Air-Walker
Encyclopedia
The Air-Walker (also known as Gabriel the Air-Walker) is a fictional character
that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics
. The character was created by Stan Lee
and John Buscema
and first appears (in android form) in Fantastic Four
#120 (March 1972).
, who abducts Lan and offers to transform him into a herald, in a similar fashion to the Silver Surfer
.
A willing Lan accepts and becomes the Air-Walker. Pyreus Kril, the Way-Opener's first officer and Lan's friend, becomes obsessed with finding Galactus after the abduction. Lan becomes devoted to Galactus, and the closest thing Galactus has had to a true friend. On one journey to seek a planet for sustenance for Galactus, he battles the alien race the Ovoids, who kill Lan, but not before Galactus retrieves and transfers the last spark of Lan's soul to an android body.
Dissatisfied with the android, Galactus sends it to Earth to re-enlist the Silver Surfer as his Herald. The Air-Walker encounters the Fantastic Four, and is then defeated by the Surfer, who guesses at the android's true nature. Mr. Fantastic reprograms Galactus' ship to take him to the Negative Zone
, where he will apparently have an abundance of worlds to consume. The remnants of the Air-Walker are found by the villain Machinesmith
.
The android eventually repairs itself and reactivates. Believing itself to be the original Gabriel Lan, the Air-Walker attempts to find the Surfer, but encounters the Thunder God, Thor
. The Air-Walker's ability to wield Thor's hammer Mjolnir reveals its non-human nature, and Thor destroys the android. Another of Galactus' former Heralds, Firelord, learns of the battle and confronts Thor. Firelord reveals that he was once Pyreus Kril, and eventually located Galactus' vessel and confronted the entity. Galactus agreed to reveal Lan's fate on the condition that Pyreus serve him as his latest Herald. Firelord then returns to space with the remains of the android.
Firelord and the Surfer eventually revive the android to aid in a battle against Galactus' most ruthless Herald, Morg
, who completely destroys the Air-Walker. A version of the Air-Walker and Firelord aid young superhero team the New Warriors
against a threat from the planet Xandar
.
Lan's consciousness is then absorbed into the computer of Galactus' Worldship, and in data form directs Galactus to uninhabited worlds. Although the Worldship is later destroyed in a battle with the entity Tyrant
, the Air-Walker is restored to physical form and battles the Annihilation Wave alongside his fellow Heralds, but is destroyed once again.
, Lan as the Air-Walker possessed superhuman strength, reflexes & reactions, and endurance, mastery of the electromagnetic spectrum and total immunity to the rigors of space. Like all Heralds, the Air-Walker was capable of travelling faster than the speed of light
. Gabriel Lan graduated from the Xandarian Nova Corps Academy, and in addition to a thorough knowledge of combat has knowledge of advanced alien technology and space navigation.
The android version of Lan appears to possess all the same abilities, in addition to a unique self-repair system and a homing beacon he could use to find galactus' ship.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
. The character was created by Stan Lee
Stan Lee
Stan Lee is an American comic book writer, editor, actor, producer, publisher, television personality, and the former president and chairman of Marvel Comics....
and John Buscema
John Buscema
John Buscema, born Giovanni Natale Buscema , was an American comic-book artist and one of the mainstays of Marvel Comics during its 1960s and 1970s ascendancy into an industry leader and its subsequent expansion to a major pop culture conglomerate...
and first appears (in android form) in Fantastic Four
Fantastic Four
The Fantastic Four is a fictional superhero team appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The group debuted in The Fantastic Four #1 , which helped to usher in a new level of realism in the medium...
#120 (March 1972).
Fictional character biography
Gabriel Lan is a member of the Xandarian Nova Corps and the captain of the diplomatic and exploratory spaceship "Way-Opener". Returning from a mission in space, the Way-Opener was confronted by the vessel of the cosmic entity GalactusGalactus
Galactus is a fictional character appearing in comic books and other publications published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist and co-plotter Jack Kirby, the character debuted in Fantastic Four #48 , the first of a three-issue story later known as "The Galactus...
, who abducts Lan and offers to transform him into a herald, in a similar fashion to the Silver Surfer
Silver Surfer
The Silver Surfer is a Marvel Comics superhero created by Jack Kirby. The character first appears in Fantastic Four #48 , the first of a three-issue arc that fans call "The Galactus Trilogy"....
.
A willing Lan accepts and becomes the Air-Walker. Pyreus Kril, the Way-Opener's first officer and Lan's friend, becomes obsessed with finding Galactus after the abduction. Lan becomes devoted to Galactus, and the closest thing Galactus has had to a true friend. On one journey to seek a planet for sustenance for Galactus, he battles the alien race the Ovoids, who kill Lan, but not before Galactus retrieves and transfers the last spark of Lan's soul to an android body.
Dissatisfied with the android, Galactus sends it to Earth to re-enlist the Silver Surfer as his Herald. The Air-Walker encounters the Fantastic Four, and is then defeated by the Surfer, who guesses at the android's true nature. Mr. Fantastic reprograms Galactus' ship to take him to the Negative Zone
Negative Zone
The Negative Zone is a fictional setting, an antimatter universe depicted in publications from Marvel Comics, most frequently in Fantastic Four and Captain Marvel. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, it first appeared in Fantastic Four #51 .-Fictional description:The Negative Zone in the Marvel...
, where he will apparently have an abundance of worlds to consume. The remnants of the Air-Walker are found by the villain Machinesmith
Machinesmith
Machinesmith is a fictional character, a supervillain in the Marvel Universe. He specializes in robotics, and is able to make convincing doubles of other superhumans...
.
The android eventually repairs itself and reactivates. Believing itself to be the original Gabriel Lan, the Air-Walker attempts to find the Surfer, but encounters the Thunder God, Thor
Thor (Marvel Comics)
Thor is a fictional superhero who appears in publications published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Journey into Mystery #83 and was created by editor-plotter Stan Lee, scripter Larry Lieber, and penciller Jack Kirby....
. The Air-Walker's ability to wield Thor's hammer Mjolnir reveals its non-human nature, and Thor destroys the android. Another of Galactus' former Heralds, Firelord, learns of the battle and confronts Thor. Firelord reveals that he was once Pyreus Kril, and eventually located Galactus' vessel and confronted the entity. Galactus agreed to reveal Lan's fate on the condition that Pyreus serve him as his latest Herald. Firelord then returns to space with the remains of the android.
Firelord and the Surfer eventually revive the android to aid in a battle against Galactus' most ruthless Herald, Morg
Morg
Morg is a fictional supervillain published by Marvel Comics universe, appearing as a herald of Galactus. Created by Ron Lim and Ron Marz, he first appeared in Silver Surfer vol. 3, #70 .-Origin:...
, who completely destroys the Air-Walker. A version of the Air-Walker and Firelord aid young superhero team the New Warriors
New Warriors
The New Warriors is a Marvel Comics superhero team, traditionally consisting of young adult heroes. They first appeared in The Mighty Thor #411 .-General publication history:...
against a threat from the planet Xandar
Xandar
Xandar is a fictional planet in the Tranta system in the Andromeda galaxy of the Marvel Comics universe. It is best known as the home world of the Nova Corps, an intergalactic police task force. The most prominent member of the Nova Corps is Richard Rider, one-time member of the New Warriors...
.
Lan's consciousness is then absorbed into the computer of Galactus' Worldship, and in data form directs Galactus to uninhabited worlds. Although the Worldship is later destroyed in a battle with the entity Tyrant
Tyrant (comics)
Tyrant is a fictional, extraterrestrial supervillain in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appears in Silver Surfer vol. 3, #81 .-Fictional character biography:...
, the Air-Walker is restored to physical form and battles the Annihilation Wave alongside his fellow Heralds, but is destroyed once again.
Powers and abilities
Gabriel Lan was a normal man until transformed by Galactus. Endowed with the Power CosmicPower Cosmic
The Power Cosmic is a fictional type of cosmic energy that appears in comic books published by Marvel, most commonly mentioned in stories involving the cosmic entity Galactus and his heralds...
, Lan as the Air-Walker possessed superhuman strength, reflexes & reactions, and endurance, mastery of the electromagnetic spectrum and total immunity to the rigors of space. Like all Heralds, the Air-Walker was capable of travelling faster than the speed of light
Speed of light
The speed of light in vacuum, usually denoted by c, is a physical constant important in many areas of physics. Its value is 299,792,458 metres per second, a figure that is exact since the length of the metre is defined from this constant and the international standard for time...
. Gabriel Lan graduated from the Xandarian Nova Corps Academy, and in addition to a thorough knowledge of combat has knowledge of advanced alien technology and space navigation.
The android version of Lan appears to possess all the same abilities, in addition to a unique self-repair system and a homing beacon he could use to find galactus' ship.