TREVOR FITZROY

Publication Date: 19th Sep 2019
Written By: Monolith.
Image Work: Douglas Mangum.
Biography

BIOGRAPHY page 1

Trevor Fitzroy was the son of Anthony Shaw and an unidentified woman. While his other son and heir, William Shaw, was conceived in wedlock, Anthony Shaw apparently had Trevor with a woman other than his wife. Fancying himself like the kings of old, Anthony named his son "Fitzroy" after the surname once reserved for royal bastards. Growing up, Trevor received some of the benefits of his father's wealth, but was always treated like an afterthought and an embarrassment. Fitzroy was born into the timeline of Earth-1191, some 80 years into the future in a time of deep unrest for mutantkind. Only the most politically powerful and influential mutants like the Shaws managed to escape being condemned to mutant internment camps, under the watchful eye of Presidentially-controlled Sentinels.

As Fitzroy came of age, an uprising known as the Summers Rebellion began to liberate the camps and turn the public sentiment back in favor of the mutants. Anthony Shaw was a cohort and advisor to Doctor Falcone, the Sentinel commander who reported to the President. Fitzroy, out of genuine concern or parental rebellion, supported the Summers Rebellion. His mutant power to create portals in space allowed him to pop in and aid the Summers Rebellion when he felt like it, then disappear on a whim and avoid being identified as a sympathizer. He forged a passing relationship with Ruby Summers, daughter of Cyclops, the aging founder of the rebellion.

Anthony Shaw always had his eye on the future, and only supported the camps to neutralize potential rivals and secure his own position. When the President started turning away from Falcone and the camps, Anthony saw reason to aid the Summers Rebellion to gain some favor with them if their cause succeeded. He knew of Trevor's involvement in the Rebellion, and tipped off his son that Sentinels were being sent after a group of rebels in Detroit. Fitzroy teleported to the city and used his portals to banish the Sentinels, reintroducing himself to Ruby and the rebels.

The Summers Rebellion was in the midst of a complicated two-way time travel scenario. Jamie Madrox and Layla Miller from the past had arrived to investigate a threat to the rebellion. It turned out that Falcone had sent an assassin named Cortex back in time to eliminate the ancestors of key members of the Summers Rebellion, editing the future to the humans' benefit. Madrox and Miller contacted the aged Victor von Doom for assistance, only to discover he had created the Doomlock technology that allowed Cortex to alter the past without creating alternate timelines, and that he had given the tech to Falcone in the first place.

Doom summoned Cortex back to the future and enslaved him to kill the Rebellion. Fitzroy was the first to die, lasered through the brain by one of Cortex's blasts. Ruby Summers knew Layla Miller had the ability to bring the dead back to life and begged her to save Fitz. While Ruby had seen Layla use her power on animals before, Layla explained the cost of using her power on human beings: they returned to life without a soul. With their conscience and morality muted, these people would act solely out of their own self-interest, with no regard for the cost it might have to other people. Layla gave in to Ruby's pleadings anyway and undid Trevor's injuries, restoring him to life. Fitzroy got his revenge, sneaking close enough to Cortex to drain his life-energy and, with the defeat of Falcone and his Sentinels, the Summers Rebellion soon came to a close. [X-Factor (3rd series) #46-50]

However, Trevor remained on the outs with his father during the rise of a new, integrated human & mutant society following the rebellion. Mutant hardliners like the Exhumes still existed, striking out at humankind for their mistreatment. Although the mutant representatives in the new government knew that these Exhumes must be stopped, they could not sanction humans to hunt other mutants, especially so soon after the Sentinel years. Therefore, a new organization of mutants policing themselves was established, known as Xavier's Security Enforcers. Anthony Shaw ordered Trevor Fitzroy to join the X.S.E. academy, offering him no support from the Shaw fortune and forcing Trevor to make do on his own in the world.

[Note: Fitzroy's age doesn't entirely make sense across these stories. In X-Factor he was depicted as old enough to be Ruby's lover during the Summers Rebellion, while in the X.S.E. issues he appeared as a young teen or pre-teen, several years after the Summers Rebellion ended.]

On the first day of X.S.E. training, their commanding officer Hecat'e explained how the 'M' tattoo used in the camps would now be used as a badge of honor, confirming a cadet had graduated. She singled out Shard and Bishop, two new cadets who had been among the last mutants branded in the camps and therefore had already "earned" their tattoos. Fitzroy made a point of provoking Bishop immediately after the orientation, and their relationship would only grow more bitter from there. When the cadets were attacked on a street patrol by a pack of Emplates, their officer escorts were killed and only Bishop kept his cool to defend the cadets until back-up arrived. Bishop received commendation and rapid promotion, while Fitzroy rested on his laurels and did little to improve his position in the X.S.E. [X.S.E. #1-2]

Trevor began a relationship with Bishop's sister Shard in order to antagonize him. She knew his reasons, but was trying to step out from her brother's shadow and didn't mind needling him a bit in the process. The relationship was comfortably casual and, despite their reasons, Fitzroy and Shard enjoyed each other's company well enough. Although Shard had ambitions about advancing through the X.S.E., Fitzroy's ambitions lay elsewhere. His moral compass had deteriorated in the years since losing his soul and Trevor was dead set on claiming his seat by his father's side in the Hellfire Club. Whatever their relationship was before this, Trevor now saw his half-brother William as only an impediment on his pathway to power. He all but confessed to Shard once that he intended to have his brother killed. Sure enough, William soon passed away under unexplained circumstances, and Trevor was called home from the X.S.E. academy by his father's people. [X.S.E. #3]

After leaving the X.S.E., Fitzroy ostensibly became his father's heir. Anthony Shaw still never formally recognized his son or shared his surname with him, however. Fitzroy began a criminal career, apparently out of frustration towards his father. He used his teleporting ability to rob banks, steal technology from high-end sources, and so on. He sold his agenda in part by appealing to the divide between humans and mutants, always targeting humans in his crimes. Ultimately, it was Shard who came up with the tactical scenario that allowed the X.S.E. to catch Fitzroy in the act, using her own knowledge of his character against him. Trevor never forgave Shard for this betrayal. [X.S.E. #3] At one point, Fitzroy also implied that he blamed Shard for his mother's death, although the full circumstances of this event have never been revealed. [Uncanny X-Men (1st series) #301]

Anthony Shaw allowed the trial to go forward as a lesson for Trevor. However, he would never allow the embarrassment of his son actually being sent to prison. Sure enough, Shaw's influence ensured that Fitzroy went free and was not convicted of any of his crimes. Fitzroy asserted his connection to the Hellfire Club by gathering his own group of decadent young mutants and called them the Hellions. He was known for hosting gene-blanding dens, exhibitions where humans were used against their will for sport or pleasure. [X.S.E. #3]

During this period, Fitzroy first became aware of the temporal nature of his portals, allowing the possibility of travel through time instead of just space. He contracted with another mutant named Bantam, a "chronal anchor" whose unique sensitivity to the flow of time was largely useless on its own. Working with Fitzroy, however, Bantam was able to monitor and chart the activity of Fitzroy's time portals, allowing him to test how far his portals could travel through time and how much life energy was necessary to maintain them. A natural toady and yes-man, Bantam became Fitzroy's constant companion, a useful but abused asset.

In Fitzroy's absence, Shard had become involved with the Xavier's Underground Enforcers, rogue agents from the X.S.E. They had a plan to rewrite the timeline, undoing the "bad ol' days" for mutantkind entirely, and they intended to use Fitzroy's developing abilities for their strategy. Shard's history with Fitzroy was key to the X.U.E. to find him and convince him to aid in their plan. Fitzroy was kidnapped from one of his dens and Shard tried to appeal to his better nature, pressing him to work towards a better world for all mutants, the two of them included. Fitzroy pretended to be on board for Shard's plan, but turned on her the moment she let him free. Whatever feelings Fitzroy may have had for Shard were eclipsed by his own self-importance. He fought against the X.U.E. and tried to escape, but Shard knocked him out. Nevertheless, she had grown tired of operating outside the law and decided the X.U.E.'s plan was folly. She intended to take Fitzroy in and charge him by the book instead. [X-Factor (1st series) #140-141]

Fitzroy's influence and political connections through his father kept the X.S.E. from officially responding to his gene-blanding dens for some time. Bishop, however, eventually became fed up with the red tape and went after Fitzroy anyway, catching him in the act of breaking the law and arresting him and his Hellions. Trevor feared his father might cut him loose this time rather than intervene on another trial, and so he tried to deal with Bishop. Fitzroy promised details on where the Exhumes were currently hiding out in exchange for his freedom. In fact, Fitzroy's information was designed to send Bishop into a nest of Emplates. Things didn't work out as Fitzroy planned, though. Bishop held him in custody until his information checked out instead of releasing him immediately. Furthermore, Bishop gave the tip to Shard as an apology for a recent fight, and Shard's unit was attacked by Emplates instead, effectively killing her. Fitzroy was sorry his trap didn't snare Bishop, but he still laughed when he heard of Shard's fate, showing zero compassion or concern for his former lover. [X.S.E. #3]

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