Hannah Connover

Origin

Hannah Connover is the wife of Reverend William Connover and a very religious woman. She and William had a traveling show where he preached the teachings of the Bible and God. Her husband became a well known spokesman for the cause of human and mutant equality. This caused them great controversy, but also a lot of support, particularly by mutants whom where happy with them. Although the two had it good together, Hannah suffered from arthritis. This however did not stop them from keeping up with their traveling religious group.

Creation

Hannah Conover was created by Chris Claremont and Marc Silvestri and first appeared in a cameo on a billboard poster in 1988's Uncanny X-Men issue 232 before appearing fully in Uncanny X- Men Issue 233.

Major Story Arcs

Meeting the X-Men

When a woman paramedic named Josey Thomas, whom was actually an alien Brood, offered to cure Hannah from her arthritis, she went along. She was however attacked by Josey and implanted with a Brood Queen egg. The Brood mind took over for some time and she started performing acts of healing in William's traveling religious tent show. She actually did not cure people, but infected them with Brood eggs, curing them of their ailments but turning into Brood subservient to her. Eventually, the X-Men found out about the Brood on earth and attacked them near Hannah and William's traveling show. A large battle ensued. The X-Men managed to kill of most of the Brood disciples, but Hannah and her husband where left untouched, as was Josey Thomas.

Day of Wrath

Not much was heard from Hannah again until some years later. Hannah had somehow managed to get her human side back in control, and suppressed her Brood thoughts and urges. She however began to experience nightmares, coming from the Brood Empress that was very displeased about Hannah and her resistance to the Brood. When X-Woman Jean Grey was near Hannah during a vacation, she shared a nightmare with Hannah and alerted Professor Xavier to send the X-Men. Jean had however found out that Hannah was in control of her human side. The X-Men had a particular interest in saving her and her Broodling family because her husband, Pastor William Connover was a mutants-rights activist.

Meanwhile the Brood Empress sent the Firstborn, her personal Brood assassins, to kill Hannah.

While William wanted his wife close by, she ignored his pleas and she went into the big city, where she was attacked by the Brood's Firstborn. The X-Men arrived in time to save Hannah, but Wolverine was convincing his teammates to kill her, while Bishop postulated that she could change the Brood race's ways since there were friendlier Brood in his time. The X-Men continue to defend Hannah from the Firstborn assassins' onslaught. Hannah, suicidal, escaped the X-Men's watch and a battle ensued between the Firstborn assassins and her own Brood offspring. The X-Men arrived too late and Hannah's Brood were killed while Cannonball flew Hannah to safety while the team fought off the Firstborn.

Meanwhile Hannah's husband, William, was captured by the Firstborn to be used as bait. Hannah sensed this and turns into a full Brood Queen in order to save her husband. After a brief fight, Hannah reverts back to her human self, horrified at what she had become. William tells her she would be forgiven in the eyes of the Lord, and the Firstborn walk up to Hannah and her husband, preparing to kill them both.

The X-Men however returned in time to save her once more and theorized that if Iceman froze Hannah, the Brood would believe her dead, since there would be no brain activity and the Brood shared a telepathic link with Hannah. Iceman freezes Hannah in a block of ice, causing the remaining Firstborn to think her dead and they commit suicide, thinking their goal has been achieved. The X-Men take Hannah, still in stasis, back to their mansion to find a cure for her, while her husband prays for her and the X-Men. Xavier says he will send her to Muir Island for treatment.

Nothing has been heard of Hannah since.