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Sunspot (comics)
Encyclopedia
Sunspot is a fictional character
, a Marvel Comics
superhero
most commonly associated with X-Men
-related groups the New Mutants
and X-Force
.
A Brazil
ian mutant
, Sunspot possesses the ability to absorb and channel solar power
. He is idealistic and impulsive, but is considered a close friend of many of his teammates. He was an important member of the X-Men’s 1980s-era junior team and its reincarnation X-Force.
and penciler Bob McLeod, Sunspot first appeared in Marvel Graphic Novel
#4: The New Mutants (1982).
male, born and raised in Rio De Janeiro
. He is the son of wealthy businessman Emmanuel Da Costa and archaeologist Nina Da Costa. In New Mutants #7, his father is described as a very driven man, who "grew up [...] a barefoot houseboy", "by age 20 [...] a millionaire [and] by 30, an economic and political force to be reckoned with." The relationship between Roberto and his father resembles more closely one of best friends than father and son. Nonetheless, Emmanuel constantly pushes his son to reach for both his physical and intellectual limits. Thanks to his father's encouragement, Roberto rose to the position of star soccer player at school, and was considered by recruiters for the Olympic Games
.
Shortly before his fourteenth birthday (as best can be determined; there are conflicting references) Roberto was playing a soccer game with his team (the Thunderbolts) against their arch-rivals, the Dynamos. Racist members of the Dynamos assaulted Roberto during the game, and in response Roberto took matters into his own hands, initiating a fight on the field. He proceeded to manifest his mutant powers, transforming suddenly into a creature of solid black solar energy. Surprised and terrified, people abandoned the stadium, and only his girlfriend, Juliana Sandoval, refused to abandon him.
and employing Hellfire Club
mercenaries kidnap Juliana. Luring Roberto into a trap, he engages them, but is eventually defeated. Other mutants named Karma
and Psyche
rescue him. In the course of the following battle, Juliana sacrifices her life for Roberto, jumping in front of a bullet for him.
After the rescue, Roberto joins Karma and Psyche in pursuit of Donald Pierce. The three are joined by Wolfsbane
, and after the battle by Sam Guthrie, a.k.a Cannonball
, one of Pierce's misguided mutant hirelings, despite initial reservations by the others. Professor X
offers to train the five teenagers in controlling their nascent mutant powers, to which they accept and become the founding members of the group known as the New Mutants
, a group of junior X-Men
. Although Xavier's intentions are for them to only be students, over the course of the New Mutants ongoing series, they grow into superheroes, and they travel to such locations as space, Asgard, and the Amazon, as well as the past and the future. During his tenure with the New Mutants, he and Sam become best friends.
Sunspot was at one point injected with the drug that helped create Cloak and Dagger
, and he briefly became a monster. Sunspot was later reunited with his parents, and then with the New Mutants he visited Nova Roma. He then encountered the White Queen
and her Hellions for the first time. He was later abducted and forced to serve as one of the Gladiators. On another adventure with the New Mutants, he visited the land of Asgard
. Alongside the New Mutants, he later fought Warlock
's father, the Magus
. He also battled Cameron Hodge
and the Right
. Alongside the New Mutants he battled Freedom Force
. He also fell in love with the alien Gosamyr
.
ing antihero Cable
takes over the New Mutants and turns them into the paramilitary
group X-Force, Sunspot parts ways with the team. During this time Sunspot is tutored by Gideon
of the Externals
, an old business partner of Roberto's father (who has since died). Suspecting Sunspot to be a fellow External, he takes Sunspot under his wing. Gideon ends up experimenting on Sunspot, granting him new powers such as flight and the ability to fire blasts of solar energy. For a time Sunspot becomes lost in a space-time continuum after interfering with the teleportation
powers of Locus
. During this time, a villain called Reignfire
comes onto the scene, showing a remarkable similar appearance to Sunspot.
by force, and in a battle with X-Force, even removes his mask to reveal the face of Sunspot. Cable 'heals' Sunspot of this persona dominating his body, transferring some of his Askani
knowledge into Sunspot, allowing Sunspot to speak the Askani language and know of their meditation techniques. All seems well until X-Force finds out that someone resembling Sunspot has attacked and kidnapped their friend Skids
. Upon investigation it is discovered that Reignfire is alive and separate from Sunspot and thus not simply an aspect of his mind.
Reignfire was a protoplasmic cellular construct that had patterned itself after Roberto when it had received a cell sample from him (a plot element introduced by John Francis Moore
which was different from Nicieza's original intentions). Reignfire was essentially made into an evil clone of Sunspot. Reignfire gained a new ability though, and could now forge a telepathic link with his progenitor, thereby explaining the times that Roberto would switch to a more evil persona. Shortly after this story, Reignfire met his demise.
, a fellow teammate.
. They tell him that since his father Emmanuel had a seat in the Club so does he, as the seats are inherited. Selene
promises Roberto that she will resurrect Juliana if he joins and he agrees. Selene keeps her part of the bargain, but only to a certain extent. She does bring back the spirit of Juliana, but inserts it into the body of a coma
tose girl. Possibly because he felt obliged to fulfill his promise, Roberto decides to stay, becoming Selene's Black Rook.
With no explanation given, Roberto next surfaces in the title X-Treme X-Men as the head of the Los Angeles
branch of X-Corporation
, along with former New Mutant Magma
and former Hellion Empath
. Roberto's ties to the Hellfire Club are not however severed, as Sebastian Shaw
approaches, having taken over the position of Hellfire Club's Lord Imperial and wanting Roberto as his Black King. Shaw claims that he is trying to turn the Club into a force of good, so Roberto accepts, though he keeps his involvement with Shaw a secret.
Soon after, Shaw is injured in battle by Donald Pierce
. His injuries make him incapable of overseeing the Hellfire Club. Roberto takes over as Lord Imperial. At his side is Sage
who leaves the X-Men to make sure Roberto is not corrupted by the power he wields. After the events of M-Day
, Cyclops
calls for the shutting down of all branches of the X-Corporation to better pool the resources of the X-Men. In Endangered Species
, Sebastian Shaw seems to be thinking of reclaiming his place and to be quite mad at Sunspot.
, Cannonball, and Magma. However, while battling members of Cyclops' new team of X-Men
alongside Cannonball, there is much confusion after Rockslide
makes reference to the two mutants' membership in the Brotherhood. During the course of the battle, Sunspot is seriously wounded by Wolf Cub
, who slashes Roberto's face and stomach with his claws. It is eventually revealed that "Cyclops" is in reality Donald Pierce
, the former White King of the Hellfire Club, who is posing as the X-Men leader using an image inducer. Pierce's reasons for recruiting these "X-Men" is currently unknown, but it appears that his primary focus is to eliminate the Lord Imperial and utilized the ruse that Sunspot and his allies formed a new Brotherhood in order to convince the former Xavier students
to attack their former teachers and allies.
Later on, Sunspot leaves the Hellfire Club and joins the X-Men in San Francisco as noted by Sebastian Shaw who is currently looking for a replacement. Cyclops later asks Sunspot and Danielle Moonstar to help train the Young X-Men
and both accepted.
from a box, who apparently has Shan's personality imprisoned inside of him. Roberto and Sam approach Karma's body but when Roberto gets too close he almost gets pulled into Legion's mind. After they leave the bar, they find they're surrounded by police; Roberto and Sam fly away to the jail to find Dani.
When they arrive, Legion is trying to kill Dani. After Roberto and Sam repel him, Legion comes back and Sunspot fights him. Cannonball soon joins him and they fend him off and regroup. During the fight, Legion takes on Magma, Cannonball, and Roberto, who gets seriously injured when Legion slashes him with a shard of metal.
, Lorelei Travis, Match
, Meld
, Adam X
, and Avalanche
. They plan and start a riot together. Sunspot and his companions are later defeated by Emma Frost and her team of Dark X-Men
. Sunspot and the others are taken into custody by the Dark X-Men but are rescued by X-Force and Magik.
In the aftermath of Utopia, Roberto is seen along with Magma, Cannonball, Rogue
, Danger
, and the X-Club looking over Legion, who are all trying to rid him of his other personalities. During the session, he constantly hits on Rogue who pays no attention to him.
whose cells have the ability to absorb solar energy and convert it for use as physical strength. At will, he is able to take on a superhuman "powered up" form that is entirely nonreflective black
, save for his eye
s which turn a solid bright white. Though the color black optimizes solar absorption, he absorbs solar power at all times, not only when he is in his "powered up" form – indeed, if he has not absorbed sufficient amounts of solar energy in normal form, he will be too weak to "power up". Likewise, when not in direct sunlight, Sunspot can exhaust his superhuman strength by using up the stores of energy within his body. When in his solar form, Sunspot also has a corona
effect, an aura that has been depicted in multiple ways, though two predominant conventions exist for its portrayal: one is that the air close to him manifests black globes of various sizes, reminiscent of Kirby dots
, and the other is a unified field glowing a bright yellow or white. Although Sunspot can absorb energy from stars and reflected solar energy from the moon, the amounts that reach him on Earth are too minuscule to add significantly to his power.
The "solar form" sometimes blackens Sunspot's clothes as well, and sometimes the clothes appear normally colored on top of his blackened skin. Often, Marvel superheroes explain such effects away as sometimes wearing clothing made from unstable molecules
that adapts to superpowers. However, there are many incidents in which Roberto would not have been able to prepare with unstable molecular clothing. However, the consistency should be that Sunspot should blacken whatever clothing he is wearing, besides a suit of unstable molecules, because he is absorbing all the wavelengths of light present around his personage.
Originally, Sunspot's superhuman power was limited solely to superhuman strength and enhanced durability, and then only in his solar form. Unlike many superhumanly strong heroes, Sunspot was unique in that his physical resistance to impact only increased somewhat when he employed his superhuman strength, and he was not bulletproof by any means. The phrase, "Careful Bobby, you're strong, not invulnerable!" or variations was seen many times. In addition, Sunspot's powers have radically changed and grown since the character was introduced; he can now withstand the force of a speeding eighteen-wheeler traveling at speeds of 100 mph.
Significantly, Sunspot maintained his original powerset for roughly the first ten years of his existence, remaining a super strong but vulnerable individual throughout the entire New Mutants series. During the mid-1990s in X-Force his powers began to change, under writer Fabian Nicieza
. Nicieza had the supervillain Gideon capture Roberto and subject him to experimentation where the limits of Roberto's power absorption were tested by feeding him immense amounts of solar power. Roberto was rescued by X-Force, but the overload had permanently altered his powers in such a way that he was now able to release concussive blasts of solar energy, with a considerable heat and light projection component; this experimentation also made him immune to all types of heat and fire. He can also now absorb other forms of energy, such as heat or light, in a manner similar to photo- or thermokinesis, though they do not power up his abilities. It has been debated that Roberto would have reached these levels of his abilities of his own accord, and that Gideon's experimentation only increased his evolution process.
The fact that the solar blasts were concussive in origin led directly into X-Force #28, where Sunspot thinks of using them as a means of propulsion, and thus fly by blasting in the opposite direction of where he wanted to go – initially leaving a slight trail behind him, but in later years, Roberto would learn to use the propulsion more subtly – to appear to hover in place with no blast wake at all other than his usual "powered up" corona effect.
Sunspot also had the rituals and ideas of the Askani
inside his head, due to a telepathic contact with Cable. While being strongly influenced by it for a while, the memories seem to have faded.
Significant non-superhuman abilities include business administration, as he owns and runs a multi-billion dollar international conglomerate. He is an Olympic-class athlete as the result of having been trained in combat by the X-Men and later by Cable. He is an expert in many languages (see below) and has an assortment of other more minor talents such as piloting aircraft. He was trained in swordsmanship by the Gladiators, and is also an excellent soccer player.
, Strong Guy
, and Gambit
. Like Robin Hood
, they take money of Apocalypse
and give to the poor. Magneto assigns them to travel to the Shi'ar
Galaxy to steal the powerful M'Kraan Crystal
.
.
, Wolfsbane
, Cannonball
, and Husk
.
as decadent Uncle Tom-like figures and has accused them of living in an ivory tower, considering themselves separate from "second-class muties" like himself. He also harbors a deep hatred for Magneto
and his followers because of the anti-mutant hysteria that followed the destruction of the Brooklyn Bridge at the hands of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants.
Afterward he has joined Emma Frost's Academy of Tomorrow, a school for gifted beings. Initially Roberto is confused as he understands his grades are not impressive. Emma assures him that grades (or even mutant powers) do not always classify a person as 'gifted'.
Roberto is accepted into the school and soon gets into trouble. Fellow student Lorna Dane
is framed and imprisoned for the murder of several dozen people. He is approached by Alex Summers, her boyfriend, and is convinced to help assist in breaking her out. He works with Northstar
and Cannonball
. Unfortunately the team relies on Roberto's knowledge of New York, which gets them lost as Roberto had rarely been outside of Harlem. While lost, the X-Men
attack and Roberto is subdued and taken out of the fight. Magneto has him killed in Ultimatum along with the rest of the Academy of Tomorrow except for Havok.
Sunspot is murdered in an attack on the Academy. In Ultimate Requiem
, he is buried on the grounds of the X-Mansion
.
(as seen in the Nova Roma story arc in New Mutants #8-12), he speaks fluent English
, and he also speaks fluent Chinese
(as seen in X-Force Annual #3, although it is unspecified whether this is the Mandarin or Cantonese variety). Finally, through a mindlink Cable once established with Sunspot to erase his possession by Reignfire, Sunspot became capable of speaking Askani
(a language spoken in Cable's future timeline). As such, Sunspot confirmedly speaks with proficiency, if not fluency, in at least six languages: Brazilian Portuguese
, English, Chinese, Classical Latin, Askani, and Spanish
.
. Methods of compounding the article and noun into the same word daCosta and DaCosta are not used in Portuguese. A further complication is that in the realm of American comics (until recently), all letters are capitalized.
, a guide to Marvel characters published in the mid-eighties, written mostly by Marvel Editor Peter Sanderson, lists Sunspot's place of birth as Rio de Janeiro
, Brazil
. This is consistent with the fact that the da Costa family estate is located in Rio. However, in the late nineties, John Francis Moore
during his tenure as writer of X-Force
mentioned once that Sunspot was born in São Paulo
. Sanderson's case is backed by the implications of in-story facts like the family estate's being in Rio. Emmanuel's roots are in Rio and it is known that Roberto went to school in Rio.
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 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...
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 —...
most commonly associated with 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...
-related groups 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 X-Force
X-Force
X-Force is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero team, one of several spin-offs of the popular X-Men franchise. Conceived by writer/illustrator Rob Liefeld, the team was formed in New Mutants, vol. 1 #100 and soon afterwards was featured in its own series.The group was a new incarnation of the 1980s...
.
A Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
ian 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...
, Sunspot possesses the ability to absorb and channel solar power
Solar power
Solar energy, radiant light and heat from the sun, has been harnessed by humans since ancient times using a range of ever-evolving technologies. Solar radiation, along with secondary solar-powered resources such as wind and wave power, hydroelectricity and biomass, account for most of the available...
. He is idealistic and impulsive, but is considered a close friend of many of his teammates. He was an important member of the X-Men’s 1980s-era junior team and its reincarnation X-Force.
Publication history
Created by writer 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 penciler Bob McLeod, Sunspot first appeared in Marvel Graphic Novel
Graphic novel
A graphic novel is a narrative work in which the story is conveyed to the reader using sequential art in either an experimental design or in a traditional comics format...
#4: The New Mutants (1982).
Origin
Sunspot is Roberto Da Costa, an Afro-BrazilianAfro-Brazilian
In Brazil, the term "preto" is one of the five categories used by the Brazilian Census, along with "branco" , "pardo" , "amarelo" and "indígena"...
male, born and raised in Rio De Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
. He is the son of wealthy businessman Emmanuel Da Costa and archaeologist Nina Da Costa. In New Mutants #7, his father is described as a very driven man, who "grew up [...] a barefoot houseboy", "by age 20 [...] a millionaire [and] by 30, an economic and political force to be reckoned with." The relationship between Roberto and his father resembles more closely one of best friends than father and son. Nonetheless, Emmanuel constantly pushes his son to reach for both his physical and intellectual limits. Thanks to his father's encouragement, Roberto rose to the position of star soccer player at school, and was considered by recruiters for the Olympic Games
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
.
Shortly before his fourteenth birthday (as best can be determined; there are conflicting references) Roberto was playing a soccer game with his team (the Thunderbolts) against their arch-rivals, the Dynamos. Racist members of the Dynamos assaulted Roberto during the game, and in response Roberto took matters into his own hands, initiating a fight on the field. He proceeded to manifest his mutant powers, transforming suddenly into a creature of solid black solar energy. Surprised and terrified, people abandoned the stadium, and only his girlfriend, Juliana Sandoval, refused to abandon him.
New Mutants
Within a matter of days, a mutant-hating faction led by Donald PierceDonald Pierce
Donald Pierce is a comic book supervillain in the Marvel Comics universe. The character first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #132. He was created by Chris Claremont and John Byrne. Donald Pierce is a cyborg.-Fictional character biography:...
and employing Hellfire Club
Hellfire Club (comics)
The Hellfire Club is a fictional society within the Marvel Comics Universe that often comes into confrontation with the mutant superhero team, the X-Men...
mercenaries kidnap Juliana. Luring Roberto into a trap, he engages them, but is eventually defeated. Other mutants named Karma
Karma (comics)
Karma is a fictional superheroine from Marvel Comics created by Chris Claremont and Frank Miller.Karma is a mutant endowed with the ability to seize control of another's mind, though she has sometimes been depicted with other more extensive psionic abilities...
and Psyche
Danielle Moonstar
Danielle "Dani" Moonstar, originally codenamed Psyche and later Mirage, is a fictional Marvel Comics superheroine associated with the X-Men....
rescue him. In the course of the following battle, Juliana sacrifices her life for Roberto, jumping in front of a bullet for him.
After the rescue, Roberto joins Karma and Psyche in pursuit of Donald Pierce. The three are joined by Wolfsbane
Wolfsbane (comics)
Wolfsbane is a Marvel Comics superheroine, associated with the X-Men.A Scottish mutant, Wolfsbane possesses the ability to transform into a wolf or into a transitional state somewhere between human and wolf...
, and after the battle by Sam Guthrie, a.k.a 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 ....
, one of Pierce's misguided mutant hirelings, despite initial reservations by the others. Professor X
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....
offers to train the five teenagers in controlling their nascent mutant powers, to which they accept and become the founding members of the group known as 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....
, a group of junior 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...
. Although Xavier's intentions are for them to only be students, over the course of the New Mutants ongoing series, they grow into superheroes, and they travel to such locations as space, Asgard, and the Amazon, as well as the past and the future. During his tenure with the New Mutants, he and Sam become best friends.
Sunspot was at one point injected with the drug that helped create Cloak and Dagger
Cloak and Dagger (comics)
Cloak and Dagger are a fictional comic book superhero duo in the . They were created by writer William "Bill" Mantlo and designed by artist Edward Hannigan.-Publication history:...
, and he briefly became a monster. Sunspot was later reunited with his parents, and then with the New Mutants he visited Nova Roma. He then encountered the White Queen
Emma Frost
Emma Grace Frost is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #129 , and was created by writer Chris Claremont and artist/co-writer John Byrne....
and her Hellions for the first time. He was later abducted and forced to serve as one of the Gladiators. On another adventure with the New Mutants, he visited the land of Asgard
Asgard (comics)
Asgard is a fictional realm within the Marvel Comics universe based on the Asgard of Norse mythology and is home to the Asgardians and other beings of Norse mythology...
. Alongside the New Mutants, he later fought Warlock
Warlock (New Mutants)
Warlock is a fictional character, a cybernetic alien superhero published by Marvel Comics. He first appeared in New Mutants vol. 1 #18 , and was created by Chris Claremont and Bill Sienkiewicz.-Publication history:...
's father, the 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:...
. He also battled Cameron Hodge
Cameron Hodge
Cameron Hodge is a fictional comic book supervillain and opponent of the X-Men, as seen in Marvel Comics. Created by writer Bob Layton and artist Jackson Guice, Hodge first appeared as a supporting character in X-Factor #1 , and was later revealed to be secretly acting against that group as the...
and the Right
Right (comics)
The Right is a fictional anti-mutant organization in the Marvel Comics universe. The group first appeared in X-Factor #17 in June 1987.-Fictional biography:...
. Alongside the New Mutants he battled Freedom Force
Freedom Force (comics)
Freedom Force is the name of two teams within Marvel Comics' universe.The original was a supervillain team, though they occasionally acted in a heroic capacity as well. It was a government-sponsored team originally composed mainly of Mystique's Brotherhood of Evil Mutants...
. He also fell in love with the alien Gosamyr
Gosamyr
Gosamyr is a fictional character, a superhero from Marvel Comics.-Publication history:Gosamyr first appeared in New Mutants #66 , and was created by Louise Simonson and Bret Blevins....
.
X-Force
When the time travelTime travel
Time travel is the concept of moving between different points in time in a manner analogous to moving between different points in space. Time travel could hypothetically involve moving backward in time to a moment earlier than the starting point, or forward to the future of that point without the...
ing antihero 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...
takes over the New Mutants and turns them into the paramilitary
Paramilitary
A paramilitary is a force whose function and organization are similar to those of a professional military, but which is not considered part of a state's formal armed forces....
group X-Force, Sunspot parts ways with the team. During this time Sunspot is tutored by Gideon
Gideon (comics)
Gideon is a fictional character, a mutant supervillain appearing in the Marvel Comics universe. He was created by Rob Liefeld and Fabian Nicieza...
of the Externals
Externals
The Externals were a fictional group of X-Men antagonists and subspecies of mutants.-Background:All of the Externals were originally portrayed as immortal and important, playing an extremely major role in the future and Apocalypse's rise to power , but eventually most were killed off. Only Selene,...
, an old business partner of Roberto's father (who has since died). Suspecting Sunspot to be a fellow External, he takes Sunspot under his wing. Gideon ends up experimenting on Sunspot, granting him new powers such as flight and the ability to fire blasts of solar energy. For a time Sunspot becomes lost in a space-time continuum after interfering with the 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...
powers of Locus
Locus (comics)
Locus is a fictional mutant villainess in the Marvel Comics universe. She was first introduced as a member of the Mutant Liberation Front in the comic title X-Force under the leadership of Reignfire...
. During this time, a villain called Reignfire
Reignfire
Reignfire is a fictional character and villain created by Marvel Comics for their series X-Force. His original creators were Fabian Nicieza and Matt Broome, who had completely different plans for the villain than what evolved....
comes onto the scene, showing a remarkable similar appearance to Sunspot.
Reignfire
The villain Reignfire first takes over the Mutant Liberation FrontMutant Liberation Front
The Mutant Liberation Front, or MLF, is a Marvel Comics supervillain group, primarily enemies of X-Force. Created by writer Louise Simonson and artist/co-writer Rob Liefeld, the original MLF first fully appeared in The New Mutants #87 ....
by force, and in a battle with X-Force, even removes his mask to reveal the face of Sunspot. Cable 'heals' Sunspot of this persona dominating his body, transferring some of his Askani
Askani
The Askani are fictional characters, a fictional organization in the Marvel Universe in the future/alternate timeline designated as Earth-4935, also known as Earth Askani...
knowledge into Sunspot, allowing Sunspot to speak the Askani language and know of their meditation techniques. All seems well until X-Force finds out that someone resembling Sunspot has attacked and kidnapped their friend Skids
Skids (comics)
Skids is a Marvel Comics mutant. Created by writer Louise Simonson and artist Jackson Guice, she first appeared in X-Factor vol. 1 #7 .-Morlocks:...
. Upon investigation it is discovered that Reignfire is alive and separate from Sunspot and thus not simply an aspect of his mind.
Reignfire was a protoplasmic cellular construct that had patterned itself after Roberto when it had received a cell sample from him (a plot element introduced by John Francis Moore
John Francis Moore
John Francis Moore lumber merchant, politician. Born: 1816, Wiltshire, England. Died: April 5, 1870, Montreal, Quebec. Buried: Hamilton Cemetery. He was mayor of Hamilton, Ontario in 1857.Married twice: Jane Loughry; Elizabeth Donnelly...
which was different from Nicieza's original intentions). Reignfire was essentially made into an evil clone of Sunspot. Reignfire gained a new ability though, and could now forge a telepathic link with his progenitor, thereby explaining the times that Roberto would switch to a more evil persona. Shortly after this story, Reignfire met his demise.
X-Force Roadtrip
Roberto later joins the rest of X-Force on an extended road trip, separating themselves from Cable. Along the way, they meet several problems, including Roberto's money being tied up in litigation, forcing the team into doing a variety of odd jobs. One included providing protection for a small businessman being hassled by elements of the mob. During this time, Roberto has a short fling with Sam's girlfriend Tabitha SmithTabitha Smith
Tabitha Smith is a fictional character, a comic book superhero in the Marvel Comics universe. Created by Jim Shooter and Al Milgrom, the character first appeared in Secret Wars II #5 . She later appeared as a member of the X-Force and, more recently, as a member of Nextwave...
, a fellow teammate.
Hellfire Club
Later during his X-Force career, Roberto is approached by members of the Hellfire ClubHellfire Club (comics)
The Hellfire Club is a fictional society within the Marvel Comics Universe that often comes into confrontation with the mutant superhero team, the X-Men...
. They tell him that since his father Emmanuel had a seat in the Club so does he, as the seats are inherited. Selene
Selene (comics)
Selene Gallio is a fictional character, a comic book supervillainess from the Marvel Comics universe. She is a mutant, and an enemy of the X-Men often associated with the Hellfire Club's Inner Circle.-Publication history:...
promises Roberto that she will resurrect Juliana if he joins and he agrees. Selene keeps her part of the bargain, but only to a certain extent. She does bring back the spirit of Juliana, but inserts it into the body of a coma
Coma
In medicine, a coma is a state of unconsciousness, lasting more than 6 hours in which a person cannot be awakened, fails to respond normally to painful stimuli, light or sound, lacks a normal sleep-wake cycle and does not initiate voluntary actions. A person in a state of coma is described as...
tose girl. Possibly because he felt obliged to fulfill his promise, Roberto decides to stay, becoming Selene's Black Rook.
With no explanation given, Roberto next surfaces in the title X-Treme X-Men as the head of the Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
branch of X-Corporation
X-Corporation
The X-Corporation is a fictional institution from the X-Men comic book series by Marvel Comics. This organization was created to ensure the protection of mutant rights throughout the world due to the increasing number of mutants....
, along with former New Mutant Magma
Magma (comics)
Magma is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics series New Mutants, also associated with various X-Men-related comics. She was created by author Chris Claremont and artist Bob McLeod, and debuted in New Mutants #8...
and former Hellion Empath
Empath (comics)
Empath , is a fictional mutant in the Marvel Universe.-Publication history:Empath was created by Chris Claremont and Sal Buscema and first appeared in New Mutants #16-17 as a member of Emma Frost's original Hellions.The character subsequently appears in The Uncanny X-Men #193 , Firestar #2-4...
. Roberto's ties to the Hellfire Club are not however severed, as Sebastian Shaw
Sebastian Shaw (comics)
Sebastian Hiram Shaw is a fictional comic book supervillain in the Marvel Comics universe, and an adversary of the X-Men.A mutant, Shaw possesses the ability to absorb energy and transform it into raw strength...
approaches, having taken over the position of Hellfire Club's Lord Imperial and wanting Roberto as his Black King. Shaw claims that he is trying to turn the Club into a force of good, so Roberto accepts, though he keeps his involvement with Shaw a secret.
Soon after, Shaw is injured in battle by Donald Pierce
Donald Pierce
Donald Pierce is a comic book supervillain in the Marvel Comics universe. The character first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #132. He was created by Chris Claremont and John Byrne. Donald Pierce is a cyborg.-Fictional character biography:...
. His injuries make him incapable of overseeing the Hellfire Club. Roberto takes over as Lord Imperial. At his side is Sage
Sage (comics)
Sage, also known as Tessa, is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics universe. She has most often been associated with the X-Men and the Hellfire Club, whom she spied upon for Professor Charles Xavier....
who leaves the X-Men to make sure Roberto is not corrupted by the power he wields. After the events of 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...
, 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...
calls for the shutting down of all branches of the X-Corporation to better pool the resources of the X-Men. In Endangered Species
X-Men: Endangered Species
"Endangered Species" is a 2007 comic book storyline published by Marvel Comics. Starring the X-Men, it ran from June to October 2007. It begins with the Endangered Species one-shot written by Mike Carey and drawn by Scot Eaton....
, Sebastian Shaw seems to be thinking of reclaiming his place and to be quite mad at Sunspot.
Secret Invasion
Sunspot is among the several X-Men helping to fight off Skrulls during their invasion of San Francisco.Young X-Men
Sunspot, who remains Lord Imperial of the Hellfire Club, is revealed by Cyclops to belong to the newest incarnation of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants along with Danielle MoonstarDanielle Moonstar
Danielle "Dani" Moonstar, originally codenamed Psyche and later Mirage, is a fictional Marvel Comics superheroine associated with the X-Men....
, Cannonball, and Magma. However, while battling members of Cyclops' new team of X-Men
Young X-Men
Young X-Men was a comic book series published by Marvel Comics. It lasted for 12 issues, from April 2008 through March 2009. The series was written by Marc Guggenheim.-Final Genesis :...
alongside Cannonball, there is much confusion after Rockslide
Rockslide (comics)
Rockslide is a fictional character, a mutant superhero and member of the X-Men in the . He is a student in the Xavier Institute and a member of the former Hellions squad therein. After M-Day, he was one of only 27 students to retain his powers. He is best friends with Julian Keller and is...
makes reference to the two mutants' membership in the Brotherhood. During the course of the battle, Sunspot is seriously wounded by Wolf Cub
Wolf Cub (comics)
Wolf Cub is a fictional character appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. A mutant, Wolf Cub is an Xavier Institute student and X-Men trainee.-Early life:...
, who slashes Roberto's face and stomach with his claws. It is eventually revealed that "Cyclops" is in reality Donald Pierce
Donald Pierce
Donald Pierce is a comic book supervillain in the Marvel Comics universe. The character first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #132. He was created by Chris Claremont and John Byrne. Donald Pierce is a cyborg.-Fictional character biography:...
, the former White King of the Hellfire Club, who is posing as the X-Men leader using an image inducer. Pierce's reasons for recruiting these "X-Men" is currently unknown, but it appears that his primary focus is to eliminate the Lord Imperial and utilized the ruse that Sunspot and his allies formed a new Brotherhood in order to convince the former Xavier students
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...
to attack their former teachers and allies.
Later on, Sunspot leaves the Hellfire Club and joins the X-Men in San Francisco as noted by Sebastian Shaw who is currently looking for a replacement. Cyclops later asks Sunspot and Danielle Moonstar to help train the Young X-Men
Young X-Men
Young X-Men was a comic book series published by Marvel Comics. It lasted for 12 issues, from April 2008 through March 2009. The series was written by Marc Guggenheim.-Final Genesis :...
and both accepted.
Reforming the New Mutants
After receiving an anonymous tip in Colorado about a young mutant endangering a small town, Dani and Shan are sent to investigate and calm the locals. During their mission, Magik reappears back at the X-Men's base in San Francisco after teleporting off into the future after the events of "X-Infernus". Upon her return she informs Sam and Roberto that Shan and Dani are in trouble and it will result in their deaths. Sam assembles a team consisting of himself, Sunspot, Magma, and Magik to go find them. While searching for them, Sam and Roberto come across a tied up and comatose Shan in the back of a bar, while Magik and Magma are tricked into freeing LegionLegion (Marvel Comics)
Legion is a Marvel Comics character, created by writer Chris Claremont and artist Bill Sienkiewicz.David is the mutant son of Charles Xavier and Israeli Holocaust survivor Gabrielle Haller...
from a box, who apparently has Shan's personality imprisoned inside of him. Roberto and Sam approach Karma's body but when Roberto gets too close he almost gets pulled into Legion's mind. After they leave the bar, they find they're surrounded by police; Roberto and Sam fly away to the jail to find Dani.
When they arrive, Legion is trying to kill Dani. After Roberto and Sam repel him, Legion comes back and Sunspot fights him. Cannonball soon joins him and they fend him off and regroup. During the fight, Legion takes on Magma, Cannonball, and Roberto, who gets seriously injured when Legion slashes him with a shard of metal.
Utopia
Sunspot meets with HellionHellion
Hellion is a fictional character, a mutant appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. He was a member of the student body of the Xavier Institute before its closing and is a member of the X-Men's training squad. He first appeared in New Mutants, vol. 2 #2.-New Mutants, vol...
, Lorelei Travis, Match
Match (Marvel Comics)
Match is a fictional character appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. A mutant, Hammil attended the Xavier Institute before its closing. While at the Institute, Hammil was the field leader of the Paragons training squad....
, Meld
Meld (comics)
Meld is a fictional mutant character in the Marvel Comics Universe. Meld's first appearance was in Sentinel Squad O*N*E #1, created by John Layman and Aaron Lopresti.-Fictional character biography:...
, Adam X
Adam X the X-Treme
Adam Neramani, also known as Adam-X, X-Treme or Adam-X the X-Treme, is a fictional character from the Marvel Comics universe.-Fictional character biography:...
, and Avalanche
Avalanche (comics)
Avalanche is a Marvel Comics supervillain and an enemy of the X-Men. Created by writer Chris Claremont and artist/co-writer John Byrne, he first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #141 ....
. They plan and start a riot together. Sunspot and his companions are later defeated by Emma Frost and her team of Dark X-Men
Dark X-Men
The Dark X-Men are a Marvel Comics comic-book team. They made their debut during the crossover between Dark Avengers and Uncanny X-Men written by Matt Fraction, as part of the broader Dark Reign storyline. Each member but Namor has been handpicked by then–H.A.M.M.E.R...
. Sunspot and the others are taken into custody by the Dark X-Men but are rescued by X-Force and Magik.
In the aftermath of Utopia, Roberto is seen along with Magma, Cannonball, Rogue
Rogue (comics)
Rogue was first slated to appear in Ms. Marvel #25 , but the book's abrupt cancellation left her original introduction story unpublished for over a decade, before seeing print in Marvel Super Heroes #11 in 1992. Rogue's first published appearance was in Avengers Annual #10...
, Danger
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:...
, and the X-Club looking over Legion, who are all trying to rid him of his other personalities. During the session, he constantly hits on Rogue who pays no attention to him.
Powers and abilities
Sunspot is a mutantMutant (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...
whose cells have the ability to absorb solar energy and convert it for use as physical strength. At will, he is able to take on a superhuman "powered up" form that is entirely nonreflective black
Black
Black is the color of objects that do not emit or reflect light in any part of the visible spectrum; they absorb all such frequencies of light...
, save for his eye
Human eye
The human eye is an organ which reacts to light for several purposes. As a conscious sense organ, the eye allows vision. Rod and cone cells in the retina allow conscious light perception and vision including color differentiation and the perception of depth...
s which turn a solid bright white. Though the color black optimizes solar absorption, he absorbs solar power at all times, not only when he is in his "powered up" form – indeed, if he has not absorbed sufficient amounts of solar energy in normal form, he will be too weak to "power up". Likewise, when not in direct sunlight, Sunspot can exhaust his superhuman strength by using up the stores of energy within his body. When in his solar form, Sunspot also has a corona
Corona
A corona is a type of plasma "atmosphere" of the Sun or other celestial body, extending millions of kilometers into space, most easily seen during a total solar eclipse, but also observable in a coronagraph...
effect, an aura that has been depicted in multiple ways, though two predominant conventions exist for its portrayal: one is that the air close to him manifests black globes of various sizes, reminiscent of Kirby dots
Kirby dots
Kirby dots are an artistic convention in superhero and science fiction comic books and similar illustrations: a field of black, roughly circular dots that are used to represent negative space around unspecified kinds of energy...
, and the other is a unified field glowing a bright yellow or white. Although Sunspot can absorb energy from stars and reflected solar energy from the moon, the amounts that reach him on Earth are too minuscule to add significantly to his power.
The "solar form" sometimes blackens Sunspot's clothes as well, and sometimes the clothes appear normally colored on top of his blackened skin. Often, Marvel superheroes explain such effects away as sometimes wearing clothing made from unstable molecules
Unstable molecules
Unstable molecules are a piece of fictional technology featured in Marvel Comics. They exist as a configuration of unknown atomic nuclei and electrons that are responsive to certain energized matter around them...
that adapts to superpowers. However, there are many incidents in which Roberto would not have been able to prepare with unstable molecular clothing. However, the consistency should be that Sunspot should blacken whatever clothing he is wearing, besides a suit of unstable molecules, because he is absorbing all the wavelengths of light present around his personage.
Originally, Sunspot's superhuman power was limited solely to superhuman strength and enhanced durability, and then only in his solar form. Unlike many superhumanly strong heroes, Sunspot was unique in that his physical resistance to impact only increased somewhat when he employed his superhuman strength, and he was not bulletproof by any means. The phrase, "Careful Bobby, you're strong, not invulnerable!" or variations was seen many times. In addition, Sunspot's powers have radically changed and grown since the character was introduced; he can now withstand the force of a speeding eighteen-wheeler traveling at speeds of 100 mph.
Significantly, Sunspot maintained his original powerset for roughly the first ten years of his existence, remaining a super strong but vulnerable individual throughout the entire New Mutants series. During the mid-1990s in X-Force his powers began to change, under writer Fabian Nicieza
Fabian Nicieza
Fabian Nicieza is an American comic book writer and editor who is best known for his work on Marvel titles such as X-Men, X-Force, New Warriors, Cable and Deadpool, and Thunderbolts, for all of which he helped create numerous characters.-Early life:The son of Omar and Irma Riguetti Nicieza, Fabian...
. Nicieza had the supervillain Gideon capture Roberto and subject him to experimentation where the limits of Roberto's power absorption were tested by feeding him immense amounts of solar power. Roberto was rescued by X-Force, but the overload had permanently altered his powers in such a way that he was now able to release concussive blasts of solar energy, with a considerable heat and light projection component; this experimentation also made him immune to all types of heat and fire. He can also now absorb other forms of energy, such as heat or light, in a manner similar to photo- or thermokinesis, though they do not power up his abilities. It has been debated that Roberto would have reached these levels of his abilities of his own accord, and that Gideon's experimentation only increased his evolution process.
The fact that the solar blasts were concussive in origin led directly into X-Force #28, where Sunspot thinks of using them as a means of propulsion, and thus fly by blasting in the opposite direction of where he wanted to go – initially leaving a slight trail behind him, but in later years, Roberto would learn to use the propulsion more subtly – to appear to hover in place with no blast wake at all other than his usual "powered up" corona effect.
Sunspot also had the rituals and ideas of the Askani
Askani
The Askani are fictional characters, a fictional organization in the Marvel Universe in the future/alternate timeline designated as Earth-4935, also known as Earth Askani...
inside his head, due to a telepathic contact with Cable. While being strongly influenced by it for a while, the memories seem to have faded.
Significant non-superhuman abilities include business administration, as he owns and runs a multi-billion dollar international conglomerate. He is an Olympic-class athlete as the result of having been trained in combat by the X-Men and later by Cable. He is an expert in many languages (see below) and has an assortment of other more minor talents such as piloting aircraft. He was trained in swordsmanship by the Gladiators, and is also an excellent soccer player.
Age of Apocalypse
Sunspot was in the X-Ternals with JubileeJubilee (comics)
Jubilation "Jubilee" Lee is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics superheroine associated with the X-Men.A mutant, Jubilee had the superhuman power to generate "fireworks" of explosive plasma. A teenage "mall rat," she was the X-Men's youngest member in the early 1990s, often playing sidekick to...
, Strong Guy
Strong Guy
Strong Guy is the alias of Guido Carosella, a fictional character in the Marvel Comics universe. He was created by Chris Claremont and Bill Sienkiewicz in New Mutants volume 1 #29 , and was reinvented as Strong Guy by Peter David and Larry Stroman in X-Factor #71 .-Early life:Born in Rhinebeck,...
, and Gambit
Gambit (comics)
Gambit is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics superhero that has been a member of the X-Men. Created by writer Chris Claremont and artist Jim Lee, the character first appeared briefly in Uncanny X-Men Annual #14 , weeks before a more comprehensive appearance in Uncanny X-Men #266...
. Like Robin Hood
Robin Hood
Robin Hood was a heroic outlaw in English folklore. A highly skilled archer and swordsman, he is known for "robbing from the rich and giving to the poor", assisted by a group of fellow outlaws known as his "Merry Men". Traditionally, Robin Hood and his men are depicted wearing Lincoln green clothes....
, they take money of 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...
and give to the poor. Magneto assigns them to travel to the Shi'ar
Shi'ar
The Shi'ar are a fictional species of aliens in the Marvel Comics universe. The Shi'ar Empire also called the Aerie, is a vast collection of alien species, cultures and worlds situated close to the Skrull and Kree Empires, and alongside them, is one of the three main alien empires...
Galaxy to steal the powerful M'Kraan Crystal
M'Kraan Crystal
In the fictional Marvel Comics Universe, the M'Kraan Crystal is a gigantic crystalline artifact that lies at the nexus of all realities. The Crystal contains a negative galaxy, a source of near limitless power, which pulls and traps all matter inside. The Crystal plays a prominent role in several...
.
Days of Future Now
In this reality, Sunspot is shown as the leader of the Gene NationGene Nation
Gene Nation is a Marvel Comics mutant terrorist organization and enemies of the X-Men. They originated from a group of Morlocks that survived the Mutant Massacre by escaping to another dimension.-First Incarnation:...
.
Mutant X
Sunspot is part of a murderous team of 'Marauders', which consists of JubileeJubilee (comics)
Jubilation "Jubilee" Lee is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics superheroine associated with the X-Men.A mutant, Jubilee had the superhuman power to generate "fireworks" of explosive plasma. A teenage "mall rat," she was the X-Men's youngest member in the early 1990s, often playing sidekick to...
, Wolfsbane
Wolfsbane (comics)
Wolfsbane is a Marvel Comics superheroine, associated with the X-Men.A Scottish mutant, Wolfsbane possesses the ability to transform into a wolf or into a transitional state somewhere between human and wolf...
, 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 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...
.
Ultimate Sunspot
Sunspot, a.k.a. Roberto Da Costa, is an angry vigilante mutant of Brazilian descent. He originally came from Harlem in this continuity. He sees the Ultimate X-MenUltimate X-Men
Ultimate X-Men is a superhero comic book series that was published by Marvel Comics from 2001 to 2009. The series is a modernized re-imagining of Marvel's long-running X-Men comic book franchise as part of its Ultimate Marvel imprint...
as decadent Uncle Tom-like figures and has accused them of living in an ivory tower, considering themselves separate from "second-class muties" like himself. He also harbors a deep hatred for Magneto
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...
and his followers because of the anti-mutant hysteria that followed the destruction of the Brooklyn Bridge at the hands of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants.
Afterward he has joined Emma Frost's Academy of Tomorrow, a school for gifted beings. Initially Roberto is confused as he understands his grades are not impressive. Emma assures him that grades (or even mutant powers) do not always classify a person as 'gifted'.
Roberto is accepted into the school and soon gets into trouble. Fellow student Lorna Dane
Polaris (comics)
Polaris is a fictional comic book character appearing in books published by Marvel Comics, in particular the X-Men family of books. Created by Arnold Drake, Don Heck, Werner Roth and Jim Steranko, Polaris first appeared in The X-Men #49...
is framed and imprisoned for the murder of several dozen people. He is approached by Alex Summers, her boyfriend, and is convinced to help assist in breaking her out. He works with Northstar
Northstar
Northstar is a fictional character, a superhero who appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. He is the twin brother of Aurora. Through his mutation, Northstar gains superhuman powers, which he uses for the betterment of society...
and 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 ....
. Unfortunately the team relies on Roberto's knowledge of New York, which gets them lost as Roberto had rarely been outside of Harlem. While lost, 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...
attack and Roberto is subdued and taken out of the fight. Magneto has him killed in Ultimatum along with the rest of the Academy of Tomorrow except for Havok.
Sunspot is murdered in an attack on the Academy. In Ultimate Requiem
Ultimate Requiem
Ultimate Requiem is a series of comic books published by Marvel Comics. It takes place in the Ultimate Universe following the events of Ultimatum. The X-Men and Fantastic Four stories were published as one shots, while the Spider-Man story was published as a two-issue limited series...
, he is buried on the grounds of the X-Mansion
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...
.
Languages
Sunspot speaks fluent Classical LatinClassical Latin
Classical Latin in simplest terms is the socio-linguistic register of the Latin language regarded by the enfranchised and empowered populations of the late Roman republic and the Roman empire as good Latin. Most writers during this time made use of it...
(as seen in the Nova Roma story arc in New Mutants #8-12), he speaks fluent English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, and he also speaks fluent Chinese
Chinese language
The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
(as seen in X-Force Annual #3, although it is unspecified whether this is the Mandarin or Cantonese variety). Finally, through a mindlink Cable once established with Sunspot to erase his possession by Reignfire, Sunspot became capable of speaking Askani
Askani
The Askani are fictional characters, a fictional organization in the Marvel Universe in the future/alternate timeline designated as Earth-4935, also known as Earth Askani...
(a language spoken in Cable's future timeline). As such, Sunspot confirmedly speaks with proficiency, if not fluency, in at least six languages: Brazilian Portuguese
Brazilian Portuguese
Brazilian Portuguese is a group of Portuguese dialects written and spoken by most of the 190 million inhabitants of Brazil and by a few million Brazilian emigrants, mainly in the United States, United Kingdom, Portugal, Canada, Japan and Paraguay....
, English, Chinese, Classical Latin, Askani, and Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
.
Nomenclature
One of the most common mistakes writers make with Sunspot is the spelling of his last name. It has been spelled in at least four variations: daCosta, DaCosta, da Costa, and Da Costa. Many writers have used several of these four and have failed to be consistent even within their own writing. The most common Brazilian spelling separates the article and noun into separate words and leaves the article uncapitalized as seen in the name of the Brazilian ex-president Lula da SilvaLuiz Inácio Lula da Silva
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva , known popularly as Lula, served as the 35th President of Brazil from 2003 to 2010.A founding member of the Workers' Party , he ran for President three times unsuccessfully, first in the 1989 election. Lula achieved victory in the 2002 election, and was inaugurated as...
. Methods of compounding the article and noun into the same word daCosta and DaCosta are not used in Portuguese. A further complication is that in the realm of American comics (until recently), all letters are capitalized.
Place of birth
The Official Handbook of the Marvel UniverseOfficial Handbook of the Marvel Universe
The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe is an encyclopedic guide which details the fictional universe featured in Marvel Comics publications...
, a guide to Marvel characters published in the mid-eighties, written mostly by Marvel Editor Peter Sanderson, lists Sunspot's place of birth as Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
, Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
. This is consistent with the fact that the da Costa family estate is located in Rio. However, in the late nineties, John Francis Moore
John Francis Moore
John Francis Moore lumber merchant, politician. Born: 1816, Wiltshire, England. Died: April 5, 1870, Montreal, Quebec. Buried: Hamilton Cemetery. He was mayor of Hamilton, Ontario in 1857.Married twice: Jane Loughry; Elizabeth Donnelly...
during his tenure as writer of X-Force
X-Force
X-Force is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero team, one of several spin-offs of the popular X-Men franchise. Conceived by writer/illustrator Rob Liefeld, the team was formed in New Mutants, vol. 1 #100 and soon afterwards was featured in its own series.The group was a new incarnation of the 1980s...
mentioned once that Sunspot was born in São Paulo
São Paulo
São Paulo is the largest city in Brazil, the largest city in the southern hemisphere and South America, and the world's seventh largest city by population. The metropolis is anchor to the São Paulo metropolitan area, ranked as the second-most populous metropolitan area in the Americas and among...
. Sanderson's case is backed by the implications of in-story facts like the family estate's being in Rio. Emmanuel's roots are in Rio and it is known that Roberto went to school in Rio.
Television
- Sunspot appears in several episodes (Growing Pains, Retreat, Mainstream, and Blind Alley) of 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...
voiced by Mike Coleman. In the series, he is a member of a "junior team" of X-Men, roughly equating to the New MutantsNew MutantsThe 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....
. Born in BrazilBrazilBrazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, he moved to the Institute, together with the other recruits, at Xavier's request. This version of Sunspot is something of a showoff, and sometimes got into fights with his fellow teammates, especially BerzerkerBerzerker (comics)Berzerker is a fictional character, a mutant from the Marvel Comics Universe. His first and last appearance was in X-Factor #11...
. In the season 2 episode "Retreat" it is implied that Roberto has an interest in Wolfsbane although future episodes never expanded on it. In this version Roberto is a seventeen-year-old boy.
Film
- In the film X2X2 (film)X2 is a 2003 superhero film based on the fictional characters the X-Men. Directed by Bryan Singer, it is the second film in the X-Men film series...
, his name appears on a list of names MystiqueMystique (comics)Mystique is a fictional character associated with the Marvel Comics' franchise X-Men. Originally created by artist David Cockrum and writer Chris Claremont, she first appeared in Ms...
scrolls through on Stryker's computer while looking for Magneto's file.
External links
- Sunspot at Marvel.com