The Ties That Bind!

 

Can YOU

Name This Marvel Villain??

Diplomat, author, presidential advisor, historian, university professor, foreign affairs authority... one look at this man's vita would have you wondering why anyone with such noted credentials would set out to bring the country under his rule. But as we'll learn, there are deeper facets to Anthony Power than what appear on the surface--and the ruthless man who will become known as Professor Power in a more notorious sense will come to pursue his worldview with both drive and determination.

By the time we meet him, Power has already put certain wheels in motion in that respect, having dropped out of public sight for the past decade and withdrawing from both educational and political spheres of influence--but it's the fate of his son, Matthew, that would set him down his path and provide us with a profile of the man which would serve to explain (at least in the beginning) why Power would take a more proactive stance in achieving "peace."

When the most skilled medical talent in the world failed to effect a cure for [his son] Matthew[, rendered catatonic following a complete nervous breakdown while deployed in Viet Nam], Professor Power began to change his views of himself and his country. Losing faith in the American system, Professor Power soon became convinced that American universities were instilling apathy and cowardice in their students, and that the United States' leaders were so terrified of worldwide nuclear war that they were deliberately dragging America down in what he believed to be meaningless conflicts like the Viet Nam war. Taking as his models Alexander the Great and the Roman emperors, who dominated virtually the entire Western civilized world of their times, Professor Power decided that worldwide peace could be achieved only if one mind--one power--controlled the entire Earth.

Power believed that America must move against what he saw as the enemies of democracy and to annihilate all threats to freedom. Determined to be that one mind that dominated the entire world, Professor Power dedicated himself to this challenge. Receiving almost unlimited funding from supporters, the already wealthy Power began organizing his underground movement of so-called "ultra-patriots."

- Excerpt from The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe, Deluxe Edition

Even so, it is still Matthew who is uppermost in Power's thoughts, which leads him to invite Charles Xavier to his compound under false pretenses in order to grasp at a last straw toward bringing his son back to consciousness.

By now, Power has broached with Xavier the possibility of achieving his ends without all-out war breaking out in the conventional sense. "Why, a telepath such as yourself could join with others of like power and, very quietly, very cleanly, wipe out all opposition overnight." We would later see Power more formally exercise this option (in stories coordinated by Power's creator and writer, J.M. DeMatteis); but in a demonstration that he has already explored it to some degree, he makes it clear to Xavier that his telepathic power will be used in accordance with Power's wishes, in spite of Xavier's reticence.

Unfortunately, the subsequent mental battle between Xavier and Mentallo would also inadvertently take its toll on Matthew, as Xavier delivers the grim news to Power that his son's mental recovery is now no longer possible.

There couldn't be more clear evidence here that Power has taken full responsibility for Matthew's fate; but shortly afterward (in our time, six months), it appears that Power has regrouped and recommitted himself to his plans by not only taking part in a shocking transferral, but also now holding Xavier fully responsible for Matthew's brain death.

Later, having failed in his repeated attempts at using telepaths to realize his goals, Power joined his resources to those of the Secret Empire and took a much different approach toward world dominance, throwing subtlety to the wind and moving on to methods which other madmen before him have resorted to--all for the sake of his son's memory. Yet the capture of the Defenders, with three former X-Men in their lineup, proves that while Power has put his wish for vengeance against Xavier on the back burner, he has not fully put it aside.

Yet things take a turn for the worse for Power, as the Defenders escape their confinement and succeed in stopping his deadly satellite from reaching orbit (though the situation is touch and go at one point). It soon became clear that the Secret Empire held Power responsible for the Defenders' interference--and after Power has, ah, expressed his own opinion in response, he decides that retreat is his most prudent course of action before government agents reach the site, at least for the time being.

With their brownstone all but trashed from the attack of Power's robot forces, the Defenders return to the Angel's aerie in New Mexico--only to receive quite a shock at the sight of a man who, having failed to see his plan reach fruition, now vents his wrath against the Defenders for being thwarted. And there would appear to be grudging consensus among the team that Power may well succeed in killing them all--but the team's loose cannon, Moondragon, will take drastic steps to ensure otherwise.

Which would seem to put an end to Power's threat indefinitely, if not for good. But nearly four years later, Power disappears from SHIELD custody (likely due to SHIELD agents on his payroll), but eventually tracked to property he owns in the Adirondack mountains in upper New York--where Captain America (at this point in time replaced by John Walker, the former Super-Patriot) and his partner, Battlestar, are sent to retrieve him. But though they arrive in time to interrupt those still loyal to Power attempting to restore his higher brain functions, time finally runs out for Anthony Power, due to Walker having become unhinged following the murder of his parents.

Yet, since it's the body of Matthew Power which has been killed, what no one realizes at the time is that Power's mind then reverted to its rightful body. (Kept on ice, we can only presume--the man really does have contingencies for just about anything, doesn't he.)

After another four years pass, we catch up with Power, where he's presently attempting to mass-produce Iron Monger armor--an operation Iron Man has brought the Avengers West Coast group to bust up while he sees to rescuing Power's prisoner, Tony Stark's friend Jim Rhodes.

Iron Man is successful in bringing an end to Power's operation, though the last exchange between the two is telling in regard to assigning blame in Matthew's death. Power is admittedly correct in calling Iron Man's misstatement of the truth for what it is, since there can be no doubt that Walker was guilty of manslaughter in dealing with Power (in Matthew's body); the fact that Power essentially put his son in harm's way in no way absolves Walker of his action. (If Stan Lee were still inserting editorial footnotes in stories, he might have signed that "Set-The-Record-Straight Stan" (which I think he did somewhere at some point!).)

That particular storyline, which spanned three annuals (Avengers West Coast, Darkhawk, and Iron Man), concluded with Power's death following his retreat to A.I.M. headquarters and that complex's explosive destruction. But if you've guessed by now that a man like Power has staying power and isn't going to let a little thing like death do more than slow him down, gold star for you. The man even goes so far as to leave instructions to his operatives to exhume his son's body and once again transfer his mind to it--which we can all probably agree assures that the man has now literally sunk as low as he can go.