magik (comics)
Magik is a Marvel Comics character, associated with the X-Men. She is the younger sister of the Russian X-Man Colossus.-Publication history:...
, the younger sister of the X-Man Colossus
Colossus (comics)
Colossus is a fictional character, a superhero in the Marvel Comics universe. Created by writer Len Wein and illustrator Dave Cockrum, he first appeared in Giant-Size X-Men #1...
. Because the physical laws of time and space differ between dimensions, Illyana seemingly returned to the X-Men only moments later, but returned as a fourteen-year-old.
During Ilyana's seven years in Limbo Belasco took her as his heir and apprentice, until one day she defeated him, becoming Limbo's new ruler - and S'ym's master - before returning to the X-Men. S'ym made several attempts at challenging Illyana's newfound status as Limbo's ruler. At each turn Illyana defeated S'ym, leaving S'ym to agree to serve Illyana whenever she visited Limbo. Finding a potential way to finally defeat Illyana, S'ym allied himself with the extraterrestrial Magus
Magus (Technarchy)
The Magus is a fictional character in the Marvel Universe.The Magus is a techno-organic patriarch of an alien civilization, and should not be confused with another character called Magus who is associated with Adam Warlock.-Publication history:...
, allowing himself to be infected with a techno-organic virus
Techno-organic virus
A techno-organic virus is a fictional virus in the Marvel Comics universe. The virus transforms organic material into techno-organic material. Techno-organic material resembles both machinery and living tissue...
). Despite the boost in power, that attempt and a subsequent rebellion failed.
S'ym then enlisted the aid of the demon N'astirh
N'astirh
N'astirh is a fictional character created by Marvel Comics as a demonic inhabitant of Limbo. He first appeared in X-Factor #32 and was created by Louise Simonson and Jon Bogdanove.-Fictional character biography:...
, aiding him in the corruption of Madelyne Pryor
Madelyne Pryor
Madelyne Pryor is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics universe. As the love interest and first wife of X-Men leader Cyclops , she became a long-standing member of the X-Men supporting cast, until a series of traumas — being abandoned by her husband, losing her infant son, and...
into the Goblin Queen. By manipulating one of Illyana portals from Limbo, the trio unleashed a demonic invasion of New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
known as the "Inferno
Inferno (Marvel Comics)
Inferno was a Marvel Comics company-wide crossover in 1989 that mainly involved the mutant titles, namely The Uncanny X-Men, X-Factor, X-Terminators, Excalibur, and The New Mutants...
". S'ym was defeated when Illyana sent most of the invaders back to Limbo.
S'ym remained in Limbo, while plotting a new invasion of Earth. He planned on using the Nexus of All Realities
Man-Thing
The Man-Thing is a fictional character, a monster in publications from Marvel Comics. Created by writers Stan Lee, Roy Thomas, and Gerry Conway and artist Gray Morrow, the character first appeared in Savage Tales #1 , and went on to be featured in various titles and in his own series, including...
to invade Earth, but was stopped by his former master Belasco, who manipulated Cable
Cable (comics)
Cable is a fictional character appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared as an infant in Uncanny X-Men #201...
into confronting S'ym. Belasco reasserted his control over both S'ym and Limbo; however the two were later defeated by Nightcrawler
Nightcrawler (comics)
Nightcrawler is a fictional character, a comic book superhero in the Marvel Universe. He has been associated with both the X-Men and Excalibur, originally appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Len Wein and artist Dave Cockrum, he debuted in Giant-Size X-Men #1...
as his girlfriend, Amanda Sefton
Amanda Sefton
Amanda Sefton is a fictional character, a witch in the Marvel Universe. She is the foster sister and former lover of Kurt Wagner, Nightcrawler of the X-Men....
, took over Limbo. S'ym turned to an alliance with the Archenemy, a powerful magical entity, and disguised himself as Duke Bleys, becoming one of Sefton's most trusted advisers. As Bleys, S'ym tricked Sefton into allying herself with many other demon lords and merging their various realms and dimensions into a single bastion against the Archenemy. S'ym then revealed his true identity and revealed that the single, united realm was a much easier target for the Archenemy than the countless dimensions he was fighting before. Nonetheless, Sefton and her army managed to slay the Archenemy and undid the merging of realms.
S'ym is next seen in the New X-Men "The Quest for Magik" storyline. Illyana returns to rule Limbo and S'ym is shown to be one of her servants. He appears to be free of the techno-organic virus, with no explanation given.
X-Infernus
When Witchfire learns that Magik has left Limbo, she assumes control. She stabs S'ym through the chest, seriously wounding him. Magik teleports in to find him chained to the throne. She asks what happened and he informs her that Belasco's daughter, Witchfire has taken control in her absence.Second Coming
A recovered S'ym is seen reporting to N'astirth that a small squad of X-Men had come to Limbo to rescue Magik, revealing in the meantime that N'astirth was the mastermind behind the abduction of Magik in the first place.Powers and abilities
S'ym possesses great superhuman strength. He is stronger than Colossus and easily snapped off one of WolverineWolverine (comics)
Wolverine is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Born as James Howlett and commonly known as Logan, Wolverine is a mutant, possessing animal-keen senses, enhanced physical capabilities, three retracting bone claws on each hand and a healing...
's claws. This strength level makes him nearly invulnerable. Illyana Rasputin's Soulsword was one of the few weapons that could kill him, before having been infected by the techno-organic virus. S'ym, now a techno-organic being himself, can repair himself and reform from a single molecule, should he be destroyed. Also due to his techno-organic state, S'ym can also infect other objects and feed off its life energies, and/or turn them into techno-organic beings as well. During the Inferno storyline Illyana tried killing S'ym with her Soulsword but it proved ineffective against his new circuitry body.