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VULCAN

Real Name: Unrevealed

Identity/Class: Human mutate (see comments) (pre-modern era);
    citizen of the United Kingdom

Occupation: Adventurer

Group Membership: First Line (Black Fox/Robert William Paine, Blackjack, Doctor Mime, Effigy/Velmax, Firefall, Flatiron/Russell, Frank, Katyusha/Anya, Liberty Girl/Beverly, Major Mercury/Makkari, Mr. Justice/Timothy "Tim" Carney, Morph, Nightingale, Oxbow/Sam Matonabbe, Pixie, Positron/Veronica, Rapunzel, Rebound, Reflex, Squire, Templar/Ian Fitzwilliam Dare, Walkabout/William Carmody, Yankee Clipper/Patrick "Pat" Carney, Yeti)

Affiliations: Unrevealed

Enemies: Nocturne, Nocturne's zombies

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: "Blacksmith" (nickname given by Nocturne's zombie Bucky), "Shorty" (nickname given by Nocturne's zombie Human Torch)

Base of Operations: Unrevealed;
    formerly: First Line headquarters, Colorado Mountains; United Kingdom.

First Appearance: Marvel: The Lost Generation#7 (August 2000)

Powers/Abilities: By some means, Vulcan could generate plasma energy that he could discharge from his hands as beams of heat and force (see comments). Despite his relatively small stature, the native Scotsman was a stout warrior who was loyal to the equally British hero Templar.

Height: 4'8" (by approximation)
Weight: 200 lbs. (by approximation)
Eyes: Unrevealed
Hair: Unrevealed

History:
(Marvel: The Lost Generation#7 - BTS) - In the early-1970s, the diminutive Scottish superhero Vulcan became a part of America's premier super-powered team, the First Line. 

(Marvel: The Lost Generation#7) - Vulcan joined Templar, Katyusha, Pixie and Reflex in a rescue mission of fellow teammates Oxbow and Mr. Justice. Traveling to Cleveland, they found the two heroes were being held hostage by their old enemy Nocturne, the Red Skull and, curiously enough, the war-time heroic group known as the Invaders. After Vulcan had used his powers to blast open the door, he immediately had to match his firepower with that of the android Human Torch. Just who the superior firebug was we never got to find out because Bucky drop-kicked the hero, freeing the Torch in the process. As Vulcan rolled with the punch, he realized this boy couldn't be the real Bucky, because the actual war-time hero would be around 50 years old by now. During the confrontation, Reflex realized the Invaders and the Skull were actually zombies created and controlled by Nocturne, prompting Templar to kill them all with a single blow of his enhanced broadsword. Vulcan then joined in the search for Nocturne, who had managed to slip away, only to come up empty. Satisfied that they had at least rescued their teammates and stopped Nocturne's latest scheme, the First Line declared victory and returned home.

(Marvel: The Lost Generation#7 - BTS) -  One day after the fight against Nocturne and his zombies, Vulcan attended the wedding of Templar in the United Kingdom. Templar dropped a bombshell on the Black Fox when he told him he would be retiring from superheroics following his nuptials. When the Black Fox wondered who would assume his mantle and legacy, Templar admitted he wasn't planning to do any of that--in fact, he had already promised his sword to Vulcan.  

Comments: Created by Roger Stern (writer), John Byrne (pencils), Al Milgrom (inks)

Vulcan seemed rather deferential to the British hero Templar, repeatedly calling him "sir" and obeying his orders without question--this makes the existence of a past connection between the two of them more than a little likely. It's never been revealed why Vulcan left the First Line. Maybe he retired along with Templar, maybe he fell in the line of duty; the fact of the matter is: he wasn't there for the First Line's final mission to halt the Skrull invasion of the late-1980s, so he might still be alive. On the other hand, the fact that Templar was using his trusty blade during the final battle with the Skrulls suggests something went awry with Vulcan and the blade.

Apropos of nothing: while his costume is basically little more than a blacksmith's smock, his face mask is actually just about the most Kirby-esque design I've seen this side of the King himself. 

It was unrevealed if Vulcan's power was innate--perhaps all of that extra hardware on his costume (belt, shoulder-harness, gloves) was its source; maybe he used the name of the blacksmith/weapons-maker of the Roman gods (aka Hephaestus) because he was actually a technology-user who invented his own powers.--Ron Fredricks  

Profile by Norvo.

CLARIFICATIONS:
Character should not be confused with

images: (without ads)
Marvel The Lost Generation#7, p2, pan1 (main image)
Marvel The Lost Generation#7, p1, pan1 (uses powers)

Appearances:
Marvel: The Lost Generation#7 (August 2000) - Roger Stern (writer), John Byrne (pencils), Al Milgrom (inks), Ralph Macchio (editor)

First Posted: 02/02/2014
Last updated: 05/11/2014

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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