Personality: The White King was one of the most ruthless and ambitious men in the world, who clawed himself to the top of the Hellfire Club at the end of the Shaw era. His rise to the top came at a price and made him a great many enemies – most of whom were ruthlessly crushed. His powers gave him a unique perspective on life and he saw all events as preordained. As such, while he felt some remorse for his actions towards the end of his life, he believed that he could not have acted differently.
Personal Interests: -
History: William Marushi was born in 1789 into a wealthy family in a small community in the United States. His mutant powers emerged when he was twelve, and his superstitious and abusive father locked him up believing his abilities to be signs of witchcraft. His father subsequently lost the family fortune and committed suicide, at which point his mother freed him. Hardened by the experience, Marushi vowed never to be weaker than anyone else and began to travel, using his powers to amass a fortune. He became a member of the Hellfire Club early in its existence, but keeping his powers secret until the time was right, he stayed in the background and did not challenge for a position in the Inner Circle until near the end of the twentieth century. During this time he hid his incredible age by creating a succession of false identities. He would typically pretend to be the son of his previous incarnation, thus ensuring that his Hellfire Club membership was passed on to himself.
Marushi has married at least once in his long life, and has had at least one child, Marcus. This marriage was comparatively recent and it is conceivable he was married more than once and had more children whose identities have not yet been revealed. Marushi had broken off contact with his son, supposedly because he was worried that his son would be dragged into the dangerous world in which he operated. It is possible however, bearing in mind Marushi’s relationship with his own father that the White King was incapable of relating to his son.
Following the era of Sebastian Shaw’s dominance of the Inner Circle, the Hellfire Club was in disarray. Constant battles with the X Men had brought the reputation of the Club to an all time low and had reduced its power and influence. Marushi took advantage of the club’s dip in fortunes and seized the leadership of the Lords Cardinal, becoming the White King. He began to set into motion a series of schemes to rebuild the Hellfire Club’s fortunes, including re-establishing the Inner Circle and the Hellions. He was actively involved in seeking out the Hellions, discovering Minotaur in a travelling carnival and Lamprey in the Morlock tunnels beneath New York. He also began to attempt to rebuild the Club’s international branches. However, at the point when his schemes were nearing completion, he discovered that he had contracted the Legacy Virus. While the virus was destroyed across the world by the actions of Neo-X, the damage done to Marushi’s ancient body was irrevocable. Not only was his health impaired, but his mutant abilities became unreliable. The other members of the Inner Circle, sensing weakness, began to make their own plans, and the Black King arranged for Marushi’s own son Marcus to murder him in exchange for his place on the Inner Circle. The White King by this time had his last vision, which showed him the nature of his death. He sent away his bodyguard, the Grey Knight, and waited for his murderer to arrive. As he expected, the Hellion Touch entered his study, and killed him to avenge the deaths of his parents, who had been in a shuttle sabotaged at Marushi’s order. The Grey Knight, still loyal to his dead master, has promised to find out who killed Marushi.