STRATOSFIRE

 

STRATOSFIRE

Real Name: Sandra Vincent

First Appearance: Iron Man Annual (Vol. 1) #9, December 1987

Powers: Sandra "Sandy" Vincent was originally a baseline human with no superhuman powers. A secretary at the Roxxon Oil Company, she was determined to have the physical characteristics sought by Roxxon's research department and she was selected for experimentation to replace their deceased agent, Sunturion. Sandy was mutated by the implantation of numerous microwave generation and manipulation devices, and given a costume to help her control the abilities. She became the company's public spokeswoman known as "Stratosfire".

As Stratosfire, Sandy possessed virtually identical abilities to Sunturion. She possessed great control over microwave energy. She could convert herself into microwave energy and teleport to other locations, fire blasts of microwave energy, convert physical matter into microwave energy and then absorb it into herself, and absorb other forms of energy as well. Stratosfire's primary weakness was the Zed Control, placed within her as a control device by Roxxon. It could be activated by a remote signal to terminate her. Over time, she learned how to block the signal, however, it could still be activated by direct contact.

Sandy Vincent held a college degree in political science.

SUNTURION

 

SUNTURION

Real Name: Arthur Dearborn

First Appearance: The Invincible Iron Man (Vol. 1) #143, February 1981

Powers: Dr. Arthur Dearborn was a Roxxon scientist who conceived and designed Star Well 1, a space station which stored energy and beamed it back to Earth as microwaves, providing heat and electricity. When his employers threatened to cease funding the project, he volunteered for an experimental procedure which converted his body into microwave energy, turning him into a self-sustaining energy being called Sunturion.

Despite his armored appearance, Sunturion is not technologically supported. Both his human appearance and his Sunturion identity are deliberate projections of his energy form. Sunturion absorbs various forms of energy for personal sustenance, including solar energy and different kinds of background radiation. He can fly and survive unaided in vacuum and has only minimal desire for food or oxygen. Arthur can transform completely into energy, beaming himself at the speed of light from one point to another. He can shift into intangible energy and has only minimal reaction to physical assaults even when solid. Sunturion can project microwave discharges of various intensity, cast microwave shields for defense, or shape energy into holographic projections.

Dr. Arthur Dearborn is an expert radiologist with Ph.D’s in physics and mechanical engineering.

ANACONDA

 

ANACONDA

Real Name: Blanche Sitznski

First Appearance: Marvel Two-In-One (Vol. 1) #64, June 1980

Powers: Blanche "Blondie" Sitznski was a steelworker selected by executives in the Roxxon Oil Company to be a special agent in covert operations. At the Mutagenics Laboratory of Roxxon's subsidiary, the Brand Corporation, Sitznski was bioengineered to have various permanent serpentine adaptations.

Anaconda has scales on her face, neck, back, and chest, and small fins on her cheeks. Anaconda possesses the ability to elongate her limbs, entwine them around persons or objects, and constrict. The entire skeletal structure of her arms and legs has been replaced by artificial Adamantium alloy-based bones in the basic configuration of a snake's bodily skeleton. Her arms, normally 24 inches from armpit to wrist, and her leg, normally 35 inches from hipbone to ankle, are able to elongate to about one and a half times their normal length. When she extends her limbs in this fashion, the muscle tissue gorges with blood, swelling the limbs so that each looks like a massive, powerful, unarticulated snake. These four constricting limbs are capable of exerting enough pressure to radically deform a one inch-thick steel tube, two feet in diameter. Once Anaconda has fully entwined her serpentine limbs around a human-sized foe, there are few human beings able to get sufficient strength to break her grip.

She possesses superhuman strength enabling her to lift (press) approximately 2 tons on land under optimal conditions. Her serpentine limbs are capable of exerting enough force to contain and injure even Class 85 opponents for some time.

Anaconda has been surgically given artificial gills to enable her to extract oxygen from water in order to breath. She can now breath while underwater indefinitely, as well as breath on land. As a by-product of the extensive bio-engineering done to her body, Anaconda possesses superhuman recuperative abilities. Her body can heal from ant non-fatal wound many times faster than a normal human beings.

SIDEWINDER

 

SIDEWINDER

Real Name: Seth Voelker

First Appearance: Marvel Two-In-One (Vol. 1) #64, June 1980

Powers: Seth Voelker was a financial analyst for the Roxxon Oil Company who volunteered for training and mutagenic alteration at the Mutagenic Laboratory of Roxxon's subsidiary company, the Brand Corporation. A small device was surgically implanted in Voelker's body which would permit him to mentally activate the dimensional aperture opening circuitry incorporated in a specially-designed cloak. Given the name "Sidewinder" because of his ability to travel "sideways" through inter-dimensional space, Voelker became the leader of the new Serpent Squad.

His cloak contains highly sophisticated electronic equipment that, in some manner, creates a dimensional discontinuity between this reality and a certain other reality. This inter-dimensional aperture is formed within his cloak. The particular dimension into which he creates a portal has a slightly differing space/time congruence so that one foot traversed there equals five feet traversed in this reality. By moving into and out of this reality and that one, it is possible to cover great distances in this reality with relatively little effort. The cloak's equipment is cybernetically controlled: By thinking specific sequences of thoughts, he is able to control the parameters of the dimensional aperture within certain limits. Sidewinder experiences severe disorientation upon re-emergence into this reality after covering about 20 feet within the other dimension. Thus, he seldom travels farther than that extra-dimensionally.

Sidewinder's cloak allows him to move partially into the other dimension. He can extend a small part of this body back into his home dimension. He can extend a small part of his body back into his home dimension; for example, his eyes, so that he might take his bearings. He can send other objects or humans to the other dimension by draping his cloak over them. He cannot transport anything larger than what he can completely drape his cloak over. If he leaves anything in that other dimension, he must note landmarks in this reality corresponding to a position in that reality in order to retrieve the object from where he has placed it.

The circuitry of Sidewinder's cloak is a solid-state version of the more advanced Nth Projector equipment developed by Roxxon's subsidiary "Nth Command". It differs from that much larger device in having a smaller capacity of mass transfer, not having on-board computers, and lacking location-sensing and inter-dimensional communication devices. Sidewinder's cloak is a refinement on the principles behind the construction of the Nth Projector and is very power-efficient, requiring only watts of power to transfer Sidewinder out of and back into this dimension.

Seth Voelker has a master's degree in economics and is a skilled financial expert, business planner, and strategist of above-normal intelligence.

DEATHLOK I

 

DEATHLOK I

Real Name: Luther Manning

First Appearance: Astonishing Tales (Vol. 1) #25, August 1974

Powers: On Earth-7484, Luther Manning was a United States Army Colonel whose body was torn apart by a concussion bomb during a training exercise. Wishing to preserve Manning’s knowledge and experience, Simon Ryker selected him for Project: Alpha-Mech when he didn’t survive surgery. The CIA project, spearheaded by Simon and his brother Harlan, was designed to build an army of cyborg super-soldiers. After 5 years in stasis, Manning’s body was reanimated as the cyborg Deathlok with his remaining flesh was in a dead, necrotizing state while most of his body was reconstructed using metal and plastic components.

The reinforcement to his skeleton and muscles gave him mild superhuman strength, speed, agility, endurance, and reaction time. His artificial left eye provided variable visual modes, including telescopic, microscopic, infrared, and night vision capabilities, as well as advanced computer-guided targeting programs. He was still technically alive, and so required oxygen, food, water, and rest, although not to the same degree as before his cybernetic conversion. He is powered by a thermonuclear generator and, in all but his later incarnations, his mind was computer augmented. Deathlok's onboard computer system contained an advanced scanning suite that included thermal scans, motion and proximity sensors, and a storehouse of data on various subjects. The interactive intelligence ran on an internal modem, provided Deathlok with a “voice” in his head with intelligence updates, scanning alerts, and probability breakdowns for various possible tactical responses to a given scenario.

He has worn a woven metal-mesh costume and carried a helium-neon laser pistol, a 9” metallic knife that magnetized to his cybernetic leg, and a variety of bladed, ballistic, or energy-discharging weapons he could attach to his modular limbs. He also carried one of Godwilf’s Time Gauntlets, enabling time-travel. In later incarnations, Deathlok removed the computer intelligence from his head and adopted a bulkier and more heavily-armored cybernetic frame. Called the Demolisher, Manning now had increased levels of superhuman strength and durability, and he employed modular cybernetic arms with different weapons such as laser cannons, combat blades, or a vulcan cannon.

Deathlok is a gifted intellect, a brilliant military strategist, and formidable hand-to-hand combatant, all of which was augmented by his on-board computer.