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.
The strange little mutant that could: Peepers
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Appearances in Heroclix: X of Swords
First Appearance: Captain America Annual #4 (1977)
Team Affiliations: Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, Secret Empire
Powers/Abilities: Telescopic/microscopic eyesight; X-ray vision; Eye beams
Created by: Jack Kirby
Peter Quinn is born in Cedar City, Utah and leads a largely uneventful life. Until Magneto arrives to recruit him into a new Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. Because of his mutation, Peter takes the code name Peepers. This new Brotherhood is unsuccessful in their first mission and swiftly abandoned by Magneto. The group does remain together and change their name to Mutant Force. Their first job is helping Mandril battle the Defenders. Peepers serves as the field leader with some measure of success, even capturing some of the Defenders. However, they ultimately prove unsuccessful and are beaten by the hero team. After being arrested, they plead for clemency and become government agents in exchange for presidential pardons. During this short-lived government endorsement, they battle the Hulk as well as testifying against the Defenders. They also work for Professor Power’s Secret Empire.
After being secretly drafted by the Red Skull, the group begin calling themselves the Resistants. Publicly, they claim to be protesting for mutant rights while actually carrying out terrorist attacks. While Slither left the group, the remaining members wear helmets that hide their identity. During this time, Peepers calls himself Occult. They battle John Walker during his time as Captain America several times, even rescuing the mutant Quill from his custody. They eventually come into conflict with Freedom Force, another version of the Brotherhood that became government agents.
Suffering from PTSD due to the murder of his parents, John Walker seemingly kills several members of the Resistants near Carson City, Nevada. This includes Occult. While Occult, and the Resistants, later appear alive, Quinn’s demeanor has clearly changed. Even as they change their name back to Mutant Force and Quinn returns to using the Peepers code name, the man is increasingly skittish and afraid during battle. Peepers is eventually imprisoned in The Cage and there he meets both Wolverine and Beast. By this time, he is an unstable, stuttering, nervous shell of a man. He viciously attacks another inmate that tries to kill Beast during this time. For some reason, he is soon released and becomes a bartender at a bar for super villains.
After M-Day, Peepers is attacked by the Sapien League alongside Mammomax and Erg. The trio make it to the Xavier Institute just in time to be saved by Wolverine and Colossus. Peepers is separated from the other two during the ensuing chaos but meets and befriends Outlaw, who is also on her way to seek sanctuary at the Institute. Peepers is one the mutants that eventually receives a tracking chip and has it removed before becoming a disciple of Mr. M.
Peepers is later attacked and eaten by Predator X after calling X-Factor investigations. Through some unknown means, he reappears alive in Murderworld some time later and escapes after Arcade’s defeat.
After the founding of Krakoa, Peepers joins SWORD’s team “The Six.” He is reunited with his old leader, Magneto, who is proud for Peepers to have attained such respectability all these years later.
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