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    Maverick

    Character » Maverick appears in 365 issues.

    Christopher Nord, better known as Maverick, was a mercenary for hire who was once a member of the CIA's Team X and later a subject of Weapon X. For a time he operated as Agent Zero until he was de-powered following the Decimation.

    Short summary describing this character.

    Maverick last edited by sergiovse on 03/13/22 08:25AM View full history

    Origin

    Maverick's first Appearance
    Maverick's first Appearance

    Christoph Nord was born in East Germany. He is a mutant, a soldier, and an idealist. Christoph fought against the communist regime during the height of the Cold War, joining the West German Underground, and working with a black ops team called Cell Six. While in Venice trying to stop an assassination, Christoph had a run in with the Confessor. Nord was still young, and was defeated. He fell many stories from the chapel roof where they battled. As Christoph's powers had not yet emerged, he had to spend six months in the hospital after the battle. While in the hospital, he met a woman named Ginetta Nord (then Ginetta Barsalini), whom he fell in love with. The two were married a year later in Sicily.

    After three years of married life, Maverick's team, Cell Six, was ambushed by Soviet troops. Everyone died, except for Christoph, it was then that he finally saw his wife for what she truly was... KGB. Knowing that her cover was blown, Ginetta tried to attack Christoph with a kitchen knife. He fired twice and Ginetta fell. Just before she died, she told him that their unborn child died with her.

    Creation

    Maverick was created by Jim Lee and John Byrne and first appeared in X-Men #5 published in 1992.

    Mayor Story Arcs

    Team X

    Part of Team X
    Part of Team X

    Having lost everything, Christoph became the perfect soldier, cunning and deadly. His exploits caught the attention of the CIA, who offered him a spot in the clandestine Team X. He agreed, moved to America, and changed his name to David North. As a part of Team X, he was one of several mutant operatives, including John Wraith (Kestrel), Logan (Wolverine), and Victor Creed (Sabretooth), that the CIA and Weapon X used for experiments, and sent on sub-black ops missions. Each member unknowingly received false memory implants after their missions were completed, and North received an aging suppressant culled from Logan's mutant healing factor.

    On a mission in East Germany, both Creed and Logan were badly injured by shrapnel. Rather than following his orders and leaving them behind, North dragged them across the the countryside. Reaching the border, he was cornered by Andreas Nord, his brother-turned-soviet-assassin, who offered to let him live if he gave up Logan and Creed. North saved his teammates the only way he could; by killing his own brother (as well as the rest of the men with him). North took a few hits as well, but wasn't permanently injured. Because of this incident, Logan holds North in very high regard.

    During a mission to retrieve a device called the Carbonadium Synthesizer, the team was attacked and defeated by Omega Red. Although Wolverine had retrieved the synthesizer, he decided that it could not be trusted in the hands of their superiors, and decided to give it to North to stash somewhere. Because of this item, North and Logan had many run-ins with Omega Red, who never gave up trying to get it back.

    Maverick

    Maverick the Mercenary
    Maverick the Mercenary

    In the early 1970s, The CIA officially disbanded Team X. However, the team's agents were captured by Weapon X to be used as test subjects. When Wolverine awoke after having Adamantium bonded to his skeleton, he went on a murderous rampage which allowed North and the others to escape. Around this time, North inexplicably lost his powers. Undaunted, North continued to work in espionage as a mercenary, now using the alias Maverick.

    Since then, he has specialized in the dirty jobs that no one else wants to do yet desperately need doing, using his mutant power to absorb and rechannel kinetic impact at will.

    Maverick was one of many mutants to contract the Legacy Virus, which almost cost him his life. While hiding out, waiting to die, Maverick was approached by Elena Ivanova, who wanted his help in tracking down Sabretooth, who had killed her mother. Unfortunately, Elena had inadvertently led Omega Red right to Maverick. Red wanted to capture Maverick and get the Carbonadium Synthesizer back for his own uses. The two managed to escape with the help of Kestrel, one of Maverick's former teammates.

    While seeking treatment at a clinic that offered to help mutants suffering from the Legacy Virus, Maverick rescued Bolt from the Friends of Humanity, who were attempting to bomb the clinic. Maverick helped Chris and his family find a new home and take on new identities. Unfortunately that didn't work out, and Maverick ended up saving Chris's life quite a few more times.

    While hiding out with Elena Ivanova, Maverick's virus finally gets to him, causing his heart to stop. He is dead for almost a minute, until Elena finally manages to bring him back with her psionic powers. Maverick wakes up with a an explosive blast of energy. Over the next few minutes, they discover that the Legacy Virus has gone into remission, and his powers have come back. Not only are his powers back, they are more powerful than ever, and have mutated in new ways. The kinetic energy his body absorbed could now be released as beams of concussive force or heat, or used to increase his physical strength up to tenfold. When the virus went into remission, it also destroyed all of Weapon X's artificial memory implants. Elena finally managed to track down Sabretooth, and sneaked out of the hotel where the two were staying while Maverick was out getting into a bar fight with Blob.

    Return of Weapon X

    As Agent Zero
    As Agent Zero

    When the Weapon X program was revived, two of the first people on their list to recruit were Maverick and Kestrel, his old teammate. Sabretooth was sent to recruit them both. When neither accepted the offer, he killed Wraith and brutally mauled Maverick. Near death, Maverick was taken to Weapon X headquarters, where he was healed and then upgraded with explicit intent of assassinating Wolverine. All odor from his body was removed, he was given a Vibranium suit which silenced all of his movement, his healing factor was greatly enhanced, and he gained the ability to shoot a corrosive chemical designed to hinder an enemy's healing factor from his fingertips. From this point on he became known as Agent Zero.

    Agent Zero's first mission was to kill Wolverine. He was given his Anti-Metal firing rifle, and perched on a roof to wait for his shot. When the opportunity arose, he missed, and tried to say that it was an accident. The Director didn't believe him, and Zero received a powerful electric shock. After Sabretooth escaped from the program, The Director once again showed his control over Zero by giving him an even more powerful shock when Zero was about to kill Creed.

    After Maverick's supposed death at the hands of Sabretooth, Bolt went to the mutant Cable to learn how to fight. He trained in armed and hand-to-hand combat, and took on Maverick's namesake in order to get revenge for him. Bolt got a costume just like Maverick's, and even started acting and sounding like him. While infiltrating the terrorist group Gene Nation, Bolt was sent to aid in the bombing of Grand Central Station. Agent Zero arrived to stop the bomber, and believed that it was Bolt (who was still dressed as Maverick). "Maverick" began drawing his gun, and Zero shot him, only to realize that "Maverick" had been trying to shoot the bomber. Zero went to remove the mask, realizing to his horror that it was his old friend Chris.

    Bolt never knew who Agent Zero was, and died believing that Maverick was long gone. Agent Zero held Gene Nation, especially Marrow, personally responsible for the boy's death. He went on a rampage, killing pretty much every member of the Gene Nation before going after Marrow herself.

    Decimation

    No Caption Provided

    When the Scarlet Witch depowered most of Earth's mutants, Maverick was one of the many who lost his powers. He began attending support groups for de-powered mutants and while attending one hosted by Jubilee, he was targeted by Omega Red. Fortunately for him, Wolverine was nearby and managed to help the de-powered Maverick. Although he was without powers, Maverick still put up a fight but it wasn't good enough. Omega Red managed to beat Maverick, reclaim the Carbonadium Synthesizer and kidnap Jubilee.

    A little bit after that, Nord would revert to type of being a manipulative merc whiles still dealing with suicidal tendencies. Secretly playing a Roxxon Corp's subsidiary called Blackguard against itself by selling top secret Weapon + casefiles that enabled them to recreate the process that enhanced Logan. Thus birthing the black operations super soldier initiative Strikeforce X. A conglomerate of dishonorably discharged nanoenhanciles drafted by the shady black budget facility to act in liberal rights sensitive hot zones where local natives in resource rich exploitive sites pose a problem to wealthy entrepreneurial pursuits.

    David would eventually find and kill off the man whom he'd sold plans for the strikeforce project off to after his old contemporary managed to mothball the Blackguard agencies ultimate plan of marketing biomechanically enhanced super killers off as extra special interest protectorates.

    Later life, Back as Maverick

    Recently, Christoph continued his escapades as a globetrotting hired gun in the interim of a paradigm shift. Having been tasked by Interpol to bring Doctor Doom in return for a generous sum of money after it was perceived Latvarian radicals attacked an extra lunar waste disposal project heralded by the united nations under his purview. The enigmatic special operative would come into conflict with Union Jack over whom begets taking the malfeasant dictator in for his crimes. Neither of whom being much of a threat to their shared target, dispatching both rather easily. Despite this, Victor surrendered to the proper authorities, both his would be captors acting as his escort to the proper authorities. Maverick, operating as mercenary again. Eventually affiliated himself with his own personal sect of hirelings whom make bank by selling their talents to those hungry for X-Men memorabilia.

    Coming to Conclusion
    Coming to Conclusion

    At some unknown point in time Christopher had underwent a mind wiping project that left him a malleable blank slate for anyone whom wished to use him for their own ends and was set to be auctioned off at a criminal underground sale. He would be rescued by Wolverine when the latter went to ground using his old patch alias to infiltrate the bidding war to see what all they'd be selling.

    As his cover was blow, James reminded Nord of an old saying his fellow Team-X conscript used to help him keep sane. The depowered mutant managed to regain a little bit of his old self as Logan reminded him of inspiring words of encouragement which Maverick used to tell his fellow inmate in order to maintain their rewritten identities. The two would fight their way out of the bidding arena only to come under fire from a CIA agent's private militia not long after After escaping into a busy area of Madripoor, Nord refused to vacate the premises via escape route to Krakoa. Opting to meet up with his old buddies in the Merc outfit whom Wolverine originally found contention with instead. As the two converse about old times during their black ops. days, Nord questions Wolverines newfound faith in what many across the world call a mutant cult. Recognizing how the more so grizzled veteran wouldn't take such a gift horse in the mouth as easily as this. In spite of their differences in opinions, the two would go on one such under the books mission for old times sake against an old mutants & masterminds regalia collectors thrift store in order to cover the tracks of every mutant said contents belonged to in the past.

    While the skeptical Nord; though still not interested in joining Krakoa, took to quoting how beautiful it was to before parting ways with Wolverine. Living by his namesake by stating not to care about regaining the past he left behind, preferring to do things his way and no one else's. In the aftermath, Maverick is met by the same central intelligence agency operative whom tried to buy him at the criminal auction. The agent of X-Desk coming to him with a job opportunity, something which David can only smile to.

    Powers and Abilities

    Maverick's mutant powers allow him to absorb kinetic energy from an impact with his body while taking little to no damage. He can store that energy and convert it into concussive blasts from his hands, or increase his physical strength up to tenfold. During his first visit to Weapon X, Christoph was given a superhuman healing factor, which also greatly suppresses his aging. During his second trip, all odor was removed from his body, he was given a Vibranium suit which makes his body movements completely silent, and he was given the ability to fire a corrosive chemical from his fingers which turns a mutant's healing factor against him.

    Maverick's power suit is airtight, and contains a few minutes worth of oxygen should he need it. At one point, he had an artificial booster field added to his armor, multiplying the kinetic energy of anything hitting him, thereby allowing him to absorb more power. He also added wrist-mounted needle launchers, which fired minuscule needles that sent powerful electric shocks through his target every few seconds. Maverick always carried an assortment of weapons, including pistols and rifles of many kinds.

    After healing and upgrading him, Weapon X gave Agent Zero a suit made of Vibranium, which not only render him completely silent, but also refracts light, allowing him to disappear in the dark. He once again started using wrist-mounted weapons, although this time they were plasma blasters. He carries two pistols loaded with Adamantium bullets, as well as an Adamantium knife. When he was sent to kill Wolverine, he was also given a precision sniper rifle loaded with Savage Land Vibranium or Anti-Metal rounds, supposedly the only thing that can pierce Adamantium. It is unknown if he still has possession of the rifle.

    Christoph has been a spy, a soldier, an assassin, and a mercenary, and as such he is greatly skilled in unarmed combat. For the last 50 or more years, all that Maverick has done is hone his body into a killing machine. He is well-trained in the use of many weapons, and is considered to be an expert marksman of the highest caliber. Even without his powers, he is certainly a force to be reckoned with.

    Christoph lost his powers as a result of Scarlet Witch actions during the House of M. Despite no longer having any powers, Christoph still uses his black-ops training to act occasionally as Maverick.

    Alternate Earths

    Earth-1287

    This is the home reality of the Maverick that was a member of the Weapon X group that appeared in Exiles. This Maverick was an agent of SHIELD, and after he was killed by an alternate version of Captain America, Maverick's body was taken home and he was given a proper burial by his world's Nick Fury.

    Earth-5700

    In this reality (a possible future), Agent Zero was a member of the X-Men, who were led by Wolverine. Unfortunately, The Director had mental controls installed in Zero's brain, and when they were activated, he slaughtered the rest of the X-Men. The last surviving member was Wolverine, and their friendship allowed Zero to fight the controls long enough to kill himself.

    Other Media

    Film

    Daniel Henney as Agent Zero
    Daniel Henney as Agent Zero
    • In X2: X-Men United, Maverick's name is listed in William Stryker's files on 's computer.
    • Maverick/Agent Zero does appear in X-Men Origins: Wolverine. The character is called simply Zero or Agent Zero, and is played by Daniel Henney. In the movie Zero is shown dual-wielding Berettas with extreme accuracy, and performing superhuman feats of agility and doesn't have his original powers. It is shown that Zero and Logan have great dislike for one another.

    Television

    Maverick in Wolverine and the X-Men
    Maverick in Wolverine and the X-Men
    • Maverick appeared in the X-Men: The Animated Series in the episode "Weapon X, Lies, and Video Tape." In the episode "Whatever It Takes", Morph turns into Maverick while trying to taunt Wolverine.
    • Although he never appeared in X-Men: Evolution, Omega Red mentions him when he is talking about a vendetta against Wolverine and the rest of Team X.
    • Maverick appears in the Wolverine and the X-Men episode "Past Discretions." In a flashback, he was targeted by Wolverine and Sabretooth. Maverick was brainwashed by Weapon X. He has a daughter named Christie Nord who was revealed to be a mutant with the ability of geokinesis. Since he remembers nothing about his past, he was assigned to abduct his own daughter. Wolverine then teamed up with Mystique after she informed him that Christie is in danger. The two fought Maverick and Sabretooth. After the encounter, Emma refreshed his memories making him remember Christie as his daughter again. He was voiced by Crispin Freeman.

    Video Games

    Agent Zero in the Wolverine game
    Agent Zero in the Wolverine game
    • Maverick is mentioned in Marvel Ultimate Alliance, but does not appear in person.
    • Maverick appears as Agent Zero as a boss in the X-Men Origins: Wolverine video game. This is the same version of Agent Zero as the movie. In the game he is voiced by Robert Wu. As in the movie, Zero is sent to kill Logan after he escapes from the Weapon X facility. After a fight, he is badly wounded when his helicopter crashes. Wolverine finishes him off by stabbing him in the chest.

    Novels

    • Maverick was a major character in the novel Codename Wolverine, which focused on Wolverine's time with Team X.

    Merchandise

    Marvel Legends
    Marvel Legends
    • Maverick was featured in ToyBiz's X-Men line in the 90s. A metallic variant of the figure was later released in a two-pack with Trevor Fitzroy.
    • Maverick was featured in the HeroClix figure game.
    • Maverick was featured in Hasbro's toyline for X-Men Origins: Wolverine.
    • Maverick was featured in Hasbro's Marvel Legends line as part of the Strong Guy Build-a-Figure wave.
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