Portrayed in Logan by Stephan Merchant
- Name: Unknown
- Code Names: Caliban
- First Appearance: Uncanny X-Men #148 (Aug ’81)
- Powers: Can sense other mutants, forces others to feel fear
- Teams Affiliation: Morlocks, X-Factor, X-Force
About
If there was one thing Chris Claremont loved, it was dropping references as often as he could. Legion was inspired by a passage in the New Testament’s book of Mark. The Brood were pretty clearly inspired by the Xenomorphs from Alien. Pretty much everything about the Morlocks was lifted from H.G. Wells The Time Machine. This isn’t a bad thing as long as a writer avoids being cute about it (looking at you, Romeo from All-New X-Men) and can do a lot of the leg work to establish the basics of a character. When Claremont wanted a sympathetic antagonist who was shunned by the outside world due to his deformity he looked to Shakespeare for some help and found himself Caliban.
Portrayed in X-Men: Apocalypse by Tómas Lemarquis
Caliban’s life before the Morlocks didn’t matter. He bulging eyes and pale, gaunt skin alienated him from the normal humans. He met with Callisto, a mutant with a plan for the outsiders like Caliban and together they formed an underground society of mutants. Even here, surrounded by the wretched and forgotten members of an already marginalized society, Caliban felt alone. His mutant powers allowed him to find others of his race but he struggled to find anyone who would accept him. That changed when he sensed a young mutant girl calling herself Sprite. He tried to bring her to the Morlocks but she already had a community, and frankly did not want to live in the sewer. Her friends Dazzler, Storm, and Spider-Woman came to her rescue and knocked some sense into him. Caliban admitted that he didn’t want to hurt anyone, he just wanted some friendship. The congregated mutants took pity on poor Caliban and let him return to the tunnels.
Art by Dave Cockrun, Josef Rubinstein, and Glynis Wein
Weeks later, Callisto wanted to prove her power by controlling the most beautiful mutant in the world and sent Morlocks to capture Angel. The X-Men fought their way into the sewers and Caliban’s beloved Kitty Pryde was infected by the Morlock known as Plague. He whisked Sprite away and tried nursing her back to health, however, Caliban wasn’t great at healing and would need the Morlock Healer to help him. That meant asking Callisto. He feared to defy Callisto by openly helping the X-Men but made a pact with Kitty, he would help her if she stayed with him. When she didn’t hold up her end of the bargaing, the Morlocks captured Kitty and forced her to marry Caliban. As they tend to do, the X-Men intervened and rescued her from Caliban, but in a twist, she went back to him. Caliban was touched the Kitty would abandon her friend to keep her word. He understood that it was wrong to force her into a marriage. He told her he would be there for her if she ever felt any romantic love for him and left her with a rose.
Art by John Romita Jr, Dan Green, and Glynis Wein
Soon, Caliban’s world was turned upside down when the Marauders, led by Sabertooth, attacked the Morlocks. Caliban was an early target but was saved thanks to quick thinking from the best friends in the X-Men universe, Artie and Leech. The trio was found by X-Factor who took them and the few remaining Morlocks to their base and Caliban began to trust these surface dwellers. When Angel appeared to have died, Caliban began joining the team on their mutant saving missions. Caliban felt worthless on these adventures. His powers were passive and useless in a fight. He wanted the power to protect his friends and avenge the mutants that they had lost. Apocalypse offered this power to him and the feeble Caliban was transformed into his new Horseman of Death.
Art by Walter Simonson, Bob Wiacek, and Petra Scotese
Caliban loyally served lord Apocalypse and all the while planned his revenge on Sabertooth for his role in the Morlock massacre. Eventually, his moment came and Caliban broke Sabertooth’s spine thanks to the strength granted him by Apocalypse. He captured Cyclops and Jean Grey for Apocalypse during the X-Cutioner’s Song but was aimless when Apocalypse was defeated at the end of the event.
Art by Ian Churchill, Hillary Barta, and Dana Moreshead
He was found by X-Force leader Cable who offered Caliban a spot on the team. There he found a group of rebels and misfits he finally belonged with, becoming very close with Warpath. He struggled to balance his new heroic persona with the powers he received from Apocalypse and was unable to fully overcome it. His scion Ozymandias captured Caliban and returned him to Apocalypse who dosed him with another round of brain-washing. He became the Hoseman Pestilence and tracked the mutants Apocalypse needed to gather his Twelve. After that whole debacle, the unholy fusion of Cyclops and Apocalypse took pity on Caliban and released him from the mental manipulation he had so long lived under.
Art by Bernard Chang, John Holdrege, and Gloria Vasquez
Caliban was one of the few mutants to retain their abilities after the Decimation and joined the gathered refugees on the grounds of the Xavier Institue. He became disgruntled with his life in the camps and enlisted former X-Force teammates Shatterstar and Domino in escaping from the government guarded grounds. The caravan of mutants found an abandoned bunker in Nevada to call home filled with WMD’s. O*N*E director General Lazer desired to detonate the WMD’s and eliminate the mutant pest. Caliban, alongside the X-Men, was able to save the mutants but Caliban was unwilling to return to the camps. He returned at long last to the Morlock sewers but found it very different. A cult of religious extremists had taken over and their leader, Masque, used his body shaping powers to remove Caliban’s enhancements leaving him weak and feeble.
Art by Yanick Paquette, Serge LaPointe, and Stephane Peru
Caliban was found by his old friend Warpath and assisted the X-Men in taking down the Morlock extremists. It felt good to be a hero again, and better to be doing it while surrounded by friends. James and Caliban’s bond grew closer with their shared experience on reservations. When Cyclops created the new incarnation of X-Force to find the first mutant child born since M-Day, Caliban got to serve next to his friend. They tracked the child to and battled the Reavers to retain control of it. One of the soldiers took aim at Warpath, but Caliban wasn’t going to watch any more friends die. He jumped in front of the bullets and bled out in the snow. Warpath was so moved by Caliban’s sacrifice that he buried him in an Apache cemetery. A fitting end for a true warrior.
Art by Humberto Ramon, Carlos Cuevas, and Edgar Delgado
Must Read
Caliban has often been relegated to a supporting role and frequently a villainous one. He is a character with a lot of personality, but one who gets little love overall. Still, Uncanny X-Men #179 is a great issue in the middle of Claremont’s golden age that builds a ton of sympathy for Caliban. You understand that his is more misguided and manipulated than maleficent. Claremont makes you really believe that he cares about Kitty and Cockrum sells it in the art. It is the type of story I think about when I think Claremont’s X-Men.
Art by Dave Cockrum
Ranking
I like Caliban but I am gonna level with you here, I haven’t really missed him since his death. He is a perfectly fine character in a world of fantastic ones who better fill the supporting role he otherwise would. He isn’t as interesting a Morlock as Callisto and he doesn’t have as much potential as Armor. Omega Red has a better design for a heavy but I think he garners more sympathy than someone like Skids. For that, Caliban ranks as the new number 38 in the Xavier Files.
Caliban was requested by /u/asianwaste. Thank you for the request! If you have a request just submit it at the bottom of this article and I will add it to the list that currently stretches well into 2018! If you want to cut to the front of the line, we have a Patreon if you want to support it and get a line cutting reward for just a $1 pledge. We just hit our 2nd goal and now I guess I am reviewing X-Books so that will be coming soon. Oh and we also have exclusive physical items so check those out!
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Zachary Jenkins co-hosts the podcast Battle of the Atom and is the former editor-in-chief of ComicsXF. Shocking everyone, he has a full and vibrant life outside all this.
