Monark Starstalker (Marvel Premiere, Alternate Future)

Identity/Class: Human mutate (presumably extratemporal (reality-7643, see comments)

Powers/Abilities: Monark Starstalker is a nanite entity. He uses nanotechnology for cloaking by mechanical, computer, and organic visual receptors, making it difficult to pinpoint his location - making it likely fighting smoke. He can also send nanotechnology to incapacitate local or distant (by sending then nanoencoding into a scanning wave) systems. His nano-swarm is also effective on organic systems, causing confusion and hesitation, and potentially partial or complete motor paralysis. Starstalker is a skilled brawler.

The robotic falcon, Ulysses, Ulysses can generate shields able to resist Nova Force blasts. Ulysses can fly with great speed, is agile enough to dodge bullets, and can strike with force sufficient to topple Nova Prime Richard Rider. Ulysses was originally described to (and may still) function as a telepathic nervous system for Monark Starstalker, rendering Starstalker immune to bio-system disrupting weapons such as Vortex Pistols (though it may be Starstalker's nanite nature that actually provides this resistance). Ulysses' audio, visual, and thermal senses are linked to Starstalker allowing him to fight blind and to shoot objects which would normally be out of sight; consequently, the falcon is an ideal scout. The consequences are unrevealed if it were damaged or destroyed.

His vortex pistol causes instantaneous blindness, vertigo, and nausea. He uses a sword formed by a nanoassembly of supra-sharp microbots able to slice though virtually anything.

History:
(Marvel Premiere#32 (fb) ) - Starstalker was a rigger (a pilot, whose nervous system is attached to a starship). During the war for independence between the Federation and Frontier Planets, Starstalker's starship was attacked. As a result, his nervous system, senses, and memory were incinerated. Fortunately, an alien race known as Technos built him an android falcon named Ulysses to remedy his injuries. When the war was aborted 7 years later, Starstalker became an infamous bounty hunter.

(Marvel Premiere#32) - Upon arrival on planet Stormking, Starstalker befriended a woman by the name of Robin Goodfriend whom he stayed with while investigating the whereabouts of Kurt Hammer (a wanted assassin). Starstalker dispensed frontier justice after tracking down Hammer in the harsh Stormking wilderness between the cities New Canaan and Vesalius. He was last seen leaving Stormking on the Federal Starship "Host of the Air", which was headed towards Mega IV.

(Nova IV#29 (fb) - BTS) - Starstalker clashed with long lost Nova Centurion Zan Philo (who had been shunted extradimensionally by a stargate accident 35 years ago).

(Nova IV#29 (fb) - BTS) - Starstalker was hired to capture the Mind, the leader of the Black Hole Sons -- a group Neutron Slaves (Mindless Ones) used to mine rare minerals and chemicals on neutron stars -- who had gained limited intelligence by the neutron star's compressio and distortion of his mind. The Mind was a captive by Zan Philo (who had been shunted extradimensionally from Reality-616 by a stargate accident 35 years ago). Starstalker plotted to take the Mind for himself to recover the bounty, but the Resolute Duty was shunted back into Reality-616 via the Fault (an interdimensional warp). Starstalker followed the Resolute Duty through the Fault.

(Nova IV#29) - As the Nova Corps Richard Rider, Fraktur, Morrow and Irani investigated the Resolute Duty upon its emergence from the Fault, Starstalker used a nanocloud to follow them in entering the ship undetected; en route, he noted Nu-Xandar/Worldwind/Ego scanning the ship and drawing it near with a tractor beam. He then sent some nanoencoding back along its scanning wave, progressively crippling Worldmind (and speeding the recovery of Ego, whom the Worldmind was using as a body). Starstalker ambushed and incapacitated Fraktur with his Vortex Pistol, then impersonated him to get close to the Mind. When Worldmind located Starstalker by identifying the spot she could not scan, Starstalker revealed his true appearance and took out the remaining Centurions (including Zan Philo). After gaining the advantage of Rider with a nanosword to the throat, Starstalker stopped fighting and spoke with the Novas. Stating his case, he threatened to use his nanoswarm to cause the Resolute Duty's engines to blow. The Black Hole Sons then attacked the Resolute Duty.

(Nova IV#29) - Irani was assigned to watch Starstalker while the other Nova Corpsmen confronted the Mindless Ones, and after he started flirting with him, she threatened to shoot him, which only seemed to interest him more. When the Black Hole Sons damaged the main power, the Mind broke free and blasted a hole through Starstalker's chest. Starstalker collapsed, inert, and Ulysses warned against third party attempts to repair "this Starstalker series nanotool" while the hole sealed itself, upon which Starstalker revived, thinking he had simply blacked out. Irani told him he was a nanite construct, which was apparently the first he'd learned of this. Starstalker subsequently helped keep the Black Hole Sons away from Nova (Rider) as he drove and then detained the Mind out of and then away from ship. This distracted them long enough for Worldmind to transfer from Ego into the Resolute Duty, after which the Nova and the Worldmind opened a stargate that transferred the Mindless Ones into Ego's prefrontal cortex, causing both threats to attack the other. Afterwards, Starstalker, dejected by the knowledge that he was just an instrument used by someone else for that person's benefit. Nonetheless, autonomous in Reality-616, he decided to go live a little.

The exact universe Monark Starstalker exists in may be left to interpretation. But he most likely exists in an alternate/potential future dimension, during a time when Earth has begun planetary expansion. This reality was named Earth-7643 in OHotMU Hardcover#3.

Robin Goodfriend

Robin was a frontierswoman born on planet Stormking. However as the daughter of a federal citizen, she was treated as an outcast in the frontier. She was a known cohort of Monark Starstalker, and knew Ulysses was the source of his power. She lived in a chalet on the outskirts of New Canaan.
--Marvel Premiere#32

Kurt Hammer

Kurt Hammer was a decorated war hero among the frontier planets. After the war he became an intergalactic assassin, who was wanted dead or alive for the murder of six people on the planet Tycho. It was also rumored that he was secretly involved with Triplanet Metals Inc. He was last seen in New Canaan where he murdered Bob Hightower, Emanuel Shaw, and a number of civilians. He was later found dead due to pneumonia, the location of his corpse was reported to authorities by Monark Starstalker.
--Marvel Premiere#32

Bob Hightower

Hightower was a frontier sheriff of New Canaan, he was respected and well liked. He was murdered in public by Kurt Hammer.
--Marvel Premiere#32

Host of the Air was the name of a federal starship that traveled from Istanbul, Earth, to the outer planets. It was a supply ship that transported tools, drugs and hardware.
--Marvel Premiere#32

Emanuel Shaw

Mr. Shaw was 3rd Vice President of Triplanet Metals Inc., and a federal citizen. He was murdered by Kurt Hammer while giving a public speech about methods of terraforming Stormking.
--Marvel Premiere#32

Brigid Siebold

Miss Siebold was Emanuel Shaw's aide, and a federal citizen. She was kidnapped by Kurt Hammer; however, she was actually Kurt Hammer's secret lover. She was later rescued by Monark Starstalker, but in need of immediate medical attention.
--Marvel Premiere#32

Stormking was an inhospitable planet of rock and ice, and the most distant of all the frontier worlds. It's inhabitants survived in cities protected by force domes. Places of interest included New Canaan, Vesalius, and a Mega IV out post.
--Marvel Premiere#32

Little has been revealed about this alien race, except that their hearts are mechanical. The Technos also created Ulysses, Monark Starstalker's android falcon.
--Marvel Premiere#32

Triplanet was a federal mining corporation, which also catered to the needs of terraformers. They were interested in the vast mineral wealth beneath the glaciers of planet Stormking.
--Marvel Premiere#32

Vortex Pistol

The vortex pistol is a peace keeping weapon developed during the Famine Riots of '03?? for crowd dispersal. The weapon causes instantaneous blindness, vertigo, and nausea.
--Marvel Premiere#32

images:
Marvel Premiere I#32,cover (monarkstarstalker.jpg)
Marvel Premiere I#32,p11,pan6 (rigger.jpg)
Marvel Premiere I#32,p14,pan5 (robingoodfriend.jpg)
Marvel Premiere I#32,p16,pan3 (kurthammer.jpg)
Marvel Premiere I#32,p3,pan4 (bobhightower.jpg)
Marvel Premiere I#32,p1,pan1 (hostoftheair.jpg)
Marvel Premiere I#32,p15,pan5 (emanuelshaw.jpg)
Marvel Premiere I#32,p2,pan1 (brigidsiebold.jpg)
Marvel Premiere I#32,p3,pan7 (vortexpistol.jpg)

Appearances:
Marvel Premiere#32 (October, 1976) - Howard Chaykin (writer/artist), Archie Goodwin (editor)
Nova IV#29 (November, 2009) - Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning (writers), Kevin Sharpe (penciler), Nelson Pereira (inker), Michael Horowitz (assistant editor), Bill Rosemann (editor)
Nova IV#30 (December, 2009) - Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning (writers), Kevin Sharpe (penciler), Nelson Pereira (inker), Michael Horowitz & Rachel Pinnelas (assistant editor), Bill Rosemann (editor)

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