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 queen of disco: Dazzler

Appearances in Heroclix: Wolverine and the X-Men, Mutations and Monsters, Armor Wars

First Appearance: Uncanny X-Men #130

Team Affiliations: Gladiators, New Excalibur, S.H.I.E.L.D., X-Men, A-Force



Alison Blaire first manifested her mutant powers during a school dance where she was performing. Unlike other mutants, Alison was not persecuted for her powers because those around here merely assumed her powers were technological special effects. As a talented singer with a great stage show, Alison decides to make a name for herself in music after adopting the stage name Dazzler.

At one of her first shows, the X-Men battle the Hellfire Club and disrupt the show. Angered at the interrupting, Alison lashes out at the Hellfire members and accidentally makes one of them catatonic. She does help the X-Men find Kitty Pryde but feels that crime fighting is more than she can handle and turns down an offer to join the team.

Though she continues to pursue her dream as a disco queen, Dazzler continues to find herself facing criminals and feels obligated to use her powers for good. Alongside heroes such as Spider-Man, X-Men and Spider-Woman she battles villains such as Lightmaster, Enchantreess, Doctor Doom, Absorbing Man, Caliban, Hulk and forms a feud with the then-villainous Rogue. She even briefly acts as a herald of Galactus and retrieves his herald Terrax. Even through all of this, she still does not consider herself a superhero.

In an effort to advance her career and leave superheroics behind her, Alison moves to Los Angeles. While there, she finally chooses to reveal her mutant identity in an effort to quell anti-mutant sentiment. However, the plan backfires and nearly destroys her career. After a few unfortunate accidents, Alison is possessed by the entity Malice and eventually saved by the X-Men. With little else to turn to, Dazzler finally joins the team.

During her time with the X-Men, Dazzler begins a relationship with Longshot and continually comes into conflict with Rogue, who had since reformed her ways. Still, over time, the two women are able to move past their problems. After traveling through the powerful Siege Perilous, Dazzler is found in an amnesiac state by Guido and Lila Cheney. The pair nurse her back to health but are unable to restore her memories. Eventually, Longshot arrives and brings her memories back. Alison is depressed by the loss of her career and decides to journey back to Mojoworld with Longshot and help the rebellion there.

After horrendous events in Mojoworld during the course of the rebellion, Dazzler returns to Earth alone. She helps Jean Grey and the X-Men fight against Magneto and his army of Genoshans. After helping the team, Dazzler fights to re-establish her musical career after a growing interest in mutant culture. Becoming more popular in England, Dazzler moves there and joins the iteration of Excalibur led by Captain Britain with Juggernaut and Nocturne on the team. When she again encountered an amnesiac Longshot, she stood by him and helped him regain his memories and feelings for her. Though the pair try to start a relationship again, Dazzler eventually ends it as she feels he is no longer the same man she had loved.

Feeling she has no where left to turn, Dazzler rejoins the X-Men after their move to San Francisco. With the culture in the bay area slowly turning, Dazzler is able to re-establish a music career and gain great success. Dazzler seems more competent and capable than before as she is able to juggle her music career along with helping the X-Men on missions. In one such mission Dazzler along with Gambit, Anole, Northstart, Cannonball, Pixie and Trance travel to Limbo to rescue Magic. The team battle an army of demons as Gambit reverts to his Horsemen of Apocalypse Death persona and abandons them. In Limbo, Remy is somehow able to charge his cards in such a way that they transform Dazzler into a similar persona by striking her. Northstar also falls and the three attempt to infect the other X-Men until they are cured by Magik’s soulsword.

Dazzler stays with Cyclops and his team in San Francisco after the Schism between himself and Wolverine. After helping Cyclops and Danger with a Ghost Box, Dazzler is sucked to another dimension and joins a team of reality hopping alternate versions of X-Men she knows. After returning to her home reality, both Cyclops and Wolverine are impressed by the changes her time away made in her. Wolverine offers her a position at the Jean Grey School but Dazzler feels that she needs some time to herself.

Dazzler briefly serves as an agent of SHIELD before being kidnapped. After Magneto rescues her, she joins him on Cyclops Uncanny team.