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GRAVITON

Real Name: Franklin Hall

Identity/Class: Human (Canadian) mutate

Occupation: A.I.M. Island's Minister of Science; former would-be world conqueror, physicist

Group Membership: A.I.M Island government (Scientist Supreme/Andrew Forson, Black Widow/Yelena Belova, Jude the Entropic Man/Yagzan, Mentallo/Marvin Flumm, Superia/Deidre Wentworth, Taskmaster);
formerly Legion Accursed, Unified Field (Halflife/Banca Rech, Quantum/Lomen, Zzzax)

Affiliations: Bitterhorn, Blank, Brothers Grimm (Percy and Barton Grimes), Chameleon (Dmitri Smerdyakov), Doctor Doom (Victor von Doom), Goliath (Erik Josten), Kang (Nathaniel Richards), Nick Katzenberg, Kingpin (Wilson Fisk), M'reel, Moonstone (Karla Sofen), Titania (Mary "Skeeter" MacPherran), Sky Raiders, Techno (see comments), Trapster (Peter Petruski), Baron Zemo (Helmut Zemo, see comments)

Enemies: Andromeda (Andromeda Attumasen), Avengers (Ant-Man/Scott Lang, Black Knight/Dane Whitman, Black Panther/T'Challa, Black Widow/Natasha Romanoff, Captain America/Steve Rogers, Justice/Vance Astrovik, Deathcry/Sharra Neramani, Firebird/Bonita Juarez, Firestar/Angelica Jones, Hercules/Heracles, Iron Man/Tony Stark, Iron Man/James "Rhodey" Rhodes, Jack of Hearts/Jack Hart, Luke Cage, Manifold/Eden Fesi, Ms. Marvel/Carol Danvers, Mockingbird/Bobbi Morse, Quicksilver/Pietro Maximoff, Scarlet Witch/Wanda Maximoff, Sentry/Bob Reynolds, She-Hulk/Jennifer Walters, Spider-Woman/Jessica Drew, Silverclaw/Maria de Guadalupe Santiago, Thor/Thor Odinson, Tigra/Greer Nelson, Triathlon/Delroy Garret Jr, USAgent/John Walker, Vision/"Victor Shade", Wasp/Janet Van Dyne, Wonder Man/Simon Williams, Yellowjacket/Hank Pym), Beyonder, Black Bolt (Blackagar Boltagon), Captain Marvel (Genis-Vell), Cloak (Tyrone Johnson), Doc Samson (Leonard Samson), Dagger (Tandy Bowen), Daredevil (Matt Murdock), Defenders (Doctor Strange/Stephen Strange, Hellcat/Patsy Walker, Hulk/Bruce Banner, Nighthawk/Kyle Richmond, Silver Surfer/Norrin Radd, Sub-Mariner/Namor MacKenzie, Valkyrie/Samantha Parrington), Fantastic Four (Human Torch/Johnny Storm, Invisible Girl/Susan Richards-Storm, Mr. Fantastic/Reed Richards, Ms. Marvel/Sharon Ventura, Thing/Ben Grimm), Gadget (Lucy Cervantes), Ghost Rider (Johnny Blaze), Iron Fist/Daniel Rand, Lightning Bolts (Big Bertha/Ashley Crawford, Dinah Soar, Doorman/DeMarr Davis, Flatman/Val Ventura, Mister Immortal/Craig Hollis), Edwin Jarvis, M'reel and her P'tah armies, Moon Knight (Marc Spector), New Warriors (Aegis/Trey Rollins, Bolt/Chris Bradley, Namorita/Namorita Prentiss, Nova/Richard Rider, Speedball/Robert Baldwin, Turbo/Michiko Musashi), Next Avengers (Francis Barton, Henry Pym Jr., James Rogers, Azari T'Challa, Torunn), Paragon (Cooper Roth), Joe Parks, Judy Parks, Peregrine (Alain Racine), Punisher (Frank Castle), Rangers (Phantom Rider/Hamilton Slade, Red Wolf/Will Talltrees, Shooting Star/Victoria Starwin, Texas Twister/Drew Daniels), Raquel, Redeemers (Beetle/Leila Davis, Charcoal, Citizen V/John Watkins III, Fixer/P. Norbert Ebersol, Jolt, Meteorite/Valerie Barnhardt, Scream/David Alan Angar, Smuggler/Conrad Josten), Shang-Chi, Shroud (Maximilian Coleridge), Spider-Man (Peter Parker), SHIELD, Thunderbolts (Atlas/Erik Josten, Charcoal/Charles Burlingame, Hawkeye/Clint Barton, Jolt/Helen Takahama, Mach-III/Abe Jenkins (previously Mach-1 & Mach-II), Moonstone/Karla Sofen, Songbird/Melissa Gold), Union Jack (Joseph Chapman), V-Battalion, X-Men (Archangel/Warren Worthingon III, Cyclops/Scott Summers, Phoenix/Jean Grey, Wolverine/James "Logan" Howlett), X-Statix, US Air Force, Winter Guard (Crimson Dynamo/Boris Vadim, Darkstar/Laynia Petrovna, Red Guardian/Anton, Ursa Major/Mikhail Ursus, Vanguard/Nikolai Krylenko)

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: Graviton the First, Emperor of Sky Island, Lord of the Fundamental Force(s) (nicknames used by himself), The First One (nickname used by M'Reel), "Gravy-Boat", "Gravy Train" (nicknames used by Fixer)

Base of Operations: A.I.M. Island (the former island nation of Barbuda);
                                   formerly an old pumping station outside of Omaha, Nebraska;
                                  formerly The Raft, New York;
                                   formerly a rented beach property outside of Los Angeles, California;
                                   formerly Sky Island (near San Francisco);
                                   formerly Cottonwood, Wyoming;
                                   formerly Scottsdale, Arizona;
                                   formerly an estate in the Santa Monica Mountains,
                                   formerly outerspace;
                                   formerly New York City, New York;
                                   formerly Sky-Island (aka Research City), Canadian Rockies

First Appearance: Avengers I#158 (April, 1977)

Powers/Abilities: Graviton possesses seemingly unlimited control of gravitational force, which enables him to manipulate gravitons and anti-gravitons. He can use this ability to achieve a large variety of offensive and defensive effects. He can create force fields capable of resisting near-nuclear level energies and project concussive force beams comprised of gravitons. At maximum strength, these blasts have a concussive force equivalent to the explosion of 20.000 pounds of TNT. He can also alter the density of any target, causing it to either be crushed under its own weight or escape gravity's pull completely so it levitates under his control. He can fly by decreasing gravity's pull on himself and can use this method to give others flight capacity as well, up to dozens at a time. His background as a physicist has given Graviton greater understanding of his power's potential possibilities. He has been known to affect other energy forms like sound and light, at one time he bended lightwaves in such a way that he could view distant locations. He is able to view the entire planet through its gravitational field, which makes it possible for him to use his powers with pinpoint precision. He once picked up a pebble in Asia and hurled it across the world to hit a target in Australia. His control over the world's landmass is total and his sphere of influences extends into outerspace. Graviton has shown the ability to effortlessly exert control over entire continents, lifting major cities like New York, Paris and Singapore miles into the sky, while restraining dozens of superheroes at the same time. His power over the objects he chooses to levitate is so complete, they stay aloft even when Graviton is sleeping. Graviton can travel across vast distances, even light years, by using a gravity shunt to effectively simulate long range teleportation. He has also been known to use his gravitic energies to reinforce his own body, granting him extraordinary physical stamina and healing abilities. In theory, he could also use his powers to increase his physical strength, but he is a poor hand to hand combatant who prefers to deal with his enemies at long range. A favorite trick of his is to send his enemies flying into orbit where they'd inevitably suffocate or freeze to death. Graviton is a vain, self centered egomaniac with a vicious streak and no qualms about taking a life (or two). Graviton's main weakness is his lack of purpose and vision. Despite his vast powers, his ideas on what to do with his life and abilities beyond 'conquer and rule the world' remain sorely lacking. Another example of his shortsightedness is his tendency to become obsessed with the women he loves or desires. He also has an undefined upper limit to his powers that, when reached, turn him into a miniature black hole that has repeatedly delivered him to the dimension of the P'tah.

Height: 6'1"
Weight: 200 lbs. (without gravitic augmentation)
Eyes: Blue-grey
Hair: Black (greying at temples)

History:

(Avengers I#158 (fb) ) - Canadian physicist Dr. Franklin Hall was working on an experimental teleportation beam in Research City, an isolated scientific community in the Canadian Rockies. Over time, he began lusting after Judy, the wife of his co-worker Joe Parks.

(Avengers I#159 (fb) ) - Raquel, another colleague of Hall's, wouldn't give him the light of day when he was still human.

(Avengers I#158 (fb) ) - Hall was having trouble with his teleportation experiment, because the matrices wouldn't align properly. Hoping to fix this, he doubled the power and managed to get the machine to work. However, the teleportation beam homed in on an equally experimental anti-gravity element that was being bombarded with atoms in the lab's nearby cyclotron. The beam scrambled Hall's molecules with the energized atoms of the radioactive substance, granting him mental control over gravity. At first, he kept these powers secret, afraid people might consider him a freak. However, as time went on and he further mastered his abilities, he started to revel in them and decided to openly use his abilities to take what and whoever he desired.

(Avengers I#158 - BTS) - Hall took control of Research City, setting himself up as its de facto leader. He ordered all outside communications cut off and used armed guards to keep his former colleagues from fleeing or summoning help. However, Joe Parks managed to put out a distress call to the Avengers before Hall's men caught up with him. Unfortunately for Parks, his emergency was deemed the work of a crackpot.

(Avengers I#158) - Joe Parks was brought before Hall and his assembled colleagues, among them Judy and Raquel. Hall was most displeased that Joe had disobeyed his orders by contacting the outside world. Still, it didn't really matter, because Hall used his powers to lift Research City several miles into the air, where no help could ever reach them. Parks begged Hall to put the city back, after all the Avengers thought he was a crackpot and refused to come. In response, Hall blasted Joe with a gravitic blast that knocked him out, much to the shock of Judy who called out for him. This enraged Hall, who threatened to terminate him and end her favored status if she didn't shut up and get back in place. A tearful Judy complied, while Raquel noticed Judy was finally getting on Hall's nerves, which suited her just fine. Hall ordered Parks to be locked away. Joe's remark about the Avengers did give Hall an idea. He was sure he could beat the team and decided to dress for the part.

(Avengers I#158 - BTS) - Hall ordered his underlings to make him a costume, tailored to his specific instructions.

(Avengers I#158) - When the costume was finished, Judy brought it to Hall. He allowed her to remain while he put it on. Properly dressed, he claimed that from now on he would no longer be Franklin Hall, but Graviton. Seconds later, Graviton was attacked by the Avengers who had managed to sneak up on him. Graviton first tried to hold the team off by threatening to kill Judy, but then gained enough confidence to attack the Avengers. As he engaged the Avengers, Raquel jumped on Judy and knocked her out with a vase, convinced she had distracted Graviton from sensing the Avengers' approach. By taking Judy out of the picture, Raquel planned to rule alongside Graviton. He meanwhile proved more than a match for the team. He beat the Vision's density shifting with his powers, trapped Captain America under his own shield by increasing its weight to several tons, used a gravity enhanced pencil to knock out Wasp and Yellowjacket and condensed a piece of the floor into a cannonball he hurled at Iron Man and the Scarlet Witch. After pinning Beast and Wonder Man under some super heavy debris, he declared victory over the Avengers.

(Avengers I#159) - Seconds after his victory, Graviton called out for Judy and became outraged when Raquel proudly showed him her unconscious body. Expecting to be rewarded, Graviton instead slapped her for hurting the one he loved. When Raquel protested she was really loyal, he called her a gold-digger who only got interested in him as Graviton, because she thought he was her way to wealth and power. Just then, Joe Parks rallied a few of his Research City colleagues to rise up against Graviton. However, he easily deflected their barrage of bullets and lifted the malcontents off the ground, planning to kill them. At the last moment, Judy came to and begged Graviton to spare their lives, in return she'd do anything he wanted. Her husband Joe didn't want her to sacrifice herself, but Graviton had heard enough and sent Joe, Raquel and the others to the surface while he promised to make Judy the future queen of Earth.

(Avengers I#159 - BTS) - Graviton moved the floating Research City from the Canadian Rockies towards New York City. At the same time he had the Avengers pinned on a giant slab of concrete, almost like a child's butterfly collection. He also contacted the United Nations New York headquarters as 'the creator of Sky-Island' and demanded that world power had to be surrendered to him upon arrival.

(Avengers I#159) - As Research City approached New York, US Air Force jets tried to bomb it out of the sky but the fighters' weapons were unable to penetrate the gravitic dome around the island. When news broke out of the mysterious Sky-Island, New Yorkers started to panic, wondering if it might be the Russians or an invasion from outerspace. In Avengers Mansion, Edwin Jarvis drank a toast to the Avengers, who he believed to have perished. The butler's morose moment was interrupted by the arrival of Black Panther and Thor, who went out to save their teammates. On Sky-Island, Graviton had dressed up the disturbed Judy like a queen and was gloating over the defeated Avengers. When Thor breached the dome with his hammer, Graviton laughed off the Thunder God's elemental assault, musing that his control over gravity possible made him a god as well. Thor weakened Graviton sufficiently for Iron Man to use his armor to escape and aid his fellow Avenger. However, they weren't able to defeat Graviton. Even when Black Panther used a field disruptor to free the other Avengers, Graviton easily held his own. When he turned to see if Judy was impressed by his achievements, he noticed she was gone, her trail leading off the edge of Sky-Island. Convinced she only killed herself because the Avengers distracted him long enough for her to commit suicide, Graviton unleashed all his power at once to blast the Avengers into atoms. However, this action caused him to revert into a living black hole, which drew in all of Sky-Island. The Avengers managed to escape and were on hand when the remains of Sky-Island (and Graviton) fell to Earth in the shape of a small, incredibly dense sphere. Iron Man, Wonder Man, Vision and Thor caught the projectile before it could hit Manhattan and hurled it safely into the ocean. When they returned home, they found Judy Parks alive and well. Jarvis had been en route to Sky-Island on a skycycle when he spotted Judy falling off the cliff.

(Marvel Two-In-One Annual#4 - BTS) - After being rescued by Jarvis, Judy remained with the Avengers for a while, forming a warm friendship with the butler.

(Marvel Two-In-One Annual#4 (fb) ) - Graviton somehow survived becoming a living black hole. He had absorbed the entire mass of Sky-Island and wound up as part of a sphere of hypercondensed matter on the bottom of the Hudson River. In the end, he was able to reform himself though the incident left him an amnesiac bum wandering the streets of New York.

(Marvel Two-In-One Annual#4) - Graviton encountered Judy Parks one day when she was out running errands with Jarvis. Seeing her briefly restored his memory. He grabbed the girl, nailing Jarvis to the sidewalk with his powers before running off. The incident was witnessed by the Thing, his girlfriend Alicia Masters and the visiting Black Bolt. They gave chase, even as Graviton experienced another memory lapse in an alley with Judy. This left him ill-prepared for the two heroes' attack, though he did his best to keep them at bay using solidified gravity bursts. So confused by his faulty memory, Graviton eventually lost control of his human form and, powered by his connection to the black hole, transformed into a sentient pocket universe. Appearing as a giant, flaming monster, his mind cleared. Hall approached Black Bolt and asked the king of the Inhumans if there might be a place for him in their society since he clearly no longer belonged in the world of man. When Bolt denied this request, Graviton became violent and used his powers to draw a ball of plasma from the sun itself to destroy Attilan out of spite. To stop the heroes from attacking him, he generated a wall of miniature black holes that would swallow everything they touched. Thing was saved by Black Bolt who used his electron manipulation powers to capture the holes in a cage of electromagnetic force. Graviton then went on a rampage, destroying parts of New York City. Thing was left to deal with him while Black Bolt raced to save his kingdom from the rapidly approaching plasma storm. After successfully deflecting the solar projectile, Black Bolt rejoined the Thing in New York and together they came up with a way to force Graviton himself through the black hole that created him. Before they could carry out their plan, just as Graviton was about to destroy United Nations Plaza, the villain decided to end his own existence by releasing conscious control over his unstable, giant form. As a result, he was swallowed up by the black hole and vanished.

(Avengers I#190 (fb) - BTS) - When the Avengers requested a senate hearing to clear up their problems with the government, they were represented by Emerson Bale. The talented orator listed the many times the Avengers proved vital in saving the world, including the time they stopped Graviton when he threatened to drop his flying island on New York City.

(Thor I#324) - Graviton eventually returned to Earth, having shed the additional mass he absorbed from Sky-Island. Now looking like himself again, his mind quickly returned to finding the woman he loved: Judy Parks. Locating her in an apartment complex, he flew right up into her bedroom only to find Judy was now pregnant with her husband Joe's baby. Fed up with Hall obsessively lusting after her, she wondered why he only wanted her when there were hundreds of women who were far more attractive and ready to be with him because of his powers. Convinced by this argument, Graviton took off but not before telling Parks she'd always regret turning down his offer to be queen. Contemplating his next move at a bar, drowning his sorrows, Graviton discussed women with the bartender who suggested that the really glamorous, beautiful ones could be found at fancy department stores like Bloomingdale's, Sak's or Bergdorf's. Taking this advice to heart, Graviton flew to Bergdorf's and lifted the entire structure high into the air while he selected the most attractive women among the clientele. His stunt was noticed by Thor, who proceeded to attack the villain only to be casually beaten back. Coming up with a ruse, Thor first rescued everyone inside the building before sneaking up on Graviton and his women (who he had suspended up in the air above the store). Thor injected Graviton with a fast acting knockout drug, forcing him to put down the department store before he passed out. Graviton complied in order to save himself and his women. He restored Bergdorf's seconds before he lost consciousness. Thor then decided to banish Graviton to outerspace, teleporting the villain there with Mjolnir.

(West Coast Avengers I#3 (fb) ) - Graviton remained in outerspace for months until the Beyonder's approach towards Earth woke him from suspended animation. He traced the powerful energy signature left in the Beyonder's wake back to Earth where he was able to home in on the charging field of the LA based petty criminal the Blank.

(West Coast Avengers I#2 (fb) - BTS) - Every time the Blank used his charger to power his forcefield, Graviton was able to draw himself a little closer to Earth. This proved to be a slow and hard to determine process because the Blank would only sparingly and briefly need to recharge his forcefield. As a result, Graviton grew frustrated.

(West Coast Avengers I#2) - After facing the newly established team of LA Avengers, the Blank had managed to escape. Returning to his home, he decided it would be wise to be prepared and fully charged his belt. This was enough for Graviton to finally return to Earth, manifesting in the Blank's living room. Though exhausted, Graviton quickly took control of the situation and promised the Blank he could help him deal with the Avengers.

(West Coast Avengers I#3 (fb) - BTS) - While most of the world's heroes were dealing with the freak snowstorms (caused by Malektih opening the Casket of Ancient Winters), Graviton used the confusion and distraction to take over a spaceous estate in the Santa Monica mountains which he occupied along with the Blank, a band of local thugs and several young, pretty women attracted by the promise of wealth and power.

(West Coast Avengers I#3 - BTS) - Graviton ordered Blank to take over a local crime syndicate and use his henchmen to mess up the Cat's Jazz Club, home of crimelord and Avengers ally the Shroud. Graviton figured this would lead the team to him.

(West Coast Avengers I#3) - Looking out over LA, Graviton's musings were interrupted by the Blank who came in to tell him that he had set Hall's plan to trap the Avengers in motion. Noticing Blank's obvious nervousness, Graviton became furious when his accomplice doubted he was able to handle the Avengers on his own. Demonstrating his powers, while ranting about his accomplishments, Graviton shut down the Blank's forcefield to prove his might. Properly convinced, the Blank agreed to carry out the plan, leaving Graviton to revel in the notion that soon the Avengers would be defeated before they even knew he was back on Earth. A little while later, he was on hand at a luxurious LA loft the Blank was using as the headquarters for his new gang. The Avengers Wonder Man and Tigra arrived along with Shroud to find out why the club had been attacked. Graviton took charge, easily defeating the heroes and dismissing the Blank who he felt had become more trouble than he was worth. Graviton carelessly tossed Tigra and the Shroud out into the Pacific Ocean while he took specific pleasure in torturing Wonder Man by drowning him in the nearby pool.

(West Coast Avengers I#4) - Graviton set himself up as the new "kingpin" of the West Coast, indulging himself in the pleasures of the position including a steady supply of women and a party that never seemed to stop. All the while, he was using his powers to keep Wonder Man submerged as a continuous show of force. At the same time, the Avengers became aware of him after Iron Man rescued Tigra and the Shroud. They infiltrated Graviton's operation, with Mockingbird posing as a bartender while Tigra shifted to her human form and disguised herself as Maggia leader Madame Masque there to meet with Graviton. When the Avengers were in position, they revealed themselves and attacked. During the assault, Graviton's control over Wonder Man slipped, freeing the hero to join the fray. They eventually lured him to a nearby electricity substation where Iron Man was waiting for him, all hooked up to the power net to blast the villain. In the end, dazed and confused, it was one of Hawkeye's knockout gas arrows that did him in. While the Avengers went home to celebrate with a barbecue, Graviton was hauled off to prison by the authorities.

(Secret Wars II#7) - Graviton, along with 98 other supervillains, were recruited by Mephisto's lackey Bitterhorn to serve as members of his Legion Accursed. They were sent to fight the Beyonder, unaware that a single touch from either one of them would be enough to spark the Beyondersbane, a construct capable of killing the One from Beyond along with a third of the known universe. However, save for Juggernaut, the entire Legion Accursed was single-handedly defeated by the Thing. His scheme foiled, Mephisto let Graviton and the others go.  

(West Coast Avengers II#13 (fb) - BTS) - As part of his latest plan to conquer Earth and find personal fulfillment, Graviton searched the cosmos to gather a superhuman force that represented the basis of reality. While he himself represented gravity, he eventually found and recruited the strong force (Quantum) and weak force (Halflife). Not able to locate a proper representative of electromagnetism, he decided to pick the semi-sentient electrical entity Zzzax. But, since the monster had lost a fight against Hawkeye, Graviton didn't expect much of the creature. Nevertheless, he helped restore him to life.

(West Coast Avengers II#12) - Graviton used his powers to spy on the Avengers, becoming particularly infatuated with Tigra. He decided he had to have the feline beauty and ambushed her when she was out in the woods by herself. He then sent Zzax, Halflife and Quantum to attack LA in order to distract the West Coast Avengers. By the time the team had defeated the trio, Graviton knocked them all out with a surprise attack. He hovered over the defeated heroes on a slab of rock, with Tigra helplessly chained like a pet by his side thanks to an invisible gravity leash.

(West Coast Avengers II#13) - Graviton took the Avengers and his allies up to his new Sky Island base, hovering ten miles above the Earth. There, he had his henchmen (outfitted with anti-grav devices so the added gravs didn't affect them) put the prisoners in a gravitic cage. He assured the heroes they were unable to move and only capable of breathing because his power held the atmosphere in place. Showing his dominance, he kissed Tigra in front of everybody, shocking Greer that some part of her actually liked it. He then went inside to confer with his allies Halflife and Quantum (Zzzax had perished during the earlier fight), easily detecting and deflecting Mockingbird's emergency signal to the East Coast Avengers. A little while later, he approached Tigra again, releasing her from the leash only to be disappointed when she tried to escape. He placed her in a force bubble and left, unaware that Tigra could still shift back to her human form, which was somehow capable of escaping the field. Greer knocked out a nearby guard and put on his outfit. She then visited Halflife and Quantum's quarters, telling the suspicious aliens the other was plotting to kill them. Soon, Graviton was forced to step in and stop his allies from destroying one another. Using this distraction, Tigra managed to free the West Coast Avengers from their cage using anti-grav devices she took off the guards. The Avengers attacked Graviton and the others, leading to complete chaos when the villain once again lost control of his powers. Sky Island was rapidly heading upwards towards outerspace and even though Wonder Man offered to save him, Graviton refused any help. The Avengers got all of Graviton's henchmen safely off the island before it disappeared into deep space.

(Fantastic Four I#322 (fb) ) - Graviton managed to save himself by using the last of his control to drag the density and temperature of everything on Sky Island down, putting everything in a state of suspended animation until he could compose himself again. When he did, he used his powers to drain the atmosphere of a nearby inhabitable world so he had sufficient oxygen to survive the trip. Now ready to move again, he steered Sky Island towards Earth once more.

(Fantastic Four I#322) - As soon as he approached Earth, Graviton became aware of an ultra powerful, though extremely local gravitational anomaly in the vicinity of New York City (caused by the Inferno event). The minute he arrived on Earth, Graviton started to investigate the phenomenon, fighting off several demons which only confirmed his theories about an imminent dimensional merger. He was aware he could definitely use his powers to block the merger of Earth with the demon realm Otherplace (limbo), though he first needed to figure out the best way to benefit from the upheaval. Mulling this over, he was seen hovering through the streets of New York by the Thing and Ms. Marvel (Sharon Ventura) who wasted no time to attack the villain. After he overcame his initial surprise and confusion over being assaulted by two Things, Graviton easily beat them back, slamming the durable duo through skyscrapers and humiliating them by crushing them down on the pavement. Even the Human Torch could do little to stop him after Graviton simply drained all the oxygen from his vicinity, effectively dousing the Torch's flames. The villain then buried them under the rubble of a large office building he dropped on them. Thinking himself the victor, Graviton didn't count on the Human Torch burning himself free and opposing him long enough for the Things to dig themselves out. The Torch, using heat induced mirror images to distract Graviton, set the villain up for the Thing who ignored the self-styled god's claims that he was the only one capable of saving the world and stopping the growing madness around them. Unimpressed, Ben Grimm simply knocked him out.

(Amazing Spider-Man I#326 (fb) - BTS) - The Kingpin of Crime reached out to Graviton not too long after his defeat at the hands of the FF. The infamous crimeboss, engaged with other supervillains in what would become known as the "Acts of Vengeance", offered to send other supervillains to defeat the Avengers if Graviton agreed to take out Spider-Man. Amused, the lord of the fundamental force agreed, even though he felt pitting him against the webslinger was like sending a tiger to crush a kitten.

(Amazing Spider-Man I#326) - Slowly drifting towards New York City, Graviton's approach was spotted by the NYPD who arrived by helicopter to arrest the villain. Almost as an afterthought, Graviton destroyed the aircraft by weighing down the propellers until they sliced the whirlybird to shreds. He then moved to Manhattan where he figured the best way to attract Spider-Man's attention was by lifting the Daily Bugle building into the air. Patiently waiting inside the hovering office building for Spider-Man to arrive, he allowed photographer Nick Katzenberg to take pictures of him so the world would have a record of his impending victory. As soon as Spider-Man arrived, Graviton attacked but Katzenberg's continued flash photography briefly blinded him, giving the wallcrawler the opportunity to land a blow. In the end though, Graviton regained his composure and punished Nick by nailing him to the floor. Spider-Man felt it necessary to protect the photographer, leaving him vulnerable to Graviton's final attack: burying them both under tons of office supplies. When the pile didn't move, Graviton was convinced he had killed his quarry. Gingerly putting the Daily Bugle building down, he took off.

(Amazing Spider-Man I#329) - When he learned Spider-Man was still alive, Graviton grew annoyed and decided to stay in New York City to finish the job. Literally clouding his presence by gravitically generating fog, he waited and contemplated his next move. As luck would have it, Spider-Man swung by and Graviton immediately attacked. Though he was able to affect the hero's density, he was ill-prepared for the fact Spider-Man had recently become the latest, though unwitting host of the omnipotent Enigma Force. Without giving it a second thought, Spider-Man projected a force blast powerful enough to knock out the villain, sending him flying through a nearby billboard and a water tower before he crashed into a parked car.

(Web of Spider-Man I#64 (fb) - BTS) - Graviton was contacted by the Chameleon, who offered him 100.000 dollars if he killed Spider-Man. The shapeshifting crimeboss explained that the webslinger was the only one able to prevent Chameleon and his associates from seizing complete control of the New York mobs. Eager for a rematch, Graviton agreed and also went out to recruit some other supervillains.

(Web of Spider-Man I#64) - Graviton ambushed a prison transport carrying Titania, Trapster and the Brothers Grimm to the Vault. Lifting the vehicle high into the air and using density shifts to crumble their bonds, he offered them a choice: come with him to defeat Spider-Man or die. The villains all agreed to his terms even as Graviton casually dropped the van, sending the guards to their deaths. He took his new allies to a seemingly abandoned oil tanker off the coast of New York City which the Chameleon used for his base. The crimeboss explained the terms of the deal and introduced them to their final teammate: Goliath (Eric Josten). Together, they set out to find and capture Spider-Man. Figuring it worked the last time, Graviton lifted the Daily Bugle up in the air once again while the others hid in anticipation of Spidey's arrival. Not expecting attacks from Titania, Trapster and the Brothers Grimm, Spider-Man wasn't prepared for Graviton's assault. He increased the limber hero's density until he couldn't stick to walls anymore. Forced to the ground, though struggling, Spider-Man was helpless before Graviton who wanted to squash him like a bug. Goliath then stepped in, literally, by crushing the hero under his giant foot. All that actually did was slam him into the underground, allowing Spider-Man to sneak away. When the villains caught wise, they pursued but in the end it was Graviton who took charge of the situation by reducing Spider-Man's mass to zero, thereby sending him hurtling towards an icy death in the outer atmosphere.

(Web of Spider-Man I#65) - Thinking Spider-Man was dead (though he survived by webbing on to a passing jetliner until the effects of Graviton's blast wore off), Graviton and the other villains went back to the Chamelon to collect their reward money. The crimeboss' headquarters turned out to be empty, leading them to conclude they had been cheated out of their 100.000 dollars. When Trapster discovered a note in the safe that proved Chameleon was secretly in business with the Kingpin (actually his biggest rival), Graviton flew everyone back to New York to see Fisk himself about their money. Chameleon watched from a nearby yacht, pleased that they'd fallen for this planted evidence. If the villains took out Fisk, he could take over the New York crime scene without any significant opposition. In New York, Graviton lifted his allies up to Fisk's penthouse offices so they could "reason" with him. While the others threatened Fisk, Graviton focused on the man's massive tower, promising to collapse it if he didn't pony up the reward money. Graviton was stopped by Spider-Man who webbed his face and then knocked him out with a single punch. Then, he dealt with the other supervillains in short order, making headlines the next day in the Jameson News Digest.

(Avengers Unplugged#2) - Suffering from inexplicable power fluctuations he was unable to regulate even with a new uniform, Graviton found himself outside of Scotsdale, Arizona when he completely lost control. Turning into a living, walking gravitational anomaly, Graviton caught the attention of the Avengers who came to Arizona to try and help their old enemy while keeping the population safe from the gravity whirlwinds he generated. In the end, the Vision inadvertently caused Graviton to become a miniature black hole. He inverted on himself and disappeared, ending the threat. 

(Thunderbolts I#17 (fb) ) - Graviton next appeared in a micro-dimension inhabited by a race of simple minded, tiny telepathic creatures called the P'tah. Mistaking the sudden arrival of the powerful, large man as the coming of their god, they started to worship Graviton. Shamelessly making use of their devotion, Hall set himself up as their godking, forcing them to feed and clothe him. He also instructed them how to make advanced scientific equipment which he used to study ways to return to Earth. In the end, Hall was able to construct a beacon of sorts, broadcasting across the dimensional void in the hopes someone would discover it and bring him home.

(Thunderbolts I#16 (fb) - BTS) - Graviton's beacon was eventually picked up by Baron Zemo (Helmut) and his ally Techno. They used their knowledge of interdimensional transports, robotics and energy transferals to dream up an ingenious scheme. Techno created a robot resembling the Hulk that was rigged with energy absorption circuits. When the robot had collected sufficient energy, it would create a bridge to the P'tah realm, allowing for Graviton's return.

(Thunderbolts I#17 - BTS) - Baron Zemo's reasoning for bringing Graviton back centered around his hatred for his former teammates the Thunderbolts. If Graviton killed them, he would have his vengeance and even if they escaped the media would blame them for the return of another dangerous supervillain.

(Thunderbolts I#16 - BTS) - The Hulk robot caught up with the Thunderbolts in the town of Cottonwood, Wyoming. Seeing the green giant struck a particular cord within Karla Sofen who still harbored a grudge against the behemoth because he was the first to defeat her when she started out as Moonstone. The T-Bolts followed her lead, attacking the construct and inadvertently feeding its energy absorption circuitry. At the height of the battle, with the Hulk's face damaged to reveal circuitry, it became clear they were fighting a robot.

(Thunderbolts I#17 - BTS ) - As soon as the Thunderbolts realized this Hulk was basically one large energy battery (with induction coils for arms), they backed off. Unfortunately, at that moment the Lightning Rods (formerly the Great Lakes Avengers) caught up with the team, acting on orders from SHIELD to stop and arrest the former villains. While Moonstone tried to prevent the Rods from attacking the robot, the Hulk jumped her. Using his built-in induction coils, he directly drained the alien energies of the gem that powered her. The absorbed energy was sufficient to close the circuit and transport Graviton back to Earth.

(Thunderbolts I#17) - Thanking all the blessed saints in heaven for his return, Graviton wasted no time to attack the two teams of heroes. Using random debris to knock out Dinah Soar, he turned Big Bertha's bulk against her, sending the massive heroine against her fellow heroes. Songbird managed to surprise him with a solid sound spiked ball aimed for his back, but he retaliated by throwing half a cityblock at her. Even though Mach-1 saved her, Graviton took a moment to damage his wings before forcing them both to crash. Next, he smashed Mr. Immortal to pieces, sensed and halted Moonstone's near intangible approach and proved too quick even for Jolt. After defeating all the heroes, he pinned them to a slab of concrete as he had done with the Avengers once before. Reveling in his return to glory, he took his time to recount his origins and recent events. Right in the middle of his soliloquy the Thunderbolt Atlas dropped in from a helicopter. Responding instinctively, Graviton increased the size-changing hero's mass which caused him to have an even bigger impact when he crashed on the villain and began to pound him. Briefly pummeled by Atlas' barrage, Graviton inevitably regained control. However, the Thunderbolts were able to free themselves, allowing the devious Moonstone a moment to approach Graviton. Using all her training as a psychologist, she successfully convinced him that for all his power he lacked any kind of long term vision beyond "beating all comers and lording it over them". She advised him that until he sorted out what he truly wanted, he would end up losing in the end. The maddened fury in Hall's eyes was replaced by the grimly burning resignation that Sofen spoke the truth. He left the scene, promising her he would think on this and that he would be back as soon as he had it figured out.

(Avengers III#15 (fb) - BTS) - Following his fight against the Thunderbolts and the Lightning Rods in Wyoming, the Avengers became aware of Graviton's return to Earth. They put the master of the gravitational force on their outstanding threats list. Firestar presented the list during her first time chairing the Avengers' weekly meeting. She discussed Graviton along with other priorities such as Lord Templar, Pagan, Apocalypse and the Wrecking Crew.

(Thunderbolts I#28 (fb) - BTS) - After giving Moonstone's words considerable thought, Graviton came up with a new purpose for himself. He was to become the absolute ruler of his own flying kingdom. Levitating a piece of rock and turning it into a new Sky Island, he recruited  "bikers, druggies, dreamers and Highlander fans" to become the first citizens of this new country. Naming them his "Sky Raiders", he gave all of them the power to fly. Graviton also started a harem full of attractive women that, naturally, only he could be with. He planned to introduce Sky Island to the world over the city of San Francisco.

(Thunderbolts I#27 - BTS) - The Sky Raiders terrorized San Francisco, raiding inner city stores even as Sky Island slowly approached. The coming rock made news, especially when Graviton took over the broadcast and presented himself and his plans.

(Thunderbolts I#28 (fb) ) - Graviton's impromptu newscast was caught by the Thunderbolts and their visiting ally Angel (Warren Worthington III). They watched the villain as he explained he was coming to recruit subjects for his new land, offering the power of flight provided they obeyed his every word. After announcing he would be holding auditions the next morning at San Francisco's Coit Tower, he returned the airwaves to the news organizations who covered how the Air Force futily tried to attack Sky Island.

(Thunderbolts I#28 - BTS) - With no other superheroes available on the West Coast and because they felt responsible since Moonstone put the idea in his head, the Thunderbolts and Angel decided to travel to San Francisco to stop Graviton.

(Thunderbolts I#28) - At dawn, Graviton descended from Sky Island to Coit Tower at the top of Telegraph Hill. He quickly dismissed the San Francisco police department, sending both vehicles and men into orbit before turning his attention to the roughly 75 people who had come to join his new kingdom. He asked his follower Lewis to show off his flying powers to entice the new recruits. It was a ruse however. Graviton had been aware that Lewis was secretly visiting his harem and decided to punish him by removing his powers while Lewis was in mid-air. The man fell to his death, which Graviton used as an example how he would deal with disobedience. The recruits were stunned at first, but ultimately tempted by the powers he offered. A little while later, just as he was lifting his newest citizens to Sky Island, the Thunderbolts attacked. Initially satisfied to have the Raiders deal with them, he stepped in when the heroes proved too strong. Even with Angel's help, the Thunderbolts had difficulty even touching Graviton. Sufficiently distracted by Atlas relentlessly pounding on his gravitic shields, Graviton didn't defend himself against one of Hawkeye's sonic arrows which totally disrupted his concentration allowing the heroes to double down on him. Unfortunately, a moment's hesitation on Atlas' part was enough for Graviton to regain control of the situation. With one gigantic gravitic wave, he took them all out. Levitating his fallen foes in the air and laughing triumphantly, Graviton didn't spot the two junior Thunderbolts Jolt and Charcoal who were hiding nearby.

(Thunderbolts I#29) - Graviton took the Thunderbolts and Angel to Sky Island where he planned to have them executed as a lesson to the world in the power of his new nation and the danger that lies within offending its monarch. He even figured the world might applaud him for executing internationally wanted criminals and a noted mutant terrorist. After making sure they were properly locked away, Graviton visited his harem where the women eagerly welcomed him. But even though he enjoyed his new position and all that it offered him, he still had the nagging feeling that somehow all this wasn't enough. Later that day, he had Moonstone brought before him so he could show her how he had taken her suggestion to heart. He expected his prisoner to be suitably impressed and willing to beg for her life. Instead she defiantly mocked him, calling him pathetic and pointing out that setting himself up as the ruler of losers and hooligans only proved he was still floundering. Angered, he sent the snickering Sofen back to her cell. The next morning, after having thwarted the Thunderbolts' desperate, last attempt at escape, he prepared to execute his enemies on live television. Before he could act, Jolt and Charcoal arrived wearing special gravity equation cancelling armbands (designed by Machine Man's creator) which prevented Graviton's powers from directly affecting them. Jolt used the element of surprise to strike a massive blow against the villain, which in turn released the Thunderbolts and Angel from his gravitic grasp. The heroes quickly rallied, using teamwork to land blow after blow. Though rattled, Graviton managed to get Atlas and Charcoal off his back by hurling away the Sky Island chunk they were standing on. In the heat of the battle, Moonstone figured all their irrational enemy needed to go over the edge was a little more psychological warfare. Flying up next to him, Sofen started to needle him, telling Hall that while it was already sad enough he'd wasted all that power on cliched fantasies and borrowed dreams, the fact he wasn't even able to hold on to those made it even worse. Furious and raving, Graviton completely lost control over his powers and exploded into a living gravitational anomaly.

(Thunderbolts I#30) - Graviton kept bleeding power uncontrollably, leading his Sky Raiders to abandon the flying island en masse because they were afraid their power might cut out soon. The Thunderbolts then were forced to deal with Graviton and the danger of Sky Island crashing on San Francisco. Moonstone came up with a plan: hit Graviton with all the gravity equation cancelling armbands Jolt and Charcoal had brought. Agreeing to try this strategy, Angel volunteered to fly up to Graviton. Exposing him to the armbands caused a sudden disruption in his energy output, briefly returning Hall to normal. However, moments later the gravitic force began to spasm and collapse inward which once more turned Graviton into a black hole. He sucked in all of Sky Island before vanishing into nothingness again. The Thunderbolts were able to escape by the skin of their teeth, though Hawkeye was pretty sure their enemy would be back. Some time later, while licking his wounds in a dimensional void, Graviton was approached by M'reel, who promised to make sure Hall would have the great vision he sought.

(Thunderbolts I#58 (fb) - BTS) - M'reel actually planned to use Graviton to power a gravitational shunt that would release the P'tah armies from their micro-dimensional prison and lead them to conquer Earth.

(Thunderbolts I#51 (fb) - BTS) - With some help from M'reel, Graviton returned to Earth. Taking up residence in a luxurious LA mansion he completely redesigned with his gravity powers, Franklin Hall began to plan his next move.

(Thunderbolts I#51 - BTS) - Ready to get underway, Graviton ordered M'reel to seek out Moonstone and bring her to him. After a while, the alien located Karla Sofen and convinced her to accompany her back to meet "the first one". Intrigued but unaware who M'reel was talking about, Sofen went along with the curious alien.

(Thunderbolts I#51) - Graviton warmly welcomed Moonstone, sensing she was surprised, curious and afraid. He assured her all these emotions were warranted, after all he could kill her before she even tried to flee. He offered her a question instead: what would be in it for her if she helped him rule the world?

(Thunderbolts: Life Sentences#1) - Moonstone grudgingly accepted the role of "spiritual advisor" to Graviton, counseling him in discovering his true purpose in the world. Taking her new patient out to the beach at night, she had him use his powers to instinctively visualize what he truly desired. In response, Graviton formed some of the sand into an image of the Earth with half the planet reshaped into his own face. Suppressing the urge to call him a sick egomaniac who needed to be killed, Moonstone subtly tried to convince him there's not much satisfaction to be had ruling over your own planet when most of the population was dead. M'reel and Graviton assured her that with her aid, they might find a way to prevent all those deaths. He then showed her the other half of his imagined planet, resembling Moonstone's face. The idea she would get half the world to rule sorely tempted Sofen.

(Thunderbolts I#53 - BTS) - Under Moonstone's tutelage, Graviton discovered the true measure of his powers. His background as a scientist had always complicated matters because he tried to use his powers within his self imposed rigid physical and philosophical systems. Sofen helped him see that his abilities placed him far above impediments like basic physics or the laws of nature. As a result, he could now achieve feats he previously held impossible.

(Thunderbolts I#53) - To show off his newfound strength, Graviton took Moonstone on a trip to the Moon. There, he reconfigured the Moon's entire Mare Insularum crater field "simply by making it happen". Though she was impressed by his mastery of scale gravity, Moonstone had another challenge for Hall: could he cradle a pebble? Intrigued and amused by the idea that Moonstone would challenge him to hold a rock on the Moon, he promised he would think on it.

(Thunderbolts I#54) - A few days later, Graviton was meditating on the beach outside his rented home when Moonstone came by to check on him. He told her he was "attending his teacher's syllabus", revealing he had just lifted a small stone in China and "deposited" it through a woman's head in Australia "just to see if he could do it" (the woman in question was Moonstone's childhood friend Deanna Stockbridge, though Graviton intentionally didn't mention this yet because he hoped to use it to intimidate Moonstone later).

(Thunderbolts I#55) - Convinced he was sufficiently prepared to start his plans of global conquest, Graviton created a new costume to mark the occasion. Briefly saying goodbye to Moonstone and M'reel, he teleported himself to the Thunderbolts' headquarters in Colorado's Mount Charteris. He ripped apart the mountain, ready to make sure his old enemies were the first to fall only to find SHIELD and the Redeemers instead. Not wasting a moment, he offered them the choice which one of them would die first.

(Thunderbolts I#56) - Graviton made short work of the Redeemers. Within seconds he destroyed Scream by locking him inside a vacuum and then shattered Charcoal into pieces presumably too tiny to reform. Next, he locked in on Jolt's bio-electricity and, through gravity negation, caused her corporeal form to fall apart. Meteorite was hurled into orbit and while he allowed Fixer the illusion of escape before crushing him, he was overtaken by the Smuggler who emerged from the shadows inside Graviton's own body. While Smuggler had him on the ropes, Moonstone and M'reel arrived from California. Sofen made her presence known to Fixer. She explained the current situation and advised to get on his good side, because there really wasn't anywhere on Earth he could hide from Graviton anymore. By that time, Graviton had rid himself of the Smuggler by teleporting himself in orbit of the sun where no shadows could exist. On his way back to Earth, he passed the suffocating Meteorite in orbit. When he arrived at Mt. Charteris, he crushed the Beetle as an afterthought before greeted by Moonstone, M'reel and the Fixer who offered his services. Graviton accepted, calling it a wise choice and wondering if perhaps Moonstone would help others make similar smart decisions. He then began his masterplan in all earnest, lifting up over 30 major cities all around the world in preparation for his global redecoration.

(Thunderbolts I#57 - BTS) - In response to Graviton's actions, most of Earth's superheroes joined forces to stop him. They were all easily defeated and forced to hang in suspended animation in the air over Burton Canyon. While Graviton continued his terraforming mission, expending massive amounts of gravitic energy, Fixer discovered M'reel was siphoning off part of that power for an unknown purpose. At the same time, Fixer was contacted by Citizen V (Helmut Zemo in John Watkins III's body) who offered to release him from the Redeemers program if he could distract Graviton long enough for the Penance Council to send in reinforcements (actually armaments for Songbird and Mach-III). Agreeing to this, Fixer shot M'reel with a taser.

(Thunderbolts I#57) - Briefly alarmed when M'reel fell, Graviton went to check on his alien aide before resuming his work.

(Thunderbolts I#57) - Fixer's ruse worked, with Songbird, Mach-III and the newly arrived, ionically powered Dallas Riordan in tow, Citizen V mounted a counter attack that actually surprised Graviton. Dazed by Dallas' punch, he was slammed towards Citizen V by Songbird's giant solid sound Sammy Sosa. The leader of the Thunderbolts mercilessly skewered the villain who cried out in pain.

(Thunderbolts I#58) - Gravely injured by the Thunderbolts' relentless attacks, Graviton was about to perish when Jolt reformed herself and warned them off. If he died, all the cities would come crashing down. Forced to use her psychological skills once again, Moonstone tried to gently talk the nearly unresponsive Franklin Hall into lowering the cities. Before he could comply, it became clear to the Fixer that whatever M'reel was planning was about to happen because a gravity tunnel started to form. He shot and killed M'reel, but that didn't stop a portal from opening and the P'tah armies from storming through. Graviton was as surprised as the Thunderbolts at this, furious that he was used. He began to use his powers to fight the alien warriors, uncaring that the more energy he expanded, the stronger and more stable the portal became. After a devastating heart-to-heart with Moonstone, during which he revealed he had killed Deanna Stockbridge in the hopes of intimidating her, the hurt psychologist scolded Hall one last time for having caused his own defeat. In response, he lowered the cities and Earth's heroes while also mending the ruptured earth. This forced the portal to start to close, but everything went wrong when one of the P'tah soldiers hit Graviton with an energy spear. As a result, he lost all control of his gravimetric powers, which would lead to the portal imploding on itself and sucking in all of Earth as it closed. Acting fast, the Thunderbolts decided to create a vacuum around the portal (created by Songbird's solid sound construct) while they stayed inside it with Graviton to fight off the remaining P'tah. Moments before the portal collapsed and everyone vanished, Graviton told Karla Sofen that he felt she and all the others deserved better than this.

(New Avengers: Most Wanted Files#1 (fb) - BTS) - Graviton secretly survived and was eventually taken into SHIELD custody. He was incarcerated inside the Raft.

(New Avengers I#3) - Following Electro's attack on the Raft, Graviton was among the 40 supervillains who tried to escape, but was defeated.

(New Avengers: Most Wanted Files#1) - After the massive prison break, Captain America helped SHIELD compile files on all the supervillains involved in the conflict. He quoted Moonstone's analyses when he described Graviton as a force of nature who deep inside is "a frightened little man whose vanity and insecurity doom him to perpetual failure."

(Invincible Iron Man IV#8 - BTS) - His continued stay at the Raft seemingly made Hall mentally unstable. He believed the prison was actually a factory, which used its prisoners as resources. When he had half the chance, he tried to escape though the Avengers quickly arrived to try and stop him.

(Invincible Iron Man IV#8) - Ranting and raving, Hall held off the team, while tears poured from his eyes. Graviton tried to kill Captain America by crushing him, when Spider-Man tried to intervene he forced the webslinger on top of Cap, increasing both their densities until Spidey's ribs began to crack. Right around that moment, the newly Extremis-enhanced Iron Man arrived and easily overpowered Franklin Hall with a continuous burst of heated plasma energy.

(Invincible Iron Man IV#21 (fb) - BTS) - Graviton spent nearly a year in a secure medical facility to recuperate from the burns he suffered at the hands of Iron Man. When he was well enough, he was to be transported to the 42 intake station in Upstate New York under heavy sedation. However, en route his transport was hijacked and the agents escorting him were killed. Graviton was taken to an old pumping station outside of Omaha, Nebraska.

(Invincible Iron Man IV#21) - Graviton's presence at the pumping station was detected and the authorities sent Gadget and Paragon, two members of the Initiative's Nebraska team to investigate. They discovered the supervillain who was still mentally incoherent. In the fight that proceeded, Gadget died and Paragon and Graviton were both injured.

(Invincible Iron Man IV#21-23) - Iron Man investigated the incident and uncovered a thoroughly convoluted scheme. It had been Paragon (acting on orders from the Mandarin) who killed his teammate, afterwards allowing Graviton to injure him to place the blame on the unstable but otherwise innocent supervillain. Because he felt no court of law would believe this story and sentence him anyway, Graviton decided to use his powers to give himself a seemingly fatal cerebral haemmorhage.

(Secret Avengers II#2) - When AIM declared the former nation of Barbuda as its own independent state, Graviton was approached to become one of its ministers. Intrigued by the work this offered, he accepted and became AIM Island's Minister of Science.

(Secret Avengers II#3 - BTS) - SHIELD, and in turn the Secret Avengers, became aware of AIM recruiting Graviton and other supervillains such as Yelena Belova and Mentallo to its cause.

(Secret Avengers II#5 - BTS) - Hawkeye spotted Graviton while on a covert mission to AIM Island with Nick Fury Jr. and the Black Widow, sent by SHIELD to assassinate the Scientist Supreme.

(Secret Avengers II#7) - Graviton briefly involved himself in opposing the Avengers after they thought they had assassinated the Scientist Supreme. However, he soon lost interest in the situation and returned to his studies, allowing the Iron Patriot armors (the islands' defense systems) to deal with the heroes.

(Secret Avengers II#8) - Graviton was lost in his studies, meditating to better understand the nature of the universe and all things in it, when he was interrupted by his fellow minister Superia. Ignoring his annoyance, she came to inform him the Scientist Supreme had called yet another meeting. Feeling he had very little choice but to obey, Graviton showed up at the meeting along with the others. There, the Scientist Supreme introduced them to the man who was going to hold a revolutionary presentation: AIM scientist Harold Bainbridge (secretly Mockingbird who had no idea what was going on).

(Secret Avengers II#12) - Mockingbird attempted to bluff her way through the meeting, discovering Bainbridge was responsible for making the Extremis technology work for AIM through use of nanotechnology. Thinking she could stall for time, she claimed she needed 48 more hours to produce some viable results. Graviton was tempted to grant this request, feeling that time is the dung from which ideas sprout to life. However, the Scientist Supreme then revealed he had known Mockingbird was inside Bainbridge's mind all along and had her taken away for questioning. Graviton and the others weren't pleased that the Scienist Supreme had kept this from them, but decided not to pursue the issue.

(Secret Avengers II#15) - Graviton, Superia and Jude the Entropic Man were all at AIM Island's beach when Graviton sensed that the Scientist Supreme's plan had begun. He claimed to hear the sound of wheels breaking and cycles being shed. Superia suggested that they could still prevent this absurdity, but Jude ensured them there was no way of stopping the universe itself. Adding that entropy had to be earned.

(Avengers World#5) - The Scientist Supreme held another meeting with his ministers during which he discussed AIM's current progress. After having turned the Avenger Smasher into their messenger, the masterplan proceeded apace. Graviton and Superia didn't really care for all this, with Graviton claiming he wasn't interested in the Scientist's religious philosophies and had only joined up to get what was promised him. The Scientist assured him that as soon as the Avengers were defeated, they could claim the world and all that was promised would be given.

(Avengers World#9) - Graviton and his fellow ministers were spotted on AIM Island by a drone remote-piloted by Maria Hill, who was looking for Avengers Cannonball and Sunspot, left behind on the island following a recent, botched mission.

(Avengers World#10) - Graviton joined his fellow ministers in helping the Scientist Supreme celebrate the advancement and expansion of AIM Island (a feat accomplished hrough the use of pirated technology from the future).

(Avengers World#11) - Graviton and Superia, along with a contingent of AIM warriors, were sent to oppose Maria Hill, Manifold and a team of super powered teens from the future called the Next Avengers. They had come to Barbuda to stop the Scientist Supreme from starting the beginning of the end of the universe. Graviton first focused on Torunn, knocking her out before taking on the others. In the end, he was defeated through a clever trick of Manifold's, who teleported away James Rogers' energy shield in mid-air, causing it to hit the villain in the back of the head. Superia and the AIM mercenaries were routed pretty soon after that. To prevent AIM from ever using any of the information and technology stolen from the future, the Next Avengers detonated a data eraser called a Sigkill.

(Avengers World#14 - BTS) - The Avengers reflected on how they'd dealt with the multiple crises posed by AIM, Graviton and Morgana LeFay all at the same time.

Comments: Created by Jim Shooter (writer), Sal Buscema (pencils), Pablo Marcos (inks).

Boy, Graviton sure loves lifting real estate, doesn't he?

It's always tickled me that Graviton, a textbook example of your garden variety raving, homicidal egomaniac, is actually Canadian. So much for the cliche Canucks are quiet, unassuming folk, eh?

Graviton was rescued from his dimensional exile by Helmut Zemo and Techno, but he never learned the identity of his benefactors, which technically means he isn't affiliated with them. Mephisto recruited Graviton along with just about every other supervillain he could find to fight the Beyonder (and inadvertently the Thing). But considering Mephisto only acted through his associate Bitterhorn, he doesn't really count as an affiliation.

It's hard to explain away Graviton committing suicide in the pages of Iron Man only to have him show up alive and well in Avengers a few years later with no questions asked. There was also no trace of his insanity or the giant scar on his head seen during his erratic Iron Man appearances. It's almost enough to make one consider the events of those issues were all part of Tony Stark's own mania at the time.

Graviton's time as a part of AIM's leadership was odd, to say the least. He barely involved himself with either the internal organization let alone help out against the Avengers all that often. He was mostly there, quietly puttering away... not at all like the ranting, vengeful egomaniac he started out to be. Guess people can grow after all.

Bastards of Evil member Singularity (Young Allies II#1-5) was allegedly the son of Graviton until it turned out he was just a teenager mutated by the Superior, the true son of the Leader, who implanted false memories into the teenagers after mutating them.
--Markus Raymond

Graviton received profiles in the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe I#4, Marvel Universe Deluxe Edition#5 (1986), Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Master Edition#16, Marvel Avengers: The Ultimate Character Guide, Marvel Encyclopedia#1 Fantastic Four, New Avengers: Most Wanted Files#1 (2005), All-New Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe#1 (2007), the Official Handbook Of The Marvel Universe A-Z HC#4 (2008).

Profile by Norvo.

CLARIFICATIONS:
Graviton should not be confused with


images: (without ads)
All-New Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A-Z#1, p15, pan1 (main image)
Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Master Edition#16, Graviton entry (master)
Avengers I#159, p8, pan1 (pinning the Avengers down like butterflies)
Marvel Two-In-One Annual#4 page 14 panel 4 (becomes a monster)
West Coast Avengers I#2, p24, pan6 (ready for action)
West Coast Avengers I#3 (page 22 panels 4 & 5 (drowns Wonderman)
West Coast Avengers II#13, p7, pans6&7 (libeling Tigra)
Fantastic Four I#322 p11, pan3 (mocks the Things)
Amazing Spider-Man I#329, p9, pans2&3 (defeated by Spider-Man)
Avengers Unplugged#2, p1, pan1 (alternate uniform)
Thunderbolts I#17, p10, pans1&2 (fighting T-bolts and Lightning Rods)
Thunderbolts I#29, p14, pans4&5 (mocked by Moonstone)
Thunderbolts I#30, p7, pans1&2 (stopped by Angel)
Thunderbolts I#57, p21, pan6 (skwered by Citizen V)
Thunderbolts I#58, p16, pan5 (admits to killing Deanna Stockbridge)
Iron Man IV#21, p5, pan3 (brain addled and stuck in Nebraska)
Secret Avengers II#7, p12, pans1,2,3 (fighting the Secret Avengers on Barbuda)
Secret Avengers II#12, p5, pan4 (considers time the manure of science)


Appearances:
Avengers I#158 (April, 1977) - Jim Shooter (writer), Sal Buscema (pencils), Pablo Marcos (inks), Archie Goodwin (editor)
Avengers I#159 (May, 1977)  - Jim Shooter (writer), Sal Buscema (pencils), Pablo Marcos (inks), Archie Goodwin (editor)
Marvel Two-In-One Annual#4 (December, 1979) - Allyn Brodsky, David Michelinie (writers), Jim Craig (pencils), Bob Budiansky & Bruce Patterson (inks), Roger Stern (editor)
Avengers I#190 (December, 1979) - Steven Grant (writer), John Byrne (pencils), Dan Green (inks), Roger Stern (editor)
Thor I#324 (October, 1982) - Doug Moench (writer), Alan Kupperberg (pencils), Jim Mooney (inks), Mark Gruenwald (editor)
West Coast Avengers I#2 (October, 1984) - Roger Stern (writer), Bob Hall pencils), Brett Breeding (inks), Mark Gruenwald (editor)
West Coast Avengers I#3 (November, 1984) - Roger Stern (writer), Bob Hall pencils), Brett Breeding (inks), Mark Gruenwald (editor)
West Coast Avengers I#4 (December, 1984) - Roger Stern (writer), Bob Hall pencils), Brett Breeding & Peter Berardi (inks), Mark Gruenwald (editor)
Secret Wars II#7 (January, 1986) - Jim Shooter (writer), Al Milgrom (pencils), Steve Leialoha (inks), Bob Budiansky (editor)
West Coast Avengers II#12 (September, 1986) - Steve Engelhart (writer), Al Milgrim (pencils), Joe Sinnott (inks), Mark Gruenwald (editor)
West Coast Avengers II#13 (October, 1986) - Steve Engelhart (writer), Al Milgrim (pencils), Joe Sinnott (inks), Mark Gruenwald (editor)
Fantastic Four I#322 (January, 1989) - Steve Englehart (writer), Keith Pollard (pencils), Joe Sinnott (inks), Ralph Macchio (editor)
Amazing Spider-Man I#326 (December, 1989) - David Michelinie (writer), Colleen Doran (pencils), Andy Mushynsky (inks), Jim Salicrup (editor)
Amazing Spider-Man I#329 (February, 1990) - David Michelinie (writer), Erik Larsen (pencils), Andy Mushynsky (inks), Jim Salicrup (editor)
Web of Spider-Man I#64 (May, 1990) - Gerry Conway (writer), Alex Saviuk (pencils), Keith Williams (inks), Jim Salicrup (editor)
Web of Spider-Man I#65 (June, 1990) - Gerry Conway (writer), Alex Saviuk (pencils), Keith Williams (inks), Jim Salicrup (editor)
Avengers Unplugged#2 (December, 1995) - Glenn Herdling (writer), M.C. Wyman (pencils), Sandu Florea (inks), Ralph Macchio (editor)
Thunderbolts I#16 (July, 1998) - Kurt Busiek (writer), Mark Bagley (pencils), Scott Hanna (inks), Tom Brevoort (editor)
Thunderbolts I#17 (August, 1998) - Kurt Busiek (writer), Mark Bagley (pencils), Scott Hanna (inks), Tom Brevoort (editor)
Avengers III#15 (April, 1999) - Kurt Busiek (writer), George Pérez (pencils), Al Vey (inks), Tom Brevoort (editor)
Thunderbolts I#27 (June, 1999) - Kurt Busiek (writer), Mark Bagley (pencils), Scott Hanna (inks), Tom Brevoort (editor)
Thunderbolts I#28 (July, 1999) - Kurt Busiek (writer), Mark Bagley (pencils), Scott Hanna (inks), Tom Brevoort (editor)
Thunderbolts I#29 (August, 1999) - Kurt Busiek (writer), Mark Bagley (pencils), Scott Hanna (inks), Tom Brevoort (editor)
Thunderbolts I#30 (September, 1999) - Kurt Busiek (writer), Mark Bagley (pencils), Scott Hanna (inks), Tom Brevoort (editor)
Thunderbolts I#51 (June, 2001) - Fabian Nicieza (writer), Patrick Zircher (pencils), Al Vey (inks), Tom Brevoort (editor)
Thunderbolts: Life Sentences#1 (July, 2001) - Fabian Nicieza (writer), Charlie Adlard (pencils & inks), Tom Brevoort (editor)
Thunderbolts I#53 (August, 2001) - Fabian Nicieza (writer), Patrick Zircher (pencils), Al Vey (inks), Tom Brevoort, Marc Sumerak (editors)
Thunderbolts I#54 (September, 2001) - Fabian Nicieza (writer), Patrick Zircher (pencils), Al Vey (inks), Tom Brevoort (editor)
Thunderbolts I#55 (October, 2001) - Fabian Nicieza (writer), Patrick Zircher (pencils), Al Vey (inks), Tom Brevoort (editor)
Thunderbolts I#56 (November, 2001) - Fabian Nicieza (writer), Patrick Zircher (pencils), Al Vey (inks), Tom Brevoort (editor)
Thunderbolts I#57 (December, 2001) - Fabian Nicieza (writer), Patrick Zircher (pencils), Al Vey (inks), Tom Brevoort (editor)
Thunderbolts I#58 (January, 2002) - Fabian Nicieza (writer), Patrick Zircher (pencils), Al Vey & Rich Perrotta (inks), Tom Brevoort (editor)
New Avengers I#3 (March, 2005) - Brian Michael Bendis (writer), David Finch (pencils), Danny Miki, Allen Martinez & Victor Olazaba (inks), Tom Brevoort (editor)
Invincible Iron Man IV#8 (July, 2006) - Charles & Daniel Knauf (writers), Patrick Zircher (pencils), Scott Hanna (inks), Tom Brevoort (editor)
Invincible Iron Man IV#21 (October, 2007) - Charles & Daniel Knauf (writers), Roberto De La Torre (pencils & inks), Tom Brevoort (editor)
Invincible Iron Man IV#22 (November, 2007) - Charles & Daniel Knauf (writers), Roberto De La Torre (pencils & inks), Tom Brevoort (editor)
Invincible Iron Man IV#23 (December, 2007) - Charles Daniel Knauf (writers), Butch Guice (pencils & inks), Tom Brevoort (editor)
Secret Avengers II#2 (May, 2013) - Nick Spencer (writer), Luke Ross (pencils & inks), Tom Brevoort & Lauren Sankovitch (editors)
Secret Avengers II#3 (June, 2013) - Nick Spencer (writer), Luke Ross (pencils & inks), Tom Brevoort & Lauren Sankovitch (editors)
Secret Avengers II#5 (August, 2013) - Nick Spencer (writer), Luke Ross (pencils & inks), Tom Brevoort & Lauren Sankovitch (editors)
Secret Avengers II#7 (October, 2013) - Nick Spencer (writer), Butch Guice, Steve Epting & Brian Thies (pencils), Rick Magyar & Butch Guice (inks), Lauren Sankovitch (editor)
Secret Avengers II#8 (October, 2013) - Nick Spencer (writer), Luke Ross (pencils & inks), Tom Brevoort & Lauren Sankovitch (editors)
Secret Avengers II#12 (February, 2014) - Nick Spencer & Ales Kot (writer), Butch Guice (pencils & inks), Lauren Sankovitch (editor)
Secret Avengers II#15 (April, 2014) - Nick Spencer & Ales Kot (writer), Butch Guice (pencils & inks), Lauren Sankovitch (editor)
Avengers World I#5 (June, 2014) - Nick Spencer (writer), Stefano Caselli (pencils & inks), Wil Moss (editor)
Avengers World I#9 (September, 2014) - Nick Spencer (writer), Stefano Caselli (pencils & inks), Wil Moss (editor)
Avengers World I#10 (September, 2014) - Nick Spencer (writer), Marco Checchetto (pencils & inks), Wil Moss (editor)
Avengers World I#11 (October, 2014) - Nick Spencer (writer), Raffaele Ienco (pencils & inks), Wil Moss (editor)
Avengers World I#14 (December, 2014) - Nick Spencer (writer), Marco Checchetto (pencils & inks), Wil Moss (editor)


First Posted: 09/19/2017
Last updated: 09/19/2017

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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