VANGAARD

Real Name: Johnathon Lowell Spencer "Johnny" Storm

Identity/Class: Extra-dimensional/Extra-temporal (Earth-A, Void dimensions) mutate

Occupation: Former eliminator of redundant timelines, former guardian of the nexus connecting the dimensions of Earth-A, Earth-616, the Fifth Dimension, and Polemachus

Group Membership: None

Affiliations: (formerly) Arkon, Roxxon Oil Company/Inter-Related Technocracies;

Enemies: Black Panther (T'Challa), Fantastic Force (Devlor, Huntara, Psi-Lord, Vibraxas), Human Torch (Johnny Storm), Thing, Thing of Earth-A (Reed Richards), Warlord Kargul and his enemies (Elsewhen dimension)

Known Relatives: Susan Storm Grimm of Earth-A (sister)

Aliases: Gaard (former)

Base of Operations: The Void dimension (aka the Great Void); formerly Earth-A dimension

First Appearance: Gaard: Fantastic Four I#162 (October, 1975);
    Vangaard: Fantastic Force#11 (September, 1995)

 

 

 

 

Powers: Gaard had powers along the lines of a "super-hockey-player." He had super-human strength and speed. He wears a set of skates that enable him to navigate through empty space. He possessed a stick (Cosmic Sceptre) with which he could deflect most oncoming projectiles, as well as use as an offensive weapon: either as a blunt weapon or discharging powerful "electron-blasts" on contact. His costume was padded and he wore a mask to protect himself from injury. His hand-to-eye coordination was exceptional, if not superhuman, as well.

As Vangaard, he possessed great energy and reality-manipulative power. He existed upon multiple planes of reality simultaneously. He was powerful enough to bring about the destruction of entire timelines. He possessed superhuman strength (up to Class 100) and vast resistance to injury. He used an advanced form of his Cosmic Sceptre, which could release devastating bursts of energy.

 

 

 

History: (Fantastic Force#12(fb1) ) - Vangaard was originally Johnny Storm of the Earth-A dimension, an other-dimensional counterpart to the man who became the second Human Torch in the prime Earth-616 dimension. In the timeline of Earth-A, Johnny Storm was not part of the mission that flew into space and gained superhuman powers; instead, he was drafted into the army and blown apart on the battlefield during a foreign war.

Somehow, his life was saved when the scientists of Polemachus (most likely assisted by those of the Roxxon Oil Company) recovered his nearly-dead body. They brought him to their dimension and rebuilt him in body and mind to become Gaard, a single-minded agent of their Imperion, Arkon.

(Fantastic Four I#162-163) - Following the defeat of Arkon's plan to cause an inter-dimensional war between three dimensions (Earth-A, the Fifth Dimension, and Earth-616), the Thing was sent to destroy the nexus between Polemachus and those realms to prevent Arkon from trying again. The Thing was given a small disc to place in the nexus, which would cause it to implode. However, upon arriving, the Thing found that the nexus was defended by Gaard. Gaard was too quick and powerful for the Thing, who was unable to get the puck...I mean disc...into the goal...I mean nexus.

 However,Reed Richards managed to project an image of his own Earth-A counterpart, the Thing, holding an imitation of the disc, to distract Gaard. As Gaard pursued the image, the Thing sideswiped him and sunk the disc into the nexus, destroying it. Dejected by his failure, Gaard skated off into the void, leaving the Thing to return to Earth.

 

 

 

 

(Fantastic Force#12(fb)) - Storm was changed physically, mentally, and emotionally by his encounter with the Void. He was transformed into the powerful entity known as Vangaard. He took as his new purpose to transcend the omniversal constant and voyage from reality to reality as the harbinger of the Void, eliminating those timelines deemed redundant.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(Fantastic Force#11-12) - Vangaard arrived in the dimension of Elsewhen and declared that he would destroy it. He was opposed by Warlord Kargul, ruler of Elsewhen and his armies, as well as the Fantastic Force. Huntara used her psychic scythe to learn Vangaard's origins, but neither the armies nor the Fantastic Force could stop him. Psi-Lord removed his energy dampening exo-skeleton to risk accessing his full powers to oppose Vangaard, but their powers were too destructive, threatening to rend the entire time/space continuum asunder. Finally, Huntara thought to send the Human Torch against him. When the Torch flamed off, Vangaard was taken aback. Faced with the hero he might have been, Vangaard turned from his path of destruction, and embarked on a new quest to assist other timelines in need of "closure." He credited the Torch with granting him a conscience.

Comments: Gaard was created by Roy Thomas and Rich Buckler.
    Vangaard was created by Tom Brevoort and Mike Kanterovich.

The war that nearly killed this Johnny Storm was originally described as the Viet Nam conflict--topical on Earth-616, but Earth-A may have a different history or passage of time.

Other Dimensional counterparts of characters from Earth-616 are referred to specifically by their dimension. Characters from Earth-616 are referred to without a dimension being named.

Vangaard could be an agent of Oblivion, but that was never discussed.

Four timelines were shown in Vangaard's past, indicating they may have been destroyed by him

  1. Earth-A (Earth-721)
  2. Earth-Fantastic Four-alternate powers: Big Brain/Dragonfly/Mandroid/Ultra-Woman (Earth-7712)
  3. Earth-Fantastic Four gained different powers: Ben possessed super-strength in human form; Johnny became some form of energy instead of flame; Reed possessed a Modok-like body and chair;Sue could fire energy blasts (Earth-95122)
  4. Earth-Fantastic Four were Ivan Kragoff/Red Ghost and his Super-Apes (Earth-95121)

Clarifications:
Vangaard has no connection to:

Vangaard's Void may or may not have some connection to:

images: (without ads)
Fantastic Force#12, Cover (main image)
Fantastic Four I#163, Cover (Gaard)
(Vangaard in front of alternate Earths)

Appearances:
Fantastic Four I#162-163 (September-October, 1975) - Roy Thomas (writer/editor), Rich Buckler (pencils), Joe Sinnott (inks)
Fantastic Force#12 (October, 1995) - Tom Brevoort & Mike Kanterovich (writers), Dante Bastianoni & Pino Renaldi (pencils), Ralph Cabrera (inks), Nel Yomtov (editor)

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

First Posted: 09/09/2001 (?)
Last Updated: 05/01/2004

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