POWER PLATOON

Membership: None named. There are eight members, not including Quantum.

Affiliations: Dakkamite militia (all members were formerly part of this);

Quantum (part of original group, later acted as leader);

Aquarian (formerly brainwashed to assisting them);

Stranger (former captor); Overmind (former manipulator);

Enemies: Avengers West Coast, Hyperion, Makkari, Quasar, X-Man (Nate Grey).

Aliases: The Elect, the Dakkamite Elect

Base of Operations: Currently unknown; formerly in Earth's orbit; formerly the Stranger's Laboratory World; formerly Earth

First Appearance: [(Quantum seen) West Coast Avengers#12 (September, 1986)];

(as the Elect) Quasar#4 (December, 1989);

(as Power Platoon) Avengers West Coast#96 (July, 1993); (Quasar#4(fb), 14, 15, [16], Avengers West Coast#96, 97, Maximum Security#1, [2], 3

HISTORY: When the Dakkamite scientists Hektu and Soja sent their infant son, Wundarr, to Earth, the scientists of Dakkam observed that there was something peculiar about the rays of Earth's sun that reacted to Dakkamite physiology to produce a Dakkamite with paranormal powers. The scientists reported their findings to the ruling elite of Dakkam, who directed them to undertake an experiment to determine the viability of endowing their militia with similar capacities.

Towards this end, a platoon of nine soldiers were elected to serve as test-subjects. They were placed inside incubator capsules and launched in solar orbit around Earth's sun. It was speculated that if exposure to Earth's sun from 93 million miles away resulted in a modicum of paranormal power, then exposure from 30 million miles away would result in even greater power. The soldiers circled the sun for an uncertain period of time, soaking up its energizing rays while sensors monitored their bodies, waiting for signs of cellular enhancement.

All but one of the Elect were taken by the enigmatic Stranger I, who took them to his Laboratory planet for experimentation. The remaining member, who was left in place for uncertain reasons, was revived to find himself filled with vast power, and he traveled to Earth, where he became known as Quantum.

The Elect on the Laboratory World were encountered and freed during a battle between the Stranger and the Overmind. They first encountered and attacked Hyperion I when he inadvertently entered their cell. Following their release from their cell, they were manipulated by the Overmind into attacking the Stranger and his temporary allies, Makkari and Quasar. Following the conclusion of that battle, they apparently escaped the Laboratory World.

The soldiers, now referred to as the Power Platoon, was next seen on the planet Earth. Quantum had been trapped in an intangible state by constantly shifting in triplicate phase by Quasar (see Quasar#4). Somehow, Quantum manged to take mental control of the Aquarian, and cause him to revert back to his virtually mindless Wundarr identity.

During the events known as the Infinity Crusade (When the Goddess sought to remake the universe), Goliath (aka Hawkeye) and Mockingbird were assaulted by the Power Platoon. With assistance from War Machine, they defeated the Platoon by using a smoke arrow to block the sun's rays. However, Wundarr, serving Quantum, tore open the Platoon's prison, and freed them. The Platoon swiftly regained their powers in the sunlight and joined Quantum in battling the Avengers. However, when Qunatum ordered the Platoon to kill the Avengers, they ceased fighting. Apparently they had been seeking Quantum and had no desire to hurt anyone unnecessarily. They then flew off for parts unknown.

The Platoon apparently ended up in some interstellar prison, because they were next seen during the events of Maximum Security, when a large number of interstellar prisoners were sent to Earth. They were seen in battle against Nate Grey, the X-Man. They also apparently participated in the fight to expose the Ruul (later revealed as the Kree) and free Earth from its containment.

Abilities: Each member possesses a different superhuman power. Those clearly demonstrated include: Durability, Growing, Optic force-blasts, Re-direct attacks, Strength, Stretching.

All of their powers are dependent on the energy of the sun and weaken it its absence. In some cases, they will even lose consciousness if the sun's rays are blocked.

COMMENTS: Created by Mark Gruenwald and Mike Manley

The Elect experiment is reported as having been initiated approximately seven sun cycles ago.

Supplementary info may be gained from:

(1) Aquarian entries: OHOTMU I#1, Deluxe#1, Master Edition.
In case it's not clear from these, Wundarr (later the Aquarian) originally had an origin similar to Superman, which somehow went awry. His ship was not discovered, and he grew to adulthood uneducated and unsocialized before being released.

(2) Dakkamite race entry: also seen in OHOTMU Deluxe#15.
Dakkam was seen to blow up, Krypton-like, in Adventures into Fear#17. I guess it got better...

(3) Quantum entries: OHOTMU Update'89#6, Master Edition.
The ending to the Avengers West Coast story was weak, weak, weak.

 

 

 

 

images:

Other appearances:
Quasar#14-16 (September-November, 1990)
Avengers West Coast#97 (August, 1993)
Maximum Security#1-3 (December-January, 2001)

Last updated: 05/01/05

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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