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 Sandman “done right”: Sleepwalker

Appearances in Heroclix: Guardians of the Galaxy

First Appearance: Sleepwalker #1

Team Affiliations: Secret Defenders, SHIELD

Created By: Bob Budiansky

Sleepwalker hails from a dimension known as the Mindscape that borders the minds of every intelligent being. He and all of his race are guardians that defend the Mindscape as well as the minds from the many varied strange and dangerous creatures that inhabit it. Sleepwalker is eventually tricked by his foe Cobweb into entering the mind of a New York college student named Rick Sheridan where he becomes trapped. At first, Rick is unaware of Sleepwalker’s presence in his mind and goes about his normal life. Then Sleepwalker manifests and battles a gang of thieves. The two eventually meet in Rick’s mind where Rick rips Sleepwalker’s “Imaginator” badge which bonds the two. Now trapped with each other, Rick and Sleepwalker eventually come to terms that they can both live with.

Coming out of Rick’s mind while he sleeps, Sleepwalker joins heroes such as Spider-Man, Darkhawk, Deathlok, Moon Knight, the Squadron Supreme, the Fantastic Four, Portal against the Kingpin, Crimewave, Eon, the Chain Gang, Mr. FX, Nightmare, Spectra, the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants and the Thought Police. Sleepwalker is also one of the few heroes that remembers the events of Thanos’ control of the Infinity Gauntlet, though he considers them to be nothing more than vague dreams.

Sleepwalker plays a key role in the Infinity War by battling the doppelgangers of Beast, Firestar and Daredevil as well as channeling the powers of Professor X, Jean Grey, Psylocke and Moondragon to defeat the forces of the Magus. Sleepwalker continues to battle evil but is temporarily stopped by his foe the Cobweb. The Cobweb disguises his followers as members of Sleepwalker’s race in an attempt to frame the hero. Though the Avengers help Sleepwalker defeat Cobweb and his followers, there are still humans that believe Sleepwalker is an advanced scout of an evil race intent on invading the Earth.

Sleepwalker eventually registers as a member of the Initiative and joins Ms. Marvel’s “Operation: Lightning Storm.” He later helps the Fantastic Four battle the Quiet Man and the heroes of Counter-Earth, since they are all basically a creation of Franklin Richards’ dream.