main imagePROFESSOR T. W. ERWIN

Real Name: T. W. Erwin (first, middle names unrevealed)

Identity/Class: Normal human

Occupation: Nth Command scientist;
    formerly professor of mathematics

Group Membership: Nth Command;
    formerly Miskatonic University faculty

Affiliations: The Avengers (Black Panther (T’Challa), Goliath (Clint Barton), Quicksilver (Pietro Maximoff), Vision (“Victor Shade”)), Tom Fagan, Hyperion (“Zhib Ran”), Lady Liberators (Black Widow (Natalia Romanova), Madam Medusa (Medusalith Amaquelin), Scarlet Witch (Wanda Maximoff), Wasp (Janet Pym)); Nth Command (Abner Doolittle, Albert DeVoor)

Enemies: Enchantress (Amora), Masters of Evil (Klaw (Ulysses Klaw), Melter (Bruno Horgan), Radioactive Man (Chen Lu), Whirlwind (David Cannon)), Thundra

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: Earth-8009;
    formerly Miskatonic University, Vermont, USA (Earth-616)

First Appearance: Avengers I#83 (December, 1970)

Powers/Abilities: Professor T. W. Erwin was a gifted professor of mathematics at the University level and was also a skilled scientist and inventor, having invented and built the Parallel-Time Projector and Transdimensional Viewer himself.

History: 

(Avengers I#83) – Dr. T. W. Erwin was a guest at Tom Fagan’s Rutland Halloween parade, where he rode in a car with Tom Fagan himself. Plotting to use Erwin as a hostage, the Masters of Evil crashed the parade and attempted to kidnap Dr. Erwin. The Avengers, who were also guests of the Halloween parade, jumped immediately into action battling the Masters of Evil. As the battle progressed, "Valkyrie" (actually the Enchantress in disguise) and her Lady Liberators arrived on the scene and defeated the Masters of Evil themselves. The Liberators then turned on the Avengers and "rescued" Dr. Erwin as well. Returning to his lab with the Liberators and the now-captive Avengers, Dr. Erwin explained to them that the Masters must have been after his Parallel-Time Projector device. He also explained that the Parallel-Time Projector was powered by the Energy-Unit that was kept by his side at all times, and that, once activated, Erwin was not sure if the device would prove his theories or simply explode. He then asked "Valkyrie" why she had requested they return to his lab and "Valkyrie" exclaimed that she had wanted the Parallel-Time Projector for herself and revealed herself to be the Asgardian Enchantress in disguise. Revealing that she sought the Parallel-Time Projector to seek revenge on her former partner, the Executioner, after he had left her for the Asgardian Queen Casiolena, the Enchantress prepared to take out her anger on all men, starting with the deaths of the male Avengers. Scarlet Witch cast a hex just as Enchantress cast a spell and Enchantress was seemingly killed herself when her spell backfired due to the Scarlet Witch’s hex. After the Enchantress' supposed death, Goliath commented that he hoped the female Avengers had learned a lesson about "women’s lib bull" but Scarlet Witch reminded him that the Lady Liberators could stage a comeback at any time.

(Marvel Two-in-One I#67) – Having joined Roxxon Oil's Nth Command, Professor Erwin was present when Thundra and the former Squadron Sinister member Hyperion visited the Nth Command’s New York headquarters. Scientist Abner Doolittle explained to Thundra that the Nth Command could send her to an alternate reality where her homeworld had not been destroyed and then instructed Professor Erwin to ready the Nth Projector device to show Thundra proof of their claims of finding another world for her. Erwin set up his Transdimensional Viewer device to work in tandem with the Nth Projector, allowing Thundra to see the worlds found by the Nth Projector. Setting the device to the correct frequency, Erwin projected an image of a world almost identical to Thundra's homeworld and Abner Doolittle explained that the Nth Command was prepared to send Thundra there immediately. When Thundra replied that she would like to see the Nth Projector demonstrated before she allowed it to be used on herself, Dr. Doolittle agreed to have it used on himself to proof its validity. After seeing the Nth Projector send Dr. Doolittle to the alternate Earth, Thundra announced that she no longer had need of the Nth Command now that she knew how to operate the Nth Projector. She then used the Nth Projector on Professor Erwin and Albert DeVoor, sending them to the alternate Femizonia as well.

Comments: Created by Roy Thomas, John Buscema and Tom Palmer.

Professor T. W. Erwin seemed fairly easy-going in his two appearances. I can’t help but wonder if he was aware of the Nth Command’s criminal activities. He seemed quite concerned with safeguarding the general populace, as evident of his keeping the Parallel-Time Projector’s Energy-Unit with him at all times. He also seemed light-hearted, as seen by his appearance at the Rutland Halloween parade. Perhaps he was manipulated into serving the Nth Command with promises of proper usage of his theories and money...

Why would a man with such initially ethical concerns, about his previous invention (the parallel-time projector and its portable, separate energy unit), willingly go to work for Roxxon Oil's Nth Command. Well, that particular MTIO issue came out in 1980. The Corruptor debuted as a "misunderstood" super-villain in 1976. So, back then, it wouldn't have been too much of a chronological stretch to speculate that the Corruptor had been hired to tactilely "persuade" Erwin to abandon his high moral principles. With the Corruptor, in turn, using that money to finance his own criminal cadre (the original "Inner Circle")!
--Carycomic

Miskatonic University, Vermont (presumably in the lovely city Arkham even on Earth-616) was first used by H.P. Lovecraft in his Herbert West - Reanimator series of stories and became a recurring location in stories written by Lovecraft and other writers continuing his legacy.
--Markus Raymond

The alternate Femizona that Prof. Erwin was transported to was later dubbed Earth-8009 in the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe HC Vol. 3.

Profile by Proto-Man.

CLARIFICATIONS:
Professor T. W. Erwin has no known connections to

Parallel-Time ProjectorParallel-Time Projector

The Parallel-Time Projector was a device designed by Dr. Erwin that was intended to project others into parallel worlds. It was powered by the Energy-Unit that Erwin had also designed, which he kept on him at all times to prevent the Projector’s activation. It was an untested model that Erwin was not sure would even work once activated but the creation of such a device drew the attention of both the Masters of Evil and the Enchantress.

 

 

 

 

--Avengers I#83

Transdimensional ViewerTransdimensional Viewer

The Transdimensional Viewer was another device designed by Professor Erwin. It was an electronic viewscreen that was built to work in tandem with the Nth Command's Nth Projector device and could allow users to view various alternate realities.

 

 

--Marvel Two-in-One I#67

images: (without ads)
Avengers I#83, p9, pan1 (Professor T. W. Erwin on parade float, main image)
Marvel Two-in-One I#67, p10, pan1 (Professor Erwin headshot)
Avengers I#83, p17, pan4 (Parallel-Time Projector)
Marvel Two-in-One I#67, p7, pan4 (Transdimensional Viewer)

Appearances:
Avengers I#83 (December, 1970) – Roy Thomas (writer), John Buscema (art), Tom Palmer (inks), Stan Lee (editor)
Marvel Two-in-One I#67 (September, 1980) – Mark Gruenwald, Ralph Macchio (writers), Ron Wilson (pencils), Gene Day & Friends (inks), Jim Salicrup (editor)

First Posted: 09/26/2013
Last updated: 05/18/2019

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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