Gideon is a fictional character, a mutant supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He was created by Rob Liefeld and Fabian Nicieza. Gideon was a member of the Externals, a unique type of immortal mutant, and an adversary of the X-Men spin-off group X-Force. He first appeared in The New Mutants #98 (Feb. 1991). Fictional character biography Before Gideon's mutant powers emerged, he was a sailor with the Spanish armada sailing for the Americas several hundred years ago. On one journey, he succumbed to scurvy and was buried when the ship reached land. He awoke a few hours later, discovering his immortality. Over several centuries, Gideon was able to amass a vast personal wealth. He also encountered and allied himself with several other Externals. He became the owner and CEO of Ophrah Industries in Denver, Colorado. At the end of the 20th century, the group began seeking out their newest member, whom Gideon erroneously believed to be Roberto da Costa, a young mutant who had joined the New Mutants, the junior division of the X-Men, and taken the codename Sunspot. Gideon had known Roberto from a young age, having business relations with his father, a wealthy Brazilian businessman. Gideon had his servant Eve poison Roberto's father Emmanuel, and Gideon approached the boy, telling him he needed to take over his family's business. He took the young boy in under his wing and began to mentor him. Gideon later had AIM recreate Proteus. Gideon and Sunspot were later held captive by Arianna Jankos, Black Tom Cassidy, and Juggernaut. Gideon then publicly declared Cable and X-Force to be criminals. When the young superheroes known as the New Warriors broke into his home while he was taking a bath in his Jacuzzi, Gideon defeated them in an impromptu skirmish with their combined abilities. He then brutally tortured them to discover their agenda and to vent his frustration over their impetuousness. Gideon mentored Sunspot for a short while, until it was discovered that not Sunspot but his New Mutants teammate and best friend, Samuel Guthrie (a.k.a. Cannonball) was the new External they had been seeking. Gideon met with the other Externals, and proposed to send Crule to capture Cannonball. He contacted Crule, and then gave Sunspot over to one of his scientific labs, where they experimented on him and augmented his powers (at the great risk of killing him). Gideon