Comics / Spotlight

Power Extreme!

By Matt Adler
February 26, 2006 - 17:59

Easy Cats :)

Some have called him Goldie Locks, others Marvel’s Malibu Ken. Or my favourite, Barbie with a …… OK, OK, OK, I’ve called him those names :)

But to show I’m a fair cat, I decided to let him have his day in the sun. Y’know, as Annihilation is coming up…………and he might get snuffed (fingers crossed…..sorry, had to drop it lol).

So get comfy, kick back and let Quasar groupie supreme Matt Adler give you the 411!


Who is Quasar?

Quasar is Wendell Vaughan, a 20-something from the U.S. city of Oshkosh, Wisconsin. He's a laidback guy, usually preferring to talk things out rather than resort to aggressive confrontation. Despite that, as a young man he signed up for military service, and after a brief stint went on to try to become a SHIELD agent. Unfortunately, that same laidback nature had him categorized as lacking a "killer instinct", and his SHIELD instructors therefore deemed him unfit for combat duty.

He was instead given a guard duty assignment on a project where his father, a renowned scientist, was studying a pair of alien wristbands SHIELD had confiscated. In the course of this assignment, the terrorist organization known as AIM attacked, seeking to acquire the wristbands for their own purposes. To protect them, Wendell placed them on his own wrists, and soon discovered that his own "lack of killer instinct" actually enabled him to control the bands, for anyone who with too aggressive a nature found themselves quickly disintegrated. He used the bands to put down the AIM attack, and went on to become a member of SHIELD's Super-Agent program.

Learning About The Quantum Bands

During his time with the Super-Agents, Quasar first met Captain America. This was the beginning of a important friendship, and Quasar went on to assist Cap on several occasions, as well as other superheroes including Cap's partner the Falcon, the Incredible Hulk, and the Fantastic Four's Thing. He fought villains such as Moonstone (now of the Thunderbolts), and even had his mind taken over by the evil artifact known as the Serpent Crown.



Though he was rescued by his allies, this experience was extremely traumatic, and left Wendell dejected and depressed. Wendell eventually came to the realization that his life was stuck in neutral, not really going anywhere. So his father proposed that he use his bands to take a trip into outer space, to the planet Uranus. It was rumoured that the bands had first been discovered there by their previous wearer, the 1950s superhero Marvel Boy. Even with the power of the bands, they knew the trip would take several years, and so Wendell was placed in a state of suspended animation, while he programmed his bands to undertake the journey.

Four years later, he finally arrived. To his surprise, on Uranus he encountered a being known as Deathurge. Deathurge explained that he was the embodiment of every living being's desire to end its own existence, when all hope, all desire to go on, was lost. He informed Wendell that he was drawn to him because that was what lay in his heart. Wendell had felt like a failure as a SHIELD agent, a failure as a superhero, and finally he'd taken this long journey subconsciously to end his life, and Deathurge was here to do it for him. Wendell resisted, but Deathurge quickly overpowered him. Just as he believed he was going to succumb to Deathurge's power, he vanished, and reappeared on an alien landscape.

He was confronted by a being named Eon, and told that he had been chosen for a special duty. Eon was a guardian of life, and throughout time he had chosen a single being to serve as his champion, as the Protector of The Universe. The previous protector was the deceased Kree warrior known as Captain Mar-Vell, but now the duty fell to Quasar. It was Quasar's choice to make, and he accepted. Eon opened Quasar's mind to the full potential of the quantum-bands, and it was a physical as well as mental transformation, as Quasar felt rejuvenated and ready to take on Deathurge again. With a renewed sense of purpose and determination, he quickly returned to the battlefield and easily defeated Deathurge, having now realized that his own self-doubts and recriminations were what had made him vulnerable to Deathurge in the first place. Deathurge fled, promising that they next time they met, Quasar would beg him to kill him, and Deathurge would refuse. Eon showed Quasar how he could use his bands to make the journey back to Earth in a matter of seconds, and together they returned there, as protecting Eon was part of Quasar's new job.

Quasar's powers

Quasar's quantum bands give him several abilities. First, he can use them to fly at great speeds. As mentioned, he was able to make the journey from Earth to Uranus in just four years. He can also use his bands to perform something called a " quantum jump". This is akin to teleportation, but it differs somewhat. When making a quantum jump, Quasar momentarily enters the dimension that is the source of energy for his bands, known as the Quantum Zone. This is a place where time and space are meaningless, so he can enter the Quantum Zone, and exit it into any point in our universe, instantaneously. However, he prefers not to do this within Earth's atmosphere, as the brief dimensional rift it creates actually tears holes in the Earth's ozone layers.

His bands also have energy projection capabilities. Sometimes this is as simple as firing blasts at an opponent, or even creating blinding light. But he can also create solid objects using quantum energy, including things like armour, weapons, walls, bubbles, platforms, or any other solid shape. He can't create complex mechanical objects like bombs, however. He also has the ability to drain any kind of energy into his bands. Both the energy projection and absorption abilities are unlimited, due to the infinite nature of the Quantum Zone; no amount of energy is too much for him to drain, nor can he ever run out of energy-- unless he's cut off from the Quantum Zone. This has only happened once, when he actually left the Multiverse (the sum total of all related universes) and entered the New Universe, where the Quantum Zone did not exist. His bands are permanently attached to his wrists, and cannot be removed until his death. In the past, the villainous Maelstrom attempted to remove them by cutting off Quasar's forearms, but that did not work, and Quasar recovered and defeated Maelstrom with the aid of his friends. All of this means that Quasar is one of the most powerful heroes in the Marvel Universe, befitting his status as chosen Protector of that universe.

Quasar's changing look

Quasar's gone through several costumes during his career. His initial costume was inspired by the previous wearer of the Quantum Bands, the 1950s adventurer known as Marvel Boy. Next, Eon gave him a brand new costume, creating his own distinct look. Later on, he encountered the cosmic entity known as Origin, who gave him a very different costume, complete with a mask and gloves. And finally, after defeating his archenemy Maelstrom, he gained his current costume, which includes a distinctive cape lined with a starscape.

What's happened to Quasar since?

Quasar has had many adventures as Protector of the Universe. He's been to strange worlds and other realities, such as the New Universe. He joined Earth's foremost superteam, the Avengers. He participated in the intergalactic conflagration known as Galactic Storm. He's made friends with a variety of unusual beings, such as the Eternal Makkari and the Squadron Supreme. He's interacted with, assisted, and at times opposed entities on a cosmic scale, including Thanos, Galactus, The Watchers, Oblivion, and Eternity, and has always held his own. He even briefly joined a team called the Starmasters, which included the Silver Surfer and Beta Ray Bill. But through it all, he has maintained his earthbound perspective, and remains a Wisconsin boy at heart, dealing with incomprehensible beings and situations through that simple perspective.



What's next for Quasar?

Recently, during the events of Maximum Security, Quasar saved Earth from Ego The Living Planet by absorbing the entity into his Quantum Bands. These days he prefers to spend most of his time in space, in case Ego were ever to escape. But he continues to assist the Avengers whenever they need him, and one can be sure he will go wherever his duties as Protector of the Universe require. Quasar is rumoured to be participating in the upcoming events of " Annihilation", and it will be interesting to see what role this major cosmic character plays in that conflagration.



Quasar's appearances

Quasar has made major appearances in the following comics:

Captain America #217-218
( Quasar's debut, as a member of SHIELD's Super Agents)

Defenders #62-64
( Quasar shows up as part of the " Defender for a Day" program)

Captain America #228-230
( Quasar assists Cap in exposing traitors within the Super-Agent program)

Hulk #232-234
(alongside the Hulk, Quasar further unravels the conspiracy)

Marvel Two-In-One #53-58
( The Project Pegasus Saga, Quasar teams up with the Thing)

Marvel Team-Up Annual #5
( Quasar's mind is taken over by the Serpent Crown)

Contest of Champions #1-3
( Quasar participates in the Contest of Champions)

Avengers #301-303
( The Super Nova Saga, Quasar assists the Avengers in defeating Super Nova)

Avengers Annual #18
( Quasar formally joins the Avengers)

Quasar #1-2
(recounts Quasar's origin, and his journey to Uranus)

Quasar #13-16
( Quasar meets the Squadron Supreme, journeys to the Stranger's world)

Quasar #17
( Quasar is a spectator at a race of the fastest runners on Earth)

Quasar #18
( Quasar gets a new costume from Origin)

Quasar #19-25
( Quasar battles Maelstrom)

Quasar #30-31
( Quasar enters the New Universe)

Quasar #32-35
( Operation Galactic Storm)

Quasar #40-43
( Quasar is nullified by Galactus' Ultimate Nullifier, visits the afterlife)

Quasar #60
( Quasar's family is threatened by the Presence, Quasar fakes his own death to protect them and leaves Earth)

Starmasters #1-3
( Quasar joins the Silver Surfer and Beta Ray Bill in the Starmasters)

Avengers Vol.3 #1-4
( Quasar rejoins the newly re-formed Avengers)

Maximum Security #1-3
( Quasar saves Earth from Ego The Living Planet)

Avengers #47-55
( Quasar assists the Avengers against Kang's invasion)

Avengers #500-503
(alongside the Avengers, Quasar battles against the magical manifestations of the Scarlet Witch)


Cosmic Links

DRAX: THE DESTROYER #1- 4 (Mini series review)

DECONSTRUCTING MARVEL
( Drax interview and info on Annihilation)

Last Updated: August 31, 2023 - 08:12