Sage

• Sage’s real name is currently unknown, but her actual first name appears to be Tessa. She is a cyberpath who possesses the ability to assimilate information at computer-like speeds. She also has advanced memory storage and a kinetic memory. Sage can initiate evolution within mutants as well and can also unleash potential mutations within others. She used to have telepathic abilities, but she shut them down at some point in order for her to be undetected by the evil mutant telepath, Elias Bogan. This shut down gives her immunity to psychic detection and probing. She was once a member of the X-Treme X-Men team as well as Sebastian Shaw’s assistant in the Hellfire Club (although she was actually working undercover as a spy for Charles Xavier).
• Sage’s past is shrouded in mystery. Because she traveled around quite a bit during her youth, Sage’s original birthplace is hard to determine. She did spend some time in Afghanistan, where she tried to distance herself from the growing conflicts between the government and a group of rebels. One day, Sage was drawn to a cave that most of the locals considered to be haunted. Inside the cave, Sage came upon Charles Xavier, whose legs were crushed underneath debris as a result of his battle against an alien villain called Lucifer. She managed to uncover Xavier and attempted to get him to a local hospital, but they encountered a UN relief convoy being atacked by robbers, who raped and murdered the UN workers. An enraged Sage killed the thieves but was repulsed afterwards by what she had done. At some point, Sage was sold to a harem, but it’s possible this happened before her encounter with Charles Xavier.
• Years later, Sage and Xavier met up (around the time he had first formed the X-Men). For a while, he trained her in the use of her powers, and then he sent Sage to Sebastian Shaw in order to spy on the man who would soon be a Lord Cardinal of the Hellfire Club. This undercover assignment ended up driving a wedge between Sage and Xavier, for she thought that Xavier didn’t think her worthy of being one of his X-Men.
• At some point, after Sebastian Shaw took over the Inner Circle of the Hellfire Club, Sage witnessed a wager between Shaw and Elias Bogan, the only remaining threat to Shaw’s rise to power. During the wager, Sage’s analytical advice helped Shaw beat Bogan, who swore retribution against Sage as a result. Sometime after this incident, Sage encountered Betsy Braddock, alias Psylocke, who was becoming a regular visitor at the Hellfire Club. Sage tried to warn her to stay away from the Club and Sebastian Shaw, but Psylocke responded with a psychic attack, which Sage deflected back at her thanks to the telepathic training she received from Charles Xavier. Sage was then able to convince Psylocke to flee and never again return to the Hellfire Club.
• However, later months later, Sage was unable to prevent the Phoenix’s corruption by Inner Circle member, Jason Wyngarde, alias the mutant illusion caster Mastermind. It was this incident that ended communications between Sage and Xavier, at least for a while, for Sage failed to warn the X-Men of another attack by the Hellfire Club a few months later, during which the White Queen had telepathically switched bodies with Storm in order to infiltrate and destroy Xavier’s favored mutants. She also helped protect Shaw from Selene, the Black Queen, who attempted a takeover of the Inner Circle. But, it should be noted that, during an attack by the futuristic Sentinel Nimrod, it was Sage who offered sanctuary to the X-Men, a move that led to a temporary truce between the mutants and the Hellfire Club.
• For a time, during the period when Sebastian Shaw was believed killed by his son, Shinobi, Sage served as Shinobi’s personal assistant. She later returned to Sebastian’s side after the man revealed himself to be alive. They struggled to regain their power base in the Hellfire Club by allying themselves with Selene, the Black Queen, and an amnesiac Madelyne Pryor, a clone of X-Man Jean Grey. Suspicious of Madelyne Pryor, Sage invaded her mind and found out who she was, but Madelyne nearly murdered Sage for violating her privacy. Later, Shaw lost interest in the activities of the Hellfire Club and left, taking Sage with him.
• At some point later, Elias Bogan finally tracked Sage down and kidnapped her. She was his hostage for quite some time and was tortured mercilessly by Bogan, who branded her face with the bleeding eyes signature that was usually brought whenever someone was being possessed by the vile villain. These brands on Sage’s beautiful face are now black tattoo-like scars. When Bogan offered to give Sage back to Shaw in return for Shaw’s entire fortune, Shaw refused and severed all ties with Sage, deeming her unworthy of such a trade despite their close relationship. However, when Charles Xavier learned of Sage's plight, he sent Storm of the X-Men to rescue Sage from Bogan’s clutches. It was then that Sage turned all of her telepathic power inwards and forever sealed off her mind so it would be absolutely unreadable, ending her use of telepathy apparently for good.
• Since then, Sage has been with the X-Men, although it took the group a long time to learn to trust Sage, who had once been an enemy. As a member of the X-Treme X-Men, Sage helped try and track down Destiny’s prophetic diaries. She also encountered Sebastian Shaw, who used Lady Mastermind to try and brainwash her (via sophisticated illusions) back into his service. The ploy failed, although Sage was nearly lobotomized in the process by Lady Mastermind’s proficient use of her power.
• During a mission where an other-dimensional warlord named Kahn invaded Madripoor and tried to conquer Earth, Sage encountered and humiliated the Viper, the island’s ruling crime lord. Because of this incident, the Viper and Sage became lifelong enemies.
• Sage once again encountered Elias Bogan, not once but three times, although the two adversaries actually did not meet up during the second storyline. During the first incident, Elias took possession of Emma Frost and used her to exact his revenge against Sage. The ploy failed. In their next confrontation, in the community of Valle Soleada, where humans and mutants tried to live together in relative peace, Bogan (who was possessing the body of mutant telepath Rachel Summers by this time) instigated much unrest in Volle Soleada, which put a major strain on human-mutant relations. Bogan’s plan was foiled; but since he remained behind the scenes most of the time, he and Sage never confronted one another, although Sage was aware of Bogan’s role in the business at Valle Soleada.
• During the final encounter, Bogan nearly killed Sage and tried to turn her X-Treme teammates against her by revealing to them the incident when Sage had killed the thieves who murdered the UN workers in Afghanistan. However, since each member of the X-Treme team had their own haunted pasts, they reached out to Sage, who finally realized that she needed their help to defeat her mortal nemesis. Bogan, still in possession of the body and mind of Rachel Summers, was finally defeated, but the creepy, slimy little bastard managed to escape yet again, although he relenquished Rachel's body in the process.
• A few months later, the Viper returned to seek vengeance upon Sage for the humiliation that Sage inflicted upon her during their last encounter. The Viper was defeated, but Sage later learned that the Viper was now a member of the Hellfire Club, which was in the process of reestablishing its power base.
• Currently, Sage is now back with the Hellfire Club, which is now being led by X-Man Roberto DaCosta, alias Sunspot. She is his personal assistant and is helping him try and make the Club respectable. However, in circumstances yet to be revealed, Sage will soon be joining a new Excalibur team based in London (led by Captain Britain).
• Sage...how awesome she is! After Psylocke’s death in X-TREME X-MEN#2-3, I transferred the enjoyment of that character onto Sage, who has now grown to be one of my favorite characters in the Marvel Universe. Not only is Sage absolutely gorgeous and super hot in every way, but she’s got great powers and she’s one super tough gal who oozes with confidence. She is also a long-standing X-Character who debuted way back during Chris Claremont's original Uncanny X-Men run. Some people seem to think that Sage turning out to be a spy working for Xavier was a retcon, but since Claremont created the character to begin with and is the person responsible for making her a spy, who is to say that he didn't intend this from the beginning? There certainly seems to be some evidence depicted in early issues that suggest Claremont DID intend on arranging this all along. Anyway, although I was saddened when Sage recently left the X-Men, I look forward to seeing this character again in the pages of the upcoming NEW EXCALIBUR title! Long live Sage!
• SAGE'S LIST OF APPEARANCES (note: this is a partial list; plus, the issues may not be in exact order, either, but I tried to list them that way):
• Uncanny X-Men#132, 151-152; Marvel Graphic Novel#4; Classic X-Men#7; Uncanny X-Men#169, 182, 189; New Mutants Vol.1#23; Uncanny X-Men#208-210; New Mutants Vol.1#51, 61; Uncanny X-Men#245-247; X-Men Vol.2#29; Spider-Man Team-Up#1; X-Force Vol.1#49-50; X-Man#15, 21-23; X-Man Annual 1996; X-Man#24, 28; X-51#0, 3-5, 7; X-Men: Hellfire Club#4; X-MenVol.2 #103; Uncanny X-Men#384; X-Men Annual 2000; Uncanny X-Men#388; X-Men Vol.2#109; X-Treme X-Men#1-39; New X-Men#140-141, 157; X-Treme X-Men#40-46; Uncanny X-Men#444-454; X-Men Vol.2#165

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