Mastermind (Jason Wyngarde)
Marvel Comics fictional character

Comics character
Mastermind
Mastermind in X-Men: The Hidden Years #12 (November 2000).
Art by John Byrne.
Publication information
PublisherMarvel Comics
First appearanceThe X-Men #4
(March 1964)[1]
Created byStan Lee (writer)
Jack Kirby (artist)
In-story information
Full nameJason Wyngarde
SpeciesHuman mutant
Team affiliationsSecret Empire
Brotherhood of Evil Mutants
Factor Three
Hellfire Club
Notable aliasesMastermind
Abilities
  • Realistic psionic illusion casting
  • Memory alteration

Mastermind (Jason Wyngarde) is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, commonly as an adversary of the X-Men. The original Mastermind was a mutant with the psionic ability to generate complex telepathic illusions at will that cause his victims to see whatever he wishes them to see. He was a founding member of the first Brotherhood of Evil Mutants and later a probationary member of the Lords Cardinal of the Hellfire Club, where he played an important role in "The Dark Phoenix Saga".

After Wyngarde's death from the Legacy Virus, his three daughters appeared: two possessing his illusion-creating abilities, Mastermind (Martinique Jason) and Lady Mastermind (Regan Wyngarde), and the X-Man Pixie.

Publication history

Mastermind was created by writer Stan Lee and artist/co-writer Jack Kirby, and first appeared in The X-Men #4 (March 1964).

During their time working on X-Men, Chris Claremont and John Byrne gave Mastermind the real name of Jason Wyngarde, based on British actor Peter Wyngarde, and redesigned the character to resemble Wyngarde.[2]

Martinique Jason

Jason's daughter, Martinique, first appeared in Wolverine/Gambit: Victims #2 (August 1995) and was created by Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale, with subsequent appearances in the next two issues of the series. She also appeared as a member of the Brotherhood of Mutants.[3]

Martinique appeared in Uncanny X-Men as a prisoner of X-Corps before being freed.[4]

When Chris Claremont was writing X-Treme X-Men, he intended Martinique to appear, but an editorial oversight failed to notice Martinique's current whereabouts in the pages of Uncanny X-Men, written by Joe Casey. Claremont created Lady Mastermind, Martinique's sister, as a replacement for the character.[5]

Martinique next appeared as an amnesiac in San Francisco[6] before being recruited for the Sisterhood of Mutants.[7] She would subsequently appear in X-Men: Pixie Strikes Back and during the Krakoan Age.

Fictional character biography

Jason Wyngarde was a carnival mentalist before joining the Brotherhood of Mutants. With Mastermind's help, the Brotherhood takes over Santo Marco, a fictional South American country, with an illusion of thousands of soldiers. However, the X-Men free the country, as Professor X sees through Mastermind's illusions, helping the X-Men when they believe they are trapped by a wall of flame.[8] As a member of the Brotherhood of Mutants, he participates in repeated clashes with the X-Men. He attempts to court his teammate Scarlet Witch, but his advances seem driven more by an unsatisfied need for love than by any true feelings for her, and she repeatedly spurns him.[9][10]

Mastermind tries to gain the Scarlet Witch to his side.
Art by Jack Kirby.

Mastermind later joins Factor Three, an organization that attempts to conquer the Earth. Factor Three eventually disbands when their leader, the Mutant Master, is revealed to be an alien.[11] Mastermind, alongside Factor Three members Blob and Unus, reform the Brotherhood of Mutants.[12]

Mastermind becomes involved with the Hellfire Club, who conspire to capture the X-Men for their own uses. He manipulates Jean Grey through the use of his own powers and a mind-tap mechanism created by Emma Frost, making Grey that believe she is the Black Queen of the Hellfire Club and is married to him.[13] This turns Grey against the X-Men. Cyclops attempts to free Grey on the astral plane, but Mastermind confronts him there and soundly defeats him. Cyclops' apparent death causes Grey to break free from Mastermind's control and attack him, leaving him catatonic.[14]

Following Grey's death, Mastermind decides to use those closest to her as proxies for his revenge. He disrupts Wolverine's wedding by psionically compelling his betrothed, Mariko Yashida, to reject him and open up dealings with the criminal underworld.[15] He manipulates the X-Men into thinking Cyclops's fiancée, Madelyne Pryor, is Grey's reincarnation, hoping to goad them into killing her before he reveals the truth. However, Cyclops recognizes the patterns of Mastermind's power, and the X-Men defeat him in a short battle.[16]

Mastermind later dies of the Legacy Virus. Before dying, he asks Jean Grey's forgiveness for what he did to her in an attempt to gain control of the Phoenix Force. She forgives him and he dies peacefully after using his final act to save Grey from dying alongside him.[17]

Prior to Mastermind's death, Lorna Dane inadvertently killed her mother and stepfather when her powers first manifested. Magneto, Lorna's father, had Mastermind use his powers to rewrite Lorna's memories, leaving her to believe that her parents died in a plane crash.[18]

Years after his death, Mastermind is resurrected by the Five during the Krakoan Age. During the "Empyre" storyline, Mastermind is among the psychic mutants who assist Magik in dealing with a Cotati seed pod.[19]

Characteristics

Powers and abilities

Mastermind has the mutant ability to cast exceptionally realistic psionic illusions.[20] He can psionically cause other people to see, hear, feel, smell, and taste things that do not actually exist.[21] For example, he can make himself look and sound like a different person, or look and feel like a wall, or even seem invisible. He can use his powers to duplicate himself.[9] The range of Mastermind's powers is wide enough to affect an entire city.[8] He is even capable of affecting telepaths as powerful as Professor X and Jean Grey, although to manipulate Dark Phoenix he required an amplifying device called a "mind-tap mechanism" provided by the White Queen that enabled him to project illusions directly into the entity's mind, so that the entity "saw" them, and to monitor the entity's thoughts, both over great distances.[14]

Family

Mastermind's name and powers still live on through his daughters: Martinique Jason and Regan Wyngarde. Both appear to be stronger than the original Mastermind; Martinique can create citywide illusions that even hypnotize people to believe they are in a whole new era and Regan's lethal illusions can continue even after she has been rendered unconscious.[volume & issue needed]

In the second issue of X-Men: Pixie Strikes Back, the mother of X-Man Pixie, Mrs. Gwynn, teleports herself to the Wyngarde Mansion, where Regan is fighting with Martinique and reveals Pixie is their half-sister. Teaming up with Mrs. Gwynn who offers the sisters power in exchange for their help, they attempt to track down Pixie after being kidnapped by Saturnine. During the final confrontation with the demon, Pixie teleports both Regan and Martinique away when X-23 attempts to attack them.[22]

Reception

Accolades

  • In 2009, IGN ranked Mastermind 98th in their Top 100 Comic Book Villains" list.[23]
  • In 2018, CBR.com ranked Mastermind 16th in their "25 X-Men Villains, Ranked From Weakest To Strongest" list.[24]
  • In 2019, CBR.com ranked Mastermind 2nd in their "10 X-Men Villains that Seem Totally Lame (But Are Actually Super Powerful)" list.[21]
  • In 2020, CBR.com ranked Mastermind 2nd in their "10 Best Illusionists In Marvel" list.[25]
  • In 2021, Screen Rant included Mastermind in their "X-Men: The 10 Most Powerful Members Of The Brotherhood Of Evil Mutants" list.[26]

Martinique Jason

  • In 2018, Screen Rant ranked Martinique in 5th their "15 Supervillains Whose Kids Are Even More Evil".[27]
  • In 2020, CBR.com ranked Regan and Martinique 1st in their "10 Best Illusionists In Marvel, Ranked".[28]
  • In 2021, CBR.com ranked Martinique 6th in their "Marvel: 10 Children More Evil Than Their Villain Parents".[29]
  • In 2023, CBR.com ranked Martinique 8th in their "10 Marvel Villains Stronger Than Their Parents".[30]

Other versions

Age of Apocalypse

An alternate universe version of Mastermind appears in Age of Apocalypse. This version was experimented on by Sugar Man, leaving him mute. After being rescued by X-Man, Mastermind goes on to join Forge's Outcasts, a resistance cell traveling under the cover of a theater troupe. He is later killed by the bounty hunter Domino.[volume & issue needed]

Ultimate Marvel

In the Ultimate Marvel reality, Mastermind is a member of Magneto's Brotherhood of Mutant Supremacy. In the series Ultimates 3, Mastermind attacks Valkyrie, who kills him with her sword.[31]

X-Men: Noir

An alternate universe version of Jason Wyngarde appears in X-Men: Noir as a member of Eric Magnus's group of detectives.[volume & issue needed]

In other media

Television

Video games

Mastermind appears as a playable character in Lego Marvel Super Heroes, voiced again by Travis Willingham.[32] This version is a member of the Brotherhood of Mutants that appears as a boss.[34][35]

Miscellaneous

Jason Wyngarde appears in Wolverine: The Lost Trail, voiced by Bill Irwin.[36]

References

  1. ^ Misiroglu, Gina Renée; Eury, Michael (2006). The Supervillain Book: The Evil Side of Comics and Hollywood. Visible Ink Press. ISBN 9780780809772.
  2. ^ Cronin, Brian. "Comic Book Urban Legends Revealed: #44," Archived 27 July 2013 at the Wayback Machine Comic Book Resources (30 Mar 2006.). Accessed 7 December 2008.
  3. ^ Cable #87 (November 2000)
  4. ^ Uncanny X-Men #401-406 (December 2001 - May 2002)
  5. ^ Cronin, Brian. "Comic Book Legends Revealed #411". cbr.com. CBR. Retrieved 7 January 2026.
  6. ^ Uncanny X-Men #495-499 (February - June 2008)
  7. ^ Uncanny X-Men #508-511 (April - June 2009)
  8. ^ a b X-Men #4 (March 1964)
  9. ^ a b X-Men #5 (May 1964)
  10. ^ X-Men #7 (September 1964)
  11. ^ X-Men #37-39 (October - December 1967)
  12. ^ X-Men: The Hidden Years #11 (October 2000)
  13. ^ Uncanny X-Men #125-126 (September - October 1979)
  14. ^ a b Uncanny X-Men #134 (June 1980)
  15. ^ Uncanny X-Men #172-173 (August - September 1983)
  16. ^ Uncanny X-Men #174-175 (October - November 1983)
  17. ^ Uncanny X-Men Annual #17 (June 1993)
  18. ^ X-Factor #243 (November 2012)
  19. ^ Empyre: X-Men #2 (October 2020)
  20. ^ Hellions #9 (April 2021)
  21. ^ a b Wilson, John (6 August 2019). "10 X-Men Villains that Seem Totally Lame (But Are Actually Super Powerful)". CBR. Retrieved 13 September 2022.
  22. ^ X-Men: Pixie Strikes Back #2-4 (May - July 2010)
  23. ^ The Top 100 Comic Book Villains - IGN.com, retrieved 13 September 2022
  24. ^ Ashford, Sage (5 May 2018). "Messiah CompleXes: 25 X-Men Villains, Ranked From Weakest To Strongest". CBR. Retrieved 13 September 2022.
  25. ^ Brueheim, Jackson (17 November 2020). "The 10 Best Illusionists In Marvel, Ranked". CBR. Retrieved 13 September 2022.
  26. ^ Lealos, Shawn S. (1 September 2021). "X-Men: The 10 Most Powerful Members Of The Brotherhood Of Evil Mutants, Ranked". ScreenRant. Retrieved 26 November 2022.
  27. ^ Forster, Daniel. "15 Supervillains Whose Kids Are Even More Evil". Screenrant.com. Screen Rant. Retrieved 7 January 2026.
  28. ^ Brueheim, Jackson. "The 10 Best Illusionists In Marvel, Ranked". cbr.com. CBR. Retrieved 7 January 2026.
  29. ^ Rabski-McColl, Amanda. "Marvel: 10 Children More Evil Than Their Villain Parents". cbr.com. CBR. Retrieved 7 January 2026.
  30. ^ Shayo, Lukas. "10 Marvel Villains Stronger Than Their Parents". cbr.com. CBR. Retrieved 7 January 2026.
  31. ^ Ultimates 3 #5 (November 2008)
  32. ^ a b c d "Mastermind Voices (X-Men)". Behind The Voice Actors. Check marks indicates role has been confirmed using screenshots of closing credits and other reliable sources{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link)
  33. ^ "X-Men: The Animated Series - Every Mutant That's Ever Appeared On The Show". Marvel. 5 September 2017. Retrieved 26 November 2022.
  34. ^ TT Fusion (2013). Lego Marvel Super Heroes: Universe in Peril (iOS, Android, Nintendo DS, Nintendo 3DS, PlayStation Vita). Level/area: Chapter 11, Stage 3: New York Power Plant - Liberty Head.
  35. ^ Robertson, Chris. "Taking Liberties". ign.com. IGN. Retrieved 9 October 2025.
  36. ^ "Season 2 Cast". wolverinepodcast.com. 15 July 2019. Archived from the original on 15 July 2019. Retrieved 15 July 2019.
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