Wundarr the Aquarian
Encyclopedia
Wundarr the Aquarian is a 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...

 character created by Steve Gerber
Steve Gerber
Stephen Ross "Steve" Gerber was an American comic book writer best known as co-creator of the satiric Marvel Comics character Howard the Duck....

 and Val Mayerik
Val Mayerik
Val Mayerik is an American comic-book and commercial artist, best known as co-creator of Marvel Comics' satiric character Howard the Duck.-Early life and career:...

 in Adventure into Fear
Adventure into Fear
Adventure into Fear is an American horror comic book series published by Marvel Comics from cover dates November 1970 through December 1975, for 31 issues...

 #17. His first appearance is thought of as a parody
Parody
A parody , in current usage, is an imitative work created to mock, comment on, or trivialise an original work, its subject, author, style, or some other target, by means of humorous, satiric or ironic imitation...

 of the origin of Superman
Superman
Superman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...

.

Publication history

Wundarr first appeared in Adventure into Fear
Adventure into Fear
Adventure into Fear is an American horror comic book series published by Marvel Comics from cover dates November 1970 through December 1975, for 31 issues...

#17 (October 1973), written by Steve Gerber
Steve Gerber
Stephen Ross "Steve" Gerber was an American comic book writer best known as co-creator of the satiric Marvel Comics character Howard the Duck....

. Before long he became a frequent supporting character
Supporting character
A supporting character is a character of a book, play, video game, movie, television or radio show or other form of storytelling usually used to give added dimension to a main character, by adding a relationship with this character...

 in Marvel Two-in-One
Marvel Two-in-One
Marvel Two-In-One was an American comic book series published by Marvel Comics that featured the Fantastic Four member, the Thing, in a different team-up each issue with a different character. The series continued from the team-up stories starring the Thing in the final two issues of Marvel...

, appearing in #2-4 (March, May, July 1974), and #8 (March 1975) by Steve Gerber, and issue #9 (May 1975) by Steve Gerber and Chris Claremont
Chris Claremont
Chris Claremont is an award-winning American comic book writer and novelist, known for his 17-year stint on Uncanny X-Men, far longer than any other writer, during which he is credited with developing strong female characters, and with introducing complex literary themes into superhero...

), and making a guest appearance in Ms. Marvel
Ms. Marvel
Ms. Marvel is the name of a fictional character appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Roy Thomas and designed by artist Gene Colan, the non-powered Carol Danvers debuted as a member of the United States Air Force in Marvel Super-Heroes #13 and as Ms. Marvel—a...

#15 (also written by Chris Claremont). After Gerber's run on Marvel-Two-in-One, Wundarr mostly disappeared until the Project Pegasus
Project Pegasus
Project Pegasus is a fictional scientific base in the Marvel Comics universe which has been the location of a variety of stories for superheroes and supervillains, most notably in the title Marvel Two-in-One...

 saga (written by Mark Gruenwald
Mark Gruenwald
Mark E. Gruenwald was an American comic book writer, editor, and occasional penciler. Gruenwald got his start in comics fandom, publishing his own fanzine, Omniverse, which explored the concept of continuity...

 and Ralph Macchio
Ralph Macchio (comics)
Ralph Macchio is an American comic book editor and writer, who has held many positions at Marvel Comics, including executive editor. Macchio is commonly associated with Daredevil, the Spider-Man line of comics and the popular Ultimate Marvel line...

), in which he became "The Aquarian." His later appearances in Marvel Two-in-One were in issues #42 (August 1978), 53 (August 1979), 55-58 (September–December 1979), 64, 69 (all written by Ralph Macchio
Ralph Macchio (comics)
Ralph Macchio is an American comic book editor and writer, who has held many positions at Marvel Comics, including executive editor. Macchio is commonly associated with Daredevil, the Spider-Man line of comics and the popular Ultimate Marvel line...

 and Mark Gruenwald
Mark Gruenwald
Mark E. Gruenwald was an American comic book writer, editor, and occasional penciler. Gruenwald got his start in comics fandom, publishing his own fanzine, Omniverse, which explored the concept of continuity...

), and issue #74 (by Mark Gruenwald).

After Marvel Two-in-One, the Aquarian appeared in Captain America
Captain America
Captain America is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Captain America Comics #1 , from Marvel Comics' 1940s predecessor, Timely Comics, and was created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby...

 Annual
#7 (Peter Gillis), Quasar
Quasar (comics)
Quasar is a fictional character, a comic book superhero in the . He is one of Marvel's cosmic heroes, a character whose adventures frequently take him into outer space or other dimensions...

#4 (December 1989) (Mark Gruenwald), Marvel Comics Presents
Marvel Comics Presents
Marvel Comics Presents was an American comic book anthology series published by Marvel Comics originally from 1988 to 1995; it returned for a second volume in 2007-2008.-Volume 1:The first volume was released on a biweekly basis and lasted for 175 issues...

#46 (March 1990) (Fabian Nicieza
Fabian Nicieza
Fabian Nicieza is an American comic book writer and editor who is best known for his work on Marvel titles such as X-Men, X-Force, New Warriors, Cable and Deadpool, and Thunderbolts, for all of which he helped create numerous characters.-Early life:The son of Omar and Irma Riguetti Nicieza, Fabian...

), Quasar #28 (November 1991), 50 (September 1993) (Mark Gruenwald), What If
What If (comics)
What If, sometimes rendered as What If...?, is the title of several comic book series published by Marvel Comics, exploring "the road not traveled" by its various characters...

v2 #25: "What If The Marvel Super Heroes Had Lost Atlantis Attacks
Atlantis Attacks
Atlantis Attacks was a comic book super-hero crossover storyline which ran through most of the summer annuals published by Marvel Comics in 1989....

" (written and illustrated by Jim Valentino
Jim Valentino
Jim Valentino is an American writer, penciler, editor and publisher of comic books.-1970s - 1992:Valentino began his career in the late 1970s creating small press and mostly autobiographical comics. The early-mid 1980s saw normalman which first appeared as a back-up story in Aardvark-Vanaheim's...

), *Avengers West Coast #97 (August 1993) (by Roy Thomas
Roy Thomas
Roy William Thomas, Jr. is an American comic book writer and editor, and Stan Lee's first successor as editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics. He is possibly best known for introducing the pulp magazine hero Conan the Barbarian to American comics, with a series that added to the storyline of Robert E...

), Spider-Man Team-Up
Marvel Team-Up
Marvel Team-Up is the name of several American comic book series published by Marvel Comics. The series featured two or more Marvel characters in one story...

#6 (by Larry Hama
Larry Hama
Larry Hama is an American comic book writer, artist, actor and musician who has worked in the fields of entertainment and publishing since the 1960s....

). Some time later, he appeared in The Thing #8 (August 2006) and World War Hulk: Front Line #4 (November 2007). He appeared again in Marvel Zombies 3 #1 (December 2008).

Aquarian received an entry in the original Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe
Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe
The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe is an encyclopedic guide which details the fictional universe featured in Marvel Comics publications...

#1, in the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Deluxe Edition #1 and in the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Master Edition #21.

Relaunch candidate

In 2005, Marvel.com presented four characters to be relaunched. The Aquarian was one of these choices and took second place to Death's Head
Death's Head
Death's Head is a fictional comic book character, a robotic bounty hunter appearing in the books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer Simon Furman and artist Geoff Senior for the company's Marvel UK imprint...

. Steve Gerber asked his fans on the Howard the Duck
Howard the Duck
Howard the Duck is a comic book character in the Marvel Comics universe created by writer Steve Gerber and artist Val Mayerik. The character first appeared in Adventure into Fear #19 and several subsequent series have chronicled the misadventures of the ill-tempered, anthropomorphic, "funny...

 Yahoo! Group to vote against a revival of the character, since he would have neither creative control nor receive financial compensation from such a relaunch.

Early years

On a distant planet called Dakkam, a scientist
Scientist
A scientist in a broad sense is one engaging in a systematic activity to acquire knowledge. In a more restricted sense, a scientist is an individual who uses the scientific method. The person may be an expert in one or more areas of science. This article focuses on the more restricted use of the word...

 named Hektu comes to believe that the sun going nova
Nova
A nova is a cataclysmic nuclear explosion in a star caused by the accretion of hydrogen on to the surface of a white dwarf star, which ignites and starts nuclear fusion in a runaway manner...

 would destroy his world. In a last effort to save his family, he and his wife, Soja, have an infant son named Wundarr, whom they plan to save from their world's destruction. They place him aboard a ship that is able to maintain his life support
Life support (aviation)
Life support, or aircrew life support, in aviation, is the field centered on, and related technologies used in, ensuring the safety of aircrew, particularly military aviation. This includes safety equipment capable of helping them survive in the case of a crash, accident, or malfunction.Life...

 as long as necessary, and then launch him into outer space. Hektu and Soja later make flight and are captured and executed by the Internal Security Force to prevent them from alarming the populace. It is later found out that Hektu's apocalyptic prediction is incorrect, and that he sent his son away for nothing.

In July, 1951, Wundarr's ship is caught by Earth's gravitational pull, and passes through a layer of cosmic rays before entering Earth's atmosphere and crashing in a Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...

 swamp
Swamp
A swamp is a wetland with some flooding of large areas of land by shallow bodies of water. A swamp generally has a large number of hammocks, or dry-land protrusions, covered by aquatic vegetation, or vegetation that tolerates periodical inundation. The two main types of swamp are "true" or swamp...

. An elderly couple known only as Maw and Paw observe the crash from their car. Paw considers checking out the crash site, but Maw insists that it might contain Martian
Martian
As an adjective, the term martian is used to describe anything pertaining to the planet Mars.However, a Martian is more usually a hypothetical or fictional native inhabitant of the planet Mars. Historically, life on Mars has often been hypothesized, although there is currently no solid evidence of...

s or Communists and demands that he ignore it; thus, Wundarr remains in his ship for a number of years, growing to physical maturity, though retaining the mind of a child. Twenty years later, Man-Thing
Man-Thing
The Man-Thing is a fictional character, a monster in publications from Marvel Comics. Created by writers Stan Lee, Roy Thomas, and Gerry Conway and artist Gray Morrow, the character first appeared in Savage Tales #1 , and went on to be featured in various titles and in his own series, including...

 senses someone inside the rocket, and is compelled to free whatever is trapped inside. Man-Thing being the first creature Wundarr sees, he is convinced that this is his mother. Man-Thing, being emotionless, does not react to Wundarr's cravings for attention. He learns very quickly of his amazing strength and bests Man-Thing in battle. Man-Thing's continued attempts to be left alone result in Wundarr eventually deciding that Man-Thing is not his mother.

With his great leaping ability, he eventually reaches Hydro-Base
Hydro-Base
Hydro-Base is a fictional base in the Marvel Universe. It first appeared in Sub-Mariner #61, created by Steve Gerber, Bill Everett, and Win Mortimer .-Fictional history:...

, where Namor and Namorita
Namorita
Namorita Prentiss is a fictional superhero in the Marvel Universe, commonly known by the name of Nita. She is a mutant clone of her mother, Namora, and a member of the New Warriors. She was killed in the explosion in Stamford that started the Superhero Civil War.-Publication history:Namorita first...

 are trying to rehabilitate the population of Hydro-Men
Hydro-Men
The Hydro-Men is a fictional organization in the Marvel Universe.The fanatical scientist Herman Frayne used mutagenic Terrigen Mist to transform himself into a green, scaly-skinned humanoid...

. Namor believes that Wundarr is a malicious intruder and quickly scares him off. Two Dakkam officials, Tuumar and Zeneg, believe that Wundarr may seek to avenge his father and send a Mortoid robot to assassinate him. Wundarr's leaps bring him down in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

, where he encounters Ben Grimm
Thing (comics)
The Thing is a fictional character, a founding member of the superhero team known as the Fantastic Four in the Marvel Comics universe. He was created by Jack Kirby and Stan Lee in The Fantastic Four #1...

 walking home from a screening of Five Fingers of Death
Five Fingers of Death
King Boxer aka Five Fingers of Death , is a 1972 martial arts film directed by Chang-wha Chung and starring Lo Lieh. Made in Hong Kong, it is one of many kung fu-themed movies with Lo Lieh in the lead...

. Landing in the middle of traffic, Wundarr is hurt and lashes back childishly, throwing the cars around. Ben pulls no punches trying to stop him, but quickly realizes he is not dealing with a supervillain. Namor and Namorita, having followed Wundarr, try to restrain Ben, which leads to fisticuffs between Namor and Ben.

Tuumar and Zeneg use this as the opportunity to kill Wundarr "for tranquility." When Ben and Namor team up and destroy the Mortoid, Tuumar and Zeneg flee, and Ben is left to be "Unca Benjy" to Wundarr, whom Reed Richards
Mister Fantastic
Mr. Fantastic is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics superhero and a member of the Fantastic Four. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby, he first appeared in Fantastic Four #1 ....

 determines to be of high intellect, but with the knowledge and experience of a child. Reed builds Wundarr a containment suit that enables his body to expel small amounts of energy so that his body does not overload.

Wundarr also finds himself menaced by the Tiger Shark.

The Aquarian

Wundarr is captured by the Project Pegasus
Project Pegasus
Project Pegasus is a fictional scientific base in the Marvel Comics universe which has been the location of a variety of stories for superheroes and supervillains, most notably in the title Marvel Two-in-One...

 leaders in order to test his abilities. During these tests, the project leaders decide to use his energy-dampening abilities to probe the Cosmic Cube
Cosmic Cube
The Cosmic Cube, called the Tesseract in the film Captain America: The First Avenger, is the name of a fictional object that appears in the Marvel Universe. The concept was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby and first appeared in Tales of Suspense #79 .-Publication history:The first Cosmic Cube...

, a device of great cosmic power. During the probing, the Cosmic Cube overloads Wundarr's mind and body, sending him into an autistic coma (though his energy-dampening field still functions). This overload of energy greatly boosts his abilities, both mental and physical, giving him his power "dampening" field. Being in communication with the Cube, even for so short a time, he is granted great knowledge and a sense of purpose. He awakens from his coma, and is further transformed by the Cosmic Cube. In light of his new knowledge, he renames himself The Aquarian. His new power allows him to defeat the Nth Man
Nth Man
Nth Man is a fictional character in the Marvel Universe.-Publication history:Thomas Lightner first appeared as Blacksun in Marvel Two-in-One #21-23 , and was created by Bill Mantlo and Ron Wilson....

. Since then, he roams somewhat aimlessly, seeking to bring peace and enlightenment to the Earth. For a time, he leads the Water-Children, a philosophical cult dedicated to pacifism and awaiting the coming of the Celestial Messiah.

Aquarian serves as a psychic "nesting place" for the Cosmic Cube, just before it awoke to sentience. Aquarian is attacked by fellow Dakkamite Quantum
Quantum (comics)
Quantum is a fictional character, an alien supervillain appearing in the comic books published by Marvel Comics. He first appeared in West Coast Avengers, Volume 2, #12 .-Fictional character biography:...

, but is saved by the hero Quasar
Quasar (comics)
Quasar is a fictional character, a comic book superhero in the . He is one of Marvel's cosmic heroes, a character whose adventures frequently take him into outer space or other dimensions...

. Aquarian also aids Doctor Strange
Doctor Strange
Doctor Stephen Strange is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was co-created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, and first appeared in Strange Tales #110 ....

 in preventing planet-wide disasters on Earth.

The Initiative

After joining the Initiative
Avengers: The Initiative
Avengers: The Initiative was a comic book series from Marvel Comics. Written by Dan Slott and Christos Gage with artwork initially by Stefano Caselli, Steve Uy and Harvey Tolibao, the series dealt with the aftermath of Marvel's Civil War crossover Avengers: The Initiative was a comic book series...

 program he is assigned a position on the Florida Initiative Team, The Command with Jennifer Kale
Jennifer Kale
Jennifer Kale is a fictional character, a sorceress in the Marvel Comics universe.-Publication history:Jennifer Kale was created by Steve Gerber and Val Mayerik, and debuted in Adventure into Fear #11 . She is the cousin of Ghost Riders Johnny Blaze and Danny Ketch, and a founding member of the...

 and Siege. This team is the first to encounter the Marvel Zombies
Marvel Zombies
Marvel Zombies is a five-issue limited series published from December 2005 to April 2006 by Marvel Comics. The series was written by Robert Kirkman with art by Sean Phillips and covers by Arthur Suydam. It was the first series in the Marvel Zombies series of related stories...

, who have made a breach into the Marvel Universe through the Nexus of Realities. He is then bitten on the shoulder by a zombified Deadpool
Deadpool (comics)
Deadpool is a fictional character, a mercenary and anti-hero appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by artist Rob Liefeld and writer Fabian Nicieza, Deadpool first appeared in The New Mutants #98 Deadpool (Wade Winston Wilson) is a fictional character, a mercenary and...

 whom Wundarr throws into the blades of a nearby skiff; Kale activates them, reducing Deadpool to a bloody pulp. Wundarr goes into a form of "hibernation" in an energy cocoon in order to stave off the zombie infection, and is later shown still in this state quarantined at A.R.M.O.R. headquarters.

Wundarr appears soon after, having recovered from the virus, and is shown defending Florida during the Skrull
Skrull
The Skrulls are a fictional race of extraterrestrial shapeshifters that appear in publications by Marvel Comics.-Publication history:The Skrulls first appeared in Fantastic Four #2 and were created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby....

invasion of Earth.

Powers and abilities

Exposure to cosmic rays granted superhuman powers to Wundarr, and radiation from the Earth's sun causes all Dakkamites to undergo further mutagenic effects.

Initially, Wundarr could absorb energy directly into his body. This energy was converted into kinetic energy which could be used to increase his physical strength (allowing him to bench up to 15 tons), in leaping, or in energy projection. To keep him from building up more energy than his body could handle, Reed Richards of the Fantastic Four built him a suit that would allow him to "drain" the energy in his body.

After the exposure to the energies of the Cosmic Cube, the Aquarian's body generated a field around his body that nullified nearly all forms of energy (kinetic, electrical, magnetic, gamma, gravitational, etc.) that are higher than a certain preset level, which he calls his "null field". For example, a bullet contains a level of kinetic energy higher than what his Null field will allow for, so once the bullet enters his field, its energy is nullified. His own body is subject to this field, and he cannot move any faster than it will allow. This field naturally resides five feet from his body, and he cannot disable it; it is active at all times regardless of whether he is conscious or not. With concentration, however, he can contract this field to within five inches (127 mm) , or expand it to 500 feet (152.4 m).
  • Physical strength - He has a great deal of physical strength, as shown in his besting of Man-Thing in battle. After his confrontation with the Cosmic Cube, his strength was lowered to the point of benching 1 ton.

  • Leaping/flying - Wundarr has the ability to leap great distances. After his contact with The Cosmic Cube, however, his Null field negated any energy from leaping. However, since his Null field can negate gravity and wind, he can literally walk on air, via directed motion hovering.

  • Knowledge - After being in contact with the Cosmic Cube, he is left with an unimaginable knowledge which he calls "Everything and Nothing". He appears to have strong grasp on the properties of life and death, as well as peace and discourse. He is sometimes shown transmitting (through touch) this knowledge to other beings, often in order to create harmony.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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