| 3-D Man | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | Marvel Premiere #35 (April 1977) |
| Created by | Roy Thomas (writer) Jim Craig (artist) |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Charles "Chuck" Chandler Harold "Hal" Chandler |
| Species | Human mutate |
| Abilities | Charles Chandler
Harold Chandler
|
3-D Man is the name of twosuperheroes appearing inAmerican comic books published byMarvel Comics.
The first incarnation, a composite of two brothers,Charles Chandler andHal Chandler, first appeared inMarvel Premiere #35 (April 1977).[1][2] The second incarnation,Delroy Garrett, took on the name inAvengers: The Initiative #14, having debuted asTriathlon a decade before inAvengers (vol. 3) #8 (September 1998).[3]
In a text piece inMarvel Premiere #36, writerRoy Thomas described the 3-D Man as a homage to theJoe Simon andJack Kirby characterCaptain 3-D, and was intended by Thomas as a commentary on contemporary societal themes using 1950sanalogues.[4] Thomas was a noted user ofretroactive continuity in his work for Marvel, notably on theWorld War II-set seriesThe Invaders. Part of the inspiration was due to a relative dearth ofMarvel Universe characters between the mid-1950s cancellation of most ofAtlas Comics' superhero titles and the beginning of the company'sSilver Age inFantastic Four #1.[5]
There are conflicting accounts as to how the character received his name;[5] according to the character's artist co-creatorJim Craig, Thomas had initially told him 3-D Man was going to debut in his own magazine-format series in actualstereoscopic 3D, but after further researching the cost informed him that the budget would not cover it.[6] However, other sources suggest the name was planned for a mooted back-up feature in a plannedSpider-Man 3-D title in 1965 and that Thomas created a character based around the name.[5] Thomas himself would recall "I wanted to do a comic set in the late 1950s, so I made up 3-D Man, even though 3-D was really a phenomenon of 1953 to 1955 or so at the latest. I gave him a costume based on the originalDaredevil ofLev Gleason comics, only colored red and green instead of red and blue, and with a chest symbol. Young Canadian artist Jim Craig drew, which makes him co-creator. I named him Chuck Chandler, which was the real name of another Lev Gleason character,Crimebuster... and I borrowed and altered a couple of elements ofJoe Simon andJack Kirby's one-issueCAPTAIN 3-D as well. I had hoped it could be a real 3-D comic, but that was not to be.[7] Because 3-D Man's adventures took place in the 1950s, Craig had to spend extensive time at a library doing research for the story's setting.[6]
The character debuted in a three-issue run of the anthology seriesMarvel Premiere, issues #35–37 (1977). There are several graphic elements in these comics—the first issue in particular—that were intended for their originally planned 3-D presentation.[6]Marvel Premiere was considered a 'try-out' book—successful features such asDoctor Strange andIron Fist had previously been promoted to their own titles. However, the 3-D Man did not receive such an honor, and instead would not appear again until the following year. He returned inWhat If #9 as part of a forgotten team of 1950s Avengers, with the rest of the roster made up of Atlas characters. WhereasWhat If stories usually took place in a branched reality, the events of the issue were intentionally left open-ended at the time the issue was published. It was then another couple of years until the character appeared again, inThe Incredible Hulk (vol. 2) #251–252 (1980), in a storyline which effectively wrote the character out of the present-day Marvel Universe.[5] 3-D Man did make a brief cameo inContest of Champions #1 in 1982, one of several remnants of the series actually being intended for publication in 1980.[8]
The character then did not appear in print for 15 years, before resurfacing inAvengers Forever #4 (1999), which established the events ofWhat If #9 as taking place in an alternate reality. However,Avengers Forever writerKurt Busiek would later revisit the character in his run on the main Avengers title, leading to the 3-D Man featuring inThe Avengers (vol. 3) #50–55 (2002) in the closing stages of the "Kang Dynasty" storyline in a plot that tied his fate in withTriathlon. After another period out of the limelight, the character returned in the 2008Secret Invasion: Skrulls one-shot, which would lead to Triathlon taking on the 3-D Man mantle inAvengers: The Initiative #14.[3]
Brothers Chuck Chandler and Hal Chandler were born inLos Angeles, California. As a test pilot forNASA in 1958,[9] Chuck was piloting the experimental XF-13 rocket plane when he was captured bySkrull invaders. They attempted to interrogate him but Chuck escaped, damaging the Skrulls' warp drive in the process. The Skrull saucer exploded as Chuck flew away, exposing him to strange radiation. He crashed the XF-13 in the Mojave Desert and when his younger, crippled brother Hal attempted to rescue him, Chuck disappeared, and was believed dead.[10] Hal, a research scientist, discovered that Chuck's image had been imprinted on the lenses of his glasses, and that Chuck had been transformed into a two-dimensional being. When Hal wore the glasses and concentrated, he triggered a dimensional shift that caused Chuck to materialize into a three-dimensional existence. In his new form Chuck wore a green and red bodysuit, and his normal strength, speed, and durability had been tripled. As the costumed 3-D Man, Chuck fought another group of Skrull agents.[11] He battled more Skrull infiltrators,[9] and then battled the Cold Warrior.[12]
At some point after his 1950s adventures Hal Chandler decided to stop functioning as 3-D Man and left his brother floating around in another dimension. Hal married Peggy Clark, and they had two children, Chuck Chandler II and Hal Chandler, Jr. Hal later encountered a down-on-his-luck Bruce Banner and, afraid that theHulk might show up, used the glasses to summon 3-D Man once more. After this encounter, 3-D Man returned into his brother's glasses, determined never to return.[13]
| 3D Man | |
|---|---|
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | The Avengers vol. 3 #8 (September1998) (as Triathlon) |
| Created by | Kurt Busiek (writer) George Pérez (artist) |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Delroy Garrett, Jr. |
| Species | Human mutate |
| Team affiliations | Astonishing Avengers Triune Understanding Secret Avengers Agents of Atlas Skrull Kill Krew The Initiative Point Men Avengers |
| Notable aliases | Three Dimensional Man Triathlon 3-D Man |
| Abilities |
|
Events involving the formerAvenger Triathlon revealed the true origins of 3-D Man's powers—one of a trio of pyramid-shaped "fragments of light", apparently created by the universe itself to counterbalance the emergence of an other-dimensional fragment of pure evil into Earth's dimension. The Skrull ship that had captured Chuck Chandler had also found one of the light pyramids, and the ship's explosion infused Chuck with the pyramid's power.[14]
The Chandler brothers' power was stolen by Jonathan Tremont, founder of theTriune Understanding, who used Hal's connection to what Tremont termed the "tri-power" to track down a second light pyramid before attacking and capturing Hal.[14] Tremont and the Understanding then drained the tri-power from a captive Hal and empowered Triune member and disgraced former Olympic athlete Delroy Garrett, dubbing him "Triathlon".[15] Though initially unaware of his powers' source, Triathlon later discovered both the truth and the third light pyramid, and during the events of theKang War used the combined might of all three "tri-powers" to defeat both Tremont and the other-dimensional evil, release Hal and Chuck from captivity, and restore Chuck to a separate human form - Garret retaining the powers of 3-D Man.[16]
After Garrett underwent and completedInitiative training atCamp Hammond, he officially took on the identity of 3-D Man with the Chandlers' blessing, including Chuck passing on his original costume and goggles. Donning the goggles awakened one of the original 3-D Man's powers in Garrett: the ability to perceive Skrulls in their true form, even when in shapeshifting disguise. With these goggles, Garrett played an important role in foiling theSkrull invasion of Earth, outing several Skrull infiltrators placed within the Initiative. Garrett managed to maintain this new ability even after the goggles were destroyed in combat.[17][18][19][20][21][22]
The Chandler brothers received their superhuman abilities through exposure to an unknown radiation in the explosion of aSkrull starship. Hal Chandler could, by concentrating on the image of his brother Chuck imprinted on his glasses, summon a super-powered version of his brother: 3-D Man. Chuck had a telepathic link with Hal, who would lose consciousness and become comatose when the 3-D Man is active. The 3-D Man's consciousness is apparently a synthesis of Chuck and Hal's minds, with Chuck's usually dominant. 3-D Man, in turn, could only remain in a three-dimensional reality for three hours at a time before Hal would wake up, causing 3-D Man to subsequently disappear and return to his two-dimensional existence. The 3-D Man wore a specially designed NASA flight suit (circa late 1950s), altered in appearance and bonded to his skin. Chuck was an expert pilot and a talented football player. Hal is an experienced scientific researcher. Hal is astigmatic, and requires special glasses. Apoliomyelitis victim as a child, he now requires crutches to walk. As 3-D Man, Chuck Chandler possessed approximately three times the physical capabilities of an extremely physically fit but otherwise normal human male.[23] As his name suggests, 3-D Man is three times as strong, fast, and durable as military pilot Chuck Chandler. The sensory acuity of each of his five senses is three times more powerful than the maximum capabilities of a normal human being. In addition, 3-D Man had the limited quasi-telepathic ability to perceive the distinctive aura of theSkrull race, even when a Skrull has assumed another form.
InWhat If #9, FBI agentJimmy Woo brought the 3-D Man together with several other heroes, includingGorilla-Man,Human Robot,Marvel Boy, andVenus, to form the1950s Avengers. These heroes battled theYellow Claw and his superhuman minions, but the team was asked to disband by PresidentDwight D. Eisenhower.[24] While the events of this story took place on an alternate Earth, as revealed inAvengers Forever,[25] a similar mission involving the Atlas-era characters did take place in the 1950s of the mainstream continuity, as shown in the 2006 miniseriesAgents of Atlas. WriterJeff Parker has explained that he did not use 3-D Man inAgents of Atlas in part due to his being a 1970s retcon, and not an originalAtlas Comics character.[26]
