HOLDEN RAYDER
Real Name: Holden S. Rayder
Identity/Class: Extradimensional (Earth-93060/Ultraverse) human cyborg
Occupation: Commander of Aladdin; former soldier
Group Membership: Aladdin (GENIE, Technician Davis, Technician Vance, others); formerly U.S. Army
Affiliations: NuWare (Bob Dixon, others)
Enemies: Choice (Amy Tran Kwitny), Gemini (Erik Johnson + Noel Robinson), Rune, numerous test subjects
Known Relatives: None
Aliases: "Half-Man" (called by Rune)
Base of Operations: Aladdin II facility outside Scottsdale in the Arizona Desert
First Appearance: Rune I#1 (January, 1994)
Powers/Abilities: Rayder's body was composed of a fusion of biological and technological parts based on alien technology. His body felt like tin with bones made of wet plastic. He could connect himself directly to the similarly built central computer GENIE to exchange knowledge. His cyborg form lacked the physical prowess of his original body and was rather useless in combat situations.
Though he was an uncompassionate brute he was a capable leader due to his no-nonsense approach and greed for power.
Before his transformation Rayder went through U.S. military training during the 1960s. He was trained in armed and unarmed combat and used an M16 rifle in combat situations.
Height: Unrevealed (6'; by approximation)
Weight: Unrevealed (impossible to determine due to unidentified
materials (definitely lighter than his human form); (human) 180 lbs.; by
approximation)
Eyes: Red; formerly brown
Hair: None; formerly black (balding)
History:
(Rune I#2 (fb)) <June 18, 1966> - Rayder served in Vietnam and was
chasing the Vietcong with his platoon. He called in air support when the
jungle suddenly lit up. He wasn't sure if it was the Vietcong or his own
people, but his platoon was burning and Rayder barely escaped when the
ground suddenly opened up and Rayder fell down into a pit. He fell for a
long time until he landed on stone steps, cracked some ribs and
dislocated his shoulder. When he got back to his feet he was in front of
two husks of metal and tissue burned from within. He made his way up the
steps to find the source of a yellow glow coming from inside the shells
and found out that the two vessels contained massive horned and knotted
bones. The ribcage alone was over two stories high and each vertebrae
the size of a tank turret. The flesh had long rotted away and were the
heads should be were only tubes and pipes connected to containers for
liquids. They glow Rayder had seen was everywhere and the air vibrated
with energy. Rayder wanted to plunder this alien energy.
(Rune I#3 (fb)) - The next ten weeks the U.S. Air Force carpet bombed the area to allow a corps of army engineers to evacuate a quarter mile of Vietnamese territory.
<September 5, 1966> - Under Rayder's command the two alien skeletons, caskets and hieroglyphic stones were pulled from the ground with the support from the Pentagon, who didn't want alien technology to fall into Vietnamese hands.
It wasn't easy to find pilots because the alien bones made them nervous. To find volunteers for the airlift they were promised retirement.
Rayder received the command over Project Aladdin, which was set up by the C.I.A. on Site-16, an old Air Force base built in the 1950s for the UFO investigation Project Blue Book. A half-alive computer named Genetically Engineered Neural Intelligence Experiment (GENIE) was created for Aladdin to research the aliens.
During the first year of Project Aladdin only more questions were produced.
Months later a technician accidentally brought marrow scrapings from one of the bones into contact with its identical counterpart and the two substances produced a molecular reaction that ripped apart the technician within the hour. GENIE isolated the active cells from the salvaged parts and an energy source more powerful than an atomic bomb was discovered. Rayder wanted it for himself, but knew that he first needed to be able to control the energy.
Injecting the cloned cells into animals couldn't duplicate the reaction.
Two years later a prospector caught snooping around the base was used as the first human test subject and he blew up. 31 more unsuccessful test subjects followed.
<January 14, 1970> After experimenting on the 33rd human subject GENIE managed to extract a gaseous essence from the compound reaction. Though it caused madness and death in those who inhaled it, it was assimilated by GENIE into its own biomass and led to the computer creating a new architecture based on the alien technology for itself.
<May 3, 1971> Rayder witnessed GENIE becoming a new sentient lifeform that remained loyal to him, but could now talk. Rayder thanked the soldiers working with him and dismissed them because he planned to continue to work with GENIE by himself.
Over the next few months Rayder did not get any closer to harnessing the alien energy, but he was sure that GENIE was hiding information from him. He confronted GENIE and learned that the computer held back information because it conflicted with its prime directive to protect Rayder from harm. Rayder ordered GENIE to bypass its prime directive and the computer finally revealed that Rayder would never be able to wield the energy known as Shu-Ji (translated by GENIE from the alien symbols). Demanding an explanation Rayder was sucked into GENIE as there was no other way for the computer to explain Shu-Ji to Rayder. The process to imbue Rayder with Shu-Ji failed and Rayder was ejected from GENIE. Though his human biological mass had partially been aligned with GENIE's central nexus, Rayder would've merged with GENIE if the computer had not ejected him. Rayder was shocked that GENIE had turned him into some kind of cyborg. The failed process gave GENIE the answer Rayder was looking for as the computer had realized that two identical life-forms were required to harness the full power of Shu-Ji.
Following this event Rayder had Project Aladdin create the twins Erik Johnson and Noel Robinson imbued with Shu-Ji at birth. Their gestation process as vessels for Shu-Ji would take 18 years.
(Hardcase#13 (fb)) - Rayder represented Aladdin when they made an agreement with NuWare to exchange information and pool their resources to create an enhanced ultra. The end result of their joint venture was Choice (Amy Tran Kwitny), who was handed over into the care of NuWare's CEO Bob Dixon.
(Rune I#1) <July 1, 1993> - Rune was brought in by Aladdin after he attacked Erik Johnson, one half of Project Gemini, who nearly killed him. After Technicians Davis and Vance had a look at him, GENIE had them leave to give Rayder a chance to get a look at Rune in private. GENIE couldn't explain to Rayder why Rune was after Johnson or if the jewels they had taken from Rune were its power source. The only thing Rayder learned was that Rune has somehow interfered with GENIE's system, though they were unaware that Rune had secretly in Rayder's name sent out the order to bring in Erik Johnson, his mother and his girlfriend Markie Van Morris. For further examination Rayder had GENIE connect him to GENIE's system. Rayder learned that Rune was at least 10,000 years old, had been irradiated that century and was seemingly dying of cancer. Rune still interfered with GENIE's system so Rayder gave GENIE permission to just assimilate Rune completely. The assimilation failed and Rune took advantage of the situation and ordered in Rayder's name to bring the second Project Gemini subject Noel Robinson to Arizona. When GENIE told the surprised Rayder what was going on, Rayder tried to prevent it because Robinson was still unstable and needed 93 more days to gestate, but Rune had taken control of GENIE's communication circuits and Rayder was unable to contact the Aladdin agents that were in the process of bringing Robinson to Arizona.
(Rune I#2 - BTS) - Officer Baily delivered Johnson, his mother and his girlfriend to Aladdin, but they were unaware of the delivery. He told them to contact General Rayder, who had allegedly sent out the order, but they couldn't get through to him. While Baily and the Aladdin operatives still discussed what to do next Johnson and his girlfriend escaped.
(Rune I#2) - Inside the Aladdin facility Rune assaulted Rayder in the GENIE's chamber for the audacity to try and drain his energy and knowledge. GENIE was unable to help Rayder, who ordered GENIE to not give Rune any information at all while Rune ripped off half his face.
(Rune I#2 - BTS) - While Rune connected himself to GENIE to learn about the Aladdin organization, Rayder escaped to his quarters.
(Rune I#2) - The guard facility's entrance finally got through to Rayder and got told that he had not given the order to bring in Johnson. When he got told that Johnson and his girlfriend had escaped, Rayder ordered the execution of Officer Baily. Rayder then contacted central and asked them about Rune's status. He got aggravated when he was told that Rune could not be removed because he had symbionically attached himself to GENIE. Rayder knew that this meant that Rune had learned all their secrets and ordered him to be killed. With Johnson escaped, Robinson disappeared and GENIE offline, Rayder realized that all his years of planning were falling apart.
(Rune I#2 - BTS) - Rayder ordered to redirect the flight with Robinson aboard to Aladdin's Groom Lake facility, but it crashed when it was hit by shockwave created by Johnson losing control over his powers.
(Rune I#3 - BTS) - Rayder ordered to bring in Robinson for reconditioning in the Biocon Lab on Level 5. Attempts to bring in Johnson failed.
(Rune I#3) - Rayder reestablished contact with GENIE and the computer revealed to him that Rune's Star Stones contained souls and that Rayder could store his life-essence in the Star Stones and then transfer it through them to Robinson and Johnson as soon as their bodies were co-joined. Rayder saw a chance to be human again and finally gain the Shu-Ji power, which would make him superhuman.
(Rune I#4 - BTS) - Rune attacked Robinson during reconditioning on Level 5.
(Rune I#4) - Rayder was shocked that this could even happen and ordered central to secure Robinson, but the technician got his head ripped off by Rune, who threatened he would come for Rayder and take back his Star Stones. Rayder asked GENIE to show him what he had to do as fast as possible to transfer his energy. While Rune's assault on the facility continued, Rayder put himself into an artificial womb connected to GENIE and wore the Star Stones necklace so that his life-essence could be transferred into them. GENIE made it clear that there was no way to reverse the process, but Rayder didn't heed the warnings and ordered to proceed. GENIE chose an Ultra youth held at the facility as the target for Rayder's life-essence and he was fine with it as long as could live on it that body. The process got interrupted by Rune, who pulled Rayder out of the womb, took the Star Stones from him and the ripped Rayder to pieces. GENIE informed Rayder that his demise was imminent and he just begged the computer to let him die like a man. GENIE made it clear to Rayder that there was no way to safe him. GENIE began to absorb Rayder, who ordered the computer to stop, but GENIE rescinded his command and continued. It explained that Rayder's actions had compromised and endangered the project and that Rayder's end would at least spare him the court martial. According to GENIE Rayder was expandable, but GENIE was not.
(Rune I#5) - In the aftermath of the attack by Rune and the destructive merging of Noel and Erik into the being known as Gemini, GENIE puppeteered Rayder's head to bring the facility back to operational status and restore moral. The people working at the facility were rather surprised by Rayder's kind and grateful demeanor. "Rayder" promised commendations and promotions and ended the message with a farewell. GENIE then ended the emulation, dropped the head and was ready to take complete control over Aladdin.
(Curse of Rune#2 - BTS) - Aladdin sent Shuriken (Brittany Chien) and a team of operatives to capture Gemini and she received a briefing from GENIE about Gemini's origin. She learned about Rayder's discovery of extraterrestrial remains, the energy Shu-Ji and Rayder's failed attempt to harness the energy for himself, which led to Project Gemini.
Comments: Created by Barry Windsor-Smith & Chris Ulm.
Ultraverse Premiere#1 (March, 1994) was a flip book with Rune I#3 on the flip side. According to the blueprint of the Aladdin II facility (renamed in 1973) seen in Ultraverse Premiere#1 General Rayder's quarters were located at the bottom floor to the right of the alien containment and conduits and above GENIE (Genetically Engineered Neural Intelligence Experiment). Next to the blueprint was also the nifty image on the right of Rayder's upper body by Barry Windsor-Smith (pencils) and Alex Bialy (inks).
This profile was completed 09/04/2026, but its publication was delayed as it was intended for the
Appendix 25th anniversary 's celebratory event to represent
Rune.
Profile by Markus Raymond.
CLARIFICATIONS:
Holden Rayder has no known connection to:
images (without ads)
Rune I#3, p11, pan2 (main)
Rune I#2, p14, pan3 (soldier in Vietnam)
Rune I#3, p3, pan5 (soldier, head shot)
Rune I#3, p19, pan1 (head shot)
Rune I#1, p14, pan1 (upper body, front)
Rune I#4, p18, pan6 (Rayder's end)
Ultraverse Premiere#1, p31, right side (upper body, side)
Appearances:
Rune I#1 (January, 1994) - Barry Windsor-Smith (writer/pencils), Chris
Ulm (writer/editor), Alex Bialy & John Floyd (inks)
Rune I#2-3 (February-March, 1994) - Barry Windsor-Smith
(writer/pencils), Chris Ulm (writer/editor), John Floyd (inks)
Hardcase#13 (June, 1994) - James Hudnall (writer), Kelly Krantz
(pencils), Jeff Whiting (inks), Hank Kanalz (editor)
Rune I#4 (June, 1994) - Barry Windsor-Smith (writer/pencils), Chris Ulm
(writer/editor), John Floyd (inks)
Rune I#5 (September, 1994) - Barry Windsor-Smith (writer/pencils), Chris
Ulm (writer/editor), John Floyd (inks)
Curse of Rune#2 (June, 1995) - Chris Ulm (writer), Kyle Hotz (artist),
Roland Mann (editor)
First Posted: 09/14/2026
Last updated: 10/13/2024
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
Non-Marvel
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