Paulie Provenzano

Omertà (Paul "Paulie" Provenzano) is a fictional character, a mutant in the Marvel Universe. He is featured in the Eve of Destruction story arc in Uncanny X-Men.

Fictional character biography

Paulie first appears in the Eve of Destruction storyline, beginning in Uncanny X-Men #392.

After just being discharged from the United States Marines, Paul Provenzano returns to his home in Brooklyn, where he attempts to take over the local 'chapter' of the Mafia. The three leaders, whom Paulie has known all his life, were meeting in a local bakery, a mob-owned business. The leader declared he would not be popular if he made a "made man" out of a mutant. Paulie explains he was taking over. At first they were amused by his declarations, then they shoot him. Paulie easily resists their bullets, then brutally injures the men.

Jean Grey surprises and lectures him on the seeming waste of using his powers to take over the local mob. Paulie correctly guesses that she is here to recruit him into the X-Men and agrees to join, if only to see her in her costume. Jean's intention is to recruit Paulie for a mission to Genosha, to rescue the rest of the X-Men from Magneto.

Jean briefly leaves Paulie to enter the X-Mansion while she talks with Sunpyre on the front driveway. Paulie is thrown through the front doors moments later. Northstar follows. Paulie protests, revealing his homophobia and Northstar protests as he is gay. Paulie dares Northstar to hit him, as he, Paulie is invulnerable. Throughout the storyline, Paulie regularly calls Northstar "Maple-Leaf" and puts him down for being homosexual Northstar's super-speed is enough to stun, but not hurt him.

During the trip Genosha, Paul and teammate Hector Rendoza receive a telepathic 'crash course' in their mutant powers, allowing them better control and understanding. Moments later Paul suggests that he and Jean enter the cargo bay for 'privacy'. As a rebuttal, she makes him perceive her as elderly and overweight, an unpleasant visual. He also participates in a telepathic jaunt into Dazzler's mind, to see what had recently ravaged the dimension she had arrived from. The attackers were childlike versions of the alternate reality Age of Apocalypse villains. This Paulie is one of the few people in current continuity to have an inkling of what had gone on in said alternate reality.

Paulie and the others end up in a Genoshan public square, attempting to rescue Professor Xaiver. The makeshift team battles Magneto. Paulie is convinced that Magneto has slain Dazzler, though this is later proven untrue. After diversionary taunting, the villain launches Paulie towards space, but Northstar saves him. This results in Paulie offering an apology for his behavior to Northstar. Which Northstar accepts, Magneto is soon subdued by the X-Man Wolverine.

Back at the X-Mansion, despite an offer to stay, most of the team, including Paulie, left.

Powers and abilities

Omertà has complete invulnerability and superhuman strength. (Can lift up to 20 tonnes)

Notes

• Paulie was planned to be in the Neverland Camps in Weapon X, and supposedly died, but due to a coloring mistake, it cannot be confirmed that it was him in the gas chambers after all. Also, Paulie never took the name "Omertà" in canon, but that was his original name to begin with.

Other Marvel characters named Omertà

• Paulie is the second character featured in Marvel comics to use the name Omertà. In issue #108 (May 1992) of Alpha Flight, an Italian superhero appeared using this name. In Italian, Omertà signifies the Mafia's law of silence.

References

External links

• Omerta at the Appendix to the Handbook of the Marvel Universe