Who the Clix? is a series of articles featuring information on comic book characters that have been made into figures for the popular tabletop game Heroclix. These articles are meant to help Heroclix players learn more about the characters behind their favorite pieces.

Today we look at that super-powered mafioso: Count Nefaria



Appearances in Heroclix: Invincible Iron Man, Mutant Mayhem

First Appearance: Avengers #13

Team Affiliations: Maggia, Legion of the Unliving, Death Squad, Lethal Legion, Ani-Men

Luchina Nefaria was once just a wealthy Italian aristocrat driven to amass ever greater wealth and power. In the pursuit of this, he joined the criminal organization known as the Maggia. The Avengers, however, continually thwart his plans drawing his ire. Nefaria invites them to his castle under the guise of a charity event. Once they arrive, he places them in suspended animation and brainwashes them. Upon awakening, they discover that they are now wanted by authorities and thus grow suspicious of Nefaria. Eventually, Captain America and Iron Man are able to cure themselves of the indoctrination and help deport Nefaria.

Nefaria continues to seek his revenge against the Avengers, eventually coming into conflict with the X-Men. It is his plane that Thunderbird attacks and is killed by, while Nefaria escapes with his life. Having lost almost everything, Nefaria forms the Lethal Legion by employing the Living Laser, Power Man and Whirlwind. He uses them to rob enough banks to finance an experiment to give himself superhuman powers. The process includes amplifying the powers of the Lethal Legion and, once they are defeated, Nefaria drains all of their power and possesses them, increased a hundredfold. Even this, however, is not enough and Nefaria is defeated and imprisoned by the Avengers.

The experiment seems to have made Nefaria immortal but incredibly weakened when his body reconfigures itself to absorb the additional powers. Madame Masque, Nefaria’s daughter, begins seeking a cure for what she believes to be her father’s deteriorating condition. While she does this, she also hires the Ani-Men to attack Avengers Mansion and free her father. Unfortunately, during the course of the attack, Nefaria is seemingly crushed.

Much later, Nefaria appears in an ionic form (much like Wonder Man’s) and requires a constant stream of ionic energy to sustain his existence. In his new form, he continually searches for a steady supply of ionic energy and comes into conflict with Iron Man, Captain America, Ka-Zar, Wonder Man, Atlas, the Thunderbolts and even his own daughter, who is the ultimate tool of his undoing. It is Masque that uses a specially designed weapon that disrupts his ionic form and allows him to be captured. He eventually escapes once again when Electro stages a prison break at the Raft.

Madame Masque later seeks her father’s help on behalf of the Hood. The three battle the Avengers and are once again defeated. Some time later, Nefaria mysteriously escapes and establishes himself as the kingpin of crime of Los Angeles. It is here he comes into conflict with Daken.