Avalanche

Origin

Avalanche is one of the more common villains of the X-Men, yet even with his popularity his past still remains a great mystery. All that is really known about his time before becoming a member of the Brotherhood of Mutants is that he immigrated to America from Crete, the largest and most populous island in Greece. He is also married to Helen Petros, but aside from this he has no other known relatives, however this does make him one of the few super villains who is actually married.

Creation

Avalanche was created by the team of Chris Claremont and John Byrne and first appeared in The (Uncanny) X-Men Vol.1 issue 141 (1981).

Major Story Arcs

New Brotherhood of Evil Mutants

Avalanche’s first appeared with Mystique’s Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. He agreed to join them as he had seen mutants hunted and had grown bitter and jaded about mankind’s views on mutants. His first act with the group was an attempted assassination of anti-mutant Senator Robert Kelly. The X-Men arrived to stop the assassination and battled Avalanche & the new Brotherhood.

Even though he was defeated this time Avalanche would go on to be one of the biggest players in the Brotherhood of Mutants, and would assist them in such missions as battling the Avengers in the legendary fight that cost Ms Marvel her powers to Rogue.

Avalanche left the Brotherhood for a short time. He then tried to blackmail California by using his power to make a giant earthquake if they did not pay him a large amount of money. Avalanche unfortunately came across the Hulk. He tried to fight him, but was severely injured breaking both of his arms. He returned to the Brotherhood in order to heal.

Freedom Force

Mystique later turned the Brotherhood over to the United State’s Government, promising they would work for them as a way of serving time for their crimes. It is here that they took on the name of Freedom Force. As a sign of their dedication their first mission was to capture Magneto, the original leader of the Brotherhood.

Just because they were now working as “heroes” didn’t mean that they were one of the good guys. During his time on Freedom Force he clashed with several other super hero teams, including the Avengers, X-Factor, and the New Mutants (where they captured Rusty Collins and Skids). However they did do some good during their time on Freedom Force, going on to accomplish such things as stopping a prison break at the Vault.

On Freedom Force’s last mission (Kuwait), a moral side of Avalanche is shown, though it isn’t the most blatant of themes in the story. The first indicator is when Freedom Force kills a unit of men, an act that makes Avalanche question the team’s tactics. He wonders why all the (human) soldiers had to die when some questions could have been asked. Super Sabre is killed by Desert Sword and the Crimson Commando has much of his arm severed. Avalanche is all for bailing on the mission, yet Desert Sword won’t let Freedom Force off easily. Avalanche is sliced in the abdomen by Black Raazer, an act that should have killed him. Another look into the possible psyche of Avalanche comes when Black Raazer is asked why his attack didn’t kill Avalanche. Black Raazer opines that either the armor saved him or that Avalanche believes his soul is already consigned to Hell. Avalanche has usually been a devoted team player, but this tale seems to show that he doesn’t always approve of the methods his teams have employed.

At this point in the fight, Avalanche splits Freedom Force into two groups when he seismically separates the injured Crimson Commando and himself from Desert Sword. He then hefts his fallen leader and heads to their transportation. On the way, Pyro and Blob, the remaining members of Freedom Force, are told to meet up at the helicopter. As Avalanche approaches, land mines are triggered, rendering Crimson Commando even worse off and injuring Avalanche. Members of Desert Sword approach the dying men to watch them take their last breathes but Avalanche wills himself to entomb the foes in a cone of earth. Avalanche then picks up Crimson Commando and are found a short time later by their transport. Pyro and Blob are still on the run, but when Avalanche is asked if the transport should find the missing two members, he replies that they aren’t worth it. Not only is Freedom Force over, but Avalanche has given his testimony of the group’s actions with the abandonment of his teammates.

He has been one of the biggest team players in the villain community, having rarely ever stepped out of the shadow of other teams to fight by himself. The few exceptions of this include a time when he attempted to hold the state of California hostage, threatening to use his powers (the ability to create waves of powerful vibrations from his hands, typically using them on the earth to create earthquakes) on the state’s fault line to destroy it. After having been beaten thoroughly by the Hulk he returned to being a team player and never looked back.

Pyro’s Death

During his time on the Brotherhood and Freedom Force, Avalanche formed a strong friendship with his fellow mutant Pyro. After Freedom Force disbanded Avalanche went on to continue working for the government, this time as a member of Project WideAwake, and he was dispatched to the private island of author Jonathan Chambers to investigate it. Once arriving he discovered it was a colony built for those suffering from the Legacy Virus, and he also discovered Toad was there with a new incarnation of the Brotherhood, consisting of Blob and Pyro. It didn’t take him long to find out that they were there because Pyro now had the Legacy Virus, and knowing that his friend was on death’s door, he attempted to do what he could to save him. This included attempting to steal a powerful mutagenic compound known as Isotope-E from the High Evolutionary. They were stopped by the Heroes for Hire and Quicksilver.

Mystique eventually tried one more attempt to assassinate Senator Kelly by getting her Brotherhood back together, however this time it was not the X-Men who saved the day, but Pyro. Faced with his own mortality Pyro decided to save Senator Kelly from his former teammates, causing the Senator to rethink his position on mutants, and leaving Avalanche quite confused about his future.

X-Corp

One of the signs after Pyro’s death that his friend’s sacrifice might have caused him to turn over a new leaf, is that he joined Banshee’s task force, X-Corp, a group that was meant to do the jobs the X-Men wouldn’t, serving as a police force to patrol the actions of mutants around the world. However it was revealed that he wasn’t really reformed, and that Avalanche and his other former Brotherhood members were actually being brainwashed and manipulated by Mastermind to do good.

Once he was freed by this control by Mystique, he and his other villainous friends revolted. It was during this revolt that Avalanche achieved some of his greater moments in villainy. Not only did he use his powers to destroy the Eiffel Tower, but he also opened up a chasm beneath Radius that swallowed him up, at the time making it seem like Avalanche had killed his own X-Corp teammate (it was later revealed that he lived and was depowered on M-Day).

Exodus’ Brotherhood

Recently, Avalanche assaulted the center of New York City, but he was taken down by the then-powerless Wolfsbane and delivered to the authorities. Following that, Avalanche re-appeared in a Brotherhood attack on Philadelphia, where he manifests a newfound ability to affect organic matter by shocking Rogue into submission. He appeared again in the attack on the X-Mansion, with the rest of Exodus’ Brotherhood. He and the rest of the Brotherhood were sucked into the black hole in Shen Xorn’s head which turned out to be a portal to the Mojoverse. It was here that they sold their fellow members Nocturne and Juggernaut to Mojo in exchange for a return home.

After M-Day

Avalanche is one of the few mutants to keep his powers after M-Day, and after seeing the decimation that had occurred to the mutant community, he began to realize that there wasn’t much point in continuing his fight for mutant rights. It was then that he moved to San Fransisco to start a new life, and retired from being an activist/terrorist. He decided to open a small bar in the city in order to start his new life. Once the X-Men moved to the city he began living in fear that they would come for him to punish him for his former crimes. When the X-Men finally did decide to visit him, it was only to tell him that they had formed a truce, however if he did decide to return to his life of crime they would be there to stop him.

Utopia

When Norman Osborn attempts to place curfews on all the mutants in San Francisco, none of them are happy about it and a few mutants decide its time to do something about it. Avalanche, Hellion, Sunspot, Meld, Adam X, Match and Lorelei decide to go out during the newly imposed curfew in order to get arrested and let everyone know what will happen to them if they don’t demand their rights. Avalanche had a particular stake in all this, because after having worked so hard to start his new life and leave his old one behind, he now worried that this would waste all he had worked for. He had also learned from his actions as a terrorist that even if you’re fighting for Mutant Rights, that if you act like a monster all you’re doing is proving the opposition right and adding more fuel to the fire. He and his fellow rioters were imprisoned when the Dark X-Men arrive at the scene.

Nation X

Avalanche owns a bar in San Fransisco and has left behind the life of a criminal. One night he is visited by the X-Men including Archangel, Beast and Wolverine. Wolverine explains to Avalanche that he in no way thinks that Avalanche has become a good person, but because he is one of few mutants left, they will leave him. Wolverine leaves his apartment destroyed and issues him a warning. If he returns to being a villain, the X-Men will deal with him.

Second Coming

Avalanche is seen fighting the Nimrod invasion in the tunnels below San Fransisco with Sunspot, Husk and Boom Boom.

Fear Itself

During the events of Fear Itself, the Juggernaut, now powered by the Asgardian Serpent-God, comes walking towards San Fransisco in order to destroy the city. The X-men try everything to stop the behemoth from reaching the city. In one such attempt, Avalanche is asked to help out. He accepts, seeing no other option, and makes a huge crater in the roadblock, hoping to stop the Juggernaut from walking through. Juggernaut however, thanks to the Serpent-God’s power, walks over the crater through air and another attempt to stop him failed. After this, Avalanche left the scene.

Uncanny Avengers

Avalanche lived his life like a normal, somewhat reformed person, until his mind was tampered with by the Red Skull. He was sent out to attack New York to increase the fear of the returning mutant population. He was stopped by the combined forces of the Avengers and some X-Men. After his defeat, he was forced by the Red Skull to throw himself off of a cliff, killing him.

Successor

Some months after the death of the original Avalanche, a new mutant with seemingly the same powers, started calling himself Avalanche. This person joined a new group of Evil Mutants, which besmired the good name the original Avalanche tried to make for himself, as part of his redemption.

Powers

Avalanche has the mutant ability to generate incredibly powerful vibration waves from his hands. He can use these waves to cause matter to shatter or crumble. When these waves are directed at a building or directly into the ground, they can create effects reminiscent of earthquakes or avalanches. Avalanche does not actually need to be touching an object in order to affect it with his vibrations. He can be some distance away from an object and still be able to affect it. It should be noted that Avalanche’s powers usually have little or no effect on organic matter.

Alternate Realities

Age of X

Avalanche is one of the few mutants still alive and living within Fortress X. He is shown in many panels fighting the human forces.

House of M

A member of The Brotherhood, or the NYPD.

Marvel Mangaverse

Here Avalanche is a ninja under the control of The Hellfire Club. Part of The Shadow Clan, he works with both Pyro and Iceman.

Age of apocalypse

Dominic was a mutant held in the Breeding Pens by Apocalypse and Dark Beast. Along with fellow captives Artemis, Newt, Pyro, and Phantazia, he tried to escape and confronted their chasers using his seismic shocks, only to be recaptured and severely injured by Cyclops and the Elite Mutant Force. He was then allegedly turned into protoplasmic soup by Dark Beast in order to create more Infinites soldiers for Apocalypse.

In Other Media

Film

• In Logan, a document found in ‘s bag lists Dominic Petros as the genetic donor used by the Transigen corporation to create Julio Richter, a.k.a Rictor.

Television

X-Men: The Animated Series

Here, Avalanche is a henchmen that Mystique often utilizes for her own purposes. Avalanche is usually always accompanied by both Pyro and Blob. They have caused trouble in some political events as they show supremacy to the entire human race. During an episode creating a flashback to Rogue’s past, he was shown either Brotherhood members who work with Rogue during her Brotherhood days. He was voiced by Rod Coneybeare.

X-Men: Evolution

Here, his name is Lance Alvers, and he is a member of the Brotherhood. He found a good friend in Kitty Pryde, which later turned to love. In an episode, Avalanche went to the Institute to state his desire to become an X-Man (possibly for being closer to Kitty Pryde who was his love interest). But because of some changes that he cannot adopt to, he quit and returned to his team. During the final battle with Apocalypse, together with the Brotherhood of Mutants, they have followed Wanda in fighting Magneto who was Apocalypse’s horseman at that time. After the circumstances under Apocalypse’s attempt on destroying the humanity, Avalanche and Kitty became closer. During Professor X’s vision, he became a member of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s Freedom Force together with is Brotherhood friends. He was voiced by Christopher Grey.

Wolverine and the X-Men

A member of the Brotherhood Of Terrorist Mutants along with Quicksilver (the leader), Blob, Domino, Toad and Rogue for a time. He is one of the members of the brotherhood who saved Toad from the police. He was voiced by James Patrick Stuart.

Video Games

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  In X-Men Legends, Avalanche is a boss character and a member of The Brotherhood Of Evil Mutants. There is also a dark version of him that the Shadow King created and controls. He was voiced by Peter Lurie.

• Avalanche appears as a boss character in Marvel Avengers Alliance.

Merchandise

• Avalanche was featured in ToyBiz’s X-Men: X-Force action figure line back in the 1990s.
• Avalanche was featured in ToyBiz’s X-Men Classics series, a sister line to Marvel Legends.
• Eaglemoss Publications produced a lead Avalanche figurine.
• Bowen Designs produced an Avalanche bust.
• Avalanche was featured in a Diamond Select Minimates two-pack with Storm.
• Avalanche was featured in the HeroClix figure game.
• Avalanche was featured in Hasbro’s Super Hero Squad line as part of a two-pack with Beast.
• Avalanche was featured in Hasbro’s toyline for Wolverine and the X-Men.
• Avalanche was included in Hasbro’s Marvel Legends line as part of the second Retro X-Men wave.