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    Michael Pointer

    Character » Michael Pointer appears in 206 issues.

    Michael Pointer is a mutant with the power to absorb other superhuman energies and powers. He was unaware of being a mutant until all the lost powers from M-Day selected him as a host. In this state he accidentally murdered Alpha Flight. He has been trying to make amends since but has almost constantly been manipulated by others.

    Short summary describing this character.

    Michael Pointer last edited by SlamAdams on 09/02/22 03:44PM View full history

    Origin

    Michael first absorbs the Collective
    Michael first absorbs the Collective

    Michael Pointer was an Alaskan postal worker whose latent mutant power to absorb energies drew the "collective," the displaced energies that the maddened Scarlet Witch had stripped from Earth's mutants, to him. Unable to control the massive influx of mutant powers, Pointer went on a rampage from Alaska, through Canada, where he was confronted by Alpha Flight. Murdering the Canadian team, Pointer was then drawn to Cleveland, where he now faced the Avengers. With Sentry's help, they were able to chase Pointer into space, but they were unable to keep him there. He returned to Earth and went directly to Genosha, where Xorn's mind from the energy inside of him sought out Magneto as a more suitable host.

    Luckily, The Collective was removed from Magneto and trapped within an energy field by Iron Man, who then had it flung into the sun by Sentry, but Pointer retained some of the energy and was taken into SHIELD custody for further tests and training.

    Creation

    Michael Pointer was created by Brian Michael Bendis and Steve McNiven and first appeared in The New Avengers #16.

    Major Story Arcs

    Weapon Omega

    Involuntary Initiative Participant
    Involuntary Initiative Participant

    Following the Civil War, superhuman Americans were fleeing to Canada, creating a new border crisis and Canada without a super team to take care of it since the death of Alpha Flight. So, the Canadian government struck up a deal with SHIELD, now led by Tony Stark, for a co-op group named, Omega Flight. The Initiative lent them US Agent, Spider-Woman, and Pointer as a new Guardian. He had a new costume created by Mr. Fantastic to help regulate the energies he absorbed

    Unfortunately, while active as with Omega Flight, his power levels would dip and spike wildly making him an inconsistent field agent. Dr. Benning was counseling him, hoping to alleviate him of the guilt and stressors that may have been psychosomatically causing his powers to be unstable. Meanwhile, she was secretly trying to enhance his powers with the Guardian suit. Benning was using the suit to filter in mutant energy from the registration fugitives they were rounding up (and occasionally drugging him with MGH).

    Not only was he absorbing their powers, but he was also absorbing their memories, causing him to occasionally dissociate from his own identity. After outing her and getting the support from his team, Pointer, who had been trying to make amends for his actions as The Collective, finally makes amends his way by returning to his Alaskan home town and using his powers to help rebuild.

    Dark X-Men

    Dark X-Men
    Dark X-Men

    After the failed Skrull Invasion, Norman Osborn was named head of SHIELD (which he rebranded as HAMMER) and the Avengers. He made a deal with Emma Frost to not police the decimated mutants, who found refuge on Utopia, however, he still put together his own Dark X-Men as a contingency. Osborn recruits Pointer by offering to fix the vampiric element of his powers, but when Pointer refuses, Osborne has airborne MGH released, turning everyone in his immediate vicinity into a mutant, putting Pointer and his neighbors at risk of being victimized by his powers. Thus, Pointer accepted the invitation in exchange for a speedy evacuation.

    Together, they investigated an incident of seemingly mass hysteria where dozens of sleepwalkers would huddle together and mindlessly repeat “I’m an X-Man.” Osborn was worried about it ruining their brand. Pointer and Mimic were sent into the field to test their powers to prove whether the sleepwalkers were mutants or not. They originally got no response, but then suddenly Michael was overwhelmed with power and had to fly into the sky before he exploded among civilians. This was caused by omega level Nate Grey trying to put himself back together.

    Nate was a being made of psychic energy, spending most of his time in the mindscape. After he possessed Osborn’s body, Pointer and his team had to connect with HAMMER’s Psy-Division and astral project to the mindscape to free Osborn and fight Nate. Instead of finding either of them, they find the Green Goblin deep within Osborn’s subconscious. Goblin attacked them, combining Pointer and Mimic’s powers so that he could use them as cudgel against Nate, as it was in his best interest that Nate was evicted.

    With Nate defeated, manifested corporeally, and imprisoned by HAMMER, he warned each of the Dark X-Men of what he could have done for them. For Pointer, that would have been explaining to him why he is the most important mutant alive.

    Mutant Time Bomb

    Pointer destabilized
    Pointer destabilized

    Months later, Mimic returned to the real X-Men with Pointer in tow, the two having developed a close friendship. Pointer's addiction to absorbing energies had taken it's toll, and he had absorbed so much that he was close to critical mass. With the hopes that the X-Men could help him and his addiction, Rogue and Mimic attempted to absorb Pointer's excess energy which was too much for them and threatened all three of them. Pointer realized the only way to no longer be a threat to everyone around him was if his brain was shut down and he was unable to absorb energy. As Pointer's best (and only) friend, Mimic was tasked with using Rachel Grey's psychic powers to place Pointer into a coma while Beast and the X-Men promised to try and cure Pointer's problem.

    After he recovered, he and Mimic went out into the country to help anywhere they were needed. Eventually, they were tracked down by ForgetMeNot, whose mutant power is to be forgotten as soon as someone looks away from him. He was hoping that Pointer and Mimic would together be able to remove his power. Instead, he just let them borrow it when Cyclops and his rebel X-Men (the former Phoenix Five) show up. Forgotten by the X-Men, Pointer and Mimic were finally able to get off the grid and just help normal people.

    Powers and Abilities

    Power Suit
    Power Suit

    X-Gene Mutation: Pointer absorbs the energies of other mutants and superhumans. He stores these energies indefinitely, although he constantly needs more energy to keep himself alive.

    • Power Mimicry: Usually, he uses the pure power to grant him superhuman strength and durability, flight, and energy projection, however, if he absorbs enough energy from a single source, he will be able to mimic their ability.
    • Memory Absorption: If he absorbs enough energy from a single source, he will start to recall some of their memories. This can cause him to disassociate from his own identity

    Power Suit: Pointer is in possession of a power suit that helps regulate the amount of energy that he absorbs and channels, however, it has been abused by government handlers to destabilize his abilities.

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