SEBASTIAN SHAW: Black King

"We'll contact those mutants, just as Xavier plans to -- only the Hellfire Club will get there first, and recruit them -- by hook or by crook. And if, along the way, we manage to acquire -- or eliminate -- some of the X-Men, so much the better. "
--SEBASTIAN SHAW

Comicbook History
Who is SEBASTIAN SHAW?
Sebastian Hiram Shaw is a Marvel Comics supervillain, mainly an adversary of the X-Men. He is a mutant that possesses the ability to absorb kinetic energy and transform it into raw strength. He is the leader of the New York branch of the Hellfire Club, an exclusive secret society bent on world domination. SEBASTIAN SHAW first appeared in X-Men #129 (January 1980).
First Appearance

A young SEBASTIAN SHAW devoted himself to his studies and created Shaw Industries, becoming a millionaire by age 30 and a billionaire by age 40. SEBASTIAN SHAW became engaged to a woman named Lourdes Chantel, also a mutant, and was soon initiated into the Hellfire Club thanks to his vast fortune.

Sentinels killed Lourdes in a battle. SEBASTIAN SHAW discovered that the club's White King supported the Sentinel Project, he executed a coup, using Emma Frost's telepathy to make Buckman kill all the members of the Hellfire Club's Council of the Chosen. SEBASTIAN SHAW then proclaimed himself Black King, remade the Council of the Chosen into his Inner Circle and made Emma Frost as the White Queen.

While leading the Hellfire club SEBASTIAN SHAW met and had several clashes with the X-Men. Shaw was a key part of the corruption of the X-Men's Jean Grey, who was known as the Phoenix into the Dark Phoenix.

Though there was a time that Shaw's Hellfire Club and the X-Men became allies of sorts. During this time, Magneto was among the ranks of the X-Men and headmaster of the New Mutants, Magneto and Storm joined Shaw, with Magneto filling the position of White King. Later Magneto, and other members of the Hellfire Club conspired to vote Shaw out of the group, but SEBASTIAN SHAW proved powerful enough to retain his position.

Soon after Sebastian is illegitimate son, Shinobi Shaw, usurped his Father's position as the Black King of the Hellfire Club. Shinobi used his mutant power and phased his hand into his father's chest to induce a coronary, then blew up the chalet where his father is. Unknown to many he survived and exacts his revenge.

Shaw after regaining his position in the hellfire club, returned to his capitalist roots and converted the NY branch of the Hellfire Club into a strip club, which was in fact a safe haven for mutants regardless of affiliation. Using telepathic strippers, Shaw gleaned secrets from the minds of his patrons, who come in just to have a good decadent time. Thanks to the aid of his employees, Shaw pretended to be a telepath himself. He also made a play to become Lord Imperial of the entire Club worldwide, but loses out to Roberto DaCosta, the mutant known as Sunspot.

Later, it would seem that Sebastian joins a new Inner Circle, which included Cassandra Nova, Negasonic Teenage Warhead, and Emma Frost/Perfection. Though it will be revealed that this Hellfire Club was not real, and all were mental images created by Emma Frost's mind, which was infected with a special "programming" by Cassandra Nova in an attempt to revive her. The Shaw duplicate vanished after being defeated by an X-Man.

During the "Cronus Machine" storyline. Mutants including SEBASTIAN SHAW, when they were young were imprinted with Mr. Sinister's DNA, so that in his death he can be reborn in one of them. Professor X of the X-Men was also one of these children, Xavier found himself captured for the machine. SEBASTIAN SHAW then teamed-up with the mutant thief Gambit to save Xavier. Shaw and Gambit was able destroy the Cronus device while Xavier casts Sinister out of his mind.

SEBASTIAN SHAW would continue to have skirmishes with the X-men, he would then be captured by the superhero group and placed in an underground prison containing people who the X-Men consider high threats to society. Still considered very dangerous, Emma Frost previously the Hellfire Club's White Queen but has been fighting on the side of the X-Men for some time, mind wiped SEBASTIAN SHAW after a long and tough fight.

What SEBASTIAN SHAW does with a clean slate? We will know when we see him again in the pages of Marvel Comics.

ANIMATED APPEARANCES
X-Men Animated Series (1990)
SEBASTIAN SHAW figured prominently in the Dark Phoenix saga in X-Men

Wolverine and the X-Men
SEBASTIAN SHAW also appeared in the animated show Wolverine and the X-Men in the episode "Shades of Grey" voiced by Graham McTavish. He is shown as a member of the Hellfire Club.

LIVE MEDIA APPEARANCE
KEVIN BACON
Actor Kevin Bacon portrays Shaw as the main antagonist in Matthew Vaughn's X-Men: First Class. In the film, his powers are somewhat broader; he can absorb energy from virtually any source without harming himself. Furthermore, he can use this energy to de-age himself, enhance his reflexes/strength or expel it from his body in bursts of varying sizes.
SEBASTIAN SHAW and his Inner Circle

POWERS & ABILITIES
Note: Due to the nature of comicbooks being an on-going tale, the character's powers along with his appearance, is in a constant state of flux.

Kinetic Energy Absorption: SEBASTIAN SHAW is a mutant with the superhuman ability to absorb kinetic energy and to metabolize it to enhance his own physical strength, speed, and stamina. This makes him extremely difficult to defeat in battle, as every blow struck against him only makes him stronger. Unusual tactics are required to defeat him, usually by incapacitating him or by attacking him psionically. Shaw absorbs the energy of any blow he is struck by, not just punches, but also projectiles like bullets, and to a less successful degree, electricity and physically based energy beams.

Kinetic Metabolism: Shaw can forgo sleep if he receives enough kinetic energy. Often he will have his mercenaries pummel him to give him enough stored energy that he need not sleep for some time.

Enhanced Durability: Shaw can still be crushed/cut, but cuts are superficial because he saps the blade of all its thrusting/cutting energy. Shaw is adept at not letting enemies realize his power until they have hit him one too many times. Hitting Shaw is often described as "punching a mattress". If properly energized, Shaw can lift and hold approximately one hundred times his weight. If bound, he can be punched by a teammate until he is strong enough to break the bonds. He is also adept at taunting foes into attacking him.

Enhanced Speed: When he has absorbed kinetic energy, Shaw's speed is increased.

Enhanced Stamina: Shaw's stamina in increased beyond normal human levels when he absorbs kinetic energy.

Accelerated Healing: Shaw has healed from being hit repeatedly in less than a few hours.

Abilities
Shaw's powers make him a formidable hand-to-hand combatant, even against superhumanly strong people. Being leader of the Hellfire Club has given Shaw some level of leadership and strategy skills. Shaw also has a shrewd business mind.

Sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sebastian_Shaw_(comics) : http://marvel.wikia.com/Sebastian_Shaw_(Earth-616) : http://marvel.wikia.com/Sebastian_Shaw_(Earth-616)/Gallery : http://marvel.wikia.com/Category:Sebastian_Shaw_(Earth-616)/Quotes : http://www.comicvine.com/sebastian-shaw/29-2175/ : http://forums.comicbookresources.com/showthread.php?p=11208249

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