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Sunspot |

Our world is growing more and more separate--
along lines of race and religion, mutant and human...
and if the madness continues growing with each passing day--
then where will it stop?
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| Mutant Profile |
Real name: Roberto Da Costa
Former aliases: None
Identity: Publically known
Occupation: (current) Student, Adventurer
Legal status: Brazilian citizen with no criminal record, still a minor
Place of birth: Rio de Janeiro
Marital status: Single
Known relatives: Emmanuel Da Costa (father, deceased), Nina Da Costa (mother)
Base of operations: (current) Xavier Institute, Salem Center, Westchester County, New York State.
First appearance: MARVEL GRAPHIC NOVEL #4
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| Physical description and mutant powers |
Height: 5 ft. 8 in.
Weight: 170 lbs.
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Black
Other distinguishing features: When utilizing his strength at superhuman
levels, Sunspot and sometimes all or part of his clothing turn pure black.
Strength: Athlete, (enhanced) Superhuman Class 10
Special skills and abilities: Good aircraft pilot, excellent soccer player.

Known superhuman powers: Ability to absorb solar energy and convert it for use
as physical strength. His physical resistance to impact also increases somewhat
when he employs superhuman strength. For unknown reasons small black spots appear in
the air around Sunspot when he utilizes superhuman strength. Although Sunspot can
absorb energy from stars and reflected solar energy from the moon, the amounts that
reach him on Earth are too minuscule to add significantly to his power. Recently
Sunspot developed the abilities to fly and project concussive energy blasts from his
hands.
Special limitations: When not in direct sunlight, Sunspot can exhaust his
superhuman strength by using up the stores of energy within his body.
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| History |
Roberto Da Costa is the son of a deceased Brazilian millionaire and his American wife
Nina, an archaeologist. Roberto first manifested his superhuman mutant powers when,
at the age of fourteen, he was playing in a championship soccer match for his school
team in Rio de Janiero. Motivated by racial hatred, a boy named Keller and another
member of the opposing team knocked Da Costa to the ground. The hot-tempered Da
Costa retaliated by tackling Keller, who began brutally beating him. It was then
that, without being aware of what was happening to him, Da Costa first became able to
use his superhuman strength, his body and clothing temporarily turning black in the
process. Da Costa used his newfound strength to hurl Keller from him. Bewildered,
Da Costa sought help, but both the other players and most of the spectators panicked
and fled. However, his girlfriend, Juliana Sandoval, who had been watching the game
along with Emmanuel Da Costa, stood by Roberto in his time of need.

Roberto's powers came to the attention of Donald Pierce, the renegade White Bishop
of the Inner Circle of the Hellfire Club, who sought to murder any superhuman
mutants he found. Pierce's mercenaries failed to abduct Roberto, but then they
kidnapped Juliana. The mutant telepath Professor Charles Xavier had learned of
Pierce's plan to kill Roberto and sent his colleague Moira MacTaggert and the
young superhuman mutants Karma and Moonstar to help Da Costa. Roberto agreed to
meet with Pierce's men in order to obtain Sandoval's release, but the mercenaries
refused to free her and intended to keep Da Costa prisoner as well. One of the
mercenaries was apparently about to shoot Da Costa when he again became superhumanly
strong and fought them, but the young mutant exhausted his power too soon, and a
mercenary was about to kill him when Karma and Moonstar intervened. Karma took
control of the mind of the mercenary, and Moonstar used her powers to terrify the
others. But Da Costa, regaining his superhuman strength, knocked Karma unconscious,
thinking her one of his assailants, thus breaking her hold on the mercenary. That
mercenary fired at Da Costa, who had returned to normalcy again, but Sandoval
leapt in front of Da Costa, taking the fatal bullet herself. Moonstar defeated
Sandoval's killer. Anguished with guilt that Sandoval had died because he was a
mutant and thus had become the target of these killers, Da Costa vowed to take
vengeance on Pierce. He joined Karma, Xavier, and another young mutant named
Wolfsbane, in tracking down Pierce and battling him and his men. Xavier succeeded
in defeating Pierce.
Da Costa decided to stay with Xavier and receive training in the use of his
superhuman powers at the Institute.
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