TEMPUS

Biography

Eva Bell was born and raised on Australia's Gold Coast. Growing up, Eva idolized Captain America and hoped that one day she might follow in his footsteps by becoming a super hero that represented Australia. [Uncanny X-Men (3rd series) #3]

Eva’s mutant powers manifested when she was a teenager. On a night out with a friend, Eva struck up conversation with a boy she liked. Things were going well until Eva’s older overprotective brother Stephen saw and tried to break them apart. A brawl quickly erupted and when Eva tried desperately to calm things down, time itself stopped.

For over 20 hours, everyone and everything in the immediate area was frozen in time, including Eva herself. Eva had created her first “time bubble” and the media and authorities quickly surrounded it. Cyclops, Emma Frost, and Magneto arrived at the scene and managed to free Eva from the time bubble’s effects. They informed her that she was a mutant and Cyclops invited Eva to join his cause to mak the world a better place for their kind. With some assistance from Emma, Eva managed to break her time bubble. Tensions were high and surrounded by the Australian Federation Guard, Eva had little choice but to escape with her rescuers. [All-New X-Men (1st series) #1] 

Cyclops and his small band of X-Men were fugitives living in an abandoned Weapon X facility in Canada which they had dubbed the “New Charles Xavier School for Mutants.” Eva was one of the new school’s first students but little did she know that she had also just become the first recruit of Cyclops’ “mutant revolution.” Eva had more than a few questions about what Cyclops was planning and had concerns about Cyclops’ mental wellbeing in general. Despite this, Eva donned a super hero costume, took the codename of Tempus, and joined the X-Men on missions to rescue new mutants. In the wake of the Phoenix Five, the relationship between law authorities and mutants had grown increasingly hostile and Tempus’ growing control of her time powers were helpful in these tense situations, especially when a new breed of sentinels, seemingly built by S.H.I.E.L.D, was thrown into the mix.

Eventually Eva asked if she could visit her mother to let her know she was okay. Cyclops was hesitant but ultimately obliged and Magik teleported the team to her home in Gold Coast. Eva only got to exchange a few words with her mother before the Avengers arrived. Having been alerted by S.H.I.E.L.D., the Avengers were on the scene to arrest Cyclops and Emma so they could answer for the crimes they committed when they were corrupted by the Phoenix Force, specifically Cyclops’ murder of Charles Xavier. Blame was tossed around and the situation rapidly escalated. Just as a fight between the two groups was about to break out, Eva stepped in and used her powers to trap the Avengers in a time bubble. Now realizing the reality of her situation, Eva bid farewell to both her mother and her old life and departed once again with the X-Men.

Cyclops was proud that one of his students was able to stop the Avengers so easily but Eva was alarmed that she was was on the opposite side of those she deemed as good guys, especially her childhood hero Captain America. Eva confided in her fellow students—Triage, Benjamin Deeds, and Goldballs— who expressed similar fears about what form Cyclops’ revolution would take and what their part in it would be. [Uncanny X-Men (3rd series) #1-4] 

After a nearly disastrous confrontation with Dormammu in the demonic dimension of Limbo, Cyclops and his fellow “teachers” decided it was time to start actively training their students in the use of their new powers. During a sparring session, Eva trapped Magik in a time bubble but when she tried to free her, Magik vanished. She reappeared moments later, having traveled forward in time and Eva began to realize that there was much more to her powers than she knew. [Uncanny X-Men (3rd series) #10] 

As new threats emerged, Cyclops continued to push his recruits harder than ever before. To test their survival skills, Eva and her fellow students were dropped into the strange land of Tabula Rasa, an area of Montana that had artificially advanced 130 million years and thus was overrun with new species. In a sudden encounter with a dangerous creature, Eva threw up a time bubble but instead of stopping time, she disappeared. [Uncanny X-Men (3rd series) #17] 

Eva suddenly found herself in the middle of a chaotic battle between a hero named Jonathan Raven and an alien army. Eva assumed this was part of Cyclops’ training scenario but as the alien army began to close in on her, she felt like she was in real danger and produced a time bubble and disappeared once more.

This time, Eva found herself in the old west and had begun to realize that this was not part of any test. When in mortal danger, Eva would instinctively travel through time but had no control over her destination. Eva encountered nothing but hostility due to her strange appearance but eventually met a local hero named Rawhide Kid who informed her that the year was 1875. Upon learning of her situation, Rawhide Kid put a gun to Eva’s head to make her think she was in danger and Eva’s time powers kicked in once more.  

Eva arrived in the year 2099 where she was found by the X-Men of that time period. Realizing she was lost in time, the X-Men took Eva to the Sorcerer Supreme. There, Eva finally found a familiar face as Magik, having used her sorcery to prolong her lifespan, was still alive and had become Sorcerer Supreme of the Galaxy. Unfortunately Magik no longer had her time travel abilities but agreed to train Eva so that she could learn to control hers and return home.

Seven years passed.

During this time, Eva married a man named Danny and had a daughter. Although she continued to train under Magik, she gave up hope of ever returning to the past and now with a loving family, she no longer desired to. Magik warned her that she would eventually have to return home and there was nothing she could do to change that but Eva didn’t want to listen, refusing to abandon her husband and child. 

The choice was taken out of her hands when Magik’s Sanctum Sanctorum was attacked by a vengeful demon. Eva ran in to help, trapping the demon in a time bubble, but she was too late. With her dying breath, Magik told Eva that she had to go back to her own time period and when she did, she had make sure that Hank McCoy, aka Beast, stood trial for his recent crimes. At that moment, Eva’s husband and daughter came rushing in. The demon broke free of Eva’s time bubble and with both her and her family’s life in mortal danger, Eva’s uncontrollable time traveling powers kicked in and she sent herself back to prehistoric times.

Strangely, Eva wasn’t alone. She was rescued from a dinosaur attack by the dark sorceress Morgana le Fey, who had been trapped there by Norman Osborn’s Dark Avengers. While Eva recuperated, Morgana used her magic to invade Eva’s mind and was delighted to learn that a ticket home had just fallen into her lap. When Eva awakened, she immediately wanted to return to her family but Morgana explained to her that they would no longer exist. Eva didn’t want to listen and tried consciously using her time powers to return to the future. A fight with Morgana broke out and Eva was once again transported in time but this time, Eva was able to control herself as she went through the timestream, pushing herself to go further and further until she arrived in 2099. 

Eva rushed to her home but found strangers living there and when she went to the Sanctum Sanctorum, she was greeted by Tony Stark instead of Magik. Eva was heartbroken to learn that her husband and daughter were wiped from existence. Tony felt her pain but told her that she still had a journey to go on— in her native time period. Eva watched as Tony used his magic to show her how every choice she ever makes creates a new branch and how her future is still unfolding. Tony took her to Tabula Rasa and assured her that she had the control within to return to when she first left. Apologizing to her lost family, Eva closed her eyes and sent herself back in time. [Uncanny X-Men Annual (3rd series) #1, All-New X-Men Annual #1]

Eva succeeded, returning to Tabula Rasa mere moments after she first disappeared. Noticeably older, Eva’s classmates sensed something was wrong but Eva said nothing of what had really occurred. Celeste, one of the telepathic Stepford Cuckoos, read Eva’s mind and learned everything but Eva made her promise to keep the life she had lived for the past 7 years a secret. [Uncanny X-Men (3rd series) #17]

Hiding her pain, Eva resumed her old life. Cyclops noticed a change in her, not only in her appearance but also in her efficiency with her powers and her newfound willingness to question his decisions. With the team on the verge of a full blown war with S.H.I.E.L.D., there was little time to confront her about it. Celeste tried to persuade her to tell the others about what happened but Eva wasn’t ready, still in the process of accepting what she had lost. [Uncanny X-Men (3rd series) #19]

Worried about their friend, the Stepford Cuckoos took matters into their own hands and told Cyclops everything. At first, Cyclops respected Eva’s privacy but eventually brought it up, implying that she should’ve asked for his help. This angered Eva, perhaps because deep down, she knew Cyclops needed more help than she did. 

When Professor X’s last will and testament surfaced, X-Men from all factions gathered together and learned about the existence of Matthew Malloy. Malloy was an omega-level mutant with uncontrollable and seemingly limitless powers. To prevent tragedy, Professor X placed mental barriers in his mind to prevent him from accessing his powers and routinely checked on him to make sure they were still in place. With Professor X’s death, it now fell to the X-Men to take up this duty.

Unfortunately, they were too late. Having already taken out an entire small town in North Carolina, Matthew Malloy was already in a heated standoff with S.H.I.E.L.D. To make matters worse, instead of trying to shut things down, Cyclops tried to recruit Matthew for his mutant revolution.

Seeing what a potential threat Matthew was, Eva took action. She travelled back in time to the early days of the X-Men to warn Professor X that his plan for dealing with Matthew would ultimately fail. Professor X was furious as he know had knowledge of his future, including his death, but when the two of them traveled back to the present and learned that the situation had escalated and many of the X-Men had been killed, they knew what had to be done. 

The pair travelled even further back in time where Professor X used his powers to prevent Matthew’s parents from ever meeting, effectively wiping the man from existence. Before erasing the encounter from his own mind, Professor X warned Eva that if she continued to use her powers in such a way, she would lose even more than she already had.

Returning to the present, Eva confronted Cyclops, telling him about the disaster that she had just averted, a disaster that he helped escalate. She scolded him for his recklessness and told that if he didn't get his act together, she'd do the same to him as she had done to Matthew Malloy. And with that, Eva left Cyclops’ “school.” [Uncanny X-Men (3rd series) #23-31]

Eva kept her distance from the X-Men for some time but did pay a visit to Beast in the aftermath of his “trial.” Eva informed him that in all the futures she visited, she had been told how important it was that he answer for his crimes, presumably his ill-advised decision to bring the original X-Men to the present. Before departing, Eva stressed how she hoped he had learned his lesson. [Uncanny X-Men (1st series) #600]

Some time later, Professor X began taking steps to form a new mutant nation on the living island known as Krakoa. Unlike previous failed attempts at mutant homelands, Krakoa would allow mutants to thrive like never before and Eva was a key reason why. 

Under the guidance of Professor X, Eva used her powers in coordination with four other mutants and together, they were able to resurrect the deceased. Beginning with Goldballs, an egg would be formed which the reality-warping powers of Proteus would make viable. The DNA of the deceased mutant would be injected into it hen Elixer would use his control over human biology to kickstart the forming of a husk which Eva would use her time powers to speed up to the desired age. The final member of the group was Hope who ensured the success of each resurrection by boosting the group’s powers. Upon completion, Professor X would use his telepathy to inject the husk with a backup of that mutant’s mental being and thus, the mutant would live again. 

A new age of mutantkind had begun and mutants no longer had to fear death. Dubbed “The Five,” Eva and her fellow miracle workers were highly revered on Krakoa. Due to their status and the incredible work they were able to accomplish, “The Five” became an inseparable family unit and Eva enjoyed the life of being treated as sacred. [House of X #5]

The Five were enormously busy, having an excessive backlog of deceased mutants to resurrect, including the 16 million mutants who perished on Genosha. Some relief eventually came in the form of X-Factor, a team dedicated to investigating mutant deaths. The Five works closely with X-Factor, making the process of resurrecting millions of mutants a bit less overwhelming. [X-Factor (4th series) #1]

Understandably, the work of The Five is usually met with grand celebration. And so, for the first time in a while, Eva is experiencing some much-deserved happiness.