THE ZAPSTER
Real Name: Langley Saint-Margaret
Identity/Class: Magic/science-based mutate (see comments)
Occupation: (see comments)
Group Membership: Anti-Registration Underground (All-Out/Unarmed Training Automaton Attacker/Richard Taine, Awe-Striker/Cecily Johnson, Basic Black/Norman Gentry, Battlestar/Lemar Hoskins, Brain Spasm/Dennis Hoxie, Canasta/Henry Cavanaugh, Captain Kinship/Edward Randlebuck, Dahntu/Charles Luc Phan, Freeware/Kurt Duryea, Gladiatrix/Robin Braxton, Green Guardswoman/Natalie Bell, Harbormaster/Sean Beckett, Haunter/Mark Runnemyer, Human Haze/Steve Cochrane, Iguanid/Tom Boldstep, Johnny Justice/Jonadab Megyscol, Kruzado/Dorothy Cardoza, Lawman/Leon Frankfurt, Leather Angel/Andrew Mussawyr, Masked Rose/Josie Tyler, Natural/Beru Addison, Network/Valerie Martin, Orange Crusher/Andy Gardner, Panthrax/Alex Mitchell, Peace-Lover/Barry Kanczeski, Qiblah/Jared Nelson, Saint Hildegard/Sonya van Jagt, Scorecard/Bill Merrick, Skybolt/Zack Zimmerman, Solo/James Bourne, Spaceheat/Charles Yaméogo, Staten Island Star/Russell Feldman, Stone-Tough/Ted Pendleton, Tosser/Ferris Hartke, Typeface/Gordon Thomas, U.S. Annie/Harriet Best, Warbug/Bernard Van Buren, Winter Woman/Angela Stover, Xantippe/Mandy Atkinson, others);see comments
Affiliations: See comments
Enemies: (At least formerly) S.H.I.E.L.D.
and its "Cape-Killers"
see comments
Known Relatives: See comments
Aliases: See comments
Base of Operations: Unrevealed;
previously an unidentified Anti-Registration
Underground safehouse in Manhattan, New York
see comments
First Appearance: (Unidentified) Civil War: Front
Line#4 (2006);
(identified) Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to
Z hardcover#14 (2010)
Powers/Abilities: See comments
Height: Unrevealed
(approximately 5'11; see comments)
Weight: Unrevealed (approximately 148 lbs; see comments)
Eyes: Unrevealed (see comments)
Hair: Unrevealed (see comments)
History: See comments.
(Civil War: Front Line#4 (fb) - BTS / Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z hardcover#14: Anti-Registration Underground (fb) - BTS) - Following the Stamford disaster, where hundreds had perished during a battle between New Warriors and four Raft escapees, Iron Man (Tony Stark), Mr. Fantastic (Reed Richards) and others worked with US officials to develop the Superhuman Registration Act (SHRA), outlawing any crime fighting activities by unregistered super heroes.
Vigilante Typeface, although his identity was already known, resolved to fight a perceived assault on freedom, and he organized an Anti-Registration Underground, beginning with ex-government operative Battlestar and anti-terrorist Solo, to support super heroes who continued fighting crime without SHRA approval. Their ranks were soon supplemented by mystic-armored Freeware; bodysuit-enhanced Green Guardswoman; Masked Rose, leader of super-team T,J,A.W. (Truth, Justice, and the American Way), empowered by accidental mutant blood exposure; exoskeleton-empowered Network; and cyborg Skybolt. Via a covert interview with Alternative reporter Sally Floyd, ARU members publicized their perspective, and several other anti-registration heroes joined, including the Zapster.
(Civil War: Front Line#4) - The Zapster was present with the ARU when S.H.I.E.L.D. raided the ARU's safehouse and arrested most of its members.
As the ARU members debated whether to seek and join Captain America (Steve Rogers)'s Secret Avengers, a better organized and equipped anti-SHRA unit, or to remain independent, armored S.H.I.E.L.D. Cape-Killers, accompanied by Iron Man, Ms. Marvel (Carol Danvers), Wonder Man (Simon Williams) and at least ten unidentified flying heroes, raided the base. Caught by surprise, few ARU members managed to effectively fight back against their more powerful and organized opponents. Although S.H.I.E.L.D. captured over 40 members, the Harbormaster, the Awe-Striker, Canasta, Dahntu, the Green Guardswoman, and the Tosser evaded capture, as did the Masked Rose, who had been absent seeking new recruits.
(Civil War: Front Line#5/2) - ARU prisoners, such as Typeface, were seen being sent to the Prison 42.
(Civil War#6 - BTS) - The Secret Avengers and the Superhuman Registration Act resistance arrived at Prison 42 to free the prisoners.
(Civil War#7 / Amazing Spider-Man I#538 / Civil War: Front
Line#10-11 - BTS) - The Secret Avengers penetrated Prison 42, freeing
many prisoners. When the combined anti-registration forces were
confronted by Iron Man's pro-registration forces, Secret Avenger Cloak
(Tyrone Johnson) teleported both groups to Manhattan. Freed ARU
prisoners took part in the battle between the pro and anti-registration
heroes, spanning from the Negative Zone prison to the streets of New
York. In the ensuing battle, which caused severe damage, the
Thunderbolts' Venom (Mac Gargan) apparently killed Typeface. Other
fatalities may also have occurred.
Following Captain America's surrender to forestall further civilian risk, Battlestar and possibly others avoided recapture.
The government offered amnesty in return for registration. Although Gladiatrix rejected the offer, Network registered under the 50 States Initiative, while Solo also registered but pursued independent interests. Presumably additional ARU members followed Gladiatrix's example, others followed Network's or Solo's, and still more remained at large.
Comments: Created by Paul Jenkins and Ramon Bachs.
Codename, real name, and nature provided by Ronald
Byrd
During the production of the Civil War:
Battle Damage Report (2007) writer Paul Jenkins provided Ronald with
authorization to provide identities, real names for the various
background Anti-Registration Underground characters, and to flesh them
out as much as he wanted. Ronald provided identities and real names for
the Anti-Registration Underground entry in Official Handbook of the
Marvel Universe A to Z hardcover#14 (2010). There wasn't room to provide
much more than that in that entry. However, Ronald had backgrounds and
histories in mind for these characters when he provided their names.
While the
information is unofficial until it sees print,
here is the full story behind the Zapster:
REAL NAME: Langley
Beatrice Saint-Margaret
ALIASES: Langley Del Roys
IDENTITY: Known to US authorities
OCCUPATION: Medical examiner;
former assistant medical examiner
CITIZENSHIP: USA
PLACE OF BIRTH: Astoria, Queens, New York
KNOWN RELATIVES: Dave Saint-Margaret (father), Diane
Saint-Margaret (nee Foxe, mother); Betsy Saint-Margaret Ronk, Frieda
Saint-Margaret Donnelly (sisters); Gil Del Roys (ex-husband); Mona Byers
(wife); Rodney Donnelly, Irving Ronk (brothers-in-law); Ellis Donnelly
(daughter of Rodney and Frieda), Shelby Ronk (daughter of Irving and
Betsy) (nieces)
GROUP AFFILIATION: Formerly Anti-Registration Underground
EDUCATION: Unpsecified medical degree
SHRA CLASSIFICATION: Magic/Science-Based Mutate
FIRST APPEARANCE: Civil War: Front Line#4 (2006)
HISTORY: When Dr.
Stephen Strange released the the demonic giant Zom to help defeat Umar
of the Dark Dimension, the resultant mystic imbalance briefly empowered
several New Yorkers who had latent magical talent, including assistant
medical examiner Langley Saint-Margaret.
Weeks
later, when Saint-Margaret and her husband Gil were vacationing in
California, a robot duplicate of the mutant Magneto (Max Eisenhart)
caused several latent mutants within his vicinity to briefly manifest
their mutant powers, which, in Saint-Margaret's case, was to
effortlessly exercise her full physical and mental potential. The
experience re-awakened her latent magical talent, which remained active
even after her mutant powers themselves vanished following the X-Men's
defeat of the Magneto robot; it also helped her come to terms with her
previously repressed homosexuality, prompting her to admit to herself
that her love for her co-worker Mona Byers was far stronger than her
affection for Gil.
Upon returning to New York, the couple amicably divorced, and Langley married Byers months later. Feeling the need to figuratively prove herself "worthy" of her new life, Saint-Margaret decided to use her newly acquired powers as a costumed adventurer, "the Zapster," and designed appropriate garb for herself: A blue-and-red costume semi-patterned after that of a popular fictional super-heroine.
Following the passage of the Superhuman Registration Act (SHRA), the Zapster declined to register out of protest, less against the SHRA itself than against what she perceived as insufficient government action in the field of civil rights in general. Eventually she was recruited into Typeface's Anti-Registration Underground and was present when SHIELD raided the ARU's safehouse and arrested most of its members, including herself. She was detained in the Negative Zone Prison 42, indicating she maintained her refusal to register following her arrest. Following the SHRA's repeal, she was released without incident.
HEIGHT: 5'11" WEIGHT: 148 lbs.
EYES: Blue HAIR: Blonde
ABILITIES/ACCESSORIES:
The Zapster can channel magical forces in the form of energy blasts from
her hands, which she can deploy for a variety of effects: She can emit
blasts of pure concussive force, with the strength of the blasts
increasing to match and overcome an enemy's physical resistance, or to,
if given sufficient time, blast through any physical obstacles. She can
discharge energies downward to, within certain restrictions, allow
herself to levitate and to fly distances of at least half a mile. The
Zapster is able to exercise her full physical and mental potential at
all times, enabling her to exhibit the peak human strength, speed, and
agility of a baseline human of her age, height, and build who engages in
intensive regular exercise, which rarely decreases from extreme effort.
She possesses several mental traits typically only achieved through intense study and self-discipline, which she can deploy at will, including, but not limited to, adaptability, concentration, hand-to-hand combat, problem-solving, reasoning skills, self-discipline, and strategic planning.
This profile was completed 01/16/2026, but its publication was delayed as it was intended for the Appendix 25th anniversary's celebratory event.
Profile by Ronald Byrd, Snood, and Multi-Tasking Mike Fichera.
CLARIFICATIONS:
The Zapster should be distinguished from:
images:
(without ads)
Civil War: Front Line #4, pg. 6,
panel 4
Appearances:
Civil War: Front Line#3/1 - BTS
(September, 2006) - Paul Jenkins (writer), Ramon Bachs (penciler),
John Lucas (inker), Cory Sedlmeier (editor)
Civil War: Front Line#4/1 (September, 2006) - Paul Jenkins (writer),
Ramon Bachs (penciler), John Lucas (inker), Tom Brevoort (editor)
Civil War: Front Line#4/3 (September, 2006) - Paul Jenkins (writer),
Sean Chen (penciler), Rick Magyar (inker), Molly Lazer, Aubrey
Sitterson (assistant editors), Tom Brevoort (editor)
Civil War: Front Line#5/2 (October, 2006) - Paul Jenkins (writer),
Steve Lieber (artist), Molly Lazer, Aubrey Sitterson (assistant
editors), Tom Brevoort (editor)
Civil War#6 -BTS (December, 2006) - Mark Millar (writer), Steve
McNiven (pencils), Dexter Vines (inks), Tom Brevoort (editor)
Civil War#7 -BTS (January, 2007) - Mark Millar (writer), Steve McNiven
(pencils), Dexter Vines, John Dell & Tim Townsend (inks), Tom
Brevoort (editor)
Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z hardcover#14 (June,
2010) - Jeff Christiansen & Mike Fichera (head
writers/coordinators), Markus Raymond & Mike O'Sullivan
(coordination assistants), Stuart Vandal, Sean McQuaid, Michael
Hoskin, Ronald Byrd, Markus Raymond, Mike O'Sullivan, Madison Carter,
Kevin Garcia, Gabriel Shechter, Jacob Rougemont, Rob London, Rich
Green, Chris Biggs, David Wiltfong, Jeph York, Mark O'English, &
Mike Gagnon (writers), John Denning (associate editor), Alex Starbuck
(assistant editor), Theodore Kutt (copy editor), Mark D. Beazley
(editor, special projects), Jeff Youngquist & Jennifer
Grunwald (editor)
First posted:
09/06/2026
Last updated:
01/16/2026
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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