Fatale (comics)

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caption="Fatale" by Jeff Matsude
comic_color=background:#ff8080
character_name=Fatale
real_name=Unknown
species=Human Mutant
publisher=Marvel Comics
debut="Uncanny X-Men" #299 (as Pamela Greenwood) (April, 1993)
"X-Factor" #112 (as Fatale) (July, 1995)
creators=Scott Lobdell and Brandon Peterson (Pamela Greenwood)
John Francis Moore and Jeff Matsuda (Fatale)
alliance_color=background:#c0c0ff
status=Depowered
alliances=X-Cell
previous_alliances=Dark Beast
Dark Descendants
Brotherhood
aliases=Pamela Greenwood
Amy Johnson
relatives=
powers=Depowered, formerly:
Teleportation,
Shape changing,
Invisibility|

Fatale is a fictional character who first appears in the Marvel Comics universe. She is an assassin, usually working for Dark Beast. She first appeared in "X-Factor" vol. 1 #112, but in "X-Men" vol. 2 #49 it was revealed that Pamela Greenwood, a waitress who had appeared two years before in "Uncanny X-Men" #299, was in fact Fatale in disguise.

Fictional character biography

Little is known about Fatale's youth. She was one of Europe's finest assassins but how she came to be Dark Beast's most trusted servant is unknown. When Dark Beast became interested in the X-Man Bishop, he placed Fatale undercover as a waitress named Amy Johnson in Harry's Hideaway, a bar the X-Men often visited to gather information for him.

Later, she somehow scanned Bishop's mind to find his ideal woman and changed her appearance to match this image. She took the name "Pamela Greenwood", but she failed to get any closer to Bishop. Bishop noticed something familiar about Pamela, but never pursued his interest in her.

After his visit to the Age of Apocalypse, Bishop began having nightmares. He felt that Pamela Greenwood was somehow connected and went to her apartment to question her. Pamela revealed herself as Fatale and fought Bishop, but Dark Beast, monitoring the fight, called her off when Beast entered the fight. Seeing a new opportunity to infiltrate the X-Men, Dark Beast kidnapped Beast and took his place.

Several months later, Havok was losing control of his powers. Both Dark Beast and Sugarman ordered their respective agents Fatale and Scarlett McKenzie ( a former lover of Havok who was believed to have died) to kidnap Havok so that they could brainwash him. Scarlett was able to trick a dazed and confused Havok into coming with her as far as Tokyo, Japan, en route to Genosha, but they were intercepted by Fatale, who hired the Tatsu clan's ninjas for their help in her mission. Havok was rescued by longtime X-ally Yukio, and was reclaimed by X-Factor who had followed the parties involved to Japan, driving off Fatale and Scarlett after a massive battle royale.

Fatale later helped Dark Beast mask Havok's abduction by Random, by penning a letter to Polaris which they made appear to be a letter from Havok who had supposedly taken an extended leave of absence from the time and their relationship to try and cope with his problems on his own.

When Onslaught attacked the X-Men, Dark Beast revealed himself and offered his services to Onslaught. Dark Beast, Random, Fatale and a brainwashed Havok formed the Dark Descendants and fought X-Factor, but were defeated. Havok and Random escaped, but Dark Beast and Fatale were sent to prison.

Havok decided that Dark Beast's experiments might still be going on and he allied himself with the telepath/teleporter Ever and formed a new incarnation of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, simply called The Brotherhood. Havok freed Fatale and Dark Beast from prison, telling them that he chose Fatale over Ever and that he wanted both of them to join his Brotherhood. Both agreed, but Havok disbanded the group several weeks later when he discovered Dark Beast's hidden lab. Fatale sided with Dark Beast, but was defeated by Havok.

Fatale was de-powered during M-Day as confirmed in New Avengers #18. She recently resurfaced in "X-Factor" alongside fellow former mutant Blob as part of the terrorist group X-Cell. After Blob attempted to steal food from Multiple Man and Rictor, resulting in a fight between Rictor and Blob, she was forced to step in and attack Multiple Man, recognizing him only after the blow created a duplicate. It was Fatale's misfortune that the dupe had no moral or physical difficulty with breaking her right arm. She stabbed the dupe with a concealed poisoned blade using her left arm, then ran. Meanwhile, the Blob had stolen a convertible for their escape. They passed Monet and Siryn, who came after them. Fatale was aiming a gun at the super heroines when the car ran over a carelessly-replaced manhole cover. The cover flipped, car lost the wheel that fell into the manhole, and then it turned over. Fatale was thrown free and landed on her left elbow. This was all set up by X-Factor Investigations' Layla Miller, who had ordered the sandwiches, sent Rictor and Multiple Man to the deli and sent Strong Guy and Wolfsbane to that particular manhole with instructions to enter it (which neither could, so Strong Guy put the manhole cover back and they left), and sent Monet and Siryn to wait at that street corner.

She was later repowered by Quicksilver but when she started to heat up from the effects of the Terrigen Mist, Abyss flung her and Reaper into the Brimstone Dimension and then followed them. What happened to them after that is unknown.

Alternate versions

As revealed in an interview by writer John Francis Moore, in the Age of Apocalypse, Fatale was the mutant known as Artemis, a Morlock that lived underground with other outcast mutants before Apocalypse's war. A rebel with the power of camouflage, she was approached by Sinister to join his ranking officials, however she rejected Sinister's offer. For this rejection, Sinister imprisoned Artemis in the Breeding Pens where she later tried to escape with other mutants who had refused to become followers of Apocalypse. Artemis was followed by Prelate Scott Summers (Cyclops) and vowed to fight him to her death rather than die on her knees. When Cyclops cornered her, she pulled a knife on him and took him by surprise. If it had not been for Alex Summers, she would have undoubtedly killed Cyclops. Artemis was last seen in Beast lab who added her to a vat of genetic material to produce more Infinites.

Powers and abilities

Fatale had several superhuman powers: she could bend light around her, altering her appearance and even turn invisible this way. She was also a powerful teleporter, capable of teleporting large objects or groups of people across the world. She lost these powers following M-Day, but even without her powers Fatale remains a threat; Fatale is a skilled martial artist and often uses a poisonous blade or advanced firearms. Yukio identified Fatale's fighting style as "Ghost Tiger Style". Fatale is also a skilled forger.

Bibliography

*"X-Factor" vol. 1 #112-118, 124, 131, 133, 137, 143-144
*"X-Men" vol. 2 #48-49
*"Elektra" vol. 1 #5
*"X-Men Unlimited" #10
*"X-Man" #27-29
*"Uncanny X-Men Annual 1997"
*"X-Factor" vol. 3 #18-19