X-Men Unveils a Major Cameron Hodge Character Redesign After 40 Years

A different kind of Hodge

In Gambit Gone #2, written by Steve Orlando, Cameron Hodge gathers anti-mutant human forces on Earth-295 for what the story describes as a final purge. This world is shaped by the war-torn aftermath of the Age of Apocalypse.

The Earth-616 Hodge is usually depicted as a cyborg with a towering, scorpion-like body filled with wires. In contrast, his Earth-295 counterpart has a muscular body, spine-like biological protrusions along his back and head, and glasses that appear as built-in lenses. His skeletal-looking face has a fixed grin and large, sharp teeth.

Hodge targets the Morlocks

Hodge leads the Brother Magistrates, an anti-mutant faction. He uses the remaining outcast Morlocks as bait, while seeking to breach hidden mutant sanctuaries and carry out his campaign as the X-Men face other battles. The solicitation for Gambit Gone #3 says one of the titular Gambits risks his life to defend the Morlocks from Hodge in the next issue.

A more practical design

Age of Apocalypse versions of familiar X-Men characters often exaggerate their features, including Wolverine’s large hairstyle and metallic stump, and Magneto’s oversized helmet. Hodge’s new body, by comparison, is more practical than his Earth-616 form: he can walk on two legs and fight physically.

Cameron Hodge has also appeared in X-Men: The Animated Series, where he could transform into a tree-like structure of wires and gears. The article notes that his scorpion-like design may be difficult to translate to live action.

Possible future adaptations

The article points to X-Men '97 seasons 1 and 2 and says Marvel Studios may adapt characters and storylines that received little or no use in Fox’s X-Men films. It raises the possibility of an Age of Apocalypse story in the MCU, with characters including En Sabah Nur and Cameron Hodge among potential antagonists. Whether Hodge’s unusual designs, or those of other villains such as Mojo, will appear on the big screen remains uncertain.