Tam

Context

Tam is an obscure X-Men character, who first appeared in 1988.

There’s barely a character there. But I liked the sudden trope inversion where one of the faceless bad guy soldiers routinely overrun by super-heroes suddenly fight back with such skill as to maul Wolverine for a time.

Background

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Powers and Abilities

Tam was presumably the most badass human in the Genoshan military. She is a member of their elite commando force.

Beyond being a superb SWAT-type operator, she was a remarkable melee fighter. She thrashed Wolverine, albeit by surprise and whilst wielding a charged truncheon. She operates at a cinematic , action hero level.

Her rank isn’t mentioned, but one gets the sense that she was the equivalent of a Master Sergeant. The troops accompanying her were top-notch, conserving superior competence and aggression even under unexpected fire.

Magistrates assault squad with two power armour suits and a flyer.

Ordnance

Tam had access to the full range of Genoshan Magistrate weaponry, which included :

• Body armour, often including a full helmet with air filter and protective visor.
• Compact, high-capacity assault firearms.
• Tonfa-style batons discharging an unspecified form of energy when striking.
• Two-person, motorbike-like patrol flyers with a mounted heavy energy rifle – and occasionally an electrified capture net.
• High-speed single-person assault vehicles with what seemed to be a 30mm chaingun . These vehicles have a wheeled mode (where they are balanced on a single wheel) but can switch to a slower walker mode if the terrain requires it.
• Magistrates also use heavy suits of power armour . Whether Tam is qualified for those is unrevealed.

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History

Tam was an officer of the Genoshan Magistrates. These are a heavily-armed law enforcement agency doubling as Genosha’s military. The Magistrates are an advanced, well-trained force with access to S.H.I.E.L.D.-level technology and brainwashed superhuman mutants.

In 1989, a conflict erupted between Genosha and the X-Men teams, as Genosha’s economy rested on an enslaved mutant workforce. After major damage in Hammer Bay, Genosha’s capital, a retaliatory strike was organised on the X-Mansion in New York.

Mutant invasion

After some surveillance, a three-person Magistrates team attacked – Alex “Havok” Summers (who was at that time an amnesiac and had enlisted with the Magistrates), Tam, and another female commando. They couldn’t storm the underground base, but kept fighting long enough for a reinforcement squad to teleport in as per the plan.

The Magistrates retreated with minimal casualties. Furthermore they had captured Rictor, Boom-Boom, Warlock, Wolfsbane and Storm.

The strategy of having a small attack followed by sudden reinforcements worked well. Only Storm realised it was a trick and reacted in time to lock access to the base.

The X-Men soon launched a rescue mission. Wolverine (James Howlett), Psylocke (Betsy Braddock) and Jubilee (Jubilation Lee) located Rictor and Boom-Boom in Genosha.

The mutants ambushed a Magistrates flying patrol, but were surprised by the soldiers’ immediate and aggressive reaction. That was because the patrol was coincidentally led by Tam. Using this momentum she thrashed Wolverine with an energy truncheon, until Psylocke took her down from behind.

’cause it means destruction of innocent lives

Later crises resulted in :

• A civil war in Genosha.
• A coup by Magneto that destroyed the Magistrates and built a pro-mutant regime.
• And years later an invasion by an immense fleet of Sentinels that ravaged the island.

Whether Tam survived these disasters is unrevealed.

Enemy identification

There’s some confusion about Tam’s appearances. This seems caused by a mixture of :

• Repeated colouring mistakes about her hair, once from one page to the next.
• Generic low-detail comic book faces, accentuated by her wearing a uniform and headgear.
• No rank or last name being given for Tam in her appearances.
• Chief Magistrate Anderson also being named Tam. It may be that Marvel mixed the two up. Or it may be that “Tam” was a popular first name for baby girls in Genosha some decades back.

On this panel, Tam’s hair is miscoloured reddish brown.

So we concur with our Marvunapp  colleagues (specifically Stunner) that Tam Last Name Unrevealed and Tam Anderson are two different Genoshan Magistrates, and that Tam likely never appeared again.

Description

See illustrations.

Personality

A cold, tough, efficient, disciplined soldier.

She didn’t like mutants, especially after the damage the wars caused to her country.

However, she also despised the sadistic Cameron Hodge, and when the X-Men attacked she was planning to mercy-kill Rictor and Boom-Boom rather than deliver them to the horrific Hodge.

She seemed to be a “noble foe” type.

Quotes

“Fatal mistake, genejoke.”

“Orders are orders.”

“I lost some friends to you personally, Wolverine. Been aching for a chance to settle the score.”

By Sébastien Andrivet.

Source of Character: X-Men #270-271.

Helper(s): Darci.