Gamesmaster (comics)

Gamesmaster
Publication information
Publisher	Marvel Comics
First appearance	Uncanny X-Men #283 (1991)
Created by	Whilce Portacio
In-story information
Species	Human Mutant
Team affiliations	Upstarts
Notable aliases	Harold Smith
Abilities	Omnipathic awareness places him in constant contact with every mind on the planet by way of the astral plane

Gamesmaster is a fictional mutant character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. His first appearance was in Uncanny X-Men #283 (1991).

Very little is known about the life of the mutant known as the Gamesmaster. In his own words, he is "like Churchill's riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma". Presumably, his mutant ability of omnipathy emerged at an early age, affecting his sanity. In his life before the Gamesmaster, he led a regular life with a wife and child; however, years of omnipathic exposure to other peoples' minds drove him to a point where he managed to forget his real name.

At some point, the Gamesmaster was contacted by the immortal sorceress Selene, then Black Queen of the Hellfire Club and together they organized the Upstarts, a competition for wealthy and powerful individuals with the sole purpose of killing mutants for points in a twisted game. He agreed, if only to provide a distraction from the constant chatter in his mind. By focusing on the ambitious and powerful thoughts of the Upstarts, the Gamesmaster was able to somewhat drown out the rest of the world.

In his capacity as referee of the Upstarts' games, the Gamesmaster oversaw the Upstarts' activities, which included confrontations with the team of adolescent mutants known as the Hellions and the team of superhuman mutant adventurers known as the X-Men. When Selene was removed from the game by the Upstart Trevor Fitzroy, the Gamesmaster continued to monitor the competition.

After the Upstarts captured several young former members of the mutant trainee team the New Mutants and took them to the Gamesmaster's base in the Swiss Alps, their teammates in X-Force and the New Warriors attempted to rescue them. The Gamesmaster would have defeated them if not for the intervention of Paige Guthrie, the mutant sister of X-Force's Cannonball, who argued that a greater game would be to compete with Professor X, the telepathic founder of the X-Men, and others like him who hoped to find and guide the next generation of mutants. The Gamesmaster agreed and, after allowing the heroes to leave, disbanded the Upstarts.

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