Mesmero - Phase 1

PHASE 1

Parker Matthews
File:Mesmero.jpg Portrayed by None
Known Aliases:	Mesmero
Affiliations:	Hellfire Club
Socked By:	N/A
Introduction:	Not So Plain Jane

A mutant hypnotist, Mesmero bit off more than he could chew when he targeted Jean Grey, releasing instead her buried alter ego "Jane". When Jean finally regained ascendency again, she psychically shredded Mesmero's mind, leaving him a vegetable.

Details

Name: Mesmero

Aliases: Parker Mathews

Affiliation: Hellfire Club

First appearance: February 25, 2005

Family: Unknown

Biography

Mesmero goes by the name Parker Mathews, and he himself is probably the only person who knows if that's his real name or not. Even Sebastian Shaw does not know much about his history - although he has made inquiries, a person under the hypnotic compulsion to not remember Mesmero is very hard to distinguish from a person who honestly does not remember (because they have never met) him.

A natural showman, he loves to make a splash, he loves to be the center of attention. After all, if all eyes are on him it is so much easier for him to use his powers. He's incredibly charming naturally, and usually avoids using his powers to get things that he can get otherwise considers it cheating, especially when it comes to women. However, if he can't get it otherwise and he wants it, whatever it is, he will use his powers. What's the use of being able to cheat if you never do? Because his power is predicated on manipulating others, Mesmero will usually play the part of the grand vizier finding someone to front for him so he can be the power behind the throne, because having people always turning to him for things appeals to his vanity, making him perfect for the Hellfire Club.

When Shaw first found Mathews in about 2005 he was fast becoming one of the most influential lobbyists in Washington, using his natural charm, augmented with little bursts of power when he needed it, to get people to do what he wanted or, more often, what he was being paid to want. Recognizing Mathews' natural talent, as well as his mutant talent, Shaw decided to employ him as a lobbyist for the Club, keeping him on retainer when he didn't have specific jobs for Mathews. While the money was good, continually taking orders from the same person grated slightly on Parker's pride, and he frequently took the initiative, going above and beyond what Shaw asked of him so he could feel as though he were in control. Of course, these independent plans all served the HFC interests in some way or another, because it literally wouldn't pay to annoy Shaw too much.

One such initiative was his attempt to subvert Jean Grey, which resulted in him inadvertently releasing Jane Smith, her alter-ego. Things did not go well for Mathews - his intended victim turned the tables on him, and her machinations within the Hellfire Club led to Shaw conspiring with the X-Men to remove her. When Jean regained her right mind, she psychically shredded Mesmero's mind, cutting him off from his powers and his sanity.

Powers/Abilities

Mesmero's power is a specific subset of the normal telepathic psi mutation. He can neither read thoughts nor project his own, but rather can create a very- strong hypnotic impulse, essentially taking control of the people who he places under his power. To do so he must make eye contact with his victims, and once he has someone in his grasp he can make them do anything he wants; they essentially become his puppets. Mesmero can control multiple people at once, and after he has gotten control of them it does not take that much of his attention to keep control he only has to place the hypnotic impulse once, rather than maintain a conscious focus. However, he must maintain the power behind the impulse. If he chooses to release someone he needs only to turn his power off, and if he loses consciousness (not simply through sleeping but actually losing consciousness) the power is turned off and the person is free. It is possible to break through his control, but it is incredibly difficult and has almost never happened. It is also, of course, much harder for him to hypnotize certain people those with naturally strong mental shields, other psi-based mutants and so on.

Usually Mesmero simply uses his hypnotic impulse to make people do things, and while he can't make people believe things are other than they are, he can cause them to behave- as though they did, which, if he does for long enough, can lead to the person beginning to believe that they do believe it. This is the basis behind the 'forget me' aspect of his power if you must behave as though you have no memory of something long enough, you will eventually forget it in truth, or at least burry it far enough in your mind that it is impossible to consciously access the memory.

Plots

Not So Plain Jane

Meta

Formerly socked by: Alicia

PB:

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