| Wundarr the Aquarian | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | (as Wundarr)Fear #17 (Oct. 1973)(as Aquarian)Marvel Two-in-One #58 (Dec. 1979) |
| Created by | (Wundarr)Steve Gerber andVal Mayerik (The Aquarian)Mark Gruenwald andRalph Macchio |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Wundarr |
| Species | Dakkamite |
| Team affiliations | The Command Initiative Project Pegasus |
| Notable aliases | Herald of the New Age |
| Abilities | Superhuman strength Limited flight, and leaping Null energy field ("entropy field") that nullifies all forms of energy Energy projection Vast knowledge Transmitting knowledge through touch |
Wundarr the Aquarian is a fictional character appearing inAmerican comic books published byMarvel Comics. The character was created bySteve Gerber andVal Mayerik and first appeared inAdventure into Fear #17. Apastiche ofSuperman, Wundarr was created based on Gerber's "love of the Superman character and (...) desire to do a little parody/homage".[1]
Wundarr first appeared inAdventure into Fear #17 (October 1973), written bySteve Gerber. Before long he became a frequentsupporting character inMarvel Two-in-One.[2] After Gerber's run onMarvel-Two-in-One, Wundarr mostly disappeared until theProject Pegasus saga (written byMark Gruenwald andRalph Macchio), in which he became "The Aquarian".[3]
In 2005,Marvel.com presented four characters to be relaunched. The Aquarian was one of these choices and took second place toDeath's Head.[citation needed] Gerber asked his fans on theHoward the DuckYahoo! Group to vote against a revival of the character, since he would have neither creative control nor receive financial compensation from such a relaunch.[citation needed]
When Wundarr's first appearance was published,DC Comics claimed that Gerber had plagiarisedSuperman.[1][4] Prior to publication, editorRoy Thomas told Gerber that the character would need to be changed. Gerber did not comply, withStan Lee considering firing him.[4] DC agreed to let Marvel continue using the character if sufficient changes were made to distinguish him from Superman, including changing his costume from red and blue to white.[1][5]
On a distant planet calledDakkam, scientistHektu believes that his world will be destroyed when their sun goesnova.[1] He and his wifeSoja launch their young son Wundarr into space to save him before being killed by the Internal Security Force. It is later revealed that Hektu's apocalyptic prediction was incorrect, and that he sent his son away for nothing.[5]
In July 1951, Wundarr's ship enters Earth's gravity and is exposed tocosmic rays before crashing in a Florida swamp. An unnamed elderly couple observe the crash and consider investigating, but decide to ignore it.[5] Thus, Wundarr remains in his ship for years, growing to physical maturity but retaining the mind of a child. Twenty years later,Man-Thing encounters the pod and frees Wundarr, who believes him to be his mother.[5][6]
With his great leaping ability, Wundarr eventually reachesHydro-Base, whereNamor andNamorita are trying to rehabilitate the population ofHydro-Men. Namor believes that Wundarr is an invader and 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 then travels to New York City, where he, theThing, and Namor work together to destroy the Mortroid.Reed Richards builds Wundarr a containment suit that enables his body to expel small amounts of energy so that his body does not overload.[7][8]
Wundarr is captured by theProject Pegasus leaders to test his abilities. During these tests, the project leaders decide to use his energy-dampening abilities to probe theCosmic Cube, a device of great cosmic power. During the probing, the Cosmic Cube overloads Wundarr's mind and body, rendering him comatose.[9] This overload of energy greatly boosts his abilities, both mental and physical, giving him his power "dampening" field.[10] Being in communication with the Cube grants Wundarr 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 theNth Man.[11] Since then, he roams the Earth, seeking to bring peace and enlightenment.[volume & issue needed]
For a time, he leads the Water-Children, a philosophical cult dedicated to pacifism and awaiting the coming of the Celestial Messiah. During this time, he is attacked by fellow DakkamiteQuantum, but saved by the heroQuasar.[12]
Aquarian serves as a psychic "nesting place" for the Cosmic Cube before it obtains sentience.[13] Aquarian also aidsDoctor Strange in preventing planet-wide disasters on Earth.[14][15]
After joining theInitiative program, Wundarr joins Florida's team, the Command, withJennifer Kale andSiege. This team is the first to encounter theMarvel Zombies, who have entered the Marvel Universe through the Nexus of Realities. Wundarr is then bitten by a zombifiedDeadpool and enters hibernation in an energy cocoon to recover.[16] After recovering, he defends Florida during theSkrull invasion of Earth,[17] and later attends the Thing'sbachelor party.[18]
Wundarr possesses various superhuman abilities derived from cosmic rays and solar radiation. He has superhuman strength as well as the ability to absorb energy to empower himself further. Exposure to the Cosmic Cube amplified these abilities, giving him a permanent energy-negating field around his body as well as advanced knowledge of the universe and the ability to fly by negating gravity.
In this finale of the 'Project Pegasus' saga, Wundarr became the Aquarian, a prophet of peace and spiritual enlightenment.