| Mesmero |
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| Real Name: Unknown Powers: Mesmero's mutant ability allows him to hypnotize any human who make eye contact with him. The effects of the hypnotism vary according to Mesmero's wishes, ranging from partial or full amnesia, giving a person new memories, alter a person's personality or cause complete personality or cause complete personality. The full extent of his powers remains unrevealed, but he has maintained control over seven people at once. Mesmero has also proven capable of producing illusions directly in the minds of his victims and can direct a blast of mental energy at his victims. History: Nothing is known about the mutant Mesmero before he became a costumed villain. Mesmero was hired by what appeared to be the mutant villain Magneto and offered the position of second in command of the Demi-Men, what horde of what appeared to be powerful mutants. In reality, Magneto and the Demi-Men were robots built by roboticist Samuel "Star" Saxon, who would later become known as the Machinesmith, in order that they could steal for him. He made the robots appear to be mutants, who were then the object of great fear. Saxon decided that he needed a real mutant to lead the robots, and he planned to work behind the scenes, giving orders through the Magneto robot. Mesmero apparently did not know that Magneto was a robot or that Saxon was the real mastermind. Lorna Dane, the mutant called Polaris, was captured by the Demi-Men and hypnotized by Mesmero into believing that Magneto was her actual father. Saxon then activated her latent mutant magnetic powers. The overconfident Mesmero dropped control over Dane, figuring she would follow her father's orders. Mesmero and the Demi-Men then came into conflict with the mutant heroes, the X-men. Dane was able to learn that Magneto was not her father, and aided the X-men in their battle against the Demi-Men. The Demi-Men were destroyed, but Mesmero and the Magneto robot escaped. Mesmero latter learned that he was serving a robot Magneto when he saw the it destroyed by mutant-hunting Sentinel robots. He escaped the Sentinels while they were busy fighting the X-men. Much later, Mesmero hypnotized all the X-men into thinking they were performers at a circus. With the help of the mutant Beast, who had left the X-men at the time, the mutants broke free of Mesmero's control, although at the time, the real Magneto appeared to take the X-men and Mesmero captive into the stratosphere, and Magneto cast Mesmero to South America. Mesmero was next seen performing as a stage hypnotist in New York City. He came into conflict with the hero Spider-Man, and was beaten by him. Presumably, he was imprisoned but later escaped. Later, Mesmero briefly gave up his criminal career, moving to England and setting himself up as a hypno-therapist. Evenutally, he was discovered by the mutant twins Fenris, who attempted to extort Mesmero into committing crimes for themselves or risk their reporting his whereabouts. Mesmero hypnotized the British hero team Excalibur to protect him, except for their member Shadowcat, who was attenting Saint Searle's School for Young Ladies at the time. Shadowcat freed her teammates, and with them took the fight to Fenris directly. Mesmero was defeated by Lockeed, Shadowcat's pet dragon and other St. Searle students. Later still, Mesmero was hunted down by the Dark Riders and seemingly killed. In reality, Mesmero revealed that he hypntoized the Dark Riders into thinking they had killed him. Mesmero next tried to control the Canadian hero team Alpha Flight, and he pitted the members of Alpha Flight against each other. The heroes soon came to their senses, and Mesmero escaped. Mesmero tried to gain revenge on the X-Men, hypnotizing them into believing they were back in medieval times. Mesmero, playing the role of an evil wizard, was knocked unconscious by Shadowcat and the illusion was broken. Mesmero's true fate remains unknown. |