Ultimate Alliance: Marvel's NPC Handbook

Jun 28, 2006

When you have more than 140 different characters from the Marvel Universe slated to appear in Raven Software's follow-up to X-Men Legends, there's a lot of ground to cover. To help move that process along, your buddies here at IGN have teamed up with Activision to reveal a number of the various NPCs that players can expect to run into in the upcoming Marvel: Ultimate Alliance.

Below, we've included a various bits of info for each hero and villain involved -- height, weight, powers, abilities, first appearances, etc. We'd also like to give a special thanks to Marvel's official website and the fan-driven Marvel Directory for this assistance in our feature. And now, without any further ado, it's time to meet some NPCs!

View the High-Def NPC Trailer Now!

Want to see the characters highlighted below in action and in the game? Then just follow the link above to see them and some of your favorite heroes do their superhero thing in true high definition.

Black Bolt

First Appearance: Fantastic Four #45 (1965)

Real Name: Blackagar Boltagon

Height: 6'2"

Weight: 210 lbs

Powers and Abilities: Black Bolt has the ability to unleash great destructive power through the use of his voice, but even the slightest whisper will release his power. Therefore, for the most part, he remains silent. This "quasi-sonic" scream is powered by electron energy that he draws in from the environment. At maximum the force is equal to that caused by the detonation of a nuclear weapon. Other possible manifestations of this harnessed electron energy include electron energy blasts, flight, enhanced strength (the "Master Blow" being a superhuman punch), the ability to survive in space, and the ability to analyze and manipulate matter.

The fork-shaped antenna that Black Bolt has worn upon his brow since childhood enables him to channel his powers in more directed, less destructive ways. Due to the fear of speaking while sleeping, Black Bolt practices a form of meditation, which may also help to enhance his abilities. Like all Inhumans, Black Bolt is physically superior to normal human beings due to generations of eugenics. Attributes in which Inhumans excel over humans include reaction time, stamina, strength, resistance to injury, and speed.

Black Widow

First Appearance: Tales of Suspense #52 (1964)

Real Name: Natalia Alianovna Romanova

Height: 5'7"

Weight: 131 lbs

Powers and Weapons: The Black Widow has received a variant of the Super-Soldier Serum which has enabled her to remain in peak physical condition for the past several decades, as well as slowing her aging process to some degree. Additionally, bracelets that contain both the "widow's line" (which fires her cable) and the "widow's bite" (which releases electric bolts to stun her adversaries with a charge of up to 30,000 volts) are employed by her on a regular basis. Her gloves and boots are equipped with miniature suction cups which enable her to cling to surfaces. Her belt contains plastic explosives.

Corsair

First Appearance: X-Men #104 (1977)

Real Name: Christopher Summers

Height: 6'3"

Weight: 175 lbs

Abilities and Weapons: Corsair is a normal Earth human who possesses numerous skills. Before being taken to the Shi'ar Empire, Summers was already a superb pilot and, thanks to his military training, skilled in the use of various weapons and in hand-to-hand combat. As Corsair, he has made himself into a brilliant starship pilot, second to almost none. Corsair is a master swordsman, and has mastered the use of various alien weapons including the pulse blasters that are kept within the pocket dimension hidden within the gems on his gauntlets.

Deathbird

First Appearance: Ms. Marvel #9 (1977)

Real Name: Unknown

Height: 5'8"

Weight: 180 lbs

Abilities and Weapons: Deathbird is an alien who possesses a metabolism superior to humans, giving her approximately an endurance level twenty times greater than a human being. Frequently able to work herself up to a berserker frenzy, Deathbird's equivalent adrenal system is capable of prolonging her endurance even beyond that of her normal superhuman limits. Deathbird's wings, which span 18 feet, enable her to fly like a bird in level flight, at a maximum speed through an Earth-type atmosphere of 63 miles per hour. Because of her alien metabolism, she can remain aloft for up to 6 hours before exhausting her body's fatigue poisons elimination ability (an additional 14 hours with a high-energy food supply) and somewhat less if she is carrying a load or exerting herself. She can bear aloft approximately 290 pounds and is capable of flying at any height at which she is still able to breathe. Deathbird also possesses talon-like fingernails of extraordinary tensile strength. She can use them to slice through wood, glass, and to score steel.

Heimdall

First Appearance: Journey into Mystery #85 (1962)

Real Name: Heimdall

Height: 7'2"

Weight: 575 lbs

Powers, Abilities, and More: Heimdall has the typical powers of an Asgardian god, including superhuman strength, stamina, and durability. He also possesses superhuman senses, most notably his vision and hearing. His senses are said to be so acute that he can hear sap running through trees and see events occurring miles away. Heimdall also briefly possessed the Odinpower, which granted him the power to channel cosmic energies. Heimdall is an experienced warrior, and a fierce hand-to-hand combatant. He wields a variety of swords, shields, and spears, and wears a suit of armor. Heimdall bears the Gjallerhorn, which he would sound to alert all of Asgard to dangers threatening the city's gates. While in the mortal form of Donald Velez, he wears enchanted glasses which grant him superhuman vision.

Karnak

First Appearance: Inhumans: The Untold Saga #1 (1990)

Real Name: Unknown

Height: 5'7"

Weight: 150 lbs

Powers and Abilities: Karnak possesses a degree of superhuman strength derived from his eugenically superior Inhuman heritage and his intensive regimen of regular exercise. Karnak has physically conditioned his body and mind to their peak levels of efficiency. He has voluntary control over most of his body's autonomic functions: breathing, heartbeat, bleeding, reaction to pain, rate of healing, etc. He is extremely lithe and flexible, able to expand and contract his muscles and contort his body into seemingly painful positions. He has toughened all the striking surfaces of his body in general, particularly his hands, so that they are covered in dense callus. Karnak is capable of shattering wood, cinderblock, even mild steel. Through mental discipline, Karnak has gained the extrasensory ability to perceive the stress points, fracture planes, or weaknesses, in all objects or persons around him.

Lilandra

First Appearance: X-Men #97 (1976)

Real Name: Lilandra Neramani

Height: 5'11"

Weight: 110 lbs

Powers: Lilandra possesses limited telepathic abilities, the extent of which have yet to be clearly defined. At one point she had formed a permanent telepathic link with Charles Xavier that allowed her to sense when he was in need.

Professor X

First Appearance: X-Men #1 (1963)

Real Name: Charles Xavier

Height: 6'0"

Weight: 190 lbs

Powers: Professor X is a mutant who possesses vast psionic powers, making him arguably the world's most powerful telepath. He can read minds and project his own thoughts into the minds of others within a radius of approximately 250 miles. With extreme effort, he can greatly extend that radius. Professor X can also psionically manipulate the minds of others, for example to make himself seem invisible, and project illusions into them. He can also induce temporary mental and/or physical paralysis, loss of particular memories or even total amnesia. Furthermore, Professor X can project powerful mental bolts of psionic energy enabling him to stun the mind of another being into unconsciousness. These bolts only apply force upon other minds; they do not inflict physical damage. Professor X can also sense the presence of other superhuman mutants within a small radius of himself by perceiving the distinct mental radiations emitted by such beings.

Uatu the Watcher

First Appearance: Fantastic Four #13 (1963)

Real Name: Uatu

Height: Variable

Weight: Variable

Powers: Uatu possesses vast psionic abilities such as telepathy, energy-manipulation, and illusion casting. His superhumanly-complex intelligence enables him to monitor activities throughout Earth's solar system simultaneously. Uatu can transform his body into a form of unknown energy while still retaining his sentience for travel through hyperspace. Bolstered by treatment with "delta-rays," Uatu possesses virtual immortality, although he can die by losing the will to live.