Spiral (Joint Venture)

Spiral is a supervillain, a sorceress and swordswoman, and longtime enemy of the X-Men. This is the Joint Venture Universe version of the character

A Born Entertainer
Very little is known of the woman who would eventually become Spiral. She was a Hollywood stuntwoman who performed under the name "Rita Wayword" (sometimes spelled "Wayward"), but earned the much more popular moniker of "RIcochet Rita," a pseudonym under which she starred in her own reality-TV-esque documentary. The latter film was a short-lived DVD, and grossly underperformed.

Nonetheless, Rita would amass a popular fan following, right u to the point where she performed as Alison Blaire's stunt double in the "Dazzler" movie, set and shot in San Francisco. The two women became friends during the shoot; Alison was impressed with Rita's brazen fearlessness and quick wit, and Rita appreciated the kindess and grounded sincerity of the rising star.

Unfortunately, an attempt by an anti-mutant hate group to sabotage the "Dazzler" film shoot would go awry, and a large portion of the Bay Bridge would explode, seemingly taking Rita with it. Her body was never recovered, but she was presumed dead after 36 hours of searching, and her small-but-loyal fanbase held a candlelight vigil for her, with Alison Blaire herself speaking at the stuntwoman's funeral.

Weapon X, Madness, and Magitech
Of course this was not the end for Ricochet Rita. In truth, she had been abducted during the accident and transported to the Weapon X facility. For reasons as yet unknown, the directors of the Weapon X Project decided to use her as the template for one of their Weapons. She became Weapon V, the fifth test subject in the project's history, her memory and personality completely erased, leaving her tabula rasa, a blank slate.

Weapon X's mental conditioning and re-education of their Weapon V was cut short, as warriors from another dimension attacked the facility and "rescued" Rita. However, what could have been seen as a fortunate turn of events turned out to be anything but, as Rita was taken to Mpjoworld, the mass-entertainent-driven dimension ruled by a corrupt, otherwordly abomination by the name of Mojo.

Mojo, as master of his home dimension, used science, magic, and genetic manipulation to transform Rita into an insane parody of herself...a six-armed swordswoman with mastery of both magic and Mojoworld's advanced technology at her thirty fingertips. He named this creature "Spiral" thanks to the dance-based magical arsenal she wielded. He also gave her a new, twisted personality, intending it to be a mirror to his own...however, when Spiral first awoke to find her new lord and master leering at her, her first instinctive response was pure revulsion.

Ricochet Refugee
Despite her hatred of the spineless monstrosity, Spiral had no choice but to serve under Mojo for a time. Rita's fearlessness and brash impulsiveness had been transformed by both her tormentors into bloodthirst, sadism, and a treacherous, calculating deviousness that rivalled Mojo's, possibly even surpassing the cruelty of her master. Eventually, through unspeakable rituals and the most horrific of technologies, Spiral found her way off of Mojoworld and back to Earth. But when she arrived, she was stymied; Spiral was no longer Rita Wayword, and so the world was completely foreign to her, and she to it. The general populace assumed her to be a mutant because of her multiple arms and strange powers. Unwilling to slaughter whole populations, not from a sense of mercy or altruism but from sheer practicality, Spiral fled, eventually coming into contact with a true mutant, a mysterious being referring to himself as Exodus. When he offered her a place in his Brotherhood of Mutant Liberation, Spiral accepted, having nowhere else to go...and seeing endless possibilities for mischief as a supposed "freedom fighter".

Hellfire London
To be disclosed

Powers
Spiral is an artifical mutate; while not a genetic mutant, she nonetheless possesses talents and abilities not shared by homo sapiens.

Multiple Limbs: Spiral possesses six arms, three on each side of her body. Sometimes these limbs are cybernetic, sometimes organic, sometimes techno-organic; their specific composition seems to change every time she makes an appearance. Regardless of their nature, Spiral can use all six hands with the same dexterity as an ambidextrous human can use both of theirs.

Blademaster: Spiral is an expert swordswoman and knife-fighter, capable of fighting with any number of bladed weapons. She can even adapt herself to multiple fighting styles at once, thanks to her multiple arms.

Stuntwoman: Ricochet Rita was one of the finest stuntwomen working in Hollywood at the time of her disappearance. Though she has no memory of being Rita, Spiral possesses all of her skills from her former life, including peak-human athleticism and an expertise in climbing, tumbling, gymnastics, and several styles of martial arts and dance. She is also an experienced motorcyclist and stunt driver, though she rarely uses vehicles.

Technical expertise: Spiral has vast knowledge of Mojoworld's advanced technology, both the apparati used in Mjojo's broadcasts and a great deal of transformative cybernetics. "Spiral's Body Shoppe" is advertised as competition for Weapon X, a place where she can create technology to implant in living people to turn them into deadly weapons.

Sorcery: Though the Mojoworld has no "Sorcerer Supreme" mantle as such, Spiral is indisputably the most experienced and talented spellcaster in tnat dimension. Her unique ability to use all six arms to make multiple somatic gestures at once lets her perform far more somatic (gesture-based) spells, simultaneously and in rapid succession, than most magicians on either Earth or Mojoworld, since two arms is the norm in both dimensions. Specific spells Spiral has practiced include:
 * Teleportation: Spiral can open "stepping-discs", much like the X-Man Magik, that allow for instantaneous transit of people and objects from one place to another. However, unlike Magik, her portals only allow travel through space, not time, and since they are magical rather than a mutant ability, they draw upon the same reserves as the rest of her spells.
 * Conjuration: Spiral's primary tactic in battle usually involves the summoning of various unorthodox weapons and tools. Her ability to conjure objects seems limited only by her imagination, as she has created everything from swords and knives, to lifelike simulacra of other beings, to confusing "logic bombs" which take the form of giant brains which she lobs like a grenate at her enemies, unleashing a disorienting psionic blast upon detonation.
 * Energy Projection: Spiral prefers to fight in melee range with her multiple arms and bladed weapons, but if the need arises, she can also weild many different forms of energy as powerful blasts. These include (but are to limited to) fire, lightning, wind, ice, telekinetic force, concussive force, and solid light (lasers).
 * Transformation: Spiral possesses the ability to physically transform matter from one form into another, partiularly the body of a living creature. Her favorite use of this is to transform her enemies into something harmless and vulnerable; however, her transformative magics are also used in Spiral's "Body Shoppe" to alter "customers" to suit their specifications...or her whims and desires.
 * Mind Control: Spiral employs many mind-altering, brainwashing, and hypnotic techniques in her magic. She usually pairs this with her transformative magic to completely transform a person and render them unrecognizeable. This combination was evidenced when she reverted the X-Men into 'X-Babies", by physically and mentally regressing them to an age before most of their mutant powers could develop. She can also create highly convincing illlusions, in a similar manner to a telepath, or to Mastermind.
 * Levitation: It is unknown whether Spiral possesses the ability to truly fly, but she has been shown as able to levitate herself and others off the ground for short periods. She frequently uses this in conjunction with her martial arts, as a stuntperson would use martial arts while suspended in a wired harness to perform "wire-fu" in action films.

Weaknesses
Dance Magic: While Spiral is an exceptionally talented spellcaster, the nature of her magic is such that she must "dance" her spells, using a variety of body movements and somatic gestures to effectively cast. While this can sometimes have a mesmerizing, intimidating, or confusing effect on her adversaries, it can also leave her vulnerable to counterattacks if someone takes advantage of the opening before her spell is complete.

Madness: Due to her experiences at the hands of Weapon X and Mojo, Spiral is quite insane. This trauma has rendered her highly unstable, prone to speaking in riddles or else simply acting in an erratic, unpredictable manner. She has been known to be treacherous and loyal in turns, seemingly depending entirely on whim, and seldom finds anything able to hold her interest for long.

Bloodlust: One of the few predictable character traits Spiral does possess. In combat, she prefers attacking physically with her knives, swords, and martial arts, as opposed to employing her vast array of powers. Despite being an exceptional combatant, this strategically unsound approach can be exploited, provided her opponent keeps their head about them.