PROFESSOR T. W. ERWIN
Real Name: T. W. Erwin (first and middle names unrevealed)
Identity/Class: Normal human
Occupation: Nth Command scientist;
formerly professor of mathematics
Group Membership: Nth
Command;
formerly Miskatonic University faculty
Affiliations: Avengers (Black Panther/T'Challa, Goliath/Clint Barton, Quicksilver/Pietro Maximoff, Vision/"Victor Shade"), Tom Fagan, Hyperion ("Zhib Ran"), Lady Liberators (Black Widow/Natalia Romanova, Madame Medusa/Medusalith Amaquelin, Scarlet Witch/Wanda Maximoff, Wasp/Janet Pym), Nth Command (Abner Doolittle, Albert DeVoor)
Enemies: Enchantress (Amora), Masters of Evil (Klaw/Ulysses Klaw, Melter/Bruno Horgan, Radioactive Man/Chen Lu, Whirlwind/David Cannon), Thundra
Known Relatives: None
Aliases: None
Base of Operations: Earth-8009;
formerly Miskatonic University, Vermont, USA (Earth-616)
First Appearance: Avengers I#83 (December, 1970)
Powers/Abilities: Erwin was a gifted professor of mathematics at the University level; he was also a skilled scientist and inventor, having invented and built the Parallel-Time Projector and Transdimensional Viewer himself.
Height: 6' (by approximation)
Weight: Unrevealed
Eye: Unrevealed
Hair: Brown (balding)
History:
(Avengers I#83
(fb) - BTS) - The past of Dr. T. W. Erwin is largely unrevealed, but he
was an eminent mathematician at Miskatonic University, where his
theories and research on parallel time brought fame to the institution.
At some point, he built the experimental Parallel-Time Projector; but as
the device was untested, Erwin kept its energy unit at his side at all
times as a safeguard, because he was unsure if the projector would prove
his theories, or explode upon activation.
(Avengers I#83) - Dr. Erwin was a guest at Tom Fagan's Rutland Halloween parade, where he rode in a car with Fagan himself. But plotting to use the scientist as a hostage, the Masters of Evil crashed the parade and attempted to kidnap Dr. Erwin. The Avengers, who were also guests of the Halloween parade, jumped immediately into action and confronted the Masters. As the battle progressed, the feminist "Valkyrie" (actually the Enchantress in disguise) and her Lady Liberators arrived on the scene and defeated the Masters of Evil themselves. The Liberators then turned on the Avengers and "rescued" Dr. Erwin as well.
Returning to his lab with the Liberators and the now-captive Avengers, Dr. Erwin explained to them that the Masters must have been after his Parallel-Time Projector device. He also mentioned that the Parallel-Time Projector was powered by the Energy-Unit that was kept by his side at all times, and that the Projector was still in its untried experimental stage.
Erwin then asked "Valkyrie" why she had requested that they return to his lab, and "Valkyrie" exclaimed that she had wanted the Parallel-Time Projector for herself, then revealed herself to be the Asgardian Enchantress in disguise. She explained that Odin had banished her from Asgard and halved her powers (@ Incredible Hulk II#102), but she made her way to Earth and learned of Erwin's Projector--she sought the Parallel-Time Projector so she could return to Asgard and seek revenge on her former partner, the Executioner, who had abandoned her for the extradimensional queen Casiolena. The Enchantress prepared to take out her anger on all men, starting with the deaths of the captured male Avengers. But just as Enchantress cast her dread spell, the Scarlet Witch surrounded her with a hex sphere, and the Enchantress was seemingly blasted to atoms when her spell was reflected back at her by the hex sphere. After the Enchantress' supposed death (see comments), Goliath commented that he hoped the female Avengers had learned a lesson about "that women's lib bull," but Scarlet Witch reminded him that the Lady Liberators could stage a comeback at any time.
(Marvel Two-in-One I#67) - At some point, Professor Erwin had joined Roxxon Oil's Nth Command; he was present when Thundra and the former Squadron Sinister member Hyperion visited the Nth Command's New York headquarters. Scientist Abner Doolittle explained to Thundra that the Nth Command could send her to an alternate reality where her home-world of Earth-715 had not been destroyed, and then instructed Professor Erwin to ready the Nth Projector device, to show Thundra proof of their claims of finding another world for her. Erwin set up his Transdimensional Viewer device to work in tandem with the Nth Projector, allowing Thundra to see the worlds found with the Nth Projector. Setting the device to the correct frequency, Erwin projected an image of a world almost identical to Thundra's home-world, and Abner Doolittle explained that the Nth Command was prepared to send Thundra there immediately.
When Thundra replied that she would like to see the Nth Projector demonstrated before she allowed it to be used on her, Doolittle agreed to have it used on himself to prove its validity. After seeing the Nth Projector send Doolittle to the alternate Earth, Thundra announced that she no longer had need of the Nth Command now that she knew how to operate the Nth Projector. She then used the Nth Projector on Professor Erwin and Albert DeVoor, sending them to the alternate Femizonia as well (see comments).
Comments: Created by Roy Thomas, John Buscema and Tom Palmer.
Professor T. W. Erwin seemed fairly easy-going in his two appearances. I can't help but wonder if he was aware of the Nth Command's criminal activities. He seemed quite concerned with safeguarding the general populace, as evident of his keeping the Parallel-Time Projector's Energy-Unit with him at all times. He also seemed light-hearted, as seen by his appearance at the Rutland Halloween parade. Perhaps he was manipulated into serving the Nth Command with promises of proper usage of his theories and money...
Why would a man with such initially ethical concerns
about his previous invention (the parallel-time projector and its
portable, separate energy unit), willingly go to work for Roxxon Oil's
Nth Command. Well, that particular MTIO issue came out in 1980. The Corruptor
debuted as a "misunderstood" super-villain in 1976. So back then, it
wouldn't have been too much of a chronological stretch to speculate
that the Corruptor had been hired to "persuade" Erwin to abandon his
high moral principles. With the Corruptor, in turn, using that money
to finance his own criminal cadre (the original "Inner Circle")!
--Carycomic
Miskatonic University, Vermont (presumably in the
lovely city Arkham, even on Earth-616) was first used by H.P.
Lovecraft in his Herbert
West - Reanimator series of stories and became a recurring
location in stories written by Lovecraft and other writers continuing
his legacy.
--Markus Raymond
The alternate Femizona that Prof. Erwin was transported to was later dubbed Earth-8009 in the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe HC Vol. 3.
Professor Erwin was also seen in the Enchantress/Valkyrie's "origin" that she described to the other Lady Liberators--although the flashback sequence was later revealed as false, it was included because there were very few clear images of Erwin available.
Albert DeVoor would eventually return to Earth-616, but the fate of Professor Erwin remains unrevealed.
And in regards to the Enchantress' supposed death: The very next issue revealed that she was actually sent to the extradimensional realm of Polemachus, where she met Arkon.--Ron Fredricks
Text expansion and new images by Ron Fredricks.
Profile by Proto-Man.
CLARIFICATIONS:
Professor T. W. Erwin has no known connections to:
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The Parallel-Time Projector was a device designed by Dr. Erwin that was intended to project others into parallel worlds. It was powered by the Energy-Unit (see main image) that Erwin had also designed, which he kept at his side at all times to prevent the Projector's activation. The Projector was an untested model that Erwin was not sure would even work once activated, but the creation of such a device drew the attention of both the Masters of Evil and the Enchantress. --Avengers I#83 |
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The Transdimensional Viewer was another device later designed by Professor Erwin. It was an electronic video screen that was built to work in tandem with the Nth Command's Nth Projector device, and could allow users to view various alternate realities. Erwin adjusted the Viewer to show Thundra an alternate version of her home-world; to demonstrate the validity of the device, Abner Doolitle even had the Nth Projector used to transport himself to the divergent world, and he appeared on the Viewer's screen. Thundra then grabbed the Nth Projector and sent Albert DeVoor and Erwin to the alternate world as well; with all three Nth Command personnel transported to the divergent future and appearing on the Transdimensional Viewer's screen, Thundra then tried to use Nth Projector on the Squadron Sinister version of Hyperion. --Marvel Two-in-One I#67 |
 
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images: (without ads)
Avengers I#83, p9, pan1 (main image - Professor T. W. Erwin with energy unit, on parade float; Tom Fagan (dressed as Nighthawk) [background])
Marvel Two-in-One I#67, p10, pan1 (headshot - Professor Erwin)
Avengers I#83, p4, pan4 (in "Valkyrie's" false origin flashback, Professor Erwin)
Avengers I#83, p17, pan4 (Parallel-Time Projector)
Marvel Two-in-One I#67, p7, pan4 (Professor Erwin explains Transdimensional Viewer)
Marvel Two-in-One I#67, p7, pan5 (Transdimensional Viewer displays image of Earth-8009)
Marvel Two-in-One I#67, p10, pan7 (on Viewer screen, Doolittle, Erwin, and DeVoor transported to Earth-8009; Thundra fires Nth Projector at Hyperion [foreground])
Appearances:
Avengers I#83 (December, 1970) - Roy Thomas (writer), John Buscema (art), Tom Palmer (inks), Stan Lee (editor)
Marvel Two-in-One I#67 (September, 1980) - Mark Gruenwald, Ralph Macchio (writers), Ron Wilson (pencils), Gene Day & Friends (inks), Jim Salicrup (editor)
First posted: 09/26/2013
Last updated: 06/26/2024
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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