====== Folding Circle ======
===== Part 1: The Dossier: An At-a-Glance Summary =====
  *   **Core Identity: A clandestine cabal of super-powered individuals bound by a mystical pact made by their parents—a team of American soldiers in Vietnam—the Folding Circle sought to claim a powerful magical energy source as their birthright, putting them in direct conflict with the [[new_warriors]] and its leader, [[night_thrasher]].**
  *   **Key Takeaways:**
  * **Role in the Universe:** The Folding Circle serves as a dark mirror to the New Warriors, representing a legacy of inherited power and entitlement rather than earned heroism. They are deeply personal antagonists for Night Thrasher and his allies [[silhouette_chord]] and [[midnight's_fire]], forcing them to confront the morally ambiguous actions of their parents.
  * **Primary Impact:** Their emergence and the revelation of their origin completely redefined Night Thrasher's backstory, transforming his crusade from a simple quest for vengeance into a complex struggle against a dark family legacy. They were the catalyst for uncovering the truth about the Taylor Foundation's funding and the manipulative influence of the immortal sorceress, Tai.
  * **Key Incarnations:** The Folding Circle is a creation of the Earth-616 comic book universe and has no direct counterpart or adaptation in the [[marvel_cinematic_universe|Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU)]]. Their story is deeply rooted in 1990s comic book storytelling and specific Marvel lore that has not been explored on screen.
===== Part 2: Origin and Evolution =====
==== Publication History and Creation ====
The Folding Circle first appeared in **//New Warriors// (Vol. 1) #21**, published in March 1992. They were created by writer **Fabian Nicieza** and artist **Mark Bagley**, the core creative team responsible for the New Warriors' early success. Their introduction marked a significant turning point for the series, shifting the tone towards darker, more complex narratives.
The team's creation was emblematic of the early 1990s comic book era, which often favored "grim and gritty" characters with morally ambiguous backstories and a more aggressive edge. The Folding Circle was designed to be a direct challenge to the New Warriors' youthful idealism. They were not simply villains seeking world domination; they were a family, albeit a dysfunctional one, fighting for what they believed was stolen from them. Their origin, rooted in the Vietnam War and a mystical blood pact, added a layer of historical weight and supernatural intrigue to Night Thrasher's previously street-level world. Nicieza and Bagley used the Folding Circle to deconstruct their main hero, forcing Dwayne Taylor to acknowledge that the foundation of his life and mission was built on lies and dark secrets.
==== In-Universe Origin Story ====
The origin of the Folding Circle is a multi-generational saga of war, desperation, and mystical corruption. It is a tale that begins decades before their first public appearance and is inextricably linked to the parents of several key members of the New Warriors.
=== Earth-616 (Prime Comic Universe) ===
The story begins in the late 1960s during the Vietnam War. A special forces unit of American soldiers, call sign **"The Dragon's Breadth,"** was operating deep within enemy territory. This unit included key figures who would later shape the lives of heroes and villains alike: **Daryl Taylor** (father of Dwayne Taylor/Night Thrasher), **Andrew Chord** (father of Aaron Chord/Midnight's Fire and Silhouette Chord), **Diego Casseas** (the future Left Hand), **Eric Conroy's father** (Bloodstrike), **Conan Chi-Le's father** (Smiling Tiger), and **Min Li Ng's father** (Silk Fever).
During a mission in Cambodia, the unit stumbled upon an ancient temple belonging to a mystical cult known as the **Dragon's Breath Cult**. The temple housed a powerful font of mystical energy, a nexus point called the **Well of All Things**. This Well was a direct conduit to the **Universal Wellspring**, a source of immense power that could grant immortality and reshape reality. The cult was led by a council of elders, secretly controlled by an ancient and malevolent entity named **Tai**.
Facing certain death and desiring power, the soldiers of the Dragon's Breadth made a pact with the cult. They agreed to marry the female members of the cult's "priesthood" in a mystical ceremony. In exchange for their loyalty and their genetic material, the Well would bless their future offspring with a portion of its power. The soldiers saw this as a path to survival and prosperity, unaware that Tai was manipulating them. Her true goal was to create a lineage of super-powered children—a "Folding Circle"—whom she could one day sacrifice to the Well, allowing her to absorb its full power and achieve godhood.
The soldiers returned to America, their lives forever changed. Daryl Taylor used the cult's resources to build the powerful Taylor Foundation, and Andrew Chord became his loyal protector. They and the other soldiers had children, who, as promised, were born with latent superhuman abilities.
Years later, one of the soldiers, Diego Casseas, now calling himself **The Left Hand**, sought to reclaim the power he believed was their birthright. He began gathering the other children of the pact, manipulating them with a half-true version of their parents' story. He told them their fathers had been cheated out of their rightful power and that they, the children, must seize control of the Well of All Things. This collective of super-powered offspring became the Folding Circle. Their primary members included:
  * **Midnight's Fire (Aaron Chord):** A master martial artist with enhanced physical abilities.
  * **Bloodstrike (Eric Conroy):** Possessing superhuman strength and durability.
  * **Smiling Tiger (Conan Chi-Le):** A feral combatant with razor-sharp claws.
  * **Silk Fever (Min Li Ng):** A powerful pyrokinetic.
Their first move was to recruit Aaron Chord and his sister, Silhouette, who had been operating as vigilantes alongside Night Thrasher. This act brought them into immediate and violent conflict with the New Warriors, unraveling the decades-old conspiracy and forcing Dwayne Taylor to confront the dark truth about his family's fortune and his father's sins.
=== Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) ===
**The Folding Circle does not exist in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.** As of the latest releases, there has been no mention of the team, the Dragon's Breadth unit, the Well of All Things, or the specific backstory involving Night Thrasher's parents.
There are several likely reasons for their exclusion:
  * **Undeveloped New Warriors:** The MCU's version of the New Warriors was planned for a television series that was developed but ultimately never aired. Without the New Warriors and, specifically, a well-established Night Thrasher, there is no narrative anchor for the Folding Circle's deeply personal story.
  * **Complex Origin:** The team's origin is tied to the Vietnam War, a mystical cult, a magical well, and a multi-generational pact. While the MCU has embraced magic (e.g., [[doctor_strange]]) and clandestine history (e.g., [[captain_america_the_winter_soldier]]), the Folding Circle's backstory is particularly convoluted and might be considered too complex to adapt faithfully without significant screen time dedicated to exposition.
  * **Thematic Overlap:** The MCU has already explored themes of children grappling with the sins of their parents (e.g., Tony Stark and Howard Stark, Peter Quill and Ego) and secret cabals seeking power (e.g., [[hydra]], the Ten Rings). A direct adaptation of the Folding Circle might feel thematically redundant without a unique angle.
If the Folding Circle were ever to be adapted for the MCU, their origin would likely undergo significant modernization. The Vietnam War connection could be updated to a more recent conflict, such as the war in Afghanistan, or replaced with a corporate or black-ops equivalent, perhaps a secret project by a company like Roxxon or a rogue S.H.I.E.L.D. unit. The mystical "Well of All Things" could be re-imagined as an alien energy source, a Terrigenesis-like event, or connected to an established magical dimension like Ta Lo from //Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings//.
===== Part 3: Mandate, Structure & Key Members =====
The Folding Circle's purpose and hierarchy were defined by their shared heritage and the manipulative guidance of their leader. They operated less like a traditional supervillain team and more like a cult or a family unit with a singular, consuming goal.
=== Earth-616 (Prime Comic Universe) ===
==== Mandate and Ideology ====
The primary mandate of the Folding Circle was to seize control of the Universal Wellspring. They were raised on the belief that the immense power contained within the Well was their birthright, a legacy promised to their fathers in the jungles of Cambodia and subsequently denied to them by a conspiracy of silence. Their ideology was a potent mix of entitlement, grievance, and perceived destiny. They saw the New Warriors not as heroes, but as obstacles—particularly Night Thrasher, who represented the establishment that had benefited from their parents' pact while hiding the truth. To them, their actions were not villainous but a righteous crusade to claim what was rightfully theirs. This entire belief system, however, was a carefully constructed lie orchestrated by the Left Hand and, ultimately, by Tai.
==== Structure and Hierarchy ====
The Folding Circle was a small, insular organization with a clear, if informal, power structure.
  * **Mastermind:** **The Left Hand (Diego Casseas)** was the founder and strategic leader. He gathered the members, provided them with their ideology, and directed their missions. His authority was based on his direct connection to the original pact and his seemingly superior knowledge of the Well's magic.
  * **Field Leader:** **Midnight's Fire (Aaron Chord)** acted as the de facto leader during combat operations. His superior combat skills, enhanced abilities, and personal connection to their main targets (Night Thrasher and Silhouette) made him the natural choice to lead the charge.
  * **Core Operatives:** **Bloodstrike, Smiling Tiger, and Silk Fever** formed the team's primary muscle and offensive power. They were fiercely loyal to the cause and to each other, bound by their shared upbringing and purpose.
  * **Outer Circle:** The full extent of the "Folding Circle" was implied to be larger than the core group. Other, less-seen members like **Fire Knives, Air Power, and Water Bearer** existed, suggesting a broader network of empowered individuals that the Left Hand could call upon.
==== Key Members ====
^ **Member** ^ **Real Name** ^ **Abilities and Role** ^
| Midnight's Fire | Aaron Chord | Son of [[andrew_chord]]. A peerless martial artist with superhuman speed, strength, agility, and senses. He is the fiercest fighter on the team and shares a complicated, protective, and often antagonistic relationship with his sister, Silhouette, and his adoptive brother, Dwayne Taylor. |
| The Left Hand | Diego Casseas | The manipulative founder and strategist. He possessed the ability to channel mystical energy from the Well through his left hand, which he could use for concussive blasts. He was the most knowledgeable about the pact, but used that knowledge to mislead his followers. |
| Silk Fever | Min Li Ng | A powerful pyrokinetic with the ability to generate and control intense fire and heat. Her mother was a member of the Dragon's Breath Cult, giving her a more direct connection to the Well's magic. She was one of the most zealous members of the Circle. |
| Smiling Tiger | Conan Chi-Le | A feral combatant with superhuman agility, enhanced senses, and razor-sharp claws and teeth. He is vicious and animalistic in battle. His father was an American soldier from the Dragon's Breadth and his mother was Vietnamese. |
| Bloodstrike | Eric Conroy | The team's powerhouse. He possesses superhuman strength and durability, making him capable of trading blows with heavy hitters like Namorita. He served as the primary brute force for the team's operations. |
| Silhouette | Silhouette Chord | Daughter of Andrew Chord and sister of Midnight's Fire. Initially a vigilante partner to Night Thrasher, she was targeted by the Circle. She can teleport through shadows by tapping into the Darkforce Dimension and is a master of crutch-style fighting. She was never a true member, but her heritage made her central to their conflict. |
=== Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) ===
As the Folding Circle does not exist in the MCU, there is no established mandate or membership. However, a hypothetical adaptation could draw from existing MCU concepts.
A potential MCU version of the Folding Circle might be portrayed as the products of a rogue supersoldier program or a corporate experiment gone wrong. Their "mandate" could be to expose the organization that created and abandoned them, or to seize the technology or power source that empowered them.
A hypothetical roster might look like:
  * **The Mastermind:** A former scientist or military commander (a modern Left Hand) who feels betrayed by the government or a corporation like Roxxon.
  * **The Warrior:** A highly-skilled operative (a Midnight's Fire archetype) who leads the team in the field, perhaps with a personal connection to an established MCU hero.
  * **The Elementalist:** A character with pyrokinetic or other elemental powers (a Silk Fever stand-in), whose abilities are unstable and dangerous.
  * **The Brute:** A powerhouse with enhanced strength (a Bloodstrike type), possibly derived from a flawed version of the Super Soldier Serum or gamma radiation.
This structure would preserve the core concept of a tight-knit, super-powered group with a personal grievance, while grounding their origin more firmly in the established science and corporate espionage of the MCU rather than Vietnam-era mysticism.
===== Part 4: Key Relationships & Network =====
The Folding Circle's existence was defined by a small, intense network of conflicts and alliances, almost all of which revolved around their shared, secret history.
==== Core Allies ====
The term "ally" is complex for the Folding Circle, as their primary relationships were internal and often fraught with tension.
  * **Internal Cohesion:** The core members (Midnight's Fire, Bloodstrike, Smiling Tiger, Silk Fever) were bonded by their shared upbringing under the Left Hand's tutelage. They saw themselves as a family, the sole inheritors of a powerful legacy. This shared belief was their strongest alliance, making them a formidable and coordinated unit in their fight against the New Warriors.
  * **Midnight's Fire and Silhouette:** The relationship between the Chord siblings is one of the most critical dynamics. Aaron (Midnight's Fire) was fiercely protective of his sister, Silhouette, but his loyalty to the Circle's cause put them on opposite sides. His desire to "save" her and bring her into the fold was a primary motivation, driving much of the early conflict. For her part, Silhouette felt betrayed by her brother's extremism but still loved him, creating a powerful emotional schism.
==== Arch-Enemies ====
  * **Night Thrasher (Dwayne Taylor):** The Folding Circle's conflict with Night Thrasher was intensely personal. They viewed him as the undeserving heir to the power their parents had sacrificed for. To them, Dwayne was a pampered pretender who wielded his family's wealth and resources without understanding the dark pact that had created it. Their goal was not just to defeat him, but to shatter his entire worldview by revealing the truth about his father, Daryl Taylor. The battles between Night Thrasher and Midnight's Fire were particularly vicious, fueled by their shared upbringing under Andrew Chord's training and their conflicting views on legacy and justice.
  * **The New Warriors:** As Night Thrasher's team, the New Warriors were the Folding Circle's primary tactical opponents. The Circle saw them as interlopers and enforcers of the status quo that had wronged them. Key matchups often included the powerhouse Bloodstrike against [[namorita]], the pyrokinetic Silk Fever against [[firestar]], and the feral Smiling Tiger against [[nova]] or [[speedball]]. The New Warriors' teamwork and heroic ideals stood in stark contrast to the Circle's ruthless, single-minded pursuit of power.
  * **Tai:** The ultimate, hidden antagonist. Tai was the ancient, immortal sorceress who had manipulated the Dragon's Breadth unit into making the pact in the first place. The Folding Circle and the New Warriors were both her pawns. Her endgame was to have the Circle's members sacrifice themselves to the Well of All Things, allowing her to absorb its power. The Circle's belief that they were reclaiming their birthright was a complete fabrication; they were bred to be sacrificial lambs. Their true arch-enemy was the very entity whose power they sought.
==== Affiliations ====
The Folding Circle's affiliations are more about legacy and origin than formal alliances with other Marvel Universe groups.
  * **The Dragon's Breadth:** This is their parent organization, the source of their lineage. The legacy of this special forces unit—its desperation, its choices, and its secrets—is the foundation upon which the Folding Circle was built.
  * **Dragon's Breath Cult:** The mystical Cambodian cult was the other half of their origin. The Circle's powers and purpose were born from the pact their fathers made with this group. While they never formally allied with the modern cult, their quest for the Well of All Things made them successors to the cult's original purpose.
===== Part 5: Iconic Events & Storylines =====
The Folding Circle's time in the spotlight was brief but impactful, primarily contained within a single, definitive story arc that reshaped the world of the New Warriors.
==== "Nothing But the Truth" (//New Warriors// Vol. 1 #21-25) ====
This is the quintessential Folding Circle storyline, detailing their introduction, motivations, and ultimate defeat.
  * **Premise:** The story begins with the sudden, violent appearance of the Folding Circle as they ambush Night Thrasher and Silhouette. Midnight's Fire reveals his identity as Aaron Chord, Silhouette's long-lost brother, and declares their intention to reclaim their "birthright." They systematically dismantle parts of the Taylor Foundation, proving they have inside knowledge of Night Thrasher's operations.
  * **The Circle's Arc:** Led by the Left Hand, the Circle's mission is revealed: they must travel to the Temple of the Dragon's Breath in Cambodia to gain access to the Well of All Things. They successfully abduct [[speedball|Speedball]] and Chord to use as leverage. Their journey forces a reluctant and temporary truce with Night Thrasher and the remaining New Warriors, who follow them to Cambodia to rescue their friends and uncover the truth. Within the temple, the Circle's members demonstrate their power and ruthlessness, fully believing they are on the verge of claiming their destiny.
  * **Critical Decisions & Confrontations:** The climax occurs at the Well itself. The Circle is confronted not only by the New Warriors but by the resurrected forms of their parents, including Daryl Taylor and Andrew Chord, who are revealed to be mindless puppets controlled by Tai. It is here that the Left Hand's deception is exposed, and Tai reveals her true plan. The Folding Circle realizes they have been manipulated from the very beginning. They are forced to fight alongside their enemies, the New Warriors, against Tai.
  * **Aftermath:** In the final battle, the Left Hand is killed, and Tai is seemingly destroyed when Night Thrasher and his father's form plunge into the Well, destabilizing it. The temple collapses, and the connection to the Universal Wellspring is severed. The Folding Circle is shattered, their purpose and ideology revealed as a lie. The surviving members scatter, disillusioned and defeated. This event permanently altered Night Thrasher's life, revealing his entire crusade was funded by a corrupt, mystical pact.
==== Post-"Nothing But the Truth" Appearances ====
After their initial defeat, the Folding Circle ceased to exist as a cohesive unit. However, its individual members appeared sporadically throughout the Marvel Universe, often changed by their experience.
  * **Midnight's Fire and Silhouette** continued their complex relationship, sometimes acting as anti-heroes and even allying with the New Warriors on rare occasions. Aaron Chord, in particular, struggled to find a new purpose after the Circle's ideology was destroyed.
  * **Bloodstrike and Smiling Tiger** resurfaced primarily as mercenaries and hired muscle. They were seen as members of other villainous groups, including the Crimson Cowl's Masters of Evil. Their appearances treated them as skilled super-powered combatants, but they lacked the ideological fervor that had once defined them as members of the Circle. Their story became one of former zealots reduced to common villainy.
===== Part 6: Variants and Alternative Versions =====
Unlike major teams such as the [[avengers]] or [[x-men]], the Folding Circle is a relatively obscure group with a very limited presence outside of the main Earth-616 continuity.
  * **Earth-1610 (Ultimate Universe):** The Folding Circle did not appear in the Ultimate Marvel imprint. The Ultimate Universe's version of the New Warriors was a much smaller concept, and the complex mystical backstory of the Circle did not align with the more grounded, pseudo-scientific approach of that reality.
  * **Animation and Video Games:** To date, the Folding Circle has not been featured in any major Marvel animated series or video games. Their deep connection to Night Thrasher's specific backstory makes them difficult to include in adaptations without also including the full "Nothing But the Truth" storyline.
  * **Hypothetical Adaptations:** In the unproduced //Marvel's New Warriors// television show, it is plausible that a version of the Folding Circle could have appeared as antagonists for a potential second season. An adaptation would have likely modernized their origin, as discussed previously, perhaps tying it to corporate malfeasance at a company like Damage Control or a government conspiracy, providing a more contemporary "sins of the father" narrative for the show's version of Night Thrasher. This remains purely speculative, however.
===== See Also =====
  * [[night_thrasher]]
  * [[new_warriors]]
  * [[silhouette_chord]]
  * [[midnight's_fire]]
  * [[andrew_chord]]
===== Notes and Trivia =====
((The creation of the Folding Circle by Fabian Nicieza was a direct response to his desire to add more depth and consequence to Night Thrasher's origin, which he felt was too similar to Batman's. By introducing the idea that Dwayne's parents were not innocent victims, he fundamentally changed the character's motivations.))
((The name "Folding Circle" has never been explicitly defined in-canon, but is thought to refer to the global nature of the pact and the way the members were gathered from around the world, "folding" in on their single target and goal.))
((The Universal Wellspring, the source of the Circle's power, is a concept linked to other powerful Marvel Universe nexuses, such as the Nexus of All Realities. It represents a fundamental cosmic energy source.))
((The designs of the Folding Circle members, by Mark Bagley, are a classic example of early 1990s comic book aesthetics, featuring pouches, sharp angles, and an overall "extreme" look that was popular at the time.))
((Primary Source Material: The definitive story of the Folding Circle can be found in //New Warriors// (Vol. 1) issues #21, #22, #23, #24, and #25.))
((Though they were pawns of Tai, the Folding Circle's actions had a lasting impact, leading to the eventual dissolution of the Taylor Foundation and forcing Night Thrasher to rebuild his entire operation from the ground up under the new name of the Taylor Foundation.))