Heroes

Spider-Man (Peter Parker)

Real Name
Peter Benjamin Parker

Aliases
Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, the Amazing Spider-Man, the Sensational Spider-Man, the Spectacular Spider-Man, "Tiger," Spidey, Webhead, Webslinger, Wall-crawler, "Little Man"; formerly "the Amazing Octo-Spidey", Bag-Man, "Bookworm," Captain Universe, Dusk, Hornet, Mad Dog #336, Man-Spider, Prodigy, "Puny Parker," Ricochet, Scarlet Spider, Spider-Hulk, Spider-Phoenix

Identity
Secret

Citizenship
U.S.A.

Place of Birth
Forest Hills, New York

The bite of an irradiated spider granted high-school student Peter Parker incredible powers. When a burglar killed his Uncle Ben, Peter vowed to use those abilities to protect his fellow man, driven by his uncle's words: With great power comes great responsibility!

The Boy, the Bite, and the Burglar

Orphaned as a baby when his parents were killed overseas in a plane crash as U.S. government spies, only child Peter Parker was raised by his elderly Uncle Ben and Aunt May. Academically gifted, Peter displayed an uncanny affinity for science that was nothing short of genius. Socially, however, he was painfully shy and the target of much cruelty by his peers at Midtown High School. Attending a public science exhibit when Peter was 15-years old, he was bitten on the hand by a radioactive spider accidentally irradiated by a particle beam, empowering Peter with the arachnid's proportional strength and agility, and the ability to cling to almost any surface. 

Most incredibly, he had gained a sixth sense that provided him with early warning of impending danger. Disguised, Peter tested his new-found abilities defeating professional wrestler Crusher Hogan in the ring, and earning some cash. Using his scientific prowess, he constructed a pair of artificial web-shooters that attached to his wrists. With an agent, a costume, and a new name, Spider-Man became an overnight sensation on television. Unconcerned with the rest of the world, he vowed to use his powers only to take care of himself and his aunt and uncle. After his first TV special ended, he allowed a burglar that he could have easily restrained to run past him and escape. A few days later, Peter returned home to find his beloved Uncle Ben had been shot and killed. When Spider-Man confronted the killer hiding in the old Acme Warehouse at the waterfront, he discovered to his horror that his uncle's murderer was the burglar he apathetically allowed to pass. Consumed with guilt, he became aware at last that with great power comes great responsibility, just as his beloved uncle had once said.

To help his Aunt May with finances, Peter took a freelance job at the Daily Bugle selling pictures of himself as Spider-Man to publisher J. Jonah Jameson. Despite Spider-Man rescuing his son, astronaut John Jameson, from a malfunctioning space capsule, Jonah used his newspaper to publicly condemn Spider-Man as a menace. Unlike heroes like the Fantastic Four or the Avengers, Spider-Man was mistrusted and feared by the public. At school, his popularity was no greater, as "Puny Parker" frequently clashed with bully Flash Thompson and his followers. Flash's girlfriend, Liz Allan, often complicated matters, harboring a crush on "Petey" and making Flash jealous.

A Gathering of Enemies

Spider-Man soon found himself facing a rogue's gallery of powerful thieves, gangsters, and megalomaniacs including the Chameleon, the Tinkerer, the Vulture (Adrian Toomes), Doctor Octopus (Otto Octavius), the Sandman, Doctor Doom, and Electro. In Florida, he befriended Dr. Curtis Connors after administering an antidote to reverse his transformation into the terrible Lizard. Though he had many enemies, he also shared adventures with the Fantastic Four (including rival the Human Torch), the Avengers, the X-Men and Daredevil. At the Daily Bugle, he discovered a friend and his first love, Jameson's secretary, Betty Brant. Even more villains clashed with Spider-Man including the Green Goblin, the Big Man and the Enforcers, Mysterio (Quentin Beck), and Kraven the Hunter. Dating Betty became awkward after her brother, Bennett, was murdered in a clash between Doctor Octopus and Spider-Man. Betty at first held Spider-Man responsible. Though she later recanted, the thought of Spider-Man reminded her of losing her brother. At home, Aunt May suffered a heart attack, causing Spider-Man to abandon a fight with the Green Goblin. For a while after, the public viewed Spider-Man as a coward, before he made a comeback. May's fragile health and poor finances, however, remain a lingering concern. Frustrated by their defeats at the hand of Spider-Man, six of his top villains gathered forces under Doctor Octopus to form the Sinister Six. Through wits and determination, Spider-Man defeated the group one at a time.

Peter Parker’s confidence gradually increased. At the same time, his relationship with Betty crumbled as handsome reporter Ned Leeds stole her heart. Jameson took his campaign against Spider-Man to a new level, sponsoring the creation of the deranged Scorpion, under Dr. Farley Stillwell. Though the Scorpion turned on Jameson, the publisher persisted with attacks against Spider-Man, and rented the first of a series of robotic Spider Slayers invented by Dr. Spencer Smythe. Spider-Man was able to use his technical know-how to defeat the Slayer. While Aunt May persisted with attempts to introduce Peter to Mary Jane Watson, the niece of neighbor Anna Watson, Spider-Man tackled organized crime led by the Crime Master and the Green Goblin. Tired of the Bugle's harassment, Peter tried selling pictures for the Daily Globe but gave up when the Globe's editor proved too nosy.

Big Super-Hero on Campus

After capturing a new foe, the Molten Man, Peter Parker graduated high school and earned a science scholarship to Empire State University (ESU) for achieving the highest scholastic average in Midtown High's history. College brought a fresh start with new peers including the wealthy Harry Osborn, son of industrialist Norman Osborn, and beauty queen of Standard High, Gwen Stacy; Flash Thompson followed Peter to ESU on an athletic scholarship. Consumed with worry about his aunt's hospitalization, Peter was misunderstood as an unfriendly snob by Harry and Gwen. Because a previous transfusion of his radioactive blood to Aunt May was slowly killing her, Spider-Man enlisted aid from Dr. Connors. The antidote that had been called in to cure Aunt May was stolen, and Spider-Man fought like a madman to retain it. Before Spider-Man could deliver the antidote, ISO-36, he was trapped under rubble in a battle with the "Master Planner” (revealed to be Doctor Octopus). Spider-Man courageously forced his way out to administer the elixir to Aunt May.

While Aunt May convalesced, Peter relaxed and befriended Harry and Gwen. Soon after, the Green Goblin negated Spider-Man's spider-sense, and kidnapped him. There, the Goblin revealed himself to be Harry's father, Norman. The two battled, but Spider-Man triumphed knocking the Goblin into live wires and chemicals. Norman was left with partial amnesia, blocking his memories of being Goblin and of Spider-Man's identity.

The Avengers invited Spider-Man to join their ranks, but after facing the Hulk, he declined the offer, preferring the freedom of working alone. Meanwhile, Peter could no longer evade meeting Mary Jane. Assuming the worst, Peter was stunned to discover she was both gorgeous and vivacious. Their first date involved riding into the city on Pete's new motorcycle take pictures of the Rhino. After another battle with the Lizard and new foe, the Shocker, Peter moved into Harry's apartment, rent free. Despite his new found independence, happiness eluded him. Worn out by Jameson's editorials, the public's fear of him, Aunt May's fragile health, slipping grades, and floundering love life, Peter decided to become Spider-Man no more. While Peter enjoyed time studying, and being with friends and family, crime escalated as the Kingpin's initiated his master plan to oversee the criminal underworld. After Peter rescued a watchman resembling Uncle Ben from two robbers, he renewed his vow to never let an innocent come to harm because he failed to act. Subsequently, Spider-Man battled the Kingpin, Doctor Octopus (who became Aunt May's boarder), a new Vulture, a new Spider Slayer, and Mysterio. He and the Human Torch went to Hollywood where they tackled Mysterio and the Wizard.

The Girl, the Goblin, and the Great Heartbreak

Though Peter dated MJ on occasion, he soon fell for the more serious-minded Gwen, causing tension between Harry and himself. Peter met Gwen's father, retired police Captain George Stacy, who studied Spider-Man, and questioned Peter about his first-hand experience. The Kingpin brainwashed Capt. Stacy (using Norman Osborn's equipment) into stealing police records. After Peter published pictures exposing Stacy, the Kingpin kidnapped George and Gwen. Spider-Man and Osborn rescued the two, but the Kingpin escaped. The Kingpin next focused on stealing a legendary stone tablet but Spider-Man retrieved it, and left it with Capt. Stacy. The Shocker stole it back, and Dr. Connors was forced by Man Mountain Marko to translate it for an aged gangster, Silvermane. Connors revealed a formula for a youth potion. Silvermane drank the liquid, and became a young man again. Tragically, he could not stop the de-aging process, and shrank so small, he ultimately disappeared. Meanwhile, the stress on Dr. Connors triggered a transformation again. After a fierce melee across the city, with unwelcome help from the Human Torch, Spider-Man rescued Connors.

Though Peter's frequent unexplained disappearances as Spider-Man have caused friction with Gwen, their love for each other gave Peter hope for a happy future together. As the bond between Peter and Gwen grew ever stronger, it was approvingly observed by Gwen's father, Police Captain George Stacy, who also supported the efforts of Spider-Man. But tragedy struck when Captain Stacy was crushed by a falling chimney, saving an innocent child during a battle between Spider-Man and Doctor Octopus. With his dying breath, Captain Stacy told Spider-Man, "take care of Gwen, Peter". Spider-Man had lost a great ally.

Gwen blamed Spider-Man for her father's death. Peter's conscience, already tormented by the ever present need to lie to Gwen, became even more troubled. Yet their love prevailed through life's challenges - including Harry's drug addiction, and Spider-Man's aborted attempt to remove his own powers, that instead resulted in him being transformed into a six armed freak. In the end, it was death which separated the two lovers. The Green Goblin kidnapped Gwen, and dropped her off the Brooklyn Bridge. Spider-Man tried, but failed to save her. In the vicious battle which followed, Norman was accidentally impaled by his own Goblin Glider. His apparent death was secretly observed by his son, Harry, who swore his own revenge on Spider-Man. Harry soon succumbed to the Osborn Legacy, kidnapping those whom Peter loved most, only barely being stopped from finishing the work that Norman Osborn had started.

A Clone is Born

Meanwhile Peter and Gwen's college Professor, Miles Warren, had begun his own deadly schemes as the Jackal. Miles blamed Spider-Man for the death of Gwen, whom he had himself fallen in love with. The climax of the Jackal's plan was his creation of a Spider-Man clone, but at the conclusion of the final battle, both the Jackal and the clone were killed. With their departure, Peter's life returned to normality, as much as it ever could for a college student who was secretly a costumed super-hero.

In the meantime, Peter and Mary Jane realized that their relationship had become far more than just friendship. So much so that, shortly before his college graduation, Peter proposed to Mary Jane. But she had seen too much pain in her own family, and she turned him down. She left New York to pursue her modeling career in Florida, and Peter Parker moved on to post-graduate studies. It was a time for new challenges, and new friends. But one thing would never change; the ever-present responsibility he faced as Spider-Man.

Looking for Love in All the Wrong Places

Entering his post-graduate studies, Peter's close college friends began to find their own lives. Liz Allan was dating (later to marry) a recovering Harry Osborn. Flash Thompson was looking for a life after football and the army, with his girlfriend Sha Shan. Betty Brant had married Bugle reporter Ned Leeds. Even Peter's Aunt May had found romance with Nathan Lubensky, fellow occupant of the convalescent home she had moved into. With his friends all in cozy couples, Mary Jane's departure was all the more unsettling. But it was not long before Peter began dating again. He enjoyed several dates with Cissy Ironwood. Also, departmental secretary Deborah Whitman was attracted to Peter, but failed to win his heart. Dawn Starr, undergraduate student, pretended to date Peter though actually wanting to sneak a look at an upcoming exam. Amy Powell tried to use Peter to make her fiancé Lance Bannon jealous.

A Partner in Crimefighting

These women had one thing in common - Peter Parker. But when Felicia Hardy, crossed Spider-Man's path, things were different. Felicia was beautiful, talented, and determined. She was also an unrepentant burglar who had a romantic fascination with her web-slinging hero. Spider-Man persuaded Felicia to turn away from crime, and the two of them became lovers - and crime-fighting partners. Felicia urged Peter to spend more and more time in costume. The glamorous Black Cat could never bear to see her super-hero living the squalid life of post-grad student. Becoming Spider-Man was made easier since Aunt May had recovered enough to return home and open the Parker residence as a boarding home for retired people, aided by Nathan. Aided by the Black Cat, Spider-Man faced Doc Ock and the Owl - a battle which nearly cost Felicia her life. Peter was brought crashing down to earth. He realized that without super-powers, Felicia was just like the others from his past, who had so often paid the price for Peter being Spider-Man.

The Redhead Returns

When Mary Jane returned from Florida she found Peter and the Black Cat in a shaky and tempestuous relationship. Felicia could not bear the thought of Peter not allowing her to accompany him into battle, and she embarked on a secret search for super-powers at any price. Tricked by the Kingpin, and twisted in her own deceit, the Black Cat and Spider-Man finally parted ways. In contrast, Mary Jane was determined not to let lies come between her and Peter Parker. She finally told Peter that she had known for some time about his secret identity. With Spider-Man's secret finally out in the open, Peter and Mary Jane's relationship found new depth.

Peter Makes a New Friend from Outer Space

Certainly there always was plenty of action for Spider-Man in New York, especially with the appearance of the deadly Hobgoblin, and Peter's troubles with his symbiotic black costume he obtained after being whisked away to the Secret Wars, a battle on a far away world between the Earth's greatest heroes and villains orchestrated by the enigmatic Beyonder. His costume shredded, Spider-Man thought he obtained a new black and white costume (similar in design to the new Spider-Woman) from a costume making machine. After returning home to Earth, Peter discovered his costume was actually a living entity, feeding off his adrenalin as it possessed his body while he slept. Thanks to Mister Fantastic, the costume was removed by sonic blasts, and captured. It escaped, still emotionally dependant on Spider-Man and reattached itself. Spider-Man forced it off by the loud noise atop the bell-tower of a church (where the alien costume would later attach itself to Eddie Brock formingVenom).

Wedding Bells for the Webhead

As Spider-Man, Peter faced the death of his good friend Police Captain Jean DeWolff at the hands of the Sin-Eater. He watched Flash Thompson be taken for a criminal, and Ned Leeds killed, both for their involvement with the Hobgoblin. But things were different now - he had Mary Jane by his side. Peter proposed for a second time, and was accepted. As newlyweds, Peter and Mary Jane shared happiness, but faced many perils also. Mary Jane was menaced by both Kraven the Hunter, and by Venom, both of whom knew Peter's identity. Mary Jane loved Peter, and had deep respect for his sense of responsibility. But she was unprepared for the loneliness, the fear for his life, and the nagging doubt that perhaps Peter needed Spider-Man far more than he needed her. During this time, Spider-Man gained the cosmic powers of Captain Universe making him virtually indestructible, able to fly, shoot cosmic energy blasts, and possess unimaginable strength. This temporary augmentation allowed Spider-Man to defend himself against a new assortment of foes (including Graviton, Magneto, Titania, and Dragon Man), as villains attempted to aid each other by targeting each others' enemies. At the opposite extreme, Spider-Man temporarily lost all of his powers under the trickery of the Chameleon, but was aided by the Black Cat in restoring his abilities. Spider-Man, along with the Hulk, Ghost Rider, and Wolverine briefly formed an unofficial ad-hoc Fantastic Four team, while the real Fantastic Four were captured by Skrulls. The group quickly disbanded.

Amongst the daily battles with New York's villains, and the challenges of keeping his marriage alive, Peter soon faced the inexplicable return of his parents, Mary and Richard Parker. Long since believed dead, they claimed to have lost their memory of the intervening years. Aunt May was not ready to accept them, but Peter finally believed them to be what they claimed to be, even showing them his identity as Spider-Man. But Peter's heart had over-ridden his instincts. The pair were eventually revealed as robot agents of the Chameleon, part of a plan prompted by Harry Osborn, recently returned as the Green Goblin. Spider-Man was filled with anger at this deeply personal attack. It seemed to him that those he loved were fated to die, while the evil in his life would always return to haunt him.

I Am the Spider

A darkness began to fill Spider-Man's heart, like never before. Still brooding over the Chameleon's invasion of his life, and Harry's death after a twisted attack on both the Osborn and Parker families, Peter was then faced with Aunt May's serious heart attack. May hospitalized, and not expected to recover. Peter's frustration at life's injustices boiled over into violence. Encountering the recently reformed and powerless Scorpion, Spider-Man cruelly beat his former foe close to death - ignoring his victim's pleas for mercy. Calling himself "the Spider", it seemed that Peter was even beyond Mary Jane's powers to heal him. In the end, his salvation came at the hands of Judas Traveller, a psychologist with most unusual methods. Peter's recovery from his dark madness coincided with the return of a figure from Peter's distant past - his clone, created by the Jackal. The clone had survived, and had wandered the U.S. using the adopted name "Ben Reilly". Learning that Aunt May was very ill, the clone returned to New York, just in time to see her pass away. He adopted a costumed identity as the "Scarlet Spider", and portrayed himself as Peter's long-lost cousin. Peter and Ben became friends, even almost brothers. The Jackal himself had also survived. Deceived at the hands of Norman Osborn, the Jackal declared that in fact Ben was the original, and Peter the clone. Though Peter took the revelation badly, Ben subsequently took over the role of Spider-Man, leaving Peter and pregnant Mary Jane free to enjoy a "normal" life. Peter returned to his scientific career, though hampered by having never completed his doctorate. He and MJ also tried moving to Portland, until they realized that New York was where they truly belonged. But all too soon, their new world was shattered when Norman Osborn burst back into their lives. He also had survived his apparent death, and was the mastermind behind all of the Jackal's schemes. Norman killed Ben, revealing him to be the clone after all. But Norman's schemes went even deeper and deadlier than ever - he apparently caused Mary Jane to miscarry the baby and held Peter's Aunt May hostage. The woman believed to have been Aunt May that had died was a genetically modified actress, part of a subtle plot which was never carried to fruition.

A New Chapter

Reunited at last, Peter, Mary Jane, and Aunt May moved into a luxurious apartment. With the Green Goblin defeated in battle, driven more deeply insane by a mystical ceremony, Peter promise Mary Jane that he would give up being Spider-Man and concentrate on their family. He took a job at Tri Corp Research while Mary Jane returned to modeling. But after various emergencies and the appearance of a new Spider-Man (actually Mattie Franklin), Peter could not seem to keep his word.

While Mary Jane was being increasingly threatened by an anonymous stalker, Peter was secretly breaking his promise and returning to web-slinging. Mary Jane, preoccupied with modeling, was distraught feeling a space grow between her and Peter. After catching Peter still active as Spider-Man, MJ vanished when a plane she had boarded exploded. Peter was devastated. Aunt May returned to her home in Forest Hills, while Peter returned to his bachelor lifestyle moving in with Randy Robertson. He socialized with Randy, Glory Grant (now a couple), and Gwen's cousin Jill Stacy while his attractive neighbor, Caryn intrigued him. But with Peter still emotionally adrift, Norman picked the perfect time to drug Peter and incite him to becoming his heir. But even lost and confused as he was, Peter proved that his could resist Osborn's brainwashing attempt. Meanwhile, Mary Jane was not dead, but had been kidnapped by her stalker. Spider-Man managed to rescue Mary Jane, only to discover that she needed time away from him. Mary Jane left for the West Coast, leaving Peter to struggle with a loss almost as traumatic as her apparent death. While Peter turned to his Aunt May for support, May discovered Peter's greatest secret, visiting unannounced, and finding him asleep in costume after his grueling victory against Morlun. After coming to terms with the truth, May quickly became Spider-Man's strongest supporter, and the two became closer than ever. At May's suggestion, Peter returned to Midtown High, now more rundown that Peter remembered it, to teach science part-time. With renewed hopes, Peter and Mary Jane agreed to try once to make things work between them. After their time apart, Peter earnestly assured Mary Jane that he truly needs her in his life.

A Mystical Connection?

The mysterious Ezekiel, who shared similar spider-like abilities, made Peter question the source of his powers, implying a mystical reason the spider chose to bite him. Ezekiel had stolen his powers through an arcane ceremony and needed to sacrifice Spider-Man to keep them. When his ritual joined their minds, however, Ezekiel realized Spider-Man was the worthy hero and sacrificed himself.

A Past Indiscretion

Back home, Spider-Man fought the two adult children of his ex-love, Gwen Stacy. Years before, Gwen had an affair with Norman Osborn, subsequently became pregnant and rapidly gave birth to twins, Gabriel and Sarah. After his own apparent 'death,' Osborn raised the pair, who were aging rapidly due to their genetic inheritance of the Goblin formula. Osborn told them that Peter was their father and had killed their mother but Spider-Man eventually made them face the truth.

Osborn also revealed Spider-Man's identity to the Scorpion, and had him kidnap Aunt May. Osborn had been publicly revealed as the Green Goblin and jailed after murdering journalist Terri Kidder. He knew big businesses had been conspiring for decades to create super-villains and, as a potential whistle-blower, was an easy target in prison. Osborn wanted Peter to break him out in return for May's freedom, but when Peter did, a battle erupted with the Sinister Twelve, including Gargan himself - now the new Venom after bonding with the alien symbiote. Spider-Man, with the help of other super-heroes, was able to defeat the Sinister Twelve and save his Aunt May. Around this time, Spider-Man met the Queen who had powers allowing her to control the world's insects, eventually causing Spider-Man to mutate into a giant spider. She planned to detonate a bomb that would kill everyone except those with the "insect" gene but Peter returned to his human form and stopped her, augmented with enhanced powers including silk glands within his forearms.

Major League

After a breakout at the Raft Security Prison, Spider-Man joined the Avengers (newly formed in the aftermath of the Scarlet Witch's attack on her own team). An old classmate of Peter's named Charlie Weiderman went on an insane rampage after his experiments covered him in Vibranium, and burned down the Parker's home in Forest Hills. Peter moved into Tony Stark's tower with Aunt May and Mary Jane. For this and various other reasons, Spider-Man's secret identity was shared with many of the world's heroes including the Avengers and the Fantastic Four, providing him with an venue to communicate among his peers.

The Other

Morlun returned again, viciously beating Spider-Man, removing an eye, and hospitalizing him. Mary Jane tried to stop Morlun from finishing off her husband. But when Morlun threatened to kill her, Spider-Man gave the last of his energy to protect her. With stingers that burst from his wrists, Spider-Man slayed Morlun. Spider-Man then apparently died; however, a new Peter Parker emerged from the old corpse, now more fully embracing his "other" self - his spider personae. Retaining his stingers, he discovered other new abilities including night vision, greater control of his skin adhesive properties, and enhanced sensory perceptions, such as being able to sense the vibrations traveling through his webline.Tony Stark looking at Peter as his protégé, gave Spider-Man a new technologically advanced costume with a red and gold color scheme as a gift.

Choosing Sides, Unmasking, and Switching Teams

In the aftermath of a tragedy in Stamford, Connecticut, in which a band of televised heroes were unable to prevent the villain Nitro from killing an entire elementary school full of children and parts of the surrounding community, the U.S. government propelled forward the Superhuman Registration Act requiring the superhero community to register themselves as living weapons of mass destruction, and reveal their identities to the government. The act was supported by Tony Stark, who became the leader of the Pro-Registration side. The superheroic community was split between registering or refusing and becoming an outlaw. Leading the opposition to the act was Captain America, in defense of heroes' right to privacy. To support Iron Man, and perhaps obtain the ever-elusive respect from the public by compliance with the Act, Spider-Man made the difficult decision (with support from May and Mary Jane) to reveal his identity to the world during a press conference. As Spider-Man now faces the danger of public exposure to his family and loved ones, and the prospect of having to capture his renegade friends in what has become an all-out Civil War in the superpowered community, Peter regretted his decision. After witnessing a prison in the Negative Zone for super humans who refused to register, Parker fled Avengers Tower with his family, clashing with Iron Man during his exit. He aided Captain America and the forces opposing registration, culminating in a major battle during the jailbreak of the heroes imprisoned in the Negative Zone, Captain America's surrender, and the end of the Civil War. Spider-Man has remained a member of the unsanctioned Avengers team in the aftermath. Since Spider-Man's identity is now public knowledge, the Kingpin arranged a sniper to slay the Parker family. Though Mary Jane was spared, Parker was unable to prevent his aunt from getting shot. May was left in a coma on the verge of death. The anguish of yet another loved one injured because of his life as Spider-Man embittered the hero. He resumed wearing his black cloth costume, reflective of the dark times while his Aunt May was precariously close to death. Spider-Man confronted the Kingpin in Ryker's Island prison, and, while unmasked, beat him within an inch of his life, vowing to come back and kill him if Aunt May died.

A Brand New Day and Hitting the Big Time

With time running out, Peter tried several avenues, from the technological to the mystical, to save May's life. At a dead-end, Mephisto appeared to Peter and Mary Jane offering to prevent May’s death, but at the cost of their holy bond of matrimony. After spending one more day together, Mary Jane selflessly took the initiative and agreed to the bargain, knowing Peter would never forgive himself if he rejected a chance to save May. She had faith that their love would be strong enough to reunite them. As a result, one event was removed from the lives of Peter and Mary Jane - they were never married, and Aunt May survived the shooting. Realizing how dangerous it was to reveal his secret identity, Peter, through the combined efforts of Tony Stark, Stephen Strange, and Reed Richards, had the world not only forget he was Spider-Man, but be mystically confused if ever considering they were the same person. Mary Jane was exempted from forgetting, but later broke up with him, unable to cope with the strain of being Spider-Man's girlfriend.

Single and jobless, Peter was reunited with his old friend Harry Osborn - whose death had been part of an elaborate hoax by his father. Spider-Man also returned to using web-shooters, rather than his own self-generated organic webbing, for reasons that have not yet been revealed. Over time, Peter unmasked again to a select group of heroes including the Fantastic Four and the Avengers. Through connections with Marla Jameson, Peter acquired a dreat job at Horizon Labs, where his skills as a brilliant scientist and inventor have earned him a steady paycheck. Marla's death, killed by Spider-Slayer Alistaire Smythe, inspired Spider-Man to promise that nobody else dies on his watch. The Jackal (or possibly a clone), partnered with the Queen and turned New York City into "Spider-Island" wherein bedbugs gave many the powers of Spider-Man. Peter and his colleagues at Horizon helped stop the plague. Peter's girlfriend at the time, forensic detective Carlie Cooper, temporarily gained powers in the event. Afterwards, she discovered Peter's secret identity and broke up with him. Despite their differences, she remains an ally.

One of Parker's experiments at Horizon accidentally bestowed super powers into an irresponsible teen (Andrew Maguire). As Alpha, Maguire became Spider-Man's arrogant sidekick, with little regard for Spider-Man's concern for his well being.

Iron Man (Anthony Stark)

Real Name
Anthony Edward "Tony" Stark
Aliases
"Shellhead," "Golden Avenger," "Tetsujin"; formerly Crimson Dynamo, Iron Knight, Hogan Potts, "Spare Parts Man"; impersonated Cobalt Man (Ralph Roberts)
Identity
Publicly Known
Citizenship
U.S.A.
Place of Birth
Long Island, New York

A "cool exec with a heart of steel," Tony Stark is the invincible Iron Man, fighting for justice as a modern day knight in high-tech armor.

Before the Iron Mask

Anthony "Tony" Stark was born to Howard Anthony Stark and Maria Collins Carbonell Stark, owners of the prominent US firm, Stark Industries. As a boy, Tony was fascinated with building and controlling machines. At the age of 15 Tony entered the undergraduate electrical engineering program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and graduated with two master’s degrees by age 19. Tony went to work for Stark Industries, but showed more interest in living a reckless playboy lifestyle than using his engineering skills. At the age of 21, Tony inherited Stark Enterprises when his parents were killed in a car accident secretly orchestrated by rival corporation Republic Oil (later ROXXON). Still lacking in business acumen, Tony promoted secretary Virginia "Pepper" Potts to be his executive assistant and left the majority of his workload on her so that he could avoid what he saw as a burden.

A Self-Made Superhero

The Many Armors of Iron Man

Tony personally attended a field test of his military hardware at one of his international plants; however, soon after his arrival Stark’s party was attacked by a gang of terrorists led by the Sin-Cong revolutionary Wong Chu. During the skirmish, a land mine went off and lodged a piece of shrapnel near Tony’s heart. Taken back to Wong-Chu’s camp, Tony shared a cell with Professor Ho Yinsen, a world-famous physicist. Wong-Chu demanded that the two scientists develop advanced weaponry for his forces. Knowing that he could not live long with the shrapnel so close to his heart, Tony proposed that he and Yinsen devote their gifts to creating one of the battlesuits he had been developing, equipped with a magnetic field generator to prevent the shrapnel from reaching his heart. The armor they created became the first true Iron Man armor and was equipped with crude magnetic weaponry for defense. While the armor’s battery was being powered, some of Wong-Chu’s men attempted to break in on the proceedings. Yinsen went to create a diversion and was shot to death by Wong-Chu’s men. When the battery had finished charging, Tony went into battle as Iron Man and tore Wong-Chu’s camp apart. He eventually returned to the USA with the aid of US Marine James "Rhodey" Rhodes. Tony offered Rhodey a job with his company should he ever need one.At first, Tony found his new life a torment; his armor’s chest plate had to be worn constantly and required frequent recharging. He kept the armor a secret from everyone, including his fiancée, Joanna Nivena. Turning suicidal and drinking heavily, Tony was supported by Joanna, with whom he shared his secret identity. Joanna encouraged him to use his armor as a super hero, but ultimately called off the engagement knowing Tony would not be the family man she desired.
Tony worked to improve the Iron Man armor and claimed Iron Man was Tony Stark's personal bodyguard to disguise his identity. Tony played a dual-role with the formation of theAvengers both as the sponsor and, as Iron Man, as a founding member along with Thor, Ant-Man (Henry Pym), the Wasp (Janet van Dyne), and the Hulk. While pursuing Namor the Sub-Mariner, Iron Man came across the comatose body of Captain America (Steve Rogers) Rogers), the famous World War II super hero, preserved on ice. Revived, Captain America joined the Avengers and became an important teammate and friend to Tony. Later, Tony helped establish the international super-spy agency SHIELD to combat terrorist threats.
During these early years as a super hero, Iron Man battled Mandarin, Hawkeye, and the Black Widow(Natasha Romanova).

A Change of Heart

Tony found himself drawn to the beautiful Whitney Frost, but she proved to be the daughter of the Avengers’ foe Count Nefaria and a high-ranking member of the Maggia crime syndicate. Seeking to steal Tony’s inventions, she pitted agents such as Whiplash (Mark Scarlotti) and Gladiator (Melvin Potter) against him. After using one of his Life Model Decoys (LMDs) to deceive the Mandarin and protect his identity, Tony was horrified when the LMD developed an independent personality and usurped his identity. The LMD, believing itself superior to Tony, obtained a suit of Iron Man armor and began running Stark Industries while the real Tony was away. Unable to prove his identity, Tony fell into the clutches of Madame Masque (a newly garbed Whitney Frost), agent of the gold-loving Mordecai Midas, who attempted to force Stark to turn over his fortune. Tony used his original Iron Man armor to destroy the LMD imposter, but suffered another heart attack in the process. The Avengers rushed him to a hospital where Dr. Jose Santini transplanted a synthetic heart into his chest so that Tony no longer required his chest plate to live.
Following the Avengers’ involvement in the interstellar Kree-Skrull War, Iron Man joined Mr. Fantastic, Black Bolt of the Inhumans, Professor Xavier of the X-Men, sorcerer Dr. Stephen Strange and Namor in founding the Illuminati, a secret organization designed to share knowledge and pool resources against major threats.

Hero of Iron, Feet of Clay

Renaming his corporation Stark International, Tony resolved to abandon munitions production in favor of electronics and computer engineering after witnessing firsthand the impact his company’s weapons had on innocent lives.
Despite seeming to have everything a man could want, Tony was under much stress. The machinations of rival industrialist Justin Hammer and SHIELD’s constant pressure drove Tony further into drinking. His girlfriend at the time, Bethany Kabe, kept Tony from continued succumbing to his alcoholism. Their relationship ended when Bethany’s presumed-dead husband was discovered alive.
In opposing Obidiah Stane's attempts at forming a major multinational conglomerate, Tony unwittingly made Stane a driven enemy. Obadiah Stane set up games of psychological warfare against Tony, which included physical attacks by his Chessmen super-operatives, outbidding Stark International for key contracts and having his lackey Indries Moomji romance Tony, all in an attempt to drive Tony to resort to drinking. As Stane’s pressure increased, Tony responded as anticipated, and after Indries rejected Tony, he virtually gave up trying to oppose Stane. When the villain Magma (Jonathan Darque) attacked Stark International, Tony proved too drunk to wage a competent battle and instead revealed his double identity to Rhodes. With Tony passed out, Rhodes donned the armor and defeated Magma. Tony told Rhodes to keep the armor and turned his back on Stark International while he proceeded to drink himself out of his company, property and fortune until all of his assets were frozen. Obadiah Stane stepped in and claimed Stark International, renaming it Stane International, but Rhodes prevented Stane from obtaining the Iron Man armors.
Tony had hit rock-bottom, homeless and perpetually drunk. However, helping deliver a baby put life into perspective and he began his path of recovery and sobriety joining Alcoholics Anonymous.
Tony, James, and James’ friends, Morley and Clytemnestra Erwin set up a California-based new corporation: Circuits Maximus. Obadiah planted a bomb in their laboratory, killing Morley and badly injuring Rhodes. Tony constructed his most advanced armor yet at the new West Coast Avengers Compound and confronted Stane, who had designed his own armored identity as the Iron Monger. When Tony defeated the Iron Monger, Stane committed suicide.

Armor Wars

After joining the West Coast Avengers, Iron Man provided sanctuary from reformed villain Force (Clay Wilson), an agent of Justin Hammer. Examining Force’s armor, Tony recognized familiar circuitry patterns based on his own Iron Man armor designs. Tony discovered that his old foe Spymaster had stolen his designs and sold them to Hammer who armored several of his super villain clients, including the Beetle (Abner Jenkins), the Controller, the Mauler (Brendan Doyle), the Raiders and Stilt-Man (Wilbur Day). Enraged by the thought that innocent people might have been killed with his technology, Tony resolved to eliminate all traces of his technology that had fallen into outside hands. However, Iron Man falsely accused federal agent Stingray of possessing Stark’s technology, forcing Tony to publicly fire his alter-ego. Steve Rogers was stripped of his Captain America identity, and became the Captain; Tony supplied him with a force shield. Unable to trust anyone using his armor technology, Tony targeted the Guardsmen at the Vault prison. The Captain tried to stop Iron Man, severely straining their friendship. Iron Man next attacked the Crimson Dynamo in Russia, and accidentally killed the Titanium Man, leading to Iron Man’s expulsion from the Avengers. Tony faked Iron Man’s death, and later rejoined the Avengers as the “new Iron Man.” Eventually, the Avengers saw through Tony’s facade.

Start of the Breakdown

After being shot and paralyzed by former love interest Kathleen Dare, Tony installed a biochip into his body to regain mobility. The biochip gained the attention of corporate foe Kearson DeWitt, who held grievances against Tony. DeWitt hijacked the biochip and took control of Tony’s nervous system. Though Tony regained control of his body using his armor, but by the time he had defeated DeWitt his body was so damaged he could barely move. Tony donned a skintight neuronet suit to help him function, but his armor became the only certain way to keep himself alive. After defeating the Mandarin, and using a rogue team of Avengers to seemingly destroy the Supreme Intelligence (against Avengers’ leader Captain America’s command), he expressed his regret to Captain America and the two began trying to repair their fractured relationship. As Tony’s health continued to deteriorate, he designed his variable threat assessment armor (model 11, also called the “War Machine”) and won back Stane International’s assets from its last owner, Justin Hammer. Succumbing to total nervous system failure, Tony seemingly died on an operating table. In his will, he made Rhodes the new CEO of Stark Enterprises and left the War Machine armor for him to carry on as Iron Man. Rhodes respected his wishes.

A New Beginning

Tony was secretly in cryogenic storage while his body’s entire nervous system was essentially rebuilt. Revived, Tony had to undergo intense physical therapy. Rhodes, who was infuriated at being deceived, immediately quit Stark Enterprises. Tony allowed Rhodes to keep the War Machine armor and launched a new model of armor, the Neuromimetic Telepresence Unit 150 (NTU-150),which he could control remotely while he recovered. He also used artificial intelligences to aid him in his work, including HOMER and PLATO.
Outfitted in his new modular armor, Tony agreed to end the West Coast Avengers, but formed Force Works. Providing his team with full access to his cutting edge technology.

Teen Tony

Iron Man with the Avengers

Some time later the villain Immortus, posing as his alternate reality version of himself Kang the Conqueror, took control of Tony Stark as a sleeper agent. Tony was forced to kill Yellowjacket (Rita DeMara) and Crystal's Nanny, Marilla. To battle the combined forces of Iron Man and “Kang,” the Avengers were forced to recruit an alternate reality’s teenage version of Tony Stark from Earth-96020. Teen Tony stole a suit of armor from Stark International and aided the Avengers in battle. When the adult version came face to face with his teenage self he was finally able to overcome Immortus' control. Tony sacrificed himself to save the younger Tony’s life and defeated Immortus.Teenage Tony Stark continued to fight with the Avengers and took control of Stark International. The mutant Onslaught manifested, threatening life on Earth. The young Tony and many of the world's super heroes fought Onslaught in New York City's Central Park where young Iron Man, the Fantastic Four, Thor, the Hulk, and other heroes seemingly lost their lives defending the Earth. However, they were actually brought into a pocket universe created by Reed and Sue Richards' son, Franklin. Events soon forced Franklin to choose a world to survive; he restored the original world. Upon returning, the still-adult Tony found he had the collective memories and experiences of the original Tony Stark merged with those of the Earth-96020 Tony and the person he had been on Counter-Earth.

Secrets and Lies

When Iron Man defeated the villain Mentallo, Tony took advantage of the situation and used Mentallo’s global mind control device to erase all knowledge of his often-compromised secret identity from every person on Earth. He then revealed it to those people he deemed trustworthy, causing them to remember the memories he had buried.
Former Avenger Jocasta, a creation of the villainous robot Ultron, was forced to prepare the Iron Man armor to become Ultron’s new home; the process accelerated when Iron Man was hit by a lightning bolt, causing Tony to suffer a heart attack at the same time. Thinking that the armor had been granted its own consciousness, Tony attempted to teach the armor; the benign Ultron-12 aspect of its personality was receptive, but the cruelty of most past Ultron models corrupted the armor and it murdered Whiplash during a fight. However, the armor ultimately sacrificed its “life” to save Tony, whose heart was failing. After implanting a robotic “heart” in Tony’s chest that saved him, the armor deactivated.
Tony later decided to reveal his secret identity to the world, and was offered work as a contractor for the US Department of Defense. Though turning down that opportunity, he accepted the post as the President's Secretary of Defense to monitor the use of his technology by the United States military. Tony’s tenure as Secretary of Defense ended in scandal when the insane Scarlet Witch caused him to engage in drunken and belligerent behavior at the United Nations. Disgraced, Tony was quickly drummed out of his position. The Scarlet Witch’s growing insanity led to the dissolution of the Avengers when her out-of-control powers wrecked Avengers Mansion and killed several teammates. Tony was further smeared when one-time corporate rival Clarence Ward stole Iron Man armor, using it to kill the Stark Industries board and Rumiko, Tony’s girlfriend. Iron Man defeated Ward and recalled all of the Iron Man armors he had granted to the military. He then publicly “resigned” as Iron Man but secretly intended to continue operating, again claiming it was another man wearing the armor.

Extremis

Iron Man clashed with Mallen, a terrorist enhanced by the Extremis virus, a techno-organic agent designed by Tony’s one-time classmate Maya Hansen and intentionally leaked so that the world could see its destructive potential. Mallen defeated Iron Man, nearly mortally wounding Tony in the process. Tony had Maya inject him with the Extremis, gambling on it saving his life and increasing his strength so that he could face Mallen as an equal. The process resulted in Tony’s body rebuilding itself with superior organs and he found that he could now link to virtually any computer on Earth; the newly enhanced Tony killed Mallen in a rematch.

Civil War

Captain America fighting Iron Man

During a televised raid of a house containing escaped super villains from the Raft, the explosive villain Nitro detonated himself killing the majority of the New Warriors, children at a nearby elementary school and other local residents. In the wake of the tragedy, the federal Superhuman Registration Act was passed, requiring all super-powered beings to register their identities and subject themselves to federally mandated standards. While Tony spearheaded the support for the Act, convincing Spider-Man (Peter Parker) to publicly unmask in support of the Act, Captain America led an underground resistance defending heroes’ rights of privacy. Stark was accepted the position of Director of S.H.I.E.L.D.

The Hammer Strikes the Shield

When the alien Skrull’s Queen Veranke led an invasion of Earth, Earth’s defenses were disabled through a virus which ran through Tony’s Extremis-based powers, taking out all Stark-based technology. Although the heroes of Earth routed the Skrulls, it was “reformed” criminal Norman Osborn who slew Veranke and took the credit. Tony Stark was vilified for the failure of his technology to stop the Skrull invasion. S.H.I.E.L.D. was dismantled and Osborn put in charge of the replacement agency H.A.M.M.E.R. Osborn demanded Stark surrender the Superhuman Registration Database containing the secret identities of many heroes. Stark refused and loaded the database’s only copy into his brain. Evading capture by Osborn, Tony gradually wiped his mind. Tony was aided by Maria Hill, whom he sent to retrieve a hard drive containing a backup copy of his mind, and Pepper Hogan, whom he left in charge of Stark Industries and gifted with a suit of armor called Rescue, operated by an artificial intelligence named J.A.R.V.I.S. As Tony’s mind deteriorated he was finally assaulted in Dubai by the Iron Patriot-armored Osborn. By then Stark was virtually brain-dead and, as their battle was being televised, Osborn was forced to bring him in alive or risk being exposed for murdering a helpless man. Transferred to the custody of Dr. Donald Blake — actually Stark’s old friend Thor — Tony left directions which enabled his friends to restore his mind and awaken him from his coma. Iron Man returned to action in time to help in Osborn’s ultimate defeat.

Wolverine (James Howlett)

Real Name
James Howlett
Aliases
Logan, formerly Weapon Ten, Death, Mutate #9601, Jim Logan, Patch, Canucklehead, Emilio Garra, Weapon Chi, Weapon X, Experiment X, Agent Ten, Canada, Wildboy, Peter Richards, many others
Identity
Secret, known to certain government agencies
Citizenship
Canada, possible dual citizenship in Japan and/or Madripoor
Place of Birth
Alberta, Canada

Born the second son of wealthy landowners John and Elizabeth Howlett in Alberta, Canada during the late 19th Century, James Howlett was a frail boy of poor health. James was largely neglected by his mother, who was institutionalized for a time following the death of her first son, John Jr., in 1897. He spent most of his early years on the estate grounds and had two playmates that lived on the Howlett estate with him: Rose, a red-headed girl who was brought in from town to be a companion to young James, and a boy nicknamed "Dog" who was the son of the groundskeeper, Thomas Logan. Thomas Logan was an alcoholic and was extremely abusive to his son. The children were close friends but as they reached young adulthood, the abuse inflicted upon Dog warped his mind. His actions would lead to a tragic chain of events. that started as the three neared their adolescent years when Dog made unwanted advances toward Rose and James reported it to his father. In retaliation Dog killed James's pet dog. This in turn resulted in the expulsion of Thomas Logan and Dog Logan from the estate.

Thomas Logan, in a drunken stupor, invaded the Howlett estate with his son and attempted to take Elizabeth Howlett (implied to be his former lover) with him. John attempted to stop him and Thomas Logan shot him down in cold blood. James Howlett had just entered the room when this occurred and for the first time his mutation manifested; his claws extended from the backs of his hands and he attacked the intruders with uncharacteristic ferocity, killing Thomas Logan, and scarring Dog's face with three claw marks. Elizabeth Howlett, who was already an emotionally disturbed woman, took her life immediately afterward with a blast from Thomas's gun. Fearing for their safety, Rose fled the estate with James, who appeared to have been deeply traumatized and had somehow repressed or forgotten most of the memories of life back at the estate. Dog falsely reported to the police and James's grandfather that Rose had murdered John Howlett II and Thomas Logan. The eldest Howlett, shunned James and with no family left, took Dog in as his ward. However, Dog was already a burgeoning psychopath and it was too late for his character to evolve down any other path.In the years that followed, James and Rose took refuge in a British Colombia mining colony under the guise of being cousins. James also assumed the name of "Logan" in order to hide his identity. As the hard work of mining toughened his body, and his mutant powers developed, he grew to be unusually strong and ferocious. He was immune to the elements and even ran with the wolves in the forest, learning to hunt as an animal hunts. "Logan" became a valuable and admirable figure amongst the small community of miners due to his hard work and strong ethics, earning him the respect of his peers, including the foreman Smitty, who became a surrogate father figure to James. During this period, James developed strong feelings for Rose, but could not act on them for the sake of their guise as cousins. Smitty, who had been mentoring James all these years, had also grown close to Rose, and the two eventually fell in love and became engaged, much to the scorn and surprise of James, who later accepted the situation for the sake of Rose's happiness. Meanwhile, the elder John Howlett was in failing health and asked Dog to find Rose and his grandson so he could make peace with them before he died. Dog agreed. However, Dog (who has become a physically formidable man himself) decides to track them down so he can kill James.

Dog hunted James and Rose down so easily that it seemed he had a preternatural skill for tracking. On then night that Smitty was due to leave the mining town with Rose, Dog (who bears an uncanny resemblance to Logan's future nemesis, Sabretooth) finally found and confronted James. Dog reminded James of his past, and that faithful night back on the estate that had changed all their lives so. The two fiercely fought in the middle of the street and despite being the physically stronger of the two Dog was eventually overpowered by the enraged James. As Dog laid unconscious, James unsheathed his claws for the first time in public, to the shock of everyone watching, and was about to deal the deathblow until Rose leapt in to stop him but was accidentally was impaled by his claws. Horrified, "Logan" held her in his arms as she died. He then fled into the woods where he lived in self-imposed exile with a pack of wolves, presumably for many years.Logan possesses memories of being a Samurai in Japan, a mercenary operative for the Central Intelligence Agency, and a "wild man" in the Canadian wilderness. Due to extensive memory implants given to Logan through the Weapon X program, any or all of these memories are suspect. Logan has at least one memory of meeting Captain America (Steve Rogers) in World War II while he was in the Canadian Army which has been verified as true. Sometime after World War II, Logan was taken by a group of scientists led by Dr. Cornelius as part of the Weapon X program. Cornelius was hired to perfect and use a technique that would bond the indestructible element adamantium to human bone cells. Logan's skeleton was bonded to the adamantium, and he was indoctrinated into the Weapon X assassin program.

Wolverine was conscripted by Department H, and for his first mission was sent against the incredible Hulk. Wolverine was subsequently approached by Professor Charles Xavier, who was looking for mutants to help his students, the X-Men, escape from the island-being known as Krakoa, which had captured them. Wolverine left Alpha Flight to accompany Xavier and rescue the captured X-Men. After Krakoa was defeated, Wolverine decided to stay with the X-Men, for reasons which included that he had fallen for Marvel Girl (Jean Grey). Logan remained with the X-Men for quite some time, at one time being their field commander, and encountered adversaries such as Proteus (Kevin MacTaggart), Magneto (Magnus), the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, the Brood, the Reavers, demons from the dimension of Limbo, the Marauders, the Morlocks, and even Dracula on one occasion.After his encounter with the mutant assassin Omega Red, Logan began to question the memories he possessed, but his searches to find his true identity and memories proved fruitless. During an encounter with the mutant Magneto on his space station called Avalon, Wolverine slashed Magneto with his claws. Magneto retaliated, using his powers of the magnetic field to tear the adamantium out of Wolverine's skeleton, causing extensive injuries. These injuries shorted out Wolverine's healing factor for a time, and Logan also discovered that the claws that he believed a result of the Weapon X project were in fact part of his actual bone structure due to his mutation. These bone claws became Wolverine's main weapons until his skeleton later became grafted to adamantium again.
As a result of his injuries, Logan left the X-Men for a time. He visited Muir Island at the request of Kitty Pryde, and was also attacked by Cyber. During the Phalanx invasion, Logan and Cable were asked by Charles Xavier to find and rescue the captured X-Men. They joined with Cyclops (Scott Summers) and Jean Grey returning from their honeymoon (and secretly the future) and freed their teammates in Tibet. Later, Logan was kidnapped by Tyler Dayspring, calling himself Genesis, who wanted to make Wolverine one of his new Horsemen. Genesis had acquired adamantium by destroying the body of the mercenary known as Cyber, and had planned to recreate the bonding process used on Logan years ago. This time, however, Logan's body rejected the adamantium, and he regressed for a time to a feral-like state.
Logan regained his lucidity and rejoined the X-Men. Logan was subsequently kidnapped by the would-be conqueror Apocalypse (En Sabah Nur) and forced to fight the savage assassin Sabretooth for the mantle of the Horseman Death. Knowing that he might be able to resist Apocalypse's programming and that Sabretooth would be a very dangerous villain with the support of Apocalypse, Logan fought and defeated his nemesis. As a result, his skeleton again was laced with Adamantium. Under the control of Apocalypse, Wolverine fought the X-Men ferociously in his Death persona. But with the help of his teammates, he eventually broke free from Apocalypse's control.
While on the Weapon Plus satellite, Logan was able to access detailed files on his past. However, it was a trap, and only Jean's manifestation of the Phoenix was able to save them. Wolverine greatly mourns Jean's loss, was not pleased with Cyclops and Emma Frost's relationship, but has remained a valued member of the X-Men, serving on as many missions as he can while also doing solo operations.

Wolverine was ambushed by the Hand and Hydra. Transformed into a killing machine and outfitted with several devices, he battled various other heroes and killed both Hornet and Northstar. S.H.I.E.L.D. was eventually able to deprogram Logan, and he was sent to oppose Northstar, who also had been resurrected by Hydra. While on a mission in the Savage Land, he met the recently reformed Avengers and eventually accepted membership. Recently, Wolverine unnerved many high level officials, including those of S.H.I.E.L.D., by his sporadic movements in and out of the grid, with the tensions mounting in what seemed to be Wolverine's attempted assassination of the prime minister of Japan. Eventually it was revealed that Wolverine's true target was not the prime minister, but his bodyguard, the Silver Samurai. During an interrogation that began during their battle, and ended shortly after Logan severed the samurai's arm, Wolverine received some more information that led him back to Department H. Despite what he had originally thought, it was not the carelessness of his captors that allowed him to escape; rather, the Winter Soldier seemingly interfered with the operation in such a way that allowed Logan's escape. Wolverine tracked down the Winter Soldier in Serbia for information, but was rendered unconscious after a struggle after which the Winter Soldier revealed that he had earlier murdered Logan's pregnant wife.

Captain America (Steve Rogers)

Real Name
Steven "Steve" Rogers
Aliases
Nomad, The Captain, Steven Grant Rogers, Roger Stevens, Yeoman America, Cap, The Sentinel of Liberty, Star-Spangled Avenger; also has impersonated Crossbones
Identity
Publicly known
Citizenship
U.S.A.
Place of Birth
New York, New York


In World War II patriotic solider Steve Rogers recipient of the "Super Soldier Serum" became the living symbol of freedom, Captain America. Left for dead while frozen in ice, the star-spangled hero with an indestructible shield awoke years later to continue his never-ending battle for liberty. 

Early Years and World War II

Steve Rogers was a scrawny fine arts student growing up during the Great Depression. His alcoholic father died when Steve was a child, and his mother passed away from pneumonia after he graduated high school. In early 1940, appalled at Nazi Germany’s horrific atrocities, Steve attempted to enlist in the army. Failing to pass physical requirements, he was invited to volunteer for Operation: Rebirth, a project intended to enhance US soldiers to the height of physical perfection via the inventions and discoveries of Professor Abraham Erskine. Rogers eagerly accepted and became the first test subject. After injections and ingestion of the "Super Soldier Serum," Rogers was exposed to a controlled burst of "Vita-Rays" that activated and stabilized the chemicals in his system. The process successfully altered his physiology from its frail state to the maximum of human efficiency, including greatly enhanced musculature and reflexes. Soon after, Professor Erskine was assassinated by a Nazi operative, leaving Steve the sole beneficiary of Erskine’s genius. Renamed “Project: Rebirth,” variations of the Super-Soldier serum were subsequently tested, under inhuman conditions, on African-American soldiers. The most successful of these was Isaiah Bradley, and Project: Rebirth’s resources were eventually absorbed into a multinational superhuman research project dubbed Weapon Plus.Rogers was assigned to serve as an who served both as a counter-intelligence agent and a symbolic US hero to counter Nazi Germany's propaganda successes head by the Red Skull (Johann Shmidt). Wearing a costume based on his own design modeled after the American flag, Steve was given a triangular bulletproof shield, a personal sidearm and the codename Captain America, the Sentinel of Liberty. He was also provided a cover identity as a clumsy infantry private at Camp Lehigh in Virginia. His first opponents included the Red Skull himself and Nazi attempts to duplicate Erskine’s serum with their own super soldiers. During a mission to the African nation of Wakanda, “Cap” befriended the nation’s ruler T’Chaka and obtained a sample of the rare metal Vibranium. Subsequent experiments with this metal produced a uniquely indestructible Vibranium-steel alloy disc, which proved impossible to duplicate. The disc was given to Cap as his new shield.

Barely out of his teens himself, Rogers made friends with the army’s camp mascot, teenager James Buchanan "Bucky" Barnes. Barnes accidentally learned of Rogers' dual identity and offered to keep the secret if he could become Captain America's sidekick. Rogers agreed, and trained Barnes. Throughout 1941, Cap and Bucky shared many adventures stateside and throughout the world. When the US entered World War II, Cap and Bucky teamed with the android Human Torch, his mutant sidekick Toro, and Namor the ocean-dwelling Sub-Mariner as the Allied force the Invaders.In the closing days of World War II in early 1945, Cap broke through Nazi troops for his final wartime confrontation with the Red Skull, who was seemingly slain by bombing debris (but lived on in suspended animation). Days later, Cap and Bucky arrived in England too late to prevent brilliant Nazi scientist Baron Zemo from obtaining and launching an experimental drone plane armed explosive device on it. Rogers and Barnes reached the plane, but when Bucky tried to defuse the bomb, it exploded in mid-air. Rogers was hurled into the freezing waters of the North Atlantic. The US government presumed both were dead. However, Bucky was secretly retrieved by Soviet operatives, while Cap was recovered by Nazi agent Lyle Dekker, who hoped to exchange bodies with him. Cap escaped Dekker’s base by air, but was shot down and fell back into the ocean. Due to the Super-Soldier serum Captain America survived, entering a state of suspended animation and eventually freezing in solid ice.

The Awesome Thaw and the Mighty Thor

Years later, a team of super-heroes called the Avengers discovered Rogers' frozen body in the North Atlantic, where he had been preserved since 1945. Once revived, Rogers was devastated by Bucky’s supposed death and the loss of everything once familiar to him. The Avengers were attacked by Namor’s ally, the extraterrestrial Vuk the D’bari, who transformed the heroes into stone. Cap confronted the alien, making him their ally, and helped the restored Avengers defeat Cap’s former teammate from the Invaders, Namor. After that adventure, Captain America was invited to join the Avengers as their first recruit. Cap formed close friendships with his teammates Thor, Iron Man (Tony Stark), Giant-Man (Hank Pym), the Wasp, and the Avengers’ butler Edwin Jarvis.
Cap’s revival, reported worldwide, brought the long-retired Baron Zemo out of seclusion. Enraged that his enemy still lived, Zemo organized several superhuman criminals as the Masters of Evil and set them against the Avengers, the first of many such battles with various incarnations of the Masters. Soon afterward, Cap and the Avengers repelled an invasion by the time-traveling menace Kang the Conqueror, clashed with Kang’s alternate version of himself from the future, Immortus, and encountered the heroic team of mutants, the X-Men, during an investigation of the extraterrestrial Lucifer. Zemo had his Masters launch a final assault on the Avengers. While the other Avengers defeated the Masters, Cap stormed Zemo’s South American stronghold, where Zemo accidentally killed himself by triggering an avalanche in battle with Cap.
Returning to New York, Cap learned the other Avengers were taking leaves of absence from the team and had already recruited repentant outlaws including the archer Hawkeye (Clint Barton), mutant speedster Quicksilver and his sister the probability-altering Scarlet Witch as their replacements. Unperturbed by the new trio’s earlier crimes, Cap became fulltime Avengers leader as the only remaining senior member. His leadership helped quell public skepticism about the new roster, nicknamed “Cap’s Kooky Quartet.” Cap became a mentor to the trio, assisting Quicksilver and the Witch’s assimilation in the US and bearing the brunt of Hawkeye’s youthful rebellion.

Hearts and Skulls

During Cap’s early solo adventures and as an Avenger, he persistently protected the world from global threats. In Germany he almost single-handedly saved the world from three monstrous Sleeper robots, created by the Red Skull. Soon afterward, he aided SHIELD agent Sharon Carter in retrieving the explosive “Inferno 42” stolen from the subversive group Advanced Idea Mechanics (AIM) by Batroc the Leaper, a flamboyant mercenary who came to regard Cap as his favorite adversary. Cap’s wartime friend Nick Fury, now SHIELD Director, recruited him in further anti- AIM operations and offered him SHIELD membership, which Cap declined, preferring to remain active with the Avengers and as a solo operative. During SHIELD’s continued conflicts with AIM, Cap learned the enemy organization had discovered and revived the Red Skull, who repaid their hospitality by stealing their near-omnipotent Cosmic Cube. Battling his oldest enemy for the first time since the war, Cap manipulated the Skull’s ego to force him into physical combat, and then struggled with him for the Cube itself. Lashing out with its power, the Skull caused an earthquake and again vanished beneath rubble. Following his recovery, the Skull lured his enemy into a trap via a robot duplicate of Bucky, but failed to extort Cap into supposed treason via a threat to New York.After several shared adventures, Cap and Sharon fell in love, but when she rejected his marriage proposal, Cap decided to give up crimefighting and revealed his true identity to the public. He soon recanted his decision to retire and returned to action. Cap again clashed with the Red Skull, who had revived the Fourth Sleeper to wreak havoc. With Sharon’s help, Cap deactivated the robot, and forced the Skull to flee.

The Sidekick, the Secret, and the Switch

Meanwhile Rick Jones, the young friend of the Hulk, pursued Captain America to become his partner, and Cap allowed the youth to accompany him into battle against the terrorists of Hydra, then led by Madame Hydra. When Hydra later abducted Rick, Cap rescued his new sidekick. During that mission, regretting his decision to make his identity public, Cap made himself appear to be shot down, leaving a realistic Steve Rogers mask to convince the world the Rogers identity had been false to protect his privacy. In addition, Cap and Rick ran afoul of old Avengers foe the shape-changing Space Phantom, who as part of his own plot removed the world’s knowledge of Cap’s secret identity.
The Red Skull continued to toy with Captain America’s life, using the Cosmic Cube to switch bodies with the hero. The Skull in Cap’s body alienated Rick into quitting his sidekick role, while Rogers in the Skull’s body was sent to Exile Island, where he was attacked (by those thinking he was the Skull) and befriended by adventurerSam Wilson. Wilson, formerly criminal “Snap” Wilson, had undergone personality alteration by the Skull, and was planted so as to eventually become Cap’s partner, setting the stage for a potential future betrayal. As the costumed Falcon, accompanied by his trained bird Redwing, Wilson helped Cap confront the Skull, who returned his foe and himself to their rightful bodies so as to better savor a triumph. Before the Skull could destroy the pair, however, AIM avenged the Skull’s earlier betrayal by robbing the Cube of its power. The Skull escaped yet again.

Street Fights to Space Wars

In the adventures that followed, Cap encountered an android replica of Bucky planted by mutated AIM leader MODOK’s. The android replicated Bucky’s altruism and sacrificed itself, foiling MODOK’s schemes. In New York City, Cap and the Falcon became crimefighting partners, as the Red Skull had intended, and found a number of local villains. Beyond pedestrian-level threats, Captain America became involved with cosmic battles. With the Avengers team, and the alien Kree Captain Mar-Vell, Cap intervened in the millennia-old Kree-Skrull War after it threatened Earth.Back home, with Earth safe from the Skrulls, Cap and the Falcon battled gangsters and the Red Skull’s Fifth Sleeper robot unleashed in Las Vegas. The surrogate Captain America and Bucky (Jack Monroe) of the 1950s were freed after being driven mad by faulty Super-Soldier treatments and placed in suspended animation for decades. Cap and Falcon defeated the madmen. The Viper (Jordan Dixon), teamed with Eel (Edward Lavell) and Cobra (Klaus Voorhees) to battle Cap and Falcon as the Serpent Squad, and variations on this serpent-themed group would plague Cap repeatedly. Baron Zemo’s son Helmut surfaced, heir to Heinrich’s barony, genius, and above all his hatred of Captain America. When Falcon intervened in a grudge match between Hemut and Cap, the younger Zemo seemingly perished in a vat of his father’s chemical “Adhesive X.”

The Secret Empire and Time-Traveling Turmoil

On the home front, Captain America was disheartened to discover the Secret Empire, an underground organization tied to a high-ranking US government official. Cap and other heroes protected the White House against the Empire’s assault, but Cap was left deeply shaken by the affair. Standing beside past and future versions of the Avengers, Cap battled to save humanity from the Time-Keepers, extraterrestrial beings from the “End of Time.” He returned from the battle victorious, but with no memories of his journey outside of the bounds of time. After he and the Avengers joined the powerful alien Kree soldier, Captain Mar-Vell, against the cosmic menace Thanos, Cap and Sharon accompanied the rocky hero, the Thing, to 31st century (a possible future designated Earth- 691). With the heroes known as the Guardians of the Galaxy, they helped battle against the Earth’s conquerors from the alien Badoon race.

Nomad

Nomad

Back in the present day, Rogers felt disillusioned by the corruption of the US government by the Secret Empire, and abandoned his role as Captain America while adopting a new costumed identity as the Nomad. In his new guise, he and Namor confronted Viper, the former Madame Hydra, who had embarked on a campaign of terror as leader of the Serpent Squad. The two heroes prevented Viper and her Atlantean ally Krang from using the ancient and powerful Serpent Crown. Later, the savagery of the Red Skull prompted Steve to reclaim his Captain America identity.

A Partner’s Past Exposed

In a subsequent battle, the Red Skull revealed his role in Falcon’s origin, giving Cap’s partner his own identity crisis. Despite learning of his partner’s checkered past, Cap stayed by his side and accompanied Falcon to court, where his partner faced charges for the crimes of his earlier self. Though placed on parole, Falcon was able to continue fighting crime at Cap’s side.

Global Chaos

Captain America continued his incredible war against injustice across the globe. He partnered with Captain Britain (Brian Braddock in Great Britain against the Red Skull’s terrorism against London, prevented the Royalist Forces of America from driving the USA insane with their Madbomb, and formed an uncomfortable alliance with Doom against yet another of the Skull’s schemes; the Skull was revealed to be bankrolling worldwide chaos caused by the mutated creatures of former Nazi scientist Arnim Zola. During a period Captain America suffered from amnesia of his early memories, a new threat arose with hypnotist Dr. Faustus’ National Force, whose puppet leader, the Grand Director, was actually the 1950s Captain America Faustus had brainwashed. Sharon Carter infiltrated the Force but was seemingly brainwashed and burned to death. In fact, Sharon faked her death and went under deep cover for SHIELD.

Personal Life

With his memories restored, Cap has an opportunity to run for president, but ultimately declined. He grew closer to fellow senior Avengers Iron Man and Thor when he learned their secret identities while they were all briefly imprisoned by the villainous Molecule Man. Meanwhile, In his private life, after the pain of losing Sharon had finally faded, Cap established a romance with new neighbor Bernadette “Bernie” Rosenthal. Cap faced a new Baron Zemo (Helmut, now hideously scarred after his earlier defeat), whose machinations led to Bernie discovering her boyfriend’s secret identity. While failing to stop Iron Man’s descent into alcoholism, Cap had a better influence on Jack Monroe, formerly the 1950s Bucky, who found new purpose as Cap’s sidekick wearing a version of Cap’s old Nomad costume. Upon returning from a bleak dystopian future world, recruited by the cyborg soldier Deathlok, to defeat the dictator Hellinger, Cap faced a brighter tomorrow as Bernie proposed marriage to him.

The Secret Wars

Before Rogers could settle down with Ms. Rosenthal, Cap, multiple Avengers and many other heroes were transported to an artificial planet called Battleworld and pitted against Dr. Doom’s super-villain army by the near-omnipotent being called the Beyonder. As loyalties changed throughout the conflict, Cap battled his wartime comrade Logan, now the X-Man Wolverine. Briefly seizing the Beyonder’s power, Doom wrought havoc, even breaking Cap’s shield, but Doom was defeated and Cap used Battleworld’s unique properties to re-form his beloved weapon through sheer will. The heroes and villains were returned back to Earth.

Death Dodged Again by the Red Skull

Meanwhile, the Red Skull began aging rapidly as the effects of his suspended animation faded, and was determined to die in battle with his oldest enemy. Though Cap was poisoned and tricked to belive Bernie and the Falcon were killed, overwhelming grief and pending death could force Cap to kill the Skull, who thus died of old age rather than in the battle he craved. Cap was soon restored by the Avengers, but none knew Zola had cloned Cap, and transferred the consciousness of the dying Skull into the new body. The Skull allowed Cap to believe he was dead while he remained behind the scenes for months. Later, Cap looked on with pride as his teammate Hawkeye became leader of a separate Avengers branch on the West Coast, and both teams joined Earth’s other heroes in repelling the alien Dire Wraiths’ long-planned all-out invasion. Following clashes with the teleporting criminal mercenary Sidewinder’s Serpent Society, and the radical anti-nationalist Flag-Smasher, Cap confronted the Beyonder, manifested on Earth in human form to gain an understanding of human desires. Cap was dealt a personal blow when Bernie left New York to attend law school, ending their relationship.

The Scourge

Cap next investigated the villain-killing vigilante, the Scourge of the Underworld. The Scourge that Cap captured was himself killed by another, for several Scourges were active in a vigilante program designed by the Angel (Thomas Halloway) but co-opted by the still supposedly dead Red Skull. Another Skull project, the extremist group ULTIMATUM, surfaced with Flag-Smasher as its apparent leader. While battling the terrorists, Cap was forced to shoot an ULTIMATUM agent in order to rescue hostages; despite his victory, he was sickened at having been forced to kill an opponent for the first time since World War II. He was also unsettled by his subsequent losing skirmish with super-strong, glory-hungry rival adventurer Super-Patriot (John Walker).

The Captain

The Captain

Following an attack on Avengers Mansion by Helmut Zemo and his new Masters of Evil, and a conflict with Florida drug-lord the Slug, Cap became an ally of wrestler-turned-adventurer Demolition-Man (or D-Man). The Commission on Superhuman Activities (CSA), manipulated by the still hidden Red Skull, unfairly demanded Cap return to active government duty. Cap, in an echo of his earlier retirement following the Secret Empire debacle, surrendered his Captain America identity and shield rather than risk compromising his integrity via potential government misdeeds. The CSA appointed John Walker as a replacement Captain America, with his sidekick Battlestar (Lemar Hoskins). Rogers formed a mobile crimefighting team with Falcon, Nomad and D-Man and assumed a new costumed identity as the Captain. He adopted a new Adamantium shield provided by Iron Man, but Iron Man’s vigilante crusade to incapacitate armor wearers using his technology set him against the government’s Mandroids and Guardsmen, soldiers defending the nation Rogers still cherished. The Captain returned the shield during an attempt to apprehend Iron Man, the first serious break in their years of friendship.With a Vibranium shield from the Black Panther, Rogers continued his adventures with his fellow travelers. Alongside the Avengers; while battling the Egyptian death god Seth’s forces, he briefly wielded Thor’s hammer, proving his worthiness among only a few privileged to lift the enchanted weapon. When the eastern Avengers roster disbanded soon afterward, Cap led a team of one-time members in halting the High Evolutionary’s worldwide experimentation, then joined D-Man and Battlestar in an assault on ULTIMATUM. D-Man seemingly perished at the organization’s Arctic base, but Cap had little time to grieve as demons overran New York during what was called the “Inferno Crisis”. Cap was allied with various heroes during the fray as a new team of Avengers, while the mutant X-Men ended the unholy invasion. After the Inferno Crisis ended, he and a maddened John Walker were manipulated into battle by the Red Skull, his survival finally revealed. With the Skull’s involvement exposed, the CSA offered Steve the return of his former identity; though Rogers initially declined. He was encouraged to accept by Walker, who subsequently wore a version of the Captain uniform as the USAgent and joined the West Coast Avengers, wielding Cap’s Vibranium shield.

Back in Uniform

While Cap led a reorganization of the Avengers, he became romantically involved with ex-Serpent Society member Diamondback (Rachel Leighton), although their relationship was strained by her continued loyalties to some of her former criminal cohorts.
Hostilities flared between the interstellar Kree and Shi’ar Empires, and their conflict destabilized Earth’s sun. Cap led the Avengers in protecting Earth’s interests and following a series of space adventures that set them against both the Shi’ar Imperial Guard and the Kree Starforce, the Avengers learned all parties had been manipulated by the Kree’s Supreme Intelligence in an effort to advance the Kree race’s evolution via the near-annihilation of the Kree empire. After allegedly 98% of the Kree Empire’s population were killed, Iron Man and other Avengers attempted to kill the Supreme Intelligence despite the protests of Cap, who felt the Earth team had no right to execute an extraterrestrial ruler; although the Intelligence secretly survived, Cap was disturbed by his teammates’ willingness to kill and he took another leave of absence from the team just as D-Man turned up alive.
Back on Earth, Cap’s adventures continued as he was turned into a werewolf for a time, and was attacked by an evil “doppelganger” version of himself, a harbinger of the cosmic “Infinity War” waged against Earth’s superhumans by the tyrannical Magus, an aspect of the artificially constructed man, Adam Warlock.

A Super-Soldier Fatigued

In the wake of his many crises, Cap received the hardest blow yet when he learned that, due to his long years of adrenaline-boosting action, his body had finally overtaxed the Super-Soldier serum’s ability to replenish his augmented physique, threatening paralysis. Knowing further exertion would worsen his condition but unwilling to retire, Cap slowed his deterioration by using various accessories in place of physical feats, eventually taking novice heroes Free Spirit and Jack Flag as apprentices. When his health finally collapsed, Cap used armor provided by Iron Man to overcome paralysis, but his condition continued to deteriorate. Cap, finally resigned to his fate, prepared to succumb to death; but he vanished, and his friends found only his armor.
Although the world believed him dead, Cap had been abducted and cured by Sharon Carter, finally learning she was still alive. She was reluctantly allied with the Red Skull, who believed Cap was the only person able to defeat their mutual enemy Hate-Monger, a Hitler clone who had assimilated the Cosmic Cube’s power and changed the world into one the Skull could never rule. Cap prevented both Hate-Monger and the Skull from using the Cube’s power, while Sharon’s romantic feelings for Cap returned.

Reborn after the Onslaught

When the psionic entity Onslaught threatened the world, Cap and several other heroes seemingly died defeating him. Cap was again reborn, however, as were his friends, on a new Earth in a pocket dimension subconsciously created by Franklin Richards, son of Mr. Fantastic and Invisible Woman. Whether via his own subconscious or not, Cap received a new life with a wife and son, only for it to be exposed as a deception born from the imaginary history Franklin created for him. Counter-Earth also presented him with a readymade nemesis, a duplicate Red Skull, whom he fought with the help of teenage Rikki Barnes, dubbed Bucky. Eventually, Cap and the other Onslaught survivors regained their true memories and returned to Earth, leaving their legend to inspire the remaining heroes on Franklin’s world, which was preserved as Counter-Earth.

When Villains Pose as Heroes

Earth’s reality was not restored for long as Cap led nearly the entire Avengers roster against the ancient sorceress Morgan Le Fay, who changed reality into a medieval world where the Avengers were her warriors, but Cap broke her spell and helped his teammates do the same. They were quickly controlled again by Helmut Zemo, who in Cap’s absence had reorganized the Masters of Evil into a supposed team of heroes, the Thunderbolts. Fortunately, most of the Thunderbolts rebelled against Zemo’s scheme, freeing the Avengers, and eventually finding redemption under Hawkeye’s leadership. During a battle with Hydra, Cap’s indestructible shield was lost in the Atlantic Ocean, and he initially used a duplicate of his triangular wartime shield as a replacement. After defeating the shape-changing alien Skrull called the Sensational Hydra, who had impersonated him to incite panic in the public, Cap obtained a new energy shield. Cap and Iron Man were again at odds when Iron Man used telepathic technology to remove the world’s memories of his true identity, as the Space Phantom had done for Cap years ago, which Cap considered unconscionably intrusive.

Crisis of Kang the Conqueror

Following yet another bout with the Red Skull and his reacquired Cosmic Cube, Cap recovered his original shield. The Avengers and all of Earth faced a series of crises when Kang the Conqueror launched a global assault unequaled by any of his earlier efforts, causing worldwide chaos made worse by competing menaces such as the master of gravity, Graviton, and the giant creature Orrgo. Millions perished, but the Avengers and their allies ultimately routed Kang’s forces, and Cap himself struck down Kang in single combat.

The War on Terror

While fighting terrorists in the US, Cap was again forced to take a life to save others, killing terrorist leader al-Tariq. Hoping to discourage counterattacks on the USA, Cap unmasked before the world to give an individual face to al-Tariq’s death.
When the Avengers helped contain the toxic Red Zone disaster that killed hundreds of Americans, Cap traced the Zone’s creation to US Secretary of Defense Dell Rusk, actually the disguised Red Skull, having infiltrated the government once more. Although his imposture was exposed, another of the Skull’s projects lived on in a new government-backed team of proactive Invaders, with USAgent as field leader. Disgusted by the needless violence of the group’s international activities, Cap was all the more discouraged when Namor joined USAgent’s efforts.
Drawn into more government conspiracies while helping Falcon, Cap encountered his latest Super-Soldier imitator, the Anti-Cap, whom Cap tried but failed to save from further government manipulation. He also grew alienated from Sharon Carter over her involvement with the anti-mutant Project: Contingency. When Thor’s home dimension was threatened by Ragnarok, Cap and Iron Man accompanied him to battle Asgard’s enemies, but Thor ultimately returned them to Earth rather than risk their lives, and he seemingly perished soon afterward. Back on Earth, when a supposedly reformed and no longer disfigured Zemo regained leadership of the Thunderbolts, Cap’s distrust of Zemo helped spark a brutal Avengers-Thunderbolts clash during which Zemo was hideously scarred anew while shielding Captain America.

Disassembled

One of the Avengers’ darkest days arose when Scarlet Witch, insane after years of struggling with her powers, undermined various teammates via her powers, even drawing Cap into an apparent romantic interlude with her, then altered reality itself to send duplicates of the Avengers’ many enemies against them, ending in the apparent deaths of Hawkeye, Vision and others. Following a string of discouraging events for Cap, the apparent murders of both the Red Skull and Nomad were traced to the Winter Soldier, revealed as Bucky. Although Cap broke through Bucky’s brainwashing via the Cosmic Cube, his World War II partner fled. Cap felt more optimistic after he and several other super heroes helped contain a mass breakout of superhuman criminals at the Raft prison; Cap and Iron Man formalized this group as a new Avengers roster, partnering with new Avenger teammates Spider-Man and Wolverine, but the government and SHIELD (now run by the ruthless Maria Hill) distrusted their team.

Casualty of the Civil War

When the US government passed a Superhuman Registration Act (SHRA) requiring all super heroes to register for government service, Iron Man aggressively championed the new law. Cap’s requests for review of the legislation were ignored, and he went rogue rather than hunt down rebellious heroes. A “Civil War” divided the super-hero community as heroes sided either with Iron Man’s government-sanctioned forces or Cap’s underground resistance, the “Secret Avengers.” Zemo’s Thunderbolts worked for Iron Man, but Zemo secretly assisted Cap as well, finally convincing Cap that he had at least some potential to reform; Zemo even restored Cap’s personal mementos, the same ones he had destroyed long ago. During the civil war’s final battle, Cap’s forces were on the verge of victory when he noticed that ordinary emergency workers such as firefighters, paramedics and nurses were siding with Iron Man’s team. Horrified at the realization that the common people opposed his position, Cap opted to end the destructive conflict by surrendering to the authorities. Most of the anti-registration movement soon collapsed without his leadership. Following his arrest, a scheme orchestrated by the Red Skull, Arnim Zola, Dr. Faustus and others culminated with Cap’s assassination by a brainwashed Sharon Carter, who shot him at point-blank range.

Back in Time

While the world believed Captain America had been killed, the shot fired by Sharon actually flung him out of sync with time, causing him to relive moments from his past. While Cap was believed dead, Bucky assumed the guise of Captain America. The Red Skull finally engineered his master plan to bring Cap back to the present, but with his mind controlling Cap’s body; however, Rogers defeated the Red Skull within his mind and drove him from his body. Finding Bucky had adjusted to his new role, Rogers encouraged him to continue as Captain America, though Rogers briefly resumed his role as Cap to lead the Avengers against Norman Osborn, the insane arch-criminal given charge of his own “Avengers” and the Initiative, the USA’s superhuman task force, after playing on public perception of himself. During Osborn’s siege against the Asgardians, Cap’s forces publicly defeated him and exposed him as a dangerous madman. Rogers accepted the president’s offer to replace Osborn as the new executive in charge of America’s super-heroes.

Thor (Thor Odinson)

Universe
Real Name
Thor Odinson
Aliases
Donald M. Blake, God of Thunder, Son of Odin, the Thunderer, Lord of Asgard, Jake Olson, Sigurd Jarlson, Donar, Donner, Hloriddi, Unhappy Hrungnir’s Playmate, Veur, Hrodr’s Foe-Man, Longbeard’s Son, Vingthor the Hurler, Siegfried, Siegmund, "Woe-King"; impersonated Hercules, Harokin, Freya; formerly bound to Eric Masterson
Identity
(As Donald Blake) secret
Citizenship
Asgard; honorary US citizen
Place of Birth
A cave in Norway

Son of Asgard and Son of Midgard

Young Thor and Loki

Thor is one of several powerful ancient beings who dwell in a magical realm called Asgard. Through history, these beings have been revered and worshiped as gods. Ages ago, Odin, lord of the Asgardian gods, desired a child who would one day exceed him in power. Odin wooed Gaea, the earth goddess, and from their union Thor was born in a small cave in Norway on Earth. Odin took him to be raised in Asgard by his wife, Frigga.The young Thor grew up alongside his adopted brother Loki, the trickster, who was always jealous of his more favored sibling. Thor grew in power and popularity and on his eighth birthday, Odin had the hammer Mjolnir created for him, enchanting it with powerful magic. Odin decreed that Mjolnir would be presented to Thor when his son had been proven a worthy warrior. After spending the next eight years training and performing heroic deeds, Thor was given the hammer and declared the greatest warrior in Asgard.

A Lesson in Humility

Donald Blake and Jane Foster

While Thor continued to engage in many heroic battles and adventures through the years, he grew headstrong and proud. On one occasion, Thor broke a truce between the Asgardians and their enemies, the brutal Frost Giants, nearly starting a war. To teach his son a lesson in humility, Odin sent Thor to Earth in the mortal body of a crippled medical student, Donald Blake. Stripped of his hammer, his powers and memories of being an Asgardian, Thor, as Blake, graduated medical school with top honors, gained a reputation as a caring family doctor and a brilliant surgeon, and opened a private practice in New York City. He worked beside a caring and skillful nurse, Jane Foster, and the two fell in love.After 10 years on Earth, Blake received a subconscious prodding from Odin to vacation in Norway where alien Kronans were preparing to invade Earth. Fleeing into a cave (which, unbeknownst to him, was also his birthplace) Blake discovered a plain walking cane in a secret chamber. When Blake struck the cane against a boulder, he transformed into Thor while the cane became Mjolnir. Thor fought against the Kronans and their invasion was thwarted. Tapping the ground with Mjolnir, Thor was able to transform back into Don Blake, holding the simple wooden cane once again.
Blake returned to New York, using his secret identity of Thor to fight crime, defend Earth and contend with the jealous and hateful Loki, who plagued Thor with many devious tricks and outright confrontation. One such trick led Thor and other heroes, including Ant-Man (Hank Pym), the Wasp (Janet van Dyne), and Iron Man (Tony Stark) to fight the Hulk (Bruce Banner). Learning of Loki’s manipulations, the heroes, along with the Hulk, bested Loki and agreed to continue their partnership, forming the Avengers.
While Thor faced many struggles as an Avenger, his personal life as a human was also tumultuous. Despite the sincere love between Blake and Foster, Odin was displeased by the relationship between a god and a mortal. He forbade Blake from revealing his identity to her, creating a strange love triangle between Foster, Thor and Thor’s alter-ego, Blake.

Whole Mind, Broken Heart

Even though Donald Blake knew he was the legendary Thor, he still lacked his full memories from his former life as an Asgardian. However, over time his memories slowly returned, until one day Odin finally revealed himself and restored Thor’s complete memory. Odin also admitted his role orchestrating Blake’s trip to Norway to discover his Asgardian alter-ego. Thor was reintroduced to his childhood friend and former lover, the Asgardian warrior Sif, further complicating Thor’s love life on Earth.
The love affair between Thor and Jane Foster eventually ended when Foster fell in love with a mortal man, Dr. Keith Kincaid. Resuming their ancient romance, Sif and Thor were betrothed, and Sif lived on Earth posing as Donald Blake’s cousin. Foster and Kincaid married, but wedding plans were cancelled for Thor, as Sif grew bored with his time spent as Blake, and returned to Asgard.

The Worthy Alien

File:MikeFichera--Thor-and-BetaRay.jpgThe fire demon Surtur, enemy of the Asgardian gods, ravaged a distant galaxy (the "Burning Galaxy") for the sake of forging his Twilight Sword, the "Sword of Doom." A fleet of survivors of the galactic massacre from the planet Korbin traveled the cosmos in search of a new home, under the protection of their noble guardian, Beta Ray Bill. As the fleet ventured close to Earth, Thor mistook them for a threat and attacked the Korbinites. Separated from Mjolnir, Thor reverted into Donald Blake, while Beta Ray Bill retrieved and wielded the hammer, magically unliftable to all but the most worthy. With Donald Blake helpless and defeated, Bill made a claim to keep the hammer to help him fight back against Surtur’s demons. Odin had Thor and Beta Ray Bill compete for the right to use the hammer and Beta Ray Bill won, but Odin awarded him with a similar weapon, Stormbreaker, rather than disarm his son. Once Thor, Bill, and Sif defeated Surtur’s demons, Odin transferred the enchantment that changed Thor into Donald Blake onto Stormbreaker, so that Bill could revert to his mortal form. Thor, therefore, abandoned his Donald Blake identity, and resided in Asgard. He and Bill still successfully teamed together to vanquish Surtur when the demon led an assault against Asgard and Earth. Afterward, Bill departed with his people to find a new home.
After commuting back and forth from Asgard to Earth to continue his heroic adventures with humans, Thor sought help from Nick Fury, director of the spy agency S.H.I.E.L.D., to create another human identity to enable him to live among humans. A new alias was created, that of construction worker Sigurd Jarlson. However, Thor infrequently used the guise, consumed by his adventures as Thor.

The Fall of Odin

After being defeated by Thor and Beta Ray Bill, the vengeful Surtur made an alliance with the Dark Elves of Svartalfheim (one of the realms of Asgard) to war against the Asgardian gods. Thor, Loki, and Odin protected Asgard by merging their spiritual essences together, thereby increasing their powers. However, the battle could not be won until Odin sacrificed himself for Asgard, seemingly dying as he grappled Surtur and plummeted into a huge chasm. With Asgard left without a leader, Loki schemed for ways to assume power. Working in collusion with Loki, the Asgardian goddess Lorelei (a notorious seductress like her sister Amora the Enchantress), cast a spell on Thor causing him to fall in love with her in hopes that he would then help Loki become the new ruler. Thor broke free of the enchantment, but the incident strained Thor's relationship with Sif, who still loved the thunder-god.
As the gods of Asgard performed the "Great Althing," a ceremony to choose a new leader to replace Odin, Loki continued to scheme to seize Asgard’s throne for himself. He incapacitated Thor by turning him into a frog on Earth. As a heroic amphibian, Thor became embroiled in a battle between the frogs and the rats of Central Park, New York, until he turned into a frog-like humanoid upon finding his hammer. Meanwhile in Asgard, Harokin, an Asgardian warrior, pretended to be Thor so as to cast his vote for Loki. Thor captured Loki and Thor’s friend Volstagg returned him to his normal form. Thor was offered his father’s seat, but declined the throne, nominating Balder as Asgard’s new leader.

Kursed

File:MikeFichera--Kurse-vs-Thor.jpgA Dark Elf named Algrim the Strong defended his ruler, Malekith the Accursed, from Thor when the thunder-god attempted to rescue Lorelei from capture. Malekith dropped both Thor and Algrim into a chasm towards molten lava. While Thor escaped, Algrim was badly burned and left an amnesiac with nothing but vengeance against Thor on his mind. The near-omnipotent being called the Beyonder, curious about human desires, transformed Algrim into Kurse, healing his injuries, augmented his strength, and remodeling his armor. Kurse wreaked havoc searching for Thor in Manhattan. Assisted by the junior super-team Power Pack, Thor defeated Kurse, reawakening his memories in the process. Kurse realized it was Malekith, not Thor, who caused his fall, and redirected his anger. At Thor’s request, the Beyonder sent Kurse to Hel to find Malektih, where Hela, the Asgardian death goddess, grew furious with Kurse’s rampage through her realm. Kurse eventually found Malekith in Asgard and slew him. In retaliation, Hela cursed Thor such that his bones became brittle, yet he was prevented from dying from his injuries. Humiliated but determined to remain a warrior to the end, Thor donned a suit of battle armor to support his fragile body.
Loki took this opportunity to release the Midgard Serpent, the beast prophesized to kill Thor and start Ragnarok, the apocalyptic end of the Asgardians. Despite his weakened condition, Thor was able to kill the Midgard Serpent and, thanks to Hela’s curse, Thor survived the battle although his body was completely broken and battered. Loki then sent the enchantedDestroyer, an animated indestructible suit of armor, to torment Thor but instead, Thor managed to send his spirit into the Destroyer armor and take command of it. He traveled to Hel in the Destroyer and began wreaking havoc. The desperate Hela had no choice but to fully restore Thor’s original body and release him from her curse.

Odin Returns

After a battle between Asgard and the Egyptian god of death, Seth, which resulted in Odin triumphantly returned to the throne of Asgard, Thor began to suffer sudden and momentary bouts of weakness during times of stress. Travelling within Thor’s mind, Doctor Stephen Strange the Sorcerer Supreme, discovered an evil version of Thor present, derived from Loki’s evil residue which had manifested when Thor, Loki, and Odin had mingled their essences to battle Surtur. Thor defeated his evil alternate version within himself.
Thor, in his civilian identity of Jarlson, had become friends with the architect Eric Masterson and his son, Kevin. Eric was kidnapped by Mongoose (a superhuman agent of the powerful scientist, the High Evolutionary) who had previously attacked Thor, attempting to gain a cell sample. Thor tracked Eric to the High Evolutionary’s European base at Mount Wundagore, where Mongoose led the animalistic residents to attack. Freeing Eric, Thor learned that the High Evolutionary and the Greek demigod Hercules were missing. Accompanied by Eric, Thor rescued Hercules and the High Evolutionary from the ancient galactic entities, the Celestials, in the Black Galaxy. Upon returning to Earth, they were again attacked by the Mongoose, and Eric blocked a blast of energy meant for Thor, giving Thor and Hercules a chance to defeat Mongoose.

Eric Masterson

With Eric dying from Mongoose’s attack, Thor pleaded with Odin for aid on Eric’s behalf. Odin reluctantly agreed to save him, but did so by merging Thor and Masterson together, body and soul.
Thor and Eric shared a body in the same manner in which Donald Blake and Thor had, although the latter two were never truly separate beings. They dealt with their new condition, despite the problems it caused for Eric's private life and custody of his son. Thor continued his adventures, plagued by Loki. Eventually, the two’s bodies were separated by a Celestial while they were involved in the birth of a new Celestial in the Black Galaxy. During a tremendous battle between the fiery Surtur and the frost giant Ymir, a battle that signaled Ragnarok and the end of the Asgardians, Thor recovered Surtur's powerful sword from the Sea of Eternal Night to oppose the elemental giants. Weakened by his separation from Masterson, Thor was easily stopped by Surtur and Ymir, but Masterson willingly merged with Thor again, even though it meant giving up part of his life. While Ymir and Surtur fought over the sword, Thor opened a dimensional rift that sucked them both into the Sea of Eternal Night, ending the threat of Ragnarok.
When Thor returned to Earth, he quickly found himself in battle with Loki over the fate of Kevin Masterson. Although Thor defeated Loki, the trickster fired one last blast at Kevin and his mother Marcy, but it was blocked by Eric’s secretary, Susan Austin, killing her. Angered as never before, Thor absorbed all of Loki's lifeforce with his hammer, seemingly destroying the evil god forever, despite breaking Odin's sacred rule forbidding Asgardian gods from killing each other.
However, this was all according to Loki’s plan with the Hell-lord Mephisto. Loki’s spirit was able to possess Odin while Odin’s spirit was sent to Mephisto’s realm in exchange. Posing as Odin, Loki exiled Thor into Eric’s subconscious mind, though Eric could still assume Thor's form after striking his cane. Loki’s decrees while in Odin’s body became increasingly irrational and oppressive. Eric, Balder and Sif discovered Loki’s deception and rescued Odin and reclaimed his body from Loki. Mephisto seized Loki’s soul, allegedly his true goal. Eric then freed Thor’s spirit from within himself. For Eric’s courageous efforts, Odin granted him an enchanted uru mace. Still able to transform into a version of Thor, Eric adopted a new separate heroic identity, Thunderstrike.

Warrior's Madness and the End of Asgard

With the frequent shifting of identities between godly and human forms, and the sharing of his power, Thor was left mentally unbalanced for a time. Sif began to suspect Thor was falling prey to the incurable "Warrior’s Madness" and, along with Beta Ray Bill, Silver Surfer, and the self-appointed guardians of the universe, the Infinity Watch, she confronted Thor. During the conflict, Thor stole one of the most powerful artifacts in the universe, the Power Gem, becoming power incarnate. The heroes elicited the help of the wicked mad titan, Thanos, believing only he could stop Thor. Restrained, Thor was taken to Odin, who discovered the truth behind the malady after a spiritual journey through his son’s mind. Thor fought the personification of his own madness, that of a beautiful Valkyrie (handmaiden of Odin), and destroyed it.This experience sparked Thor’s anger at his father regarding his discipline of humility. He left Asgard, allying with the High Evolutionary and his newly created godlike beings, the Godpack. In the meantime, Odin decided that the time had come for Ragnarok to begin, and he needed Thor. Disowning Thor, Odin resurrected Red Norvell, who once held the mantle of thunder god but had died in battle, and re-made him into a new "Thor." Odin also divulged the truth to his son about Donald Blake, that he and Thor were never separate beings. Thor became enraged and severed his ties with Asgard.
Odin hoped to bypass Ragnarok by transforming the Asgardian gods into mortals, but his plan was hijacked by the Egyptian god Seth, and put it into action prematurely. Asgard fell, and its gods were banished to Earth. Odin hoped Thor would restore the gods to power, but before he could, Thor fell in battle with the psychic entity, Onslaught. Thor vanished, along with the Avengers and other heroes, but, was merely reborn to another dimension, Counter-Earth. He eventually returned through the reality altering power of the boy Franklin Richards, son of the Fantastic Four’s Mr. Fantastic and the Invisible Woman.

A God Reborn

When Thor returned, he discovered Asgard had been claimed held captive by the cruel Dark Gods (beings formerly banished by the Asgardians to the farthest reaches of the universe). They sent the Destroyer to Earth on a rampage, leaving the Avengers defeated and Thor nearly dead. The mysterious being named Marnot (secretly Hescamar, one of Odin’s magical ravens) offered to restore Thor in exchange for taking the place of Jake Olsen, a paramedic who died during the battle. Thor agreed, fighting the Destroyer again and banishing it to another dimension. Thor found he could transform between himself and Olsen, although he had none of Olsen’s memories, making it difficult to maintain two identities.
The Dark Gods, in the guise of Asgardians, attacked Olympus and left it in ruins. Thor and Hercules uncovered the truth and led the battle against the Dark Gods, eventually freeing both Asgard and Olympus, restoring them to glory. Marnot revealed that the Dark Gods had once invaded Asgard ages ago, and Odin had prepared an enchantment on Hescamar to seek out a way to defeat the Dark Gods should they return. The raven fulfilled this by transforming into Marnot and helping Thor. Afterwards, Thor remained on Earth with his dual identity of Jake Olsen.

Tarene and the Throne of Asgard

Among his subsequent adventures, Thor rescued a woman named Tarene, a cosmic being also known as the Designate. She later took on the identity of Thor Girl out of admiration of Thor. Thor and Thor Girl battled the time-travelling Gladiator (Kallark), who vowed to destroy Thor in a preemptive strike to prevent a terrible horror that he believed Thor would inflict in the future.
While Thor failed to defend Asgard against an army of monstrous Asgardian trolls during one of Odin’s "Odinsleeps" (a time when Odin recharges his energy and is left vulnerable), Odin punished Thor, stripping him of his immortality and left him on Earth. Shortly afterward, Loki (who had escaped Mephisto’s captivity) brought the Destroyer back to Earth, animating it with the soul of Tarene. Ultimately, the Destroyer was thwarted and Tarene was restored, but during the battle, Thor was severely wounded. Dr. Jane Foster tended to Jake Olsen's wounds but was unable to treat Thor's. Odin brought Thor to Asgard and physically separated Thor from his alter ego to allow Thor to heal while Jake Olsen was returned to his life on Earth.
Later on, Surtur appeared on Earth and an assemblage of Asgardian heroes and allies confronted the demon and its hordes. Tarene used her powers to restore Thor to full health, joining with Odin and the Asgardian warriors against Surtur. In the end, Odin tapped into both Thor and Tarene's powers to deliver a fatal blow against Surtur, but sacrificed himself in the process.
In mourning the loss of his father, Thor initially refused to take Odin's place. Eventually a discussion with Jake Olsen convinced Thor to accept the responsibilities of the new monarch of Asgard. Thor did so, gaining his father’s might, the "Odinpower," as a right of rule.

The Reigning

Thor decided to restore the gods of Asgard to their former role on Earth, guiding humanity’s affairs. He did this by bringing Asgard directly into the Earth dimension. Worship of the Asgardians flourished, with many branches of the Church of Thor established around the world. Defending his followers, Thor was pitted against the Avengers, and broke ties with the team of heroes. Later on, Earth’s citizens became wary of Thor and launched an assault upon Asgard, reducing it to rubble. Thor then devoted himself to conquering Earth and for nearly two hundred years, he ruled the planet. Eventually, he recognized how unjust he had become, and travelled back in time to prevent his younger self from becoming a despot, merging him with Jake Olson to ensure he retained some humanity. Thus, his future as a tyrant was prevented (diverged into a separate timeline called Reality-3515, "the Reigning").

Ragnarok

Almost immediately after restoring Asgard to its own realm away from Earth, Thor was attacked by Loki and his armies, who had teamed with Surtur to create weapons for Thor’s enemies, forged in the same way as Mjolnir. The fight for Asgard escalated into Ragnarok. Although Thor managed to defeat Loki, severing his head, the war left many of Thor’s allies dead, including Sif and his friends "the Warriors Three." Thor forced Surtur to re-forge Mjolnir, which had shattered during the battle. While Asgard succumbed to Ragnarok, effectively wiping the Asgardian world from existence, Thor sought out the gods known as Those Who Sit Above In Shadow, who gained power from repeating Ragnarok and Asgardian rebirth throughout history. Thor refused an offer to join them. Confronting them in battle, Thor destroyed Those Who Sit Above In Shadow as Asgard died. The Odinpower congratulated Thor on succeeding at his greatest mission. Thor then closed his eyes, apparently joining his people in death.

A Hammer Falls: A New Beginnings

File:MikeFichera--Don-to-Thor-2008.jpgShortly following Ragnarok, Mjolnir sped through the cosmos and landed on Earth, releasing a blast of light. This signaled the return of Thor and the Asgardians. Thor had been residing in a limbo-like dimension since Ragnarok where he was visited by his Donald Blake aspect. Blake encouraged Thor to return to life and recreate Asgard, observing that with Those Who Sit Above in Shadow vanquished, the Asgardians could finally chart their own destiny rather than repeatedly face Ragnarok through time. Thor agreed and used the Odinpower to restore Asgard as a floating city hovering over the town of Broxton, Oklahoma. Once again, Thor and Blake shared their existence and Blake resumed his work as a physician. The rest of the gods were reborn in mortal guises, but Thor quickly located them and restored them to normal. Unfortunately, Thor was tricked into releasing Loki and other villainous Asgardians as well. Loki again sowed discord, revealing Balder was Odin’s son, a secret kept from Balder himself. He also manipulated Thor into slaying his own grandfather, Bor, and spurred Balder into claiming the throne of Asgard and exiling Thor. However, when Norman Osborn (the crafty but mentally unstable criminal known as the Green Goblin), then leader of the US peace-keeping forces, schemed with Loki to invade Asgard with his Avengers team and super-human armies, Thor defended Asgard. Loki switched sides after Osborn’s supremely powerful pawn, the Sentry (Robert Reynolds), threatened to destroy both Earth and Asgard. The mad Sentry slew Loki but was ultimately defeated by Thor, and Osborn’s forces were also defeated with the aid of Thor’s comrades from the true Avengers. Under the leadership of Steve Rogers (formerly Captain America), Osborn’s Avengers were disbanded, and a new Avengers team, including Thor, was forged.

Hulk (Bruce Banner)

Real Name
Robert Bruce Banner
Aliases
Annihilator, Captain Universe, Joe Fixit, Mr. Fixit, Mechano, Professor, War, Bruce Bancroft, David Banner, David Bixby, Bob Danner, Bruce Jones, Bruce Roberts, David Blaine, the Green Scar, Green Goliath, Jade Giant, Bob, World-breaker, Sakaarson
Identity
Publicly known
Citizenship
U.S.A.
Place of Birth
Dayton, Ohio

"Caught in the blast of gamma radiation, brilliant scientist Bruce Banner is cursed to transform in times of stress into the living engine of destruction known as THE INCREDIBLE HULK. "

Childhood Trauma

Robert Bruce Banner was the son of an alcoholic who deeply hated him. Banner's mother showed much affection for her child, who returned her love, but this only served to fuel his father's rage. Dr. Brian Banner was an atomic physicist who worked on producing clean nuclear power as an energy source, but he was afraid his exposure to it mutated his son's genes. Bruce showed signs of high intelligence at an early age which strengthened his father's belief. Brian became abusive to Bruce and when his mother intervened, Brian murdered her. He frightened Bruce to keep quiet, but his own bragging landed him in a psychiatric institute.
As a child Bruce was withdrawn, possibly developing a split personality to help deal with his pain and rage. His only happiness came from spending time with his cousin Jennifer Walters. Bruce found it hard to develop friendships and often found himself on the receiving end of physical abuse at the hands of school bullies. One such incident sparked him to build and plant a bomb in the basement of his school. The bomb was a dud, and Bruce was expelled, but the military took notice of his genius. Eventually, Bruce earned a doctorate in nuclear physics and started a career with them.

Man or Monster

File:Acotilletta2--Hulk beginning 2.jpgSupervising the trial of an experimental gamma bomb that he designed for the U.S. Defense Department at a nuclear research facility in New Mexico, Bruce selflessly rushed to the rescue of an ignorant teenager who had wandered onto the testing field as the countdown ticked inexorably toward zero. After shoving young Rick Jonesto safety in a nearby ditch, Bruce was struck full-force by the bomb blast. He survived, but was irradiated by the deadly gamma energy.
At first, Banner would transform into the brutish gray Hulk only at sunset, and revert to human form at dawn. Eventually, his changes into the childlike green Hulk came to be triggered by the release of adrenaline when he was intensely excited, no matter what time of day. The green Hulk possesses little of Banner's memory and intelligence, and is easily enraged; making him a menace to society.
Since Banner's initial transformation into the Hulk, military forces commanded by the implacable General Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross – Bruce's one-time benefactor – have hunted him continually. Hulk continued to make more enemies within the military such as Major Glenn Talbot as he and Bruce constantly competed for the affections of Ross' daughter, Betty.
For a short time, Banner successfully treated his condition with radiation and was able to maintain enough of his own personality when he became the Hulk to control himself in that form. Subsequently, he earned the government's favor by destroying the alien Metal Master and received a presidential pardon.

Friends and Foes

A founding member of the Avengers

Not long after Hulk was baited into a trap by the Asgardian trickster, Loki, into destroying a train trestle. This would lead to the first instance where Hulk became a team player. Beside the occasional group endeavors, Hulk has teamed-up with many others that didn't think he was so bad. Spider-Man, Power Man and Iron Fist have partnered with Hulk on several occasions. Even brutes like the Thing and scrappers like Wolverine identified with Hulk and have allied with him almost as many times as they've fought against him. Not only has Hulk befriended those in the super-hero community, but he has managed to form bonds with regular people such as"Crackajack" Jackson and Jim Wilson.Unfortunately for the Hulk, there are many who used his limited intelligence against him and attempted to manipulate him for their own selfish means. Vile menaces like the Leader, Tyrannus, and Captain Omen. When Hulk proved to be too hard to control, they sent their minions like Aquon and Mogol to confront him physically. Enemies came in all shapes and sizes, ranging in power levels. From mere humans like Devastator, to evolved beings like the Inheritor, to monstrous powerhouses like Glob, Hulk always found a way to prevail – even against those who masqueraded as friends such as his old physics professor, Geoffrey Crawford – later known as Ravage.

Multiple Personality Disorder

Gamma-powered psychiatrist Leonard "Doc" Samson captured the Hulk and successfully separated Banner and his alter ego. Without Banner's psyche to restrain him, the Hulk became a greater danger than ever before. Realizing there was only one way to reign in the Hulk, Banner agreed to merge with the monster. But the stress of the re-integration fractured Banner's subconscious, creating the street-smart gray Hulk. During this time, he spent several years in Las Vegas, sometimes operating as an enforcer calling himself Mr. Fixit (or "Joe Fixit.") The smart-mouth Fixit was an ill-tempered, wise-cracking, thuggish brute whose personality resembled that of his father and the fraternity boys who surrounded him in college. It was also at this time that Joe Fixit began his a short-lived relationship with the future wife of Rick Jones, Marlo Chandler. In this state of the Hulk, Banner again found himself changing into the Hulk at night and into his human form in the light of the day.
Soon after, the swirling mess of persona and mentalities took their toll on the ever-flustered mind of Dr. Banner, and a battle for supremacy and control took place in Banner's subconscious. With assistance by the Ringmaster and his hypnotic abilities, Doc Samson tapped into the subconscious of Banner and reached his separate incarnations. Through this hypnosis, Banner, the green Hulk, and the grey Fixit all aligned to face their true inner demons-- Banner's unresolved issues with his abusive father and the murderer of his mother. With this realization, Banner was able to fuse these mentalities together, finding peace of mind. However, a green but intelligent version of the Hulk emerged. He had the mentality of Dr. Banner but the body and abilities of the Hulk – later nicknamed the Professor. Although Banner had his dominant personalities merged together, there were a number of other personas running through his mind including that of a "Devil-Hulk."

Pantheon

Trial of Agamemnon

It was during this time the Professor was recruited into the Pantheon, a group determined to end war, famine and pestilence on the Earth. His exploits with the team ranged from posing as gangsters in Las Vegas, taking down individuals like the enigmatic Mr. Frost, to renewing old grudges with powerful foes such as Madmanwhile forming new enemies as the amphibious android, Piecemeal, to battling enemies from beyond the stars. During this time, Hulk also traveled forward in time and met his future self, the Maestro. However, once it was discovered Agamemnon, immortal founder of the Pantheon, betrayed them to an alien race called theTroyjans, Hulk quit the group. Sometime later, the Pantheon was hired by Henry Gyrich to capture the Hulk, but they secretly wanted him to join their ranks again. They faked the Hulk's death as a show of good faith, but he still declined their invitation.

Harmless to Horseman

As War

When Dr. Banner realized he must once again keep his temper in check, he triggered a fail-safe within his subconscious. Any time he let his rage loose, the mentality of the savage green Hulk would soon take over, albeit in the form of Banner's human body. Without the strength of the Hulk and filled with the Green Goliath's rage and belief of his old abilities, he proved to be a great danger only to himself. This was, however, not to last. During the assault of the being known as Onslaught, the Hulk asked Jean Grey to let the green Hulk loose from its mental prison in order to use his maximum potential and abilities to defeat the menace. In a strange twist, Banner became divided. Half physically went away to a parallel world created upon Onslaught's defeat, where he once again became the savage green Hulk. The other half that remained on Earth was a cold, somewhat unfeeling but intelligible version of the jade monster. This version of the Hulk also found himself allied with Apocalypse (En Sabah Nur), who made Hulk into War – one of his Four Horsemen. This only lasted until War injured Rick Jones, and Hulk's guilt rejected Apocalypse's programming.

Devastating Loss

The surly version of the Hulk remained in this state, never changing until much later when the two Hulk fragments re-merged, and Banner and Hulk split their time and existence. The Maestro returned after absorbing enough radiation to re-form his body after suffering a previous defeat from Hulk, but was beaten again. He reestablished a connection to his wife, Betty, but was left a broken man after her death due to radiation poisoning. Banner blamed himself, believing it was Betty's prolonged exposure to him that caused her death, but he discovered the Abomination had injected her with his radioactive blood. Hulk would later bludgeon his archenemy into a bloody pulp, nearly killing him.

Planet Hulk

After the events of the M-Day, Banner sought refuge and peace in Alaska, where he lived as a hermit loosely connected to the town community. He was eventually tracked down by Nick Fury of S.H.I.E.L.D., who required his help in defeating the Hydra space weapon called the Godseye which could detonate all the nuclear bombs in the world. Sent up as the Hulk, he discovered that the Godseye was actually a rogue S.H.I.E.L.D. weapon that could match the strength of any enemy. In the ensuing battle, the Godseye found that though it could try, it could not match the increasing power of the Hulk, and it exploded.
A S.H.I.E.L.D. commissioned space shuttle was sent to retrieve the Hulk, or so he believed. Seizing the opportunity to be rid of the Hulk, a group of superheroes known as the Illuminati decided to jettison the shuttle into space, to a planet with no intelligent life forms. Unfortunately, there was a navigation error, and the Hulk landed on Sakaar, a place full of barbarian tribes, gladiator battles and ruled over by a corrupt empire. The planet was situated near a portal, which gave it access to several different cultures and technologies. The trip made him vulnerable, and it wasn't long before he was subjugated by the Red King. Hulk was forced to fight, but he eventually brought peace to the savage planet.

 Hulk was proclaimed the Green King, and all those on Sakaar worshiped him and his Queen, Caiera. She told her king that she would bear him a child, and it seemed that the Hulk's life of running and fighting was over. However, the Hulk was not destined for a happy ending as the ship that brought him to that world soon exploded, seemingly killing both his wife and unborn child sending Banner into a rage like no other. He and his Warbound journeyed to Earth seeking revenge on the planet's heroes for their part in Sakaar's destruction.

World War Hulk

Once they arrived, the Hulk crushed Black Bolt on Attilan and took the city of New York as his battleground. Iron Man, Mister Fantastic and Doctor Strange all fell before the Hulk and his Warbound too. Even old sparring partners such as the X-Men as well as new threats like the Gamma Corps couldn't even slow the Hulk's rampage. Iron Man called upon the combined power of various satellites to finally put an end to Hulk's war. Banner was taken into S.H.I.E.L.D. custody and was placed three miles below the Mojave Desert. The Warbound was also placed in S.H.I.E.L.D. custody, but they escaped after saving New York from being split in half by an expanding chasm the Hulk created.

The Coming of the Red Hulk

While Banner was incarcerated at Gamma Base, a new mystery revealed itself when long-time Hulk foe, the Abomination, was found murdered in his homeland of Russia. A team comprised of Iron Man, General Ross, Samson, She-Hulk and Commander Maria Hill went to investigate only to determine the only suspect that could have done this was the Hulk. The perpetrator soon revealed himself on a S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier, and it was indeed a massive creature referring to itself as the Red Hulk. This new incarnation of the Hulk decimated the likes of She-Hulk, Iron Man, Thor, and even Rick Jones in his new powered up identity named A-Bomb. Banner was set free when the conflict between the Red Hulk and A-Bomb caused a big enough earthquake to damage his prison. The potential threat to Banner's life triggered his transformation into the Green Goliath, and the Hulk wasted no time in confronting his new nemesis. The Hulk was caught unprepared for the Red Hulk's fighting style. He was defeated in their first meeting - suffering a broken arm in the process - but the outcome was much different during their second clash. The Hulk found a potential weakness in the Red Hulk and exploited it. Once the Red Hulk was beaten, the Hulk left before he could find out the Red Hulk's true identity. However, Banner had been spending his time trying to track down the Red Hulk before he can do anymore damage. On his journey, Banner ended up in Las Vegas where the Hulk had to team up with Sentry, Ms. Marvel, Moon Knight and even Brother Voodoo to quell a pack of Wendigos from devouring everyone inside a casino.

Defenders / Offenders War

Grandmaster's Defenders

Collector's Offenders

The Grandmaster came to Hulk with a proposition: if Hulk chose to participate in a game and won, Grandmaster would bring his love, Jarella, back to life. Hulk agreed and was told he could pick a group of allies to aid him in the game. Hulk chose his former teammates in the Defenders:Namor, Doctor Strange, and Silver Surfer. When the time came to meet their opponents, the Collector appeared with the Red Hulk, and his team: Baron Mordo, Terrax and Tiger Shark - now known as the Offenders. With the game underway, a member of each team was paired up on separate battlefields, but each couple was too evenly matched. In an unexpected turn of events, the Red Hulk impaled the Hulk on a trident, killing him. Grandmaster would eventually resurrect the Hulk to attend to an out of control Red Hulk, but he would still be left broken-hearted over the loss of his beloved Jarella – much to the satisfaction of his red nemesis.

Fall of the Hulks

Banner became a captive of M.O.D.O.K. and the Intelligencia, and quartet of heroes attempted to infiltrate the underground base to free him. They uncovered that at the end of Hulk's war with the heroes of Earth, the satellites Stark used to end the Hulk's rampage were hacked into by M.O.D.O.K. for the sole purpose of interfacing with Banner's irradiated cells. With this information, and the help of a seemingly traitorous General Ross, M.O.D.O.K. intended to create an army of gamma-powered soldiers. They already caused Doc Samson to develop an evil split personality, transformed Rick Jones into the monstrous A-Bomb, and created the Red Hulk. When Samson turned on his group and attacked She-Hulk, leaving Ben Urich and Peter Parker to fend for themselves against the Red Hulk, an enraged Banner released his alter-ego to save them. The battle between the Hulks left the base in ruins, but it appeared it would be the last time these behemoths would ever clash again. The Red Hulk used his power to absorb radiation to drain Hulk dry, leaving Banner unable to ever transform into the Green Goliath again. Taking Hulk out of the equation so soon wasn't initially part of the plan, but that was only the start of the Intelligencia's master stroke.

World War Hulks

Hulks strike back

Unable to summon his incredible strength to combat his foes, Banner had to rely mainly on his son, Skaar, to do as he was told. Skaar had come to Earth to kill his father but without Hulk around, he wound up aiding Banner. Amadeus Cho, She-Hulk, A-Bomb, his recently discovered daughter, Lyra, and a bevy of other heroes were also working with Banner to defeat the Intelligencia. An unforeseeable event occurred when the Intelligencia put their plan in motion and transformed an army ofA.I.M. soldiers into Hulks and marched them into the nation's capitol – the ray used to transform the soldiers also created "Hulked-Out Heroes." Following a chaotic battle, Banner and the rest of the world's smartest men managed to revert the all of the Hulks and M.O.D.O.K. back to normal humans, but the cost was too high. The radiation taken from the soldiers' bodies was brought back to the Intelligencia's ship, the Hellcarrier, but its machinery couldn't contain it for long. The only thing on the planet able to absorb it all was Banner. Samson attempted to help undo some of the damage he caused and sacrificed himself in the process. Immediately following the absorption process, Banner became the Hulk once again, and Skaar was finally going to get the fight he'd been longing for. During the brawl Skaar accidentally placed several innocents at risk. Hulk saved their lives, proving he wasn't the monster Skaar or Banner made him out to be. Father and son finally reconciled and decided to act as a family.

Dark Son

With the threat of the Intelligencia behind him Banner began to make amends with his makeshift family, but Betty wanted no part of it. The more Bruce pushed the more she spurned his advances and eventually transformed into her Red She-Hulk persona and vaulted away. Banner followed suit and pursued as the Hulk which only led to a clash titanic enough to grab the attention of Steve Rogers and his Avengers. It was at this time Hulk discovered he had another son – Skaar’s twin brother,Hiro-Kala, who was racing toward Earth with the planet K’ai in tow. The Hulk took his family into space to stop Hiro-Kala before the planets collided, killing everyone on both. While Hulk’s allies dealt with Hiro-Kala’s forces, Hulk confronted his son with the hope he could reason with him. He soon found out his second son was evil and cruel, and the only thing he understood was violence. Still, Hulk could not bring himself to kill his own flesh and blood, so Skaar sealed Hiro-Kala in a rock tomb, leaving him imprisoned on K’ai for the foreseeable future. K’ai was brought back to its point of origin, the Microverse, by Arcturus Rann and the Enigma Force.

Total Chaos

As Hulk was dealing with his errant son the Chaos King was busy trying to plunge the universe back to the nothing before time and space began. Only Hercules and a select few had the power to oppose him, but they were rapidly losing ground. Dr. Strange appeared before Hulk and requested aid. The Hulk returned to Earth and was immediately assaulted by an enemy long-thought dead – the Abomination, now a servant of the Chaos King. To make matters worse Dr. Strange fought at Abomination’s side, possessed by Zom, and the two were seeking Marlo Chandler, A-Bomb’s ex-wife and the only person on Earth to have been touched by death and live. The dead had returned as servants of the Chaos King to fight the Hulk, but fallen allies rose to help him. Samson, Jarella and even Banner’s mother stood by his side, but one parent’s return signaled the resurrection of his father. Hulk had to face his personal demons alone as his new family contended with an army of undead enemies, but before long they were all united in defending Marlo. It almost seemed as if the Chaos King’s forces would overwhelm the heroes until Marlo tapped into the power within her and returned all of the Chaos King’s allies to the grave, and Hercules restored the universe to the way it was before the assault. After seeing how some of the heroes were rewarded for their assistance, Hulk was angered his family did not receive anything for their service. He journeyed to the newMount Olympus where the Greek gods were restored to power and challenged Zeus, demanding his family be given the opportunity to live normal lives as their reward for their part in saving existence. Zeus gladly accepted the challenge but once he realized Hulk was only looking to sacrifice his own life for the lives of others, Zeus stopped fighting and decided to teach hulk a lesson through torture. Hulk was saved by Hercules and his family, but having to live with his own tortured soul proved to be punishment enough.

Captain Marvel (Mar-Vell)

Real Name
Mar-Vell

Aliases
Dr. Walter Lawson

Identity
No dual identity

Citizenship
Kree Empire (disavowed)

Place of Birth
City of Rad-Nam, Kree-Lar, Planet Hala, Kree Galaxy

Captain Marvel has always been a torn between worlds, whether due to the bigotry of his alien homeworld, to his entrapment in the Negative Zone, or to his current realization of the call of duty over the knowledge of his fate. Throughout it all, however, he has proven over and over again why many consider him to be one of the greatest heroes of all time.

Visitor from Another Planet

Mar-Vell was a white-skinned minority of the blue-skinned Kree empire, but despite discrimination and prejudice, Mar-Vell became a renowned soldier and an acclaimed hero for his victories in battle against the Kree's enemies, notably the Skrulls.

Mar-Vell’s regiment, under the command of Yon-Rogg, was given a mission to observe Earth, specifically human’s progress of space travel. Yon-Rogg, jealous of the love between Mar-Vell and the ship’s medic, Una, ordered Mar-Vell to infiltrate Cape Canaveral, Florida, alone. He then secretly tried to fire on Mar-Vell’s ship, but killed a human instead-- Dr. Walter Lawson. Mar-Vell took advantage of resembling Lawson to pose as the doctor and create a secret identity, but Yon-Rogg again secretly tried to kill Mar-Vell by activating the Kree robot, the Sentry. In his Kree uniform, Mar-Vell publicly defeated the robot, and the onlookers acclaimed him as "Captain Marvel," misinterpreting what the Sentry called him.

Mar-Vell continued to observe humanity, in both his secret and costumed identity, growing increasingly sympathetic for Earth and its inhabitants. His initial adventures were typically extensions of Yon-Rogg’s attempts to kill, discredit, or otherwise destroy him, such as the time Yon-Rogg manipulated Ronan the Accuser to fight Mar-Vell by framing Captain Marvel as a traitor. Mar-Vell also had to navigate the romantic triangle between him and Una and the aggressive attention of his co-worker at the air base, Carol Danvers. These situations came to a head when Una overheard one of Yon-Rogg’s plans to kill Mar-Vell, and she was captured by his agents when she tried to warn him. Although Mar-Vell’s execution failed with the arrival of the Aakon aliens, she was shot in the battle and died in Mar-Vell’s arms as he tried to rescue her.

Metamorphosis

Before Mar-Vell returned to confront Yon-Rogg, he encountered a powerful being named Zo that granted him increased abilities. Around the same time, he ran afoul of Commander Zarek, who hoped to set up Mar-Vell as a traitor. It was he and Ronan that created the illusion of Zo, with which they again manipulated Captain Marvel into thinking he must destroy his home planet Kree-Lar. Marvel was made temporarily a fugitive until Zarek and Ronan were uncovered by the Kree’s Supreme Intelligence. The Supreme Intelligence then revealed to Captain Marvel that it knew of Zarek and Ronan’s treachery the entire time and orchestrated events so that Mar-Vell would be involved in their plot as the Intelligence hoped to use Mar-Vell for even greater things. Claiming Captain Marvel had “passed” these tests, he clothed Mar-Vell in a new costume and allowed him to retain some of his new-found abilities.

However, as soon as Captain Marvel left to return to Earth, he instead found himself in the extradimensional realm known as the Negative Zone. The Supreme Intelligence then mentally lured the Earth youth Rick Jones to an abandoned Kree base on Earth in order to bid him to wear the "Nega-Bands." By slamming the bands together, Jones and Captain Marvel shared a telepathic link as well as, more importantly, switch places between Earth’s universe and the Negative Zone. In no time at all, Captain Marvel was called out by Yon-Rogg, who was holding Carol Danvers as a hostage. In a last-ditch effort to destroy his rival, Yon-Rogg battled the hero, but Captain Marvel rescued Carol and Yon-Rogg was killed in an explosion as they escaped. (The exposure to Yon-Rogg’s weapon, the Psyche-Magnetron, transformed Carol into Ms. Marvel.)

Captain Marvel and Rick Jones continued shared adventures for many months. At one point, Mar-Vell happened upon the idea to use Mister Fantastic’s doorway into the Negative Zone to release Rick and allowing the two to share an existence in the Earth dimension simultaneously. Shortly afterward, both Rick and Marvel were swept up in the intergalactic Kree-Skrull War alongside the Avengers, where Rick encountered the Supreme Intelligence. The Intelligence released the latent psionic potential in Jones’ mind in order to help stop the war, striking all soldiers motionless and teleporting Jones’ allies to the Kree homeworld, among other fantastic feats. Rick was left very near death, and Captain Marvel sacrificed part of his lifeforce to save Jones, “merging atoms” with him so that they could become linked as in their previous relationship.

After many more months and many more adventures, Rick Jones’ body could no longer contain both his own lifeforce and that of Mar-Vell, and he collapsed. His girlfriend Lou Ann Savannah took him to her uncle, who used special photonic energy to revive him, and Jones and Captain Marvel could continue to switch places. In fact, Captain Marvel now found he could absorb solar energy and redirect it to fire energy bolts or to exhibit superhuman strength.

Protector of the Universe

When Captain Marvel became involved against the plans of the alien nihilist Thanos, he was contacted by Eon, a guardian entity of the universe who commissioned Captain Marvel as the next "Protector of the Universe." He also granted him a special “cosmic awareness.” With a newfound title and purpose, he became the primary force against defeating Thanos. In fact, it was his new cosmic awareness that allowed Captain Marvel and the Avengers to defeat the mad Titan, since it gave him insight into Thanos’ use of the Cosmic Cube. Thanos became convinced that he had drained the Cube of its power and discarded it, allowing Captain Marvel to grab the Cube and restore reality to a time before Thanos had gained control over the universe.

As time passed, Mar-Vell and Jones overcame the dimension-split between them, existing side-by-side once more, although often they would need to merge in order to maximize Captain Marvel’s power. They adventured in this manner for a long while. When Commander Zarek returned, he led the Lunatic Legion, which included transforming a lowly engineer into the villain Nitro. Nitro was sent to steal canisters of nerve gas when Captain Marvel confronted him. Although Nitro was defeated and Captain Marvel seemed to have re-sealed the canisters before endangering the public, he himself was exposed to the gas, which would later prove disastrous.

In a direct conflict with Captain Marvel, Zarek and the Lunatic Legion would have nearly succeeded in bringing him down if it were not for Marvel’s increased powers when merged with Rick Jones. Captain Marvel returned to the Kree homeworld to inform the Supreme Intelligence of the plot, but, surprisingly, the Intelligence revealed its true motives-- that it had known of Zarek’s plan and, in fact, had secretly been a driving force behind nearly all of Captain Marvel’s history. The Supreme Intelligence had long known the Kree had reached an evolutionary dead-end, and its only hope as a species was to integrate other genetically compatible races with its own so as to revitalize the Kree's stagnant development. He had specifically chosen Mar-Vell due to his genetic make-up and had also chosen Rick Jones specifically because of the latent psychic potential he housed. It further arranged to have them both "bond" by means of the Kree Nega-Bands, a process that was repeated or replicated throughout their history, because the Intelligence knew he couldn’t add Jones' brain to its collective organism directly until it was tempered by contact with a Kree brain such as Mar-Vell's. Using the unique Kree-bred flower called the Millennium Bloom, the Supreme Intelligence then proceeded to try to absorb both Jones' and Mar-Vell's brains, using their bodies as receptacles for its own consciousness in a direct assault against Earth. However, the heroes resisted and managed to escape, and Captain Marvel abandoned the Kree empire permanently.

While back on Earth, Mar-Vell wandered independently for a time. He worked at an observatory, became involved with the Defenders for a day, and again teamed up with the Avengers against Thanos. Thanos’ corruption of his home, the moon Titan, pitted the Eternals against the world-computer ISAAC, and Captain Marvel helped the Eternals restore order. During this time, he fell in love with the Eternal’s Elysius, and they began a relationship that spanned both Titan and Earth and many shared adventures.

The Death of Captain Marvel

Ultimately, Captain Marvel’s earlier exposure to the nerve gas proved cancerous, and the cancer turned malignant. Mar-Vell spent his last days on Titan, the moon of Saturn, surrounded by Elysius and his friends Mentor and Starfox. Many of his allies came to visit him while on his deathbed including the Thing, Spider-Man, Drax the Destroyer, and an ambassador of the Skrull empire (the greatest enemies of the Kree Empire) who awarded Mar-Vell with the Skrull medal of valor and stated that Captain Marvel was considered to be the greatest single enemy the Skrull Empire had ever known. He was also granted a posthumous honorary membership in the Avengers, and a monument was erected in his memory on Titan.

His heroic legacy continued first with his son, Genis-Vell, conceived by Elysius who impregnated herself with Mar-Vell's cloned DNA, and later Phyla-Vell, a daughter from an alternate reality whose history became folded into reality after a time warp. Monica Rambeau has also used the alias of Captain Marvel, and Hulkling of the Young Avengers has since been revealed to be the son of Captain Marvel and Princess Annelle of the Skrull Empire.

The Return

When Tony Stark, Hank Pym, and Reed Richards began construction on a prison within the Negative Zone, their activities caused a wrinkle in space-time. Encountering the wrinkle in the past, Captain Marvel touched it and was transported through time to the Negative Zone in the present day. Initially unsure of how to approach the situation, the heroes revealed Mar-Vell's history to him but also offered him a place in this new future as a warden for their prison, at least until, as the Sentry implicated, Mar-Vell would return to his past. Shaken by the experience and realization of his own fate, Mar-Vell nevertheless took up the Nega Bands once more to serve as Captain Marvel.

Unfortunately, this individual turned out to be a Skrull sleeper agent programmed to believe he was the real Captain Marvel. He was sent to destroy Thunderbolts Mountian, but his programming had so completely overtaken his original personality that he killed the Skrull agents who were sent to terminate him and destroyed several Skrull ships, ending his own life in the process. He did the original Mar-Vell proud as he gave his life to defend Earth during the Skrulls' Secret Invasion.

The real Captain Marvel never actually been raised.

Captain Universe

Real Name
Variable, in the past has included: Captain Ray Coffin, Doctor Strange, Professor Swann, Commander Arcturus Rann, a member of the Badoon race, X-23, Daredevil, the Hulk, the Invisible Woman, Gladiator, Krosakis, the Silver Surfer, Spider-Man, Gabriel Vargas

Aliases
Guardian of Eternity, The Avenging Angel, The Hero That Could Be You

Identity
Secret

Citizenship
Not applicable

Place of Birth
Not applicable

Captain Universe is the identity which has been assumed by each of the hundreds of beings who have been empowered by the Uni-Power, a mysterious energy source originating from the extraterrestrial dimension known as the Microverse. The creation of the Microverse was engineered by the Makers, giant beings resembling Celestials, though the details of their involvement are uncertain.

A million years ago, a time traveler named Prince Wayfinder defended Earth from an invasion by evil Whirldemons. Using the cosmic power of the enigmatic Sword in the Star, Wayfinder opened an one-dimensional/temporal portal, created the Microverse to provide a new home for his people and bound the demons, preventing their entry into the Microverse. The Sword in the Star bonded with Prince Wayfinder, transforming itself into the Enigma Force with Wayfinder as its guardian. In times of distress, the Enigma Force manifests the Uni-Power, which selects a host, surrounding them with a field of energy which transforms them into the costumed Captain Universe, and imparts to them some of the knowledge they will need to yield their powers. The Uni-Power occasionally communicates with the host personally in cases where the host needs guidance, or when the Uni-Power has a specific agenda.

The first known human to yield the Uni-Power was Gilbert Wiles, who became Captain Universe to help stop a plane hijacking. When the crises was over, Wiles lost the power, but was so overwhelmed by the experience that he devoted himself to studying the Uni-Power, hoping to regain it. The next known host was astronaut Ray Coffin, who had entered the Microverse through the Prometheus Pit, a portal on Earth leading to that dimension. The Time Traveler requested Coffin’s aid against the evil Baron, a Microverse tyrant who sought to conquer both dimensions, and bestowed the Captain Universe power upon him. Coffin drove the Baron from Earth, and the Prometheus Pit was sealed. Coffin then lost his powers.

Hulk as Captain Universe

When Mister E, a native of the Shadow Realm, attempted to turn Earth’s sun into a black star, the Uni-Power manifested itself in Coffin again to face the threat, but the strain on Coffin caused a heart attack. The Uni-Power chose his teenage son Steve Coffin instead, and Steve defeated Mister E. The Uni-Power later empowered twin siblings, homemaker Ann Stanford and private detective Clare Dodgson, who shared the Captain Universe powers to defeat the crime-lord Nemesis, revealed to be Ann’s own husband. The Uni-Power entered cat burglar Monty Walsh, who had been shot by agents of the gangster Guido Carboni. Walsh succeeded in bringing down Carboni and hoped to use the Captain Universe powers to become a crime boss, but when the Uni-Power left him, he apparently died from his gunshot wounds.

When the Microverse was imperiled by a merging with Earth-616’s dimension caused by the reawakened Whirldemons, Wayfinders descendent Arcturus Rann and Earth’s sorcerer supreme Dr. Strange found Wayfinder’s tomb, and the Sword in the Star empowered them both to become a merged Captain Universe. They used the Uni-Power to halt Earth’s merging with the Microverse, and were restored to their own bodies when the crises ended. When a crazed military officer named Jamie Custer attempted to launch a nuclear missile, the Uni-Power transformed Bruce Banner (Hulk) into Captain Universe. Banner’s other self, the Hulk, manifested itself as a separate entity, and its natural enmity to Banner led to a struggle between the two, but Banner finally destroyed the missile and neutralized the fallout. When the Uni-Power left Banner, he and Hulk remerged with each other.

An unidentified female Captain Universe was among the heroes of Earth assembled by the Grandmaster to serve as potential participants in his game against Death, but she was not selected. Later, young student Delayne Masters became Captain Universe to save his teacher from a schoolyard bully named Willie Johnson. Although the Uni-Power left Delayne before he had beaten Willie, Delayne had gained enough confidence from the experience that he was able to defeat Willie on his own. The Uni-Power once transformed physics professor Evan Swann into Captain Universe to halt the Quantum Mechanic, an extraterrestrial who believed that the law of probability was a flaw in reality that should be corrected by breaking the Earth down into subatomic particles, Swann destroyed the Quantum Mechanic to save the Earth.

Spider-Man as Captain Universe

The Uni-Power’s next known recipient was Peter Parker, secretly Spider-Man. When the Uni-Power first possessed Parker, he was struck by electricity in a laboratory accident while working with professor Max Lubisch. The accident blocked some of the Uni-Power’s energy from reaching Parker and he mistakenly believed that his increased powers were a result of the accident. Spider-Man found himself facing increased threats from super-villains due to Loki’s so called “Acts of Vengeance!” conspiracy, in which the villain community traded opponents, and he found he needed his new powers to face the Trapster, Titania, Magneto, the Brothers Grimm, Goliath, the Hulk, the Rhino, Shocker, Hydro-Man, TESS-One, Dragon Man, Terminus and Graviton. When Loki’s plot was foiled by Earth’s heroes, he attempted new mischief by merging three Sentinels into the Tri-Sentinel. This proved to be the threat the Uni-Power had chosen Spider-Man for, and he gained full access to the Uni-Power. With the Tri-Sentinels defeat, the Uni-Power departed, and Parker found himself wiser for the experience, having remained true to himself even with the cosmic powers of Captain Universe. Peter’s tenure as Captain Universe led to further troubles when nearly all of his foes from “Acts of Vengeance” returned for rematches; he was also kidnapped along with other former Captain Universe hosts by the Psycho-Man, a tyrant of the Microverse who was after the Uni-Power, but Spider-Man and his fellow prisoners escaped and defeated him.

Another Captain Universe was a toddler named Eddie Price, chosen to end the threat of the demons Gart and Rath. Later, time-traveling members of the Guardians of the Galaxy visited the modern era, and they attempted an attack upon the Badoon, hoping to prevent the Badoon invasion of their own timeline. To prevent this, the Uni-Power transformed a Badoon named L’Matto into Captain Universe to defeat the Guardians. The Guardians’ absent leader Major Victory came to aid them alongside Dr. Strange, and Dr. Strange forced the Uni-Power to depart L’Matto so that the Guardians could escape back to their own time.

Daredevil as Captain Universe

The Uni-Power’s next known host was the paralyzed Elijah Jackson. When he became Captain Universe to save his daughter from attackers, his paralysis was temporarily healed and he had a chance to express his love for his daughter before the Uni-Power departed, restoring him to his paralyzed condition. Though accounts vary, perhaps due to reality distortion, a University of Tennessee veterinary student became Captain Universe to aid the X-Men against the mutant Roger Fieldston, who was using his power tomutate others. Captain Universe used the Uni-Power to reverse Fieldston’s powers so that he could heal everyone he affected in his rampage.

An unusual Captain Universe was Roland Taylor, a schizophrenic writer. The Uni-Power healed his mind, but he found himself pursued by Division U, a scientific team trying to analyze the Uni-Power, whose ranks included Steve Coffin, angered to find another person with his one-time powers. The Uni-Power was also pursued by the Enigma Hunters, extraterrestrials from the Microverse who sought its powers for themselves. When the Uni-Power tried to leave Taylor, his schizophrenic side reasserted itself, forcing the Uni-Power to remain. The Uni-Power eventually departed from Taylor through unrevealed circumstances.

X-23 as Captain Universe

The Uni-Power went on to possess police officer Ted Simmons, but it began to suffer inexplicable power fluctuations. While Simmons was battling gunmen, the Uni-Power briefly deserted him, and one of Simmons’ fellow officers was shot dead as a result. The Uni-Power could not understand what had happened to it, and began to search for answers. Needing more power, it also began to seek individuals who were already superhuman so that it could duplicate their powers.

It first returned to Bruce Banner, this time possessing him and the Hulk as a single entity. They sought out Gilbert Wiles, who was still researching the Uni-Power, and he attempted to assist it, but agents of A.I.M. made an attempt on the Uni-Power, and while the empowered Hulk fought them, an invisible A.I.M. agent killed Wiles’ business partner, David Garrett. To help clear Gilbert’s name, the Uni-Power joined with Matthew Murdock, alias Daredevil, who had taken Wiles as his client. Bonding with the Uni-Power enhanced Daredevil’s superhuman senses to such a degree that he could barely function, but he also regained his eyesight as a result. Murdock proved Wiles’ innocence in court, and suggested that the Uni-Power attempt to study A.I.M.’s findings on its situation, hoping it might shed light on the power fluctuations.

Sue Richards as Captain Universe

To invade an A.I.M. base, the Uni-Power joined with the mutant X-23 (Laura Kinney), who was sympathetic to the Uni-Power’s plight, having been a victim of experimentation herself. They were also assisted by the S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Scorpion (Carmilla Black), and destroyed all of A.I.M.’s intelligence on the Uni-Power in the hopes that they would cease pursuing it. The Uni-Power sought aid from Fantastic Four leader Mr. Fantastic, but the Four were attacked by Gladiator (Kallark) of the Shi’ar Imperial Guard, who believed that the Uni-Power’s fluctuations made it a threat to the universe. The Uni-Power possessed the Invisible Woman to hold off Gladiator, and finally joined with Gladiator briefly so that he could see its recent fluctuations were uncontrolled. Gladiator offered to bring the Uni-Power back to the Shi’ar with him to seek answers.

As they traveled to the Shi’are empire, Gladiator and the Uni-Power were captured by Krosakis, an extraterrestrial who fed upon cosmic energies, and he forced the Uni-Power to bond with him so that he could have its power. The Silver Surfer (Norrin Radd) sensed the Uni-Power’s distress and came to its aid. In battle with Krosakis, the Surfer was able to drive the Uni-Power from his body. The Uni-Power then bonded with the Surfer, and he was able to use his Power Cosmic to halt the fluctuations temporarily. After freeing Gladiator and Krosakis’ other slaves, the Surfer brought the Uni-Power to Gabriel Vargas, a soldier who had been crippled while on a tour of duty. The Uni-Power chose Vargas as its new host while it continued to investigate its power fluctuations.

Captain Britain (Brian Braddock)

Universe
Marvel Universe

Real Name
Brian Braddock

Aliases
Bee, Black Bishop, Britanic, Captain Britain-616, Captain Wakanda, Custodian, Fast Buck, Jungle Man, Lionheart of Avalon

Identity
Known to U.K. authorities

Citizenship
U.K.

Place of Birth
Braddock Manor, England

Brian Braddock’s life was planned for him from before he was even born; for him there is no coincidence. Merlyn sent James Braddock to Earth-616 to sire a champion who could defend the multiverse against the myriad threats facing it; the studious Brian was his third child. He grew up a solitary child, save for his siblings, losing himself in books. Home on a break from studying physics at Thames University, Brian was out dating Valerie Campbell when his parents were killed, apparently in a lab accident but actually by the computer Mastermind; Brian was overwhelmed with guilt that he had not being present to prevent their deaths. He took a summer job at Darkmoor Nuclear Complex, a secret research facility near the Scottish border, soon after his parents died, trying to keep himself busy, but the facility was attacked by the forces of Joshua Stragg, the Reaver, who sought to kidnap the scientists within and make it look like they had all died in a reactor accident. At the urging of his mentor Dr. Travis, Brian fled on a motor bike to get help. Forced over a cliff by his pursuers, he dragged his injured body from the burning wreckage to witness a vision of Merlyn and the Lady of the Northern Skies (Roma) above a ring of standing stones; told to choose between the Sword of Might and Amulet of Right, Brian picked the latter, feeling the sword was a symbol of death and that he was no warrior. He was struck by mystical energy and transformed into the costumed hero Captain Britain; the new hero swiftly gained the upper hand against the Reaver, who, after grabbing the sword, had been transformed by the Nethergods, Merlin’s foes.

Brian publicly debuted fighting the crimelord Vixen’s minions in London, though some, such as Chief Inspector Dai Thomas of Scotland Yard, were not glad to see him; he also battled Hurricane (Albert Potter; another villain empowered by the Nethergods), and faced Doctor Synne near Braddock Manor. Brian learned Synne was Mastermind’s pawn, and the truth about his parents’ deaths; he confronted the machine, apparently switching it off, though in fact the computer simply faked its demise. Brian teamed with Captain America, Nick Fury, and Lance Hunter, Director of S.T.R.I.K.E. (Special Tactical Reserve for International Key Emergencies), Britain’s equivalent to S.H.I.E.L.D., to battle the Red Skull; early on in this skirmish Mastermind used holograms to fake Braddock Manor’s destruction in a bomb strike. While battling Lord Hawk, a former colleague of his father who used a robotic hawk built for him by Brian in his campaign against modern society, Brian was badly injured. While his body lay dying in a S.T.R.I.K.E. medical facility, Merlyn and Roma brought his spirit to them, and after testing him again, replaced his quarterstaff with the Star Sceptre. Brian returned to his healed body and slipped out of the S.T.R.I.K.E. base. Following this he battled foes such as the mercenary biker Highwayman, deposed tyrant the Manipulator (Basil Crushstone), aliens beneath Scotland’s Loch Ness and their mechanical monster, the hellspawnedBlack Baron, Doctor Claw and his mutations, and the assassin Slaymaster.

Brian visited America on a student exchange program, rooming with Peter Parker (Spider-Man), alongside whom he faced the assassin Arcade and the lycanthropic Litter; towards the end of this stay homesickness and stress saw him temporarily drinking more than was wise. After a brief trip home, Brian returned to the States to complete his studies, and there joined other heroes congratulating the newly pardoned Hulk, as well as fighting against the shapeshifting Dire Wraiths. Eventually Brian left America, but mid-flight realized the plane was under attack by the Nethergods, seeking to kill him; hoping to spare his fellow passengers, temporarily driven mad by psychic assault, and with King Arthur’s spirit trying to protect and direct him, Brian leapt from the craft. He had a vision of washing ashore on an island with a trio of standing stones (where Arthur’s body was held captive by Netherworld forces), then he came to, amnesiac, on the shores of the U.K. For months Brian lived as hermit in Cornwall, until Merlyn sent the Black Knight to find him. With his memories partially restored Brian and the Knight, allied with Vortigen the Proud Walker, battled Modred the Evil. Both Knight and Britain were snatched out of time to join the Grandmaster’s contest of champions, where Captain Britain fought against the Arabian Knight, but they were soon returned to resume their quest. At the entrance to Otherworld Brian was slain by the spectral White Rider, and his corpse claimed by Mandrac, Nethergod Lord of the Slain and the Rider’s master, though Merlyn and the Knight swiftly recovered it. Merlyn reunited Captain Britain’s departed spirit with his body, resurrecting him. While the hero healed, Merlyn restored his remaining memories, and informed him of the Nethergod’s involvement with his early foes. Now recalling Arthur’s location, the Knight, Britain, and the elf Jackdaw, were sent to awaken the King. Succeeding in this quest, Arthur then sent Brian and Jackdaw magically away through the dimensions, stating Brian had a destiny to fulfill elsewhere.

As the pair slipped between realities, Merlyn took the opportunity to upgrade his champion, transforming his costume to enhance his strength and incorporate the powers of flight and forcefield previously part of his sceptre. The pair arrived on Earth-238, immediately encountering Mad Jim Jaspers and his Crazy Gang. Soon coming to realize he was not on his native Earth, learning that this world once had a Captain U.K. Brian found himself fighting the Junkheap that Walked Like a Man, and encountered the highly evolved Algernon the Rat. Tracking the source of these latter two artificially evolved beings, Brian met Saturnyne and her Avant Guard, representatives of the Dimensional Development Court. Initially the Avant Guard devolved Brian into a apelike primate, but after being restored (and further enhanced) by the same substance which had been used to evolve Algernon, Brian made his peace with Saturnyne's crew, helping them battle the Status Crew, this England's anti-superhuman police. He aided Saturnyne in her mission to evolve this reality up to minimum standards, but after they believed they had succeeded, Jaspers unleashed his mental powers, plunging the world into an insane maelstrom. The authorities reactivated their hero killing cybiote, the Fury, which slew Jackdaw; Saturnyne fled, abandoning Captain Britain, whose arm the Fury broke without even trying. Brian gained a brief reprieve when Jaspers picked him up in a flying teacup and explained how he had engineered the destruction of every other superhuman on this planet, before dropping the shell-shocked hero in a superhero graveyard, where he found Captain U.K.’s empty grave. There the Fury caught up with him, and incinerated him on the spot.

Merlyn and Roma retrieved his remains - a rag, bone and hank of hair - and rebuilt him, moving his powers from his costume to his body and enhancing his senses, before returning him to his own world, Earth-616. Needing to touch base with something familiar after so long away, Brian returned to the site of the bombed Braddock Manor, discovering it was intact, and learning of Mastermind's ruse. Soon after Brian had switched off and repaired the computer, he was contacted by Betsy. He learned she had been recruited by S.T.R.I.K.E. Psi Division, but that Vixen was now secretly in charge of the organization and had sent Slaymaster to kill the telepaths before they could expose her takeover. Brian fought and defeated Slaymaster in central London, and the surviving psis moved into Braddock Manor. Brian next fought alongside his old ally, Captain America, against the insane wizard Modred the Mystic (not to be confused with his Otherworld foe, Modred the Evil); then he was kidnapped by the Special Executive, a team of interdimensional mercenaries, who had been hired by Saturnyne to bring him to an alternate Earth as a defense witness at her trial, where she was accused of causing the chaos wave engulfing Earth-238 – there Brian met two more of his interdimensional counterparts, Captain England and Captain Albion. Brian was outraged when prosecutor Lord Mandragon destroyed Earth-238 to prevent the infection spreading (and destroy the evidence which could clear Saturnyne). To prevent Saturnyne’s execution, he and the Executive battled their way out the court and fled to Earth-616, and the residents of Braddock Manor increased once more.

Moments after entering the Manor, Captain U.K., sole surviving hero of 238, turned up on the doorstep, to inform them that the Jaspers of 616 was about to launch his own campaign of hero genocide. At first Brian refused to believe things would repeat the course of 238, but then the Fury, which had survived the destruction of its dimension and tracked down Brian to 616, attacked. It slew some of the Executive before being temporarily immobilized in a cave in; the Executive left for other realities, while Brian and his remaining allies fled into London. Jaspers took control of the country with incredible speed, his powers hastening things along, and used Vixen’s S.T.R.I.K.E. to round up the country’s superhuman population into concentration camps. Horrified at the fascist state his country had become, Brian went to confront the architect of the madness; as he reached Downing Street, Jaspers unleashed his Warp, twisting reality into an Escheresque nightmare. Brian’s experiences over the years, carefully orchestrated by Merlyn to strengthen his mind and body, allowed him to stay sane under Jaspers’ bombardment, but he was no match for his opponent powerwise, though he struggled valiantly on for as long as he could. Then the Fury arrived, beating him to a pulp, and would have killed him again, except that Jaspers caught its attention; it had been unable to attack its creator, something which had always irritated it, but this counterpart was not the same man. The Fury slew Jaspers after a prolonged battle; the battered Captain Britain tried to destroy the weakened cybiote, but it was only the intervention of Captain U.K. that finally did the deed. The two heroes and Saturnyne, who was also present, were then whisked off to Otherworld by Roma, to attend Merlyn’s funeral, as he had apparently been killed while observing the conflict, and there Brian met many of his fellow Corps members for the first time. He and Captain U.K. then returned to Earth-616.

Six months passed after the abatement of the Jaspers’ Warp, and the country returned to relative normality. Brian encountered the vulpine mutant Meggan, fighting her until Micky Scott, a bystander and friend of Meggan, died in the crossfire. Guilt ridden, Captain Britain threw himself into doing good deeds, then after Micky’s funeral, approached the Scott family to apologize for Micky’s death. They forgave him, recognizing it was an accident, and he was reunited with Meggan too, learning she was not a monster, and was equally grief stricken over Micky. Brian offered to let Meggan stay at the Manor, and help her find her family, whom she had been separated from during Jaspers' purges, but then they were attacked by armoured opponents who appeared out of the air; the subsequent battle destroyed the Scott’s flat. Another attack occurred at Braddock Manor a few days later, but the newly returned Betsy repelled it with her strengthened psi powers. Later, in the space of a few hours Brian faced the 616 version of the Crazy Gang; Slaymaster and the Vixen; Sidney Crumb, a tramp who had been infected by the Fury and turned into a monster; and Gatecrasher’s Technet, an interdimensional mercenary outfit similar to the Executive. They had been hired to retrieve Kaptain Briton, Brian’s counterpart from Earth-794, who had fled to 616 to escape his insane lover, the tyrant Sat-Yr-9. Brian fought Briton in Braddock Manor, but lost, and was mistakenly taken to 794; repulsed by the psychotic leader and her regime, he convinced the Technet to take him home. He returned to find Briton slain by Betsy. That night he learned from Mastermind that his father was from Otherworld, and R.C.X. came to Braddock Manor to ask for refuge in housing the Warpies, children transformed by the Jaspers’ Warp; after a fight with the Cherubim team of Warpies, during which Meggan learned of her transformative powers and took on an appearance designed to attract Brian, R.C.X. moved in at the insistence of Betsy. For a couple of days Brian put up with sharing his home with government covert ops and hundreds of mutated children, drinking to cope, before learning that his brother Jamie had been taken captive in Africa. With Meggan he traveled to Mbangawi to free him, only to learn that Jamie had become a slaver and murderer, and deserved his punishment. Unwilling to return home, Brian and Meggan traveled the world for several weeks, visiting Bali, the Himalayas and Egypt, and romance blossomed between them, before ending up in Russia where they fought the witch woman Baba Yaga. They were then snatched through time to help Gatecrasher in fourteenth century Peru, then returned home to Braddock Manor, where Brian witnessed Betsy in a Captain Britain costume; angered that R.C.X. had convinced his sister to replace him, Brian decided to quit. He used Incan gold to buy a lighthouse, and he and Meggan moved in; they spent nearly half a year there, during which time Brian didn’t wear his costume, learning as his powers grew that it had been a largely unnecessary crutch. His retirement ended when Betsy was attacked and blinded by Slaymaster; Brian felt her pain, flew to her aid and killed Slaymaster. Realising he could not deny his responsibility, he took up the mantle of Captain Britain once more. A few months later he settled his long-standing differences with Dai Thomas, when the policeman turned to him for aid in capturing a superhuman killer murdering Glaswegian mobsters. Through undisclosed circumstances he and Captain U.K. later briefly traveled to the interdimensional port of Maruthea, and got involved in a bar room brawl.

Some time later Brian learned Betsy had been kidnapped from Switzerland by Mojo, and turned into the spineless one’s latest act, when he witnessed her as “Psylocke” on “Wildways”, a television show. Though it took months, Brian tracked Betsy down to New York to rescue her, but was telepathically subdued, then transformed into a teenage boy. Doug Ramsey helped him regain his own mind and fight back, even with his powers depleted by his transformation, buying Doug time to break Betsy’s conditioning; Brian was returned to normal as soon as their foes were vanquished. A few months later Brian returned to New York with Meggan to check up on how Betsy was doing living with the X-Men, and fought Horde alongside them. Not long afterwards Brian heard that Betsy had been killed in Dallas, unaware that Roma had in fact been manipulating events to make this appear to be the case, as part of a long term plan to force Captain Britain and Meggan to join a carefully selected team of heroes which included some of the surviving X-Men. Distraught, Brian drowned his sorrows, verbally abusing Meggan when she tried to console him, before drinking himself into a stupor. He was awoken by Nightcrawler throwing him into the sea; the mutant then informed him that Meggan had come to Muir Island for help, only to be kidnapped by the Technet along with Shadowcat of the X-Men. Sobering up, Brian aided Nightcrawler and the others in overcoming both the Technet and extradimensional Warwolves, who had been hunting Phoenix (Rachel Summers) for Mojo, and afterwards, the five heroes formed Excalibur to carry on the X-Men’s dream. Knowing he was powerful enough to normally function without a team, and to ensure he would stay with one, Roma secretly inflicted Brian with a “blunder jinx”, which hampered his efficiency when acting solo.

The new team worked closely with Dai Thomas, helping track down the escaped Warwolves, and Brian renewed his friendship with old flame Courtney Ross, confiding in her his doubts about being in a team and in his relationship with Meggan. His new teammates moved into the Lighthouse, and soon confronted him on his drinking habits – though initially annoyed, he recognised that he was beginning to develop a tendency to turn to the bottle when stressed, and decided to give up alcohol before it became a problem. Arcade then kidnapped Courtney Ross, and lured Excalibur into trap, where they were confronted by the Crazy Gang. Tweedledope used a device to switch their bodies and minds round – Brian ended up in Tweedledope’s body briefly. After escaping Brian was briefly seduced by Courtney (actually her counterpart and murderer, Sat-Yr-9, who used his doubts and her own powers of influence to do so). The team followed Phoenix to New York to find it in the grip of a demonic "inferno," and Brian was transformed by a possessed Meggan. His costume was destroyed by Shadowcat using her Soul Sword, freeing him of this control; however Brian later found during rest of stay that his powers were fluctuating. Returned to U.K., he fought Hauptmann Englande, another counterpart of his (this time from a Nazi reality), and his Lightning Squad; Brian’s powers returned in full mid-fight now that he was home. He briefly adopted a costume outwardly identical to his damaged one, but lacking Merlin’s micro-circuitry. Arcade attacked Excalibur again during this period, sending the robotic Loonies to overpower Excalibur; he trapped Brian in a virtual world where he was confronted by temptations to drink, but this fell flat as Arcade had failed to realize alcohol was not the demon he thought it was for Brian. Later Excalibur worked alongside the X-Babies to defeat Mojo’s Agent, battled the Demon Druid, and Brian was briefly impersonated by the mutant Mastermind (Jason Wyngarde). Meanwhile interdimensional negotiations saw a prisoner exchange arranged, with Lightning Squad and their cohorts being returned to their own reality, but treachery on the Nazi side saw the entire Excalibur team thrown through the timelines. Their first stop was Earth-1193, a world of magic, where Brian picked up the costume of Captain Marshall; then on through a panoply of worlds, where Brian encountered a villainous Jamie secretly controlled by Brian’s own brother back on 616; his Corps counterpart Crusader X on a world where Britain still ruled the Americas; and the Lord High Justicer, his analogue on a polluted world where he was the law. Their trip came to an end on Otherworld, where Saturnyne (now based there at Roma’s command) sought to arrest Phoenix; Excalibur fought several members of the Corps to prevent this.

Finally returned to Earth-616 the team immediately faced Galactus; Brian was then reunited with his old ally Black Knight to fight Morgan Le Fay’s agent Dreadknight, then the extradimensional ninja known as the Nth Man, and confidence tricksters Cooter and Bash. Alongside Power Pack he fought Nightmare, then he battled a possessed Meggan, and was hypnotised by Mesmero to battle Fenris. Excalibur and Brian barely had a moment to rest, as further battles ensured; they fought the Shi’ar Imperial Guard alongside the Starjammers, and with Thor battled the Wrecking Crew and pursued Juggernaut into another dimension. Brian was temporarily merged with his Nazi counterpart Hauptmann Englande, fought against the She-Hulk and alongside Plasmer, with the Black Knight and Captain Kerosene against the Sleepers, alongside Silver Sable’s Outlaws, took on Arnim Zola, in Limbo battled Doctor Doom alongside the Avengers' western branch, and once more took on the Warwolves.

Meggan was again possessed, this time apparently by the Changeling's ghost. In trying to exorcise her, Brian and Excalibur seemingly discovered Merlin alive and well and encountered Jackdaw’s ghost – though much of this was later proven to be a deception. Excalibur later aided W.H.O. against a reanimated Air-Walker android. The Technet targeted them, but were easily overpowered; abandoning Gatecrasher and Yap, the remaining mercenaries moved in with Excalibur. A stressful and overcrowded week wore down Brian’s temper, and his growing jealousy of Nightcrawler’s obvious interest in Meggan led to a confrontation, where Brian broke Kurt’s leg. He was snatched from 616 by the Corps for this crime, and put on trial on Otherworld for this and other transgressions against their code, with Captain U.K. as his defense council and Hauptmann Englande as his prosecutor. Refusing to recognize the Corps’ authority, he was sentenced to death, and battle ensued, swiftly ended by Roma’s decree that Brian was to be released without charge. Before she departed, Captain U.K. explained to Brian that the Corps members’ abilities were powered by the matrix between dimensions. Brian confronted Roma, who admitted to him her manipulations and removed her blunder jinx. Returned to Earth, Brian made peace with Nightcrawler, and with new allies adding their might to Excalibur, they faced Necrom, the foe the team had been created to fight; the original team members physically merged to undo the damage Necrom had done to the multiverse, then Phoenix defeated him.

Later the temporal assassin Sidestep pitted Brian against Cyclops during the American Revolutionary War, then back in his own time, Brian fought Arcade alongside Spider-Man, and took on the Crazy Gang in a bizarre Wonderland. Betsy returned home for a visit, but at a reunion of Excalibur’s friends, Sat-Yr-9 revealed that she had infiltrated their circle in the guise of the murdered Courtney, when her agents and Jamie Braddock attacked and took them captive; Sat-Yr-9 attempted to brainwash Brian to serve her, but when she ordered him to kill Meggan, he resisted. Sat-Yr-9 fled, but Brian vowed to track her down and avenge Courtney. Next, Excalibur worked alongside the X-Men against the Asgardian Troll Associates, then Brian visited Wakanda, where he fought Icon in the guise of “Jungle Man” and “Captain Wakanda”. Taking a break, Brian proposed to Meggan, only for them to be captured by the Cherubim on behalf of R.C.X., who tried to forcibly recruit Excalibur’s members; when Brian subsequently refused to comply, he was beaten to a pulp, and would have died had Roma not intervened and healed him. Phoenix, who had been absent since shortly after the Necrom battle, rejoined the team after they dealt with R.C.X., and after they briefly assisted the extra-dimensional Khaos against Ghath, the team traveled to the future to overthrow the Sentinels who ruled Rachel’s timeline. However on the return trip Brian was lost in the timestream; Meggan acted as his anchor while Brian spent an indefinable amount of time being buffeted from future to past. He was drawn to Phoenix, a temporal anomaly, and eventually with the aid of Daytripper (Amanda Sefton), swapped places with her, returning to the present; however his experiences had changed him, and he took the new identity of Britanic.

Initially cold and distant, unable to distinguish memories of the past from memories of the future, Brian’s love for Meggan remained constant; as time passed his old personality gradually returned. The team faced the likes of Stryfe’s lethal legacy, the Phalanx, and Brian and Betsy entered the comatose mind of Jamie to try and see if they could reach the loving brother they once knew. Excalibur faced the evil sorcerer Gravemoss, visited Genosha where they began to get the first inklings of the villainy of rogue covert ops group Black Air, then fought X-Man (Nate Grey) at Muir Island, their new base. One last prophetic dream warned Brian of a dystopian future forming, shortly before Shinobi Shaw prompted him to infiltrate the Inner Circle of the London Branch of the Hellfire Club, claiming his father’s title of Black Bishop, and learning of the Club's alliance with Black Air and plans to take over the U.K. To face them, Brian resumed his identity as Captain Britain, and battled the body thief Mountjoy, helping to end the threat and thwart the terrible future he had foreseen.

Subsequently, Excalibur battled the Mutant Liberation Front when they attacked Muir Island. Brian renewed his proposal to Meggan, seconds before he was kidnapped by the Dragons of the Crimson Dawn, who planned to use his energies to open a rift between the Earth and their realm; instead, with the aid of Meggan, he absorbed the power of the rift, closing it, but at the cost of his own powers. No longer Captain Britain, Brian took a sabbatical from Excalibur to figure out what he wanted to do with his life now. He returned a few months later, confidant in one thing; that he loved Meggan. Soon after they were married on Otherworld by Roma. Brian returned to scientific research, working out of Darkmoor, until the arrival of Captain U.K., pursued by armored warriors. Together with Meggan, Psylocke and the Black Knight, Brian accompanied Captain U.K. to Otherworld, where they rescued Roma from Mastermind and an army of Warpies. During this adventure Brian encountered a hologram of his father which alleged his parents had deliberately had Mastermind kill them, and then renewed Brian’s powers. He took up the Sword of Might, returned the Warpies to human form, and ascended the throne of Otherworld. Some time later, he collected his sister’s body after she was slain by Vargas. Learning of Morgan le Fay’s latest plot against England, to reverse his mystical connection to the Matrix by attacking him in Otherworld with god-killer weapons, so that injury to him would cause destruction in Britain, he passed his mantle on to a new 616 Captain Britain, Kelsey Leigh, before Morgan could take him captive; without his connection, Morgan could not use him against his home, and Kelsey proved her worth by defeating Morgan.

A recent reality storm saw Brian and Meggan return to Earth-616, to try and avert disaster before Roma was forced to destroy the entire reality; there Brian was briefly transformed into the King of Britain in an altered timeline. Meggan apparently sacrificed herself to seal the rift between dimensions, preventing the damage from spreading, and after the original timeline was restored, Brian remained on 616 on the instructions of Roma and formed a new incarnation of Excalibur.