| “ | I asked: What's the worst that could happen? This is. How can I protect the universe from another universe? Galaxies and worlds all united to consume us? They're coming! | „ |
| ~ Quasar. |
| “ | There's only one thing I'm good at... I can fail and die. I can let everybody down. And I think I'm about to prove...just how good I am at it. | „ |
| ~ Quasar. |
Wendell Elvis Vaughn, also known as Quasar, is a fictional character and superhero from Marvel comics.
An army veteran turned S.H.I.E.L.D. special agent, Vaughn obtained the Quantum Bands during an attack by A.I.M., which allows him to manipulate quantum energy at will. After meeting the entity Eon, Wendell was chosen to become the Protector of the Universe after the late Mar-Vell. During his adventures, Quasar has been a member of the Guardians of the Galaxy, the Avengers, the Annihilators, and the Defenders for a Day.
He was created by Don Glut, Roy Thomas, and the late John Buscema, and first appeared in Captain America #217 in October of 1977.
Biography[]
Background[]
Wendell Elvis Vaughn was born in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin to Dr. Gilbert and Lisa Vaughn, and is the brother to Gayle Vaughn. At some point during his youth, Wendell's mother divorced Gilbert due to his rigid behavior, but he managed to maintain a good relationship with them both. Into adulthood, he joined the United States Army, where he reached the rank of lieutenant, and later joined the S.H.I.E.L.D. Academy. Despite graduating with honors, it was noted that he lacked the "killer instinct" to be an agent.
Becoming a Superhero[]
Though lacking the "killer instinct", S.H.I.E.L.D. found use for Wendell by assigning him to guard the Quantum Bands, which were to be tested by William Wesley. After the subject was incinerated himself with the bands, A.I.M. attacked S.H.I.E.L.D. to obtain the bands for themselves. During the attack, Wendell put on the bands and managed to subdue the quantum energy, allowing him to stop the threat. Showing his potential, he was then transferred to S.H.I.E.L.D.'s super-agent program, which consisted of Falcon, Blue Streak, Texas Twister and Vamp, and undergoes training. However, Vamp and Blue Streak were revealed to be double agents, leading to Vaughn to work with Captain America to find out who sent them.
Afterward, Vaughn was positioned as the head of Project P.E.G.A.S.U.S., and had to protect it alongside Thing, Thundra and Aquarin from Nth Man. He initially vowed to not allow it to happen again, but fell to Serpent Crown, causing him to fall into depression, leave his position and return home. Lisa then contacted Gilbert to help their son, and he advised Wendell to travel to Uranus to learn of the quantum bands' origin. Once landing on the planet, Vaughn fell asleep for approximately three years, and awoke to find the remains of the Eternals' dome. He briefly spoke with Deathurge, who attempted to coerce him until Eon transported Wendell and spoke about taking the mantle as "Protector of the Universe".
Defeating Deathurge, Wendell convinced Eon to travel to Earth with him, setting up Vaughn Security Systems as a cover for his secret identity. As villains started to uprise, Vaughn battled against the Living Laser, and supported the Avengers upon the return of the Over-Mind. During the battle, several Watchers arrive as others were willing themselves out of existence due to the oblivion virus infection. However, Wendell was able to bring them back with his reasoning that their deaths affected the universe more than their observation, a thought that spread telepathically.
Death and Return[]
In the Annihilation, Quasar and Nova worked together to stop Annihilus and the threat he posed, which ended with Wendell's body being destroyed by the supervillain. Though his death was avenged by Nova, Wendell's mind escaped from Annihilus' grasp and traveled to the Negative Zone. As Phyla-Vell succeeded Vaughn as Quasar, she had to deal with the quantum bands' corruption, and was briefly guided by Wendell during the Phalanx invasion. Unbeknownst to everyone, Vaughn had become a being of quantum energy inside Nova's flask, allowing him to temporarily return to help his friend against the Skrulls. Later on, Wendell gave Nova the bands after Phyla's death, but Rider gave them back since he didn't believe he could carry his legacy.
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- Ranked 36th in IGN's "The Top 50 Avengers" list.
- Ranked 7th on CBR.com's "25 Fastest Characters in the Marvel Universe" list.
- He is classified as a "universal menace" by the Nova Corps, and considered an Alpha Plus threat by Ikon.
