The London Hellfire Club

[The Sword Is Drawn]

The London offices of the Hellfire Club were featured during later issues of Excalibur's run during the whole Black Air storyline. Brian Braddock (Capt Britain) took his father's former seat on the inner circle in order to infiltrate the Club, at the request of Shinobi Shaw (Of all people) who had been unable to ascertain what was going on with the London Branch. As it turned out Bishop's former Nemesis Mountjoy had seized a position of power, and Black Air and the Hellfire Club turned out to effectively be one and the same as they tried to free a demon from its bonds deep below London.

However, my major memory of the London Branch was that whilst there were two sides to the inner circle Black and Red (they changed from white to distance themselves from there American branch) none of the inner circle members ever refered to each other by anything other than their Hellfire Club title of King, Queen, Bishop etc...

So who the hell were they?

I remember the Black Queen was a psychic who introduced herself to Brian as Ms Peel, and was seen conversing with Onslaught in one panel. I remember the Red Queen to have been Margali Svarsos (Spelling?) Nightcrawler's adoptive mother, and the Red King some distantly voodoo looking black mage, but I'm damned if I can remember if he was ever properly introduced.

So...

What was the London Hellfire Club's roster back then, and providing they are still active, do they have a current roster?

Any ideas?

[Beast]

IIRC, they don't use white over in the UK for Chess, it's red. That's why they had the Black/Red motiff instead of the Black/White one. As for the group, here's what info is known about them. :)

http://www.uncannyxmen.net/db/pov/sh...q=5&fldAuto=42

[The Sword Is Drawn]

Speaking as a Brit, I have never seen a Red Chess piece in my life, and the game's been played over here for a fair few hundreds of years... :D

Hmmm...

I was always surpised the London Hellfire Club hasn't cropped up again in the X-Books, but I guess until a regular British based title re-emerges, that's unlikely...

[Dizzy D]

So who the hell were they?

I remember the Black Queen was a psychic who introduced herself to Brian as Ms Peel, and was seen conversing with Onslaught in one panel. I remember the Red Queen to have been Margali Svarsos (Spelling?) Nightcrawler's adoptive mother, and the Red King some distantly voodoo looking black mage, but I'm damned if I can remember if he was ever properly introduced.

So...

What was the London Hellfire Club's roster back then, and providing they are still active, do they have a current roster?

Any ideas?

The Black Queen was named Ms Steed actually, not Ms Peel (but I can see the confusion. I used to watch Avengers as well). She was the same character as Damask in X-Calibre (the Age of Apocalypse title). She also was a minion of Onslaught.

The Red Queen was indeed Margali Szardos, seen again a couple of times since then.

The Red King wasn't named and was a swordfighter without any apparent supernatural powers.

The Black King wasn't named, but had a gun with the special bullets mentioned earlier in Excalibur (plastic bullets made from a mutant's skin that could eat their way inside the victim. They were able to slowly penetrate Brian Braddock's shield)

Brian was a member as well, having easily disposed of the earlier Bishop in combat.

Scribe turned out to be Mountjoy, who was loyal to Ms. Steed.

Excalibur revealed their actions to the press, so the London Hellfire Club probably all got arrested. With Claremont now focusing on a more world-wide Hellfire Club, probably the different branches united under one group of Lord Cardinals.

[The Fury]

On the subject of Red/White/Black colouring things. Maybe this was a cross of Chess and Cards. Where the Black was in both and therefore the higher of all.




Also, as the Hellfire Club was founded in Britain it shouldn't be called 'The London Hellfire Club', just 'The Hellfire Club'. ;)

Every other should have the City prefix on it. :)

[The Sword Is Drawn]

Excalibur revealed their actions to the press, so the London Hellfire Club probably all got arrested. With Claremont now focusing on a more world-wide Hellfire Club, probably the different branches united under one group of Lord Cardinals.

Has the Hellfire Club gone through some kind of bizarre transformation in recent times then? Sorry been away for a while.

[venuscameback]

Speaking as a Brit, I have never seen a Red Chess piece in my life, and the game's been played over here for a fair few hundreds of years... :D

I'm a big chess player, but not a chess expert. The only time I've seen red pieces is as an alternative to black, not white, as aesthetic preference.

My suspicion is that by changing one of the colours it would reinforce in reader's' minds that this Hellfire Club was independent of the American branch we are used to seeing.

venus

[The Sword Is Drawn]

I'm a big chess player, but not a chess expert. The only time I've seen red pieces is as an alternative to black, not white, as aesthetic preference.

My suspicion is that by changing one of the colours it would reinforce in reader's' minds that this Hellfire Club was independent of the American branch we are used to seeing.

venus

I'm pretty sure that's how it was actually explained...

[Dizzy D]

Has the Hellfire Club gone through some kind of bizarre transformation in recent times then? Sorry been away for a while.

Claremont has played around a bit with the Hellfire Club, introducing a Lord Imperial who has authority over the individual branches of the Hellfire Club and later a new group of Lords Cardinal including Sunspot, Viper, Courtney Ross/Sat-Yr-9 and with Sage back as advisor.

I searched around a bit on the net and apparently Scribe/Mountjoy did appear again as Hellfire Club member in the pages of X-man where Sebastian Shaw was rebuilding his powerbase.

[The Sword Is Drawn]

Claremont has played around a bit with the Hellfire Club, introducing a Lord Imperial who has authority over the individual branches of the Hellfire Club and later a new group of Lords Cardinal including Sunspot, Viper, Courtney Ross/Sat-Yr-9 and with Sage back as advisor.

I searched around a bit on the net and apparently Scribe/Mountjoy did appear again as Hellfire Club member in the pages of X-man where Sebastian Shaw was rebuilding his powerbase.

Hmmm, bizarre. Of course, as was pointed out above, the London Branch was the original Hellfire Club...

[traxler]

On the subject of Red/White/Black colouring things. Maybe this was a cross of Chess and Cards. Where the Black was in both and therefore the higher of all.

I've seen red used in an Indian chess set;
the game comes from that part of the world, I believe....
It was stained ivory, and the queen was called the minister.

[venuscameback]

I've seen red used in an Indian chess set;
the game comes from that part of the world, I believe....
It was stained ivory, and the queen was called the minister.

but you don't say whether the red pieces were used in place of white or black on that set

and thinking, there are chess sets of all colours imaginable; but these are usually novelty sets and so I don't count them, I was thinking of the colours of sets that are most widely used.

the queen originally had different moves too and was sometimes also known as the Vizier

this was apparently because at certain times it was deemed inappropriate for there to be a female figure on the chess board & also for a female figure to be the most powerful/aggressive piece on the board. I heard this on BBC Radio 4, so it must be true :D

actually the history and evolution of chess is fascinating


venus

[traxler]

but you don't say whether the red pieces were used in place of white or black on that set

the queen originally had different moves too and was sometimes also known as the Vizier

Oops!
The set was red and black.
And indeed, visier means minister (or more accurately, Lord Chamberlain).

[venuscameback]

Oops!
The set was red and black.
And indeed, visier means minister (or more accurately, Lord Chamberlain).

A Vizier is the highest administrative official is some Muslim countries; the title has also been occasionally used for the Prime Minister of commander of the army is Muslim states, notably Turkey.

The entymology is wazir, meaning porter, so "to carry a heavy burden".

Whichever way you look at it, the Vizier is the most important colleague/closest advisor to the King/ruler, hence their position and power on the chess board.


venus

[fishtaco]

There are red pieces in Checkers. :)

Scribe was not Mountjoy. Mountjoy was riding Scribe, but thats it. Me, I want Mountjoy back NOW!!!! and Scribe! and the whole London Branch. Mountjoy rocked. I want Scirbe (Red Rook) to turn out like Sage did. Sage, Scribe. Names are similar in a particular way.

I LOVED Damask in X-Calibre. X-Calibre was my favorite AOA book partly because of her. Cool power, cool look, cool personality, a villain with a conscience, she had it all.