Hellfire Club (Earth-616)
From Marvel Database
Two centuries later, White King Ned Buckman gave the support of the Council of the Chosen (the ruling body of the Hellfire Club) to Stephen Lang and his mutant hunting Sentinels. Backing Lang turned into a disaster, and a Sentinel attack on Sebastian Shaw's home led to the death of Lourdes Chantel. Out for revenge, Shaw and Emma Frost slaughtered the Council of the Chosen. Renaming the ruling body the Inner Circle, Shaw and Frost begin to surround themselves with other mutants.
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History
The Hellfire Club counted among its members many famous and influential members of society. Membership was passed on to descendants, and could be earned through wealth or influence. The club had branches in New York City, Paris, Hong Kong and London. The various branches were overseen by the Lord Imperial.
Many of the wealthiest and most powerful businessmen of the world, including Tony Stark and Norman Osborn, have inherited or gained membership to the Hellfire Club. While many accepted the invitation merely for the pleasures that the Club offered, many others sought out to obtain wealth and influence. In fact, the purpose of the Hellfire Club was to obtain and exert power through politics and economic influence instead of outward conquest and domination. Since its foundation, the Hellfire Club had been involved in wars and assassinations as long as these helped further the agendas of the Club's most prominent members.
Unbeknownst to most members of the club, the organization was ruled by a Council of the Chosen. This secret group later renamed itself the Inner Circle and assumed the titles of chess pieces. Originally the Inner Circle was composed of normal humans, but was slowly infiltrated and dominated by super-powered mutants of various abilities. Though not always the most powerful of mutantkind, the Inner Circle allowed within its rank only those of exceptional ability. A common theme, though with exceptions, was for the White and Black queens of the organization to possess a psychic ability of some nature; no doubt aiding the organization to further their conspiracies.
The Hellfire Club first came to the attention of the X-Men when agents of the Hellfire Club kidnapped several X-Men and took over the mind of Phoenix. Though the X-Men unraveled the Hellfire Club's scheme, the meddling with Phoenix's mind led her to become Dark Phoenix.
They were eventually defeated and Phoenix returned to her Jean Grey persona. Wolverine inflicted nearly lethal injuries on several of its mercenaries during this time. However, the influential organization continued its activities even after being thwarted by the X-Men. Although the hierarchy of the Inner Circle would go through constant upheaval due to the competing egos and political motives of its members, it continues to exist in the same basic structure today.
Inner Circle Lineups
The constant intrigue, backstabbing, blackmailing and politicking that plagued the Hellfire Club resulteded in many changes of the Inner Circle, as new players sought out membership in order to obtain influence, power and wealth. The following lists the membership of each incarnation of the inner circle and the title they held. Up until his death, Sir Gordon Phillips bore the title of Lord Imperial, and as such he oversaw all branches of the Hellfire Club; he was not a member of any particular Inner Circle, he was above all of them.
Council of the Chosen
The original Inner Circle prior to Shaw and Frost's takeover of the New York Branch Hellfire Club.
- Ned Buckman: White King
- Paris Seville: White Queen
- Sebastian Shaw: Black Bishop
The rest of the membership was never named. Like Paris, they were gunned down by Buckman under Emma Frost's mind control. Ned Buckman was responsible for a Sentinel attack on Shaw's beach house, which resulted on the death of Shaw's lover, Lourdes Chantel.
The Lords Cardinal
Shaw renamed the Council of the Chosen as The Lords Cardinal following his takeover of the NY Branch.
- Sebastian Shaw: Black King
- Emma Frost: White Queen
- Donald Pierce: White Bishop
- Phoenix (posing as Jean Grey): Black Queen
- Harry Leland: Black Bishop
- Jason Wyngarde: Probational member - presumably intended for one of the two Rooks.
- Tessa: Shaw's personal aide.
- Warhawk: Associate
After the Phoenix became Dark Phoenix and left the group, the title of Black Queen was empty once again. Donald Pierce reached the rank of White King and was expelled. New members were:
- Selene: Black Queen
- Emmanuel DaCosta: White Rook
- Friedrich Von Roehm: Black Rook
- Magneto: White King, alongside Storm. Later Grey King.
- Storm: White Queen, alongside Magneto.
Shinobi Shaw's Inner Circle
Originally, Selene planned on creating a new Inner Circle from amongst the Upstarts, yet they turn on her. Believing his father to be dead, Shinobi Shaw briefly took over the NY Branch of the Club, seeminlgy with support from the External Candra. He offered membership in his Inner Circle to Archangel and later Storm but both declined.
- Shinobi Shaw: Black King
- Benedict Kine: White King
- Benazir Kaur: Black Queen?
- Reeva Payge: White Queen?
- Candra: Associate
- Cordelia Frost: Probational member
The titles of Payge and Kaur were not established. When Cordelia Frost applied for membership to the Inner Circle, Shinobi stated that the title of White Queen is already taken.
This Inner Circle quickly faded into oblivion and was replaced by Shaw's second Inner Circle.
The London Branch
The Inner Circle of the Club's London branch briefly operated in parallel to Shinobi's Inner Circle. Instead of Black and White, the titles of the London Branch were Red and Black.
- Emma Steed (Earth-616) Counterpart of (AoA's Damask): Black Queen
- Margali Szardos: Red Queen
- Jane Hampshire (Earth-616) (possessed by Mountjoy): Scribe/Red Rook
- Quentin Templeton: Black King
- Alan Wilson: Red King
- Brian Braddock: Black Bishop
- Conrad Strathdee: Red Bishop
Brian Braddock's membership was hereditary. He joined the London Inner Circle at Shinobi Shaw's behest, as Shaw wanted information on the London branch's activities.
Shaw's Second Stint
Sebastian Shaw retook control of the Hellfire Club and tried to rebuild the Inner Circle to its former power and glory.
- Sebastian Shaw: Black King
- Selene: Black Queen
- Madelyne Pryor or Queen Jean: Black Rook
- Trevor Fitzroy: White Rook
- Donald Pierce: Applicant for White Bishop
- Tessa: Shaw's personal aide.
- Ella: Selene's personal servant
- Holocaust: Associate
- Ms. Hoo: Associate
Selene's Hellfire
With Pierce expelled, Madelyne gone and both Shaw and Fitzroy retired, Selene reformed the Inner Circle into a reflection of her own evil nature, thus consorting with demons, though her reign was short-lived:
- Selene: Black Queen
- Blackheart: Black King
- Daimon Hellstrom: White King
- Sunspot: Black Rook
At the time, Adrienne Frost had become headmistress of Generation X, claiming the White Queen title for herself. However, she was merely using the White Queen moniker. Besides, the nature of her powers did not fit with Selene's new demons, fire and brimstone theme.
Following Selene's defeat, Hellstrom remained as White King. Though he hasn't appeared again as a member, there has been no White King since him.
Sunspot joined the Inner Circle after Selene and Blackheart's defeat. She had always shown an interest in the young DaCosta and blackmailed him into taking up his hereditary membership.
Later, Sebastian Shaw came back into power, though the NY Branch had apparently been turned into a strip club. The strip club was part of the Hellfire Club's properties at least since the days of Emma Frost's youth.
The Fifth Inner Circle
With Sir Gordon Phillips dead thanks to the Legacy Virus, Shaw positioned himself as the new Lord Imperial and, as such, he oversaw the entire Hellfire Club. While he claimed that he was trying to reform the Club, his motive, as always, was not what it seemed.
- Sebastian Shaw: Lord Imperial
- Sunspot: Black King, later Lord Imperial.
- Courtney Ross (actually Sat-Yr-9): White Queen
- Viper: Warrior White Princess
- Tessa/Sage: Shaw's personal aide, Sunspot's personal advisor
- Selene: Black Queen
- Red Lotus: Associate
During a confrontation between Sat-yr-9 and Emma Frost, it was revealed that the latter maintained her membership all the time, as well as the White Queen title, though she lost the second.
Selene remained trapped beneath the Hellfire Club's HQ and was not actually part of the New Inner Circle, though her title of Black Queen remained untaken. [1]
A confrontation with Donald Pierce left Shaw gravely injured. Sunspot took over as Lord Imperial, which was Sage's plan all along. Despite their good intentions, Sat-yr-9 and Viper had their own less than noble agenda.
The Sixth Inner Circle
Shaw became healthy once again joined forces with new allies at the behest of the mysterious Perfection. The titles of the new members have not been revealed yet, but with Sunspot as Lord Imperial, Shaw is possibly back into his classic Black King.
- Perfection/The White Queen
- Sebastian Shaw
- Cassandra Nova
- Negasonic Teenage Warhead
- Emma Frost
Sunspot's Inner Circle has not appeared again. With Sage as part of New Excalibur, it is possible the previous Inner Circle disbanded.
Past members
- Philadelphia, 1780/81: Sir Patrick Clemens (King title), Lady Diana Knight (Queen title), Lady Grey (Queen title), Elizabeth Shaw-Worthington, Major General Wallace Worthington, Commander Clinton
- London, 1859: Lord Braddock, Mr. Shaw (Sebastian Shaw's great-grandfather and Cornelius Shaw's father)
- Boston, 1872/74: Anton Pierce (Member of the Inner Circle)
- London, 1915: Brigadier-General Cornelius Shaw, Sir Harry Manners, Waltham Pierce
Members outside the Inner Circle
The following characters were members of the Hellfire Club but were not part of the any of the Inner Circle lineups mentioned above. Their membership was inherited from their ancestors or parents, or was obtained through from personal invitation from the Branch's King, such as the one Sebastian Shaw offered to Irene Merryweather, which she refused.
- Lourdes Chantel - affiliated thanks to Shaw's membership
- Warren Worthington III - inherited membership from his father
- Warren Worthington Jr. - invited by Ned Buckman
- Howard Stark - invited by Ned Buckman
- Anthony Stark - inherited membership from his father
- Norman Osborn
- Sir James Braddock Senior - invited by Ned Buckman, former Black Bishop of the London Branch, left the Inner Circle when his inventions where used for anti-mutant purposes.
- James Braddock Jr - inherited membership.
- Elizabeth Braddock - inherited membership.
- Bianca LeNeige
- Dwayne Taylor
- Vance Astrovik
- Candace Southern, Warren Worthington III's former girlfriend - now deceased
- Ronald Parvenue
- Gerhard Van Ostamgen
- Oliver Ryland, Elias Bogan's protégé
- The Kingmaker
- Lady Jacqueline Falsworth-Crichton - inherited membership.
Guards and Staff
- Guards/Knights of Hellfire: Chet Andrews, Art, Cannonball, Castro, Chase, Randall Chase, Clam, Wade Cole, Denny the Bouncer, Diaz, Gilbert, Harvey, Jacko, Janet, Angelo Macon, McCord,Murray Reese, Richter, Richard Salmons, Salvatore, Stansfield, Bruno Stein, Steven, Taft, Travis, Benedict Kine's Ivory Knights, Shinobi Shaw's Ebon Knights
- Servants: Carmen, Denny, Jarvis, Sharon Kelly, Martine, Mary, Rutledge (London Branch).
Paraphernalia
Equipment: None known.
Transportation: None known.
Weapons: None known.
Notes
- No special notes.
- ↑ How she managed to present herself before Sunspot remains unexplained and its possibly an error by the writers.
Trivia
- Modeled after the real life British Hellfire Club
- Many names of club members are homages to the British Avengers television series
See Also
- Appearances of Hellfire Club (Earth-616)
- Team Gallery: Hellfire Club (Earth-616)
- Fan-Art Gallery: Hellfire Club (Earth-616)
Links and References
- None.
