Joshua Foley's powers first manifest during his time as a member of the anti-mutant group the
Reavers. His powers initially go unnoticed by the other Reavers, and he uses them to save fellow mutant
Laurie Collins. Outed as a mutant and thrown out of his house by his parents, Joshua reluctantly joins the
Xavier Institute for Higher Learning and becomes
Prodigy's roommate. His parents sign
legal guardianship over to
Danielle Moonstar. A depowered
Rahne Sinclair visits the
X-Mansion. Joshua is instantly smitten by the new "wild child" Rahne, and sneaks out of the Institute at night to go to a bar where Rahne is playing
pool. A connection is established between them as Joshua shows an immediate understanding of her inner struggle. As the two kiss, Joshua unconsciously restores Rahne's powers. She loses control and mortally wounds Joshua. With
Archangel, the mansion's other healer, absent, the residents resort to electrically shocking Josh awake so that he can heal himself. As an unexpected side effect, Josh's skin and hair turn a reflective gold color. He is assigned to Danielle Moonstar's
New Mutants squad and given the codename Elixir.
Decimation and Childhood's End The events of "
House of M" leave only 27 students with their powers, with Elixir being among them. However, many of the students are killed when
William Stryker bombs a bus carrying them. Josh is unable to heal his dying classmates in time, and becomes severely depressed and loses confidence in his abilities. Elixir participates in a melee fight organized by Emma Frost to join her
New X-Men and makes the team. After Stryker has Laurie Collins killed, Elixir uses his powers to kill Stryker, which causes his skin to turn black. During the "
Necrosha" storyline, Elixir faces off against
Wither in a fight to the death. Elixir shifts to his black form, then reverses the effects of Wither's powers before turning him to dust. Shortly afterward, Elixir quits X-Force, stating that he is having difficulty shifting out of his black form.
Death and resurrection Elixir later resurfaces, having joined a church group to help find himself, when he is tracked down by
Sabretooth and
M. While there, the group is attacked by the
Dark Riders and most of the church volunteers are killed. Elixir is shot and killed by
Gauntlet, but manages to resurrect himself after being buried. After
Surge and
Hellion contract the Legacy Virus, Elixir cures them, but falls into a coma as a result of the strain. He is later sought out by
Hrimhari when Wolfsbane collapses after a battle with
Frost Giants. Upon arriving on Utopia, Hrimhari makes a deal with
Hela after learning that Rahne is pregnant with his child and may not survive childbirth. Unable to choose between his lover or his child to save, Hrimhari requests Hela heal Josh so that he can save Wolfsbane and their child. Elixir heals her by transferring some of her baby's strength to her to ensure that she can survive the pregnancy. Elixir and
Exodus are later approached by
Magneto to help contain Mothervine, a biotech enhancement that triggers mutations and was released worldwide by Miss Sinister,
Havok, Emma Frost, and
Bastion. Elixir neutralizes all samples of the Mothervine serum, putting an end to the threat.
Krakoan Age When
Professor X establishes a mutant nation on
Krakoa, Elixir is revealed to be part of a group known as "
The Five". Besides Elixir, the Five is made up of Goldballs (
Fabio Medina),
Proteus,
Tempus, and
Hope Summers, who combine their abilities to resurrect deceased mutants. == Powers and abilities ==