Neither Here Nor There

Can YOU

Name This Marvel Villain??

I wouldn't trust this guy as far as I could throw him--which, given his power, would be a little difficult. Canny and crafty, the abilities of the Vanisher not only enabled him to strike at will, but also to impress members of the underworld enough so that they gladly put themselves at his beck and call:

Yet his reach proved to exceed his grasp, stealing vital secret plans from the government and then demanding an exorbitant ransom for their return. Overconfident in his superiority and his ability to evade capture, the Vanisher and his flunkies brazenly attempted to collect the ransom in broad daylight, and in view of one of the most secure government installations in the country. But he found Charles Xavier waiting for him, the one person who could effectively render his power inert and enable authorities to capture him:

Unveiling this little tactic in only the second issue of the X-Men book certainly begged the question in later issues of why Xavier didn't pull the rug out from under all of the team's opponents in similar fashion.  I suppose that in those days, he was so concerned with keeping a low profile that he only accompanied the X-Men on their missions when his direct involvement was necessary.

The Vanisher never really works successfully as a free agent again, spending the rest of his career either being conscripted to various groups or otherwise used to further the plans of others.  If he'd decided to be less visible and ambitious, and kept his heists under the radar, there's no end to the wealth and position his power could have granted him.  Really, if you had super-abilities and decided to live a life of crime, would you practically invite others to trip you up??

By the way, if you're wondering why the Vanisher's headdress seems so familiar, you might be thinking of that alien from Independence Day: