Line #227 Characters/XMenExternals


1	[[WMG:[[center:[-''ComicBook/XMen'' '''[[Characters/XMen Main Character Index]]'''\
2	'''The X-Men'''\
3	[[Characters/XMenTheOriginalTeam The Original Team]] \| [[Characters/XMen60sMembers '60s Members]] \| [[Characters/XMen70sMembers '70s Members]] \| [[Characters/XMen80sMembers '80s Members]] \| [[Characters/XMen90sMembers '90s Members]] \| [[Characters/XMen2000sMembers 2000s Members]] \| [[Characters/XMen2010sMembers 2010s Members]] \| [[Characters/XMen2020sMembers 2020s Members]]\
4	'''Other Teams'''\
5	Characters/ChildrenOfTheAtom \| [[Characters/ExcaliburMarvelComics Excalibur]] \| Characters/GenerationHope \| Characters/GenerationX \| Characters/NewMutants \| Characters/NewXMenAcademyX \| [[Characters/SWORDMarvelComics S.W.O.R.D.]] \| Characters/XClub \| Characters/XCorp \| Characters/XFactor \| Characters/XForce \| Characters/XStatix \| Characters/XTerminators\
6	'''Antagonists'''\
7	[[Characters/XMenRoguesGalleryAToI Rogues Gallery A To I]] \| [[Characters/XMenRoguesGalleryJToR Rogues Gallery J To R]] \| [[Characters/XMenRoguesGallerySToZ Rogues Gallery S to Z]] \| [[Characters/XMenVillainousOrganizations Villainous Organizations]] \| [[Characters/XMenAcolytes Acolytes]] \| [[Characters/XMenArakko Arakko]] \| [[Characters/XMenBrotherhoodOfMutants Brotherhood of Mutants]] \| [[Characters/XMenClanAkkaba Clan Akkaba]] \| Characters/ChildrenOfTheVault \| '''Externals''' \| [[Characters/XMenHellfireClub Hellfire Club]] \| [[Characters/XMenHellions The Hellions]] \| [[Characters/XMenMarauders Marauders]] \| [[Characters/XMenMojoverse Mojoverse]] \| [[Characters/XMenMorlocks Morlocks]] \| [[Characters/XMenMutantLiberationFront MLF]] \| [[Characters/XMenOrchis Orchis]] \| [[Characters/XMenSentinels Sentinels]]\
8	'''Other Characters'''\
9	[[Characters/XMenSupportingCharacters Supporting Characters]] \| [[Characters/XMenMutants Mutants]] \| [[Characters/XMenXavierInstitute Xavier Institute]] \| [[Characters/XMenKrakoans Krakoans]] \| [[Characters/MarvelComicsSavageLand The Savage Land]] \| [[Characters/MarvelComicsShiar Shi'ar]] \| [[{{Characters/Starjammers}} The Starjammers]] \| {{Characters/NYX}} \| [[{{Characters/Cable}} Cable's supporting cast]] \| [[Characters/{{Deadpool}} Deadpool's supporting cast]] \| [[{{Characters/Wolverine}} Wolverine's supporting cast]]-]]]]]
10
11	!!The Externals
12	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/xternals.png]]
13
14	->''"For some of us, ascendant, death was just the beginning..."''
15
16	A cabal of immortal mutants mostly built around the character of Gideon, the Externals were introduced as the [[TheManBehindTheMan prime movers]] behind the various X-Force villains, an ancient threat on par with the likes of Apocalypse and Selene (both of whom were retroactively added among their ranks). Calling themselves the High Lords, the Externals boasted that they were responsible for controling the development of mutant and humankind from behind the scenes using money and political influence. Most of them were ultimately all killed off by Selene... until it was revealed that amongst the many powers of the Externals was resurrection, as each could be reborn in a new body after their death. Several of the Externals continued to plague the X-Men and the rest of mutantkind through various plots, including Selene's attempt to ascend to godhood.
17
18	Many of the Externals were amongst those who accepted Krakoa's offer of amnesty, despite their numerous crimes against their fellow mutants.
19
20	[[foldercontrol]]
21
22	[[folder:Tropes related to the Externals in general]]
23	* AbstractApotheosis. Each of the Externals was supposed to represent an intangible concept, though given how little they appeared it ended up being more a case of ConceptsAreCheap:
24	** [[TheCorrupter Corruption]]: Selene
25	** [[DespairEventHorizon Despair]]: Absalom
26	** [[OmnicidalManiac Destruction]]: Apocalypse
27	** [[BloodKnight Ferocity]]: Crule
28	** [[{{Determinator}} Fortitude]]: Burke
29	** [[ManipulativeBitch Guile]]: Candra
30	** [[HopeBringer Hope]]: Cannonball
31	** [[OpportunisticBastard Opportunity]]: Gideon
32	** [[ElderlyImmortal Patience]]: Saul
33	** [[OldMaster Wisdom]]: Nicodemus
34	** [[NobleSavage Purity]]: White Sword
35	* AncientConspiracy: Pretty much their shtick, [[VillainDecay at first anyway]]...
36	* BackFromTheDead: [[spoiler:After being dead for over twenty years, 2017's ''Cable'' run brought them all back, even Gideon who was shown as suspended in a near-death state recovering from his run-in with Selene. The series also upgraded the immortality of all the Externals, to this, establishing them as resurrecting in new bodies whenever they are destroyed]]. This has driven more than one of them into DeathSeeker territory.
37	* ContinuitySnarl: The issue of whether or not Cannonball is one of them. Sam was pronounced immortal after reviving when Sauron killed him, but during the great External purge Selene laughed off the idea. Beast later pronounced Sam to be immortal too, but it's not clear from the writing whether or not he was joking. The 2017 ''Cable'' run seems to have put the issue to bed at last, with Cable dismissing the notion of Sam's External status as "Just a rumor, nothing more.", though Sam's External status continues to be referenced in supplementary material and merchandise.
38	* DroppedABridgeOnHim: The 'Great External Purge', a three-issue storyline that played out in ''X-Force'' issues #52-54 where Selene basically chewed them up and spat them back out for the hell of it, although they all got better.
39	* EnemyMine: [[spoiler:Despite never originally being an ally to the Externals, and even being the one who originally killed them all off, Selene seems to have teamed up with her External brethren in the pages of 2017's ''Cable'' in an attempt to track down a temporal assassin seemingly intent on killing them]].
40	* EvilerThanThou:
41	** Apocalypse was this to the Externals as a whole. He killed Saul in the 12th century, by the 19th century the group had sworn a collective oath to never meddle in his affairs (and they punished Candra harshly for attempting to), and in the ComicBook/AgeOfApocalypse the surviving Externals (Gideon, Candra and ''maybe'' Crule) all worked for him.
42	** Mr. Sinister also subjected Candra to this personally, acting as a sort of envoy on behalf of Apocalypse, the 'judge to (the Externals') jury' is how the issue puts it.
43	* HazyFeelTurn: Like just about every other villain with an X-gene, most of the Externals threw their lot in with the X-Men on Krakoa in ''House of X''.
44	* ImmortalityImmorality: The most prominent members are all guilty of this. Burke, Nicodemus and Saul were more peaceful types, but they were limited to background roles and didn't do much to curb the excesses of their more violent brethren.
45	* InNameOnly: Their "appearance" in ''VideoGame/XMenDestiny'', in which they are reimagined completely as a street gang loyal to Gambit.
46	* InconsistentSpelling: Their name was occasionally stylized as the X-Ternals. As of 2023, this definitely seems to have been dropped.
47	* KilledOffForReal: The only way to permanently kill the Externals is supposedly if one of them kills and eats the hearts of every other one. So far the only two attempts to do this were stopped, and those killed in the purges were revived. [[spoiler:Apocalypse discovers another way to kill them, through a spell requiring the bones and essence of four Externals to power the External Gate on Krakoa, trapping it and making them unable to resurrect]].
48	* MegaManning: As of the 2017 ''Cable'' run, Externals can apparently gain the powers and abilities of their brethren by killing them. Gideon acquires numerous powers in this way, and it is retroactively made Selene's reason for committing the Great External purge, and the reason she stopped was due to realizing that holding that much power would drive her insane and destroy her.
49	* {{Mutants}}: All of them, with immortality being their primary ability and most of them then having a secondary ability.
50	** LightningBruiser: If one counts Cannonball, this is his mutant ability, with a side of NighInvulnerability.
51	** MakeMyMonsterGrow: At least one of them has this ability, though which one it is is unclear. Gideon uses the ability in the 2017 ''Cable'' run, but only after [[spoiler:killing several other Externals and stealing their abilities via MegaManning]].
52	* OrcusOnHisThrone: This is the other big reason why the Externals failed -- aside from Gideon, Selene, and Candra, none of them really ''did'' anything. Lampshaded in-universe by Cannonball, who chews them out for not doing more with their immortality.
53	* ReallySevenHundredYearsOld: One of the factors separating the Externals from other superpowered mutants is that they're all LongLived or TheAgeless. Some of the youngest, such as Gideon and Absalom, are only a few centuries old (Absalom, born in TheWildWest, seems to be less than 200 years old). At the other end of the scale, Apocalypse is at least 5000 years old and Selene was born around 15000 BCE, “after the sinking of {{Atlantis}} but before the rise of the Sons of Aryas”. Some, such as Saul, are white-haired and appear relatively elderly, but without seeming feeble - however, most appear to be adults in their twenties, thirties, or forties. In a few cases their youth needs something else to maintain it (e.g. Selene's LifeDrinker powers). For most of them, there's no such requirement.
54	* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: One issue of X-Force, written a year or two before the great External purge, pretty much all on its own destroyed any credibility the Externals had as villains. When the heroes ''themselves'' dismiss their adversaries as unworthy of their attention, that's a pretty hard low point to come back from.
55	--> '''Sunspot''': Funny, isn't it? You and your band of sad old men claim to be immortals -- well, I've got news for you. We feel you just aren't worth our ''time''.
56
57	* StartOfDarkness: Externals have to die before their immortality awakens, and for many, but not all, it coincided with the first use of their mutant powers. As such, all of them have a StartOfDarkness.
58	* TwoGirlsToATeam: Selene and Candra.
59	* UnholyMatrimony: They don't get married and are not implied to be in a truly committed relationship, but at one point Gideon and Candra are seen together, talking and behaving with the easy physical familiarity of parted-but-still-on-good-terms lovers.
60	* VillainDecay: One of the most jarring examples in all of comics. In a little over a year, they go from sinister immortal Freemason analogues to idiots staring slack-jawed as the heroes drive a tank through the wall of their lair and then proceed to hand them their asses effortlessly.
61	* WeHardlyKnewYe: All of them expect Gideon and the pre-existing characters, but special mention goes to Burke and Nicodemus, both of whom die from exposure to the Legacy Virus. Nicodemus at least gets the dignity of an on-panel death; Burke doesn't even get ''that''.
62	* WizardsAndWitches: Candra, Saul and Selene are all proficient mages. Whether they get it through a mutant proclivity for magic or just hard work remains unknown. In ComicBook/Excalibur2019 we learn that Apocalypse also has been a proficient mage, although we had not seen it before this title.
63	[[/folder]]
64
65	[[folder:Gideon]]
66	!!Gideon
67	[[quoteright:246:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/gideon_2.jpg]]
68	!!!'''Nationality:''' Spanish
69	!!!'''Species:''' Human mutant
70	!!!'''First Appearance:''' ''New Mutants'' #98 (1991)
71
72	-->''"It's time again, [[TakeOverTheWorld to take over the world]]."''
73	\
74	A CorruptCorporateExecutive in the vein of Sebastian Shaw, Gideon is the most active representative of the High Lords, manipulating world events through his highly influential and wealthy public identity. A PowerCopying mutant, he became a prominent foe of the ComicBook/NewMutants and X-Force through his efforts to induct the Brazilian mutant Sunspot, whom he believed to be the newest External, into the High Lords. He has also been a recurring foe to Night Thrasher of the ComicBook/NewWarriors, and an ally of convenience to ComicBook/NickFury. None of this was enough to save him when Selene came calling, but an External rarely stays dead...
75	----
76	* AboveGoodAndEvil: He considers good and evil to be antiquated concepts that no longer have any meaning in the modern world, and advises the New Warriors that they will have to embrace acts usually regarded as evil if they want to accomplish their goals.
77	* AchillesHeel: Gideon tends to rely on his ability to copy his opponents' powers. He lost to an opponent that had no powers for Gideon to copy, but had superior combat training. The implication is that other combat-trained humans can both best him in a fight, and render his main power useless.
78	* AdamAndOrEve: These are the names of Gideon's two android assistants and protectors. Adam was, as far as we know, always a machine, while Eve was originally a human before digitizing herself (or being digitized somehow) into an android being.
79	* ArchEnemy: To Sunspot, who Gideon befriended and manipulated out of a belief that he was a new External, then tormented and mutated him when he learned that the new High Lord was in fact Cannonball.
80	* ArtificialLimbs: Subverted, as he ''looks'' like he's got golden metal arms but they're just metallic armsleeves.
81	* BaldOfEvil: His head is nearly completely bald save for a long clump of hair he keeps tied in a ponytail. Befitting this trope, he gets called "cueball" more than once by heroes.
82	* BigBadWannabe: A high-functioning case, as he has the resources and the mutant power to be a real BigBad (and was explicitly used as such in his original appearances) but can't quite hang with real mutant heavyweights such as Apocalypse and Selene.
83	* TheChessmaster: He is the most active manipulator amongst the High Lords. One issue unsubtly spells this out by having him play a literal chess game with then-leader of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants Toad. Naturally, they were manipulating real people in time with their 'friendly game'.
84	* CorruptCorporateExecutive: He masquerades to the public eye as a legitimate businessman, 'the [[Music/TheRiseAndFallOfZiggyStardustAndTheSpidersFromMars Ziggy Stardust]] of the corporate world' is how he is initially described.
85	* DidntThinkThisThrough: For a supposed master manipulator and businessman, Gideon fails to spot some major holes in his plans. At one point, he blackmailed Cannonball into giving an oath on non-interference in the affairs of the Externals. Gideon expected that this oath would extend to the rest of X-Force. Cannonball simply avoided personal encounters with Gideon, but he used his teammates to fight him by proxy.
86	* DittoFighter: Gideon is this to any superhuman he fights, due to his PowerCopying ability. Sometimes he can ever surpass the original, such as when he "duped" Speedball's powers and used them in ways Robbie never knew he could do.
87	* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: A lot of this. Before the Externals were officially revealed, a 1992 trading card listed Gideon's group affiliation as "The Profit$". He was also listed as a member of the Upstarts in a TabletopGame/MarvelSuperHeroes game book, though later events made it clear he had no association with the group.
88	* EvenEvilHasStandards: He refuses to associate with the likes of [[Characters/MarvelComicsHydra HYDRA]] and even briefly allies with Nick Fury and ComicBook/{{SHIELD}} against them.
89	* EvilIsBigger: At 6'8, Gideon is positively ''gigantic''. Like most characters of this height, artists usually miss the memo, making this an InformedAttribute.
90	* EvilMentor: He played this to Sunspot for a time, believing him to be the new External which Burke had foreseen.
91	* GoodOldFisticuffs: He's a reasonably good brawler, acquitting himself well in hand-to-hand combat against Crule and then the New Warriors, although Night Thrasher was able to best him in a rematch.
92	* KingpinInHisGym: He was shown to have a private gym where he honed his skills against MechaMooks bought from Shaw Industries.
93	--> '''Gideon''': Adam, take a memo -- "Dear Sebastian, for the money I am paying, I would prefer if you would make these tin darlings a little ''quieter''. Ever yours, Gideon."
94	* ManipulativeBastard: He is this in spades. He has Sunspot's father killed so he can take the boy under his own wing, and later uses his corporate tycoon cover identity to turn public opinion against X-Force.
95	* ManOfWealthAndTaste: He can dress well when he wants to, but oddly enough his usual outfit falls well short of stylish.
96	* NoodleIncident: He was apparently kicked out of Harvard at one point. He never tells Sunspot why.
97	* OffWithHisHead: A Gideon who traveled back in time from 3,000 years in the future to steal the powers of the other other Externals was decapitated via a PortalCut by Blink.
98	* OpportunisticBastard: He takes advantage of a hostage scheme orchestrated by [[ComicBook/JuggernautMarvelComics The Juggernaut]] and Black Tom Cassidy to turn public opinion against X-Force in general and Cable in particular.
99	* PowerCopying: His mutant ability, "wild generic template", allows him to copy the abilities of any mutants within a certain range, as well as decidedly non-mutant power sources such as MechaMooks. DependingOnTheWriter, it's either a DiscardAndDraw kind of power or he can copy up to three different powers at once.
100	* Really700YearsOld: He's roughly 500 years old, putting him in the middle of the pack as Externals go.
101	* RoguesGalleryTransplant: He's the only High Lord who expands his focus beyond mutants, being a frequent thorn in the side of Dwayne Taylor (Night Thrasher) and opposing Hydra alongside Nick Fury.
102	* StartOfDarkness: He was originally a humble tradesman on his way to the New World on the [[UsefulNotes/ChristopherColumbus Pinta]], who fell ill from scurvy and died in the ship's hold.
103	* VerbalTic: Has a habit of using a lot of business terms and slang in his speech.
104	* VillainHasAPoint:
105	** When Gideon captured the ComicBook/NewWarriors he berated them for their presumption, executing a violent sting operation against someone they not only believed to be a normal human, but someone they had no solid evidence of committing any crime at all. Despite being a raging asshole, Gideon very much has a point there, which the New Warriors themselves realize.
106	** [[spoiler:In the pages of 2017's ''Cable'' Gideon gets another one of these moments, scoffing at Cable's attempt to stop him from meddling with the timestream. Given Cable's multiple time-jumps through history, he's not exactly in a position to be casting stones there]].
107	** In an early interaction of Gideon and Cable, Gideon voiced his mistrust of the man. He figured that Cable was prolonging a conflict for his own amusement, and that Cable treated potential casualties as "an afterthought". Cable actually has a history of lying to and manipulating his allies, and he has not hesitated to sacrifice some of them to serve his own goals.
108	* VillainDecay: In his original appearances Gideon was the new and improved Sebastian Shaw, having just as much if not more political influence as the Hellfire Club's (then) deceased leader and a much more versatile mutant power. He has never regained this stature since being unceremoniously killed off by Selene, although he does [[spoiler:attempt his own bid for supremacy over the group, and later avoids being sacrificed by Apocalypse by allying with him against the other Externals]].
109	* VillainTeamUp: Fairly fond of this, in keeping with his mercantile outlook. He's allied himself with AIM, [=GeneTech=], and Toad's incarnation of the [[Characters/XMenBrotherhoodOfMutants Brotherhod of Evil Mutants]].
110	* VillainWithGoodPublicity: Gideon is seen by the public as an eccentric but well-meaning businessman.
111	[[/folder]]
112
113	[[folder:Absalom]]
114	!!Absalom
115	%%
116	%% Image selected per Image Pickin thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=17083638600.34392200
117	%% Please don't change or remove without starting a new thread.
118	%%
119	[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/9328edd6_a35b_41ae_9bd6_7e4c6d54a522.jpeg]]
120	!!!'''Nationality:''' American
121	!!!'''Species:''' Human mutant
122	!!!'''First Appearance:''' ''X-Force'' #10 (1992)
123	\
124	One of the youngest Externals, his powers did not activate until 1896, although he had already been identified by his fellow Externals and joined the High Lords several years prior. A self-important man with more pride than ability, he never acts without the support of the other Externals.
125	----
126	* AintTooProudToBeg: [[spoiler:Begs for his life from Apocalypse after being trounced by an empowered Rictor. Apocalypse grants him mercy as he already had four Externals with which to power the External Gate]].
127	* BadWithTheBone: His mutant ability is this, and he was essentially the proto-Marrow. He is able to both grow and shoot from his body spikes that are several feet long.
128	* BigBadWannabe: He'd ''like'' to be a more competent and effective person but his impulsive personality prevents him from acquiring the influence and respect that his contemporary Gideon manages to gain. Also, his mutant power isn't terribly formidable.
129	* BodyHorror: When infected with the Legacy virus, his bone growth was prone to flaring wildly out of his control.
130	* BreakTheHaughty: His experience with the Legacy virus had this effect on him, to the point that he even apologized to Cannonball and Boomer for insulting them. This CharacterDevelopment stuck after his death, and while he's still high-strung he's a lot less insufferable in modern day stories than he was during his original appearances.
131	* ContinuitySnarl: When his history was originally revealed in ''X-Force'' #36, it was stated that Absalom hadn't ascended until 1896, and before that had been a lowly thief and outlaw. This was contradicted by his appearance in ComicBook/{{Gambit}}'s title, in which he was already affiliated with the Externals in 1891. The current line is that he was found by the Externals before his death, affiliated with them despite neither being immortal nor having knowledge of his mutant powers yet, then broke with them for unexplained reasons to live the much less glamorous life of an outlaw.
132	* DeathSeeker: Became one of these in the 2017 ''Cable'' series, throwing in with Gideon in exchange from a promise to end his life. Ironically, during his original appearances Absalom was very much ''afraid'' of death, having a VillainousBreakdown in response to being infected with the mutant-killing Legacy virus. [[spoiler:When he reappears in ''ComicBook/Excalibur2019'' he has gotten past this and actually begs for his life]].
133	* DyingAlone: When he was facing death due to the Legacy Virus, he expressed a fear of dying alone and unmourned. His enemy Cannonball told him that he would sincerely mourn Absalom's death.
134	* FatalFlaw: Both as a mortal and as an immortal, he acts impulsively and faces severe consequences for it. His fatal encounter with Selene was one of these consequences. He thought that X-Force had murdered his allies, and he acted as a hothead in assaulting them. By the time he realized that his actual foe was Selene, she was already in range to attack him.
135	* TheGunslinger: Before he became an immortal, he was one of these. Notably, he has never used guns again since coming into his immortality.
136	* ImmuneToBullets: Averted. When his powers were activated for the first time, they saved him from hanging. But he was then gunned down by several armed men. He revived a couple of days later, but he fled the town to avoid a repeat performance.
137	* ManOfWealthAndTaste: One quality about him which has to be given credit. Absalom might not be the most prominent or effective External, but he is usually the best-dressed.
138	* Really700YearsOld: As one of the youngest Externals he's on the kiddy pool end of this trope, being comparable in age to Wolverine and Mystique.
139	* SmugSnake: He affected a sneering and classist personality despite his less-than-noble roots. Contracting the Legacy virus and being killed by Selene beat a lot of this attitude out of him, but he still thinks of himself as more important than he actually is.
140	* StartOfDarkness: He was an outlaw in TheWildWest who was hanged after dishonorably shooting the legendary gunslinger Caleb Hammer in the back.
141	* TragicVillain: Fittingly for the External who represents despair, his history is a long series of failures, with each one making him vow to surpass himself and become a better man, only for him to backslide into the same self-defeating attitudes and behaviors.
142	* VillainInAWhiteSuit: In the early years of his ascension he favored this style of fashion, as seen in the page picture.
143	* WildHair: He sports a flowing blonde mane that's more than a little reminiscent of [[{{Characters/Wolverine}} Tyler Dayspring's]].
144	* YouWillBeSpared: [[spoiler:Apocalypse tells him he won't kill him since he has the four Externals he needs to complete the ritual]].
145	[[/folder]]
146
147	[[folder:Burke]]
148	!!Burke
149	[[quoteright:123:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/253430_126894_burke.gif]]
150	!!!'''Species:''' Human mutant
151	!!!'''First Appearance:''' ''X-Force'' #10 (1992)
152	\
153	A precognitive External, Burke suffered many deaths and lost all his loved ones before joining the group. After being killed by Selene he left his rich and influential lifestyle behind him in favor of a quiet life in Tonasket, Washington.
154	----
155	* AffablyEvil: His response to a visit from X-Force in the pages of 2017's ''Cable'' is to offer the heroes tea. And biscuits.
156	* BornAgainImmortality: When last seen (as of 2020) he had resurrected yet again, as a baby born to a couple in Maple Ridge, Canada.
157	* BurnTheWitch: He has been killed many times over the years, one method of which was when he was burned at the stake in the 17th century.
158	* DeathSeeker: He became one of these and welcomed Gideon's attempt to take his power and end his life permanently, though he is much more casual and laid back about it than the high-strung Absalom.
159	* DreamingOfThingsToCome: He dreams of the future, with one of his visions indicating that a new External, suspected to be Cannonball, had been born. The 2017 Cable run upgrades it to CombatClairvoyance.
160	* HarmlessVillain: Out of all the Externals, he's easily the most benign.
161	* {{Irony}}:
162	** [[spoiler:The External who most wanted to die is now one of their few surviving members]].
163	** A character who supposedly represents [[HeroicWillpower Fortitude]], yet has given up on life and only wants to die. [[spoiler:Although, having been reincarnated, he may find fresh reason to embrace life]].
164	* LastNameBasis: Burke is a rather normal name, implying it's his actual last name.
165	* ManOfWealthAndTaste: On a more subdued level than his typically flamboyant brethren, but as a High Lord he always dressed fashionably. Subverted when he broke with them, as Cable found him in a log cabin wearing humble flannel.
166	* MarkOfTheSupernatural: His purple eyes mark his mutant precognition ability.
167	* NonActionGuy: He has a passive mutation and no combat ability, thus he usually stands on the sidelines when the superhero brawls break out.
168	* OffWithHisHead: Among the deaths he mentions is being guillotined during the 18th century.
169	* PunchClockVillain: He works with the other Externals because of their shared immortality, but he's not an inherently bad person.
170	* RetiredMonster: Being killed by Selene made him give up on world domination, and when he resurrected he chose to live a humble and secluded life.
171	* WhoWantsToLiveForever: He tells Cable that he is simply sick of dying painfully and being reborn all the time and that he wants to reunite with all of the loved ones he has outlived.
172	[[/folder]]
173
174	[[folder:Nicodemus]]
175	!!Nicodemus
176	%%
177	%% Image selected per Image Pickin thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=17083638600.34392200
178	%% Please don't change or remove without starting a new thread.
179	%%
180	[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/f8c043b9_c326_4f63_bf97_77c207c4f7f5.jpeg]]
181	!!!'''Species:''' Human mutant
182	!!!'''First Appearance:''' ''X-Force'' #10 (1992)
183
184	-->''"We are immortal, Gideon. No one ever said that would bring enlightenment."''
185	\
186	Another of the elder Externals, Nicodemus' origins are shrouded in mystery, although he claims to be as old as the Swiss mountains which he resides in.
187	----
188	* AffablyEvil: In his original appearances he has one of the more polite Externals.
189	* TheHeart: Played this role within the External dynamic originally, being the peacemaker of the group.
190	* KilledOffForReal: [[spoiler:His bones and lifeforce were drained by Apocalypse to create the External Gate on Krakoa, which prevents him from ever resurrecting again]].
191	* PlayingWithFire: His mutant ability allows him to generate energy flares of 'unstable pyroplasma' that carry incredible explosive force upon impact.
192	* PetTheDog: A small example, but he did express concern for the fate of Sunspot after the other Externals discovered that [=DaCosta=] was not actually one of them. As Gideon puts it, he "hopes for the best, even where a dupe like Berto is concerned".
193	* PowerIncontinence: While dying of the Legacy virus he lost control of his powers, exploding and incinerating himself and the doctors and nurses who were caring for him.
194	* SacredHospitality: He acts as host for the Externals when they are first introduced, and Gideon compliments him on the "splendid meal" he has prepared for them.
195	* SacrificialLion: He was the first External killed the Legacy virus, to show readers that even they were vulnerable to its effects.
196	* TimeAbyss: If his boast about being as old as the Swiss mountains is true, then he's up there with Crule in age, older than Apocalypse and comparable to Selene among elder mutants.
197	* TokenGoodTeammate: Gideon regarded him this way, describing him as a "caring soul even after centuries of hardship".
198	* TookALevelInBadass: It took 20 years for the guy to get an issue where he actually did anything, but when he finally did get around to using his mutant powers in a fight, they were strong enough to make Apocalypse himself call for aid.
199	* TookALevelInJerkass: Previously one of the more benign Externals, he reveals a nastier side in ''ComicBook/XMen2019'', expressing contempt for the younger mutants of Krakoa and refusing to sacrifice himself for their sake.
200	[[/folder]]
201
202	[[folder:Saul]]
203	!!Saul / Garbha-Hsien
204	[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/saul_xmen.png]]
205	!!!'''Nationality:''' Chinese
206	!!!'''Species:''' Human mutant
207	!!!'''First Appearance:''' ''X-Force'' #10 (1992)
208
209	->''"Forever vying for political and monetary control over the destiny of this planet. Each of us aware that to truly gain such complete control requires mastery over time itself. For what sense is there in gaining power over your own destiny?"''
210	\
211	Born Garbha-Hsien, he is one of the oldest Externals, having already been old when the "continents shook". Once the ruler of a kingdom in the mountains of Mongolia before an encounter with Apocalypse humbled him, Saul left his kingdom to learn more of the wider world. His exact mutant power is unclear, as his mastery of magic has had him display many abilities.
212	----
213	* AgeWithoutYouth: At least physically he's the most elderly-looking External, along with Nicodemus, with Fanon stating that it is possibly due to his mutant powers not awakening until he was already old and wizened, but nobody knows for sure, since he may look that old simply because he is that old, nonwithstanding his immortality still keeping him alive.
214	* BigBadWannabe: He's one of the more formidable High Lords, once flattening a trio of X-Force kids (Warpath, Siryn, and Boomer) with a single attack, but still can't compare to the power of Apocalypse or Selene.
215	* ComboPlatterPowers: Which all fall under MaybeMagicMaybeMundane.
216	** PlayingWithFire: Like Selene, he can manipulate fire at will.
217	** ScaledUp: His most potent ability is the power to transform into a dragon.
218	** ShockAndAwe: He can fire {{Hand Blast}}s of explosive electrical energy.
219	* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: In his debut appearance he had chalk-white skin and spoke in lilac speech bubbles, implying a VoiceOfTheLegion-esque quality to his dialogue. In all later appearances he had the skin one would expect of a Mongolian man and spoke with normal speech bubbles.
220	* ElderlyImmortal: Fanon states that His first death possibly did not occur until he was already an old man, thus locking his physical age in there, but nothing was ever confirmed yet.
221	* EvilVsEvil: During the 12th century he clashed with Apocalypse and was decisively defeated.
222	* GreenAndMean: He usually wears green robes.
223	* KilledOffForReal: [[spoiler:His bones and lifeforce were drained by Apocalypse to create the External Gate on Krakoa, which prevents him from ever resurrecting again]].
224	* NonindicativeName: Like many other Externals, Garba-Hsien uses the codename of a Biblical figure, but unlike the others who were born in Christian societies, he was born in a time far preceding the Bible and has no real reason to venerate anybody in it (although he's old enough to have met the Biblical Saul and may have taken his name out of respect).
225	* OutlivingOnesOffspring: He had at least twelve children during his time as a ruler in Mongolia and constructed grand tombs for each of them after they passed.
226	* SmugSuper: He sneers at the X-Force kids, calling them "eyeblinks" and "barely-evolving cellular protoplasm".
227	* TimeAbyss: Saul is one of the very oldest Externals. His exact age is unclear, but when Captain Britain telepathically attacks him, she's almost overwhelmed by "hundreds of thousands of years" of memories.
228	* VoluntaryShapeshifting: He can transform into a dragon, presumably via magic rather than his mutant abilities.
229	* WaterTorture: Inflicted this on Warpath, Siryn, and Boomer by shackling them to the cliffs of his coastal home and letting the tide almost drown them over and over.
230	* WhiteHairBlackHeart: His hair's long since gone completely white and while not flagrantly evil, he's still not one of the good guys.
231	* YellowPeril: He has a distinctly Fu Manchu look, giving him the appearance of a poor man's Mandarin.
232	[[/folder]]
233
234	[[folder:Crule]]
235	!!Crule
236	%%
237	%% Image selected per Image Pickin thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=17047987810.91032800
238	%% Please don't change or remove without starting a new thread.
239	%%
240	[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/7f2a0958_09c2_43d5_8fd2_1b668240ec83.jpeg]]
241	!!!'''Nationality:''' Ancient northern Africa
242	!!!'''Species:''' Human mutant
243	!!!'''First Appearance:''' ''X-Force'' #12 (1992)
244	\
245	A External who has lived since the mid-Hyborian Age. By far the most violent and openly malevolent of the Externals, even when compared with Selene, but is thankfully not clever enough to scheme on his own and typically serves as muscle for his fellow High Lords or other villains.
246	----
247	* AmazingTechnicolorPopulation: His mutation comes with dark purple skin.
248	* AssholeVictim: [[spoiler:His death at the hands of Rictor and the use of his bones to power the External Gate won't draw tears from anyone]].
249	* AxCrazy: He's one of the Externals and also [[InsaneEqualsViolent by far the least sane]]. During UsefulNotes/WorldWarII, he joined up with the Nazis to happily operate gas chambers in concentration camps.
250	* BoisterousWeakling: He can send ordinary people running for cover but no one with powers has any trouble with him. Gideon easily beats him after absorbing his powers (even though Crule has centuries more experience in battle), the X-Force team contains him without too much trouble, Selene kills him with a casual gesture, [[spoiler:and Rictor later does the same, cooking him alive in lava]].
251	* BloodKnight: He apparently has this encoded in his DNA. When Gideon absorbs his mutant powers, he becomes hyper-aggressive and beats Sunspot nearly to death for no real reason. When he shakes it off, he sounds almost ''embarrassed'' with himself.
252	--> '''Crule:''' Ah, you replicate my spirit as well as my flesh, External!
253	--> '''Gideon:''' I -- I merely -- am trying to make amends for my mistakes...
254	* TheBrute: All he's good for is breaking things and killing people. And he's not even very good at the latter.
255	* DumbMuscle: The Externals know he's this, and use him accordingly.
256	* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: His name was spelled 'Krule' in his first appearance and on the box of his action figure.
257	* EstablishingCharacterMoment: When Gideon goes to retrieve him, he finds Crule tearing apart a Madripoor bar because he thought someone cheated him in a card game.
258	* TheFogOfAges: He has no real idea how to function in society as anything but a PsychoForHire. Being older than most of the other Externals probably has something to do with that.
259	* HumiliationConga: Crule's encounters with X-Force. The first time he met them, they fought and the team put him in a body cast. The second time they met was when X-Force kidnapped him out of a hospital -- [[GlassCannon still in that body cast]]. After talking him into ratting out his fellow Externals, well...
260	--> '''Cannonball''': What did you ''do'' with him, guys?
261	--> '''Sunspot''': Well, the fiberglass cast he was wearin' floats, so we kind of -- uhm -- dumped him... in the Pacific Ocean.
262	* KilledOffForReal: [[spoiler:His bones and lifeforce were drained by Apocalypse to create the External Gate on Krakoa, which prevents him from ever resurrecting again]].
263	* ObviouslyEvil: The fact that he wears human skulls on his belt is a pretty significant indicator of his moral stance.
264	* PsychoForHire: His day job in the periods of history when he isn't being put to work by the Externals.
265	* PsychoSupporter: To the other Externals, who (rightly) considered him a mad dog only fit for killing.
266	* PurpleIsPowerful: His whole body is colored like a bruise, and indeed he's quite strong -- just so long as [[GlassCannon he's the one dishing it out]].
267	* SkeletonsInTheCoatCloset: Like Mystique, he likes wearing a skull belt. Unlike Mystique, he wears ''real'' skulls.
268	* SuperStrength: His mutant ability. In a rare variation, he ''doesn't'' have any form of NighInvulnerability, making him quite the GlassCannon.
269	* SycophanticServant: Played with, as he frequently expresses contempt for his masters but does their bidding anyway and seems incapable of doing anything on his own.
270	* ThoseWackyNazis: Apparently lent his support to them in World War II, even though their attitudes on race would seem to preclude accepting the support of a purple-skinned man of supposedly African descent (but then again , he may be ancient Aryan instead).
271	* TimeAbyss: His Hyborian origins make him older than Apocalypse and at least TenThousandYears old.
272	* TookALevelInBadass: In the ''ComicBook/AgeOfApocalypse'', if the being called Wolverine there is in fact him (it's definitely not Logan).
273	[[/folder]]
274
275	[[folder:Candra]]
276	!!Candra / Red Death
277	[[quoteright:333:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/xmencandra.jpg]]
278	!!!'''Species:''' Human mutant
279	!!!'''First Appearance:''' ''Gambit #1'' (1993)
280
281	-->''"I'm the goddess of thieves. I don't need luck."''
282	\
283	The benefactress of both the Thieves Guild that ComicBook/{{Gambit}} belongs to and their rivals the Assassins Guild, Candra is a former lover and bitter enemy of Remy, who has often thwarted her plans. Although she is one of the more prominent Externals, Candra rarely works with her fellow High Lords, preferring instead to pursue her own schemes. She's notably hard to kill even by External standards, due to her Voldemort-esque use of a SoulJar.
284	----
285	* AmbiguouslyBi: Candra's had relationships with men, including Gambit, and a 2023 ''ComicBook/MarvelsVoices'' story also shows the Black Cat making a pass at her. Candra's response isn't shown, and the Black Cat refuses to comment about what happened next... but certainly doesn't seem unhappy.
286	* ArchEnemy: To Gambit, having repeatedly fought him for control and influence over the Thieves' and Assassins' Guilds. She was also this on a lesser level to Storm, who stole her heartstone during her young thieving days.
287	* BadBoss: In ''Scarlet Spider'', once Logan and Kaine manage to get a few hits in, Candra starts murdering and absorbing members of the Assassin's Guild to heal and repower herself.
288	* CameBackWrong: Her latest resurrection left her in the body of a teenager, a form she was very unhappy with. She tried to orchestrate a HumanSacrifice of either Rogue or Belladonna to fix herself, but playing mind games with Gambit led to it being stopped.
289	* ComboPlatterPowers: She's more powerful than the High Lords and comparable to Selene in abilities, boasting telepathy, telekinesis, the ability to activate the X-gene in latent mutants, NighInvulnerability, psionic vampirism, and an extensive knowledge of alchemy.
290	* TheDogBitesBack: After manipulating and tormenting Gambit for years, [[spoiler:he finally gets a chance at revenge when Apocalypse puts her in the crosshairs for his External gateway ritual and takes it, throwing Candra's heartstone over to Big Blue to be rid of her once and for all]].
291	* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: Her name was also spelled as 'Kandra' early on. Clearly the success of Franchise/MortalKombat had an influence on early '90s Marvel's character naming conventions.
292	* HeelFaceDoorSlam: Her character arc in the mini-series ''Night Man / Gambit''. She considers migrating the Ultraverse to start a new life, and tries to rekindle her past romance with Gambit. Gambit openly distrusts her, and Candra also finds out that the characters of the Ultraverse struggle with the same circle of pain and betrayal which she was trying to escape. She gives up on trying to either reform or to improve her life.
293	* LadyInRed: In life she favored this look. After her last resurrection she graduated to RedAndBlackAndEvilAllOver, although she eventually returned to red.
294	* LifeDrinker: She displayed this tendency in ''ComicBook/ScarletSpider'', using it to a power a HealingFactor strong enough to deal with repeated murder attempts from Kaine and Logan.
295	* LonersAreFreaks: She has always been among the more solitary members of the Externals, often ignoring what the rest of her fellows are doing in favor of her own schemes and interests. In a stark deviation from almost every other character with an X-gene, Candra did '''not''' sign up with the fledgling mutant nation of Krakoa in ''House of X'', opting instead to return to New Orleans and reconsolidate her power over the Assassins' and Thieves Guilds.
296	* KilledOffForReal: [[spoiler:Her bones and lifeforce were drained by Apocalypse to create the External Gate on Krakoa, which prevents her from ever resurrecting again. She nearly avoided this fate thanks to hiding her heartstone in Otherworld's Starlight Citadel, but Gambit found it and threw it through the Krakoan portal to her bones in order to finally be rid of her]].
297	* LongevityTreatment: The Elixir of Life, an alchemic concoction Candra provides to her servants to extend their lifespans.
298	* TheMagnificent: Candra likes to refer to herself as 'Candra of the Floating Spires'. Since her 2013 resurrection, she has taken a new and more badass title: the [[RedBaron Red Death]].
299	* TheManBehindTheMan: Well, Woman Behind: Candra is this for the Thieves Guild and Assassins Guild of New Orleans.
300	* ManipulativeBitch: So much so that she represents Guile within the External pantheon.
301	* MindOverMatter: Candra is an accomplished telekinetic who can levitate herself, erect TK shields, hold victims in mid-air, and even bring down a building with thought alone.
302	* NavelDeepNeckline: Her outfits usually have a plunging neckline that leaves her cleavage and midriff exposed.
303	* NinjaPirateZombieRobot: As of 2013 Candra is now an "immortal death-powered telekinetic zombie".
304	* RoguesGalleryTransplant: In her last (as of 2017) appearance Candra was imported as a villain for ''ComicBook/ScarletSpider''. Not only had she never interacted with the new Scarlet Spider Kaine, neither she nor any other External every interacted with ''anyone'' from Spidey's corner of the Marvel Universe (unless you count that time Gideon captured the ComicBook/NewWarriors). However, Kaine's series established him as having bad blood with the Assassin's Guild who were working on resurrecting her--she was effectively a DiabolusExNihilo to him while he was trying to kill Belladonna.
305	* ReallySevenHundredYearsOld: Her exact origins are unknown, but she's at least 1000 years old, stating once that "nearly a millennium ago" a mortal gained possession of an External heart and it cost her dearly.
306	* SignatureHeadgear: Her headpiece is the most consistent part of her outfit.
307	* SmugSnake: She is one of these in the ComicBook/{{Gambit}} miniseries, manipulating Clan [=LeBeau=] out of a ''very'' mistaken belief that she is capable of outmaneuvering both her fellow Externals and Apocalypse himself.
308	* SoulJar: At one point Candra stored the totality of her essence in a 'heart stone' which granted her true, perfect immortality. It was believed that the destruction of the stone was the only way to kill her, and indeed she vanished for a long time after Cyclops ultimately pulled it off, but eventually returned in 2013's ''ComicBook/ScarletSpider''.
309	* StartOfDarkness: While her origins are unknown, she was a whole lot less bloodthirsty when a [[TimeTravel time-traveling]] Gambit met her in the 1890s. Then she got subjected to EvilerThanThou by Mr. Sinister.
310	* StatuesqueStunner: She's 5'9"/175cm tall, making her barely shorter than Selene.
311	* SuperEmpowering: She is known to the New Orleans guilds as 'the Benefactress' because of her habit of granting boons to their members in exchange for oaths of service; the 'power and the life' to the Assassins and Thieves guilds respectively.
312	* TookALevelInBadass: In 2013 it was revealed that even destroying her heartstone can't kill her, suggesting it might be truly impossible to permanently kill her. [[spoiler:At least until her heartstone was reunited with her bones and used by Apocalypse to create and power the External Gate to Otherworld, using all of her power in the process]].
313	* TookALevelInJerkass: According to an origin story in the first Gambit series, Candra took the then-recently exiled Gambit as her lover and treated him rather well. After he abandoned her, she became bitter and vindictive. Several of her plans against Gambit and his loved ones are apparently due to the WomanScorned effect rather than the self-interest which otherwise motivates her.
314	* VillainTeamUp: She teams up with Hydra's Baron Strucker in the 1930s, an ironic choice of allies considering that her fellow External Gideon would oppose Strucker and Hydra alongside Nick Fury 60 years later.
315	* WeaksauceWeakness: During a battle between Candra, Wolverine, and Scarlet Spider, Scarlet Spider used his powers to make a spider land on her face, which caused her to freak out.
316	* TheWorfEffect: She is subjected to this in the 2017 ''Cable'' run, being the first External killed off by [[spoiler:Gideon]] to emphasize how dangerously capable the temporal assassin hunting them is.
317	[[/folder]]
318
319	[[folder:Selene]]
320	!!Selene Gallio / The Black Queen
321	%%
322	%% Image selected per Image Pickin' thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=17065713550.70942300
323	%% Please do not replace or remove without starting a new thread.
324	%%
325	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/a1888899_151f_4473_ad67_ec9fd1517aec.jpeg]]
326	%%
327	!!!'''Species:''' Human mutant
328	!!!'''First Appearance:''' ''New Mutants'' #9 (1983)
329
330	->''"Gideon was right... This is External business."''
331	\
332	Possibly the Eldest of the Externals, Selene is an [[OurVampiresAreDifferent energy vampire]] mutant born over 17,000 years ago during the Hyborian Age. Like Candra, she is more aptly described as an associate of the group rather than a full-time member, allying herself with them when it serves her ends but otherwise acting independently of the High Lords. She was even responsible for killing most of them off in the so-called "Great External Purge", a massacre it took the Externals decades to return from.
333
334	----
335	See Selene's entry on the Characters/XMenHellfireClub page for her tropes.
336	[[/folder]]
337
338	[[folder:Apocalypse]]
339	!!En Sabah Nur / Apocalypse
340	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/7075438_rco001_1568811166.jpg]]
341	!!!'''Species:''' Human mutant
342	!!!'''First Appearance:''' ''X-Factor'' #6 (1986)
343
344	->''"You are not obsolete. You are useful. We have a community to feed, and you are the fuel."''
345	\
346	As Selene is the eldest of the Externals, Apocalypse is the most powerful of their number. Born in the days of AncientEgypt, a series of unfortunate events (and a ''lot'' of meddling from various {{Time Travel}}lers) led this former desert raider and slave to embrace his "destiny" and become one of the world's greatest threats. After a clash with Saul in the 12th century, the High Lords accepted his superiority, swearing an oath never to meddle in his affairs. Like Candra and Selene, Apocalypse only associates with his External brethren when it suits him.
347	----
348	See [[Characters/MarvelComicsApocalypse Apocalypse's own page]] for his tropes.
349	[[/folder]]

Context Characters / XMenExternals