WILL O' THE WISP

 

WILL O' THE WISP

Real Name: Jackson Arvad

First Appearance: The Amazing Spider-Man (Vol. 1) #167, April 1977

Powers: Jackson Arvad was the chief scientist for electromagnetic research at the Brand Corporation, a subsidiary of the Roxxon Oil Company. His superior in the Brand, James Melvin, drove Arvad relentlessly to develop projects for Melvin under threat of being fired. During a laboratory mishap, a gravitic energy surge shattered the "magno-chamber" in whose vicinity Arvad was working. The accident plunged Arvad's body directly into the magno-chamber's self-sustained electromagnetic field, and the residual high frequency field weakened the electromagnetic attractions between the molecules of Arvad's body. This caused the molecules of Arvad's body to gradually disperse. Melvin held Arvad in the magno-chamber long enough to question him on any useful scientific applications the accident might have had, and then left Arvad to die. Arvad soon discovered, however, that he possesses a certain degree of mental control over the dispersion of his body's molecules.

As Will O' The Wisp, he possesses the power to exert conscious control over the sub-atomic electromagnetic particles that carry the force of attraction between the molecules of his body. This enables him to control his density, granting him such powers as superhuman strength, flight, and intangibility. Mentally willing himself to his maximum density, he can make his flesh and substance as hard as the mineral feldspar. At this density, his muscles become denser and stronger, granting him superhuman strength (Class 25). Will O' The Wisp can maintain this state of density for about 10 minutes before fatigue forces him to let up. Mentally willing himself to his minimum density, Will O' The Wisp allows a non-critical number of random molecules to oscillate at a small distance from his body, granting him intangibility. Unlike the Vision, who shunts his excess molecules to an extra-dimensional space, Will O' The Wisp disperses them omni-directionally in this dimension. The process of dispersing his molecules produces a bright, sparkling light,

Will O' The Wisp can also selectively solidify parts of his body For example, he can keep his arm solid while making the rest of his body intangible. By creating a short, highly accelerated oscillation of the energy states in the molecules of his chest, he can cause a dazzling light that gives him various degrees of hypnotic control over those who witness it, depending upon the person's susceptibility,

Will O' The Wisp can fly by becoming lighter than air and expelling excess molecules in a single direction behind him, causing him to be propelled forward. When he travels faster than 5 miles per hour, the expenditure of molecular energy causes him to give off so much light that he appears to be an ethereal glowing sphere. Will O' The Wisp can fly at a maximum speed of 90 miles per hour, and because he is intangible while flying, he is not deterred by solid obstacles. It is not known how many molecules are needed to accelerate him at his maximum speed, whether he can replenish "shed" molecules, or if there is a limit to how many he can expel before doing himself injury.

In addition to his molecular powers, the Will O' The Wisp can mesmerize people into performing certain simple acts. To do so, he disperses molecules from the vicinity of his chest emblem, causing it to glow brightly. For reasons not fully revealed, gazing into this light puts the looker into a highly suggestible hypnotic trance, susceptible to the Wisp's commands. This hypnotic state generally lasts ten to thirty minutes, depending upon the subject's mental state and the length of exposure to the light.

Jackson Arvad is a brilliant scientist in the field of electromagnetics and holds a Master of Science degree in electrical engineering.