Vulcan (Gabriel Summers) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He first appeared in X-Men: Deadly Genesis #1 (January 2006). He is the third Summers brother to be revealed, the younger brother of X-Men characters Cyclops and Havok.
Publication history Though a third Summers brother was mentioned years before by Sinister during an encounter with Cyclops, Vulcan first appeared in X-Men: Deadly Genesis #1, a story written by Ed Brubaker that ran from January to July 2006. Vulcan then appeared in "The Rise and Fall of the Shi'ar Empire" storyline, also written by Brubaker, in The Uncanny X-Men issues #475 to 486 (September 2006 to July 2007). After Brubaker left The Uncanny X-Men, Christopher Yost took over as writer beginning with the X-Men: Emperor Vulcan mini-series, which ran from November 2007 to March 2008. In July, 2008, Marvel.com posted a news article of an alternate cover of Emperor Vulcan featuring the phrase "Who Will Rule?", accompanied by the text "Stay tuned to Marvel.com and get ready for the blockbuster answer at San Diego Comic-Con!". This was all to build up to the "War of Kings" storyline, and Vulcan's part of the story is set up in the Kingbreaker mini-series, written by Yost.
Fictional character biography
Origins
Vulcan is the unborn child of Christopher Summers (later known as Corsair) and Katherine Summers, parents of Cyclops and Havok. After D'Ken, Majestor of the Shi'ar, kills Katherine, Gabriel is taken from her body and placed in an incubator so he can fully mature. While being sent to Earth to serve Erik the Red, Gabriel escapes and is found by Moira MacTaggert, who adopts him and helps him master his powers. Subsequently, he joins Petra, Darwin, and Sway in a mission to rescue the original X-Men from the sentient island Krakoa. However, Krakoa kills Petra and Sway and leaves Vulcan and Darwin for dead.
Deadly Genesis
Reawakened in modern times by the mutant energy released during M-Day, Vulcan returns to Earth to seek revenge against Charles Xavier, killing Banshee in the process and kidnapping Rachel Summers and Cyclops. Vulcan subconsciously uses the absorbed powers of Petra and Sway to manipulate the X-Men, and figures out the truth of the mystery behind the missing team of X-Men that were lost on Krakoa. Vulcan is able to lure Professor Xavier out of hiding, and confronts him in front of the X-Men, wanting the Professor to reveal to them all what really happened to Vulcan and his team. However, Xavier is unable to do so, because, in the wake of M-Day, he is no longer a mutant. Enraged, Vulcan commands Marvel Girl to link their minds so that everyone can see what transpired. Reluctantly, Rachel does so, and with Xavier as a guide, she is able to not only reveal the truth behind what really happened on Krakoa, but she also detects another consciousness within the mind of Vulcan. It is revealed that, following the death of Petra and Sway, Darwin transformed himself into energy and bonded with Vulcan, thus saving them both. The two entered a state of suspended animation after Polaris launched Krakoa into space. Cyclops returned to Professor Xavier in a hysterical state, blaming himself for the deaths of the team, and Xavier used his psychic powers to erase all knowledge of their existence. Vulcan remained on Krakoa, inert, until the massive backlash of power resulting from M-Day awakened him, whereupon he returned to Earth to confront the X-Men, revealing the truth behind the Krakoa incident to them. With these revelations, Marvel Girl reaches into Vulcan's mind and releases Darwin from his body. Using this opportunity, the X-Men attack him as they deem him too dangerous to be left alone. Vulcan easily repels their attack and flees the planet, renouncing Cyclops as his brother, and heads for space, bent on revenge.
The Rise and Fall of the Shi'ar Empire
While traveling through Shi'ar space, he learns from a crew member whose starship he had destroyed that D'Ken has been comatose for years after his experience in the M'Kraan Crystal and that Lilandra Neramani is the current ruler of the Shi'ar. Undaunted, Vulcan continues on his quest for vengeance by engaging a trio of Shi'ar warships, and destroying two of them, thereby showing his superiority to the crew of the surviving third ship, which Vulcan then commandeers for his own. After reaching the inner territory of the Shi'ar throneworld, Chandilar, the ship is confronted and ordered to surrender by the Imperial Guard. However, the captain of Vulcan's ship had deceived Vulcan as to the Guard's true strength, hoping to use him as a pawn in Vice-Chancellor K'Tor's plan to restore the old Empire; as a result, Vulcan is unprepared for the true power of the Guard, and especially their leader, Gladiator. Vulcan kills several powerful guardsmen in combat (Neutron, Cosmo, Smasher, and Impulse, among possible others), but is defeated by Gladiator, and taken to a prison moon. He remains a prisoner there until an agent of the Vice-Chancellor frees him from his shackles, and directs him to another cell to free Deathbird. However, soon afterwards, Deathbird manages to convince him to at least delay his plan for vengeance, after the two become romantically involved. Vulcan then uses his powers to heal D'Ken's injuries. Afterwards, a grateful D'Ken asks Vulcan to marry Deathbird. After his wedding, Vulcan throws Professor Xavier into the M'Kraan Crystal, kills D'Ken, and names himself Emperor of the Shi'ar. Darwin leaps into the Crystal after Xavier, and soon after emerges with him. During the battle Vulcan kills Corsair, claiming he does not have a father and blaming Corsair for letting his mother die. Xavier, Nightcrawler, Warpath, Darwin, and Hepzibah, are sent back to Earth. Meanwhile, Havok, Marvel Girl, Polaris, Ch'od, Raza, and Korvus form a new team of Starjammers bent on defeating Vulcan and salvaging the remains of the Shi'ar empire.
… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.
