THE HELPER

Real Name: Yusef Abbas

Identity/Class: Human mutant (? - see comments)

Occupation: Convenience store employee, high school student

Group Membership: None

Affiliations: Captain America (Steve Rogers), Clyde Dobronski, Olga

Enemies: S.H.I.E.L.D. (Bartles, others);
    formerly Clyde Dobronski

Known Relatives: Unidentified father and mother

Aliases: "Kid," "Son," "Young Man"

Base of Operations: Toledo, Ohio, USA

First Appearance: Civil War: Marvels Snapshots#1 (February, 2021)

Powers/Abilities: The Helper possesses minor elemental abilities, allowing him to transform elements in his vicinity into other elements. For example, he has been shown to transmute fog from oxygen, transform water into ice, suppress fires, remove lead from water, rearrange pavement to correct potholes, transmute elements in the air to create small rain clouds to water plants and redirect breezes to reduce his weight and create a shield of oxygen to protect himself from chemical inhalation.

Height: 5'10" (by approximation)
Weight: 155 lbs. (by approximation)
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Black

History: (Civil War: Marvels Snapshots#1 (fb)) - As a child, Yusef Abbas was a big fan of superheroes and hoped to one day become one. One day in young teen years, Yusef discovered that he had minor elemental abilities and, realizing that his powers were more like tricks instead of full powers, Yusef decided to use his powers to help others rather than save the world. During an early use of his powers, Yusef fixed a local pothole by transforming pavement to fill in the hole. Donning a small mask, Yusef dubbed himself the Helper and became a minor hero in his own right, using his powers to help others such as generating small rain clouds to water rooftop plants. At some point, the Helper saved a man's grandchildren from a fire, rescued children at the zoo and tried to help others by removing lead from his town's water supply. One night, while watching television with his mother, Yusef witnessed the supervillain Nitro exploding, killing numerous civilians in Stamford, Connecticut. Nervous, Yusef tried to go about his normal life but grew increasingly worried when his homeroom teacher spoke about the government finally doing something about the superheroic "freaks" and when customers in his family store said similar things. Following the passage of the Superhuman Registration Act (SHRA), Yusef continued trying to live a normal life but when his help was needed during a chemical spill, he nonetheless arrived on the scene as the Helper. Recognizing the Helper from his earlier rescue of children at the zoo, the chemical plant employees asked the Helper to get inside the plant to shut off a valve before the other employees trapped inside became endangered. Rearranging breezes to create a shield from chemical inhalation, the Helper ventured inside the plant but found the valve stuck in place. Figuring he would die trying to save the plant employees, the Helper was surprised when Captain America appeared on the scene and helped turn off the valve while the Helper continued shielding them from chemical inhalation. Once the area was safe, the Helper admitted he had considered giving up heroics to not break the SHRA law until he heard about the chemical spill. Captain America then inspired the Helper to continue his activities by reminding him that good was above any program.

(Civil War: Marvels Snapshots#1) - S.H.I.E.L.D. agents (including Clyde Dobronski and Bartles) arrived in Toledo, Ohio to apprehend the Helper for violating the Superhuman Registration Act by failing to register. Captured by the agents, the Helper watched as numerous townspeople came to his defense, insisting he had helped them, but S.H.I.E.L.D. warned the civilians to depart or risk arrest. Not wishing to see anyone hurt, the Helper used his powers to generate a mist in hopes of disappearing in the distraction but the agents switched to infrared vision. When Agent Clyde Dobronski warned that the Helper did not want to fight them, the Helper asked why they couldn't just leave him alone as he used his powers to transform a puddle into ice, causing Dobronski to slip. The Helper then tried to run for it but Bartles fired taser rounds into the Helper, shocking him to the ground. Bartles then roughly apprehended the Helper but Dobronski reminded Bartles that the Helper was done. Imprisoned within S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Toledo, Ohio field office until a regional crew could arrive the next day to transfer him to a detention facility, the Helper was informed by Dobronski that the room was equipped with power dampeners capable of suppressing the Helper's superhuman powers. Reading the Helper's file, Dobronski was surprised to learn the Helper was just a kid and informed that the Helper would be prevented from contacting his family until the regional crew processed him the following day. The Helper accused Dobronski of being a fascist and Dobronski tried to explain how S.H.I.E.L.D. was attempting to keep the peace. When Dobronski asked why the Helper didn't just go along with the program, the Helper proclaimed that the program "sucked" and Dobronski replied that the Helper was just a kid and didn't know any different. Revealing his backstory and his inspiration from Captain America to Dobronski, the Helper heard Dobronski admit his understanding of how inspirational Captain America could be and accused Dobronski of siding with the group that had attacked Captain America and caused the death of the heroic Goliath. Dobronski tried to say Goliath's death was an accident but the Helper replied by suggesting that, if Dobronski really was a good cop, he had some serious questions to ask himself.

The conversation was then interrupted by S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Bartles, who brought in a new prisoner, a young girl named Olga. From his cell, the Helper watched as Bartles was overly rough with Olga and Clyde Dobronski came to her defense, reminding Bartles that Olga was just a kid. When Bartles left and Dobronski tried to introduce himself to Olga, the Helper laughed and said Olga would not talk to Dobronski. The Helper then introduced himself to Olga, revealing his real name, and asked if it was true that she could fly. Upon hearing Olga's backstory and how she was simply flying for fun and not engaged in vigilante activity when S.H.I.E.L.D. apprehended her, the Helper exclaimed that it always started with an excuse until everyone ended up in handcuffs. Dobronski then suggested the two get rest before they were transferred the next morning but Dobronski himself ended up dozing off instead, awakening to see the Helper attempting to overload the facility's power dampeners. Dobronski warned that the dampeners would electrocute if the Helper didn't stop but the Helper insisted that he could not go to whatever concentration camp S.H.I.E.L.D. was sending him to. Dobronski continued trying to get the Helper to stop risking himself until Bartles returned, having forgotten something, and saw the Helper attempting to escape. Drawing his weapon, Bartles nearly attacked the Helper but Dobronski, having grown sympathetic towards the two imprisoned kids, smashed his coffee mug over Bartles' head. Dobronski then shut down the power dampeners and freed the surprised Helper and Olga. Leading the two to a side entrance where they could escape, Dobronski assured the Helper that he would figure things out after the Helper remarked that Dobronski was going to be in serious trouble for attacking Bartles and setting them free. Dobronski then told the Helper to make sure Olga got home safe but Olga smiled and said she would make sure the Helper was safe. The Helper then explained that he could redirect the wind to offset his weight so Olga could carry him while flying. Dobronski then watched the two kids fly away and called his son Donnie on the phone, unsure if he would be seeing him for awhile after he was punished by S.H.I.E.L.D.

Comments: Created by Saladin Ahmed and Ryan Kelly.

It was never directly stated how the Helper acquired his superhuman powers, only that he "found out he had them." Given that the panel of him learning of his powers shows him in his early teens and that he "found out about them," I'm leaning towards the Helper being a mutant.

Profile by Proto-Man.

CLARIFICATIONS:
The Helper has no known connections to:


Olga

Olga was a young girl with the ability to fly. Not interested in becoming a superhero, Olga used her powers for fun after the Superhuman Registration Act passed. Thinking she would be fine since she was not using her powers for vigilante activities, Olga was nonetheless apprehended by S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Bartles and taken to S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Toledo, Ohio field office in handcuffs that prevented her from using her powers. Placed in a cell until she could be transferred to a detention facility, Olga met the element-transmuting Helper. When Bartles returned and found the Helper attempting to overload the facility's power dampeners, he nearly attacked the Helper until S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Clyde Dobronski, having become sympathetic to the treatment of Olga and the Helper, smashed his coffee mug over Bartles' head. Dobronski then freed Olga and the Helper and led them to an exit, telling the Helper to make sure Olga got home safe. Olga smiled and instead said she would make sure the Helper was safe. When the Helper said he could offset his weight by redirecting the winds as Olga carried him, Olga sarcastically remarked that their escape would be fun. The two then flew away from the S.H.I.E.L.D. facility.

Olga could fly via unrevealed means.



--Civil War: Marvels Snapshots#1


images: (without ads)
Civil War: Marvels Snapshots#1, p13, pan1 (The Helper, main image)
Civil War: Marvels Snapshots#1, p24, pan1 (The Helper, headshot)
Civil War: Marvels Snapshots#1, p12, pan4 (young Yusef using powers)
Civil War: Marvels Snapshots#1, p17, pan1 (The Helper in prison)
Civil War: Marvels Snapshots#1, p29, pan3 (Olga)


Appearances:
Civil War: Marvels Snapshots#1 (February, 2021) - Saladin Ahmed (writer), Ryan Kelly (art), Darren Shan (editor)


First Posted: 03/25/2021
Last updated: 03/25/2021

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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