It’s a commonly repeated aphorism that William Shakespeare created a ridiculous number of words, many of which are still in use today.  From eyeball to compromise to obscene, the Bard shaped our language, and his naming conventions even shaped the superheroes that were to come…  Welcome to Ten Things!

Whooshman-Bicarbonate Films, in conjunction with ‘An Amateur Comics Historian’ and BLAH, Presents:

TEN SHAKESPEAREAN NOMS DE GUERRE!

10) CALIBAN

One of the mutant Morlocks, Caliban had the ability to track and find other mutants, which led to him being a key part of Morlock leader Callisto’s recruiting force.  He’s also named as an in-joke, as Kitty “Can’t Keep A Code Name” Pryde had recently chosen the name Ariel for herself; both names originate in Shakespeare’s ‘The Tempest.’  Caliban from the play is often depicted as a half-fish monstrosity, while the comic book version was transformed into a hulking brute who variously held membership in the X-Men, X-Factor and two different incarnations of X-Force…