Blackwing (II)
Barnell "Barry" Bohusk
- Known Aliases: Beak
- Identity: Secret
- Occupation: Adventurer; former student, alternate reality traveler
- Legal Status: Citizen of the United States; formerly Netherlands
- Place of Birth: Cheverly Maryland
- Marital Status: Married
- Known Relatives: Angel Salvadore Bohusk (Tempest, wife); Axel, Kara, Katherine, Jackie, Janet, Jermaine, Joseph, La Toya, Marlon, Michael, Tito and numerous other children, Charles (father), Kathy (mother)
- Group Affiliation: New Warriors; formerly Exiles, Brotherhood
- Base of Operation: Mobile
- Educations: Some college
- Species: Human
- Gender: Male
- Height: (Bohusk) 6 ft. 2 in.; (Beak) 5ft. 9 in.
- Weight: (Bohusk) 220 lbs.; (Beak) 140 lbs.
- Eyes: (Bohusk) Blue; (Beak) Black
- Hair: (Bohusk) Blond; (Beak) White
- Other Distinguishing Features: As Beak he had a beak, feathered arms and talons.
The Bohusk family moved to Rotterdam, Netherlands when Barnell was a toddler. He had trouble fitting in with the other children, and when his bird-like mutation manifested, this became even more difficult; he often hid to escape the other children's scrutiny. When the Xavier Institute school welcomed an increasing population of young mutants, Barnell enrolled. Barnell took the codename "Beak," which he had been called by a girl he befriended in Rotterdam. An insecure outcast, Beak often isolated himself, but soon befriended an instructor, the Beast. However, when Cassandra Nova took control over Charles Xavier's body, she forced Beak to brutally beat Beast with a prized bat Afterwards, a guilt-stricken Beak suffered a brief mental breakdown.
Expand full history
The Bohusk family moved to Rotterdam, Netherlands when Barnell was a toddler. He had trouble fitting in with the other children, and when his bird-like mutation manifested, this became even more difficult; he often hid to escape the other children's scrutiny. When the Xavier Institute school welcomed an increasing population of young mutants, Barnell enrolled. Barnell took the codename "Beak," which he had been called by a girl he befriended in Rotterdam. An insecure outcast, Beak often isolated himself, but soon befriended an instructor, the Beast. However, when Cassandra Nova took control over Charles Xavier's body, she forced Beak to brutally beat Beast with a prized bat Afterwards, a guilt-stricken Beak suffered a brief mental breakdown.
Beak befriended the young mutants in his "special class," taught by Xorn. He eventually romanced classmate Angel Salvadore and, after an attack by the U-Men, emerged as the special class leader. Shortly afterwards, Esme of the Stepford Cuckoos telepathically forced Beak to shoot Emma Frost with a diamond bullet, and Angel revealed she was pregnant, Esme's guilt was discovered, and Angel soon gave birth to multiple children via her fly-like metabolism. When Xorn was revealed as X-Men foe Magneto (actually a dangerous imposter), both Beak and Angel joined his newly formed Brotherhood, but when "Magneto" wanted Beak to exterminate a group of humans, Beak refused. "Magneto" banished Beak from the group, but as "Magneto" became increasingly violent, Beak helped the Brotherhood and X-Men defeat him.
Shortly after, Beak was forced to join the reality-repairing Exiles. When the Exiles battled Earth-4020's rogue Hyperion, Beak enlisted the aid of two other alternate reality Hyperions, fulfilling his purpose as an Exile.
When the Exiles tried to return Beak to his own reality, they entered the Scarlet Witch's "House of M" reality warp. When the Scarlet Witch altered reality again on "M-Day," she depowered most of the world's mutants, including Beak, Angel and many of their children, while the Exiles departed.
Now going by "Barry," he married Angel, but missed their past adventurous life. When Night Thrasher (Donyell Taylor) began recruiting former mutants to join his New Warriors vigilante team, replacing their lost powers with technology, Barry and Angel gladly joined as Blackwing and Tempest.
Strength Level: Blackwing possesses the normal human strength of a man of his age, height and build. His battle suit enables him to lift (press) up to 800 lbs.
Known Superhuman Powers: As Beak, Bohusk possessed avian-like porous/pneumatic but durable bones, extensions of his respiratory system. His ribs were fused to his vertebrae to enhance his flying muscles' strength. His feathered arms ("wings") primarily allowed gliding, though he could fly for short distances with extreme effort. Beak possessed enhanced eyesight, especially night vision and distance vision. His talons could rend flesh.
As Blackwing, Bohusk wears a bullet/ knife/fire resistant Vibranium mesh battlesuit enabling him to lift up to 800 lbs. He flies via an electromagnetic anti-graviton generator on his back, operated by cybernetic circuitry inside his mask, maneuvering via retractable wings extending beneath his arms from wrist to wrist. He normally flies at 95 mph but can reach up to 205 mph if using an external oxygen supply. He can carry up to 250 lbs. by adjusting the anti-graviton generator. His lightweight, razor-sharp titanium steel alloy wings can slice through 2 feet concrete blocks. The battlesuit's chest-mounted nanosilicon wafer-thin high-efficiency air receptors absorb, compress and store air. The pressurized air is channeled through vibro-shock wrist projectors, allowing Blackwing to project high-pressure impact blasts capable of smashing concrete up to a distance of 40 feet. His glove's fingertips house Vibranium talons able to cut through solid steel.
As Beak, he preferred to wield a titanium baseball bat. Beak wore a steel-alloy helmet, previously worn by the Magneto imposter.
- First appearance as Beak (New X-Men #117, 2001)
- First appearance as Blackwing (New Warriors #3, 2007)
