Walter Nichols (Astonishing#41; remade as a Martian)

nichols-walters-ast41-mars-full nichols-walters-ast41-mars-face WALTER NICHOLS

Real Name: Walter Nichols

Identity/Class: Human mutate (transformed into a Martian)

Occupation: Former reporter

Group Membership: Martians;
formerly the Tribune (perhaps aka the Herald; see comments)

Affiliations: Formerly Ralph Regan

Enemies: Ralph Regan

Known Relatives: Pat Nichols (presumably; nee Regan), Ralph Regan (father-in-law)

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: Presumably Mars;
formerly an unidentified town in the USA

First Appearance: Astonishing#41/6 "The Living Proof" (September, 1955) nichols-walters-ast41-upper

Powers/Abilities: Walter Nichols was a confident young reporter, certain he could bring in a headline story.

Despite his boss dismissing his story and evidence, Walter refused to back down, and he ultimately chose to "become a Martian" (see comments) to gain the proof he needed. As part of this transformation, he also agreed and/or chose to depart Earth for Mars.

The only definitive change shown for Walter was that his bare feet left glowing foot prints that faded after a few minutes. Perhaps over time his body changed to match that of the actual Martians.

Height: Unrevealed (approximately 6')
Weight: Unrevealed (approximately 200 lbs.)
Eyes: Light blue
Hair: Blond

nichols-walters-ast41-with PAt History:

(Astonishing#41/6 (fb) - BTS) - Walter Nichols was hired as a cub reporter (without significant experience) by Ralph Regan, the editor of the Tribune. Within a month, Walter had fallen in love with Regan's daughter, Pat, who was also employed as a reporter at the Tribune.

(Astonishing#41/6 (fb)) - Walter and Pat wanted to marry each other, but Pat knew her father would never improve. Indeed, Ralph was irate, and he accused Walter of wanting to marry his daughter so that Ralph wouldn't fire him even if her turned out to be a bad reporter. When Walter insisted that he needed a chance to prove that he was a good reporter, Ralph told him to get him a story worthy of the front page to show him that he was capable of supporting a wife, and he would let him marry Pat. Walter told Pat to go out and buy a wedding gown as he was going to get the biggest story that ever hit this town.

(Astonishing#41/6 (fb) - BTS) - Driving by the woods 10 miles north of the Tribune building, Walter noticed a glittering through the trees.

(Astonishing#41/6 (fb)) - Curious, Walter investigated and found a flying machine unlike anything on Earth.

(Astonishing#41/6 (fb) - BTS) - Walter saw strange people get out of the ship, and he spoke to and to pictures of them. They communicated telepathically, telling him that they came from Mars. He also appreciated that they were barefoot and that they left glowing footprints where they walked, although the glow only lasted a few minutes before vanishing entirely. As Walter left, he saw the ship rise straight up before streaking off so quickly that he could hardly see it go. nichols-walters-ast41-herald

(Astonishing#41/6 (fb)) - Two days after accepting Ralph's challenge, Walter returned to the Tribune and told Ralph his story. While Pat was impressed, Ralph dismissed the ship as being something experimental from the US Air Force, and he accused Walter of faking the pictures. Although Pat believed the story, Ralph commented that is he printed such news, he would be laughed out of the business. Pat countered that if he had proof, it would be the story of the century, and Walter related that although the ship had left, the footprints had been impressive.

Although remaining skeptical, Ralph accompanied Walter and Pat to the woods, where Walter showed him that ground disturbed by the ship's landing; however, after Walter recalled that the footprints swiftly faded, Ralph became irate and the perceived deception. After they returned to town, although Walter insisted everything he told him had been true, when Pat asked for his permission to be married, Ralph refused and instead fired Walter.

Pat desperately told Walter to forget the story and tell the story was a hoax and that he would make good, but Walter insisted he would make good by bringing him living proof that the Martians did land in those woods.

(Astonishing#41/6 (fb) - BTS) - Shortly thereafter, Walter and Pat were secretly married.

(Astonishing#41/6 (fb) - BTS) - The Martians returned to the woods, and Walter and Pat met with them. Walter had a hard time persuading the Martians to provide him with living proof of their existence. The finally consented on the condition that Walter become one of them, and -- under unrevealed circumstances -- they transformed Walter and Pat to become like them. The Martians apparently promised to wait in the woods until Walter brought Ralph Regan to them for an interview. nichols-walters-ast41-footprints

(Astonishing#41/6) - A week after having been fired, Walter returned to Ralph's office, and he told Ralph that the Martians had returned and that he had seen and spoken to him. Even when Walter told Ralph that the Martians had promised to let him interview them, Ralph still considered Walter a crackpot and refused to go anywhere with him.

    Accepting this, Walter advised that Ralph would see the living proof for himself, but that he should remember that he had brought this all on himself. Walter then took off his shoes and walked across the office floor, leaving glowing footprints.

    Ralph appreciated that Walter had become "one of them," and after the footprints faded, Pat told him that he had his story but that it was not quite finished. She then told her father that she and Walter had married a week ago, and as she walked away, Ralph saw her glowing footprints and realized that she had become "one of them, too."

(Astonishing#41/6 - BTS) - Walter and Pat departed the building and boarded the Martian ship, which subsequently departed.

    Having stared at Pat's glowing footprints until they had vanished, Ralph rushed down the stairs only to see the ship flying through the air, and he silently bade his darling daughter goodbye.

Comments: Created by Carl Wessler (see appearances) & Pete Tomlinson.

    One can only speculate about what would have transformed Walter into a Martian. Maybe they used a ray beam, gave him an injection of DNA or some form of nanotechnology (not that the latter was a thing in the 1950s), or perhaps they did something weird and unusual that we can't even imagine?

    The first page has captions identifying Ralph Regan as editor of the Tribune. On the fourth page, when they returned to the building, it had a sign identifying it as the Herald (see the image in the above left), and Ralph refers to it as the Herald as well. Maybe the building was the Herald, but the publication was the Tribune?

    Pat Nichols (nee Regan) and Ralph Regan really should get their own profiles, with Ralph's containing a sub-profile of the Herald & Tribune. Very little has been revealed about these Martians, and so I reluctantly relegated them to a sub-profile. But, it would be great to have someone follow-up on the story and fill in some more details.

Regardless, it remains to be explained how so many different races/beings allegedly originated from Mars.

Is there some Nexus of Realities on Mars through which numerous Martians from other realities have traveled to Earth-616?
Is there some cosmic manipulator (like the Stranger or Immortus) who is transporting various races to Mars and then removing them and traces of their existence when they have served their purpose?
Have the various incarnations of the Man on the Wall been eliminating Martian races/colonizers after they threatened Earth?
We don’t have the answers to those questions, but maybe someone will answer them someday.

This profile was completed 09/14/2026, but its publication was delayed as it was intended for the Appendix 25^th anniversary 's celebratory event to represent Martians' stories and characters.

Profile by Snood.

CLARIFICATIONS:
Walter Nichols should be distinguished from:

NICHOL ??- leader of gem theft ring; opposed by Angel (Thomas Halloway)--Marvel Mystery Comics#6
NICHOLS, - heroin addict, used as informant by Morbius--Morbius I#2
NICHOLS, ART - Fontane college faculty advisor, helped design exoskeleton for Adrian Castorp--Defenders I#142
NICHOLS, ASHLEIGH - Antigo high school, interested in Juston Seyfert after he became a hero--Sentinel#7
NICHOLS, Prof. CARTER of Earth-9602 - empowered Dark Claw + Hyena--Legend of the Dark Claw#1
NICHOLS, DAVE - circa World War II, US Navy Air Force, slain by Japanese pilots, inspiring Doug "Jap-Buster" Johnson--U.S.A. Comics#6/9
NICHOLS, MORGAN - mind briefly transferred into Dr. Stephen Strange by the Refugee Collective--Defenders: From the Vault#1
NICHOLLS, TOM - Geraci crime family, lawyer--Punisher III#2
NICHOLLS, WILLIAM - two centuries ago, self-aware child of the Voyager, married Alicia Harker, ancestor of Harriet Hornerstone--Children of the Voyager#3
other "Dave" or "Nichols" characters, groups, items, events, races or places...

These Martians have no KNOWN connection to

other Martians....

Martians

     The Martians had at least one spaceship, which apparently allowed transport between Mars and Earth, as well as returning to and departing from Earth at least one point.

     They communicated telepathically (bypassing differences in languages)

     They walked barefoot and left glowing footprints that vanished completely after a few minutes.

     They had the means to transform a human to become a Martian (see comments above).

     Although when they landed and encountered Walter Nichols, they communicated with him, they were reluctant to allow him to prove their existence to other humans; they ultimately allowed this only if Walter became one of them.

     Both Walter and his newlywed wife, Pat, underwent the transformation and subsequently departed with them in their spaceship.

--Astonishing#41/6

Note: Why did they come to Earth?

     Why did they choose the location where Walter Nichols encountered them?

     Why did they depart, and why did they come back?

     The world may never know...

Pat Nichols (nee Regan)

     The daughter of Ralph Regan, Pat was a newswoman at the Tribune (see comment), of which her father was the editor.

     She fell in love with cub reporter Walter Nichols, and she wanted to marry him but knew that her father would not allow this.

     After Walter returned with a story of a Martian encounter, Pat believed him despite her father's denial.

     When her father fired Walter and refused to allow their marriage, Pat urged Walter to admit the story was false and prove himself with another story.

     Walter refused this, and Pat secretly married him soon after.

     The Martians returned soon after, and apparently when Walter chose to be transformed into a Martian (see comments above) to provide living evidence of his story, Pat agreed to be transformed as well.

     After Walter revealed his Martian nature to Ralph, Pat showed him that she had been similarly transformed, and Pat and Walter apparently departed in the Martian ship and presumably traveled to Mars.

--Astonishing#41/6

Note: In the 1950s, I believe it was customary for the wife to adopt the husband's last name (surname), and I am ASSuming she did so. That was not confirmed in-story.

Ralph Regan

     The editor for the Tribune out of the Herald building (see comments above), Ralph employed his daughter, Pat, as a newswoman.

     After Ralph had hired cub reporter Walter Nichols, Ralph became irate upon learning that Nichols and Pat were dating and sought marriage.

     To prove he could support a wife, Ralph insisted Walter prove himself as a reporter by bringing in a headline story.

     When Walter returned with a story of a Martian encounter, Ralph was extremely skeptical. He reluctantly accompanied Walter to the scene of the encounter, but when proof was lacking, Ralph forbade the marriage and fired Walter.

     Unbeknownst to Ralph, Walter and Pat secretly married, and when the Martians returned again, both Walter and Pat chose to be transformed into Martians (see comments above) in order to prove Walter's story to be true, after which they departed Earth in the Martian ship.

     Ralph silently bade his daughter goodbye.

--Astonishing#41/6

images: (without ads)
Astonishing#41/6, pg. 1, panel 1 (Pat face);
          panel 2 (Walter w/ Pat);
       pg. 2, panel 4 (spaceship in the woods);
          panel 7 (pictures of Martians and ship);
       pg. 3, panel 5 (Walter & Ralph full);
          panel 6 (Pat full, tiny, red-colored);
       pg. 4, panel 3 (Herald sign);
          panel 5 (Ralph face);
          panel 6 (Walter face);
       pg. 5, panel 1 (Walter's footprints);
          panel 4 (Pat's footprints);
          panel 6 (spaceship departure);

Appearances:
Astonishing#41/6 "The Living Proof" (September, 1955) - Carl Wessler (script; according to the Grand Comics Database; I didn't see writer credits), Pete Tomlinson (artist), Stan Lee (editor; also per the Grand Comics Database)

First posted: 09/30/2026
Last updated: 09/14/2026

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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