ALEXANDER STONER

Real Name: Alexander Stoner

Identity/Class: Alternate Reality (Earth-21194) human (active from 1940's - 1990's at least; see comments)

Occupation: Soldier

Group Membership: Project Night Raiders, US Army, 

Affiliations: Miss D'Avril, Sgt. Laughton, Miller, Moore, General George Patton, Corporal Donald Perry, Captain Rabin, Chet

Enemies: Axis forces (Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy, Japan), Ralph Boroughs, the demon race associated with Raymond Stoner, Richard M. Nixon;

Known Relatives: Raymond Stoner (father, deceased), Helen Stoner (wife, deceased), Raymond Stoner (adoptive son)

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: Unrevealed;
    formerly Morocco

Religion: Catholic

First Appearance: 'Breed#1 (January, 1994)

Powers/Abilities: Alex Stoner is an experienced soldier, having rising to the rank of general. 

    He was trained in various forms of armed and unarmed combat, and he was an skilled strategist and investigator.

    He was a smoker, at least in younger days, which would have inhibited his endurance/lung capacity based on how frequently he smoked. He also would have had a characteristic odor.

    A man of faith, Alex raised a child who was an unknown quantity (unsure whether the youth was even fully human) in a family relationship, which led to Ray opposing his demonic brethren.

Height: Unrevealed (approximately 6')
Weight: Unrevealed (approximately 200 lbs.)
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Brown (or reddish-brown?); graying in elder years.

History:
('Breed#1 (fb) - BTS) - Alexander Stoner considered his father, Raymond, a good and strong man. He often spoke about being a grandfather.

('Breed#1 (fb) - BTS) - Alexander Stoner served with General Patton in Morocco.

('Breed#1 (fb) - BTS) - Alexander Stoner was with the third army at Normandy.

('Breed#1 (fb) - BTS) - Alexander Stoner was wounded at the Battle of the Bulge.

('Breed#1 (fb) - BTS) - Alexander Stoner was on hand for the liberation of Dachau.

('Breed#1 (fb) - BTS) <Apparently a few months before the 1949 start of the main story (see comments)> - Raymond Stoner died of cancer.

('Breed#1 (fb)) <1949> - Following a ten hour bus trip, Captain Alexander Stoner arrived at Fort Hood, where he was placed in charge of investigating a loss of contact with the town of Bucksnort, into which three state trooper cars had been sent. The squad of which Stoner was given command was considered very inexperienced, with the exception of Sgt. Laughton and Corporal Donald Perry from the last "negro battalion" they were breaking up. 

    Arriving on the city limits of Bucksnort, they found the city to be glowing green. They found the town vacant, with blood covering empty vehicles and store. Eventually they found tracks from the blood surrounding a remaining foot led them to a cinderblock building, and they appreciated that the raiders had come through the ceiling, after which they found a pyramid of skulls, and some skeletal remains and/or viscera along with demonic drawings. 

    Eventually they found a locked room, which exploded outwardly as they attempted to force entry. 

('Breed#1 (fb) - BTS) - Stoner was knocked unconscious, but most of his troops were slain. 

('Breed#1 (fb)) - Corporal Perry was amongst the soldiers who found and revived Captain Stoner, after which they discovered an unidentified naked young woman (Miss D'Avril), who was left in a virtually catatonic state of shock (not speaking and virtually unresponsive) from her experiences. Perry subsequently inform Stone that they could not find "the sarge's head" (see comments).

('Breed#1 (fb)) - Nine months later, Stoner was present as Miss D'Avril gave birth to a healthy, grossly normal son. When the doctor told Stoner that it was most likely that the woman would never recover from this "catatonic" state, Stoner informed him that his lawyer would file adoption papers the next day. He told the doctor to put the name Raymond (after Alexander's father) on the boy's birth certificate.

('Breed#1 (fb)) - Miss D'Avril was placed in a mental institution ("insane asylum"), where she remained for AT LEAST the next 20 years.

('Breed#1 (fb) - BTS) - Stoner and his wife adopted the young boy and raised him in the Catholic faith. Although realizing that the boy had to be the son of one of those involved in the slaughter, he told himself that his son was just a baby, nothing more. 

('Breed#1 (fb) - BTS) - Unbeknownst to Stoner or his wife, Raymond was being watched remotely via a scrying pool of some sort by a cloaked figure (Rachel, another hybrid demon-human) from Elsewhere..

('Breed#1 (fb) - BTS) - Stoner continued to have nightmares about what happened in Bucksnort.

('Breed#1 (fb) - BTS) - Stoner worked with Perry in the Korean War before returning to his home. He was replaced by an officer named Baldwin

('Breed#1 (fb) - BTS) - The beings involved with the slaughter were designated as the "Night Raiders," although a cover story about a chemical spill prevented public knowledge of the event. 

    Over the next six years Alexander Stoner pin-pointed at least two dozen possible Night Raider sites, and he confirmed 10 definites (including Greece and South Africa). Alexander finally gained enough brass to convince the powers that be that there really was something out there behind those attacks and to start taking the situation seriously. 

    Alexander recruited Donald Perry, now Master-Sergeant, to aid him in what would become Project Night Raiders.

('Breed#1 (fb)) - Stoner welcomed Perry to his home, updated him on the Night Raiders project, noting that they would be on special assignment, answerable only to the Chief of Staff. At Perry's query, Stoner told him the boy was doing fine and that he hoped to never have to tell him of his past; he further assured Perry that the boy was fine and that there never had been nor ever would be a problem. 

('Breed#1 (fb) - BTS) - Raymond Stoner joined the military, serving in Naval Intelligence.

('Breed#1 (fb)) <1969> - Stoner discussed the Night Raiders with President Richard Nixon, who ordered him to maintain silence. Considering the matter a "snipe hunt," Nixon ordered Project Night Raiders to be shut down.

('Breed#1 (fb) - BTS) <1970> - During a mission in Laos, Petty Officer Second Class Raymond Stoner's fellow troops were ambushed and slaughtered. Fighting back savagely, Raymond manifested his demon-heritage, powers and form, slaying the entire ambushing force.

('Breed#1 (fb) - BTS) <2/17/1970> - Raymond was reported as missing in action.

('Breed#1 (fb) - BTS) - Raymond was found traveling back into Viet Nam by a recon patrol.

('Breed#1 (fb)) - Perry reported Raymond's recovery to Alexander Stoner, noting that Raymond had been found covered in blood, although none of it was his. 

('Breed#1 (fb) - BTS) - In a U.S. Naval base in Subic Bay, the Philippines, Raymond reported having no memory after the shooting started.

('Breed#2 (fb) - BTS) - Alexander and Donald repeatedly encountered Ray stoned out of his head.

('Breed#2 (fb) - BTS) <1972> - Unbeknownst to Alexander, Raymond took some acid and ended up traveling to another world/plane, Elsewhere, where the cloaked figure, Rachel, revealed her existence and true nature to him.

('Breed#2 (fb)) <1972> - A top general informed Alexander (now a colonel) that the top brass thought he was chasing "bogey men," but Alex pressured the general to admit he believed Alex's reports. Accepting that they would have to fund Alex covertly, perhaps through the CIA, the general advised that recruiting Raymond as a photographer would ease in funding. Well aware of Raymond's drug addiction, Alex glanced at Donald and then agreed to talk to Raymond and see if he was interested.

    When Donald questioned bringing Raymond in, Alexander considered that it might straighten him out, and argued that he owed Raymond another chance. When Donald asked if he thought Raymond might accept the offer, Alexander wondered if he would find it exciting enough.

('Breed#3 (fb) - BTS) - Rachel explained to Raymond that he was adopted, that they were both " 'Breed," half-human, half-demon, and that his real mother had been raped by a demon.

('Breed#4 (fb) - BTS) - Helen Stoner died.

('Breed#4) - Alex attended Helen's funeral. Afterwards, he considered that this wasn't how he pictured Helen's family plot, but Perry assured him that this was what she had wanted. Alex noted his frustration that he couldn't tell Ray that his mother had died as Ray seemed to have dropped off the Earth. Perry assured him that while Ray was a wild one, he'd eventually show up again.

('Breed#4 (fb) - BTS) - Alex and Perry were called in to investigate an event in Scranton, Ohio that seemed to have connections with their Night Raiders project. 

('Breed#4) - As Alex and Perry arrived at the site of "Charlie's Bar," the lieutenant on site noted that the information he had gathered seemed to fit with with type of thing that Project Night Raiders investigated. Alex questioned that the attacked took place at midday and that only one man was involved. The lieutenant reported that an Asian man had walked into a redneck bar, pulled out a samurai sword, and slew 18 people, some of them armed, and then painted the place with the victims' blood. Alex asked if the paintings were of strange designs, and the lieutenant confirmed this. Alex and Perry then entered the room, and Alex noted these two new wrinkles, as the whole investigation kept getting weirder and weirder all the time. 

('Breed#4 - BTS) - Having learned of his institutionalized mother who screamed all night but was otherwise virtually catatonic, Raymond visited her and mercifully smothered her with a pillow.

('Breed#6 (fb) - BTS) <The month before the main story> - Alex was visited by FBI Special Agent Ralph Boroughs, who asked him for information on Raymond's whereabouts. Having no information, Alex could tell him nothing.

('Breed#6) - Alex was again visited by FBI Special Agent Ralph Boroughs, and he he told Boroughs that he still could not tell him where to find his son. When Boroughs asked if he could not or would not, Alex advised the agent not to push his luck. Alex further noted that he wanted to find Raymond even more than the agent did, for official reasons all his own, and he noted that if the agent got to Raymond first, that was fine by him, although he advised the agent he might end up regretting it. 

    Noting that Raymond's war record didn't impress him, Boroughs stated that, as far as he concerned, Raymond was just another interstate fugitive. Boroughs was certain that he would eventually get to him and that when he did, it would be up to Raymond how it played out, whether he came in feet first or not. Departing, Boroughs told Alex if he heard from his kid to let him know, and Alex told him he would. 

    Considering it had been more than a year now, Alex wondered where Raymond was.

('Breed II#1 (fb) - BTS) <1977> - After Night Raiders slaughtered a military bunker in Israel, killing 40 well-seasoned veterans, Captain Rabin saw the symbols on the walls and, remembering the inter-agency directive, contacted the USA's state department. 

    Alex told Chet to sit down and quit acting like he didn't know him; Chet feared what would happen if anyone found out he was there, but Alex assured him that no one would. Chet then continued that for the last six years, Ray had settled into South and Central America, wherever the action was brewing and always on the side of the underdog: With the Sandinistas against Samoza; then against the Sandinistas and with the local "Indians"; El Salvador, Guatemala, Peru, "He really gets around."

    Alex correctly surmised that "the company" did not approve of Ray's hobby, and Chet admitted that a special contact had been put out on him. When Chet suggested that Ray should have stayed out of politics, Alex countered that he doubted Ray was at all politically oriented and that he was rather perfecting certain skills.

'Breed II#5 - BTS) -  In a spiritual journey, Ray apparently met with Rachel's spirit, who advised that there were others who could aid him against the demons. Ray appreciated that this meant General Stoner, but considered that they hadn't spoken in years. Rachel noted this to be foolishness that should be quickly ended.

(The 'Breed III#3) - Accessing Elsewhere's doorway to Washington, DC, Ray called General Stoner and suggested stopping by to see him. Alex advised that this was a bad idea as nothing had changed regarding his legal status and that he doubted this line was safe to talk on.

(The 'Breed III#3) - Brought to Ray's cell alongside Agent Boroughs, Alex asked to speak privately with his son, and Boroughs noted that his political clout had bought him 10 minutes. After Ray noted that that was plenty of time, 30 seconds to catch up each of the 20 years since they'd last seen each other, Boroughs told Alex his son was a comedian.

    Alex told Boroughs that Ray was also a Viet Nam era veteran and that he shouldn't forget it. Alex was silent as Ray asked him if Boroughs seemed the type to abuse anyone in his custody (as Ray had recently learned that Boroughs was in league with the demon race and had abused his wife, Zoe).

    After Boroughs departure, Ray told his dad he should have told him the truth about himself. After Alex explained that he was trying to protect him and apologized, Ray hugged him and noted that he was sorry about a lot of things.

('Breed III#4) - After Alex and Don arrived with the weapons, Don questioned whether they were in the right place, as this was "the middle of nowhere." Confirming these were the GPS coordinates Ray had given him, Alex told Don to relax, but Don countered that it was neither easy nor advisable to relax while dropping an illegal shipment of ordinance out in the boonies in the middle of the night. Ray countered, "life takes you strange placed when you have a son that turns into a nine-foot-tall monster." When Don noted he was curious to see what Ray looked like, Alex suggested he would be horrified and amazed, after which Don heard something and turned on his flashlight to greet Ray...

    ...but it wasn't Ray. Rather, it was a canid 'Breed, but Ray swiftly engaged and decapitated the creature, shocking both soldiers, after which Alex noted that his boy played rough. Alex and Don watched silently as Ray struggled with but ultimately slew a primate 'Breed. Alex offered to treat Ray's shoulder wound (which included a dagger still stuck in him), but Ray explained that he had access to magic healing water, although Alex initially considered that Ray was kidding before acknowledging that Ray did not seem like a guy who would crack jokes.

    Alex then informed Ray that they had brought everything he had asked for, and he asked if he was going to war. Ray confirmed that the demons were about to make their big move, but he declined Alex's request to allow him and Don in on the action, telling him it wasn't his kind of fight. Alex offered to help unload the weapons, but the "Munchkins" (telepathic creatures who aided Ray and Zoe and her son, Pat, the apparent true prodigal) had already done that.

    Noting that there was not real hope of stopping the fathers completely and that he was only hoping to slow them up as best he could, Ray told Alex that this would probably be the last time they met. Ray then told him to alert his army buddies of what they would be facing, not that it would help much, and Alex replied that they probably wouldn't believe him anyhow. When Ray told Alex he was sorry that things didn't work out better between them, Alex told Ray he was proud of him as the two hugged. Alex and Ray said their goodbyes, and Alex and Don watched Ray and the Munchkins vanish into a door on a mountainside.

Comments: Created by Jim Starlin under Malibu's creator-owned Bravura imprint.

    When Raymond's mother was first found, the soldier by her side had the name Laughlin on his shirt, and Col. Stoner was standing there behind that soldier before approaching the young girl. Perry then noted that they couldn't find the sarge's head...but Laughlin had previously been identified as a sergeant when first mentioned. I don't think anything happened to the soldier after finding the girl, so either it was an error labeling him as Laughlin, or there were two Laughlins in the troop, or Sgt. Laughlin somehow literally lost his head in the brief time between stepping away from the girl and Stoner talking to her.
    The soldier who had been shown first with the girl had a red cross on his helmet, presumably indicating that he was a medic, so presumably that was not Sgt. Laughlin.

    Given that Miss D'Avril would respond to pain and scream from nightmares, she was not comatose/catatonic, but her deeply withdrawn state was perhaps closer to the semi-comatose state, or perhaps some other state of emotional withdrawal...I don't have any training to better define the term. 

    After the birth of the semi-comatose Miss D'Avril's son, Alexander noted that his own father had died "last year." With the boy having been conceived nine months early, that would seem to make Alexander's father's death just a few months before that, but it could have just been a few months before the boy's birth if the boy were born in 1950...

    Reality-21194 did not have a sliding timescale. Alex Stoner looked to be at least late 20's in 1949, and he had served in World War II, so I think it's fair to assume he was born no later than 1920, and perhaps even a decade earlier. However, neither Alex nor Don Perry seemed to age in real time, as they sure didn't look 90 years old when last seen in Breed III#4. As there was a 17 year delay between the Breed II and Breed III series, perhaps the events were supposed to take place around the same time as the second series, the 1990s? I don't think being 75 would have been that much of a stretch...
    Then again, maybe Alex and Don were mutated by the energies to which they were exposed in Bucksnort in 1949, which retarded their aging. Nothing along this line was even hinted in the story, but I think about these kind of things...

    This profile was completed 12/01/2021, but its publication was delayed as it was intended for the Appendix 25^th anniversary 's celebratory event to represent 'Breed/Raymond Stoner's stories and characters.

Profile by Snood.

CLARIFICATIONS:
Alexander Stoner should be distinguished from:

• STONER, Colonel RICK - first director of of modern era S.H.I.E.L.D.  (Supreme Headquarters International Espionage Law-enforcement Division)--[Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Deluxe Edition#11: SHIELD entry]; Fury I#1
• other "Alex" or "Stoner" characters...
  

Appearances:
'Breed#1-3 (January-March, 1994) - Jim Starlin (writer, artist), Tom Mason (line editor)
'Breed#4 (April, 1994) - Jim Starlin (writer, artist), Dan Danko (line editor)
'Breed#6 (June, 1994) - Jim Starlin (writer, artist), Dan Danko (line editor)
'Breed II#1 (November, 1994) - Jim Starlin (writer, artist), Dan Danko (line editor)
'Breed II#4-5 (February-March, 1995) - Jim Starlin (writer, artist), Larry Reynosa (assistant editor), Dan Danko (line editor)
The 'Breed III#3 (July, 2011) - Jim Starlin (writer, artist), Robert Kirkman (chief consulting editor)
'Breed III#4 (August, 2011) - Jim Starlin (writer, artist), Robert Kirkman (chief consulting editor)

First posted: 09/21/2026
Last updated: 12/01/2021

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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