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TOWER

Real Name: Edward Pasternak

Identity/Class: Human mutant

Occupation: Professional criminal

Group Membership: None; formerly Selene's Undead Army (Banshee/Sean Cassidy, Beef, Berzerker, Bevatron, Siena Blaze, Bolt/Chris Bradley, Caliban, Catseye, Fabian Cortez, Cypher/Doug Ramsey, Darkstar/Laynia Petrovna, Deadbolt, Marco Delgado, Destiny/Irene Adler, Feral/Maria Callasantos, Firefist/Rusty Collins, Hemingway, Hurricane, Jetstream, Katu Kath, Lifeforce, Maggott/Japheth, Leon Matheson, Seamus Mellencamp, Negasonic Teenage Warhead, Proteus/Kevin MacTaggert, Pyro/St. John Allerdyce, Rem-Ram, Risque, Roulette, Scaleface, Shinobi Shaw, Skin, Spoor, Spyne, Static, Stonewall, Super Sabre, Synch/Everett Thomas, Tarot, Thunderbird/John Proudstar, Unus the Untouchable, the tribe of Camp Verde, millions of others), Alliance of Evil (Frenzy/Joanna Cargill, Stinger/Wendy Sherman, Timeshadow)

Affiliations: Apocalypse (En Sabah Nur), Blink (Clarice Ferguson), Harness (Erica Benson), Carl Maddicks, Michael Nowlan, Piecemeal (Gilbert Benson), Selene

Enemies: Vera Cantor, Susan Nowlan, Rogue (Anna Marie), X-Cutioner (Carl Denti), X-Factor (Angel/Warren Worthington III, Beast/Hank McCoy, Cyclops/Scott Summers, Jean Grey, Iceman/Bobby Drake), X-Force (Cable/Nathan Summers, Cannonball/Sam Guthrie, Boom-Boom/Tabitha Smith, "Domino"/Vanessa Carlyle, Feral/Maria Callasantos, Shatterstar/Gaveedra Seven, Warpath/James Proudstar), X-Terminators (Leech, Artie Maddicks, Wiz-Kid/Taki Matsuya)

Known Relatives: Unidentified mother

Aliases: "Thyroxone-imbalanced buffoon" (nickname used by Beast), That big galoot" (nickname used by Feral)

Base of Operations: Unrevealed;
                                  formerly Utopia Island, San Francisco;
                                  formerly San Miguel, El Salvador, Central America;
                                  formerly Apocalypse's chateau, Southern California;
                                  formerly Atlanta, Georgia

First Appearance: X-Factor I#2 (March, 1986)

Powers/Abilities: Tower was a mutant who could mentally alter his size: reducing himself to one inch in stature or grow to a maximum height of 15 feet. While it is not known how his mass is affected by this radical change in volume, his power seems much like that once possessed by Henry Pym. When at his full size, Tower is twice as strong and durable than at his normal 6'2" height. However, close range, directed gunfire could still hurt and possibly kill him. Later reports indicated he could grow up to 40 feet, though this remains unconfirmed. When under the mutant power amplification power of Michael Nowlan, all of Tower's abilities increased significantly.

Height: 6'2" (variable)
Weight: 315 lbs. (variable)
Eyes: Blue
Hair: Blond

History:

(X-Factor I#2 (fb) - BTS) - Edward Pasternak lived in Atlanta, Georgia.

(X-Factor I#6 (fb) - BTS) - At one point, after discovering he was a mutant, Pasternak encountered the mutant Apocalypse who recruited him into his Alliance of Evil. Along with Frenzy, Stinger and Timeshadow he was to subtly promote En Sabah Nur's agenda of the survival of the fittest by having mutants fight each other. Their abilities received a frequent boost from Michael Nowlan, a mutant power-amplifier that Apocalypse had captured and forced to work for him. Nowlan's powers had an addictive side affect to them, leaving those he had enhanced to crave the effects.

(X-Factor I#2 (fb) - BTS) - In between his work with the Alliance, Tower also operated as a solo agent. He was hired by Dr. Carl Maddicks to kidnap Henry McCoy. Maddicks hoped that he could use the Beast's research to reverse his son Artie's mutation.

(X-Factor I#3 (fb) - BTS) - To ensure Tower's cooperation, Maddicks had his son Artie place a mindlock on Pasternak so he would do their bidding (see comments).

(X-Factor I#2) - Tower caught up with Hank McCoy in New York City where he and his friend Bobby Drake were visiting with his old girlfriend Vera Cantor. Shrinking himself down to one inch, he infiltrated Cantor's apartment so he could surprise his target by quickly shooting up to his giant size. Smashing his surroundings, he overpowered Beast and his friends. Tower then took his quarry to Maddicks who was outside waiting in a nearby car. Maddicks had Tower inject Beast with an additional sedative to make sure Hank would remain unconscious until he got to Carl's lab.

(X-Factor I#2 - BTS) - After receiving his payment, Tower went back to his home in Atlanta, Georgia.

(X-Factor I#2) - When they found out their teammate had gone missing, X-Factor investigated the matter and tracked down Tower in Atlanta. They decided to storm him and even though the experienced mutants had the element of surprise, Tower still managed to hold his own until Cyclops in an uncharacteristic display of brute force knocked him out with a full power optic blast at close range. When he came to, the surprisingly manipulative Tower offered to give his opponents the necessary information on the Beast's whereabouts provided they let him go.

(X-Factor I#3) - X-Factor grudgingly agreed to Pasternak's deal, though they insisted Jean used her powers to make sure he was telling the truth. Her telepathic probe disrupted Artie's mindlock over Tower, leading the newly freed Pasternak to tell them all he knew about Maddicks. When Jean Grey tried to appeal to Edward's sense of responsibility in using his powers for good as a member of X-Factor, he laughed and walked away.

(X-Factor I#4 (fb) - BTS) - Apocalypse showed an interest in Artie Maddicks, who'd become X-Factor's most recent ward. He ordered Tower to kidnap the child and bring it to him. In order to do so, Pasternak stalked X-Factor Investigations headquarters until he was spotted.

(X-Factor I#4) - On the run from X-Factor, Pasternak went to New York City's LaGuardia Airport in the hopes of escaping unnoticed. However, X-Factor caught up with him. After a brief but fierce fight, Tower decided to shrink down to his 1 inch size to escape. He ran into his fellow teammate Frenzy who mocked him for messing up even this simple mission. She ordered him to report to their boss (Apocalypse) while she set out to complete Pasternak's mission (only to fail in the end as well).

(X-Factor I#5) - Tower and his fellow Alliance members tried to stop Michael Nowlan from escaping Apocalypse's chateau. Fearful of hurting or killing him, they held back which allowed Nowlan to reach a car and speed off. The Alliance went looking for him, eventually tracking down Nowlan's ex-wife Susan (who had been contacted by Michael only for her to call the alleged mutant hunters X-Factor on him instead). The Alliance forced Susan to take them to Nowlan's hideout where they arrived just as he was explaining his origins to X-Factor. Because the Alliance threatened to kill Susan, Nowlan agreed to power up Tower and the others which gave them the upper hand in their fight against X-Factor. Tower slammed Angel out of the air, but was almost downed himself by Iceman who used the full force of his cold powers to turn the giant's body numb and unresponsive. Pasternak was saved by his charged up teammate Stinger who zapped Iceman. Both Tower and Stinger were having a hard time with X-Factor's leader Cyclops who was the last one standing, until Frenzy knocked him out. The Alliance took Nowlan and his wife to see Apocalypse in his chateau.

(X-Factor I#6) - Apocalypse was curious to find out why there were unknown mutants with Nowlan when reports stated the mutant hunting X-Factor agents were actually seen going into Nowlan's hideout. He tasked the Alliance to find out the truth. After Tower threatened to kill his ex-wife, Nowlan revealed what he'd learned: X-Factor was little more than a front for a group of mutants to find and rescue members of their own kind. Nowlan then begged to have some drugs, which the Alliance refused because the heroin blocked his power-amplifying abilities. Figuring Nowlan might still be holding back information, Stinger suggested they should beat up Susan to get him to talk. Watching Tower and Stinger threaten the woman he loved kicked Nowlan's mutant powers into overdrive, augmenting the Alliance's abilities to levels far beyond their control. Tower grew too big too quickly and Stinger let out an electric explosion that destroyed a huge part of the chateau.

(X-Factor I#6 - BTS) - Stinger's explosion caught the attention of X-Factor still in the area looking for Nowlan.

(X-Factor I#6) - With Tower, Stinger and Timeshadow unable to stop Nowlan, it was up to Frenzy to knock him out. Before the fighting mad mutant could do so, Apocalypse arrived from his underground labs to stop the fighting. He had Nowlan placed in the monitor machine he'd been using to control his powers. With the situation once again under control, Apocalypse retreated to his lab with Nowlan. Though he wasn't pleased with the Alliance, he did commend them for furthering his goals through their continued reign of destruction. Later that night, Tower and the others caught Jean Grey and Angel sneaking up on the chateau. While Beast snuck inside to free Nowlan, the other X-Factor members engaged the Alliance. The fight was interrupted by Apocalypse who emerged from his labs with Nowlan hooked up to the machine, Susan by his side. Apocalypse forced Nowlan to juice up the Alliance, but when Susan got injured during the fight he got so riled up he broke free from the device's control and started amplifying everyone's powers before dying in the process. Without Nowlan, Apocalypse no longer had an interest in both the Alliance and X-Factor. He departed, telling his former lackeys they should not try to find him anymore. Feeling they couldn't turn in fellow mutants, X-Factor allowed the Alliance to go free. Tower and the others tried to escape, only to run into the police who immediately arrested them.

(X-Factor I#7) - During Tower's arrest he told a TV reporter that he and his friends were innocent and just protecting their mutant friends from the mutant hunters X-Factor. He also insinuated that X-Factor and the dangerous mutants, including Cyclops and Iceman, were in cahoots because they practically showed up together all the time.

(X-Factor I#33 (fb) - BTS) - Following their arrest in California, Tower and his fellow Alliance members were imprisoned. They were eventually transferred to a facility in the state of New York.

(X-Factor I#33) - Infuriated by the news of the passing of the Mutant Registration Act, the Alliance of Evil broke out of prison and went to New York City to violently protest the act. They ran across TV reporter Trish Tilby and her crew who were reporting on the many unexplained freak incidents plaguing Manhattan (a result of the limbo demons'  growing influence). Frenzy explained the Alliance's goal and challenged their old enemies X-Factor to come and fight them, even as Tower couldn't help but say hi to his mom. The Alliance learned from a passersby that some members of X-Factor were shopping for clothes nearby, leading Tower to throw a car through the store window. The vehicle was stopped by Iceman who engaged the enlarged villain. The Alliance held their own against X-Factor, even tempting the team's youthful ward Rusty Collins to consider joining them since he was already on the run from the law. The tides turned when Cyclops and a newly mutated Beast arrived on the scene. Tower was downed by one of Boom-Boom's kinetic time-bombs and knocked out by Rictor who directed his shockwaves at the giant's temples. As soon as X-Factor had dealt with the other Alliance members, they were surprised by the arrival of Freedom Force, who had come to take the villains into custody.

(New Mutants Annual I#7 (fb) - BTS) - The Alliance's exploits were noticed by both Cerebro and the time traveling mutant mercenary Cable who analyzed the threat levels of the individual members. He rated Tower a 7, while his teammates Frenzy and Stinger had scores of 6 and 3 respectively. Cable felt they were pretty pathetic altogether.

(New Mutants Annual I#7 - BTS) - Eventually, the Alliance of Evil was hired by Genetech (secretly working for AIM) to assist on a special project. They were tasked to protect the mother and son team of Harness and Piecemeal who were traveling around the world to absorb the residual energies that once made up the mutant reality warper Proteus.

(New Mutants Annual I#7) - Piecemeal's senses eventually led Harness and the Alliance to the Saint Simons Academy in Vermont. While mother and son remained in the Alliance's helicopter, parked on the grounds, Tower, Stinger and Frenzy dealt with both the cops and the X-Terminators who had been enrolled at the academy. During the fight, Tower made short work of the opposition, smashing the X-Terminator's makeshift attack craft to pieces and even taking great pleasure in stomping on the disabled Whiz Kid, severely injuring the paraplegic preteen in the process. After Piecemeal had absorbed the Proteus energies present, the Alliance continued on.

(New Mutants Annual I#7 - BTS) - The Alliance's attack on the X-Terminators caught the attention of X-Force and their mentor Cable. They vowed to track down the villains.

(New Mutants Annual I#7) - Piecemeal brought Harness and the Alliance to Niagara Falls. Following protocol, the Alliance scared away civilians before Piecemeal was forced to "sniff out" the location of the residual energies. While Piecemeal and Harness went to work, they were unaware X-Force had arrived to take down the Alliance. Jumping from their heli, the mutant teens attacked. Shatterstar quickly darted towards Tower, slicing the tendons in his ankle with his double edged sword and forcing him down. When Frenzy and Stinger were defeated, X-Force failed to prevent Harness and Piecemeal to escape via the teleport mechanism in her armor. With only Tower left conscious, Cable and Domino decided to interrogate the still giant-sized mercenary by pointing their guns at his temples in an attempt to make him talk.

(New Mutants Annual I#7 - BTS) - Scared for his life, Tower told the mutant team all he knew about who had hired the Alliance. This led X-Force to investigate Genetech headquarters.

(Uncanny X-Men Annual I#17 (fb) - BTS) - Leaving the Alliance, Tower struck out on his own and eventually was drafted into some war in El Salvador, Central America.

    Regretting his involvement and wishing he had asked for time-and-a-half, Tower subsequently got drunk at a bar in San Miguel, El Salvador where he started to bully the local population. Tower was unaware he had caught the attention of the X-Cutioner.

(Uncanny X-Men Annual I#17) - The X-Cutioner caught up with Tower just as he was getting drunk on tequila at the local bar, harassing the waitress and threatening to kill her if she wasn't "nice" to him. Completely unprepared for the X-Cutioner's attack, Tower was in no condition to defend himself. The X-Cutioner effortlessly defeated him, leaving only the smouldering remains of his enlarged corpse.

(X-Necrosha#1 - BTS) - Tower was among the many deceased friends, foes, allies and X-Men acquaintances who were revived by Selene and pressed into service as part of her Undead Army through a combination of magic and the transmode virus. Teleported in by Blink (Clarice Ferguson), Tower joined forces to attack the X-Men.

(X-Force III#21) - Tower was seen on Utopia fighting Rogue.

(X-Force III#22) - Unaware of and uncaring about the larger conflict playing itself out, Tower supposedly continued his assault. (see comments).

Comments: Created by Bob Layton, Jackson Guice, and Joe Rubinstein.

    What if Hank Pym was actually a dim-witted thug? Well, then you call him Erik Josten, sure. But if he needs to be a dim-witted mutant thug as well...Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Tower.

    The Alliance of Evil was addicted to the effects of Michael Nowlan's power amplification. When he died, they were carted off to jail where, presumably, they went through one heck of a withdrawal. The addict angle also makes it a tad difficult to believe Apocalypse allowed Pasternak to do freelance work. Or that he was even able to before needing another fix.

    As for Artie Maddicks placing Tower in a "mindlock", the little tyke hasn't exhibited any mental powers whatsoever since those early Bob Layton X-Factor issues. In other words, that's best left forgotten just like those early Bob Layton X-Factor issues.
    Tower, solo and part of the Alliance of Evil, received profiles in the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Deluxe Edition#13 and Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Update 89#1.

Profile by Norvo.

CLARIFICATIONS:
Tower should not be confused with:

images: (without ads)
Official Handbook Marvel Deluxe Edition#13, p49, pan1 (main image)
New Mutants Annual I#7, p7, pans7-9 (stomps on Wiz Kid)
New Mutants Annual I#7, p23, pans1-3 (forced to talk by X-Force)
X-Men Annual I#17, p3, pans4-5 (killed by X-Cutioner)
X-Force III#21, p7, pan3 (revived by Selene)

Appearances:
X-Factor I#2 (March, 1986) - Bob Layton (writer), Jackson Guice (pencils), Joe Rubinstein (inks), Bob Harras (editor)
X-Factor I#3 (April, 1986) - Bob Layton (writer), Jackson Guice (pencils), Joe Rubinstein (inks), Bob Harras (editor)
X-Factor I#4 (May, 1986) - Bob Layton (writer), Keith Pollard (pencils), Joe Rubinstein (inks), Bob Harras (editor)
X-Factor I#5 (June, 1986) - Bob Layton (writer), Jackson Guice (pencils), Joe Rubinstein (inks), Bob Harras (editor)
X-Factor I#6 (July, 1986) - Louise Simonson (writer), Jackson Guice (pencils), Bob McLeod (inks), Bob Harras (editor)
X-Factor I#7 (August, 1986) - Louise Simonson (writer), Jackson Guice (pencils), Joe Rubinstein (inks), Bob Harras (editor)
X-Factor I#33 (October, 1988) - Louise Simonson (writer), Walter Simonson (pencils), Bob Wiacek (inks), Bob Harras (editor)
New Mutants Annual I#7 (August, 1991) - Fabian Nicieza (writer), Guang Yap (pencils), Dan Panosian (inks), Bob Harras (editor)
Uncanny X-Men Annual I#17 (June, 1993) - Scott Lobdell (writer), Jason Pearson (pencils), Mark Farmer (inks), Bob Harras (editor)
X-Necrosha#1 (December, 2009) - Craig Kylie, Chris Yost (writers), Clayton Crain (pencils & inks), Jeanine Schaefer, Nick Lowe (editors)
X-Force III#21 (January, 2010) - Craig Kyle & Chris Yost (writer), Clayton Crain (pencils & inks), Jeanine Schaefer (editor)
X-Force III#22 (February, 2010) - Craig Kylie, Chris Yost (writers), Clayton Crain (pencils, inks), Jeanine Schaefer (editor)

First Posted: 03/09/2016
Last updated: 10/20/2020

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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