Radius (comics)
Encyclopedia
Radius is a fictional character
, a superhero
in the Marvel Comics
universe
. He is a former member of the superhero team Alpha Flight
. He first appeared in Alpha Flight: In The Beginning #-1, and first appeared as Radius in Alpha Flight vol. 2 #1 (both published in 1998).
) were raised in the Hull House orphanage
, which was actually a facility operated by the Canadian
government's secretive Department H. While Adrian became shy, reserved and bookish, Jared became athletically inclined, aggressive, and arrogant. Both brothers manifested mutant
powers after puberty
: Adrian gained the ability to transform parts of his body into blades, while Jared manifested a personal force field that could not be shut down. Jared rejects the initial flirtations of his teammate Murmur
for personal reasons.
Later, he is sent with to corral the mutant Wolverine
, whom the entire team believes has killed the ex-Alpha Flight member Box. This was part of the lies and mind-control that Department H was using on the entire team. Jared's bravado, when the team corrals Wolverine, is met with shock by Adrian, who has a high level of respect for the man. Jared stands up to Wolverine's intimidation tactics but soon fight breaks out anyway. Backup X-Men soon join in. It is Adrian, though, who calms things down by wanting to talk instead of fight. Various discrepancies in the mission lessen the Alphans desire to do battle.
The brothers were recruited into a new incarnation
of the Canadian superhero team Alpha Flight.
They assist the new Alpha Flight in battling several foes, including the Zodiac
organization and the Brass Bishop. The Bishop is found by Alpha Flight after many innocent civilians go missing. He has brainwashed them and is building a Tower of Babel, an enormous structure that is intended to reach heaven. The team also confronts Department H's own power-mad leader, Jeremy Clarke, who dies of radiation
poisoning during a Zodiac raid on the Department H headquarters. Their Alpha Flight team fight several members of the original Flight and later team up with them to defeat a new Weapon X
, who had been created by a rogue Department H scientist. Both groups of Alphans merged into a unified Alpha Flight following this adventure. The Corbo brothers and several other members of the new team were later reasigned to Alpha Flight's trainee team, Beta Flight
.
Radius is lated hired by X-Corps
, a militaristic strike force founded by former Generation X
headmaster and former X-Man
Sean Cassidy, a.k.a. Banshee
. The X-Corps was ultimately betrayed by its criminal members. Radius is defeated when the villain
Avalanche
opens a chasm beneath him. Jared survived the fall, though, and has been shown as one of the many depowered mutants in the aftermath of M-Day..
It was later revealed that Unus the Untouchable
was Radius' father after Flex
starts searching for their fathers through their adoption agency. It has long been rumored that Carmella Unuscione of the Acolytes is the daughter of Unus. It is currently unknown if the two are siblings, some other relation or all together unrelated.
He could also create extensions of the field to use as a ranged attack, and brace objects against it to "fake" super-strength.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
, a superhero
Superhero
A superhero is a type of stock character, possessing "extraordinary or superhuman powers", dedicated to protecting the public. Since the debut of the prototypical superhero Superman in 1938, stories of superheroes — ranging from brief episodic adventures to continuing years-long sagas —...
in the Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
universe
Marvel Universe
The Marvel Universe is the shared fictional universe where most comic book titles and other media published by Marvel Entertainment take place, including those featuring Marvel's most familiar characters, such as Spider-Man, the Hulk, the X-Men, and the Avengers.The Marvel Universe is further...
. He is a former member of the superhero team Alpha Flight
Alpha Flight
Alpha Flight is a fictional superhero team published by Marvel Comics, noteworthy for being one of the few Canadian superhero teams. Created by John Byrne, the team first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #120 ....
. He first appeared in Alpha Flight: In The Beginning #-1, and first appeared as Radius in Alpha Flight vol. 2 #1 (both published in 1998).
Fictional character biography
Jared and his younger half-brother Adrian (later codenamed FlexFlex (comics)
Flex is a fictional character, a superhero in the Marvel Comics universe. He is a former member of the superhero team Alpha Flight, but later got downgraded to Beta Flight-Fictional character biography:...
) were raised in the Hull House orphanage
Orphanage
An orphanage is a residential institution devoted to the care of orphans – children whose parents are deceased or otherwise unable or unwilling to care for them...
, which was actually a facility operated by the Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
government's secretive Department H. While Adrian became shy, reserved and bookish, Jared became athletically inclined, aggressive, and arrogant. Both brothers manifested mutant
Mutant (Marvel Comics)
In comic books published by Marvel Comics, a mutant is an organism who possesses a genetic trait called an X-gene that allows the mutant to naturally develop superhuman powers and abilities...
powers after puberty
Puberty
Puberty is the process of physical changes by which a child's body matures into an adult body capable of reproduction, as initiated by hormonal signals from the brain to the gonads; the ovaries in a girl, the testes in a boy...
: Adrian gained the ability to transform parts of his body into blades, while Jared manifested a personal force field that could not be shut down. Jared rejects the initial flirtations of his teammate Murmur
Murmur (comics)
Murmur, in comics, may refer to:*Murmur , a DC Comics supervillain*Murmur , a Marvel Comics superhero...
for personal reasons.
Later, he is sent with to corral the mutant Wolverine
Wolverine (comics)
Wolverine is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Born as James Howlett and commonly known as Logan, Wolverine is a mutant, possessing animal-keen senses, enhanced physical capabilities, three retracting bone claws on each hand and a healing...
, whom the entire team believes has killed the ex-Alpha Flight member Box. This was part of the lies and mind-control that Department H was using on the entire team. Jared's bravado, when the team corrals Wolverine, is met with shock by Adrian, who has a high level of respect for the man. Jared stands up to Wolverine's intimidation tactics but soon fight breaks out anyway. Backup X-Men soon join in. It is Adrian, though, who calms things down by wanting to talk instead of fight. Various discrepancies in the mission lessen the Alphans desire to do battle.
The brothers were recruited into a new incarnation
Incarnation
Incarnation literally means embodied in flesh or taking on flesh. It refers to the conception and birth of a sentient creature who is the material manifestation of an entity, god or force whose original nature is immaterial....
of the Canadian superhero team Alpha Flight.
They assist the new Alpha Flight in battling several foes, including the Zodiac
Zodiac (comics)
Zodiac is the name of four groups of fictional characters that appear in publications by Marvel Comics. The first version appears in Avengers #72 and was created by Roy Thomas and Sal Buscema. The second version first appear in Defenders #49 and were created by David Kraft and Keith Giffen...
organization and the Brass Bishop. The Bishop is found by Alpha Flight after many innocent civilians go missing. He has brainwashed them and is building a Tower of Babel, an enormous structure that is intended to reach heaven. The team also confronts Department H's own power-mad leader, Jeremy Clarke, who dies of radiation
Radiation
In physics, radiation is a process in which energetic particles or energetic waves travel through a medium or space. There are two distinct types of radiation; ionizing and non-ionizing...
poisoning during a Zodiac raid on the Department H headquarters. Their Alpha Flight team fight several members of the original Flight and later team up with them to defeat a new Weapon X
Weapon X
Weapon X is a fictional clandestine government genetic research facility project in the Marvel Universe conducted by the Canadian Government's Department K, which turns willing and unwilling beings into living weapons. The project often captures mutants and experiments on them to enhance their...
, who had been created by a rogue Department H scientist. Both groups of Alphans merged into a unified Alpha Flight following this adventure. The Corbo brothers and several other members of the new team were later reasigned to Alpha Flight's trainee team, Beta Flight
Beta Flight
Beta Flight is a fictional superhero team owned by Marvel Comics that exists in that company's Marvel Universe. Along with Gamma Flight, Beta Flight is one of the "minor leagues" of the Canadian team Alpha Flight. Originally, Beta Flight was the intermediate level team. Members are more...
.
Radius is lated hired by X-Corps
X-Corps
The X-Corps is a fictional team created by Marvel Comics. Whether they were good or bad was left up to debate, even within the X-Men, but the team acted as a mutant police force created by former X-Man Banshee, in Uncanny X-Men #401...
, a militaristic strike force founded by former Generation X
Generation X (comics)
Generation X is a fictional comic book superhero team, a spin-off of the X-Men franchise published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Scott Lobdell and artist Chris Bachalo, the team formed during the 1994 "Phalanx Covenant" storyline, and appeared in their own monthly series in September 1994...
headmaster and former X-Man
X-Men
The X-Men are a superhero team in the . They were created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, and first appeared in The X-Men #1...
Sean Cassidy, a.k.a. Banshee
Banshee (comics)
Banshee is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics superhero who operates as a member of the X-Men. Created by writer Roy Thomas and artist Werner Roth, Banshee first appeared in X-Men #28 ....
. The X-Corps was ultimately betrayed by its criminal members. Radius is defeated when the villain
Villain
A villain is an "evil" character in a story, whether a historical narrative or, especially, a work of fiction. The villain usually is the antagonist, the character who tends to have a negative effect on other characters...
Avalanche
Avalanche (comics)
Avalanche is a Marvel Comics supervillain and an enemy of the X-Men. Created by writer Chris Claremont and artist/co-writer John Byrne, he first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #141 ....
opens a chasm beneath him. Jared survived the fall, though, and has been shown as one of the many depowered mutants in the aftermath of M-Day..
It was later revealed that Unus the Untouchable
Unus the Untouchable
Unus the Untouchable is a fictional character from the comic book X-Men and part of the Marvel Comics Universe. A mutant, Unus is named for his ability to consciously project a force field which protects him from harm.-Origin:Angelo Unuscione was born in Milan, Italy...
was Radius' father after Flex
Flex (comics)
Flex is a fictional character, a superhero in the Marvel Comics universe. He is a former member of the superhero team Alpha Flight, but later got downgraded to Beta Flight-Fictional character biography:...
starts searching for their fathers through their adoption agency. It has long been rumored that Carmella Unuscione of the Acolytes is the daughter of Unus. It is currently unknown if the two are siblings, some other relation or all together unrelated.
Powers and abilities
Radius before been depowered could generate a permanent force field around him. He does not feel the impact of blows upon it. While the shield is generally porous enough for him to breathe, he can make it almost impervious, even to air.He could also create extensions of the field to use as a ranged attack, and brace objects against it to "fake" super-strength.
Ralphie Hutchins
- Ralphie Hutchins has been also called Radius which was his third form. He is also known as BruteBrute (comics)Brute, in comics, may refer to:*Marvel Comics:**Brute , a superhero who is an alternate reality version of the X-Men's Beast**Brute , one of the lesser known Morlocks in the main Marvel universe...
, Seeker, TorqueTorque (comics)Torque is a supervillain in the DC Comics Universe, and an enemy of Nightwing. Created by writer Chuck Dixon and artist Scott McDaniel, he first appeared in Nightwing v2, #1 .-Fictional character biography:...
, Earthlord and Entity. He first appeared in She-Hulk vol. 1 #6 and as Radius in She-Hulk vol. 1 #24