One character I love that never got his chance to shine was named Japeth. More frequently known as Maggott. Introduced during the mid 90’s right around the time of Operation Zero Tolerance Maggott quickly joined the X-Men. Then even quicker was booted and sent down to Generation X. Sadly, his stint with Generation X was no more than one issue. The next time we saw him Maggott was being put to death in Neverland within the pages of Weapon X written by Frank Tieri. (He and I’ll have a conversation about this at some point if I get my way.)
So before I dive into anymore details on this bad mother let me give you some background on the bastich.
Japeth was a frail child who grew up in Africa. He fled from his family because he felt himself to be a hindrance. Once on the run Magneto approached him and after showing him what his powers really were, a slug digestive system, offered him a place by his side fighting for mutant dominance. Not wanting to participate in the violence of Magneto’s way he declined.
Years later, Japeth would show up looking for Magneto hoping he could ease the pain that his powers caused him. Giant slugs coming and going from your chest is pretty damn brutal you gotta admit. Japeth now using the name Maggott instead found the man Joseph who thought he was Magneto but wasn’t. (Another article for another day.) After lurking in the shadows for a time and even slugging it out with the X-Men he joined them.
During his short tenure with the X-Men not much was really done to ease his pain. Honestly, not much was really ever even done with the character except to show us that his power was having two giant slugs that he called Eany and Meany as a digestive system that burrowed in and out of his chest and some kind of unexplained underdeveloped psychometric ability that allowed him to see imprints of future happenings of some sort. Over all, the character was almost as confusing when he left as when he arrived.
So why was he cool? I mean let’s be honest he sure had his faults but where most see faults I see easy fixes and potential. So let’s run down some of these faults that are inescapable shall we?
1. The accent was freaking awful. I can’t defend it and most writers who had the privilege of writing him admit that the accent was a huge turn off. If writers don’t want to write you it’s really hard to become a popular character.
So how do we go about fixing this massive problem? Well, now that he’s dead bringing him back without the accent would be an extremely huge fix. Just get rid of it and not mention it. Pretty easy fix honestly.
2. Dude’s powers were just freaking weird and kind of lame. Well yeah they were weird no argument there. Lame? Not so much my fellow fanpeeps.
I hear this complaint so much and it kills me. The same people who complain his powers were stupid or weird are the same people constantly complaining that most powers in comics are redundant. Sure when he “Hulks” out that is pretty redundant but how he gets there and how his powers work are ridiculously unique. Name another character with powers remotely close to his. Also, not only does he get big and brutal he has the psychometric powers that were never truly utilized to full potential or explained well at all.
So how can these powers be utilized in a cool and interesting way? Well my suggestion would be to get a writer with a twisted sense of style and a dark art team. If you could combine a Grant Morrison or Warren Ellis with a Mike Deodato you’d have a perfect team for a Maggott MAX title. The character is so underdeveloped that just about anything could be done with him. To this day I think Maggott would have been a perfect member of Morrison and Quietly’s New X-Men run as they primarily focused on the weirder and stranger aspects of the mutant community. Maggott would have fit their sensibilities perfectly. Unfortunately, this never happened.
If I had my way I’d play up the tragic aspects of the character as well as the outcast feelings he must have. I mean the guy was basically forgotten by the X-Men then killed and they never even blinked an eye. He has a perfect villain motive that you couldn’t blame him for honestly. I’d play up his resurrection and then work on establishing his motives and powers.
Imagine a character that has this twisted ability that allows him to get big and powerful but comes at a horrific price. The visuals and the drama done correctly would allow for a character that the audience can connect with. Then you throw in his friendship with his own mutant power, Eany and Meany, and you have yet another unique aspect to the character that doesn’t exist among Marvel’s Merry Mutants. A buddy drama with one’s own powers! Almost like Madrox but far more grim and twisted.
Once he’s established and the character has had time to shine on his own and build an emotional rapport with the fans you unleash him on the X-Men and Mr. Sinister who was behind the whole Neverland death ranch all along. He could be a great tragic villain with justifiable motives. New villains are hard to come by in the X-Men universe so here’s one to add!
Now clearly bringing him back from the dead would need to be done. Again, an easy fix for a problem that is overlooked continually in the world of mainstream superhero comics. Before Maggott died he gave one of his two digestive slugs, whether it’s Eany or Meany is a debate that has raged on between me and myself, to a child who escaped from Neverland where he was killed. He did so because he knew through his psychometric abilities that his time was coming to an end. Assuming the slug lived it must mean that Maggott could be brought back as the slugs were part of his mutant ability. Follow me? Powers still rocking then Maggott can still come knockin’! How exactly the resurrection would take place is something that I have worked out in detail but I’ll pass on sharing for now. Who knows, maybe one day I can bring him back?!
So while the character maybe had some lame attributes during his time amongst the living much of it can be fixed and built on to make him a top-notch villain or even a sympathetic hero. It’s all about the eye of the beholder and the character’s possibilities. Not necessarily what’s been done in the past. I think it’s time to bring Maggott back! Who’s with me?!
