- Name: Roberto da Costa
- Code Names: Sunspot, Citizen V
- First Appearance: Marvel Graphic Novel #4: New Mutants (Nov ’82)
- Powers: Superstrength, energy blasts
- Teams Affiliation: New Mutants, X-Force, Hellfire Club, Avengers
About
We all love heroes, that’s why you are reading a blog post about a random X-Men character every Thursday. They are aspirational figures that show us the ideals we need to live up to. The interesting thing about idolizing heroes is how often fans fail to live up to their standards. I’ve seen Superman fans spew hate, Batman fans cheer for murder, and X-Men fans act bigoted. Hero worship doesn’t translate into being heroic. The best outcome of this situation is a fan understanding their actions and doing the most heroic thing of all, change.
Roberto da Costa was a rich Brazilian boy and proud of it. He didn’t do it without reason, at nearly everything he wanted to try, Bobby was the best. His father, a notable industrialist, had high expectations that Bobby tried to exceed, but Berto’s pride brought shame to him. While playing in a high stakes soccer match at the age of fourteen, a racist opponent started taking cheap shots at Bobby. In turn, Roberto tackled the boy with almost superhuman strength. His dark skin turned pitch black, energy crackled around him, and Sunspot was born.
Soon after Roberto’s young girlfriend was captured by Donald Pierce and Roberto was bound and determined to get her back. His rescue attempt failed miserably and his girlfriend sacrificed her life in the bout. Roberto was distraught but determined to carry on her memory. He joined Professor Xavier’s new team of young mutants to take down Pierce and decided to train to become a hero.
Bobby loved being a superhero. He got to live his dreams of being Magnum PI and developed deep friendships in the process. Sunspot and Cannonball became virtually inseparable, each bringing out the best and worst of each other. He was a constant flirt, even if he was mostly unsuccessful. His hot-headedness caused some tension on the team but his strength was a great asset to the New Mutants.
Unfortunately, that drive led to a ton of tension. During a soccer match, Sunspot got aggressive and hurt Sam. In shame, he ran from the New Mutants, trying to find a place for himself. Because he is a perfect boy, Warlock followed. He ran into a street gang called the Fallen Angels and decided to join them. They weren’t, however, great or motivated and mostly spent time falling into hijinks. It eventually taught Bobby that the New Mutants were where he really belonged and he returned to the squad.
Sunspot didn’t trust the New Mutant’s new mentor Magneto and was the loudest voice for the team to strike out on their own. When Magneto returned to his villainous ways, he puffed his chest feeling like he was right. Bobby’s father soon died, killed by mysterious circumstances, and a mysterious man named Gideon reached out to him to help Berto run his father’s company. He left the team and his friends behind before realizing that Gideon was a dumb bad guy. He returned to his friends, now part of X-Force, and continued his adventuring ways.
With his father dead, the Hellfire Club reached out to Roberto, offering him his father’s seat in the organization. He resisted at first but tried to make the most of his position of power. He saw the resources of the Hellfire Club as an asset, something he could use for the betterment of mutant kind. That experience allowed him to open and lead the west coast branch of the X-Corporation and gave him insight into leading the mutant world. He rejoined the New Mutants when they formed their own team again, but it wasn’t enough. Bobby wanted to be bigger.
He was given the chance when Captain America came calling. The Avengers realized that they weren’t equipped for cosmic events, they needed to be a well-oiled machine. Cap asked Sunspot and Cannonball to trade their X’s for A’s, to join his new Avengers. They accepted without hesitation.
Being a less senior member of the team, Sunspot struggled to shine. His diplomacy helped him foil an AIM plot, just by being nice to some beekeeper looking scientists. A rift formed within the Avengers and the team was split, but Roberto knew the stakes were universe ending. The interpersonal drama wasn’t important, saving the world was. He needed resources, so he bought AIM. He needed a powerhouse, so he convinced Thor. He needed a leader, so he stepped up. Sunspot tried to save the world and be a hero when no one else was willing to do both.
In the aftermath, Sunspot being the head of a group that had historically been a terrorist operation didn’t sit well with world leaders. SHIELD kept a close eye on AIM’s (Avengers Idea Mechanics) ongoing activities while Sunspot formed his own team of Avengers. He became a spymaster, a man with plans within plans within plans. He parlayed his efforts into making AIM a government-sponsored group called American Idea Mechanics where he fought the Hydra takeover of the USA. He continues to serve the Avengers and live his dream of being a real hero.
Must Read
I like New Mutants, I really do, but let me tell you what, everything Sunspot does in Avengers: Time Runs Out is amazing. All of the potential he ever showed was realized with the highest stakes. It is an amazing moment of comics and even if you aren’t an Avengers fan, you owe it to yourself to check this out.
Ranking
Sunspot is great, make no mistake about that. He is a dynamic character with a visually interesting powerset and a personality that adds that great tension any team needs. I don’t think he is a perfect character, the fact that no one knew what to do with him for twenty years speaks to that, but he is someone I get pumped to see every time he appears. He isn’t as good as his teammate Boom Boom but I dig him more than Dazzler. I can’t put him above his fellow jerk Kid Omega but I do think he works better than Iceman in most cases. That slots Sunspot in as the new number 33 in the Xavier Files.
Sunspot was requested by Patreon supporter Josh Bowers. Thank you for your support! If you have a request for how about you send it below? If you want to cut to the front of the two-year long line, we have a Patreon you can support Xavier Files for just $1 to get a line cutting reward.
Make sure you check out my podcast BATTLE OF THE ATOM. It’s where Bish & Jubez creator Adam Reck and I talk about every single X-Men story that ever existed and rank them from best to worst. Episode 29 is up and we work our way through Phalanx Covenant. Make sure you subscribe to any of the following platforms (or others, I’m not picky) Apple Podcasts | Google Play | Stitcher | RSS.
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Grab your jorts because next week we talk about Forge! See you then!
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Zachary Jenkins co-hosts the podcast Battle of the Atom and is the former editor-in-chief of ComicsXF. Shocking everyone, he has a full and vibrant life outside all this.
