WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Hellions #10 by Zeb Wells, Stephen Segovia, David Curiel & VC's Ariana Maher, on sale now
Since Arcade first appeared in 1978's Marvel Team-Up #65 by Chris Claremont and John Byrne, Arcade has been a consistent minor Marvel villain for decades, trapping various heroes in his death-traps and watching as they try to overcome his robotic obstacles. While he may just seem like a serial killer with some engineering skills and a white suit and a flamboyant attitude, he's still a major threat.
And in Hellions #10, Arcade captures Mister Sinister and the Hellions. And even if he doesn't have powers, he just reminded the group of trained killers why the Marvel Universe should fear him.
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To many throughout the Marvel Universe, Arcade can appear to be a somewhat underwhelming villain. Without any powers, he merely relies on creativity and craft to kill his targets within his meticulously designed Murderworlds. Even his most diabolical actions -- such as capturing a generation of young heroes and forcing them to kill to survive in Avengers Arena -- have been met with derisive comments from others in the villain community. However, it's important to remember just how cruel Arcade can be and how inventive the assassin can be when properly motivated to kill someone.
This is something the Hellions are getting a first-class reminder about in Hellions #10. After bringing Mastermind to his side by holding Lady Mastermind captive, Arcade has forced the Hellions into their own personal dreams by combining his own technological inventions with Mastermind's illusions. Each of the Hellions is contained within their own little fantasy: Psylocke is reunited with her daughter, Wild Child gets to be the alpha warrior among Wolverine and Sabertooth and Havok gets to have an open romance with Madelyne Pryor, among others. Each of these keeps the Hellions at bay while Arcade tortures Mister Sinister with his own two hands, prying teeth from his mouth with malicious glee and admitting that he has no idea what he's really doing, just doing so to torture Sinister into submission.
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But Arcade is also more than smart enough to know about Mastermind's likely attempt to betray him. To that end, he's installed the ultimate counter to the illusion-based mutant: a secondary assistant, hundreds of miles away, reporting on everything he sees through security cameras to confirm that's what he sees is what's really happening. This keeps Arcade from falling prey to any illusions, with Lady Mastermind subject to die at the first sign of resistance. It turns out almost everyone who works for Arcade is there by force, with Arcade having kidnapped their loved ones and referring to their safe return as settling a "Loyalty Account" with him. And all of this underscores perhaps his most terrifying moment. When he lashes out at his assistant, Ms. Locke, it's suggested this is Arcade reining himself in.
At his core, Arcade is essentially the Marvel-equivalent of a horror movie character like Jigsaw from the Saw franchise. He's a monstrous man, someone who gleefully brings pain to those around him, and all so he can force Mister Sinister to work for him and provide an army of clones for his Murderworlds. His temper even shows up in this issue, with Arcade ultimately ordering Mastermind and his own assistants to turn on the Hellions and transform their dreamscapes into new nightmarish settings. Plenty of people may have underestimated Arcade over the years. but this is a good reminder of why the X-Men and their allies should be particularly careful around the villain.