The X-O armor, Shanhara, and what is known...

[greg]

X-O #50 shows that Aric was able to learn the universe knowledge of the Torment.

X-O #1 (2017) has Aric off of Earth, away/separated/widowered from Saana, and clearly angry at Shanhara (his X-O armor).

Obviously Aric learned quite a bit from the Torment that he didn't like.

The X-O armor was used to defeat the Torment in the Vine mythology/history.
Were the Torment actually an enemy to the Vine? Or was that part made up later?

What brought the Torment to the Vine homeworld in the first place? The X-O armor?
It seems like the X-O armor (also) had something to do with the Torment arriving on Earth.
More specifically, it may be that the Torment were looking for Shanhara... and only Shanhara.

We already know from Armor Hunters that the X-O armors were like a "virus" to other worlds.
Shanhara is different because Livewire "reprogrammed" it/her to eliminate the "virus" aspect.

In X-O 25th Anniversary #1, we saw the origin of the Shanhara armor as an attempt from a scientist to save his daughter (Shanhara) from dying by fusing her consciousness with the armors developed as plant and machine.
With Shanhara as the first sentient of the X-O armors, is Shanhara the "source" of all the billions (trillions) of armor-related deaths on all those planets?

Seems likely that Aric would say, "Shanhara, let's see if the universe can do better without you" and forbid Shanhara from "helping" any more.
Perhaps Shanhara didn't like that plan and threatened/killed the visigoth (Saana) to keep Aric from "grounding" her/it.
Perhaps Aric took Shanhara off Earth to save (the rest of) his people.

What else did Aric learn from the Torment?

I think that's what this series is about.

We're being distracted by this civil war on Gorin, that's just a footnote in another planet's history.
The bigger questions are about Shanhara and the Torment.

We might be dazzled by what Aric is doing in X-O #1 and #2, but I'm far more interested in what he knows.

[Joshua]

This is some great observation.

[TripleH_0225]

might be off topic, but what I've learned since getting caught up on x-o is that Kindt is absolutely killing it!!!

Also, great observations by the original post.

[TheeBaldMoose]

Great thinking here. I am betting we may get a glimpse into some of these answers, but we won't get anything directly answered. It's all about that mystique, and intrigue.

[jmatt]

Shanhara is different because Livewire "reprogrammed" it/her to eliminate the "virus" aspect.

Is that canon or board speculation? I can't remember.

[Sunlight on Snow]

Shanhara is different because Livewire "reprogrammed" it/her to eliminate the "virus" aspect.

Is that canon or board speculation? I can't remember.

Hmm, perhaps Greg's referring to the Unity crossover in X-O Manowar #19-22 and Unity's first arc... and confusing certain events. IIRC Livewire did not reprogram and plant a virus in Shanhara but the Vine's spaceship to which Aric was connected via the armor to better understand the battlefield while fighting Unity (mainly Gilad, Ninjak, and Livewire as a knight). Livewire used this as diversion to magically disconnect Aric from Shanhara and take control over the suit. It is explained with Livewire's superior understanding and knowledge of technology.

[BugsySig]

Pretty sure it was stated that after live wire took control of Shanharra, her hacking of the suit stopped the reproductive/take over aspect of the armor.

I would also debate whether or not Shanhara is the 1st of the armors and the start of the plague. First, the scientist bonding the original Shanharra to the plant based armor suggests that they already existed. Second, I believe Shanharra is the only armor with a consciousness due to said scientist's meddling. Hence why Shanharra is not part of the collective the way the other armors were as seen in Dead Hand, and why she is selective in who she is willing to bond with. And third, Shanhara was in the Vine home world, unbonded, for millennia. How could she have spread any more armors like that?

[nonplayer]

Pretty sure it was stated that after live wire took control of Shanharra, her hacking of the suit stopped the reproductive/take over aspect of the armor.

I would also debate whether or not Shanhara is the 1st of the armors and the start of the plague. First, the scientist bonding the original Shanharra to the plant based armor suggests that they already existed. Second, I believe Shanharra is the only armor with a consciousness due to said scientist's meddling. Hence why Shanharra is not part of the collective the way the other armors were as seen in Dead Hand, and why she is selective in who she is willing to bond with. And third, Shanhara was in the Vine home world, unbonded, for millennia. How could she have spread any more armors like that?

Great points
Maybe thease events will answer why Aric was so engulfed in the armor in fall of xo ManOwar.
I think what the Torment did to Aric and the armor (knowledge of the universe) did something. It had to have done something.
We're talking the combined knowledge of a super being who traveled the universes absorbing..... well everything.
Absorbing whole planets. Even all vine knowledge would be in there.
We see people being swallowed up in the middle of a text when they attacked earth, and the Torment verbally repeated the new inputted knowledge.
If that didn't mess with the armor and Aric himself in some way well that sucks.

[jmatt]

Pretty sure it was stated that after live wire took control of Shanharra, her hacking of the suit stopped the reproductive/take over aspect of the armor.

That may well be, I'm wondering what issue that was explained.

[nonplayer]

Pretty sure it was stated that after live wire took control of Shanharra, her hacking of the suit stopped the reproductive/take over aspect of the armor.

That may well be, I'm wondering what issue that was explained.

I recall it was a conversation between live wire and Malgam wile Malgam was held captive by gate.

[nonplayer]

Pretty sure it was stated that after live wire took control of Shanharra, her hacking of the suit stopped the reproductive/take over aspect of the armor.

That may well be, I'm wondering what issue that was explained.

I recall it was a conversation between live wire and Malgam wile Malgam was held captive by gate.

Nope it was Live wire telling Rebo just before she took down GinGr

[Phoenix8008]

Pretty sure it was stated that after live wire took control of Shanharra, her hacking of the suit stopped the reproductive/take over aspect of the armor.

That may well be, I'm wondering what issue that was explained.

I recall it was a conversation between live wire and Malgam wile Malgam was held captive by gate.

Nope it was Live wire telling Rebo just before she took down GinGr

So maybe in issues of Armor Hunters instead of X-O itself then.