Spyke
Encyclopedia
Spyke is a character
who was briefly a member of the X-Men
in the animated series X-Men: Evolution
. Created by writer Bob Skir and artist Steven E. Gordon
, he first appeared in "Speed And Spyke", episode #5 (December 9, 2000), where he was voiced by Neil Denis
.
Spyke is an African American high-school freshman with the mutant
ability to project spikes out of his body.
The character was originally created as a way to diversify the show's X-Men roster. It was important to the show's creators, the WB network
(who ran the show) and Marvel Comics
to have an African American in the show. According to the show's producer
Boyd Kirkland
, turning Bishop
(the first Black male X-Man) into a teenager would not have worked. Initially, Spyke was intended to be the team's muscle and looked closer to how he looked in season four, but Marvel decided they didn't like the "monster" angle and he was given a much more normal look. He was originally intended to be called Armadillo and have cornrow
s. He has similar powers to Marrow
, a pre-existing character, though Kirkland says this was not intentional.
, New York
to an unnamed father and Vivian Daniels. His mutant powers are first noticed at his high school basketball game by his Aunt Ororo (aka Storm a longtime member of the X-Men
), and his teammate Pietro. The next night Storm, along with Cyclops
and Jean Grey
, approached Evan's parents about his mutant powers and attending Xavier's School
. Evan angrily declines on his own behalf and leaves.
He goes to his school to catch the thief who keeps breaking into his locker. It is revealed that Pietro is not only the thief, but a mutant with super speed powers. Pietro, who renames himself Quicksilver
, breaks into all the lockers in the school and lets Evan take the heat as he escapes prosecution. Only when Charles Xavier
uses his pull to help Evan get out of prison does he join the X-Men and the school under the code name Spyke. Spyke settles the score with Quicksilver when he, Cyclops, and Jean defeat the speedy mutant. Spyke is cleared of all charges when he catches Quicksilver's arrogant confession on tape.
During his tenure with the X-Men, Spyke didn't want any special treatment from anyone at the school because he was Storm's nephew. Though he liked being an X-Man and thought of them as his family, Spyke at times acted selfishly and inconsiderate of others. Spyke would goof around in class and on at least one occasion ditched school mid-class to go skateboarding with his human friends. He also was late for several training exercises in the Danger Room
resulting in him getting reprimanded by Storm and causing several X-Kids to fail in their training exercise because Spyke was not there to back them up. If not for him saving Storm's life from the Hungan, Spyke would have been sent home to his parents due to his lack of concern for school and DR training.
After he and the other X-Men were discovered to be mutants, Spyke grew angry at how they were being treated. After drinking Pow-R8, an energy drink that was toxic to mutants even by touching it, Spyke found out he could not retract or fully control his spikes. After seeing how cruelly he was treated because of his condition, Spyke joined the Morlocks
(a group of mutants who could not "pass" for human and so were driven underground) because he wanted to fight for mutants who looked different from normal humans. Storm did not take this well and tried to convince Spyke to come back, but he refused.
When Evan returned later in the series he had mutated even further, and now most of his upper body was covered by armadillo
-type bone-plates except for his face and below the waist, and with the new ability to heat up the bone spikes he creates. During this time, Spyke began using his powers to fight against humans who were attempting to commit hate crime
s against the Morlocks and mutants in general. These actions eventually led to him being the target of a group of anti-mutant biggots, led by Duncan Matthews. Attacking him with electrical mining guns, Spyke was cornered. But the Morlocks and X-Men stepped in and defeated Duncan and his accomplices, who were arrested by the police shortly after the battle was over. When Storm tried to persuade him once again to return to the institute, Spyke said the Morlocks needed him more and chose to remain with them.
He later helped out in destroying the Pyramids surfaced by Apocalypse
. Spyke is last seen in a group photo with the X-Men, the New Mutants
and their unaffiliated allies. In this photo he is wearing the bottom half of his X-Men costume, which may mean he has finally returned to the X-Men.
spikes that grow inside his body. He may shoot them out or bring them out to grab and hold. He also needs to drink milk to replace the calcium that he loses when using his powers. Spyke, an expert skateboarder
, integrated his skateboarding prowess into battles. He also has an accelerated healing rate (most likely faster than Wolverine's) to seal the wounds (caused by projecting his spikes) with no visible effect
In the later episodes as his mutation evolved, Spyke gained the ability to heat up the ends of the spikes, increasing their damage potential, and his strength is almost twice that of an average human. He now also has protective plates form around his body´, but is unable to retract his plates. He also gained the ability to extend small spikes on his feet to scale and stick to walls.
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...
who was briefly a member 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...
in the animated series X-Men: Evolution
X-Men: Evolution
X-Men: Evolution is an American animated television series about the Marvel Comics superhero team the X-Men. In this incarnation many of the characters are teenagers rather than adults...
. Created by writer Bob Skir and artist Steven E. Gordon
Steven E. Gordon
Steven E. Gordon is an Annie Awards nominee, director, character designer and animator, most well-known for his work on X-Men Evolution. He was one of the directors on the first Marvel/Lionsgate direct-to-video "Ultimate Avengers" as well as the character designer for that DTV as well as the...
, he first appeared in "Speed And Spyke", episode #5 (December 9, 2000), where he was voiced by Neil Denis
Neil Denis
Neil Denis is a Canadian actor. He is known for his role as Rya'c, son of Teal'c, a Jaffa in Stargate SG-1. His first appearance was in University Hospital in 1995 at the age of 8. He also appeared in the Canadian television series 2030 CE. He has provided the voice for Spyke in X-Men: Evolution...
.
Spyke is an African American high-school freshman with the 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...
ability to project spikes out of his body.
The character was originally created as a way to diversify the show's X-Men roster. It was important to the show's creators, the WB network
The WB Television Network
The WB Television Network is a former television network in the United States that was launched on January 11, 1995 as a joint venture between Warner Bros. and Tribune Broadcasting. On January 24, 2006, CBS Corporation and Warner Bros...
(who ran the show) and 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...
to have an African American in the show. According to the show's producer
Television producer
The primary role of a television Producer is to allow all aspects of video production, ranging from show idea development and cast hiring to shoot supervision and fact-checking...
Boyd Kirkland
Boyd Kirkland
Boyd Douglas Kirkland was an American television director of animated cartoons. He was best known for his work on X-Men Evolution. His other famous works included Batman: The Animated Series. He suffered from idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and interstitial lung disease...
, turning Bishop
Bishop (comics)
Bishop is a fictional comic book superhero, appearing in books published by Marvel Comics, in particular the X-Men family of books...
(the first Black male X-Man) into a teenager would not have worked. Initially, Spyke was intended to be the team's muscle and looked closer to how he looked in season four, but Marvel decided they didn't like the "monster" angle and he was given a much more normal look. He was originally intended to be called Armadillo and have cornrow
Cornrow
Cornrows, also known as braids, are a traditional African style of hair grooming where the hair is braided very close to the scalp, using an underhand, upward motion to produce a continuous, raised row...
s. He has similar powers to Marrow
Marrow (comics)
Marrow , is a Marvel Comics character, associated with the X-Men. She is a mutant whose bones grow out of her skin and can be removed from her body, providing her with potential knives and clubs as well as body armor....
, a pre-existing character, though Kirkland says this was not intentional.
Character biography
Evan Daniels was born in New YorkNew 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...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
to an unnamed father and Vivian Daniels. His mutant powers are first noticed at his high school basketball game by his Aunt Ororo (aka Storm a longtime member 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...
), and his teammate Pietro. The next night Storm, along with Cyclops
Cyclops (comics)
Cyclops is a fictional character, the leader of the X-Men superhero team in the . A mutant, Cyclops emits a powerful energy beam from his eyes...
and Jean Grey
Jean Grey
Jean Grey-Summers is a fictional comic book superheroine appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. She has been known under the aliases Marvel Girl, Phoenix, and Dark Phoenix and is best known as one of five original members of the X-Men, for her relationship with Cyclops, and for her...
, approached Evan's parents about his mutant powers and attending Xavier's School
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...
. Evan angrily declines on his own behalf and leaves.
He goes to his school to catch the thief who keeps breaking into his locker. It is revealed that Pietro is not only the thief, but a mutant with super speed powers. Pietro, who renames himself Quicksilver
Quicksilver (comics)
Quicksilver is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appears in X-Men #4 and was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby...
, breaks into all the lockers in the school and lets Evan take the heat as he escapes prosecution. Only when Charles Xavier
Professor X
Professor Charles Francis Xavier, also known as Professor X, is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics superhero known as the leader and founder of the X-Men....
uses his pull to help Evan get out of prison does he join the X-Men and the school under the code name Spyke. Spyke settles the score with Quicksilver when he, Cyclops, and Jean defeat the speedy mutant. Spyke is cleared of all charges when he catches Quicksilver's arrogant confession on tape.
Danger Room
The Danger Room is a fictional training facility built for the X-Men of Marvel Comics as part of the various incarnations of the X-Mansion.-Early designs:...
resulting in him getting reprimanded by Storm and causing several X-Kids to fail in their training exercise because Spyke was not there to back them up. If not for him saving Storm's life from the Hungan, Spyke would have been sent home to his parents due to his lack of concern for school and DR training.
After he and the other X-Men were discovered to be mutants, Spyke grew angry at how they were being treated. After drinking Pow-R8, an energy drink that was toxic to mutants even by touching it, Spyke found out he could not retract or fully control his spikes. After seeing how cruelly he was treated because of his condition, Spyke joined the Morlocks
Morlocks (comics)
The Morlocks are a group of several fictional comic book mutants associated with the X-Men in the Marvel Comics universe. Created by writer Chris Claremont and artist Paul Smith, they were named after the subterranean race of the same name in H. G. Wells' novel The Time Machine. They first appeared...
(a group of mutants who could not "pass" for human and so were driven underground) because he wanted to fight for mutants who looked different from normal humans. Storm did not take this well and tried to convince Spyke to come back, but he refused.
When Evan returned later in the series he had mutated even further, and now most of his upper body was covered by armadillo
Armadillo
Armadillos are New World placental mammals, known for having a leathery armor shell. Dasypodidae is the only surviving family in the order Cingulata, part of the superorder Xenarthra along with the anteaters and sloths. The word armadillo is Spanish for "little armored one"...
-type bone-plates except for his face and below the waist, and with the new ability to heat up the bone spikes he creates. During this time, Spyke began using his powers to fight against humans who were attempting to commit hate crime
Hate crime
In crime and law, hate crimes occur when a perpetrator targets a victim because of his or her perceived membership in a certain social group, usually defined by racial group, religion, sexual orientation, disability, class, ethnicity, nationality, age, gender, gender identity, social status or...
s against the Morlocks and mutants in general. These actions eventually led to him being the target of a group of anti-mutant biggots, led by Duncan Matthews. Attacking him with electrical mining guns, Spyke was cornered. But the Morlocks and X-Men stepped in and defeated Duncan and his accomplices, who were arrested by the police shortly after the battle was over. When Storm tried to persuade him once again to return to the institute, Spyke said the Morlocks needed him more and chose to remain with them.
He later helped out in destroying the Pyramids surfaced by Apocalypse
Apocalypse (comics)
Apocalypse is a fictional character who is an ancient mutant that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in X-Factor #5 , created by writer Louise Simonson and designed by artist Walter Simonson...
. Spyke is last seen in a group photo with the X-Men, 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....
and their unaffiliated allies. In this photo he is wearing the bottom half of his X-Men costume, which may mean he has finally returned to the X-Men.
Powers and abilities
Spyke can extend or retract boneBone
Bones are rigid organs that constitute part of the endoskeleton of vertebrates. They support, and protect the various organs of the body, produce red and white blood cells and store minerals. Bone tissue is a type of dense connective tissue...
spikes that grow inside his body. He may shoot them out or bring them out to grab and hold. He also needs to drink milk to replace the calcium that he loses when using his powers. Spyke, an expert skateboarder
Skateboarding
Skateboarding is an action sport which involves riding and performing tricks using a skateboard.Skateboarding can be a recreational activity, an art form, a job, or a method of transportation. Skateboarding has been shaped and influenced by many skateboarders throughout the years. A 2002 report...
, integrated his skateboarding prowess into battles. He also has an accelerated healing rate (most likely faster than Wolverine's) to seal the wounds (caused by projecting his spikes) with no visible effect
In the later episodes as his mutation evolved, Spyke gained the ability to heat up the ends of the spikes, increasing their damage potential, and his strength is almost twice that of an average human. He now also has protective plates form around his body´, but is unable to retract his plates. He also gained the ability to extend small spikes on his feet to scale and stick to walls.
In other media
- After the show ended, Spyke appeared in the X-Men: EvolutionX-Men: EvolutionX-Men: Evolution is an American animated television series about the Marvel Comics superhero team the X-Men. In this incarnation many of the characters are teenagers rather than adults...
comic based on the series.
- He has appeared in the X-MenX-MenThe 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...
mainstream continuity. In the comics he has a deep relationship with Kitty Pryde (unlike the animated series.) David Munroe Jr. was born in New Jersey to an unknown father and the sister of Storm's father. Vivian named her son David, after Ororo’s father, who had died too soon. Unfortunately, she later became a drug addict and eventually died of HIV, leaving young David in the care of his loving grandparents. As of yet David, still in his early teens, hasn't manifested any mutant powers, and has only recently met Storm in this universe.
- It is speculated that the character Spike from X-StatixX-StatixX-Statix was a fictional team of mutant superheroes in Marvel Comics, specifically designed to be media superstars. The team, created by Peter Milligan and Mike Allred, first appears in X-Force #116 and originally assumed the moniker X-Force, taking the name of the more traditional superhero team,...
was inspired by Spyke from X-Men: Evolution.
- A version of Spike appeared in the X-Babies Stars Reborn as an evil, indestructible, and cute Adorable X-Baby.