Who the Clix? is a series of articles featuring information on comic book characters that have been made into figures for the popular tabletop game Heroclix. These articles are meant to help Heroclix players learn more about the characters behind their favorite pieces.
He’s not as well known as his Exiles counterpart but without him, that version never would have existed! Of course, I’m talking about: Mimic
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Appearances in Heroclix: X-Men: Rise and Fall, Mutant Mayhem
First Appearance: X-Men #19 (April 1966)
Team Affiliantions: Brotherhood of Mutants, Dark X-Men, Jean Grey School, X-Men
Created by: Stan Lee and Werner Roth
Born in Passaic, New Jersey, Calvin Rankin has a fairly normal life up until an accident in his father’s lab. After being exposed to a mystery mixture of chemicals, Calvin gains the ability to temporarily copy the skills, physical traits, knowledge and/or super powers of any person within about ten feet. Without the ability to control this ability, people fear the young man as he struggles to adjust and so his father, Ronald, retreats into an old mine with his son. The scientist begins work on a machine that will allow Calvin to permanently retain the abilities he copies. Such an experimental machine proves to be too much of a power drain and creates a series of rolling black outs in the surrounding towns. Seeing the mob coming for him and his son, Ronald blasts the entrance to mine but is accidentally killed in the process leaving the device sealed away.
Calvin later encounters Beast and Iceman as civilians and copies their mutant powers. He later copies Marvel Girl’s telekinesis and endeavors to use the X-Men to reach his father’s machine. Creating a makeshift costume and calling himself Mimic, he attacks Xavier’s Mansion before kidnapping Marvel Girl and driving out to the mine. Once the X-Men arrive, he uses their powers to gain access to the machine and learn how it works. He activates it in the midst of the battle only to lose all his powers. Xavier had expected that the machine was secretly a “cure” for the young man’s condition and erases his memory of these events before sending him on his way.
While in the same college class as Jean Grey, Calvin’s memories return along with his powers. He again tries to gain the X-Men’s powers by joining the team via blackmail. He is able to rise to deputy leader before being expelled after a fight with Cyclops. He ends up aiding them in their battle against the Super-Adaptoid at the cost of his powers. These experiences cause Calvin to mature and become a better person.
Mimic’s powers return again, stronger than ever. Now, without his control, not only can he copy powers but he also drains the life force from those around him. While Beast tries to find a way to help Mimic, the hero seems to die in a battle against the Hulk after absorbing too much Gamma radiation. However, he actually fell into a strange hibernation like coma. By chance, Wolverine comes near him some time later and Mimic’s body is able to heal itself. Mimic also copies some of Wolverine’s other powers and with the help of the small Canadian, Joe Fixit and a hologram of Ronald Rankin, he begins to learn how to control his powers.
Mimic’s progress is lost when he again begins to drain people of their life force. He flees to a remote Siberian village to try and distance himself from people. There he encounters X-Force and a number of dead scientists. This confrontation ends when Mimic copies Sunspot’s powers and a massive blast goes off. He is later recruited by Onslaught who helps him stabilize his powers. Along with Blob, they battle Warpath before being subdued. After Onslaught is defeated, Operation Zero Tolerance imprisons Mimic until Excalibur tracks him down, believing him to be Professor X, and rescues him. They bring him back to Muir Island to recover where he befriends the team. He helps them battle Feron and attends Captain Britain’s wedding. Mimic later joins Mystique’s Brotherhood of Mutants and helps them free the real Xavier.
Mimic is recruited onto Norman Osborn’s X-Men team after being diagnosed and properly medicated for his bipolar disorder. He, along with Weapon Omega are able to neutralize and capture Nate Grey. After the siege of Asgard, Omega and Mimic leave HAMMER only for Omega’s powers to begin acting strangely. Mimic seeks out Beast, the only person that has always helped him in his time of need. Beast soon discovers that Omega is about to explode and the only way to prevent it is by inducing a coma. Omega begs Mimic to do it and he complies, copying Rachel Grey’s powers. The X-Men keep the comatose Omega in their care while allowing Mimic to stay as well.
Mimic remains with the team until Ahab arrives from the future to try and kill the time displaced original five X-Men. A younger version of Cable kills his older self and intends to help send the team back to their proper time. He captures Mimic, intending to forcefully amputate his wings to transplant them onto the younger Warren. Mimic surprises Cable by agreeing the procedure and then posing as young Cyclops to buy the team the time they need to return home at the cost of his own life.