Jimmy Darnell

James 'Jimmy' Darnell was one of four civilians who deliberately hijacked a rocket to recreate the cosmic-ray accident that created the Fantastic Four, seeking superhuman powers. The experiment succeeded — and failed — transforming him into X-Ray, a being of pure living radiation capable of flight, energy blasts, and draining radioactive energy.

Bronze Age Marvel has no shortage of memorable figures, and Jimmy Darnell — who burst onto the scene in The Incredible Hulk #254 in 1980 courtesy of Bill Mantlo and Sal Buscema — has proven to be one of the more quietly enduring ones, racking up 58 catalog appearances across an impressive 45-year stretch. With team affiliations spanning the U-Foes, the Defenders, Alpha Flight, and the Fantastic Four, this character has moved through some of Marvel's most storied corners, sharing pages with heavyweights like Simon Utrecht, Vector, Captain America, Steve Rogers, and Peter Parker. Three of those appearances carry key-issue weight for collectors, which speaks to a footprint that punches above its numbers. If you're tracing the connective tissue of the Marvel Universe from the Bronze Age forward, Jimmy Darnell is exactly the kind of figure worth tracking down.