Sunspot (Roberto "Bobby" da Costa) is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is most commonly associated with X-Men-related groups, the New Mutants and X-Force. Classified as a mutant, Sunspot possesses the ability to absorb and channel solar power into physical strength. His personality is idealistic and impulsive, but despite this he is considered a close friend by many of his teammates. He is initially portrayed as an important member of the X-Men's 1980s-era junior team and its reincarnation X-Force. He later retires as Sunspot and garners a massive fortune that allows him to buy out the Advanced Idea Mechanics organization, which he re-brands to Avengers Idea Mechanics. He then operates under the code name Citizen V.
Adan Canto portrayed the character in X-Men: Days of Future Past. Henry Zaga portrayed the character at a younger age in The New Mutants. Gui Agustini voices the character in X-Men '97.
Publication history
The character of Sunspot was created by writer Chris Claremont and artist Bob McLeod. The hero first appeared in Marvel Graphic Novel #4: The New Mutants (September 1982). Immediately after this appearance, the character became part of the regular cast of The New Mutants, as part of the titular super group.
Sunspot is one of the first Latin American superheroes in mainstream US comics. He is the second Brazilian superhero, after Green Fury (DC).Frederick Luis Aldama, Latinx Superheroes in Mainstream Comics, University of Arizona Press, 2017, p. 24-26.
He was a member of the Avengers in the 2012 relaunch of the Avengers title.
Sunspot is one of the main characters in the U.S.Avengers series.
Fictional character biography Origin Sunspot, or Roberto da Costa, is an Afro-Brazilian, the son of wealthy Afro-Brazilian businessman Emmanuel da Costa and white American archaeologist Nina da Costa. In The New Mutants #7, his father is described as a very driven man, who "grew up [...] a barefoot houseboy", was "by age 20 [...] a millionaire [and] by 30, an economic and political force to be reckoned with." Emmanuel constantly pushes his son to reach for both his physical and intellectual peaks. Thanks to his father's encouragement, Roberto rises to the position of star soccer player at schoolMarvel Graphic Novel #4 (November 1982) and is considered by recruiters for the Olympic Games. When Roberto is playing a soccer game with his team, members of the opposing team assault him while hurling racialized insults at Roberto and his father for being black. While taking a brutal beating, his mutant powers manifest, suddenly transforming him into a creature of solid black solar energy. Surprised and terrified, everyone abandons the stadium except for his girlfriend, Juliana.
New Mutants
Soon after Roberto discovers his powers, a mutant-hating faction of mercenaries led by Donald Pierce, called the Hellfire Club, kidnap Juliana and use her as bait to lure Roberto into a trap. He engages the kidnappers, but is eventually defeated when the solar power he absorbed runs out. Professor Xavier hears about Pierce's evil plan and sends two young mutants called Karma and Psyche to rescue Roberto. During the following battle, Juliana sacrifices her life for Roberto, jumping in front of a bullet meant for him.
Roberto joins Karma and Psyche in pursuit of Pierce. The three are joined by Wolfsbane, and after the battle by Sam Guthrie (Cannonball), one of Pierce's misguided mutant hirelings, despite initial reservations from the others. Professor Xavier offers to train the five teenagers to control their new mutant powers. They accept the offer and become the founding members of the New Mutants, a group of junior X-Men. Although Professor X's intentions are for them to only be students, over the course of the New Mutants series, they grow into superheroes and travel to space, Asgard, and the Amazon, as well as the past and the future. During Roberto's tenure with the New Mutants, he and Sam become best friends.
X-Force When the time travelling antihero Cable takes over the New Mutants and turns them into the paramilitary group X-Force, Sunspot parts ways with the team.The New Mutants #99 (March 1991) During this time, Sunspot is tutored by Gideon of the Externals, an old business partner of Emmanuel da Costa (who has since died), who suspects Sunspot to be a fellow External.The New Mutants #98 (February 1991) Gideon experiments on Sunspot, granting him new powers such as flight and the ability to fire blasts of solar energy.X-Force #14–17 (September - December 1992) Sunspot becomes lost in the spacetime continuum after interfering with the teleportation powers of Locus.X-Force #28 (November 1993)
Reignfire
The villain Reignfire first appears before Sunspot's disappearance and assumes command of the Mutant Liberation Front.X-Force #26 (September 1993) Dani Moonstar, who has infiltrated the MLF, sees Reignfire without his mask and believes him to be Sunspot.X-Force Annual #3 (October 1994) During a battle with X-Force, Reignfire removes his mask to reveal himself as Sunspot.X-Force #43 (February 1995) Cable 'heals' Sunspot of Reignfire's persona, giving him knowledge of the Askani's language and meditation techniques.Cable #29 (March 1996) It is later revealed that Reignfire is actually a protoplasmic entity who was injected with Sunspot's blood.X-Force #78 (June 1998) Reignfire is defeated when Sunspot removes his powers, reducing him to his original protoplasmic state.X-Force #80 (August 1998)
Hellfire Club Roberto is approached by Selene of the Hellfire Club, who offers to have him replace his deceased father Emmanuel's seat in the club's Inner Circle, as the seats are inherited. She promises Roberto that she will resurrect Juliana if he joins and he agrees. Selene does bring back the spirit of Juliana, but put it into the body of a comatose girl. Possibly because he feels obliged to fulfill his promise, Roberto decides to stay, becoming Selene's Black Rook. Roberto attempts to contact the resurrected Juliana, but seeing she has no memory of her previous life, he decides to leave her alone.X-Force #98–100 (January - March 2000)
Roberto next appears in the title X-Treme X-Men as the head of the Los Angeles branch of X-Corporation, along with former New Mutant Magma and former Hellion Empath. Roberto's ties to the Hellfire Club are not severed, as Sebastian Shaw approaches, having taken over the position of Hellfire Club's Lord Imperial and wanting Roberto as his Black King. Shaw claims that he is trying to turn the Club into a force of good, so Roberto accepts, though he keeps his involvement with Shaw a secret.X-Treme X-Men #35 (January 2004)
Soon after, Shaw is injured in battle by Donald Pierce, leaving him incapable of overseeing the Hellfire Club. Roberto takes over as Lord Imperial. At his side is Sage, who leaves the X-Men to make sure Roberto is not corrupted by power.Uncanny X-Men #454 (March 2005)
Later on, Sunspot leaves the Hellfire Club and joins the X-Men in San Francisco, as noted by Sebastian Shaw, who is currently looking for a replacement. Cyclops later asks Sunspot and Danielle Moonstar to help train the Young X-Men and both accept.Young X-Men #6 (November 2008)
Reforming the New Mutants After receiving an anonymous tip in Colorado about a young mutant endangering a small town, Dani and Shan are sent to investigate and calm the locals. During their mission, Magik reappears back at the X-Men's base in San Francisco after teleporting into the future after the events of X-Infernus. Upon her return, she informs Sam and Roberto that Shan and Dani are in fatal danger. Sam assembles a team with Sunspot, Magma, and Magik to go find them. Sam and Roberto come across a tied-up and comatose Shan in the back of a bar, while Magik and Magma are tricked into freeing Legion from a box, who apparently has Shan's personality imprisoned inside of him.The New Mutants (vol. 3) #1 (July 2009) Roberto and Sam approach Shan's body but when Roberto gets too close he almost gets pulled into Legion's mind. After they leave the bar, they find they are surrounded by police; Roberto and Sam fly away to the jail to find Dani.The New Mutants (vol. 3) #2 (August 2009)
When they arrive, Legion is trying to kill Dani. After Roberto and Sam repel him, Legion comes back and Roberto fights him. Cannonball soon joins him and they fend Legion off and regroup.The New Mutants (vol. 3) #3 (September 2009) During the fight, Legion takes on Magma, Cannonball, and Roberto, who gets seriously injured when Legion slashes him with a shard of metal.The New Mutants (vol. 3) #4 (October 2009)
Avengers After the events of Avengers vs. X-Men, Roberto and Sam are offered membership in the Avengers by Captain America and accept.The Avengers (vol. 5) #2 (February 2013) The two become involved in a time travel plot involving the Next Avengers, children of the Avengers from an alternate future, but their memories of this event are wiped by Maria Hill.Avengers World #6-10 (July - September 2014)
During an eight-month time-skip, Roberto engages in a hostile takeover of Advanced Idea Mechanics and gets rid of the villainous upper management, renaming the company Avengers Idea Mechanics.Avengers (vol. 5) #35 (September 2014) In the storyline Avengers: Standoff!, Roberto orders his Avengers team to free Rick Jones from S.H.I.E.L.D. custody. In response, the American government sends American Kaiju to attack A.I.M. Island. Roberto, having seen this coming, has the island evacuated, and American Kaiju is depowered by Avenger-5, a giant mech suit.New Avengers (vol. 4) #8-10 (May - June 2016) As a result, Maria Hill decides to try and shut down A.I.M., at the same time the Maker launches his own attack. However, Roberto also sees these attacks coming and manipulates both sides to stop Maker and his group W.H.I.S.P.E.R. It is also revealed that Roberto has been exposed to Terrigen Mist, which is toxic to mutants; every use of his powers now accelerates his aging. With the Maker captured, Roberto strikes a deal with the U.S. government to round up the remaining rogue branches of A.I.M.New Avengers (vol. 4) #12-17 (August - December 2016)
U.S.Avengers Following the deal that would get the Avengers Idea Mechanics to merge with the U.S. government as the American Intelligence Mechanics, Sunspot leads the U.S.Avengers as Citizen V.U.S.Avengers #1 (March 2017) During the Secret Empire storyline, Captain America, whose memory has been altered by Kobik, has a meeting with Roberto and tells him that he is no longer in charge of the U.S.Avengers.U.S.Avengers #5 (June 2017) Roberto is attacked by one of his scientists, who has allied with Hydra, and is captured. However, he manages to escape with the help of Toni Ho.U.S.Avengers #6-9 (July - October 2017) In the aftermath, Roberto, during a meeting with the team's new congressional liaison in the White House, resigns from his position despite objections from the senator. He meets Izzy Kane, Cannonball's wife, who tells him that Cannonball, who went missing in action during the takeover and was presumed dead, is still alive on another planet.U.S.Avengers #10 (November 2017)
The War of the Realms After the Age of X-Man sends most X-Men members to an alternate reality, Sunspot reappears to assist Mirage and the remaining X-Men in repelling Malekith's invasion of Midgard.Uncanny X-Men: War of the Realms #2 (July 2019) In a ploy to allow Magik to teleport the invading horde to Limbo, he breaks a cursed amulet blocking Mirage's powers, and in doing so, is vaporized, joining the fallen Valkyrior in their journey to the afterlife.Uncanny X-Men: War of the Realms #3 (August 2019)
Roberto is resurrected on the newly established mutant nation of Krakoa. He invites Cannonball, still living in Shi'ar space, to join him, and talks several of the New Mutants into accompanying him.The New Mutants (vol. 4) #1 (January 2020)