Quasar

For the current Quasar see: Phyla.

Origins

Wendell Vaughn was an unassuming young man born in Fon du Lac, but raised in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, he had served his country in the army, he had applied at SHIELD with the intent to be a field agent, however, despite his high marks in all his classes it was the committee’s opinion that Vaughn lacked a certain ‘killer instinct’ that they felt was required in all their field agents. Feeling that he would likely be relegated to desk work Wendell went home and quietly awaited word of his first assignment. Word came weeks later in the form of a letter offering him an assignment working security for Stark International on his father’s project. Wendell assumed that his dad, Dr. Gilbert Vaughn pulled some strings.

The Quantum-bands.

Agent Vaughn reported for work and was assigned a post at the main door to the lab. He watched as test pilot William Wesley (a possible allusion to Hal Jordan) was shown a pair of bracelets apparently made of a highly durable metal unknown to modern science and immune to the energy output of the most powerful lasers on earth. Wesley was asked to put on what was dubbed the ‘power-bands’; as he did so there was a strange energy emission. Wesley reported that he had seen alien landscapes and attributed the vision to his eating habits. Dr. Gilbert Vaughn ordered Wesley to field test the seeming alien bracelets. Over the course of several hours Wendell stood in awe as Wesley was able to channel energy through the power-bands, forming shapes made out of energy, using the power of the bands to counter-act gravity itself. Finally, an exhausted, yet, glowing Wesley was given the okay to take off the bands. He placed his wrists in the restraining clamps, but to his shock, the bands refused to come off. Wesley panicked exploded in a burst of energy before everyone’s very eyes. All that remained was the pair of power-bands on the floor where Wesley had been standing.

As everyone slowly recovered from the shock, the bands were re-collected into the restraining clamps, but it was in this moment of shock that A.I.M attacked. One of the scientists was a traitor and had signaled the terrorist cell that it was the time to strike and acquire the alien power-bracelets. Over fifty AIM robots led by an attack ship began to tear into the SHIELD agents. Wendell’s first thought was to protect his father. They both ducked down behind the console that held the bands in clamps and Dr. Vaughn was horrified as he watched his son put on the bands to protect them.

The same energy emission that had afflicted William Wesley minutes earlier now affected Wendell Vaughn. Wendell saw an atmospheric dome covered city; and felt an ancient alien intelligence. He blinked away the vision and over the course of the next few minutes he single-handedly defeated the AIM attack force, punctuating their defeat by cutting the AIM attack ship clean in half. By this time however, he was glowing as wildly as Wesley was before he died. In order to protect the scientists, his fellow agents, and his father, Wendell flew as high as he could to minimize the damage caused by his explosion. He calmed down and went with the flow of the energy currents and was astonished when the energy build-up dissipated. His lack of ‘killer instinct’ actually saved him. He had accidentally clued in on how to work the power-bands!

Nick Fury arrived on the scene shortly thereafter and after getting briefed on what happened, he offered Wendell a new job. He became a founding member of the SHIELD Super-Agents.

A hero is born.

A hero in training

Wendell became known as Marvel Boy (after a previous wearer of the bands but, quickly changed his name to Marvel Man), and began training with the Falcon along side of the Texas Twister, Vamp, and Blue Streak. However when Vamp and Blue Streak turned out to be double agents, Texas Twister quit, and that left Marvel Man to assist Captain America in rescuing the Falcon from the Corporation that were responsible for Vamp and Blue Streak. It was during this mission that Wendell showed Cap that he had great potential. He not only was instrumental in stopping the Corporation, but he held in own in battle against the power of the rampaging Hulk. During this struggle he changed his name to Quasar when a group of children laughed at his Marvel Man code-name. Cap was impressed enough to recommended him as chief of security at Project: PEGASUS.

Project: PEGASUS

Quasar soon landed his job at the Potential Energy Group/Alternate Sources/United States or Project: P.E.G.A.S.U.S. facility in the Adirondack Mountains in New York State. Within weeks of his arrival the Fantastic Four’s strongman the Thing was asked to assist with security for some past damage he dealt to the facility. He meets Dr. Myron Wilburn who goes to escort the Thing to the security chief’s office for a proper introduction. As Dr. Wilburn says “Oh, here he is now.” Thing turns as sees the Crusader!

A former hero from the 50’s who went insane and endangered the people of New York City. He fought the Fantastic Four and nearly defeated them. He however in the end attmpted to use too much power from his “power bands” and disintegrated himself. Now, years later, the Thing is facing him again, by himself.

Grimm attacks knowing he may not have the chance to hurt him shortly and the “Crusader” responds with surprise, he dodges the blow that would likely cave-in his skull and attempts to take to the air but Grimm grabs him by the cape.

The “Crusader” blasts him with a jolt of energy, enough to make Grimm loose the cape. They fight a bit some more, finally Grimm complains that the “Crusader” is jumping around to much and that he should sit still, and oddly the “Crusader” obliges.

The ever-loving blue eyed Thing winds up for a blow that might hypothetically leave “Crusader” a bloody smear on the wall and “Crusader” just stands there, waiting for it. Thing throws his rocky fist and it bounces off a force shield that the “Crusader” has projected in front of himself. The force of Thing’s attack is enough to knock himself over. “Crusader” envelops Thing in an energy cage, saying “It’s time I showed you the might of Quasar.” Once Thing has calmed down and understands that Quasar is not the dreaded Crusader, he just wears a nearly identical costume and has similar powers.

Benjamin Grimm and Wendell soon became good friends.

Things quickly got out of hand when Deathlok attacked, wounding Thing, but was destroyed; Thundra soon followed and was captured. It soon becomes obvious that there was something definitely amiss, but then the mutant Solarr and Klaw escaped from their prisons, but are quickly defeated by Goliath, Quasar, and Thing. The living black hole known as the Dr. Tom Lightner then manifested; it took the combined power of Thing, Thundra, Quasar, Giant-Man and the Aquarian to stop him. After the Nth man collapses in upon himself, Quasar is left prophetically wondering what would happen if the Nth man should appear in another universe. Quasar vowed to never again allow a situation get so out of control.

The young heroine Dazzler was brought to the Project soon after to test her abilities and receive training in her powers. She and Quasar shared a mutual attraction; over a few days she came to feel that Quasar was the only one she could trust at the Project. She however was manipulated by the villain Klaw into freeing him, although she overpowered him when he showed his true colors by attacking Quasar. Having absorbed Klaw's power, Dazzler lost control and fled.

Quasar fell victim to the Serpent Crown only months later which had already corrupted the rest of the Project. Only the interference of the Thing, Doctor Strange, Spider-Man, and Scarlet Witch averted certain disaster. Quasar, blaming himself, tendered his resignation.

Finding himself

Putting his costume away, he spent several weeks at his mother’s hours in Wisconsin. He sat in his old bedroom basically avoiding life in general. Finally his mother contacted her ex-husband, looking for a way get her son to fight off the depression.

His father soon came up with a dangerous plan. Wendell would fly to the planet Uranus without any sort of spacecraft, where the power-bands were apparently constructed according to Robert Grayson, Marvel Boy of the 1950’s. Attracted by the prospect of spending time alone in the void of space, Wendell readily agreed. He quickly entered a heavy training regiment, which included confirming that the power-bands would protect the wearer in a vacuum, and mastering the controls of his equipment. Soon he was ready to go. He took off after some lengthy goodbyes, and penetrated the atmosphere and promptly was injected with a sedative and fell asleep.

Quasar finds his power is useless against Deathurge.

Death amongst the ruins

The drug cocktail Wendell had been injected with slowed his bodily functions to a crawl and induced a coma-like suspended animation. Four years and nearly three billion kilometers later, Quasar found himself awakening as he neared the seventh planet.

He quickly identified something reflective on the surface of the planet. He had found the atmospheric domed city he had seen all those years ago in the vision he had received when he first put on the bands! He found the city largely decimated, the dome shattered, the city’s population flash frozen. There was an assortment of artifacts of both the Kree and the Eternals scattered around the city proper. He logged them as well as he could but was shocked to find that his communication device was no longer in contact with earth.

It was then that Deathurge made his presence known. He made quite clear that he intended to “help” Quasar succumb to his depression by killing him. After a brief chase in which it became clear that Deathurge could not be harmed by someone who was considering death as an alternative whether consciously or unconsciously, Quasar was seemingly killed.

Protector of the Universe

Quasar found himself no longer on Uranus, where a tree with a face and a giant eye spoke to him. Calling itself Eon, it claimed to be four billion years old, and to be the offspring on Eternity. It went on to say that it was responsible to make sure that life continued to thrive in the universe and to that end it was to appoint a universal protector. The most recent in a long line of Protectors died from the ravages of what the humans call Cancer. His name was Captain Marvel. Eon also said that the ‘Power-bands’ upon Wendell’s wrists are known as the Quantum Bands; they are not only powerful tools, but are traditionally the symbols of the station of Eon’s chosen Protector. It explained that Wendell had the necessary traits to be a worthy successor to Captain Mar-Vell as Protector of the Universe.

Eon required Quasar to specifically to protect it from a new universal menace of which it knew three things: 1) It would come from space. 2) It would manifest on earth. 3) It would attempt to slay Eon for the secret of cosmic awareness. Quasar agreed only after persuading Eon to accompany him back to earth so that he could better protect it. Eon altered his costume slightly, and opened Quasar’s mind to the full potential of the Quantum-bands and returned him to the surface of Uranus where Deathurge awaited him. Quasar quickly overpowered Deathurge, but before he retreated he issued a prophesy. ‘The next time we meet you shall beg me to kill you… and I will refuse.’ Quasar disregarded the cryptic message.

Eon accompanied Quasar back to Earth. Quasar now aware of the full capabilities of the bands, quantum-jumped back, reducing a four year journey to fifteen seconds.

Eon.

Back on Earth

Wendell Vaughn quickly set up shop in Four Freedoms Plaza as a security consultant both for income and to cover his cosmic duties. Shortly thereafter he was asked to join the Avengers personally by Captain America after his showing of power against the menace of Garthan Saal in Chicago, which not only had the East and Avengers West Coast responded to, but the Fantastic Four as well.

During his interview and orientation with Cap, he flew from New York Harbor to the Sea of Tranquility (on the Moon) and back in under ten minutes (making him the fastest Avenger on record), and was able to acquit himself well in an unscheduled combat with the former herald of Galactus: Firelord.

Protector of the Universe.

As an Avenger he assisted against the Lava Men and a confrontation with the Winter Guard (Russia's answer to the Avengers) over a submarine. He was one of the few present on Hydro base at it’s sinking. He also soon after encountered Aquarian again, along with the villain Quantum, whom Quasar defeated. Quasar went on to such villains as the Angler, Absorbing Man, Venom, Klaw, Living Laser and the Red Ghost. He, with the help of a cosmically endowed Spider-Man physically exiled Terminus from Earth. Not long after, Quasar was forced to simultaneously defend himself against Mordred the Mystic and the power of the Marvel Girl (Rachel Summers when she was posessed by the Phoenix Force).

Journey into Mystery

Quasar welcomed the Ex-Squadron Supreme to Earth-616 after the Nth man had very nearly absorbed their entire universe. They were stranded with no way back. Their arrival however restored the amnesiac Overmind, who promptly took over their minds and took them to the Stranger’s world. They were rescued by Quasar, who had previously protected his mind from mental takeover with the Quantum-bands. During the chaos the specimens on the Lab world were freed en-mass. Finally Quasar and the Stranger were able to defeat Overmind. Quasar solved the Oblivion Plague which has struck the Watcher population, thus saving them from extintion. The Squadron were restored and returned to Earth with Quasar.

Quasar channels the might of a star.

Shortly thereafter Quasar encountered the Unbeing and Origin. Two entities that was responsible for all the meta-beings in the universe. Origin was the one who chose certain people to be given powers, by being exposed to cosmic rays, bitten by a radioactive spider, or spontaneously decide to put on a pair of alien bracelets. Unbeing on the other hand, was the instrument of how many of these same people had been forgotten over the years. Quasar managed to protect Origin from the Unbeing, and as a gift was given a costume that retroactively replaced his old one altered by Eon when he became the Protector of the Universe.

Around this time he assisted the Avengers against the Tertrarchs of Entropy and the Collector. Later he, along with the Avengers assists Alpha Flight during an alien invasion of Canada, where he meets Her for the first time.

Cosmos in Collision

Quasar checking on a energy reading heading toward Earth found Jack Of Hearts leading a rag-tag group of tethered spaceship hulls. He confronted Jack, who responded with naked aggression having taxed his powers and patience to the limit on his trip from the Stranger’s lab world. After a brief struggle Jack found himself betrayed by two other members of the entourage the Presence and Red Guardian II. The Presence attempted to kill Quasar outright, but when Jack refused to take part in murder he blasted him instead. Then with a close-range blast to the temples he thought Quasar dead. However Quasar quantum-jumped at the last possible second. Finding that the Presence was heading Earthward in one direction while the tethered refugee ships headed into the atmosphere in another threatening to burn up. He caught up with the ships as they entered Russian airspace and he rendered them invisible to radar and planted them down in Siberia. He questioned the occupants of the ships and found that despite their very alien appearances in some cases they were all very human. He then found that Eon was under direct attack and was forced to leave them there.

He radioed ahead to the Fantastic Four, telling them that a couple of cosmic level menaces were breaking into a lower level of their building. The FF was able to capture the Red Guardian II, and Quasar was able to arrive in time to protect Eon by trapping the Presence in the trackless Quantum-Zone. Feeling that he had saved his mentor from the “Cosmic Assassin”, Quasar decided it was time to celebrate. He instead found the girl he was just starting a relationship with in the arms of his best friend, Makkari. He left the scene without a word to either of them. He traveled to his father’s house and found him dead on the kitchen floor. He learned to his shock that his father had been dead since Quasar was at the Stranger’s Lab world. Quasar felt betrayed. Eon chose to animate him because he was certain that the Cosmic Assassin had killed him to throw off Quasar’s mental stability, and Eon was not convinced that the Presence had been the threat that Quasar had been appointed to combat. Quasar quit as Protector and told Eon to stay out of his life. Discovering Moonraker buzzing Four Freedoms Plaza in an attempt to draw the Fantastic Four into combat, Quasar lost in his pain brutally attacked and hospitalized him.

It was as he had driven a wedge between Eon and his Protector that the true Cosmic Assassin chose to reveal himself. Malcolm Stromberg, a wealthy philanthropist wanted to gain the services of Vaughn Securities and offered the entire staff over to his mansion for an extravagant dinner. After some very brief pleasantries, Mr. Stromberg began to tell a story his past, about how he was a Deviant/Inhuman hybrid, and that he knew Wendell Vaughn’s identity as Quasar, saying in no uncertain terms that he would have Quasar’s Quantum-bands or he would kill Quasar's friends. Not knowing what else to do Quasar attacked only to find his beams bending around Stromberg. Quasar attempted to parlay for the release of his friends as Stromberg held him motionless in mid-air seeming through some mastery of kinetic energy. Stromberg would have none of it and over the course of several minutes cut Quasar’s arms off with a steak knife as his friends were powerless to do anything. Malcolm Stromberg then revealed himself to be none other than Maelstrom, the Cosmic Assassin.

Maelstrom, the Cosmic Assassin.

Maelstrom learned over the course of hours how to augment his own power with the near limitless might of the Quantum-bands. He then traveled to the Eonverse with the intent to kill Eon and take the secret of Cosmic Awareness from it. Back on Earth, after several hours of being strung up like a slaughtered lamb, Deathurge appeared to Quasar; explained that he could release him from this torment, taunting him, even getting Quasar to beg for death, but then Deathurge reminds him of his prophetic warning a seeming eternity ago on the surface of Uranus, Deathurge refuses Quasar’s plea and leaves. Later, after he is whipped repeatedly by one of Maelstrom’s minions, Quasar finally died when his personal death avatar (Kid Reaper) appeared before him and stabbed him through the heart. Maelstrom immediately donned the Quantum-bands and began burning large swaths through Eon’s body with Quantum energy.

Now, in the empty void there is an energy wraith that appears to be a still armless Quasar. Kid Reaper appears next to him as they assess the situation, Kid Reaper admits that this has never happened to him before and he has no idea what this place is. Quasar realizes that dead or alive, he still has a responsibility to Eon and the universe, no matter form he is in. He realizes that the energy manifestation of his starscaped cape can send him wherever he wishes to go. So, he travels through it and re-appeared in the Eonverse.

Once there, Eon directs him to Maelstrom but asks that Quasar kill Eon before Maelstrom can steal cosmic awareness from him. Explaining that if Maelstrom is able to learn the secrets of the universe, then there is no telling the damage he could do. Thinking that Eon is the one animating him, Quasar figures he’ll probably cease to exist once Eon is dead, so Quasar asks Kid Reaper that once Quasar is dead to contact the Avengers and have them kick Maelstrom’s butt.

Quasar quickly arrives at the base of Eon’s brain, which is about the size of a moon, where Maelstrom reclines in a chair and has created various probes into the grey matter. Maelstrom hears Eon explain where Quasar should fire a blast that would result in immediate death for Eon. Maelstrom howls in rage at the sudden re-appearance of his adversary and attempts to blast him into nothingness, but since the energy-wraith Quasar is made from the same energy type that the Quantum-bands produce the beam passes harmlessly through him. Quasar responds by heeding his mentor’s wishes and firing a bolt of energy right into Eon’s Brainstem.

As the smoke and dust clears Quasar is shocked to find himself still in existence and Maelstrom is fully enraged by this turn of events. It’s then that Quasar finds that as his last act, Eon passed cosmic awareness to him. Maelstrom attempts to threaten Quasar into giving up the gift, but Quasar rightfully notes that there’s nothing more Maelstrom can do to harm him. Maelstrom sadly agrees and then quantum-jumps to high earth orbit; Quasar follows. Maelstrom uses his mastery of kinetic energy to halt the Earth’s rotation, which would hypothetically wipe out all life on the planet within minutes. He then offers Quasar a choice. He will free Earth if Quasar gives him the secrets of cosmic awareness. Quasar realizes that Maelstrom would only wreak even more devastation across the universe. Unable to make the decision to sacrifice the Earth, Quasar retreats into the Quantum-zone. Maelstrom summons Deathurge after dispatching Kid Reaper and explains that he had already stolen cosmic awareness from Eon when Quasar killed him; he just wanted Quasar to give his up.

Quasar flying through the Quantum-zone to regroup discovers his true benefactor allowing him to continue to exist beyond death. Infinity. She names Quasar her Avatar and explains she represents the physical space of the universe (hense her name), and that Maelstrom has created a large black hole that will continue to grow until it completely encompasses the entire universe, leaving him as its single anomalous ruler.

Quasar returns to normal space and attempts to replace the matter and energy with the power Infinity has leant him as it is taken by the black hole. Maelstrom senses this and attacks him; Quasar maneuvers them into the event horizon of the black hole, destroying Maelstrom. Quasar then realizes his previous attempt would not be enough and throws himself into the maw of the black hole and attempts to release all the power at his disposal which could start a reaction that might reverse the flow of the black hole. However he is shunted to Oblivion’s realm, he is greeted by Oblivion and his new Avatar, Maelstrom. Maelstrom is quickly augmented by Oblivion, and Maelstrom declares that they will thrash the Infinity-force out of him. It is then that Infinity makes her presence known she augments Quasar so that he and Maelstrom are on even terms; Oblivion tells her that it is time that a new deal is struck between the forces of life and death. Infinity regretfully agrees.

Quasar just after he resurrected himself.

The battle is met and they find that they are indeed too evenly matched, which means that there is no one to stop the black hole. Finally after several minutes Quasar realizes that his retroactively changed costume makes him more of an anomaly than Maelstrom, this minor fact throws off Maelstrom’s concentration and he is destroyed by the Quantum-bands, causing a chain reaction which causes the black hole to reverse itself. Eternity and Death arrive on the scene to strike a new deal with their siblings. Quasar realizing that Eternity, Infinity, Death, and Oblivion make up the cosmological compass of the universe. Quasar, unable to glean a single word of the conversation, returns to Earth. He restores the Earth’s rotation, freeing all of Earth’s mystics who were holding off the detrimental effects. Quasar returns to his body and merges his energy avatar with it, placing the Quantum-bands at the end of the severed arms. He resurrects himself and restores his hands. Creating a new costume. Infinity appears before him and explains that a new deal has been made; Quasar returns the power she lent to her. She says that the universe is in his debt.

Infinity Gauntlet

From there Quasar deals almost immediately with Thanos and the Infinity Gauntlet. Thanos taunts Quasar and the mourners at Eon’s funeral; it degrades into a fight between them. The mourners flee and Thanos creates four former bearers of the Quantum-bands, the Stygian Starbender, Ree of the Archeopians, Trantra of the Trill, and Marvel Boy. Quasar was able to defeat them.

He later took part in what became a masacare on Thanos' stronghold in space (wearing the older costume that Origin gave him), where Thanos willed the Quantum-bands to explode, then to put Quasar out of his misery, Thanos disintigrated him.

Quasar was later resurrected along with the rest of earth's heroes when Nebula restored everything to how it was twenty-four hours earlier.

Thanos and the Infinity Gems.

Quasar notes to Makkari about this time that he had worn his old costume for an entire week before he noticed. (Explanation for the art mistake in Infinity Guantlet because Quasar changed his costume twice in seven issues)

Quasar is contacted by Hercules who explains to Quasar that Thor has been enthralled by a "sinister alien force". Quasar doesn't quite believe it, but Hercules tells Quasar tells him to have faith. While waiting for Hercules, Quasar is enchanted by the Enchantress. He agressively attacks Thor and fights him to a standstill, finally Thor accidentally frees Quasar by energizing the Quantum-Bands which have a protection against mental control. Enchantress retreats from the combined might of the three heroes. In light of Hercules' "elaborate deception", Thor and Quasar leave him tied to the lamp of the Statue of Liberty.

Her (later known as Kismet) makes her presense known as she seeks the ideal mate among the various male super-heroes of Earth. (Having recently met Adam Warlock and realizing they were a poor match as they are genetically nearly identical.) She rules out Mutants as their DNA is too unstable. She goes about planting cocoons of her genetic material upon the back of the neck of any super-powered male that impresses her genetically, she chooses(Wonder Man, Hyperion, Ikaris, Doc Samson, and Gilgamesh to this end.

Quasar attempts to intervene since he's had more experience with her than most and he is the only Avenger capable of catching her. She at first disregards Quasar as he has no power of his own, it emanates from his wrist-weapons. She only decides that he is a worthy potential mate when he displays impressive control of his power and resourcfulness in catching Her, also a great deal of honor when he defends her against a jealous Moondragon and a mind-controlled Jack of Hearts. When every other person she attached a cocoon to attempts to either remove or otherwise destroy their cocoon, she chooses Quasar as he has shown that all life is important to him.

As a compromise to Quasar, Her removes the cocoon but decides that her destiny lies with him.

What if?

Shortly later, Quasar was asked by the Watcher to find and capture the Living Laser who he had months earlier pursued to the Watcher’s viewing portal. Living Laser fled into it, traveling to the alternate earth that the Watcher happened to be wat