Origin
As a teenager, Zora Risman was living in Philadelphia when Apocalypse and his mutant followers laid waste to most of the city while battling the X-Men. Zora and her brother Matthew survived and were attempting to escape to Delaware when they came across a family of mutants. Matthew open fired on the mutant family killing all but one of the children whom he left for his sister to kill. When Zora allowed the child to go, her brother shot him in the back instead and was disgusted with his sister’s lack of action.
Matthew died later and Zora joined the X-Terminated as Deadeye. Despite her status as a human, Zora also works in the Mutants Powers Register Center.
Creation
Deadeye was created by David Lapham and Roberto De La Torre and first appeared in Point One #1 in a teaser for the Age of Apocalypse series in which she is one of the main characters.
Character Evolution
Constantly forced to “toughen up” by her mutant hating brother Matthew, Zora has become incredibly unaffectionate and some-what unemotional. She is incredibly pessimistic with regards to mutants and the notion that they might ever peacefully co-exist with humans. It’s worth noting though that she doesn’t feel particularly fond of humanity either. The only thing that seems to get her excited is buying shoes.
Feeling distrust towards most of her colleagues. Most of them know little about her and have some degree of intimidation when it comes to her. Her relationship with the X-Terminated’s leader Prophet is likewise complicated. While Zora is a loyal and accomplished team-mate – she is often seen doubting or not trusting Prophet or his intentions. Despite this, the two have a close relationship which has even became sexual at times. Outside of Prophet, the only other person she has confided in about her past is Harper Simmons.
Major Story Arcs
The Dregs
Following Weapon Omega taking over as Overlord of their world, the X-Terminated continued their battle against the mutant oppressors. While working at the Mutant Powers Register Center, Deadeye became aware of anti-mutant pamphlets circulated which were causing riots. Deadeye and the X-Terminated located the man responsible for writing the pamphlets, Harper Simmons, just in time to save him from Keeper Murdock and Omega’s Hounds.
The Resurrection Agenda
While investigating one of Henry McCoy‘s abandoned laboratories, the X-Terminated were attacked by Clan Akkaba and in the ensuing fight, Deadeye was left behind and captured. While imprisoned, Deadeye was being transported to be interrogated by the Shadow King, which served as the perfect moment for her team-mates Goodnight and Horror Show to attack and liberate their comrade.
Salvation
When the Lady Penance suddenly arrived in New Apocalypse and began rallying mutants to fight for a better world, Deadeye joined Prophet in eavesdropping on a subsequent meeting Penance had with Omega’s ministers. After Penance released Colossus from Omega’s influence and the other ministers took their leave, Prophet made himself known to Penance as Deadeye watched from a vantage point.
Learning that Prophet was actually responsible for Penance’s sudden appearance and that Prophet was willing to aid Penance in claiming power over Omega, even offering her the X-Terminated’s captured Sugar Man as a sign of good faith. Deadeye was disgusted and angered by Prophet’s plans to gamble their future by replacing Omega with a mutant who may just as easily treat humanity as an inferior.
Despite her reservations, Deadeye personally delivered Sugar Man to Penance herself and made it known that she disagrees with Prophet’s plan and that she doesn’t trust Penance at all.
Kiss of Doom
In an effort to fight against Weapon Omega and his Celestial power, the X-Terminated went in search of Reed Richards‘ diaries, a quest which led them to the home of Victor von Doom in Latveria.
Discovering Doom possessed the Master Apparatus, a machine capable of capturing the Death Seed and redirecting it to a new host, Prophet and Deadeye debated the possibility of working together with him. It was obvious Doom wished to redirect the power of the Death Seed to himself and succeed Weapon Omega as heir to Apocalypse despite his claims of good intentions.
Through a series of manipulations and double crosses, Deadeye faked allegiance to Doom – appearing to betray the X-Terminated – and giving her the chance to get close enough to slay Doom as he slept. Deadeye took Doom’s detached head as a means of harnessing the Master Apparatus and rejoined the X-Terminated, despite the fact she legitimately did believe in Doom’s plan to overthrow Omega with a human successor.
Requiem
When Omega tracked down Jean Grey to the Morlock Tunnels and attempted to capture her, the X-Terminated launched an attack against Omega using Doom’s Master Apparatus. During skirmishes in the tunnels, Omega managed to corner Jean but Sabretooth intervened allowing Jean to escape. Deadeye watched the entire fight between Omega and Sabretooth from a safe vantage point, and didn’t intervene allowing Omega to apparently killed Sabretooth.
As the battle raged on and the X-Terminated pushed their attack against Omega’s forces, Deadeye was taken by surprise by Azazel, and although she eventually overcame him in a battle, she didn’t emerge unscathed with Azazel having badly cut her arm. Deadeye and the X-Terminated eventually managed to defeat Weapon Omega and most of his forces were likewise defeated or fled.
Following the overthrow of Omega, Deadeye was sent to investigate the activities of Penance whom was quick to rally fellow mutants upon Omega’s defeat. Deadeye watched Penance’s rally and was surprised to hear Penance acknowledge humans and making promises ensuring they would not be persecuted. When two of Omega’s remaining soldiers, Prelate Summers and Havok, arrived to attack Penance and her followers, Deadeye intervened and attempted to assassinate the Summers brothers. Havok discovered her location and used his powers to make the entire building of the roof she was on collapse, bring her down with the bulding.
X-Termination
Zora began a romantic relationship with Prophet following the removal of Omega from power. Prophet is trying to convince Zora to be more accepting of the notion of “good mutants” but, so far, she is too jaded and pessimistic to believe in the universal goodness of man – mutant or otherwise.
Later, a group of energy consuming Cosmic beings known as the Exterminators appeared in New Apocalypse seeking a power source. The X-Terminated were met with the X-Men from Earth-616 as they deduced the Exterminators were looking to feed upon the Apocalypse seed. Attempting to hold off the Exterminators, Deadeye watched as Fiend, Horror Show and Sabretooth perished battling the god-like monsters.
Deadeye travelled to Earth-616 alongside Prophet and the X-Men to stop one of the Exterminators from draining the power of the Dreaming Celestial. Arriving in San Francisco, the X-Men engaged the Exterminator to no avail. Again, they ultimately failed and the Dreaming Celestial was destroyed as was their ally Hercules. Deadeye stayed behind on Earth-616 as many of the other heroes went back and forth between the two realities.
Without any explanation whatsoever in universe, Deadeye apparently died off-panel despite her being away from all the action. As her entire home reality was destroyed, she some how wound up dead despite not even being in that reality any more and the issue not being addressed at all. Dazzler, Harper Simmons and Prophet paid tribute to her alongside the other heroes who died battling the Exterminators.
Powers and Abilities
Deadeye is a capable and loyal soldier, but an intelligent one who is smart enough to keep her doubts to herself. She is known amongst the X-Terminated for her uncanny aim and for having something of a photographic memory. She is also a very skilled hand-to-hand combatant.