Origin
Face was one of the mutant babies that was kidnapped by demons during the Inferno crossover. He was used as a means to open a demonic portal from Limbo to earth so that all demons could enter. Luckily, the New Mutants, the X-Terminators, the X-Men and X-Factor intervened to fight off the demon hordes. The New Mutants with the help of the X-Terminators where tasked with bringing the babies back home safely and succeeded. They where brought to a church for safety until the demonic invasion was over. The babies where brought back to their parents and seemed to be safe once more.
Creation
Face was created by Louise Jones Simonson and Jon Bogdanove and first appeared as an unnamed baby in X-Terminators Issue #2 (1988). Years later, he made his first appearance as an adult in New Mutants Issue #16 (2010). This version was created by Zeb Wells and Leonard Kirk.
Mayor Story Arcs
Project Purgatory
However, unbeknownst to the New Mutants, the government took the babies into their custody. They were passed over to the care of the armed forces who treated the babies as potential weapons. Project Purgatory was formed to take the infants to Limbo where time moved faster than on Earth. In Limbo, the babies were brutally experimented on, often with triangular slices of skin being removed for testing.
Project Purgatory was caught off guard by an attack of Limbo Demons led by Belasco’s self-acclaimed daughter, Witchfire. During the attack, the children managed to escape their bonds and fought the demons, successfully killing them all. However, the confused message that was sent out indicated that the children had been killed. Therefore, lost in Limbo with no means to return home, Project Purgatory continued to mold the mutant children into perfect living weapons.
New Mutants
During some down time after the events of the Second Coming, the New Mutants were unexpectedly taken into Limbo by Magik. She could sense that Pixie had been kidnapped, and set out to save her. However, Magik and the New Mutants were attacked. The mutant children had spent the last 20 years living in Limbo, and they had learned to attack individually and in a group. Karma however was able to telepathically communicate with Face, and show him the wrong his group was doing. Face chose to become part of the New Mutants and aided in their battle against the Inferno Babies. He was gradually helped by the X-Men with communicating.
Wolverine and the X-Men
Face is now part of Wolverine’s school, the Jean Grey School for Higher Learning.
When the school transformed into the Institute in New York’s Central Park, Face transferred as well. During a walk by himself deep in the Park, he was attacked by the villain known as ‘M-Plate’. Face’s mutant powers allowed him to be a strong source of ‘food’ the villain needed. Several students from the school teamed up and rescued Face. He expressed his gratitude through Morse Code.
Powers & Abilities
When Face’s mutation activated, it weaponized his brain stem and granted him the ability to fire off devastating energy blasts. Unfortunately, the manifestation of his powers ended up vaporizing his own eyes, nose, mouth, and eardrums, leaving him blind, deaf, and mute.
Most people communicate with him by tapping on him in Morse Code. His fellow Inferno Babies however, would typically lead him around like a dog and would also beat him at times in order to get him to “listen.” Face can also be communicated with telepathically, as shown by Karma.
Doctor Noc of Project Purgatory managed to install a safety and firing mechanism onto Face that can contain and focus his energy blasts.