Blaire, Alison (person)

Alison "Ali" Blaire, also known as Dazzler, is a professional singer.

### Relatives

Carter Blaire (father, dead), Katherine Blaire (Barbara London) (mother), Nicholas Brown (stepfather, dead), Lois London (Mortis) (maternal half-sister), Bella Blaire (paternal grandmother)

### Affiliation

Lightbringr; formerly X-Men, X-Tracts, A-Force, X-Men (New Charles Xavier School member), S.H.I.E.L.D. Mutant Task Force, Multiversal X-Men, Excalibur, X-Babies (guardian), Future Iron Man's Team, Mojoverse Rebellion, Cat's Laughing, Lila Cheney's band, Heralds of Galactus, Gladiators, Millie's Models, Dazzler's band, many other musical groups

### Occupation

Professional singer, adventurer, former revolutionary, waitress, actress, gladiator, dance exercise instructor, model, prophet of the Light Riders

## Biographical information

### Place of birth

Gardendale, Long Island, New York, United States of America, Earth, Sol system, Space Sector 2814

## History

### Early Years

Alison Blaire was born to Carter and Katherine Blaire in the Long Island suburb of Gardendale, New York. Alison's parents had a tense relationship, because her father was a stoic law student, while her mother was a free-spirited entertainer. Ultimately, this led to Katherine walking out on Carter while Alison was still a toddler, leaving Carter to raise Alison with the help of his mother, Bella Blaire. Katherine's leaving had a profound effect on Carter, who had kept the shameful secret of Katherine from Alison most of her life. As Alison entered adolescence and developed dreams of becoming a singer, her father, now a judge, became increasingly intolerant of the idea. Instead, Carter forced Alison to choose a life path similar to his own; Alison would become an academic star and continue on a path to law school. Alison's grandmother was more sympathetic to young Alison and encouraged her to explore her creative energies.

However, Alison manifested her mutant abilities while performing at a high school dance, when a gang of bikers disturbed the party and started attacking everybody. When she was about to be attacked herself, she unleashed a blast of incredible brilliant light blinding all in attendance save herself. For years, Alison kept her powers a secret from those closest to her, further alienating herself from her father. By the time she reached university, Alison began to explore both her powers and her musical ability. Alison crafted her own performing suit, accessories, and named herself "The Dazzler". It was at this moment that Alison decided to abandon her father's dream. While at her graduation ceremony, Alison informed Carter that she would not be attending the law school he had selected for her and instead would pursue a life as a singer, without her father's blessing or financial support.

Dazzler used her light-based mutant powers as a draw for her performances. Taking the sound of the music and converting it into dazzling displays of color drew the young singer enough attention to land her gigs at several New York clubs and discotheques. However, Alison knew that she would have to keep the nature of her powers a secret. Marketing her light shows as a "technological secret", Alison was able to bypass critical speculation for some time. Yet, while this little white lie fooled the club managers and others in her life, it did not escape the notice of Emma Frost, the White Queen of the Hellfire Club, or Professor Charles Xavier, founder and mentor of the X-Men.

### Hero?

Both the Hellfire Club and the X-Men sent entourages to a Dazzler performance to recruit Alison to their respective ideological side. The X-Men sent Phoenix, Cyclops, and Nightcrawler to identify and possibly recruit her, while the Hellfire Club sent a group of Hellfire Knights to take her by force. The combined powers of Dazzler and the X-Men suppressed the foes and freed other members of the X-Men who were being held captive by the Hellfire Club. Professor Xavier offered Alison a position within the X-Men, but she declined, choosing to focus on her career.

Subsequently, Alison became an increased target for super heroic phenomena. In one instance, Dazzler was possessed by the foe Lightmaster and was thankfully saved by Spider-Man. In another, Ali acquainted herself with Johnny Storm, the Human Torch, at a posh nightclub. As Dazzler was becoming more popular in the club circuit, Alison was becoming more known in the superhero circuit as well.

This co-mingling of superheroes and career proved both beneficial and detrimental to Alison. Needing a well-deserved break, Alison took the advice of the Avenger, Beast, and auditioned and won a performance spot at up-and-coming nightspot Numero Uno. Unfortunately, the singer bested the Enchantress, who was incensed by the outcome and vowed to have revenge upon Dazzler. As her new super heroic friends packed the club, the Enchantress summoned her minions causing a large, localized battle. It was Alison herself who sealed back the Enchantress' nefarious energies, ending her plans. Although she won a battle against a powerful adversary, Alison's performance was in ruins.

Regardless, Alison continued to follow her dream. Alison signed on as a singer with a reputable agent, Harry Osgood. Harry hired Lancelot Steele as Ali's bodyguard. Dazzler was given a formal stage manager, back-up band, and a knockout performance spot at a United Nations UNICEF charity summit, but before the performance, she encountered Doctor Doom, intent on stealing one of the "Jewels of Doom", including a mystical one called the Merlin Stone, currently held on display at the UN. After a battle, Doctor Doom used Dazzler to retrieve another of these jewels from the villainous Nightmare in his Nightmare Dimension. Caught in the Dimension, Dazzler was confronted with her own self-doubts and insecurities her father planted within her. Overcoming this obstacle, Alison retrieved the jewels and returned to Doom and destroyed them. After Doom left her unconscious, the Human Torch came to Dazzler's rescue. Dazzler had survived another brutal encounter, but once again at the expense of her career.

Later, Alison aided Blue Shield in his battle with Bo Barrigan and reunited him with his mother, Antia Cartelli. Wanting to get away from the superhero circuit, Alison dated Doctor Paul Jansen. For Alison, her powers continued to be a curse. While riding the New York subway, a couple were being harassed by armed men and Alison quickly used her powers to subdue them, only to become the enemy herself. The couple she had saved quickly turned on her and Alison fled, just as a crowd formed to assail her. Alison's career continued to fail, as yet another performance was soiled, this time by Hulk.

In another of her performances, Ali was interrupted by Spider-Man and Paladin, who were battling Thermo. After Spider-Man was badly injured, Ali cared for him while he spent the night at her apartment. After returning to one of her performances, Dazzler was kidnapped backstage by cult members led by Thermo, and then rescued by Spider-Man and Paladin.

Dazzler was reunited with Beast and met Angel, after she and a group of heroes were manipulated to join the Avengers. After it was revealed that Moondragon was manipulating all of them to strengthen the Avengers, Alison departed.

Harry became increasingly curious over the nature of Alison's stage effects; her "technological secret" was in question. When Harry confronted Alison about the nature of her powers, she stormed out defending her secret identity. To make matters worse, an old enemy of Osgood, Techmaster, sent the Enforcers, a group of mercenaries, after him. When Harry was kidnapped, Alison made it her mission to find and protect him. After defeating the Enforcers and saving Harry, she confessed to Harry her most hidden secret: that she was a mutant. Not knowing how the first non-superhero would react to such a revelation, Alison breathed a sigh of relief when Harry gave her his support and vowed to keep her "technological secret" safe.

Alison's "technological secret" may have been safe regarding the average citizen, but, for the U.S. Government, it was a pressing affair. Alison was whisked away by Project: PEGASUS against her will to undergo several strenuous tests regarding her mutant powers. While at PEGASUS, Dazzler witnessed several other super-powered beings being held captive, including Klaw and Solarr. As time went on, Alison became increasingly intolerant toward the members of Project: PEGASUS. The researchers found that Alison had no natural limit to her abilities and, theoretically, could have been the most powerful mutant on Earth, with unlimited energy potential. Intolerance swiftly turned into aggression, and upon witnessing Klaw being tested by PEGASUS technicians, Alison inadvertently freed the villain. Klaw then turned his energies upon her, unaware that her mutant ability transformed sonic energy into light-based energy. As Dazzler began to absorb Klaw's essence, she found she could not stop the process. Dazzler had fully absorbed Klaw into her body, storing him as light energy. Unable to cope with the pressure of killing him, Dazzler used the energy to free herself from the confines on PEGASUS. The strong energy signature alerted the cosmic entity Galactus to the young mutant who abducted her as a means of retrieving his renegade herald, Terrax. Galactus imbued Dazzler with the Power Cosmic, a source of unlimited sound energy, allowing her to enter a black hole to retrieve the herald. Dazzler succeeded in her task and compassionately convinced Galactus to pardon Terrax and return her to Earth.

Dazzler was one of the many heroes kidnapped by Professor Soos to participate in his fighting festival against his own creations. Dazzler was pitted against Mr. Tiger, who knocked out Dazzler out in one blow.

Upon her return home, Alison could not hold down a gig, inconveniencing both her manager and her band. After battling Techmaster again, Alison began speaking more with her grandmother, although relationships remained tepid with her father. The relationship became more icy when Alison began wearing her mother's locket as a tribute to the woman she never knew. After weeks of courting, Dr Jansen proved to be unable to adjust to Alison's unconventional lifestyle. After turning herself in, Alison was, literally, on trial for the murder of Klaw. Enraged by the outcome of her stay at PEGASUS, the agency decided to file suit against Alison. Dazzler had to spend the night before the trial in prison on Ryker's Island, where she ran into the Grapplers. The female villain group wanted to see the woman responsible for Klaw's death and beat her up, until Alison absorbed Screaming Mimi's screams and knocked the Grapplers out with her light blasts. Quasar testified on Dazzler's behalf and, with the help of lawyer Kenneth Barnett, Alison was cleared of all charges.

Things finally turned around for the singer. Despite her setbacks, Alison booked to tour the West coast, as a warm-up singer for rock star Bruce Harris. Unfortunately, a sniper attempted to assassinate somebody in the audience, sending Blue Shield into action, and Ali, her band, and Lancelot were kidnapped after the assassins thought Lancelot was Blue Shield. Freeing She-Hulk from LaFarge's control, she, Ali, and Blue Shield rescued everyone.

Arriving in San Francisco for her next gig, Alison hired Jessica Drew to locate her mother and the pair stumbled upon a room which was a S.H.I.E.L.D. training facility modeled after the X-Men's Danger Room. Unfortunately for Dazzler, her act proved so good that it became a threat for the star and Bruce nixed her from the tour. After Ali's last show, Kenneth approached her and the pair began to date. While on a flight back to the east coast, Alison was transported to Asgard and forced into an arena match against the Enchantress. The match was stopped by Odin, and Dazzler and Enchantress were ordered to put-on a concert to prove the better musician. After winning, Dazzler was returned home. Answering another offer to join the Avengers, Ali was one of the women who defeated Mechano-Marauder and declined membership.

### Family Reunion

Disheartened, Alison returned home, whereupon she was courted by none other than Warren Worthington III, the former X-Man, Angel. Warren found himself pursuing Alison, with whom he had become infatuated. Warren had developed a crush on her after they were manipulated by Moondragon into joining the Avengers. After butting in on a date of hers with Ken, Warren waited for her at her house and took her for a flight, which led to a romantic evening. After preventing Dr. Octopus from escaping custody, Alison remained confused about her actions. Angel attempted several times to win Dazzler's heart and decided the key to success lay with finding her mother. After playing a show at the Peppermint Lounge, Ali battled the Absorbing Man and was forced to call Black Bolt for assistance. After defeating the Absorbing Man, Ali fell and was caught, by Angel. Alison's family situation was about to reach a climax. Along with her budding romance with Angel, it seemed that life would finally reach a harmonious center. Dazzler lived her dream and could truly be herself with a fellow mutant.

Sadly, it didn't last long, as her father fell into a psychological stupor and her friend, Vanessa Tooks, learned that her matronly vocal coach, Barbara London, was actually Alison's mother. Alison's biggest break yet finally lay at her doorstep, in the form of a prestigious gig at Carnegie Hall. Carter awoke to confront Alison with the truth about her mother, Katherine. Katherine did not simply leave the family, but had slowly denigrated into an unfaithful drug addict, who left Carter to be with her new beau, Nick Brown. Alison didn't know, however, that Katherine had left the abusive Nick and hid away as Barbara London. As Barbara, a matronly vocal coach, Katherine followed Alison throughout her budding career, but could not bear to confront the daughter she had abandoned. Alison could not believe the horrid story and left in tears. Alison's energy had to go toward her career and no longer her family. Vanessa convinced Barbara to attend the Carnegie performance and Carter convinced himself to make amends with his daughter. The family reunited after the performance, with Alison finally coming face-to-face with her mother for the first time she could remember, and developing a new understanding for her father.

However, other complications arose. The Sisterhood of Evil Mutants, Mystique, Rogue, and Destiny, sought revenge on the X-Men and decided that the Angel would be an appropriate source of information. When the trio attacked Warren, Alison defeated them. Rogue vowed revenge on Dazzler, becoming increasingly jealous of her popular and attractive lifestyle.

Ali met the half-sister that she had never known about, Lois London. Barbara had married Nick and had another daughter. Attempting to form a relationship with both Barbara and Lois, she quickly befriended her new sister. After her apartment was set ablaze, by Flame, Ali hired the Heroes for Hire as bodyguards. Going against Mystique, Rogue attacked Ali, but the Heroes for Hire drove her off.

Ali was briefly stalked by a fanatic Karl Fredericks, who attempted to win her love by killing her father, but Ali defeated him. Unfortunately, the mutant gene was alive in both sisters. Lois' powers manifested while being assaulted by a homeless man, Robert Smith, unfortunately killing him in the process. Terrified, Lois asked for Alison's assistance. The two fled New York as fugitives, hiding on the road and briefly assuming false names to avoid being tracked by the authorities. While on the road, Rogue attacked the sisters, but they were able to escape her. Worse, an unidentified photographer took photos of the incident and blackmailed the women into murdering a wealthy Californian man, in exchange for the film negatives. Assuming that Warren would be in Los Angeles, Ali called him for help and, after Ali and Lois decided not to kill their target, he arrived in time to save them from being shot by the angry photographer. The target turned out to be none other than Nick, Lois' father. The photographer was hired by Nick to track his daughter, Lois, and decided to use the evidence as further blackmail for a financial profit.

Nick then offered Alison several social connections to the West Coast elite, which included photographers, actors, and the famous, bald, overweight and bespectacled man, Roman Nekoboh. Roman had a particular interest in Alison and began to pursue her romantically. Initially put-off, Ali was ready to give-in to Roman's advances, when the private plane they were flying in was attacked. After saving everyone aboard, Alison's relationship with Nick turned sour after he asked her to leave Harry and live a life of sex, drugs, and rock and roll. Lois opted to stay in the comfort of her biological father's home, rather than with the sister who uprooted herself for her own benefit.

On her way back to New York, Ali caught a ride, with Ralph Macchio, who was on his way to San Diego Comic Con. Wishing to pay Ralph back, Ali called Harry for an advance and attended the convention, where a military group attacked her. After paying Ralph back, Ali simply slipped away unnoticed. While on a movie set, Alison met Bill Remington, an actor who asked her out. Alone and with nowhere to turn, Alison began to start her life anew, renting an apartment in San Diego, taking a job as an aerobics instructor, and dating Bill. The night of her first date, Alison got a call from Harry, who quit as her agent. After Bill insisted that they go to his house during a tsunami, he realized that his life was on a path of self-destruction and he and Ali parted ways.

Repaying her debt to the Inhumans, Dazzler traveled to the Blue Area of the Moon and aided them in defeating Moonstone and Blackout. Roman helped introduce her to other members of the Hollywood elite, but particularly wanted Alison to star in a new film of his. After getting a dance part in a music video, the director, Bob Benson, attempted to create an accident to gain notoriety on his video, but Ali exposed him. After helping her friend, Janet McEntee with her modeling career, Alison was offered a job, with Millie Collins and quit after foiling the plan of Tom Devine to kidnap young models.

## Attributes

### Powers

* **Sound Conversion:** She has the ability to transduce sonic vibrations which reach her body into various types of light. This ability seems to operate over a great range of frequencies, including the audible spectrum (35 to 16,500 cycles per second), and a great variation of sound pressure levels regardless of the complexity, dissonance, or randomness of the sound. For example, a car crash and a symphonic passage of equal duration will both produce usable music incoming acoustic vibrations. Dazzler, however, does prefer the sound of music, particularly that which is rhythmically sustained. Not only is music more pleasant to her ears, but the steady beat of popular music provides a more constant source of sound to convert. However, she cannot use any sound produced by her own body. Despite the limits of her sound conversion ability being unknown, she was capable of absorbing unimaginable sounds, including the explosion of an entire galaxy, to boost her to sufficient levels when exposed by Galactus to travel into a black hole on its behalf. She also demonstrated she could absorb the sonic waves of Black Bolt's devastating voice.
	+ **Sound Release:** She has the ability to release the absorbed sound in one burst.
	+ **Echolocation:** Dazzler can use her conversion ability to act as a very crude form of echolocation. After singing through an amplifier for a minute, she has displayed the ability to see humanoid shapes through a brick wall.
* **Light Projection:** Dazzler possesses a body-wide energy field that controls the energy levels of the outer electron shells of her body in such a way as to cause the cascaded release of photons. In effect, this field is lasing, with the apparent efficiency of a laser (99.9%). The released energy is far greater than the incoming kinetic energy and therefore must involve an outside energy source, the nature of which is unknown. Left undirected, Dazzler’s light will radiate from her body in all directions, producing regular flashes of white light. By conscious control over the light she produces, she can control its direction, frequency (color), amplitude (intensity), and duration. She can produce numerous effects with the light she converts from sonic vibrations. She can create very simple patterns out of rays of light like circles, squares, triangles, and stars. She has learned to manifest her light as:
	+ **Blinding Flash:** She can create a pulse of light on the order of several thousand watts seconds of power, which temporarily blinds people with its brilliance.
	+ **Lasers:** By concentrating, Dazzler can generate a coherent beam of light, approximating a laser beam, with which she can cut through virtually anything. The field thus operates in a similar fashion as the process that creates a laser (Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation) and apparently has the same efficiency as a laser (99.9 percent).
	+ **Photon Blasts:** She can generate a blast of concussive solid light.
	+ **Illumination:** She can cause a bright glow all about her body to create light.
	+ **Strobes:** She can generate a pulsating strobe-light effect.
	+ **Dazzle:** She can create a chaotic cascade of sparkling lights and colors that severely upsets other people’s equilibrium.
	+ **Holograms:** With effort, she can even create holograms of human beings and other three-dimensional beings and objects.
	+ **Rocket Burst:** She has the ability to gain vertical altitude by directing a quick column of light beneath her.
	+ **Destructive Shield:** She has the ability to create a destructive shield of light around herself with laser light that can vaporize small projectiles.
	+ **Light Mist:** She can create a glowing or hazy almost fog-like effect that obscures the surrounding area.
	+ **Omnidirectional Ultraviolet Light:** With extreme effort she can generate omnidirectional waves of ultraviolet light of sufficient intensity to destroy metal objects, even metal structures several stories high.
* **Light Immunity:** Her body, especially her eyes, shields itself against any injurious effects of her light transducing abilities, and against those of bright lights in general.
* **Sound Immunity:** She has the ability to transduce sound also protects her from being deafened by loud noises.
* **Immunity to the Powers of Mortis:** She has been shown to be immune to powers of her half-sister Mortis, which ordinarily kills living beings instantly.
* **Superhuman Hearing:** She has highly developed ears, enabling her to detect sounds that others cannot register.
* **Flight:** Dazzler has, at times, been able to fly, or at the very least levitate.
* **Resurrection:** She is presently afflicted with a mysterious resurrection factor which prevents her from being killed.

### Abilities

* Dazzler is a highly skilled athlete and has become a good hand-to-hand combatant, thanks to her training with the X-Men.
* She is a talented singer, actress and dancer.
* Dazzler is a highly accomplished roller-skater.

### Weaknesses

She cannot directly use sounds produced by her own body as a source for her power.

## Paraphernalia

### Equipment

* Originally Dazzler carried a customized radio/cassette tape-player to provide her with continuous sound until she gained a special costume that stores sound. Professor Charles Xavier, the founder of the X-Men, conceived the idea for the special costume that Dazzler used to wear in battle. Devices within the costume enabled Dazzler to store sonic energy more efficiently and to gauge and focus the light she generates with greater skill. Later on she learned how to store the sound inside her own body and then selectively release portions as either sound or light. Her body is constantly absorbing and storing sound.
* Lightbringer, the hammer formerly belonging to Thor. Alison acquired it after Thor's death due to M-Pox, and kept it in the trunk of her car.

### Transportation

X-Men Blackbird, formerly size eight pair of roller skates which magnetically adhere to her boots, Gateway

More recently, Dazzler has taken a special interest in two-wheeled, motorized vehicles.

## Notes

* Dazzler frequently dyes her hair pink with a blonde wig. Alison has also dyed her hair black.
* The necklace with the microphone locket Dazzler wears for all her performances is her mother's necklace that she left behind for Alison when she divorced Alison's father and left the family.

## Trivia

* More recent handbooks list Dazzler as having only acquired a high school degree
* Among Dazzler fans are Juggernaut, Colossus, Julia Carpenter, Pixie, Northstar, Rhino, Molly Hayes, Hazmat, Billy Kaplan, Kitty Pryde, and Wraith. Mystique once admitted that she liked Dazzler's music but denies it in public.
* Dazzler once dated Angel and Longshot (when the X-Men were based in Australia), with whom she had a child. Other people who have developed a crush on her include the Human Torch, the Beyonder, Beast, and Juggernaut.
* For a while, the mercenary known as Deadpool and an unwilling Outlaw (Inez Temple) were hired as her bodyguards.
	+ It was revealed that because of Mephisto's manipulation of Shatterstar, by sending him back in time to the Mojoverse (along with Rictor), he was discovered and experimented on by Arize who created Longshot from his DNA, essentially becoming his father. This created a paradox when Longshot impregnated Dazzler, who then gave birth to Shatterstar. Longshot and Dazzler were then mindwiped to forget the pregnancy and the infant Shatterstar was sent 100 years to the future in order to maintain the consistency of the timeline.