Illuminator (Marvel Comics)

Last updated
Illuminator
Publication information
Publisher Marvel Comics
Thomas Nelson
First appearance Illuminator #1 (1993)
Created by Glenn Herdling
Craig Brasfield
In-story information
Alter egoAndrew Prentiss
Partnerships God
Notable aliasesAndy, Drew, Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come, Light-Boy, Light Creature, Spirit of the Crystals
Abilities Divine powers; luminescence, flight, healing, afterimage, super strength, and durability

Illuminator is a fictional Christian superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, [1] which debuted during a collaboration with Thomas Nelson.[ citation needed ] The character has starred in self-titled limited series comics during 1993, released along with Marvel Comics adaptions of the story of Easter, In His Steps , The Screwtape Letters , and The Pilgrim's Progress . [2] [3]

Contents

Fictional character biography

The character's alter ego is Andrew Prentiss a student and citizen scientist from Fairview, Tennessee, part of Nashville. During a night at summer camp a light envelops him, it gives him the power of flight, luminescence, and durability. He initially assumes the powers must have been granted by extraterrestrials, but after returning home he saves himself and his brother from a demonic possessed man, and an elderly biker named Gus who witnessed the ordeal recognizes the powers as being divine in nature. [4] His powers are dependent on his Christian faith, which is depicted through his luminescence, and he uses his powers to combat demonic villains. He is one of the Marvel Universe's Earth-616 human mutate characters.[ citation needed ]

Publication history

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marvel Universe</span> American comic book shared universe

The Marvel Universe is a fictional shared universe where the stories in most American comic book titles and other media published by Marvel Comics take place. Super-teams such as the Avengers, the X-Men, the Fantastic Four, the Guardians of the Galaxy, and many Marvel superheroes live in this universe, including characters such as Spider-Man, Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, the Hulk, Ant-Man, the Wasp, Wolverine, Black Panther, Doctor Strange, Daredevil, and Captain Marvel, Blade, Black Widow, Hawkeye, among numerous others. It also contains well-known supervillains such as Doctor Doom, Magneto, Ultron, Thanos, Loki, The Green Goblin, Kang the Conqueror, Red Skull, The Kingpin, Doctor Octopus, Carnage, Apocalypse, Dormammu, Mysterio, Electro, and the Vulture. It also contains antiheroes such as Venom, Namor, Deadpool, Silver Sable, Ghost Rider, The Punisher, and Black Cat.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spider-Man</span> Marvel Comics superhero

Spider-Man is a superhero in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, he first appeared in the anthology comic book Amazing Fantasy #15 in the Silver Age of Comic Books. He has been featured in comic books, television shows, films, video games, novels, and plays.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Quicksilver (Marvel Comics)</span> Marvel Comics fictional character

Quicksilver is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in the comic book The Uncanny X-Men #4 and was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. The character has since starred in two self-titled limited series and has historically been depicted as a regular team member in superhero title The Avengers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ultimate Marvel</span> Marvel Comic imprint

Ultimate Marvel, later known as Ultimate Comics, was an imprint of comic books published by Marvel Comics, featuring reimagined and modernized versions of the company's superhero characters from the Ultimate Marvel Universe, later known as the Ultimate Universe. Those characters include Spider-Man, the X-Men, the Ultimates, the Fantastic Four, and others. The imprint was launched in 2000 with the publication of the series Ultimate Spider-Man and Ultimate X-Men in 2001, followed by The Ultimates and Ultimate Fantastic Four in 2002 and 2004 respectively providing new origin stories for the characters. The reality of Ultimate Marvel is designated as Earth-1610 as part of the Marvel Comics Multiverse.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dormammu</span> Marvel Comics fictional character

Dormammu is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, the character first appeared in Strange Tales #126. He is the extra and inter-dimensional demonic entity and deity brother of Umar and the uncle of superheroine Clea who rules over the Dark Dimension. The character has endured as a recurring antagonist of the superhero Doctor Strange.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mephisto (Marvel Comics)</span> Marvel Comics fictional character

Mephisto is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Silver Surfer #3, and was created by Stan Lee and John Buscema and based on Mephistopheles: a demon character from the Faust legend, who has sometimes been referred to as Mephisto. Introduced as a recurring adversary of the Silver Surfer and Ghost Rider, Mephisto has also endured as one of Spider-Man's most prominent adversaries, being responsible for Norman and Harry Osborn's respective transformations into the Green Goblin and Kindred; and for the superhero's loss of his marriage to Mary Jane Watson, considering their future daughter Spider-Girl his archenemy. Mephisto has often come into conflict with Doctor Strange, Doctor Doom, Scarlet Witch and other heroes of the Marvel Universe, being responsible both for the creation of the Cosmic Ghost Rider and the descents of Phil Coulson and Otto Octavius into villainy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patsy Walker</span> Fictional superhero

Patricia "Patsy" Walker is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stuart Little and Ruth Atkinson, Patsy Walker first appeared in Miss America Magazine #2, published by Marvel precursor Timely Comics, and became Hellcat in The Avengers #144. She premiered as the star of a teen romantic-comedy series, and was later integrated into Marvel superhero franchises such as the Avengers and the Defenders as Hellcat.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jessica Jones</span> Comic book superheroine

Jessica Campbell Jones-Cage, professionally known as Jessica Jones, is a superheroine appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer Brian Michael Bendis and artist Michael Gaydos and first appeared in Alias #1 as part of Marvel's Max, an imprint for more mature content, and was later retroactively established to have first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #4 in the Silver Age of Comic Books as an originally unnamed classmate of Peter Parker, created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko. Within the context of Marvel's shared universe, Jones is a former superhero who becomes the owner of Alias Private Investigations. Bendis envisioned the series as centered on Jessica Drew and only decided to create Jones once he realized that the main character he was writing had a distinct-enough voice and background to differentiate her from Drew, though deciding to still name the character after her on the basis of how "two [people] can have the same first name".

A Life Model Decoy is a fictional android appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. LMDs duplicate all outward aspects of a real living person with such authenticity that they can easily impersonate a specific person without casual detection. LMDs first appeared in "The Man For the Job!", a short story by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby that ran in the anthology book Strange Tales #135, in which the spy agency S.H.I.E.L.D. created LMDs of agent Nick Fury to use as decoys for an attack by the terrorist organization Hydra.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Calypso (comics)</span> Marvel Comics fictional character

Calypso Ezili is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Denny O'Neil and Alan Weiss, the character first appeared in Amazing Spider-Man #209. Calypso Ezili is a voodoo priestess of Haitian descent. She is depicted as an adversary of the superhero Peter Parker / Spider-Man and the occasional lover and partner of the supervillain Kraven the Hunter. Calypso Ezili is known under the codenames The Witch and The Hunter of Souls.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vision (Timely Comics)</span> Marvel comic book character that first appeared in Marvel Mystery Comics #13

Vision (Aarkus) is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by the writer Joe Simon and artist Jack Kirby, the character first appeared during the Golden Age of comic books in Marvel Mystery Comics #13, published by Marvel predecessor Timely Comics.

Forbush Man is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Originally the mascot of Marvel's Not Brand Echh, he is the alter-ego of Irving Forbush, a fictional employee of "Marble Comics". Forbush was devised in 1955 by Marvel editor Stan Lee to refer to an imaginary low-grade colleague who was often the butt of Lee's jokes. In his guise of Forbush-Man, he first appeared in 1967.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hugh Jones (comics)</span> Comics character

Hugh Jones is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whizzer (Robert Frank)</span> Comics character

The Whizzer is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He first appeared during the period called the Golden Age of Comic Books.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Superhero comics</span> Genre of American comic books

Superhero comics is one of the most common genres of American comic books. The genre rose to prominence in the 1930s and became extremely popular in the 1940s and has remained the dominant form of comic book in North America since the 1960s. Superhero comics feature stories about superheroes and the universes these characters inhabit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iron Man (Ultimate Marvel character)</span> Comics character

Iron Man is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is the Ultimate Marvel version of the superhero Iron Man, who first appeared in the fourth issue of Ultimate Marvel Team-Up, written by Brian Michael Bendis and drawn by Mike Allred. He later appeared in the Ultimates and often appears in other Ultimate Marvel titles.

Arno Stark is the name of two similar fictional characters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, appearing as a counterpart of the superhero Iron Man from the multiverse. The first of these characters is best known as Iron Man 2020.

Glenn Herdling is an American author, comics writer, and editor who has written numerous comic books, including Marvel Comics' Namor the Sub-Mariner series. He is also the author of the Piper Houdini series of young adult novels and a manualist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cosmic Ghost Rider</span> Superhero created by Marvel Comics

Cosmic Ghost Rider is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. His physical appearance and origin are an amalgam of Punisher, Ghost Rider, and Silver Surfer, with his personality inspired by Deadpool.

References

  1. Oropeza, B.J.; Lee, S. (2005). The Gospel According to Superheroes: Religion and Pop Culture. Peter Lang. p. 83. ISBN   978-0-8204-7422-9 . Retrieved May 8, 2022.
  2. Huckabee, Tyler (June 15, 2021). "Meet the 1990s Marvel Christian Superhero Disney Doesn't Want You to Know About". RELEVANT. Retrieved May 8, 2022.
  3. "GCD :: Brand Emblem :: Marvel Comics; Nelson". Grand Comics Database. Retrieved May 8, 2022.
  4. Thompson, Maggie (2010). Comics Shop. Penguin Publishing Group. p. 1641. ISBN   978-1-4402-1650-3 . Retrieved May 8, 2022.