Zero (comics)
Encyclopedia
Zero is a fiction
al android in the Marvel Comics
Universe. It first appeared in New Mutants
as a member of the Mutant Liberation Front
and was killed in Excalibur
#80.
as a prototype for the Ambient-energy Damping Automated peacekeeping Mechanisms (ADAMs). Only one other ADAM has appeared in comics: Eleven, who worked for the Askani Clan Chosen. Zero was damaged and found by the mutant Stryfe
, who opposed both the Askani and their enemies, the Neo-Canaanites. Stryfe reactivated Zero, but didn't repair its speech-functions, leaving Zero mute. Zero would function as Stryfe's most trusted ally, bodyguard and, due to its ability to teleport
, transportation as Stryfe's "displacement unit." Its programming ensured complete obedience to Stryfe. When Stryfe's armies were defeated by the Neo-Canaanites, Stryfe and Zero fled, traveling back in time to the late 20th century.
In the 20th century, Stryfe gathered several young mutants
like himself, who were displeased with the way mutants were treated and formed the terrorist organization, the Mutant Liberation Front
. Stryfe's technology and Zero's teleportation made the MLF one of the most dangerous organizations in existence, and they were opposed by Cable
and the New Mutants (later known as X-Force
. In the team's first appearance, Zero teleported the Mutant Liberation Front on an arson mission. Zero also teleported the Mutant Liberation Front members to safety after their liberation of Skids
and Rusty Collins
from federal custody. Zero also teleported Stryfe and the Mutant Liberation Front members away from a confrontation with X-Force, and teleported them on their mission to liberate the Nasty Boys from custody. Zero was also shown teleporting Stryfe seven years in the past, and teleported the Mutant Liberation Front members on museum thefts in the present. Zero later brought Cyclops
and Jean Grey
to Stryfe. Stryfe's reason to return to the 20th century was revealed during the crossover, the X-Cutioner's Song
; he wanted to take vengeance on everybody who had hurt him in his life. It was also revealed by Zero accompanied Stryfe in traveling from the 40th Century to the present. During the crossover, most of the MLF was dismantled and captured. Stryfe was defeated on the moon and Zero disappeared and was deactivated.
Zero ended up in the possession of the arms dealer, Tolliver, an alias of Tyler Dayspring
, son of Cable. Zero was reactivated when the mercenaries Deadpool
, Copycat, Garrison Kane
and Slayback were all looking for "the ultimate weapon", which turned out to be Zero. Zero was now capable of speech and following his original programming: peace-keeping. It scanned its surroundings for any object and person who were a threat to peace on Earth and eliminated Slayback. He was about to eliminate Deadpool as well, but Deadpool convinced Zero that he had potential for good as well by saving Copycat's life. Zero agreed and left.
Zero joined Tyler Dayspring for a short while, helping him in finding out the true relationship between Cable and Stryfe, but it left Tyler to go on its own quest: to achieve full sentience and become "alive". It sensed the potential to be alive in the techno-organic being known as Douglock
and gave it independence from the Phalanx
. Zero set out to teach Douglock about his new existence, but Zero was now hunted by killer androids, programmed by Stryfe to destroy Zero in case of his death. Zero and Douglock were assisted by Excalibur and together they tried to deactivate the androids from Stryfe's secret base below The Pentagon
. Here, Zero realized that he had become sentient and also the reason why Stryfe wanted him killed: locked within his databanks, Zero had all the secrets of the Legacy Virus
, Stryfe's final "gift" to the world. This revelation activated Zero's self-destruct sequence and the killer androids in Stryfe's base. Shadowcat managed to remove the self-destruction device, but Zero realized that his sentience was a cruel joke played on him by Stryfe; it was just programmed to think it was alive. Zero sacrificed itself to protect Excalibur, Douglock and a family of innocents from the base's self-destruction, but in its last few moments on Earth, Stryfe showed his cruelty again: Zero was granted full sentience and had become truly alive, but also set off a self-destruct device in the base to kill Zero. As this happened, a recording of Stryfe delivered the taunting message, "Congratulations. You're human. For the next eight seconds." In its last moments on Earth, Zero transferred all of its memories to Douglock.
So while its body is destroyed, the data that made up Zero's mind is still contained within the mind of Douglock (currently known as Warlock). After Zero's destruction, the Mutant Liberation Front reappeared. At one point they had multiple Zero androids working for them, but these probably were copies of the original.
Zero also had the ability to teleport
: it creates teleportational warps between two different points through which it and others could travel, but it could only keep these portals open for a short period of time as Reaper
found out to his regret. Zero cannot teleport to any location it has never been.
#84, the leader of the Mutant Liberation Front
, Ultimate Stryfe, is saved from a Sentinel attack by a young teleporter named Zero. This Zero appears to be a pale-skinned young man or teen with no mouth, but otherwise normal facial features. Whether Zero is a mutant or an artificial being remains to be seen. Zero is used multiple times as a getaway plan for Sryfe; his leader was simply a shill for the company Fenris International. Said company actually controlled the Sentinels.
When Stryfe again used Zero to teleport away from an attacking fleet of Sentinels and encountered the X-Men, Zero fled, teleporting himself away to an unknown location and leaving Stryfe at the mercy of the X-Men
Fiction
Fiction is the form of any narrative or informative work that deals, in part or in whole, with information or events that are not factual, but rather, imaginary—that is, invented by the author. Although fiction describes a major branch of literary work, it may also refer to theatrical,...
al android 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. It first appeared in 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....
as a member of the Mutant Liberation Front
Mutant 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 ....
and was killed in Excalibur
Excalibur (comics)
Excalibur is a Marvel Comics superhero group, an off-shoot of the X-Men, usually based in the United Kingdom. Conceived by writer Chris Claremont and artist/co-writer Alan Davis, the original Excalibur first appeared in Excalibur Special Edition , also known as Excalibur: The Sword is Drawn.The...
#80.
Fictional character biography
Zero was created 2000 years in the future by the AskaniAskani
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...
as a prototype for the Ambient-energy Damping Automated peacekeeping Mechanisms (ADAMs). Only one other ADAM has appeared in comics: Eleven, who worked for the Askani Clan Chosen. Zero was damaged and found by the mutant Stryfe
Stryfe
Stryfe is a fictional character, a supervillain in the . The character was created by Louise Simonson and Rob Liefeld, and first appears in The New Mutants #87...
, who opposed both the Askani and their enemies, the Neo-Canaanites. Stryfe reactivated Zero, but didn't repair its speech-functions, leaving Zero mute. Zero would function as Stryfe's most trusted ally, bodyguard and, due to its ability to teleport
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...
, transportation as Stryfe's "displacement unit." Its programming ensured complete obedience to Stryfe. When Stryfe's armies were defeated by the Neo-Canaanites, Stryfe and Zero fled, traveling back in time to the late 20th century.
In the 20th century, Stryfe gathered several young mutants
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...
like himself, who were displeased with the way mutants were treated and formed the terrorist organization, the Mutant Liberation Front
Mutant 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 ....
. Stryfe's technology and Zero's teleportation made the MLF one of the most dangerous organizations in existence, and they were opposed by 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...
and the New Mutants (later known as 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...
. In the team's first appearance, Zero teleported the Mutant Liberation Front on an arson mission. Zero also teleported the Mutant Liberation Front members to safety after their liberation of 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:...
and Rusty Collins
Rusty Collins
Russell "Rusty" Collins, formerly known as Firefist, is a fictional character, a superhero from Marvel Comics.-Publication history:Created by Bob Layton and Jackson Guice, Rusty Collins first appeared in X-Factor #1 ....
from federal custody. Zero also teleported Stryfe and the Mutant Liberation Front members away from a confrontation with X-Force, and teleported them on their mission to liberate the Nasty Boys from custody. Zero was also shown teleporting Stryfe seven years in the past, and teleported the Mutant Liberation Front members on museum thefts in the present. Zero later brought 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...
to Stryfe. Stryfe's reason to return to the 20th century was revealed during the crossover, the X-Cutioner's Song
X-Cutioner's Song
"X-Cutioner's Song" is a crossover storyline published by Marvel Comics' in twelve parts from the November 1992 to early 1993. It involved the Uncanny X-Men, X-Men , X-Factor, and X-Force....
; he wanted to take vengeance on everybody who had hurt him in his life. It was also revealed by Zero accompanied Stryfe in traveling from the 40th Century to the present. During the crossover, most of the MLF was dismantled and captured. Stryfe was defeated on the moon and Zero disappeared and was deactivated.
Zero ended up in the possession of the arms dealer, Tolliver, an alias of Tyler Dayspring
Genesis (comics)
Genesis is a fictional character in the comic books published by Marvel Comics. He is a mutant and foe of Cable and Wolverine. He first appeared in a flashback in X-Force #1...
, son of Cable. Zero was reactivated when the mercenaries Deadpool
Deadpool (comics)
Deadpool is a fictional character, a mercenary and anti-hero appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by artist Rob Liefeld and writer Fabian Nicieza, Deadpool first appeared in The New Mutants #98 Deadpool (Wade Winston Wilson) is a fictional character, a mercenary and...
, Copycat, Garrison Kane
Garrison Kane
Garrison Kane, also known as Weapon X and Kane, is a fictional character from the Marvel Universe. He was created by Fabian Nicieza and Rob Liefeld, and debuted in X-Force vol. 1 #2 .-Fictional character biography:...
and Slayback were all looking for "the ultimate weapon", which turned out to be Zero. Zero was now capable of speech and following his original programming: peace-keeping. It scanned its surroundings for any object and person who were a threat to peace on Earth and eliminated Slayback. He was about to eliminate Deadpool as well, but Deadpool convinced Zero that he had potential for good as well by saving Copycat's life. Zero agreed and left.
Zero joined Tyler Dayspring for a short while, helping him in finding out the true relationship between Cable and Stryfe, but it left Tyler to go on its own quest: to achieve full sentience and become "alive". It sensed the potential to be alive in the techno-organic being known as Douglock
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:...
and gave it independence from the Phalanx
Phalanx (comics)
The Phalanx are a fictional cybernetic species in the Marvel Comics universe. They have come in conflict with the X-Men and related groups on several occasions. They form a hive mind, linking each member by a telepathy-like system....
. Zero set out to teach Douglock about his new existence, but Zero was now hunted by killer androids, programmed by Stryfe to destroy Zero in case of his death. Zero and Douglock were assisted by Excalibur and together they tried to deactivate the androids from Stryfe's secret base below The Pentagon
The Pentagon
The Pentagon is the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense, located in Arlington County, Virginia. As a symbol of the U.S. military, "the Pentagon" is often used metonymically to refer to the Department of Defense rather than the building itself.Designed by the American architect...
. Here, Zero realized that he had become sentient and also the reason why Stryfe wanted him killed: locked within his databanks, Zero had all the secrets of the Legacy Virus
Legacy Virus
In the fictional Marvel Universe, the Legacy Virus was a devastating plague that ripped through the mutant population, killing hundreds and mutating so that it affected baseline humans as well....
, Stryfe's final "gift" to the world. This revelation activated Zero's self-destruct sequence and the killer androids in Stryfe's base. Shadowcat managed to remove the self-destruction device, but Zero realized that his sentience was a cruel joke played on him by Stryfe; it was just programmed to think it was alive. Zero sacrificed itself to protect Excalibur, Douglock and a family of innocents from the base's self-destruction, but in its last few moments on Earth, Stryfe showed his cruelty again: Zero was granted full sentience and had become truly alive, but also set off a self-destruct device in the base to kill Zero. As this happened, a recording of Stryfe delivered the taunting message, "Congratulations. You're human. For the next eight seconds." In its last moments on Earth, Zero transferred all of its memories to Douglock.
So while its body is destroyed, the data that made up Zero's mind is still contained within the mind of Douglock (currently known as Warlock). After Zero's destruction, the Mutant Liberation Front reappeared. At one point they had multiple Zero androids working for them, but these probably were copies of the original.
Powers and abilities
Zero's primary task was peace-keeping and to do so it was equipped with scanners, capable of determining a person or objects capabilities, purpose and potential. It could then use its ability to damp and project energy to neutralize any threats, turning most advanced weapons useless and killing any potentially dangerous humans.Zero also had the ability to teleport
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...
: it creates teleportational warps between two different points through which it and others could travel, but it could only keep these portals open for a short period of time as Reaper
Reaper (Marvel Comics)
Reaper is the name of several fictional characters in the pages of Marvel Comics, most notably the Reaper whose real name is Pantu Hurageb, a mutant in the X-Force comic book series...
found out to his regret. Zero cannot teleport to any location it has never been.
Ultimate Zero
In 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...
#84, the leader of the Mutant Liberation Front
Mutant 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 ....
, Ultimate Stryfe, is saved from a Sentinel attack by a young teleporter named Zero. This Zero appears to be a pale-skinned young man or teen with no mouth, but otherwise normal facial features. Whether Zero is a mutant or an artificial being remains to be seen. Zero is used multiple times as a getaway plan for Sryfe; his leader was simply a shill for the company Fenris International. Said company actually controlled the Sentinels.
When Stryfe again used Zero to teleport away from an attacking fleet of Sentinels and encountered the X-Men, Zero fled, teleporting himself away to an unknown location and leaving Stryfe at the mercy of the X-Men