Exemplars (comics)

The Exemplars are a fictional group appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The Group is made up of eight humans—Bedlam, Carnivore, Conquest, Decay, Inferno, Juggernaut, Stonecutter, and Tempest—who were empowered by the Octessence.^[1]

Exemplars
The Exemplars as seen in The Avengers vol. 3 #24 (Jan. 2000). Art by George Pérez.
Publication information
Publisher	Marvel Comics
First appearance	Peter Parker: Spider-Man #11 (Nov. 1999)
Created by	Howard Mackie
In-story information
Base(s)	Mobile
Member(s)	Bedlam Carnivore Conquest Decay Inferno Juggernaut Stonecutter Tempest

Fictional team history

Eight powerful magical beings known as the Octessence could not agree on which of them was the most powerful. They decided on a wager wherein each of the eight beings created an artifact that would turn the first human being that touched it into an Exemplar, personifying the power of that specific magical being. When all eight Exemplars were formed, they would have a Ceremony of the Octessence, where the Exemplars could battle and determine who was the most powerful.

The first Exemplar was Juggernaut, who had formerly been Cain Marko, stepbrother to Charles Xavier. Marko found the Crimson Ruby of Cytorrak while serving in the Korean War. However, the Temple of Cytorrak collapsed while he was inside, and it took Marko many years to dig himself out.

Seven other humans were transformed into Exemplars: Olisa Kabaki, Count Andreas Zorba, Bridget Malone, Yoshiro Hachiman, Sam McGee, Utama Somchart, and Nicolette Giroux. Despite all eight Exemplars coming from drastically different backgrounds, all were primarily motivated by their frustration and rage at having failed to get what they wanted out of life. Although each Exemplar committed villainous acts on their own, the first action the Exemplars took as a team was to attack Spider-Man in the basement of the Daily Bugle. As a team, they also fought against Iron Man, Thor, and Professor X when they attempted to recruit Juggernaut for the construction of the 'God Machine', which they would use to take over the world. With the aid of the four gathered heroes, Iron Man and Thor held off the rest of the Exemplars, while Spider-Man tricked them into destroying a vital component of the machine. Xavier then used his powers to draw out the true Juggernaut. Once free, Juggernaut was able to destroy the machine, causing an explosion that sent the Exemplars flying all around the world while the heroes managed to escape.

Although Juggernaut resisted Cyttorak's evil influence (Iron Man speculated that the process that gave him his powers had been interrupted) and eventually switched to the side of good, the other Exemplars did not, each of them determined to continue their respective entity's vendetta against the others. Having come together after the explosion, they tracked Juggernaut to New York, declared him a traitor, and captured him, planning on executing him for his crimes against the Octessence. At the last moment, Juggernaut was rescued by the combined force of the Avengers, the team consisting of Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Wonder Man, the Scarlet Witch, Firestar, Justice, Wasp, and Giant-Man, while being aided by Quicksilver, Hercules, Spider-Man, and Nova. The Exemplars managed to defeat all of the heroes except for Captain America, who made Bedlam realized that she and the other Exemplars had significant psychological alterations made by the entities that gave them their powers. Bedlam used her psionic powers to broadcast her realization to the other Exemplars, clearing their minds of the evil mystical influence while retaining their powers. After that, they departed until they could figure out what to do next and have not been seen since then.

Membership

Bedlam

Bedlam (Olisa Kabaki): An 8-year-old girl from Kenya. She was eager to learn as a child but was hampered by the drugs she had to take for a mental disorder. Empowered by the Ivory Idol of Ikonn, she possesses powerful telepathic and telekinetic abilities, including the ability to fire off debilitating mental bolts.

Carnivore

Carnivore (Andreas Zorba): A Greek Count and an independent collector of antiquities, while simultaneously lacking a real interest in maintaining his collection. Empowered by the Fearsome Fist of Farallah, he possesses superhuman physical abilities, enhanced senses, and powerful claws. He was killed by the Black Knight.^[2]

Conquest

Conquest (Bridget Malone): A woman from Belfast, Northern Ireland. She lost many of her family members in the Troubles and is a possible victim of rape. She has suspected links to the IRA. She went on the run when she was suspected of being involved in a shootout with the police. Empowered by the Kestrel Key of Krakkan, Conquest possesses enhanced fighting skills and a wide assortment of weaponry attached to her costume, also demonstrating enhanced agility and the ability to fire powerful bolts of energy from the Kestrel Key.

Decay

Decay (Yoshiro Hachiman): A Japanese business efficiency expert, generally disliked for constantly firing people. He is known to have a fondness for artwork. Empowered by the Verdant Vial of Valtorr, he possesses a "touch of death" that caused both organic and inorganic objects to disintegrate.

Inferno

Inferno (Samantha McGee): An American pilot from Tennessee. She used to be employed by the United States Air Force but resented the lack of freedom she felt when under the control of her employers. She resigned, moved to Nunavut, Canada, and set up her own company, McGee Charter Service. She was self-employed, but the business was not lucrative. Empowered by the Blinding Brazier of Balthakk, she possesses the ability to fly and generate intense heat and flames, generally focused on powerful bolts of energy strong enough to vaporize steel.

Juggernaut

Juggernaut (Cain Marko): Stepbrother of Professor X and long-time foe of the X-Men. Empowered by the Crimson Crystal of Cyttorak, he possesses superhuman strength and invulnerability, becoming unstoppable once in motion.

Stonecutter

Stonecutter (Utama Somchart): An itinerant worker from Thailand. He was a dreamer and graffiti artist who lacked professional skills and the talent to be the artist he wanted to be. He is empowered by the Ringed Ruby of Raggadorr, possessing enhanced strength and combat skills, as well as the ability to design and build machines rapidly.

Tempest

Tempest (Nicolette Giroux): A French woman and an international game warden who was known to take her job too far. Empowered by the Wondrous Waterfall of Watoomb, she possesses the ability to manipulate nature, which enables her to manipulate plant life, the earth, weather, and the wind, as well as transform into living fog.