PETER CORBEAU
Real Name: Dr. Peter Corbeau
Identity/Class: Human
Occupation: Solar physicist, UN administrator
Group Membership: UN STARCORE, administrator of Starcore Station;
former administrator of Starcore One (now destroyed)
Affiliations: Colonel Armbruster, Avengers (Beast, Black Panther, Captain America (Steve Rogers), Hawkeye (Clint Barton), Iron Man (Tony Stark), Quasar (Wendell Vaughn), Sersi, Thor, Thunderstrike, Triathlon, Vision, Warbird, Wasp, Yellowjacket (Henry Pym)), Daredevil (Matthew Murdock), Fantastic Four, Hulk (Bruce Banner), Moira MacTaggert, Dr. McKay, Ms. Marvel (Carol Danvers, aka. Binary/Warbird), General "Thunderbolt" Ross, SHIELD, Starjammers (Ch'od, Hepzibah, Raza Longknife), United Nations, US government, X-Men (Banshee, Beast, Bishop, Colossus, Cyclops, Nightcrawler, Phoenix (Jean Grey), Psylocke, Rogue, Shadowcat, Storm, Thunderbird (Neil Shaara), Wolverine)
Enemies: Cerebro Prime, Juggernaut, Dr. Stephen Lang, Magneto, Neo (especially Seth), Sentinels, Shi'ar, X-Men (Crux, Grey King, Landslide, Mercury, Rapture, Xaos), X-Sentinels
Known Relatives: None known
Aliases: None
Base of Operations: Peter owns a beach house at Cocoa Beach, Florida. He also own a self-designed hydrofoil yacht, the Dejah Thoris II, which is one of the fastest crafts in existence. However, Corbeau spends as much time as possible in space, preferably at the Starcore Station in solar orbit.
First Appearance: Incredible Hulk II#148 (February, 1972)
Powers/Abilities: Peter Corbeau is a normal human, with no superpowers. He is one of Earth's foremost and most respected scientists - he has two doctorate-level degrees (one in solar physics, the other is unrevealed but is likely in an engineering field of some sort), has won two Nobel Prizes, and is accomplished political administrator, holding a Director's position within UN's STARCORE program. He's considered to be an expert on solar physics, extraterrestrials, and on the effects of radiation on humans. He has limited knowledge about interdimensional travel. He is an accomplished pilot, trained to pilot space shuttles, and is an expert engineer, having designed projects ranging from his hydrofoil yacht to Starcome One and Starcore Station. Corbeau has brown hair and blue eyes, and smokes a pipe on rare occasions.
History:
(Incredible Hulk II#148 (fb) - BTS) - Peter Corbeau roomed with Bruce Banner in college, and drank with and laughed with him over the following years until Banner became the Hulk. Corbeau earned a doctorate in physics (specializing in solar physics) and won a Nobel Prize.
(Iron Man I#314 (fb) - BTS) - The UN set up a space-based project, which was named STARCORE (an acronym- the actual name is unrevealed).
(Incredible Hulk II#148 (fb) - BTS) - Corbeau's greatest triumph was the solar-orbiting station Starcore One, powered by Earth's first orbiting solar reactor.
(Ms. Marvel I#6 (fb)) - Dr. Corbeau was at Houston's Lunar Receiving Laboratory where he studied a cavourite crystal. To the project's security officer, Carol Danvers (later Ms. Marvel) he described the crystal as a high-range energy matrix, which warped space around it when you poured energy into it. He theorized that by pouring enough energy in and refining the matrix flow, you could create a faster-than-light drive, though the slightest mistake could result in a backlash which could destroy the Earth.
(X-Men I#98 (fb)) - Corbeau won a second Nobel Prize, and was revealed to own a Doctor of Science degree in addition to his physics Ph.D. He also designed his own hydrofoil yacht, the Dejah Thoris, licensed out of Cocoa Beach, which he claimed was the fastest ship afloat.
(Incredible Hulk II#148) - Dr. Corbeau visited the still under construction Project Greenskin Base in New Mexico, where General "Thunderbolt" Ross hoped to capture the Hulk and employ Dr. Corbeau's satellite to restore the Hulk to human form. The sedated Hulk was brought to the base's Radiation Research Complex. He transmitted Starcore One's energy to a receiving dish at Project Greenskin and funneled this solar energy into the Hulk, reverting him (apparently permanently) into Bruce Banner. This was followed by a series of solar flares of then-unprecedented magnitude which drove the sun towards nova status; Corbeau theorized these were tied to the Hulk, combined with some sort of extradimensional force which was soon revealed to be the arrival of Jarella on Earth. Corbeau and Banner brought together the efforts of SHIELD, Henry Pym, and Reed Richards and hoped to fix the problem, but an assassin caused Banner to restore himself to the Hulk, and Jarella was returned to her universe, restoring the sun.
(Avengers I#102 - BTS) - On Starcore One, Dmitri and Hilary detected the emergence of a swarm of Sentinels from solar orbit, on course for Earth. To warn the authorities, they contacted General Ross at Hulkbuster Base (and presumably Dr. Corbeau as well).
(Avengers I#103) - From his control base, Peter Corbeau noted that Starcore One observed that some outside force in the Great Australian Desert was trying to either cause the sun to go nova or at least to create incredibly powerful solar flares. He contacted the Avengers (Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, Hawkeye) by telephone to warn them.
(Daredevil I#102 - BTS) - Daredevil told the Black Widow (Romanoff) that he'd checked with Pete Corbeau to find out what effects physicist William Klaxton's condensor ray would have if used (by the Stilt-Man) on the city of San Francisco.
(Incredible Hulk II#172) - Colonel Armbruster, now in charge of Hulkbuster base (formerly Project Greenskin Base), captured the Hulk. Corbeau heard of this, and drew on his White House contacts to gain access to the Base and the Hulk. Armbruster showed him around, and aided him in his new method to deal with the Hulk: exile him to another dimension until such time as they could cure him, at which point they'd bring him back to Earth. The experimental (and enormous) transporter device exiled the Hulk, but accidentally freed the Juggernaut from the dimension he'd been trapped in. Corbeau attempted to use the transporter on the Juggernaut as well, but before he could, feedback restored the Hulk as well; the pair fled.
(X-Men I#98) - An old friend of Corbeau's, Professor Charles Xavier, came to Corbeau for help, and the pair took Peter's yacht, the Dejah Thoris, out into the Bahamas for fishing. Xavier sought Corbeau's advice in identifying some star systems he'd been seeing in visions, but the pair were attacked by Sentinels. Corbeau radioed for help, and the Sentinels destroyed the ship and flew off with Xavier, leaving Corbeau floating in the ocean 200 miles from land. After being rescued, Peter went to Xavier's New York mansion; Cyclops recognized him as Charles' old friend and he aided the X-Men in trying to find Xavier and other missing teammates of theirs, but was unable to locate them on Earth.
(X-Men I#99 / Classic X-Men#7) - By using Xavier's security clearances, Corbeau connected Xavier's mutant-detecting Cerebro into NORAD's Valhalla mountain main data bank and located the Sentinels on a SHIELD orbital platform. Corbeau then used Starcore One's space shuttle (Starcore-Eagle-One) to transport himself and the X-Men (Storm, Nightcrawler, Cyclops, Colossus) there, in the midst of the worst solar flare storm in recent memory (during launch, Corbeau viewed his return to space as akin to going home). He used the storm as an excuse to ask shelter on the SHIELD platform, but those on board (led by Dr. Stephen Lang) detected the mutants on boards and sent Sentinels to attack them. Corbeau crashed the Shuttle into the station, but was then captured with some of the X-Men.
(X-Men I#100 / Classic X-Men#8/2) - With Xavier and Jean Grey, Corbeau was freed by Cyclops from the containment tube he'd been placed in. The team defeated Lang and the Sentinels and fled the station's destruction in the Starcore shuttle, but the ship's control were no longer operable. The telepath Jean Grey mentally absorbed Corbeau's piloting knowledge and skills, and piloted the ship back to Earth.
(X-Men I#101 / Classic X-Men#9) - The shuttle crashed through New York's Kennedy airport and into Jamaica Bay, and Corbeau and the team managed to emerge from the bay (though Jean had changed into Phoenix before collapsing). The X-Men slipped away, leaving only Corbeau to try to explain the shuttle's crash (he replied to reporters with a "no comment," but told rescuers that terrorists had hijacked the space station and murdered its crew). With a Dr. McKay, Corbeau examined Jean Grey at the hospital she was taken to, and the pair determined that she would fully recover.
(X-Men I#107) - Now on board Starcore One, Dr. Corbeau and his team detected a total disruption of reality which threatened to destroy the universe (unbeknownst to Corbeau, this was an effect of the M'kraan Crystal). Corbeau contacted the Fantastic Four's Reed Richards and Ben Grimm to consult on the effect.
(X-Men I#108) - Dr. Corbeau informed the Avengers, the Fantastic Four, and the U.S. President that Starcore One registered a total disruption of the nuclear and gravitational force that bind all matter together, and that another disruption could completely end the universe.
(X-Men I#135) - On board Starcore One, Dr. Corbeau and a staffer detected an incredibly powerful energy beam coming into the sun; it slingshotted around it and vanished before they could identify it (unbeknownst to them, this was the "Dark Phoenix" leaving Earth).
(X-Men I#136) - Dr. Corbeau notified the U.S. President when Starcore One detected the return to Earth of that same energy matrix.
(Uncanny X-Men#150) - Back on Earth, Dr. Corbeau again assisted Charles Xavier when Cyclops went missing; Corbeau brought Xavier, Moira MacTaggert, and Carol Danvers on board the rebuilt Dejah Thoris II to search the area of Julienne Cay, in the Bermuda Triangle. When the X-Men located Magneto nearby, they approached his island and Xavier was lifted from the ship; Corbeau and the others joined the X-Men on Magneto's island after the villain fled.
(Uncanny X-Men#154) - Corbeau remained with Xavier and some of the X-Men on Magneto's island while they set up housekeeping there.
(Uncanny X-Men#158) - On Magneto's island, Corbeau studied Carol Danvers (who had recently lost her super-powers to Rogue) as she sparred with the Starjammers (alien adventurers who were briefly staying with the X-Men) and determined that her bio-readings were incredible despite her lack of powers.
(West Coast Avengers Annual#5/2) - Dr. Peter Corbeau appeared on a late night Nightline news show panel as a space expert following the appearance of Terminus in San Francisco. Also on the panel were Senator William Contana and U.F.O. enthusiast Dirk Keefmeyer. Though Corbeau mentioned that he had experience with extra-terrestrials, he could only conservatively speculate on possible origins and the nature of Terminus.
(Avengers I#344) - Onboard Starcore One (in its orbit just outside Mercury), Dr. Corbeau and his team determined that the sun's electromagnetic field had been "snapping back and forth like a rubber band," threatening to send the sun nova. (Quasar#32 - BTS) - Corbeau was not present (presumably he was sleeping elsewhere on Starcore One) when Quasar boarded the station to ask about the sun's changes, and left the team an emergency device to contact him in case of emergency after they refused to activate the station. (Wonder Man II#7 - BTS) - A massive solar flare headed for Starcore One, forcing all present to evacuate. (Avengers I#345) - A massive solar flare destroyed Starcore One, though Corbeau and the seven other staffers evacuated into the Starcore lifepod; Corbeau had managed to send off a distress signal and they were rescued by several of the Avengers (Quasar, Thunderstrike, Sersi, Vision). A Shi'ar emerged from a wormhole/gate (this had been causing the destabilization) and opened fire on the Avengers and the pod but the Avengers drove off the Shi'ar and returned the Starcore One staff to Earth. (Iron Man I#314 (fb)) - Peter Corbeau met with the UN Secretary General to present a proposal for a new STARCORE solar station and secured funding, playing on the importance of space to Earth's security following the "Galactic Storm" which has destroyed Starcore One. (Iron Man I#314) - From elsewhere in the building, Peter Corbeau observed as Iron Man gave the U.N. Security Council a presentation aimed at securing a contract for Stark Enterprises to rebuild a STARCORE station. (Iron Man I#319) - Peter Corbeau officially awarded a STARCORE communications and research satellite contract to Tony Stark, who in turn officially unveiled "Starcore Command," a control facility located in Los Angeles, California. (X-Men Unlimited I#13 - BTS) - Dr. Corbeau designed the new Starcore Research Station (later known as just Starcore Station), which was funded by the UN and built in Earth orbit. He recruited the X-Men (Cyclops, Phoenix, Beast, Bishop, Rogue) and Binary (Carol Danvers) to resuscitate the station's power systems, though elements of the construction crew objected. However, Corbeau was not on board when Binary (controlled by the Inciters) lost control and shorted out all the station's systems after the X-Men and she were kidnapped by Shi'ar, who left the station and its crew behind untouched. (Uncanny X-Men#360) - Peter Corbeau was project leader on a top secret payload due to be launched into space; however, Corbeau became unhappy with the project and requested and received a transfer off the project. Days before the payload's launch on the "Benassi Rocket," Corbeau contacted the X-Men to arrange a secret meeting in Washington DC. However, his Pentagon office was attacked by a group of fake X-Men, who burrowed into the Pentagon and captured him. He was taken to a central Florida swamp 62 miles from the launch facility, and placed in a containment chamber in an underground facility there. (X-Men II#80) - Via unrevealed means Corbeau escaped; wounded and dazed he encountered the X-Man Shadowcat. He warned her that she needed to stop the rocket without destroying it; after the X-Men stopped the rocket and defeated the fake "X-Men," at a subsequent press conference Corbeau publicly revealed that the Benassi Rocket had housed a "mutant defense net," technology which would have allowed the government to track mutants to the nearest square foot. (X-Man#55) - From aboard Starcore Station, now in its solar orbit, Dr. Corbeau and a staff of at least six detected the opening of a Shi'ar jumpgate, and a ship heading for Earth; they notified UN-Com of the breach. (X-Men II#100) - Corbeau recruited the X-Men to work as a construction team to reconstitute a space station which had formerly belonged to the High Evolutionary and used in a plot to remove the powers of all mutants on Earth. The Genoshan government objected to the station's use and demanded its destruction, but Corbeau defended its recommissioning for the peaceful benefit of all nations. With the new crew, he was present when the Neo attacked and destroyed the station; the X-Men rescued him and the crew to the space shuttle Intrepid. (X-Men II#101) - With help from the X-Men in holding the ship together, Corbeau piloted the Intrepid to a crash landing in Grassy Bay just off New York's JFK airport. The entirety of the crew survived the crash. (Maximum Security#1) - From Starcore Station, Peter Corbeau contacted the Avengers (Iron Man, Captain America, Triathlon, Warbird, Wasp) to report that the solar station had detected a massive energy-lattice at the boundaries of the solar system. (Captain America & the Mighty Avengers#8) - On his yacht Corbeau was interviewed about the ongoing destruction of the Multiverse. He explained current theories that showed every destroyed Earth shortened their own universe'e lifespan and wondered how long they would live if their Earth was the last one standing. (26 days later everything ended...and was then brought back after Secret Wars) (S.W.O.R.D II#1 - BTS) - Abigail Brand was shocked to learn Henry Gyrich had succeeded her as commander of the Alpha Flight Space Program. In her personal log she complained about the decision noting that not if Carol Danvers she certainly expected Peter Corbeau for the position. Comments: Created by Archie Goodwin (writer), Herb Trimpe (pencils), John Severin (inks). The credits say "with a welcome plotting assist from Chris Claremont," and given that Claremont used Corbeau a lot thereafter, I'd guess he had a major role in his creation. STARCORE is, unfortunately, used interchangeably for a wide number of things. As clarification: Iron Man I#314 establishes that STARCORE is not the station itself, but rather a science and space oriented UN program in general. Avengers West Coast Annual#5 points out that STARCORE is an acronym for something, though we aren't told what. This is in tune with actual UN processes, where programs are given acronym names (think UNICEF or UNESCO), though they inevitably start with UN, while STARCORE doesn't. Perhaps its properly UNSTARCORE, but commonly abbreviated as STARCORE? As Starcore One is frequently referred to as Starcore, clearly that satellite was so strongly the centerpiece and major part of the STARCORE program that people occasionally simply referred to Starcore One just as Starcore. Similarly STARCORE and Project Starcore are occasionally used interchangeably, probably on the same principle now that the moonbase is established as STARCORE's most prominent project (though STARCORE has been referred to as Project Starcore as far back as Uncanny X-Men I#98). STARCORE is also occasionally referred to as a NASA group (but only in its later days, and only under Chris Claremont)- either the UN is working with NASA (very likely - Cape Canaveral has been used several times before this anyway), or the UN has discontinued STARCORE and NASA has taken it over (much less likely). As noted, what STARCORE (actually UN STARCORE) stands for is never established. My personal preference, worth exactly nothing: United Nations Space Technology And Resources- Coordination Of Research Endeavors. Seems very UN-like to me. With the confusing details above in mind, I've tried to be very careful with the terms on this page, excepting where I note potentially confusing usage - here follows all the STARCORE elements, in chronological order. STARCORE (an all-capitals acronym) is the UN program. Starcore One is the first solar research station, destroyed by solar flares induced by a Shi'ar warpgate. Starcore Command is the L.A. satellite control station. Stark's Starcore Station is the never-used replacement (destroyed by War Machine), built with Stark Enterprises and STARCORE money as part of Stark's attempt to destroy humanity. Starcore Station (also known as Starcore Research Station) is the second active solar research station. Project Starcore is the moonbase, in the Blue Area. Some Starcore One staffing points of potential confusion: Starcore One's Hillary is spelled that way (two 'l's) in his first appearance in Avengers I#102, and Hilary (one 'l') in his next appearance. Could be two different people, I suppose, but it seems unlikely there'd be two astronauts with last names that similar. Colonel Kutuzov is given a first name (Mikhail) in the almost-certainly-out-of-continuity X-Men: The Return novel (by Chris Roberson), and Hilary is named Alexander there. I've maintained that name here (no reason not to), which also leads to the supposition that Starcore One's Mikhail in Avengers I#344-345 is Kutuzov as well. In X-Men Unlimited I#13 Starcore Station has a boxy form; in X-Man#55 its in the more traditional cylinder-like shape. The discrepancy is most easily explained by the fact that the ship was unfinished in the X-Men Unlimited issue. I just have to note - everyone's going to assume that Corbeau's two Nobel Prizes are both in physics. Given his major position in the UN and his constant drive to the peaceful and scientific use of space (not to mention the fact that no one has ever won two Nobel Prizes in the same category), it wouldn't surprise me in the least if his second Nobel was a Nobel Peace Prize - that's exactly the type of thing that could get you a Peace Prize. However, we've never been told what either is for. X-Men: The Return - this novel is stated to take place just prior to Uncanny X-Men Annual#10, which was summer, 1986. With that in mind, the events in the book would take place after Uncanny X-Men#158 above, and before Avengers West Coast Annual#5. Note that until otherwise confirmed, this novel cannot be assumed to take place in Marvel continuity. Thanks to Jeff Christiansen for pointing out the novel and Corbeau's inclusion in it. The novel X-Men: Mutant Empire Book Two, Sanctuary (1996, by Christopher Golden) notes the existence of Starcore on page 11 in theorizing how the X-Men can rescue themselves from where they're trapped in orbit around the sun, and on page 280 has Angel recalling piloting a Starcore space shuttle several years earlier during a crisis. The novel Generation X (1997, by Scott Lobdell and Elliot S! Maggin) notes on pp. 118-122 the Beast (Hank McCoy as being in Wahington DC doing some consulting work for Starcore. An unidentified microorganism had infected a Starcore Earth-orbit satellite, and after that fell into the Atlantic it was picked up by a submarine and brought to DC where it was kept in isolation. At Peter Corbeau's request,McCoy worked on identifying the microorganism. The novel Gamma Quest Book Three, Friend or Foe (2000, by Greg Cox) notes the presence of the moon-based Project Starcore and "a full complement of Starcore scientists" on page 77. However, the Project and scientists do not otherwise appear in the book. Completely personal note - until I started putting this together I had no idea how well developed STARCORE was and the depths to it. I'd always just thought of it as one somewhat goofy space station, but once I see it all laid out it seems like this is really something that should be one of the better and more major parts of the Marvel universe. There's an Age of Apocalypse Peter Corbeau as well, in Gambit and the X-Ternals#1 (1995). In that universe he was forced to work for Apocalypse, caretaking the orbital remains of Apocalypse's old Celestial ship which Magneto had once destroyed. Corbeau betrayed Apocalypse to help Magneto and his followers learn the location of the Shi'ar Galaxy and the M'kraan Crystal, and also induced Lila Cheney's teleportational powers into activation. Once Cheney and the others had departed, Corbeau began a total systms crash of the ship, knowing that Apocalypse was now going to have him killed. Thanks to John McDonagh for catching the mention of Starcore One in Captain Marvel I#32, and Michael Gariepy for finding Starcore One's appearance in Fantastic Four I#297-298. A few small updates by Markus Raymond (Captain America & the Mighty Avengers, Uncanny Avengers, Thunderbolts). Profile by Mark O'English. CLARIFICATIONS: STARCORE, Starcore One, and Project Starcore have no connections to
(X-Men: The Return) - It was May and Corbeau was in his quarters on Starcore one, involved in a conversation with Colonel Mikhail Kutuzov and Dr. Stephen Beckley; Beckley wanted use of the array for his work on the Edmund Project. Kutuzov pointed out that Beckley's presence was only a courtesy to NASA and refused the permission, while Corbeau daydreamed of returning to Earth (in ten more months, being only two months into his one year stay) and his yacht (his two childhood passions being the sun and the sea) and away from childish scientists - he preferred science to management. He noted that Starcore held a dozen scientists with a dozen Nobel Prizes between them, and that his initial trip to Starcore had been on Starcore-Eagle-One. His remembrances were interrupted by Talia Kruma and Alexander Hilary, who alerted him that an alien ship had emerged from behind the sun and was on course for Earth. Not long after, from Starcore One Corbeau notified the X-Men that a dozen more ships had arrived, and soon after that Starcore One broadcast a live feed of those aliens' destruction at the hands of the Sentinels.
Peter Corbeau has no known connections to
While "Project Starcore" is a name informally used for the entire STARCORE directive, Project Starcore is also a name more specifically used for a research facility built on the rim of the crater which holds the Blue Area of the Moon. Following the placement of a Kree outpost in the moon's Blue Area (as part of an attack on Earth) and its subsequent defeat by the Avengers, SHIELD's xenobiology division and STARCORE took joint custody of the area and the Supreme Intelligence, who was confined there. STARCORE and SHIELD were subsequently given scientific and military control of the Blue Area by the UN; its unclear if STARCORE had access to the Supreme Intelligence or if he was strictly a military prisoner. Construction of the actual permanent facility there began not long before Rick Jones and the Avengers visited the Intelligence; scientists in the still-under-construction facility were witness to a battle between Ronan and Iron Man and the Fantastic Four, a battle which briefly left the station without life support until Iron Man rescued them.
Project Starcore staff included Dr. Lind (@ Avengers III#7), Callie Yeager (@ Fantastic Four III#15, Iron Man III#14), and Jake & Lucien (@ Fantastic Four III#15).
--Avengers III#7 (Avengers Forever#1-2, Fantastic Four III#14-15, Iron Man III#14, X-Men II#100-101
STARCORE (also known as "Project Starcore") is a UN directorate: an ongoing project intended to enhance the scientific study of space for the advancement and protection of Earth and its dwellers. One of its early projects was Starcore One, a satellite intended for close-up study of our star; Starcore One was built in Earth orbit and then moved into solar orbit near Mercury. After years of service, Starcore One was destroyed during Galactic Storm. In the past few years, Stark Industries built Starcore Command as a satellite control facility in Los Angeles, California; much of STARCORE communications was previously routed through a STARCORE telemetry module at Project: PEGASUS. More recently, STARCORE built Project Starcore, a research facility in the Blue Area of the Moon (security for the facility is handled by SHIELD), and Starcore Station, a new solar-orbit station for study of the sun, replacing Starcore One. They also recommissioned a space station abandoned by the High Evolutionary, but this station was destroyed by the Neo before it ever became operational.
The STARCORE logo (a stylized star) can be seen in the image of Starcore One just below, on the upper right end of the ship.
Beyond Corbeau, STARCORE employees not more specifically associated with a base or station elsewhere on this page have included Clancy and Reese, who were piloting a STARCORE lear jet which barely escaped inadvertent destruction at the hands of Eric the Red (@ Uncanny X-Men I#97).
--Incredible Hulk II#148 (Avengers I#102-103, Captain Marvel I#32, X-Men I#97-99, Avengers Annual#7, X-Men I#107-108, X-Men I#135, West Coast Avengers Annual#5/2, Avengers I#344, Quasar#32, Wonder Man II#7, Avengers I#345, Iron Man I#314, 319, X-Men Unlimited I#13, Avengers III#7, Uncanny X-Men#360, X-Men II#80, Avengers Forever#1-2, Fantastic Four III#14-15, Iron Man III#14, X-Man#55, X-Men II#100-101, Maximum Security#1
Starcore One was an United Nations sponsored orbiting laboratory satellite, designed by Dr. Peter Corbeau, who was subsequently appointed Director of the operational station. It was the Earth's first orbiting solar reactor (otherwise known as a hydrogen-helium reactor). It could amplify solar energy immensely and transfer it to Earth via a powerful beam. It has been manned by a multi-racial and multi-national crew, including both male and female scientists. From Earth, Corbeau and his team monitored the satellite via a laser-beam transviewer. Starcore One had its own space shuttle (launched from Cape Canaveral), known as Starcore-Eagle-One, which was used to resupply and restaff the station until the shuttle crashed in Jamaica Bay. Starcore One held a well-protected Starcore lifepod for use in emergencies.
After construction, Starcore One was moved to a solar orbit just outside Mercury. Corbeau used Starcore One to drain energy from the sun and cure the Hulk, though this temporarily destabilized the sun, nearly causing it to go nova. It subsequently detected the arrival of a space fleet brought to Earth's sytem by Thanos, though Starcore was unable to aid the Avengers in locating several Avengers who Thanos had been kidnapped off-planet. Following this, it detected the emergence of Sentinels from solar orbit and monitored what were later revealed to be attempts by the Sentinels to create solar flares which would sterilize the Earth. Starcore One staff were the first to detect an invasion by yet another Thanos-backed fleet, monitored an intense solar flare which threatened Dr. Corbeau's shuttle, detected universal "flickers" caused by the M'kraan Crystal, and detected the comings and goings of the Dark Phoenix.
Eventually Starcore One's orbit began deteriorating, and all humans were removed from the station, leaving it completely automated. After it detected "signs of what appeared to be some sort of extradimensional siphon" tapping the Earth's sun, Reed Richards routed "counter-phase" energy from an Earth satellite through Starcore One in an effert to close the siphon. Though the siphon closed, it had the side effect of drawing the merged extradimensionals Umbra and Jaguur onto the station; not long thereafter they beamed themselves to Earth.
The orbital decay was corrected (whether this was due to Umbra/Jaguur or later efforts is unrevealed) and the station was restaffed with a rotating permanent crew of seven. This crew would later detect solar instabilities caused by a Shi'ar wormhole just before those instabilities destroyed the station (its staff surviving in the lifepod until being rescued by the Avengers).
Besides Peter Corbeau, Starcore One staff included Colonel Mikhail Kutuzov (a sensor specialist @ X-Men I#99, Avengers I#344, Quasar#32, Avengers I#345), Alexander Hilary (male American mission commander @ Avengers I#102, Uncanny X-Men I#99), Dmitri (cosmonaut @ Avengers I#102, Uncanny X-Men I#99), unidentified (@ X-Men 107), unidentified glasses-wearer (@ Avengers Annual#7, Avengers I#344, Quasar#32, Wonder Man II#7, Avengers I#345), unidentified black male (@ X-Men I#135), Geppi (@ Quasar#32, Avengers I#345), Talia Kruma (@ Avengers I#344, Quasar#32, Wonder Man II#7, Avengers I#345), and three other unidentified people (@ Avengers I#344, Quasar#32, Wonder Man II#7, Avengers I#345).
--Incredible Hulk II#148 (Avengers I#102-103, Captain Marvel I#32, X-Men I#98 - BTS, X-Men I#99, Avengers Annual#7, X-Men I#107-108, X-Men I#135, Fantastic Four I#297-298, Avengers I#344, Quasar#32, Wonder Man II#7, Avengers I#345
Following the destruction of Starcore One, Dr. Corbeau arranged UN funding for new STARCORE satellites, and the initial contract was given to Stark Enterprises (with Henry Peter Gyrich appointed as a UN liaison to the project). Anticipating the contract, Stark had a control facility, Starcore Command, built in Los Angeles before he even officially got the contract. From Starcore Station, Corbeau contacted Earth via "UN-Com" but it is unclear if this is an abbreviation for Starcore Command (Starcore being a UN project), or is merely a name for the communications network.
--Iron Man I#319 (X-Man#55
Following Starcore One's destruction, Starcore Station (also known as Starcore Research Station) took its place in solar orbit. This is another UN (STARCORE) manned station, built in Earth orbit and intended for solar study. During its construction, Binary, Phoenix, and Bishop attempted to resuscitate the power systems of the unfinished core, but a Shi'ar intervention resulted in every system on board shorting out. While on board, Binary and the X-Men (Rogue, Cyclops, Beast, Phoenix, Bishop) warned off Earth fighter pilots who attempted to attack the Silver Surfer. The damage was subsequently repaired and the ship was moved to a solar orbit. Once in its proper place, its sensors detected an incursion by a Shi'ar ship and later an alien "cage" which was placed around our solar system, but as the station was designed for solar study they were able to determine nothing more about that cage.
While under construction, Starcore Station's staff included a Dr. Barnes and three unidentified others (@ X-Men Unlimited I#13). In solar orbit, Starcore carried Corbeau and at least six unidentified staffers (@ X-Man I#55).
(Uncanny Avengers I#7) - Apocalypse's son Genocide used Starcore Station's broadcast magnification chamber to contact the Celestial Gardener. The Celestial Gardener judged Genocide worthy of receiving the Celestials' gifts, but was then attacked by the Apocalypse Twins, who slew the Celestial Gardener. Starcore Station sent footage of the assassination back to S.W.O.R.D.'s Peak before it was presumably destroyed.
SECRET WARS III HAPPENED
(Thunderbolts IV#10 (fb) ) - Jolt passed by Starcore Station in solar orbit on her way back to Earth from Counter Earth.
Note: The station in Thunderbolts IV#10 looked exactly like the original Starcore One.
--X-Men Unlimited I#13 (Silver Surfer III#123, X-Man#55, Maximum Security#1, Uncanny Avengers I#7, Thunderbolts IV#10
Tony Stark, influenced by Immortus, built a chronographic weapon which would expose all life on Earth to chronographic radiation, destorying it. Though the device was located beneath Force Works' southern California headquarters, the trigger device for the weapon was in space, on a Starcore Station that Stark Enterprises had built with its own and STARCORE's money (beginning construction even before recieving STARCORE approval). Force Works uncovered this plot, and War Machine (Jim Rhodes) invaded the Starcore Station and violently destroyed it when he detonated Dirge's suit of warwear within it. Unlike the other STARCORE satellites, this one was armed with a variety of defensive weapons, including very lethal lasers.
--Force Works I#20 (War Machine I#23
images: (without ads)
Uncanny X-Men I#150, p8, pan2 (main image)
Ms. Marvel I#6, p26, pan5 (head)
Fantastic Four III#15, p4, pan1 (Project Starcore)
Quasar#32, p2, pan4 (Starcore One)
X-Men I#55, p1, pan1-2 (Starcore Station)
War Machine I#23, p20, pan4-5 (Stark's Starcore Station destroyed)
Appearances:
Incredible Hulk II#148 (February, 1972) - Archie Goodwin (writer), Herb Trimpe (pencils), John Severin (inks), Stan Lee (editor)
Avengers I#102-103 (August-September, 1972) - Roy Thomas (writer/editor), Rich Buckler (pencils), Joe Sinnott (inks)
Daredevil I#102 (August, 1973) - Chris Claremont (writer), Syd Shores (pencils), Frank Giacoia (inks), Roy Thomas (editor)
Incredible Hulk II#172 (February, 1974) - Tony Isabella (writer), Herb Trimpe (pencils), Jack Abel (inks), Roy Thomas (editor)
Captain Marvel I#32 (May, 1974) - Jim Starkin (writer & pencils), Dan Green (inks), Roy Thomas (editor)
X-Men I#97-98 (February-April, 1976) - Chris Claremont (writer), Dave Cockrum (pencils), Sam Grainger (inks), Marv Wolfman (editor)
X-Men I#99 (June, 1976) - Chris Claremont (writer), Dave Cockrum (pencils), Frank Chiaramonte (inks), Marv Wolfman (editor)
X-Men I#100 (August, 1976) - Chris Claremont (writer), Dave Cockrum (pencils/inks), Marv Wolfman (editor)
X-Men I#101 (October, 1976) - Chris Claremont (writer), Dave Cockrum (pencils), Frank Chiaramonte (inks), Archie Goodwin (editor)
Ms. Marvel I#6 (June, 1977) - Chris Claremont (writer), Jim Mooney (pencils), Joe Sinnott (inks), Archie Goodwin (editor)
Avengers Annual#7 (1977) - Jim Starlin (writer & pencils), Joe Rubinstein (inks), Archie Goodwin (editor)
X-Men I#107 (October, 1977) - Chris Claremont (writer), Dave Cockrum (pencils), Frank Chiaramonte (inks), Marv Wolfman (editor)
X-Men I#108 (December, 1977) - Chris Claremont (writer), John Byrne (pencils), Terry Austin (inks), Marv Wolfman (editor)
X-Men I#135-136 (July-August, 1980) - Chris Claremont (writer/co-plotter), John Byrne (co-plotter/pencils), Terry Austin (inks), Jim Salicrup (editor)
Uncanny X-Men#150, 154 (October, 1981; February, 1982) - Chris Claremont (writer), Dave Cockrum (pencils), Josef Rubinstein & Bob Wiacek (inks), Louise Jones (editor)
Uncanny X-Men#158 (June, 1982) - Chris Claremont (writer), Dave Cockrum (pencils), Bob Wiacek (inks), Louise Jones (editor)
Fantastic Four I#297-198 (December, 1986-January, 1987) - Roger Stern (writer), John Buscema (pencils), Sal Buscema (inks), Don Daley (editor)
Classic X-Men#7 (March, 1987) - Chris Claremont (writer), Jim Sherman (pencils), Joe Rubinstein (inks), Ann Nocenti (editor)
Classic X-Men#8/2 (April, 1987) - Chris Claremont (writer), John Bolton (pencils/inks), Ann Nocenti (editor)
Classic X-Men#9 (May, 1987) - Chris Claremont (writer), Tom Morgan (pencils), Sam Grainger (inks), Ann Nocenti (editor)
West Coast Avengers Annual#5/2 (1990) - Rob Tokar (writer), Jim Reddington (pencils), Keith Williams (inks), Howard Mackie (editor)
Avengers I#344-345 (February-March, 1992) - Bob Harras (writer), Steve Epting (pencils), Tom Palmer (inks), Ralph Macchio (editor)
Quasar#32 (March, 1992) - Mark Gruenwald (writer), Greg Capullo (pencils), Harry Candelario (inks), Kelly Corvese (editor)
Wonder Man I#7 (March, 1992) - Gerard Jones (writer), Jeff Johnson (pencils), Dan Panosian (inks), Fabian Nicieza (editor)
Gambit and the X-Ternals#1 (March, 1995) - Fabian Nicieza (writer), Tony Daniel (pencils), Kevin Conrad (inks), Bob Harras (editor)
Iron Man I#314 (March, 1995) - Len Kaminski (writer), Tom Morgan (pencils), Phil Felix (inks), Nel Yomtov (editor)
Iron Man I#319 (August, 1995) - Terry Kavanagh (writer), Tom Morgan (pencils), Phil Felix (inks), Nel Yomtov (editor)
Force Works#20 (February, 1996) - Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning (writer), Heitor Oliveira (pencils), Rey Garcia & GlassHouse Graphics (inks), Nel Yomtov (editor)
War Machine I#23 (February, 1996) - Dan Abnett (writer), Yancey Labat & Fred Haynes (pencils), Rey Garcia & Johnny Greene (inks), Nel Yomtov (editor)
X-Men Unlimited I#13 (December, 1996) - Perez (plot), Gonzalez (script), Rouleau, Calafiore, & Robinson (pencils), Hunter, McKenna, & Milgrom (inks), Kelly Corvese (editor)
Silver Surfer III#123 (December 1996) - by George Perez and J.M. DeMatteis (writers), Ron Garney and Bob Wiacek (artists), Jayne Gardner (editor)
Avengers III#7 (April, 1998) - Kurt Busiek (writer), George Perez (pencils), Al Vey (inks), Tom Brevoort (editor)
Uncanny X-Men#360 (October, 1998) - Steve Seagle (writer), Chris Bachalo (pencils), Tim Townsend with Jordi Ensign, Aaron Sowd, Jon Sabal, & Peter Palmiotti (inks), Mark Powers (editor)
X-Men II#80 (October, 1998) - Joe Kelly (writer), Brandon Peterson (pencils), Art Thibert (inks), Mark Powers (editor)
Avengers Forever#1-2 (December, 1998-January, 1999) - Kurt Busiek (writer), Carlos Pacheco (pencils), Jesus Merino (inks), Tom Brevoort (editor)
Fantastic Four III#14-15 (February-March, 1999) - Chris Claremont (writer), Salvador Larroca (pencils), Art Thibert (inks), Bobbie Chase (editor)
Iron Man III#14 (March, 1999) - Kurt Busiek & Roger Stern (writer), Sean Chen (pencils), Larry Stucker & Eric Cannon (inks), Bobbie Chase (editor)
X-Man#55 (September, 1999) - Terry Kavanagh (writer), Mike Miller (pencils), Scott Elmer, Scott Koblish, Bud LaRosa (inks), Mike Thomas (editor)
X-Men II#100-101 (May-June, 2000) - Chris Claremont (writer), Leinil Francis Yu (pencils), Mark Morales (inks), Mark Powers (editor)
Maximum Security#1 (December, 2000) - Kurt Busiek (writer), Jerry Ordway (pencils), Al Vey, Will Blyberg, Paul Ryan, & Chris Ivy (inks), Tom Brevoort (editor)
X-Men: The Return (April, 2007) - Chris Roberson (author)
Uncanny Avengers I#7 (June, 2013) - Rick Remender (writer), Daniel Acuña (artist), Tom Brevoort & Dan Ketchum (editors)
Captain America & the Mighty Avengers#8 (July, 2015) - Al Ewing (writer), Luke Ross (artist), Tom Brevoort & Wil Moss (editors)
Thunderbolts IV#10 (April, 2017) - Kurt Busiek (writer), Mark Bagley (pencils), Scott Hanna (inks), Alanna Smith (editor)
S.W.O.R.D. II#1 (December, 2020) - Al Ewing (writer), Valerio Schiti (pencils, inks), Annalise Bissa, Jordan D. White (editors)
First Posted: 10/14/2007
Last updated: 02/26/2021
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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