Onslaught
Context
Onslaught was the Mega-Powerful Big Marvel Event Villain of 1996. He was a fusion of Professor Charles Xavier’s dark side, and Magneto.
Onslaught made his inevitable return in 2007, 2011 and probably beyond. But this profile was written before that, so it’s about the 1996 Onslaught story arc.
Background
- Real Name: Charles Xavier, Erik Magnus Lehnsherr, Franklin Richards.
- Marital Status: Single.
- Known Relatives: N/A.
- Group Affiliation: None.
- Base Of Operations: NYC, USA.
- Height: Variable. Weight: Variable.
- Eyes: Shining Blue. Hair: None
Advertisement
Powers and Abilities
Onslaught is the most powerful psi ever to walk the Earth. No other psi stands a chance against him in combat. He radiates power on a cosmic level and seemingly can perform nearly any feat with his mental powers.
Physically he is also extremely tough (Kryptonian-level ). He was able to, for example, hurl Juggernaut from Toronto to NYC in combat (in DC Heroes terms he presumably boosted the Knockback by Power Reserve and Telekinesis). Onslaught’s powerful mind allows him to evade mental detection, while nobody’s secrets are hidden from him.
He is very intelligent and cunning, as well as a master strategist. He often relies on mental trickery, such as the use of illusions and mental control. But he will, if clearly threatened blast (physically or mentally) a group into complete submission.
Onslaught possesses the combined scientific knowledge of both Professor Xavier and Magneto. He created, for example, a powerful power siphoner device, and would later use his matter manipulation power to create devices out of the air itself. In fact, his knowledge seems to surpass the individual knowledge of both Xavier and Magneto.
It can be said that Onslaught is a cosmic character several levels above most gods, and as such may represent the greatest threat the world has ever seen.
History
The creation of the being known as Onslaught started when Professor Charles Xavier, mentor of the X-Men, mind-wiped his archenemy Magneto. This essentially turned Magneto’s mind off. This was the ultimate sacrifice made by Xavier, a man with total responsibility of his powers, as it was seemingly the last and only way to end the threat of Magneto forever.
Xavier, however, connected to Magneto’s soul. While attacking him, he had to fully lower his psychic defenses. A small mental fragment of corruption thus entered Xavier’s mind from the being of Magneto, though Xavier was unaware of this. It might have been Magneto’s last desperate attack or a form of revenge.
Advertisement
Bad seed
This corruption grew in time in Xavier. Over many months it became stronger and stronger. Eventually Xavier became schizophrenic and developed the evil persona of Onslaught. He made many irrational decisions during this time. The X-Men realized something was wrong, but Onslaught himself was completely hidden from everyone.
Onslaught continued to work through Xavier and contacted Franklin Richards in a mental invisible form. Onslaught also studied the being known as X-Man. Onslaught believed that adding the powers of both Richards and X-Man to himself would enable him to attain his goal – namely conquering and controlling the entire world.
The onslaught begins
When Onslaught was sufficiently strong to start his plans he created himself a physical form and fought the X-Men. The X-Men though that they had been forced to kill their former mentor, who was now calling himself Onslaught. But that was but a deception on Onslaught’s part.
Onslaught did capture Franklin Richards and X-Man and added their powers to his own. He built a citadel in the heart of NYC and unleashed the Sentinels upon the population. The Earth appeared to be on the brink of destruction and collapse… read it all in the 6 Onslaught Trade Paperbacks!
Description
Onslaught is a huge physical being that appears to be all about power. The armor he wears, covering his entire body, is in fact a psi-armor of his own design that contains his true essence, pure energy. The armor is reminiscent of Magneto’s costume in color themes of red and purple.
Onslaught always moves and talks in a grand-mannered way. Sometimes, however, he just stands completely still and observes his enemies. In addition to his common visage, he can present himself as anybody by the use of mental deceptions.
Personality
Onslaught has the personality of an angry and insane god. He is fatally intelligent, but overconfident. He appears to be very certain about the success of his plans and it is very important for him to appear supremely powerful and confident before all his enemies.
His plans include the constant increase of power and position. He will usually not make his move until well-made plans have been made and he is supremely certain of success.
Manipulative…
Strangely, perhaps as a personality trait gained from Xavier, he doesn’t kill his worst opponents as soon as possible, but instead chooses to toy with them. Onslaught loves to use his powers for deception and trickery before attacking.
Several opponents, have, in fact, been tricked into thinking that they have defeated him, after which he will crush their moral by revealing that it was all just a foolish dream. After all, you can’t surprise a telepath!
He sends friends against friends under his mental control and manipulates people so much that they can no longer be certain of what is real and what is not. In most appearances he attempts to make himself appear more powerful than what he really is which hints at some insecurity.
… yet rash
Although he realizes the importance of good planning, he is also without patience. As such, he will sometimes lash out, incapacitating potential opponents in the area, and thus reveal his existence too soon.
He bears no friendly feelings towards his creator and has chosen to use him, Xavier, as a power source to further his goals of domination. There can be no doubt that Onslaught is very ruthless.
His major flaw seem to be timing. He either waits too long to launch a plan, or then reveals his existence before he is ready to act. Also, instead of carrying out his plans by himself, which probably is beneath him, he prefers to send people after his opponents, which is a less effective approach.
Onslaught is also very talkative and speaks eloquently much like Xavier does. It seems possible that the personality traits he has inherited from Xavier are also responsible for holding him back, and making him a bit less effective than one of his power levels should be.
Nevertheless, Onslaught is a major threat given his extreme power level and never to be underestimated.
Quotes
“I am a god. And to those who do not worship me I am an angry god. Know my name.”
DC Universe History
No way ! This guy is much too powerful for the DC Universe. Joking aside, he is a fitting force for a powerful incarnation of the Justice League. Wherever cosmic beings abound Onslaught fits right in.
Writeups;org contributor Adam Fuqua further suggested – Could Onslaught have psychically possessed Hal Jordan ? Maybe the other powers came from the ring itself. That might explain a lot of things that theoretically go against his personality according to his fans. Onslaught could replace the “alien parasite” retcon .
Game Stats — DC Heroes RPG
Tell me more about the game stats
Onslaught
| Dex: 06 | Str: 25 | Bod: 18 | Motivation: Psychopath/Power Lust |
| Int: 12 | Wil: 22 | Min: 22 | Occupation: World Conqueror |
| Inf: 12 | Aur: 25 | Spi: 13 | Resources {or Wealth}: N/A |
| Init: 030 | HP: 250 |
Powers:
Control: 18, Detect (Powers): 07, Dimension Travel: 08, Electromagnetic Pulse: 21, Flight: 08, Growth: 05, Iron Will: 10, Life Sense*: 22, Magnetic Control: 23, Mental Blast*: 22, Mental Freeze: 20, Mental Illusion*: 22, Mental Invisibility*: 22, Mind Blank*: 22, Mind Blast: 19, Mind Field: 10, Mind Probe: 12, Personality Transference*: 22, Power Reserve (STR, all Powers): 04, SL (Spirit Travel): 04, Telekinesis: 12, Telepathy: 27
Bonuses and Limitations:
- Self Link (Spirit Travel) is also Usable by others (+5).
- Telekinesis can be used in conjunction with the Planned Knockback maneuver to throw opponents vast distances (APs of Telekinesis minus the weight of the Target may be added to RAPs of Knockback) (+1).
- Dimension Travel represents his ability to travel to the sub-internal Dimension within the Astral Plane and may only be used to transport himself and subjects there or to Earth (-2).
- All Mental Powers are reduced by two column shifts on the Astral Plane (-1).
- Personality Transference is only usable on mutants and only when his physical form has been destroyed (-1).
Skills:
Gadgetry*: 12, Scientist*: 12
Advantages:
Genius, Scholar (Computers, Robotics, Mutations, Psi powers).
Connections:
None.
Drawbacks:
Dark Secret (real identity; earlier only), Minor Psychological Instability (constant struggle of constrained victims).
Equipment:
- Newest Class of Sentinels (see write-up of Sentinels: Omega Class for stats).
- Energy Siphoner Device [BODY 08, Power Drain: 40, Bonus: APs of absorbed powers are transferable to machine user, i.e. Onslaught. The siphoner is located in the Astral Plane].
Prisoners of war
During the time Franklin Richards and X-Man were imprisoned inside his Internal Dimension he had free access to their powers and abilities via his Energy Siphoner Device.
Onslaught would thus have Continuum Control (a lot of APs; this was used to create his headquarters in central New York) and Power Reserve (added to his own APs, and usable with All Powers and Attributes). For the APs of Continuum Control and Power Reserve, see the write-ups of Franklin Richards and X-Man.
Later, Professor Xavier was also imprisoned inside the Internal Dimension. During this time Onslaught could access all of Xavier’s Powers, and Onslaught would add, AP-wise, the APs of any power that Onslaught already possessed. Onslaught will loose all of his captives’ powers if his Energy Siphoner Device is destroyed.
Onslaught defeated !
Defeating Onslaught is difficult. The physical stats given in this write-up represent Onslaught’s stats wearing the psi-armor. The armor should be treated as having Hardened Defenses.
If Onslaught’s BODY is reduced to 0 or less the armor will be considered broken; at that point Onslaught will leave the armor and roam free as an energy being. In this form Onslaught is a Self Linked Spirit Travel character, always on at 04 APs. Supposedly Onslaught could leave the armor whenever he wanted as an energy being, but probably chose never to do so.
While an energy being Onslaught cannot be attacked by any physical means, but is still subject to mental and mystical attacks; thus Mental and Mystical Attacks can always be used to attack him. Onslaught can be reborn in a new physical body if it enters the body of any mutant (this is treated as an attack of Personality Transference of 22 APs), and the threat is slowly reborn.
Such a takeover is likely to be permanent and Onslaught will then supposedly start to form a new psi-armor form around himself and the host again, using the Physical Stats given above or the Physical Stats of the host, whichever are higher.
A weakness in his energy form is that it is possible to bind Onslaught, linking him against his will to the physical world, by having a non-mutant character enter his energy form. If that happens, he will have a solid physical body again (with a BODY equal to his SPIRIT score of 13 APs).
Reducing the BODY of his new physical form to 0 or less will permanently dissipate his energies and seemingly, finally, physically destroy him.
Source of Character: Onslaught Crossovers, Marvel.