Hounds (comics)

Hounds
Publication information
Publisher	Marvel Comics
First appearance	Uncanny X-Men #141 (January 1981)
Created by	Chris Claremont John Byrne John Romita, Jr.
In-story information
Type of organization	Enforcers
Leader(s)	Ahab
Agent(s)	Cyclops Hound Invisible Woman Franklin Richards Sabretooth Stone Rachel Summers

Hounds are the name given to several fictional groups of mutant characters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. This term usually refers to those who track or hunt down mutants while serving a higher authority.

The Hounds were first introduced in Uncanny X-Men, from the "Days of Future Past" dystopian timeline, as part of the backstory of Rachel Summers. These brainwashed mutant hunters were created and commanded by the cyborg Ahab, who used them to hunt down and imprison mutants in concentration camps. Rachel was forced to become one of these Hounds while still an adolescent, which scarred and haunted her for years afterward. Eventually she broke her conditioning and rebelled. As a result, Rachel was sent to the camps herself as punishment.

Shadow King is later seen to use mind-controlled humans called Hounds to track Storm, who had been transformed into a child by the villainous Nanny. These Hounds were reduced to a nearly mindless, animalistic state by the Shadow King apparently for his own amusement.

In the Age of Apocalypse reality, the Hounds are mutants used to hunt down and imprison mutants and humans in concentration camps or simply to kill their targets. Sabretooth was used as the leading Hound to the Horsemen until his defection. Wild Child was too ferocious that he was kept a prisoner until Sabretooth rescued him. Caliban was used as the prime hound to the Bounty Hunters. Wolverine was a mutant altered by Beast who served Holocaust as his leading hunter after the defection of Sabretooth.

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Wikipedia