Askani

Clan Askani/Askani Sisterhood
Publication information
Publisher Marvel Comics
First appearance X-Factor #66
Created by Chris Claremont
In-story information
Type of organization Religion, resistance group
Base(s) Various
Leader(s) Mother Askani
Agent(s) Cable
Jenskot
Madame Sanctity
Blaquesmith
Malachi Hark
Lexii
Ozana
Qua
Sister Askani
Boak
Carly Alvarez (unconfirmed)

The Askani is a fictional organization in the Marvel Universe in the future/alternate timeline designated as Earth-4935, also known as Earth Askani. It is also the name of several characters working for the organisation and its philosophy.

The Askani play an important role in the series The Adventures of Cyclops and Phoenix, Askani'son, The Further Adventures of Cyclops and Phoenix and Cable.

Fictional character biography

The Askani was originally a small group, founded 2000 years in the future, by Rachel Summers. Rachel had been a member of Excalibur and was drawn into the timestream to the future when she switched places with Captain Britain. Arriving in the future, Rachel found a world dominated by the immortal mutant Apocalypse. She stumbled upon a mutant boy named Blaquesmith, who, because of her kindness, led her to a group called the "Order of Witnesses". They offered to help her in her mission to kill Apocalypse, whose forces had defeated a number of resistance groups such as the Xavier Collective, the Scions of Xavier, and even the Xavier Security Enforcers. Over several months, she gathered a ragtag band of followers and was almost killed by Diamanda Nero, Apocalypse's second-in-command. Diamanda went to the Order and killed all but their leader and a band of children before Rachel could stop her. After that her followers began to call her "Mother Askani", "Askani" meaning "outsider," as well as "Bright Lady".

Rachel led her group, called the Askani after her nickname, in an attempt to emulate the X-Men. Being empowered by the remains of the Phoenix-entity, Rachel was one of the most powerful beings on the planet and under her leadership the Askani became a threat to Apocalypse. She recruited another time-traveler, Tanya Trask, now known as "Sanctity", who became her second-in-command over time. As she grew older, Rachel grew weaker though, while Apocalypse, being immortal, stayed as powerful as ever, so she devised a plan to stop Apocalypse once and for all.

Back in the 20th century, Rachel had a brother, Nathan Christopher Summers, whose latent powers rivaled Rachel's own. Nathan was still a child back then, but Rachel knew that Apocalypse feared the child's powers and would try to kill him. One of the Askani volunteered and was turned into a being of pure energy, giving up her body. This woman, known only as Sister Askani, went back in time to the 20th century, but found that she was too late; Apocalypse had already infected Nathan with a lethal, techno-organic disease. To Cyclops, Nathan's father, Askani offered to take the child to the future where he could be cured, but warned that the child would never return. Faced with either his son's death or never seeing him again, Cyclops made the only possible choice and handed over the child.

Askani took the child (and the being known as Ship now living within Nathan's techno-organic body-parts) and returned to her own time. Arriving, the Askani discovered that the disease was more serious than expected and the decision was made to clone the child (despite protests by several members that cloning was against the Askani belief system). The child was cloned, but the Askani then noticed something odd. Somehow, the cloning process had stabilized the disease in Nathan. They had little time to investigate, as the Askani's base was attacked by Apocalypse's troops (it would later be revealed that Sanctity had betrayed them). With her last strength Mother Askani spirited Cyclops and his wife Jean Grey to the future into cloned bodies to raise the young Nathan. Cyclops and Jean, calling themselves "Slym" and "Redd," left with the child. The clone was captured by Apocalypse's troops and would later become Stryfe, enemy to both Apocalypse and the Askani. Mother Askani went into a coma shortly afterwards and would never physically awaken again, though her spirit would assist Nathan at times.

The remains of the Askani were taken over by Sanctity, who now called herself Madame Sanctity. She turned it into the Askani Sisterhood. Though officially called a Sisterhood, the Askani also had many males working for them. She experimented more with time-travel, and founded a cult based on the Askani principles in the 20th century. She also sent Cyclops and Jean back in time to the 19th century to ensure the creation of Mister Sinister, who had been instrumental in Nathan's birth. After Apocalypse was defeated, Cyclops and Jean returned to the present and Nathan remained on his own.

The world was now ruled by the New-Canaanites, a faction who followed Apocalypse's philosophy. Nathan came into contact with the Askani Sisterhood when he was a teenager. The Askani wanted the boy to join, being the prophesied "Askani'Son". He discovered that Sanctity was only interested in her own power and well-being though, and he refused to join. He did fall in love with one of Sanctity's followers, Aliya, who would eventually take the name Jenskot to honor both of Nathan's parents (Jean + Scott= Jenskot). Disagreeing with Sanctity's philosophies, Nathan, Aliya, and Nathan's best friend Tetherblood decided to split off to create their own version of what the Askani should be. Several of Sanctity's followers would join them later. Meanwhile, Sanctity was approached by Nathan's clone, Stryfe, and the mad woman accepted to train him.

The New Canaanites almost wiped out the remains of the Askani, and a small group remained under the leadership of Nathan, now known as the Askani Clan Chosen. Nathan started to call himself Cable, and after Aliya died and Stryfe kidnapped their son, Tyler, Cable came to see time-travel as the way to stop Apocalypse. Cable made several trips to other time periods, finally deciding on the end of the 20th century/beginning of the 21st century as the critical period where the future was shaped. During these time-travels the Clan Chosen was further and further reduced, only half a dozen members were remaining when last seen. Cable brought his friend Garrison Kane to the future to be healed. He returned a year later to pick up Garrison again and lead the Clan Chosen in a raid on the final time machine available. The raid succeeded and Cable and Kane went back in time. It was thought that Cable's actions in the past had eradicated this timeline, but since then it has been stated (in Marvel's Alternate Realities Handbook) that the Askani reality still exists as a divergent timeline.

Cable has been spreading the Askani philosophy and ideas in the present, seeing Askani as a way to build a strong foundation on the future.

Culture and technology

The tenet of the Askani is "What is, is.", meaning that one should not waste time with complaining about a situation, but accept the situation as it is, so that one can either move on or do something about it. The Askani philosophy is focused on self-responsibility in the first place, something which many of Sanctity's Sisterhood, such as Sanctity herself, have used as a way to deny their responsibility towards others, while Rachel and Cable think it only increases their responsibility towards others. The Askani religion uses the flaming bird of the Phoenix as their symbol: the Phoenix is used as a symbol of life and respect to their founder.

The Askani have their own martial art, which includes a fighting form called swarming (using teamwork to quickly overwhelm multiple opponents) and the use of the Psimitar, a spear-like weapon that can focus and enhance the psionic potential of the wielder.

Time-travel is very important to the Askani. According to Blaquesmith, a trained Askani can travel through time at will and Cable has once made a short jump in time in a combat situation. It is unclear whether the use of time-travel usually is incorporated in the Askani martial art.

The Askani have a unique way of meditating; they sit in the lotus position, but levitate upside down.

The Askani technology has its own unique appearance, while made out of metal and plastics, it has an almost organic look to it, it appears to be based on Apocalypse's technology, which in turn was based on the technology of the Celestials. The Askani have various forms of artificial life to assist them like the synthorgs—synthetic organisms—with complete sentience and ADAM-units, androids using a number as a name and programmed for peacekeeping. The most famous of these androids is the prototype Zero, who served Stryfe. ADAM-units can teleport and absorb or nullify energy.

Incarnations

Throughout the decades in which Apocalypse ruled the world and following his defeat, there were many Askani groups fighting for Xavier's dream, as well as preceding teams following Xavier's philosophy as well:

Pre and Non-Askani anti-Apocalypse groups

Askani Groups

Notable members

Askani in the present

Askani in the future

It was assumed that these characters and their timeline had ceased to exist when Cable killed Apocalypse. However, Apocalypse's recent resurrection once again raises questions about the ultimate fate of these characters.

Clan Chosen

Main article: Clan Chosen

It was assumed that these characters and their timeline had ceased to exist when Cable killed Apocalypse. However, Apocalypse's recent resurrection once again raises questions about the ultimate fate of these characters.

See also

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 7/31/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.