TORRENT

Real Name: Jared Carstairs

Identity/Class: Human; technology and magic-user

Occupation: Currently unknown;
    former professional criminal;
    former weatherman

Group Membership: None

Affiliations: Godstorm;
    formerly Maureen and Mr. Scanlon

Enemies: Avengers (Captain America, Giant-Man, Iron Man (Tony Stark), Thor, Wasp), Maureen and Mr. Scanlon, Odin, Thor

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: Weather-Maker

Base of Operations: New York

First Appearance: Thor: Godstorm#1 (November, 2001)

Powers/Abilities: Carstairs is a skilled weatherman, possibly a meteorologist, and a skilled inventor.

    As Weather-Maker, Carstairs used a suit to generate various weather effects; it also served as protective armor. He used a gun able to project hail or coat others with ice.

    As Torrent, Carstairs could generate various weather effects, to a much greater extent, via magic. He could generate wind, rain, lightning, cyclones, and even great explosive force, etc.

History:
(Thor: Godstorm#1 (fb)) - Jared Carstairs was the weatherman on Mr. Scanlon's TV channel. Though he was successful and brilliant, he was quite arrogant. He asked Scanlon's daughter, Maureen, on a date, and though she initially refused, she eventually accepted due to pressure from her father. Carstairs bored her with his bragging about himself, and he later became physically aggressive, at which point she slapped him and broke contact. Carstairs continued to stalk Maureen, and her father eventually fired him. Driven over the bend, Jared designed a costume and became the Weather-Maker and kidnapped Maureen, at which point the Avengers intervened.

 

 

 

 

 

(Thor: Godstorm#1 (ff)) - The Weather-Maker held off each of the Avengers in turn, but Thor was delayed, as Odin tried to call Thor to Asgard to assist in the war against the Trolls. Thor ultimately refused, and he then demolished Weather-Maker's power-pack, eliminating his threat. Carstairs was taken to prison, but he then used a piece of circuitry concealed within a hollow tooth in an effort to summon a powerful storm. He did indeed summon a powerful storm, in fact, the Godstorm, which had long ago been imprisoned by Thor. The Godstorm lent its power to Carstairs, transforming him into Torrent in hopes that he could be the Godstorm's vessel of vengeance against Thor, who had since gone to Asgard to assist in the Troll war.

 

 

 

 

(Thor: Godstorm#2 (ff)) - As Torrent rampaged through New York, Thor returned to Asgard to oppose him, part of a plot of Loki, who hoped he would be delayed on Earth, fail Asgard, and earn Odin's wrath. Torrent resisted Thor's efforts to control his storms and even trapped the thunder god within a powerful cyclone. Thor burst free, but was exhausted by the effort; relief came in the form of Maureen Scanlon, who rushed up to Torrent and chided him for his actions, giving Thor enough time to recover. As Torrent prepared to unleash his full power against the city, vowing that if he couldn't have Maureen, no one could, Thor formed a vortex that warped Torrent and himself to Asgard. Arriving in the heart of the Troll's fortifications, Torrent's power routed the Trolls, who fled. Thor then captured the spent Torrent and brought him before Odin, who stripped him of his power and sent him back to Earth, "there to find whate'er reward thou dost deserve!"

Comments: Created by Kurt Busiek, Steve Rude, and John Costanza.

Most of the story in the Godstorm limited series was told by an incarnation of Odin as a flashforward from the year 921 AD.

I would like to think that after his defeat and release from prison, Carstairs returned to his career, and that he might be one of those who created Samarobryn and thus became one of the Weathermen (see Clarifications).

The Avengers interaction with the Weather-Maker had to take place some time between Avengers I#4 and 7...I think...because Captain America was a member, and Iron Man still had his pointed helmet. If I remember correctly (and I might be wrong), Iron Man lost the points on his helmet in Tales of Suspense I#54, which preceded Avengers I#7.

It can be narrowed down even further; Iron Man had the pointed helmet in Avengers I#5, and a regular helmet in Avengers I#6, so the Avengers' fight with the Weather-Maker took place in Avengers I#5.5
--John Kaminski

Profile by Snood.

CLARIFICATIONS:
No known connection to:

 

images:
Thor: Godstorm#1, p19, panel 1 (Weather-Maker close-up)
Thor: Godstorm#2, p3 (Torrent)
    p12, panel 5 (Carstairs)
    p14, panel (Weather-Maker)

Thor: Godstorm#2 (December, 2001) - Kurt Busiek (writer), Steve Rude (pencils), Mike Royer (inks), Tom Brevoort (editor)

Last updated: 10/14/04

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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