Fictional supervillain
Comics character
Cameron Hodge is a fictional supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, usually as an adversary in stories featuring the X-Men. Created by writer Bob Layton and artist Jackson Guice, he first appeared as a supporting character in X-Factor #1 (Feb. 1986),[1]
The original volume of X-Factor was a spinoff of The Uncanny X-Men featuring an eponymnous team composed of the original five members of the X-Men, which was conceived by Hodge, the former college roommate of founding member Warren Worthington, and who served as its public relations agent.[2][3] Later, under writer Louise Simonson, Hodge was revealed to be secretly acting against X-Factor[4] as the leader of the anti-mutant terrorist organization known as the Right. He is decapitated in a confrontation with Worthington,[2][5] but his head is later revealed to have been attached to a large robotic body during the 1990 "X-Tinction Agenda".[2][6][7] The character is later revealed in a 1993 storyline to have merged with the extraterrestrial cybernetic race known as the Phalanx.[2]
The character has been adapted into animated TV series. He is voiced by Stephen Ouimette in X-Men: The Animated Series, and by Keith Ferguson in X-Men: Destiny.
Publication history
X-Factor and The Right
Cameron Hodge first appeared in X-Factor #1 (February– March 1986), and was created by Bob Layton and Jackson Guice. The book was a spinoff of The Uncanny X-Men featuring an eponymnous team composed of the original five members of the X-Men, which was conceived by Hodge, the former college roommate of founding member Warren Worthington III (aka Angel), and who served as its public relations agent.[2][3] Under Hodge's plan, the five mutants would pose as professional mutant hunters under the name X-Factor. They would use this cover to contact and teach young mutants.[8]
Later, under writer Louise Simonson, Hodge was revealed to be secretly acting against X-Factor.[4] The company's advertising campaign actually increased anti-mutant hysteria. In addition, the team suffered a series of major setbacks. After suffering severe injuries during the Mutant Massacre, Angel has his wings amputated, and then seemingly dies in a private jet explosion. Tensions arose between X-Factor members Cyclops and Marvel Girl when Cyclops saw manifestations of the Phoenix around Jean Grey. X-Factor later discovered that Hodge had orchestrated Angel's amputation and plane accident and had created holograms simulating the Phoenix Force.[9] They too discover that Hodge had secretly been the Commander of an anti-mutant terrorist group known as the Right.[10] He had fully intended to exacerbate anti-mutant tensions through his advertising campaign.[2][5][11]
Hodge and The Right had made a pact with the extradimensional demonic entity N'astirh. In exchange for collecting mutant babies the Right needed for a spell to open up a portal from Limbo to Earth, N'astirh promised Hodge immortality and the continued existence of The Right and its work creating conflict between humans and mutants. Earlier, Hodge kidnapped and tortured Candy Southern (Warren's former girlfriend). However, his former friend survived the private plane explosion and was transformed into Archangel by Apocalypse, and invades the Right's headquarters, killing Hodge after Hodge kills Candy.[12]
Hodge's efforts would provide unexpected blows against his enemies. One of his armored employees kills New Mutant member Cypher,[13] and another employee would end up becoming a powerful cyberneticist who, with the assistance of Orphan-Maker, would plague the X-Men multiple times.[14] He is eventually confronted by Worthington, who decapitates Hodge.[2][5]
In 1989 an entry for Cameron Hodge was included in the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Update '89 #3, a reference book that served as an biographical encyclopedia of Marvel Comics' characters.
"X-Tinction Agenda"
During the 1990 crossover storyline "X-Tinction Agenda", Cameron Hodge is revealed to be alive, his severed head having been attached to a large, non-humanoid robot body, a fate Hodge says he survived as a result of the pact he made with N'astirh. Hodge had become allied with government of the island nation of the Genosha, where mutants were enslaved as obedient servants.[2][6][7] Hodge and the Genoshan government launched an attack upon the X-Men (which had united with the members of X-Factor), and its junior team, the New Mutants. During these events, Warlock, the alien member of the New Mutants, is killed in the course of Hodge's experiments upon him. His captives free themselves and defeat Hodge, whose still-surviving head is buried beneath a collapsed building.[15]
Phalanx
In a 1993 storyline, Cameron Hodge is revealed to have merged with extraterrestrial cybernetic race known as the Phalanx.[2] He was again apparently slain by Archangel.[16] Hodge was defeated by Steven Lang when the Phalanx' human interface caused the Phalanx citadel to fall from the top of Mount Everest.[17]
Purifiers
Cameron Hodge's remains are found in the Himalayas by a group of Purifiers. He is later revived when Bastion infects him with the transmode virus gained from one of Magus' offspring.[18] Cameron and his whole army of "Smileys" are killed by Warlock of the New Mutants at the behest of Douglas Ramsey when his lifeforce and the lifeforces of the Smileys are forcibly absorbed by Warlock via their shared connection of the technorganic Transmode virus.[19]
Powers and abilities
When first revealed to be a villain, Cameron Hodge was the commander of The Right, and had access to all the weaponry and resources of the organization, including a ruby quartz battle suit capable of deflecting Cyclops's optic basts. The demonic being N'astirh granted Hodge immortality, that allowed his head to survive after being decapitated.[citation needed]
In his cyborg form, he had the ability to phase (move through solid matter) and used various special weapons. His spider/scorpionlike robot body was equipped with tentacles, a powerful stinger, plasma and laser weapons, and a molecular adhesive gun, and could also fire bolas, knives and spears of varying sizes. He also possessed a high degree of invulnerability, enough to protect him from the combined attacks of Storm, Cyclops and Jean Grey. This effect was supposedly augmented by external generators linked to his mainframe computer. When these had been destroyed, Cyclops and Havok could destroy his mechanical body, but not kill him. In addition, in his mechanical body's first appearance, it had a cardboard cutout of a man's suit and body that hung from Hodge's neck, presenting, in his mind, a more normal appearance when his attempt to absorb Warlock's techno-organic abilities had failed.[citation needed]
As part of the Phalanx, he had all their typical abilities, but seemingly lost his magical protection.[citation needed]
Other versions
"House of M"
In the "House of M" storyline, Cameron Hodge was a member of the Human Liberation Front, a human supremacist terrorist group that had targeted Emperor Sunfire's Project Genesis, a program intended to forcefully turn humans into mutants. He was arrested following the attack on the New Mutant Leadership Program at the United Nations, though the true target was Sean Garrison, secretly an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. and one of the masterminds behind Project Genesis.[20] S.H.I.E.L.D. agents Josh Foley and Kevin Ford were about to torture him when they were interrupted by Agent Noriko Ashida, daughter of Hodge's comrade Seiji Ashida, who learned from Hodge about her father's location. Fearing the torture at the hands of Foley and Ford, Hodge convinced Noriko to kill him.[21]
Amalgam
In the universe of Marvel and DC Comics' Amalgam Comics crossover imprint, Hodge is mixed with Maxwell Lord to form Lord Maxwell Hodge.
X-Men Forever
A version of Cameron Hodge exists in the universe seen in the book X-Men Forever.[22]
