EX NIHILO

Real Name: Doctor Kate Wald

Class: Human magic-user

Occupation: Doctor, supervillain

Group Affiliation: None

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: Hairbringer, Tap-Out

Base of Operations: Littleville, Earth Prime

First Appearance: Dial H #1 (July, 2012)

Powers: X.N. was a master of nullomancy, combining magic and technology to bring forth power from nothingness.

History: (Dial H #1-5) - Wald had a keen interest in the occult as a youth, and learned nullomancy from the Lieber Kenosis. Nihilo sought the power of the H-Dial, power from nothingness, and was joined by Squid, who arrived on our plane with remnants of his companion Abyss, thanks to X.N.'s technology. Squid and Abyss had been sent tumbling through dimensions by users of the H-Dial, and he wanted to return home, so he agreed to help her. They collected residue from Abyss, although they were opposed by H-Dial user Manteau. X.N.'s man Vernon Boyne was attacked by someone using the H-Dial, a friend of Darren Hirsch who wanted Boyne to let him out of his control. X.N. feared that Manteau had resurfaced, but Boyne assured him it was someone different, Nelson Jent. Ex Nihilo learned that Jent was spotted in the apartment he'd targeted to rob, and that Manteau showed up and stole the phone he was after. She wanted them dealt with, and didn't want his former lackey Darren feeding Jent any more information, so she sent the Squid after him. Squid reminded her to be civil, because the only reason he helped her was because he wanted to see her succeed in his plans. Jent turned into the Iron Snail, and fought Squid and X.N.'s men, but his power faded and he was forced to flee. They followed him back to the phone booth that contained his H-Dial, and Manteau was waiting there to help him flee. X.N. tracked the person closest to Abyss when he disappeared, Mr. King, and they fed Abyss' residue into him, returning the shadow creature to our plane. Jent and Manteau arrived, but were too late to stop them. Abyss was furious over his long exile, and punched a hole in Squid's chest before leaving for a museum to feed on the light of geodes. X.N. captured Manteau and took her H-Dial, not bothering with Jent. Using nullomancy she mastered the H-Dial for herself, and tried to convince Abyss to work with her, but he was having none of it. Squid turned to Jent to help him return home, and after they rescued the powerless Manteau they confronted X.N. X.N. fatally wounded Squid, and Jent and Manteau fled so she could do some more quick repairs on his H-Dial. He became Cock-A-Hoop, a chicken with the disorienting powers of a hula hoop, and hoped for the best. Abyss was hungry for more light, and blotted out the moon, deciding to destroy the world that exiled it by stealing the sun and its' light next. Abyss spawned small nothings, and Squid, while dying, gave Manteau advice to convince X.N. to help Jent turn them against Abyss to destroy him. Abyss perished, and from within him emerged the shadow from the H-Dial line that Manteau and Jent had previously glimpsed while using their powers. The shadow was another H-Dial user, and disabled X.N.'s dial, causing her to fall to her death.

Comments: Created by China Miéville & Mateus Santolouco.