Havok: Bio, Origin & History

Real Name: Alex Summers

First Appearance: X-Men #54 (March, 1969)

Powers: Havok is a mutant with the ability to absorb cosmic energy. Once absorbed, he can project that energy outward in the form of destructive plasma beams.

Affiliation: X-Men, X-Factor, Uncanny Avengers, Starjammers, Brotherhood of Mutants.

Did You Know? Havok is the younger brother of the long-standing leader of the X-Men, Cyclops.

A Little History

The origin of Havok is pretty straightforward. 

Havok was created by Arnold Drake and Don Heck. He first appeared (as Alex Summers) inside the pages of X-Men #54 in March of 1969. He later appeared in costume as Havok in X-Men #58 in July of 1969. 

Alex Summers is the second of three children born to Christopher and Katherine Anne Summers. As the son of a United States Air Force Major, Alex and his brothers moved around a lot. One day while living in Anchorage, Alaska, Christopher and Katherine decided to take the boys for a ride on an airplane. What should’ve been a peaceful outing for the family turned into tragedy. While in the air, the plane came under attack by a Shi’ar spacecraft. Without hesitation, the two parents fastened a parachute to the boys and pushed them out of the airplane. Although both hit the ground pretty hard, they both survived. Upon being found, the two boys were placed in an orphanage. Alex was quickly adopted while Scott remained at the orphanage for most of his youth. 

Now with his new family, the Blandings, Alex quickly learned that his adoptive parents had recently lost their son Todd in a car accident. It was the family’s hope that Alex would fit the mold of Todd and wanting to not upset then, Alex did whatever he could to do so. 

Shortly after being taken in by the Blandings, Alex and his foster sister Haley were kidnapped by the child responsible for Todd’s death. What nobody foresaw was that Alex was a mutant and that his mutation was about to manifest. Upon doing so, Alex emitted a plasma-like charge from his body and instantly killed the child. 

Interestingly, Mister Sinister had been in the proximity of the events. Forever obsessed with the Summers bloodline, he deduced that although he didn’t have control over it, Alex’s power surpassed that of his brother Scott’s. To protect his prize, Mister Sinister placed psi-blocks on both Alex and Haley causing them to forget the events of the night.

And that’s it. The origin of Havok.

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