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Sunfire (comics)

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Sunfire
Sunfire, as depicted in X-Men (vol. 2) #93 (August 1999).
Art by Alan Davis.
Publication information
PublisherMarvel Comics
First appearanceX-Men #64 (January 1970)
Created byRoy Thomas
Don Heck
In-story information
Alter egoShiro Yoshida
SpeciesMutant
Team affiliationsAvengers Unity Squad
X-Men
Horsemen of Apocalypse
Death's Champions
Pacific Overlords
X-Corporation Mumbai
The Twelve
Big Hero 6
Marauders
Notable aliasesFamine
Abilities
  • Flight
  • Plasma blasts
  • Ability to view infrared
  • Radiation immunity

As Horseman of Famine:

  • Ability to emit hunger-inducing light

Sunfire (Shiro Yoshida (吉田 四郎, Yoshida Shirō)) is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Sunfire is a mutant and sometime member of the X-Men.

Sunfire is a Japanese mutant who can generate superheated plasma and fly. Not suited for teamwork due to his temperament and arrogance, Sunfire was briefly a member of the X-Men and has kept limited ties to the team since.[1]

Concept and creation

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Roy Thomas recalled that, during his first run on X-Men,

I wanted to add a young Japanese or Japanese-American whose mother had been at Hiroshima or Nagasaki as a corresponding character to the X-Men, whose parents were, at that time, assumed to have been at the Manhattan Project. Stan [Lee, X-Men editor/co-creator] didn't give me any good reason [for rejecting the character]—he just didn't want to, I think... I didn't bring it up again, but when I came back to the book, with Neal Adams, I created Sunfire, who is pretty much the character I had wanted to do some years earlier. I didn't make him an X-Man right away. By that time, Stan gave me a little more free reign [sic]. In fact, he was included in Giant Size X-Men #1, along with Banshee, precisely because I had gone around creating some 'international mutants,' with the goal of expanding the team at some time. I thought the X-Men shouldn't all be white Americans.[2]

Thomas later commented on the character's costume "I had Don Heck design the character from my verbal suggestion of a costume that was an embodiment of the imperial Japanese Rising Sun flag, as Japanese or Japanese-American.[3]

In a future interview Thomas noted the unique mask of the character "Don Heck gave him that mask — kind of a weird dragony kind of mask — it wasn't just a standard mask."[4]

Publication history

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Created by writer Roy Thomas and artist Don Heck, Sunfire first appeared in X-Men #64 (January 1970).[5]

In 1998, Marvel published the miniseries Sunfire and Big Hero Six, presenting Sunfire's brief membership in a new superhero team sanctioned by the Japanese government.

Writer Rick Remender included Sunfire as a member of the Uncanny Avengers, starting with issue #5.[6]

Fictional character biography

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Shiro Yoshida was born in Agarashima, Japan. His mother suffered radiation poisoning due to exposure to the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima; as a result, Shiro was born as a mutant possessing solar radiation powers.[7]

Shiro's mother died of radiation poisoning when he was young. Shiro grew to hate the United States, despite the influence of his father, an ambassador to the United Nations who was more tolerant of the US.[8] Shiro's greedy uncle Tomo inspired him to become "Sunfire" and engage in a one-man battle against the U.S. As Sunfire, he attacked the United States Capitol and battled the X-Men, after which he witnessed Tomo murder his father; distraught, he killed Tomo and surrendered to the authorities.[9]

Sunfire battled Namor the Sub-Mariner but then fought alongside him against the Dragon Lord.[10] Sunfire also fought Iron Man but was abducted by the Mandarin and used to power one of the Mandarin's machines. Once freed, he and Iron Man fought Ultimo.[11]

Professor X recruited Sunfire to a new team of X-Men to rescue the originals from the living island Krakoa.[12] However, after the mission, he rejected X-Men membership.[13]

Although Sunfire has had one solo story in the anthology Marvel Comics Presents,[14] Sunfire has appeared mainly in stories teamed with other characters.[15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22]

Sunfire becomes involved with the X-Men once again when Apocalypse kidnaps him, as Sunfire is one of the Twelve, a group of mutants Apocalypse required to obtain reality-warping powers.[volume & issue needed] Sunfire then became a member of the Mumbai branch of X-Corporation, a non-government organization devoted to the protection of mutant rights.[23]

During the early story arcs of the latest edition of Marvel Team-Up, Sunfire attempts to combat the powerful villain known as Titannus, a reject of the Super-Skrull program who had made his way to Earth after being brainwashed by an alien race to serve as their ultimate weapon. Attempting to contain Titannus, Sunfire summons the Japanese army to confront him, but the powerful foe defeats them army with ease, and is only barely beaten by a new team hastily assembled by Doctor Strange to combat this threat.[volume & issue needed]

Sunfire is critically injured in his battle with Lady Deathstrike. Art by Karl Moline.

Later, it was revealed that Sunfire had worked with Rogue and Mystique back when Sunfire was still working with Tomo and Rogue was a member of the Brotherhood of Mutants. Also working with them was a girl called Blindspot, who had the power to erase and restore memories. The four were on a mission to steal the process to bond adamantium from Lord Dark Wind, the father of Lady Deathstrike.

Since Blindspot always erased her tracks once a contract ended, she wipes the minds of everyone involved so no one would remember her.[24] Subsequently, Blindspot discovers Lord Dark Wind wanted all four dead for trying to steal his adamantium process. Realizing that the others would be in danger while having no memory of their mission, Blindspot went back to Japan to erase Lord Dark Wind's memory. When she got there, she discovered that his daughter (who later became Deathstrike) had already killed him. Blindspot erased Deathstrike's memories but, as Deathstrike was more machine than woman, Deathstrike was able to restore her own memories from an electronic backup. Deathstrike kidnapped Blindspot, who released a group photo of Sunfire, Rogue, and Mystique to attract their attention to save her. Rogue joined Sunfire, whose reputation had been ruined by the photograph, in Tokyo to discover why they were framed and who was responsible.[25] The two ran into Lady Deathstrike who, in a heated battle, cut off Sunfire's legs, leaving him in critical condition. Rogue surrendered to Deathstrike, who imprisoned the two.[volume & issue needed] While imprisoned, Rogue met Blindspot, who restored Rogue's memories and explained what was going on.[24]

A weakened Sunfire, with Rogue and Blindspot. Art by Derec Donovan.

When Deathstrike discovers that the three were not responsible for stealing the adamantium, she attempted kill them to destroy any evidence of what she had done. A weak Sunfire asks Rogue to absorb his powers so she could properly battle Deathstrike. Rogue had previously lost the powers of Carol Danvers that she had taken and was hesitant. She worries that she could harm Sunfire, but Blindspot pushes her on Sunfire's face, causing her to absorb all his powers and possibly killing him. With it, Rogue now also contains Sunfire's personality, similar to how she also once had Danvers' personality within her. With Sunfire's personality controlling her, Rogue seeks revenge on Deathstrike and severely injures the woman. The X-Men arrive in time to intervene, but Blindspot erases Rogue's memories of being an X-Man causing her to see her teammates as her enemies.[25] After a brief altercation, Rogue's memories are restored and she tells the X-Men what had happened to Sunfire. They discover that his body is missing, leading some of the X-Men to believe he is still alive.[26]

Sunfire as Famine, one of Apocalypse's Horsemen. Art by Salvador Larroca.

Sunfire loses his powers before M-Day and his X-gene during that moment.[volume & issue needed] It is revealed that Sunfire is rescued by a mysterious ninja group and taken to a hospital in Aspen.[27] After being revived from his coma, the world's leading specialist in prosthetic limbs, Masanori Kuzuya, offers him his services. Before the reasoning behind the rescue is revealed, Apocalypse appears and offers Sunfire the chance for vengeance, as well as the recovery of his lost limbs and power, in return for his service as Famine, one of Apocalypse's Horsemen.[28] However, Famine is defeated by Rogue and subsequently returned to his normal form.[29]

During the "One World Under Doom" storyline, the Tiger Division is expanded into Doom's Division with Aero, Wave, and Karma as they are sent on their first mission to deal with Sunfire's resistance against Doctor Doom.[30] When Doom's Division arrive off the coast of Japan and fight the robotic sea life, they are caught off guard when it turns out that Karma and Wave have been working for Sunfire.[31] White Fox appears, kills Sunfire, and has Doom's Division arrested for disobeying Doom.[32]

Powers and abilities

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Sunfire is a mutant with the ability to absorb solar radiation, and convert it to ionize matter into a fiery plasma state which bursts into flame when exposed to oxygen. Referring to his plasma output as "solar fire", he can release this energy through his hands as blasts of searing heat, deadly radiation, explosive concussive force, or simple flames. By ionizing the air around him, he can surround himself with an aura of heat intense enough to melt steel, or fly by focusing his aura downwards in a tight stream of ionized gas to propel him through the air like a rocket. Sunfire can see heat, by shifting his vision from visible light to infrared. Sunfire has the ability to form a psionic force field while using his plasma as protection from heat and radiation, both that of his own generation and that from outside sources. In a similar fashion to the Human Torch's nova burst, Sunfire is capable of increasing his plasma output to temperatures around 1,000,000 degrees Fahrenheit, and emitting it as an omnidirectional blast.

Sunfire transferred his powers to Rogue to defeat Lady Deathstrike who had just cut off his legs. This (like Ms. Marvel before him) left him still a mutant but powerless.[volume & issue needed] After his transformation into Famine, a Horseman of Apocalypse, his powers and legs were returned, and he could now also use them to create flashes of light that affected the sections of the human brain which control hunger, causing any people who saw his light flashes to feel as if they were starving.[volume & issue needed] Due to further genetic enhancement from Apocalypse, Sunfire is also able to secrete a specialized bio-oxygen from his skin, which allows him to breathe and conjure his flames even in the vacuum of space.[33]

Shiro also seems to be quite an accomplished martial artist. He has displayed impressive hand to hand skills on several occasions and stated that he didn't need to employ his powers to defeat Hand ninjas.[volume & issue needed] He is trained in karate, judo, and kendo (Japanese Samurai swordsmanship). He is also an expert in the combat use of his superhuman powers. He has at least peak human physical ability.

Reception

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  • In 2014, Entertainment Weekly ranked Sunfire 41st in their "Let's rank every X-Man ever" list.[34]
  • In 2020, CBR.com ranked Sunfire 2nd in their "Marvel Comics: Ranking Every Member Of Big Hero 6 From Weakest To Most Powerful" list.[35]

Other versions

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Age of Apocalypse

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In Age of Apocalypse, Japan was destroyed by Holocaust, one of the Horsemen of Apocalypse. Shiro, a survivor of the massacre, was captured and given to Maximus (the Horseman of Death), as a test subject for his experiments. Shiro's powers were pushed to their limits, causing his whole body to be set aflame, injuring him as a result. Shiro was rescued by the X-Men and joined them, taking on the codename Sunfire. Sunfire wore a containment suit to control his powers, although he was constantly on fire. Haunted by the destruction of his nation, Sunfire joined Rogue's task force of X-Men when they were sent to Chicago to fight Holocaust, who had begun a new series of Cullings.[36]

After the regular reality's X-Force crossed over into the Age of Apocalypse, Shiro was one of the few X-Men to return to prevent the destruction of Earth-616 by Archangel. During a battle with Iceman, Shiro is killed while attempting to siphon energy from Holocaust's weapon of mass destruction.[37]

Age of X-Man

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In the Age of X-Man reality, Shiro Yoshida is the Civil Management Instructor of the 10th Year class within the Summers Institute Of Higher Learning, located in Winchester, NY.[38]

House of M

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In the House of M reality, Sunfire became the Emperor of Japan. Under his rule, the country had prospered, though the poverty levels were extremely high among the baseline human population. In secret, Sunfire was one of the masterminds of Project: Genesis, a project sanctioned by the Japan branch of S.H.I.E.L.D. with the goal of forcefully mutating baseline humans. When the S.H.I.E.L.D. operatives-in-training dubbed the Hellions investigated a terrorist attack, they discovered the existence of Project: Genesis and its link to Emperor Sunfire. Sunfire lied to the Hellions and told them that Project: Genesis's purpose was to recycle organic waste into food for poor baseline humans.[39]

Marvel Zombies

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In Marvel Zombies, a zombie version of Sunfire and Silver Samurai can be briefly seen slaughtering civilians, while the Silver Surfer travels the globe, as a result of Quicksilver being infected and thus able to spread the zombie plague all over the world.[volume & issue needed] The zombie version of Wolverine traveled to Earth-Z, where at Marvel Zombies Return, seeks an uninfected Sunfire that battles Zombie Wolverine, but was killed instead.[volume & issue needed]

Ultimate Marvel

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In the Ultimate Marvel reality, Sunfire appears as a member of Alpha Flight. His power levels enhanced by Banshee, the Ultimate Marvel version of the Mutant Growth Hormone, he squares off against new X-Man recruit Firestar.[40]

Ultimate Universe

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An alternate universe variant of Sunfire from Earth-6160 appears in the Ultimate Universe imprint. This version is the "Sun Emperor" of the Harada-Yoshida Alliance, a consolidated union of three clans that rule over "Hi no Kuni", a regional power bloc which includes Japan's territories.[41]

In other media

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Sunfire as he appears in X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse

Television

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Video games

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Influence

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In an interview with Wizard, Alex Ross stated that Sunfire's mask served as the inspiration for Kyle Rayner / Green Lantern's original costume mask, which debuted in Green Lantern #51 (in 1994).[citation needed]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Sacks, Jason; Dallas, Keith (2014). American Comic Book Chronicles: The 1970s. TwoMorrows Publishing. p. 160. ISBN 978-1605490564.
  2. ^ O'Neill, Patrick Daniel (August 1993). "'60s Mutant Mania: The Original Team". Wizard: X-Men Turn Thirty. pp. 76–77.
  3. ^ "The Roy Thomas Marvel Comics Characters, Concepts and Creations Part 2".
  4. ^ "X-Men Monday #159 - Roy Thomas Talks Cyclops and Marvel Girl's Romance, Diversifying the X-Men, Collaborating with Neal Adams, and More • AIPT". 13 June 2022.
  5. ^ DeFalco, Tom; Sanderson, Peter; Brevoort, Tom; Teitelbaum, Michael; Wallace, Daniel; Darling, Andrew; Forbeck, Matt; Cowsill, Alan; Bray, Adam (2019). The Marvel Encyclopedia. DK Publishing. p. 362. ISBN 978-1-4654-7890-0.
  6. ^ "Remender Expands The Cast Of "Uncanny Avengers"". CBR. November 14, 2012.
  7. ^ Brevoort, Tom; DeFalco, Tom; Manning, Matthew K.; Sanderson, Peter; Wiacek, Win (2017). Marvel Year By Year: A Visual History. DK Publishing. p. 144. ISBN 978-1465455505.
  8. ^ Sanderson, Peter (2007). The Marvel Comics Guide to New York City. New York City: Pocket Books. pp. 62–63. ISBN 978-1-4165-3141-8.
  9. ^ X-Men #64
  10. ^ Sub-Mariner #52-54. Marvel Comics.
  11. ^ Iron Man #68-70. Marvel Comics.
  12. ^ Giant-Sized X-Men #1
  13. ^ X-Men #94. Marvel Comics.
  14. ^ Marvel Comics Presents #32. Marvel Comics.
  15. ^ Iron Man #98-99. Marvel Comics.
  16. ^ X-Men #118-119. Marvel Comics.
  17. ^ Marvel Super-Hero Contest of Champions #1-3. Marvel Comics.
  18. ^ Uncanny X-Men #181. Marvel Comics.
  19. ^ New Mutants #93-94. Marvel Comics.
  20. ^ Avengers West Coast #71. Marvel Comics.
  21. ^ Uncanny X-Men #284-286. Marvel Comics.
  22. ^ Wolverine #55-56. Marvel Comics.
  23. ^ New X-Men #133 (2001). Marvel Comics.
  24. ^ a b Rogue vol. 3 #10 (June 2005). Marvel Comics.
  25. ^ a b Rogue vol. 3 #11 (July 2005). Marvel Comics.
  26. ^ Rogue vol. 3 #12 (August 2005). Marvel Comics.
  27. ^ X-Men vol. 2 #182
  28. ^ X-Men (vol. 2) #182 (April 2006)
  29. ^ X-Men (vol. 2) #184 - 185 (May - June 2006)
  30. ^ Doom's Division #1 (May 2025)
  31. ^ Doom's Division #2 (June 2025)
  32. ^ Doom's Division #3 (July 2025)
  33. ^ Uncanny Avengers #9. Marvel Comics.
  34. ^ Franich, Darren (June 9, 2022). "Let's rank every X-Man ever". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved January 26, 2023.
  35. ^ Avina, Anthony (January 26, 2020). "Marvel Comics: Ranking Every Member Of Big Hero 6 From Weakest To Most Powerful". CBR. Retrieved December 27, 2022.
  36. ^ Astonishing X-Men #1-4 (1995). Marvel Comics.
  37. ^ Uncanny X-Force #18 (February 2012)
  38. ^ Age of X-Man - NextGen #1 (February 2019). Marvel Comics.
  39. ^ New X-Men: Academy X #19. Marvel Comics.
  40. ^ Ultimate X-Men #94. Marvel Comics.
  41. ^ Ultimate Invasion #2 (September 2023)
  42. ^ a b c d "Sunfire Voices (X-Men)". Behind The Voice Actors. Archived from the original on August 9, 2024. Retrieved December 19, 2019. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.
  43. ^ Justin Woods [@ProducerWoods] (6 January 2014). "What better way to ring in the new year than to recruit Sunfire to melt the ice away. Sunfire will arrive soon in MAA" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
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