Chamber (character)
Chamber is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is usually associated with the X-Men and the New Warriors.
A British mutant, Jono possesses the ability to cast energy blasts from his chest. He had limited control of his power and destroyed much of his chest and lower face when his powers emerged. Chamber lost his powers on M-Day, which left him near death until Clan Akkaba restored his body and transformed him into a form resembling Apocalypse. Following his transformation, Chamber joined the New Warriors, utilizing technology that gave him sonic-based abilities. Chamber regained his powers and original appearance after the events of Age of X.
Jonothon was a member of the X-Men junior team Generation X. He was sullen and moody and had difficulty bonding with teammates. He has since been offered a permanent position in the X-Men's teaching staff.
Publication history
Created by writer Scott Lobdell and artist Chris Bachalo, he first appeared in Generation X #1.Fictional character biography
Origin
Jonothon Evan Starsmore is originally from London and is a mutant who possesses a furnace of psionic energy in his chest. This power first manifested in an explosion during a party he was attending with then girlfriend Gayle Edgerton. Its initial manifestation destroyed much of his chest and lower face and crippled Gayle. As a result of his disfiguration, Jono can only speak via telepathy. He does not require food, water, or air to survive; it is believed that he is sustained by his psionic energy or that the energy makes up his body.The primary manifestation of his abilities is his ability to fire powerful blasts of psionic force. It has been implied at numerous times that he has the potential to become one of the most powerful mutants on Earth, but his emotional issues have apparently prevented him from significantly exploring this potential. His disfigurement also left Jono sullen and angry and his teammates have often found him difficult to get along with.
Generation X
At age 18, shortly after his mutant powers manifest, Jono accepts an invitation to join Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters. He meets the future members of Generation X - M, Husk, Synch, Skin, and Jubilee - after they arrive to save him from Emplate, a mutant who feeds on mutant genetic material to survive and attacks him at the airport.While living at the Xavier Institute, Chamber reconciles with Gayle Edgerton after they are both captured by Emplate. He later enters a relationship with Husk, but their relationship is strained as Jono believes that he cannot offer the normalcy he assumes she wants. His insecurity hinders his capability to interact with Husk platonically.
When the Xavier Institute is outed as harboring mutant students, an anti-mutant group attacks the school. After Synch is killed preventing a bomb from killing nearby human students, the Generation X kids feel that their training is over and disband the group. Chamber is considered to join the X-Men, but declines.
X-Man and Weapon X
After failing to join the X-Men, Chamber returns to London, where he hooks up with pop star Sugar Kane. The two separate after Kane's manager stages her abduction by anti-mutant forces following a phony tabloid story that she was pregnant with Chamber's child. The X-Men meet with Chamber in London and persuade him to join the team, after claiming that the X-Men offered a place that he could finally fit in. He remains on the team for some time, but often shows frustration with being treated as a junior member by his teammates and eventually asks to be relieved from active duty.After returning to the X-Men, Chamber learns that Husk is in a relationship with Archangel. He also witnesses the death of his friend Skin, who is crucified by the Church of Humanity. Archangel saves several of the Church's victims with his healing blood, but is unable to save Skin. These events drive Chamber over the edge; he attacks Archangel and is arrested. While Chamber is in prison, Brent Jackson recruits him into the Weapon X program.
Weapon X temporarily restores Chamber's damaged body and sends him to kill Sublime. He apparently does so, convincing Weapon X of his loyalty, but after stowing aboard a transport to the Neverland concentration camp, he vanished. It is later revealed in the Weapon X: Days of Future Now miniseries that Chamber had been captured and brainwashed into loyalty to Weapon X.
Decimation
Chamber is among the countless mutants who lose their powers during M-Day. Beast saves his life, but he is left unable to survive without his powers to sustain him. The X-Men leave him to be cared for at a hospital on life support.Jono is later abducted by Frederick Slade, a member of Clan Akkaba, who are descendants of Apocalypse and distant relatives of Jono. Under the orders of Ozymandias, Jono has his body restored after being given a transfusion of Apocalypse's blood. In the process, he takes on the pigmentation and appearance of a younger version of Apocalypse. As a direct descendant of Apocalypse, Jono is considered a member of the Clan, but refuses to formally join them.
New Warriors
Jono resurfaces as Decibel, a member of Night Thrasher's incarnation of the New Warriors. As Decibel, Jono utilizes a high-tech suit that gives him the ability to create solidified sound constructs. He reveals that he chose these powers because he does not want to be a weapon of destruction anymore and can now create. He serves with the New Warriors until they disband.Age of X
Jono eventually makes his way to the X-Men's new Island nation of Utopia. Shortly after his arrival, Legion rewrites history, making himself a hero. In this re-written world, Jono regains his powers, but loses the body restorations given to him by Clan Akkaba. When reality is restored, Jono retains the changes Legion made to him. After the conflict of leadership between Wolverine and Cyclops, Chamber joins Wolverine at the Jean Grey School for Higher Learning, where he teaches a course on "Coping With Physical Changes".Wolverine and the X-Men
Chamber is entrusted with the safety and security of the Jean Grey School's students when a violent threat is roaming the halls. He is shown defending his students from an attack by Weapon Omega while giving a lecture in class. Chamber is killed while battling one of Legion's multiple personalities, but is later resurrected by Legion. When the school moves to Central Park, Chamber becomes a teacher there. He is later attacked and killed by Harpoon of the Marauders.Krakoa
Following the establishment of Krakoa as a mutant nation, Chamber is resurrected and joins the New Mutants along with Mondo. They go on a mission to the Shi'ar empire with the intent of bringing Cannonball to Krakoa. The New Mutants are assigned to transport Deathbird to Chandilar to be Xandra Neramani's teacher, avoiding an assassination attempt by Oracle. Chamber is later seen working with Nightcrawler's Legionaries.Powers and abilities
Chamber's thoracic and abdominal cavities act as a furnace of psionic energy capable of nuclear fission whose output can be projected as wide blasts of concussive force or laser-like focused beams capable of disrupting atomic bonds. The initial manifestation of Chamber's powers destroyed most of his internal organs along with his mouth and chest. Chamber requires no food or oxygen and is seemingly indestructible, as he has disintegrated his own body along with D'Spayre's down to their sub-atomic components in a kamikaze attack and later reconstituted himself.Jono's appearance is so unusual that even other mutants are startled and repulsed. He has been implied to be a being of pure psionic energy inhabiting a dead organic shell that he can disintegrate and reassemble from memory. Chamber also possesses limited psychic abilities that enable him to project his thoughts, but do not allow him to read minds.
After he lost his powers during House of M, Jono was rebuilt by Clan Akkaba in the image of Apocalypse and he later employed technology to mimic sonic powers as Decibel. These powers included flight, sonic blasts, and the creation of solid energy constructs. He has since been restored to his original form and powers by the events of Age of X.