Alex

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Alex Zhang / Zhang Xuan (张轩) 4
Alias(es)	Phantom; The Forgotten 58 90
Species/Race	Mutant; Inhuman 509
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Howling Commandos; S.H.I.E.L.D.; Xavier's School / X-Men; Nova Corps; Avengers 34 94 136 255 511
Occupation/Role	Howling Commandos founder; combat instructor; mutant leader; Avengers captain 34 136 509
First Appearance	Chapter 1

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Teleportation ability	3	Retained from his previous life; initially restored at a reduced level after reincarnation.
Metal Control copied	19	Absorbed Marx's newly awakened metal-control ability without harming him.
Tesseract-amplified psionic power	68, 113	His mind was strengthened by the Tesseract; he later used it to mentally encompass an entire alien city and teleport its population.
Multi-ability Replication	111	His diamond-like body let him copy Red Devil's Teleportation and Erik's Metal Control without the previous tearing pain.
Earth-scale Teleportation	135	Recovered his previous-life level: he could travel anywhere on Earth and teleport continuously, though repeated use consumed substantial psionic power.
Replication control breakthrough	147	Learned to voluntarily delete copied abilities, freeing replication slots when needed.
Interstellar Teleportation	242	After six years of Shi'ar study and combat training, achieved teleportation between star systems.
Two-star Nova	255	Joined the Nova Corps during amnesia and reached Two-star Nova within three months.
Nova Centurion	259	Advanced to three-star Centurion and received a major infusion of Nova Force.
Cosmic psionic surge	262	Regained his memories after Thanos's interference and experienced a major increase in psionic power through the Nova Force.
Phoenix-fragment fusion	474	A Phoenix fragment merged with him after Mephisto's attack broke its seal, granting a direct connection to the Phoenix Force.
Cross-star-system Teleportation	475	The Phoenix fragment expanded his teleportation beyond a single star system and allowed him to breach Merlin's magical barrier.
Cross-domain Teleportation	501	Teleported from Kree-Lar to Planet Feather across several star domains.
Infinity Gauntlet wielder	548, 549	Fought Thanos using three Infinity Stones, then possessed all six stones during the confrontation with the Living Tribunal.

Background / History

Zhang Xuan was a Teleporter in his original 2014 life. He used his power to recover Chinese artifacts from the British Museum and burn Yasukuni Shrine before enemies trapped him with a device that blocked his Teleportation and destroyed his body. He awoke in 1940s New York as Alex Zhang, carrying both his old memories and fragmented memories of Alex's childhood. 1 3

Alex had lived in Chinatown with his mother, Hui Ru, before those memories were deliberately buried. Returning there with Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes restored parts of his past and revealed that Hui Ru had suffered a mysterious illness that covered her body in golden scales, possibly connected to the X-gene. 4 5

During World War II, Alex was imprisoned at Auschwitz with Ella and Audrey. There, he identified Marx as the future Erik Lehnsherr and copied the boy's metal-control ability. Afterward, Alex helped form the Howling Commandos, but urged Steve to become their captain because anti-Chinese discrimination would hinder Alex's leadership. 19 34

Alex became a prominent protector of mutants, established the Savage Land as a mutant homeland, and later taught combat at Xavier's School. His existence was erased from the world's memories by a mysterious figure called the Forgotten; only durable traces such as a sketch, stock certificates, and his film-writing credits remained. 92 94 136

After awakening as an Inhuman and spending a decade asleep, Alex faced an energy toxin that could take years to purge. He ultimately used Zola's consciousness-transfer technology to move his consciousness into a transformed Flame Spirit body that he reshaped to resemble himself. 152 163 210 215

Alex later became stranded in Shi'ar space, studied alien knowledge and technology for six years, suffered amnesia after Thanos's mental attack, and joined the Nova Corps under Sawa's care. His memories returned after the Nova Force entered his body, bringing him into direct conflict with Thanos. 242 255 262

On returning to Earth, Alex resumed leadership among mutants, founded the Avengers to confront threats such as Loki and Thanos, and pursued a separate refuge for mutants through the Asteroid Project. His activities eventually expanded into extra-dimensional, Asgardian, Kree, and Phoenix Force conflicts. 352 368 508 537

Appearance

Alex originally resembles his mother: a delicate, handsome East Asian man whose features allow him to blend naturally into Chinatown. Nova Force later increased his height from 1.85 meters to over 1.90 meters. 4 259

• Black hair. 161
• Possesses a diamond-hard body after enhancement, though powerful metal attacks can still damage it. 91 111
• Can reshape his energy-based body to match his original physique and appearance. 215 218
• Can alter his body at a molecular level, including stretching or converting between solid and energy states. 349 463

Personality

Alex is alert, protective, and intensely shaped by his first life's death. He instinctively evaluates danger and normally uses Teleportation to escape, but he accepts greater risk when companions are with him. 15

He has a strong aversion to oppression and discrimination. In wartime China, he openly struck Song Zixing for abusing refugees despite the official's political influence. His commitment to mutant safety later led him to create sanctuaries, train young mutants, and order action against the X Weapon program. 47 118 341

Alex is also impulsive and occasionally overconfident. He can be tactless during first meetings, underestimate dangerous opponents, or pursue a solution before fully considering its consequences. He generally recognizes these mistakes afterward and adjusts quickly. 145 177 349

Despite his reluctance to hold formal authority, Alex repeatedly assumes responsibility for others. He refused the S.H.I.E.L.D. Directorship but joined to find Steve and Bucky, and later accepted leadership of the Avengers because of his ties to mutants, Inhumans, S.H.I.E.L.D., and cosmic civilizations. 94 509

Abilities & Skills

Teleportation

Alex's defining ability is psionic Teleportation, originally carried over from his previous life.

• Can travel across Earth without preparation once he has a destination in mind. 135
• Can transport other people, but doing so drastically increases psionic consumption, reduces range, and strains his soul. 15
• Advanced from Earth-wide travel to interstellar, cross-star-system, and eventually cross-domain movement. 242 475 501
• Can be blocked or disrupted by specialized counters, including Strucker's defenses, Susan Storm's force field, the Chaos Dimension, and the Mind Stone. 134 349 383 548

Replication

Alex's innate mutant ability copies other individuals' powers.

• Copied Marx's Metal Control without injuring the original owner. 19
• Initially maintained copied abilities for thirty-two hours and could hold three copies simultaneously. 135
• Attempting a fourth copied ability caused immense pain. 136
• Learned to dismiss individual copied abilities voluntarily, allowing him to manage his available slots. 147
• His copied abilities unexpectedly remained active after his journey to Shi'ar space. 235

Psionic Power and Telepathy

Alex's vast psionic reserves power his Teleportation and support telepathic techniques learned through Emma Frost.

• Can search minds, communicate telepathically, place Mind Marks, and influence weaker targets. 135 283
• Temporarily froze Las Vegas in a psychic storm after Emma triggered his latent power. 68
• Used the Tesseract to mentally register an entire alien city's population before teleporting them. 113
• Anti-telepathy conditioning, specialized Kree defenses, and certain magical environments can resist or impair his mind-reading. 141 473 488

Energy Absorption and Control

Alex can absorb numerous forms of energy and convert them into healing, defense, or offense.

• Absorbs kinetic, thermal, cosmic, and psionic energy. 255 482 495
• Uses absorbed energy to heal injuries and reinforce his physical condition. 192 349
• Employs Energy Control for precision attacks, shields, and manipulation of other energy-based abilities. 191 204
• Cannot instantly absorb every attack; a sufficiently sudden explosion can overwhelm him before absorption takes effect. 145
• His energy manipulation eventually developed into a black-hole transformation. 415

Metal Control

Copied from Erik Lehnsherr, Metal Control is one of Alex's primary combat powers.

• Manipulates steel ball bearings as high-speed projectiles and magnetic cannons. 191 474
• Can shape metal into complex forms, including a humanoid figure resembling Erik's father. 167
• Can create large electromagnetic fields and powerful gravitational effects. 222

Body Manipulation

Alex can control his body at an extremely fine level through copied Apocalypse-like abilities and energy control.

• Stretches and reshapes his body to escape restraints. 349
• Converts body structures into energy, allowing him to survive attacks that would otherwise destroy vital organs. 463 474
• Can alter his state between physical and energy forms, though his body-based powers are weaker while ethereal. 483

Phoenix Fragment

A Phoenix fragment fused with Alex after Mephisto's attack broke the seal containing it.

• Greatly enhanced his Teleportation and psionic potential. 474 475
• Gives him a connection to the wider Phoenix Force. 474
• Carries the risk of transforming him into the Dark Phoenix. 476
• Made Mephisto flee after he sensed the Phoenix's presence within Alex. 474

Combat Training

Alex fights with practical battlefield techniques learned from Nick Fury and Logan.

• Specializes in fast, lethal close-quarters attacks. 191
• Can teach combat fundamentals, endurance, physical conditioning, and tactical use of mutant powers. 136 138 204
• Defeated Thor in a physical contest and later defeated Black Bolt in hand-to-hand combat. 297 398

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Tesseract — Amplifies Alex's psionic power and Teleportation; he used it to relocate an entire alien city's population. 113
• Steel ball bearings — Frequently used with Metal Control as precision projectiles. 191 474
• Excalibur — A powerful artifact inherited from Merlin; Alex relied on it when overwhelmed in the Chaos Dimension. 373 382
• Consciousness Register — Inserted into Alex's transformed Flame Spirit body after his consciousness transfer. 215
• Infinity Gauntlet — Held all six Infinity Stones during the final confrontation with the Living Tribunal. 549

Relationships

• Steve Rogers — Close friend and brother-in-arms. Steve rescued Alex after his reincarnation, later became captain of the Howling Commandos at Alex's recommendation, and remained central to Alex's wartime identity. 1 34 92
• James “Bucky” Barnes — One of Alex's closest comrades. Alex sought to save him after learning Hydra had turned him into the Winter Soldier. 1 92 94
• Emma Frost — Telepathic ally, fellow mutant leader, and intimate partner. She helped Alex develop Telepathy, co-led Xavier's School, and consistently protected him. 135 136 208 215
• Logan — Trusted brother and fellow Howling Commando. Logan's healing allowed him to recover memories of Alex that others had lost. 91 92 281
• Nick Fury — Longtime comrade and S.H.I.E.L.D. ally. Fury repeatedly provides intelligence, supports Alex's missions, and helps establish the Avengers. 94 283 508
• Audrey and Monroe — Alex's sisters, whose fragmented memories of him eventually return after his erasure from the world. 27 120
• Howard Stark — Friend, engineer, and former wartime ally. His stock certificates bearing Alex's name became evidence of Alex's erased existence. 31 94
• Erik Lehnsherr — A mutant Alex tried to protect from childhood. Their relationship deteriorated after Erik's suffering and later hostility. 19 61 167
• Sawa — Xandarian woman who rescued and adopted Alex during his amnesia; she gave him his name again after confirming it through prison records. 255
• Lilandra — Shi'ar ally who taught Alex cosmic knowledge and alien languages during his six years in the empire. 242
• Jean Grey — Mutant Alex attempted to free from a Phoenix fragment; the effort led to the fragment eventually merging with him. 459 462 474
• His Highness Alex — Alex's biological father and an Inhuman royal. Alex sought his advice when deciding whether to enter cryosleep. 210
• Loma — Cosmic ally who supports Alex through the Phoenix crisis and helps arrange his meetings with Merlin. 460 475

Story Role / Major Arcs

• World War II and the Howling Commandos — Reincarnates in New York, survives Auschwitz, copies Metal Control, and helps form the Howling Commandos alongside Steve and Bucky. 1 19 34
• Mutant Homeland — Protects mutants, builds the Savage Land into a refuge, and becomes involved in escalating mutant-human conflict. 112 118
• The Forgotten — Has his existence erased from global memory, then works to reclaim his identity through the physical marks he left behind. 87 92 94
• Xavier's School — Becomes the school's combat instructor, mentors young mutants, and considers forming the X-Men. 136 138 140
• Inhuman and consciousness-transfer crisis — Undergoes Terrigen induction, sleeps for a decade, then transfers his consciousness to avoid losing years to an energy toxin. 152 163 210 215
• Cosmic exile and Nova Corps service — Studies in Shi'ar space, loses his memories, rises through the Nova Corps, and confronts Thanos after recovering his identity. 242 255 262
• Mutant refuge and Earth defense — Pursues the Asteroid Project, confronts X Weapon, and accepts a role in Earth's defense against alien threats. 328 341 352
• Phoenix Force crisis — Attempts to remove Jean Grey's Phoenix fragment, later merges with it himself, and seeks a way to control the resulting danger. 462 474 476
• Kree campaign — Searches the Kree Empire for Adam, battles Ronan and the Accusers, and develops counters to psionic rays. 486 488 496
• Avengers and the final battle — Establishes the Avengers, leads the resistance against Thanos, and uses the Infinity Gauntlet against the Living Tribunal's judgment. 508 511 548 549

Notable Quotes

“I am no longer you! I am Alex now!” 255

“We have only one enemy: all those who threaten Earth's peace, be it individuals or forces!” 511

Trivia

• Alex's English and Chinese identities share the same name: he reincarnated into a person also named Zhang Xuan. 4
• He prefers Chinese cuisine and declined British banquet invitations in favor of returning to New York with Audrey and Ella. 26
• Hollywood film credits under Alex's name survived the worldwide memory erasure and helped prove his identity. 94
• Brian knew Alex by the forgotten codename “Phantom” through photographs preserved by his grandfather, a Howling Commandos logistics worker. 375 376