ZODIAC

Written By: 
Monolith.
Image Work: 
Binaryan (Ryan Jones).
Last Updated: 
11th May 2018

Membership: Scorpio, Aries, Taurus, Leo, Gemini, Aquarius, Libra, Pisces, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Virgo, Cancer (various)

First appearance:

  • Avengers (1st series) #72
  • Defenders (1st series) #50 (LMDs)
  • Avengers (1st series) #396 (First Sign)
  • Alpha Flight (2nd series) #1 (Ecliptic)
  • Avengers (3rd series) #57 (World Trust)
  • New Warriors (4th series) #4 (Baal Abib)
  • Avengers Assemble #1 (Thanos)
  • Amazing Spider-Man (4th series) #1 (Vernon Fury)

Before

  • Decades in the past, Leonardo da Vinci recruited the top spymasters and covert operators from around the globe to participate in the Great Wheel of the Zodiac. Elements from S.H.I.E.L.D., Hydra, the Hand and Leviathan were present, as well as a series of independent contractors such as Jake Fury and Cornelius van Lunt. Taking the name Aries, da Vinci assigned each recruit a Zodiac identity as they worked together to assemble pieces of Renaissance Tech for the greater benefit of them all. After the work was completed, however, the Great Wheel fell apart when Victor Uvarov and Vasili Dassaiev betrayed their allies and stole the Renaissance equipment for Leviathan. Unbeknownst to most, however, the Renaissance tech had created duplicates of the team sent to retrieve one component. A doppelganger of Jack Fury was among these original Life Model Decoys. This duplicate of Jake Fury was unstable and, apparently, the sole version of Fury to operate as Scorpio or utilize the Zodiac Key in the decades to come. [Secret Warriors (1st series) #25]
  • The In-Betweener created the Ankh Dimension an unknown period of time ago to be representative of the balance he always sought between the dualities of chaos and order. The Brotherhood of the Ankh emerged from that dimension, empowered by a mixture of science and sorcery, and thrived on conflict between the dualities. The Ankh Dimension grew old and reached a state of passivity, however, depriving the Brotherhood of the power source that fueled their realm and their individual beings. In search of greater conflict, they dispatched their talisman, the Zodiac Key, to Earth where it was found by Jake Fury (or his doppelganger). While working at Stark Industries, Fury attempted to reverse engineer the Key scientifically, while also exploring the depths of its abilities. [Avengers (3rd series) #60, Fury #1, West Coast Avengers (2nd series) #28]
  • Inspired by the Great Wheel, Cornelius van Lunt and Jake Fury('s doppelganger?) founded a Zodiac Cartel, a council of twelve crime lords, each operating from a different area of the country. They adopted the identities of Taurus and Scorpio, respectively. The Zodiac Cartel operated under a rotating leadership, with each member of the cartel serving as overall commander when their sign was ascendant each year. They maintained their privacy, with many of the members unaware of who lay behind each mask. Taurus used this to his advantage, presenting himself to Zodiac as Cornelius van Lunt to act as their financer, with the Cartel unaware the two men were one and the same.

  •  
  • Joshua Link and his twin brother Damian ended up on opposite sides of the law, becoming a criminal and a cop respectively. During a confrontation at Futura Research Laboratory, Damian and Joshua fell into a testing chamber and were bombarded with experimental rays. This created a psychic link between the two brothers. Joshua would become the Zodiac crimelord called Gemini. [Astonishing Tales (2nd series) #8]
  • Gustav Brandt was a German soldier in Vietnam when he met a local woman named Lua. They fell in love and got married, but Lua's brother Monsieur Khruul despised their union. Khruul set fire to their house, killing Lua and blinding Gustav, who fled into the jungle with their infant daughter. Brandt was taken in by the Priests of Pama, who taught him to operate without sight. Brandt's daughter was the price the priests wanted for their services, however, and she was raised and trained separately from Brandt as Mantis. Having lost his wife and been separated from his daughter, Brandt left Asia and became a crimelord known as Libra. [Avengers (1st series) #123]

Chronology

Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. (1st series) #1:

Operating on his own, Scorpio attempted to assassinate Nick Fury, his brother and the director of S.H.I.E.L.D., but his first attempt killed a LMD of Fury by mistake. Scorpio next tried to sabotage a force field test, neutralizing the field meant to protect Nick from an oncoming bomb blast. Nick escaped the blast and raced to the control room where he confronted Scorpio. The crime lord fled and was seemingly killed when his escape ship was destroyed. (The Zodiac Key restored Jake Fury's life, but suppressed his memories of dying to protect his sanity. For a time, Jake Fury believed a separate man named Julio Scarlotti was the first Scorpio, and he took his place.) [Defenders (1st series) #48, West Coast Avengers (2nd series) #26]
Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. (1st series) #5:

In his next mission, Scorpio captured Nick Fury and arranged an elaborate death trap for him. Fury was set to appear at a training session for a new Life Model Decoy that involved a lethal obstacle course. Scorpio dressed Fury up as the LMD while creating a Nick Fury mask for himself. He delivered Fury to the training ground and presented him to die in the LMD's gauntlet, while Scorpio watched with the unwitting S.H.I.E.L.D. agents from above. Fury survived the gauntlet and took off after his doppelganger. Scorpio's mask slipped as they struggled, revealing his true identity to Nick, just as S.H.I.E.L.D. opened fire and sent a bullet-ridden Jake to his death. (Jake Fury once again survived certain death thanks to the Zodiac Key.) [West Coast Avengers (2nd series) #26]
Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. (1st series) #15:

Nick Fury was apparently assassinated by a Hydra agent named Bulls-Eye.
Avengers (1st series) #72:

In fact, Nick had been living a double life posing as Scorpio with the Zodiac Cartel since his brother's death. It was actually an LMD of Nick who was killed by Bulls-Eye. Under his assumed identity, "Scorpio" encountered Rick Jones and Captain Marvel before heading to Avengers Mansion and capturing the team. The full roster of the Zodiac Cartel appeared at Scorpio's hideout to examine the prisoners, with Aries in ascension as leader. Zodiac had a plan to take over many of the world's major capitals, and hoped their capture of the Avengers would lead the disenchanted and malcontents to rise up alongside Zodiac. The Avengers escaped and Nick Fury revealed his true identity to aid the Avengers. Aries and the Zodiac escaped from the heroes using the Zodiac Key.
Avengers (1st series) #77:

Taurus, in his civilian identity as businessman Cornelius van Lunt, manipulated the Avengers into serving as hired hands for him over the period of a week. His secretary Wilkins posed as super-criminal Kronus and used the Split-Second Squad in an effort to ruin van Lunt. The Avengers reluctantly took Wilkins into custody for his crimes, but fully recognized the unscrupulous and amoral nature of van Lunt.
Avengers (1st series) #80-82, Daredevil (1st series) #69:

Still as van Lunt, Taurus arranged for his ranch property in Montana to be used as a training ground for Zodiac's private army. He attempted to buy out the land of a local Cheyenne reservation in order to expand his operations and maintain his privacy. Van Lunt's extreme tactics led to the death of Thomas Talltrees, driving his son William to become Red Wolf in order to avenge his father. Red Wolf encountered the Avengers in New York while stalking van Lunt, and several members agreed to help him protect his reservation. Half the team remained behind to deal with rumors of a Zodiac operation. Black Panther and Daredevil zeroed in on a criminal gang called the Thunderbolts, stirring up racial tensions in anticipation of revolution. The Thunderbolts were actually another arm of Aries' plan to conquer Manhattan. Aries advanced on New York City with the Zodiac Key, his private army from van Lunt and local support. With the Key, he cast a massive force field over the island and gassed the Avengers into submission using concealed canisters in their mansion. Aries held the island of Manhattan for ransom until Black Panther and Daredevil freed the other Avengers. Aries attempted to flee in his personal hover-ship and willed the Zodiac Key to contract the force field around Manhattan, devastating everything it touched. Thor used lightning to shoot down Aries' ship, killing the crimelord and dissipating his force field.
Iron Man (1st series) #33-34:

Capricorn, the currently ascendant leader of Zodiac, hired Spymaster and his Espionage Elite to attack Stark Industries. They failed, but former S.H.I.E.L.D. agent and security officer Jasper Sitwell was seriously wounded in the attempt.
Daredevil (1st series) #73, Iron Man (1st series) #35-36:

Capricorn, Aquarius and Sagittarius made a deal with the Brotherhood of the Ankh to retrieve the Zodiac Key and provide it with a renewed source of conflict. The Key had fallen to S.H.I.E.L.D. after the death of Aries, and Nick Fury and Iron Man were attempting to uncover its properties. Zodiac and Spymaster attacked and captured the two, along with Madame Masque, Daredevil and Stark's employee Kevin O'Brien. The Zodiac Key transported them all to the Ankh Dimension, where the Lawgiver of the Brotherhood explained the Key's origin and their desire for conflict. The heroes and Zodiac were forced to square off against each other to renew the struggle against good and evil, order and chaos. Daredevil in particular saw how pointless the conflict was, however, and refused to fight against Capricorn. His reluctance caused concern among the Brotherhood that the conflict was not pure, so they sent Zodiac and the others home to Earth, where the conflict might continue more naturally. The Zodiac members were ultimately defeated and captured by Iron Man, Daredevil and the others. (Aquarius and Sagittarius were erroneously referred to by each other's names at times in this arc. Libra was also referenced by name as being present off-panel once, but this may have been another error.)

In-Between

  • Imprisoned for crimes in his civilian identity, Joshua Link used his mental link to possess his unwitting brother Damian and continue operating as Gemini. As the NYPD liaison to S.H.I.E.L.D., Damian was onboard the Helicarrier when Doctor Wilma Calvin returned with notes on her Super-Soldier serum. Joshua possessed Damian and dressed as Gemini to steal the serum. He worked with both the Plunderer and Victorius against Ka-Zar and S.H.I.E.L.D., but ultimately escaped capture. Joshua willed Damian to return to New York and ended the possession, leaving his brother concerned about another "blackout spell.” [Astonishing Tales (1st series) #17-20]

Chronology

Avengers (1st series) #120:

Zodiac was reformed to include a new Scorpio and new Aries to replace their deceased members. The newly ascendant Taurus created Star-Blazer technology for the Zodiac Cartel that could kill anyone born under a certain sign. They planned to unleash the Star-Blazer over New York City as a show of force, and voted to eliminate all the Geminis (since their own Gemini was in prison and could not object). Nevertheless, Taurus (as van Lunt) visited Joshua Link in prison and informed him he would be freed before the attack. Link explained the metaphysical connection between him and his brother Damian, and worried he might still die if Damian was left in New York as well. Taurus agreed to extract Damian from New York, and Joshua used their connection to possess his brother. Unfortunately, Joshua was at that moment in Avengers Mansion as their new NYPD liaison. Swordsman and Mantis became suspicious of "Damian," revealing him as Gemini. Taurus led the rest of Zodiac in a raid on the mansion to rescue their errant member. After both Gemini were freed, Zodiac prepared to activate their Star-Blazer atop the highest building in New York. As Taurus contended with the quarrelsome new Aries, who wanted to become leader, the Avengers located their opponents. Taurus turned the Star-Blazer against Mantis during the fight, sending her over the edge of the building.
Avengers (1st series) #121:

The Avengers managed to rescue Mantis, but Zodiac escaped in the confusion. Aries openly attempted to overthrow Taurus, but was beaten down by the veteran crimelord. Still, Aries recovered and planned a revolt against Taurus with the rest of the cartel, except for Taurus' fellow earth signs, Gemini (who owed Taurus his life for getting him out of prison) and Libra, who abstained. Aries contacted Zodiac's financer Cornelius van Lunt for support, unaware that van Lunt and Taurus were one and the same. Van Lunt agreed to meet the mutineers at one of his warehouses, but the Avengers intervened on the encounter. Van Lunt seized the advantage, fleeing the warehouse and locking the heroes and traitors inside. He revealed himself as Taurus over a video monitor, taunting his enemies as the warehouse turned into a rocket and launched them all into space.
Avengers (1st series) #122-123:

When Libra learned what Taurus had done, he was concerned because his daughter Mantis had joined the Avengers (but unknown to him, she was NOT part of the group in the warehouse). Libra knocked out Gemini and freed Damian Link to pose as his brother and distract Taurus. Libra made off with Taurus' Star-Cruiser, using it to disable the force field holding the warehouse-ship together and helping those inside to return to Earth. Despite the mutiny, Taurus convinced Aries and the others to join him in battle against the Avengers. With Gemini inactive and Libra switching sides, however, the rest of Zodiac was defeated and arrested by the Avengers.

In-Between

  • Darren Bentley, Aquarius, learned he was dying of a terminal lung condition, made worse by Taurus' attempt to kill the Zodiac traitors. He made a pact with an agent of Mephisto to become the One-Man Zodiac, gaining the power to access superhuman abilities and identities based on all twelve signs of the zodiac. He was told he would have twelve months to live like this, allowing him the power to settle old scores before he passed on. The One-Man Zodiac battled John Blaze, the Ghost Rider, but soon learned Mephisto had tricked him. The "twelve months" he was given to live were actually the twelve months of the zodiac. Ergo, once he used his powers to transform into all twelve incarnations of the zodiac, his time was up and Mephisto claimed his immortal soul. [Ghost Rider (2nd series) #6-7]
  • Aries II (Grover Raymond) was caught in the power of Lucifer, a Quist alien trapped in a featureless dimension. Lucifer had the ability to possess hosts on Earth while in his other dimension and charge them with ionic power, and he turned Raymond and Rafe Michel into his latest, dual hosts. Lucifer's binary consciousness confronted Steve Rogers and the Falcon in New York, but his power eventually burned out the host bodies, killing Aries II. [Captain America (1st series) #177-178]
  • Jake Fury survived his last encounter with S.H.I.E.L.D. thanks to the Zodiac Key. He remained in hiding to avoid attracting attention, but overheard at a bar that the Zodiac Key had unwittingly ended up in the hands of a pawnbroker. Easily buying back the talisman, Jake resumed his Scorpio identity. Having captured and re-programmed an LMD of Nick Fury to be loyal only to him, Scorpio planned to create an entire Zodiac the same way. Using the Key, he constructed a Theatre of Genetics and intended to bring a cartel of Zodiac Life Model Decoys into existence tied to their individual star signs for power. [Defenders (1st series) #48]

Chronology

Defenders (1st series) #46-47:

Scorpio decided to kidnap millionaire playboy Kyle Richmond to ransom him for more funding for his Theatre of Genetics. His horoscope said he would meet the man at Richmond Riding Academy, but Scorpio encountered the Defenders instead. Unaware Kyle Richmond and Nighthawk were one and the same, Scorpio was caught off-guard in battle with the non-team of heroes and fled after a short battle. Switching to his back-up plan, he had his Nick Fury LMD kidnap Jack Norriss, a known associate of Richmond's. The LMD posed as the real Nick Fury and wrangled some low-level S.H.I.E.L.D. agents into assisting him. He was ultimately able to capture Norriss by bluffing the Defenders into believing he was the real deal and just had some questions for the man.
Defenders (1st series) #48-49:

Scorpio revealed his lonely plan to build friends for himself to Norriss, while communicating with Richmond to arrange a ransom for Jack. Scorpio's hideout was discovered by the Defenders' associate Moon Knight, but he left the vigilante to die in a deathtrap. Scorpio allowed Richmond to send Nighthawk in his place for the ransom exchange, having deduced that Richmond and Nighthawk were the same man. He then captured Nighthawk instead of releasing Norriss, hoping to get an even larger ransom for the millionaire himself. Moon Knight escaped and helped bring the Defenders back to Scorpio's hideout, however, forcing Jake Fury to activate the Theatre of Genetics and the LMDs inside early.
Defenders (1st series) #50-51:

Scorpio's Zodiac proved to be a mixed bag. Leo, Aries, Cancer, Sagittarius and Taurus immediately launched into battle with the Defenders, but Libra and Aquarius stayed out of it while Gemini remained undecided. Capricorn, Pisces and Virgo never properly came on-line in the first place because of the early activation. Libra, Sagittarius and Taurus fled during the engagement, while Gemini fought against the Defenders before switching sides to help Hellcat against Leo. The rest of the Zodiac was defeated and either destroyed or captured. Scorpio took Virgo's deactivation particularly hard, having projected his own feelings for companionship onto the sole female LMD in the batch. Suicidal over his losses, Scorpio took the sidearm from his Nick Fury LMD and shot himself in the head.

In-Between

  • After Dollar Bill ran a short film on the networks about how the Defenders were a "non-team" to which anyone could be a member, the LMDs Libra and Sagittarius decided to create their own criminal Defenders gangs to balance the heroic Defenders and cause confusion while committing crimes. They ran into trouble against Nighthawk, Valkyrie, Hellcat and the various "Defender-for-a-day" heroes, but both the LMDs managed to escape. [Defenders (1st series) #63-65]
  • The Gemini LMD was released from S.H.I.E.L.D. custody after they couldn't decide what to do with him. He wandered out to the west coast and met a couple who wanted to hire a hitman. Michael Morbius had killed their daughter while acting as a living vampire, but had recently been released after his attorney Jennifer Walters argued he wasn't in his right mind before his condition was cured. Gemini agreed to take action for the couple, but also promised to judge the situation for himself. He battled Walters' alter ego the She-Hulk before going his own way again. [Savage She-Hulk #12]
  • Jake Fury once again survived death thanks to the Zodiac Key. This incarnation became self-aware and accepting of his existence as a Life Model Decoy. He began working behind the scenes to reconnect with his Zodiac LMD creations and reform his cartel. [West Coast Avengers (2nd series) #26]

Chronology

Iron Man (1st series) #183-185:

Cornelius van Lunt was attacked by the Taurus LMD, who had been hired by the Maggia to eliminate him for muscling in on their turf. Van Lunt was nearly killed by Taurus until Iron Man intervened. Iron Man wrecked the Taurus Life Model Decoy, but van Lunt was now concerned that the Avengers were showing interest in Zodiac again. Zodiac held council to determine what to do about Iron Man. New claimants to the names Aries and Aquarius had joined the Zodiac Cartel since its last public appearance. Taurus, Aries and Aquarius made several attempts to eliminate Iron Man and his friends as they moved out to the west coast, but failed each time. Aries and Aquarius were arrested.
West Coast Avengers Annual #1:

Quicksilver turned against his fellow Avengers by providing false testimony to Henry Peter Gyrich and the Commission on Superhuman Activities about crimes his teammates had allegedly committed in his presence. The Avengers were captured and imprisoned in the Vault, but soon escaped. Quicksilver hired the Life Model Decoy Zodiac to help him recapture the Avengers. The LMDs curiously possessed a full roster, including fully active versions of Pisces, Virgo and Capricorn, as well as an apparently new Scorpio to replace Jake Fury. Other members of the Zodiac had also undergone significant changes from their previous appearances. Aries, Cancer, Gemini and Taurus confronted the Avengers at the mansion in New York. Libra, Scorpio, Leo and Virgo attacked the circus where the Avengers first met the Hulk. Meanwhile, in the Australian Outback, Pisces, Capricorn, Aquarius, and Sagittarius battled the Avengers at the site where Quicksilver felt betrayed by the team. In the end, Aries and Taurus were destroyed while the rest were captured.
West Coast Avengers (2nd series) #26:

In Houston, the Zodiac Cartel met with Cancer ascendant to discuss the LMDs, who had been released after their encounter with the Avengers. Scorpio stepped forward and revealed he was not Jacques LaPoint but Jake Fury reincarnated in a Life Model Decoy form. With the power of the Zodiac Key, Fury had restored himself and the various LMD members of the Zodiac to recreate the full roster. They struck the Zodiac Cartel and killed all those present except for van Lunt. Taurus escaped and made contact with the Avengers, offering them his assistance in eliminating the LMDs. The Avengers didn't trust van Lunt, but their new recruit Moon Knight made Taurus swear by the moon that he would go straight if they caught the LMD Zodiac. Taurus did so and led them to a cattle auction. Scorpio's Zodiac battled the Avengers until Hawkeye's arm was bumped by the LMD Taurus, causing him to accidentally fire an arrow into the heart of Sagittarius, killing him. After Zodiac fled, Scorpio used the Key to create a new Sagittarius... in Hawkeye's image.
West Coast Avengers (2nd series) #27:

Zodiac jumped Hawkeye in the city, allowing their Sagittarius to replace him on his Sky-Cycle and return to the Avengers Compound. There he learned van Lunt was advising the Avengers and passed on the information to Scorpio, who faced increasing belligerence from Leo for failing to eliminate van Lunt in the first place. Sagittarius was uncovered by his blasé response to his "wife" Mockingbird confessing she recently let the insane Phantom Rider die rather than save him. Mockingbird and Sagittarius fought until Tigra arrived and supported her, destroying the LMD infiltrator. As Mockingbird left to inform the other Avengers, however, Tigra revealed she was the new Leo LMD, a second infiltrator on the team.
West Coast Avengers (2nd series) #28:

The Avengers West continued to dog the Zodiac's trail in search of their missing chairman. In a fight at the Denver Mint, the Zodiac Key seemed to falter when Scorpio tried to teleport Zodiac away but initially failed. The Avengers tracked them to Death Valley with the help of van Lunt. In the battle that followed, "Tigra" revealed herself as Leo to turn against the Avengers, only for the previous Leo to rip Scorpio apart for trying to replace him. However, the Zodiac Key operated independently and reconstructed the fallen LMDs, ensuring an inevitable defeat for the Avengers as they fought foes who could not be stopped. An arrogant Scorpio decided to have the Key teleport them all to the Ankh Dimension to mix things up a bit. The Zodiac Key attempted to refuse Scorpio's command, but he insisted and both groups crossed the dimensional barrier. Once they arrived, however, the Life Model Decoys all shut down. The Zodiac Key had created them in alignment with specific astrological forces, forces which did not exist in the Ankh Dimension. The Key reunited with the Brotherhood of the Ankh, who had ensnared the real Hawkeye and Tigra for Scorpio. With the Key by their side, the Brotherhood regretfully realized there could be no further conflict, for they now completely outmatched the Avengers. Instead, the Brotherhood sent the Avengers home to regroup, never knowing where or when Zodiac would return. Back in Death Valley, the Avengers found van Lunt had escaped during their absence. Moon Knight was furious that Taurus had betrayed his oath to the moon.
West Coast Avengers (2nd series) #29:

Taurus began working to rebuild his Zodiac Cartel, hoping the Los Angeles crime boss the Shroud would join him as the new Pisces. Shroud refused, however, and Moon Knight arrived to punish van Lunt. Taurus tried to fight the Avenger, then fled, leading him on a winding game of cat-and-mouse through the city. Eventually, Taurus hijacked a small plane, unaware the pilot was Moon Knight in disguise. The two men battled in midair inside the plane, until Taurus thrust Moon Knight out of the cockpit. Moon Knight's glider cape allowed him to survive the drop, but van Lunt was unable to regain control of the spiraling plane. The plane crashed, taking with it the last of the human Zodiac.

In-Between

  • Gustav Brandt, Libra, actually survived the massacre in Houston. He left the Zodiac Cartel behind and formed a role for himself as an agent of balance. He met with the Avengers again years later during the Destiny War. [Avengers Forever #1-2] Another Avengers associate, Slade Truman aka Moonraker of Force Works, once claimed to be Libra's spirit transplanted in another body. This was revealed during the Destiny War to be the manipulations of Immortus, using a disguised Space Phantom instead of the real Libra. [Force Works #16-20, Avengers Forever #8]
  • The death of the original Gemini leaves open questions as well. This could have been Joshua Link himself, or Joshua possessing Damian's body as he often did. Whether the death of one automatically meant the death of the other was often implied, but never proven.
  • During Inferno, a man named Norman Harrison made a deal with twelve demons known as the Dykkor. They inhabited his body and gave him various powers based around the signs of the Zodiac. He became a crime boss and serial killer named Zodiak, but ultimately had no greater connection to the cartels. [Ghost Rider (3rd series) #10-12,19-20, Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme #28]
  • Mikel Fury grew up in Carpesia, believing he was the illegitimate son of Jake Fury, and adopted his identity of Scorpio as an adult. Later, upon learning that Nick Fury was his real father, Mikel joined S.H.I.E.L.D. Scorpio wielded a key of his own, most commonly called the Scorpio Key, but its origins are uncertain. It may have been an electronic and mechanical recreation of the mystical Zodiac Key, which Jake Fury was once seen working on years ago. [Fury #1] It may also have been the Zodiac Key itself, returned from the Ankh Dimension to seek out strife and conflict. If so, however, Mikel was unaware of this since he believed the Scorpio Key to contain circuitry. [Marvel Graphic Novel #50, Wolverine & Nick Fury: Scorpio Rising #1]

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