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W: Wolfsbane

Wolfsbane
Real Name: Rahne Sinclair
Other Aliases: None
Identity: Secret
Occupation: Student
Legal Status: Citizen of the United Kingdom with no criminal record, on student visa to the United States, still a minor; ward of Moira MacTaggert
Place of Birth: Somewhere in Ross and Cromarty, Scotland
Marital Status: Single
Known Relatives: Montgomery Sinclair (deceased)
Base of Operations: (current) Muir Island, Scotland (former) X-Factor II headquarters, Embassy Row, Washington, D.C., Professor Xavier's School of Gifted Youngsters, Salem Center, Westchester County, New York; X-Factor I Headquarters, New York City
Group Affiliation: (current) Excalibur, (former) X-Factor II, New Mutants, Hellions
First Appearance:

History: Rahne Sinclair was born in Scotland and was delivered by Dr. Moira MacTaggert, who is the daughter of the powerful Scots Lord Kinross and is the close friend and professional associate of Professor Charles Xavier, founder of the team of mutant X-Men. An orphan, Sinclair was raised by the stern minister Reverend Craig, but she was befriended by MacTaggert, whose ward she became.

Sinclair's mutant power, which enables her to transform herself into a wolf-like being, emerged at puberty. One night when Sinclair was fourteen, she fled in wolf form from a mob led by Reverend Craig, who believed her to be possessed by the devil. One member of the mob shot at Sinclair, inflicting a flesh wound. In wolf form Sinclair ran past MacTaggert, fell, and reverted to human form before her eyes. Recognizing Sinclair, MacTaggert took her under her protection, saving her from the mob.

MacTaggert brought Sinclair to Professor Xavier in America. There Sinclair became one of the first members of Xavier's new team of young superhuman mutants, the New Mutants, whom he trained in the use of their mutant powers. Sinclair has remained a member of the team ever since, and has come to regard her guardian, MacTaggert, as her surrogate mother.

In Xavier's absence, Cable reorganized the group known as the New Mutants into the mutant strike force, X-Force. Sinclair stayed with the team for a while but left to become a member of the government sanctioned X-Factor, a team of superhuman mutants organized by the United States government to deal with mutant related combat and crime fighting missions inside and outside of the U.S. Sinclair left X-Factor after events which lead to the destruction of the team. Sinclair then returned to the only place she could really call home, Muir Island, and was reunited with Moira MacTaggert. Sinclair has since joined Excalibur, the superhuman champions who primarily operate within the United Kingdom, where she remains today.

Height: (human) 4 ft. 10 in., (transitional) 5 ft. 2 in., (lupine) 32 in. at shoulder
Weight: (human) 90 lbs., (transitional) 120 lbs., (lupine) 100 lbs.
Eyes: Blue-green
Hair: (human) Red, (transitional, lupine) Red-brown
Other distinguishing features: Due to further artificial mutation induced in Genosha, Wolfsbane can reach a height of roughly 8 feet and a weight of over 400 lbs. in her transitional form, and roughly 12 feet (when standing on her hind legs) and a weight of over 1000 lbs. in her "absolute" lupine form. The source of the additional mass is presumably extra-dimensional.

Strength Level: In human form Wolfsbane possesses the normal human strength of a girl of her age, height, and build who engages in intensive regular exercise. In her lupine and transitional forms, Wolfsbane's strength is heightened, but not to a superhuman degree.

Known Superhuman Powers: Wolfsbane is a mutant metamorph who can, through mental concentration, transform herself into a wolf, while retaining most of her human intelligence, or into a transitional form which combines both human and lupine aspects. She cannot adopt any other form but these, nor can she take the form of different kinds of wolves. Her wolf form always has the same physical characteristics, which are those of a wolf a few months short of adulthood. Presumably when Wolfsbane herself becomes an adult, her lupine form will be that of an adult wolf.

Although Wolfsbane can transform herself into a wolf, she is not a werewolf; in other words, there is nothing supernatural about her power. Her transformations are not dependent on the phases of the moon, and she has the same vulnerabilities to injury, as does a normal wolf when she is in lupine form. Wolfsbane's transformations are brought about only as a conscious act of will on her part, although it is possible that she might turn into a wolf without willing to do so if she were sufficiently frightened.

In lupine form, Wolfsbane's strength, speed, reflexes and senses are similar to those of a wolf's, but are also heightened beyond those possessed by a real wolf. In lupine form Wolfsbane can see into the ultraviolet and infrared portions of the electromagnetic spectrum. As a result, as a wolf she perceives things as patterns of heat. Thus, she can see things even in absolute darkness (in terms of what is "visible light" to ordinary humans). As a wolf she can hear sounds that are beyond the range of human hearing. When she is in lupine form she can also detect scents that ordinary humans cannot, and therefore, she can trail someone by scent just as a wolf or dog can. As a wolf Wolfsbane can judge a person's emotional state and detect any changes in that state as they occur through observing the heat patterns and scents that person gives off.

Wolfsbane retains virtually all of her human intelligence when she is in lupine form. However, as a wolf she might have difficulty at pattern recognition, or in comprehending particularly complicated concepts which she could understand somewhat more easily as a human. She does not possess a wolf's instincts, and therefore must learn how to use her lupine abilities. However, when she is in lupine form, since she then has a wolf's vocal organs, she cannot speak. But as a wolf she can achieve a degree of telepathic communication with her fellow ex-New Mutant Moonstar, Dani Moonstar.

Wolfsbane's "transitional form" combines elements of her human and lupine forms. In it she retains her full intelligence and is capable of speech. In transitional form Wolfsbane is less agile than she is as a wolf, but she is stronger than she is as a human being. She can stand erect and use her front "paws" as hands. She is still covered with fur in her transitional form, but the coat is thinner. At least some of her senses in transitional form are more acute than they are in her human form.

Wolfsbane's lupine and transitional forms are more massive than her human form. The source of this additional mass is unknown.