CRUSADER
Real Name: Thelius
First Appearance: Fantastic Four (Vol. 1) #164, November 1975
Powers: Thelius was originally a member of the Eternals (Homo Sapiens Immortalis), an evolutionary offshoot of humanity created by the extraterrestrial cosmic beings known as the Celestials. All Earth-born Eternals typically possess long lifespans, indestructible bodies and vast physical and cosmic energy-manipulation powers due to a mass cosmic bombardment during their 3rd or 4th generation, however Thelius was from of a generation of Eternals born on the planet Uranus descended from the 1st generation of Eternals. As such, his sole natural abilities include enhanced strength, longevity, and possible mind reading.
Thelius was surgically altered by Eternal High Council scientists to look and sound exactly like the young Robert Grayson, the Earth-born Uranian-raised human who became the first super-hero known as Marvel Boy. After the physical transformation was completed, they rewrote his memory. Through the headband he wore as Marvel Boy, everything Grayson had experienced on Earth was fed into Thelius' slowly forming mind while he lay in a dormancy chamber. The Eternals also implanted him with the notion that the High Council was infallible. Thelius was also given the real Quantum-Bands to wear.
As the Crusader, he wielded the Quantum-Bands, unique cosmic artifacts created by the abstract cosmic being Eon to empower the individual he deems worthy as his appointed Protector of the Universe.
He was limited in their usage as he lacked the proper skills, insights and mental capacity to harness their full capabilities, falsely believing them to be solar powered. He used their power to fly and project intense, blinding light beams capable of melting steel. His mental transformation into Bob Grayson was aborted prematurely, leaving him permanently confused about his origins and prone to irrational anger.
1 comment:
Here’s some brief context between him, Marvel Boy, and Quasar:
Bob Grayson was introduced in 1950 in Marvel Boy #1, during the Atlas Comics era. He used "wrist bands" that allowed him to fly and project flashes of light. However, he returned in the Marvel era of comics as a crazed madman named Crusader in Fantastic Four #164-165 where he self-destructed, leaving behind only his bands. Reed Richards turned the bands over to S.H.I.E.L.D., who gave them to their agent Wendell Vaughn to make a new Super-Agent in Captain America #217 dubbed “Marvel Boy”, “Marvel Man” and eventually (and mercifully) settling on "Quasar".
Incidentally, the 2006 Agents of Atlas series brought Bob Grayson back by retroactively establishing the Crusader was a DIFFERENT man, surgically and psychologically altered to resemble Bob Grayson.
All up through this, the bands (only dubbed Quantum Bands after Quasar got ahold of them in Quasar #2) were thought to be technology from the lost colony on Uranus where Bob Grayson was raised. A back-up story in the first series of What If? also established these Uranians were colonists from Earth's Eternals. Raising Bob Grayson and creating the Crusader were part of a long-term plan of the Eternals to leave Uranus and return to Earth.
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