Air-Walker

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caption=The Air-Walker battles Thor on the cover of Thor #305 (vol. 1, Mar. 1981). Art by Keith Pollard.
comic_color=background:#ff8080
character_name=Air-Walker
real_name=Gabriel Lan
publisher=Marvel Comics
debut=(robot form): "Fantastic Four" #120 (vol. 1, Mar. 1972)
(real form):"Thor" #306 (vol. 1, Apr. 1981).
creators=Stan Lee and John Buscema
alliance_color=background:#cccccc
species=Xandarian
homeworld=Planet Xandar in the Tranta system, Andromeda galaxy
alliances=Heralds of Galactus Nova Corps
aliases=Archangel Gabriel, Nova Centurion
powers=Use of Power Cosmic

The Air-Walker (Gabriel Lan) is a character in the fictional Marvel Universe. The character was created by Stan Lee and John Buscema and first appears in Fantastic Four #120 (vol. 1, Mar. 1972).

Fictional character biography

Gabriel Lan was a member of the Xandarian Nova Corps and the captain of the diplomatic and exploratory spaceship "Way-Opener". Returning from a mission in space, the Way-Opener was confronted by the vessel of the cosmic entity Galactus, who abducts Lan and offers to transform him into a herald, in a similar fashion to the Silver Surfer.

A willing Lan accepts and becomes the Air-Walker. Pyreus Kril, the Way-Opener's first officer and Lan's friend, becomes obsessed with finding Galactus after the abduction. Lan becomes devoted to Galactus, and on one journey to seek a planet for sustenance for Galactus, battles the alien race the Ovoids. The Ovoids manage to kill Lan, but not before Galactus retrieves and transfers the last spark of Lan's soul to an android body. [All seen in flashback in "Thor" #306 (vol. 1, Apr. 1981)]

Dissatisfied with the android, Galactus sends it to Earth to re-enlist the Silver Surfer as his Herald. The Air-Walker encounters the Fantastic Four, and is then defeated by the Surfer, who guesses at the android's true nature. Mr. Fantastic reprograms Galactus' ship to take him to the Negative Zone, where he will apparently have an abundance of worlds to consume. ["Fantastic Four" #120 - 123 (Fantastic Four vol. 1, Mar. - Jun. 1972)] The remnants of the Air-Walker are found by the villain Machinesmith. ["Captain America" #249 (vol. 1, Sep. 1980)]

The android eventually repairs itself and reactivates. Believing itself to be the original Gabriel Lan, the Air-Walker attempts to find the Surfer, but encounters the Thunder God, Thor. The Air-Walker's ability to wield Thor's hammer Mjolnir reveals its non-human nature, and Thor destroys the android. ["Thor" #305 (vol. 1, Mar. 1981)] Another of Galactus' former Heralds, Firelord, learns of the battle and confronts Thor. Firelord reveals that he was once Pyreus Kril, and eventually located Galactus' vessel and confronted the entity. Galactus agreed to reveal Lan's fate on the condition that Pyreus serve him as his latest Herald. Firelord then returns to space with the remains of the android. ["Thor" #306 (vol. 1, Apr. 1981)]

Years later Firelord and the Surfer revive the android to aid in a battle against Galactus' most ruthless Herald, Morg, ["Silver Surfer" #73 - 75 (vol. 3, Oct. - Dec. 1992)] who later completely destroys the Air-Walker. ["Silver Surfer" #79 (vol. 3, Apr. 1993)] Lan's consciousness is then absorbed into the computer of Galactus' Worldship, and in data form directs Galactus to uninhabited worlds. The Worldship is later destroyed in a battle with the entity Tyrant. ["Silver Surfer" #109 (vol. 3, Oct. 1995)] The Air-Walker is restored to physical form later and battles the Annihilation Wave alongside his fellow Heralds, but is destroyed once again. ["Annihilation: Silver Surfer" #1 - 4 (2006)]

Powers and abilities

Gabriel Lan was a normal man until transformed by Galactus. Endowed with the Power Cosmic, Lan as the Air-Walker possessed superhuman strength, reflexes and durability, mastery of the electromagnetic spectrum and total immunity to the rigors of space. Like all Heralds, the Air-Walker was capable of travelling faster than the speed of light. Gabriel Lan graduated from the Xandarian Nova Corps Academy, and in addition to a thorough knowledge of combat has knowledge of advanced alien technology and space navigation.

The android version of Lan appears to possess all the same abilities, in addition to a unique self-repair system.

References

External links

* [http://www.marveldirectory.com/individuals/a/airwalker.htm "Marvel Directory"'s profile on Air-Walker]
* [http://marvel.com/universe/Air-Walker_%28Gabriel_Lan%29 Air-Walker on the Marvel bio wiki]