MICHAEL TEMPLAR
Real Name: Michael Templar
Identity/Class: Human technology user (1950s era)
Occupation: Research scientist
Group Membership: None
Affiliations: Maria Storm, Venus
Enemies: Elsa (last name unrevealed)
Known Relatives: None
Aliases: "That seedy character" (as called by Elsa)
Base of Operations: His laboratory on the coast of Maine, USA
First Appearance: Venus#11/1 (November, 1950)
Powers/Abilities: Michael Templar was a genius in the field of atomic research. While suffering from a bout of temporary insanity, he created a machine which somehow moved Earth closer to the sun (see comments); he later modified the device to reverse the process and return the planet to its normal orbit.
Templar's mental-breakdown was a result of his being rejected by Elsa, to whom he was obsessively in love; he created the machine in a misguided attempt to extort the world for ten million dollars and thereby win Elsa as his wife.
Height: 6' (by
approximation)
Weight: 180 lbs. (by approximation)
Eyes: Blue
Hair: Brown
History: (Venus#11/1 (fb)) - The past of Michael Templar is largely unrevealed, but he set up his lab in a desolate house on the rock-bound coast of Maine; at some point he hired Maria Storm as his lab assistant. For years, research was Templar's only interest, and he neglected material gains and romance to devote his life to investigating unknown elements, particularly atomic energy. Templar eventually met and fell madly in love with Elsa, and he expressed his feelings to her. But Elsa rejected him on the basis that he didn't make enough money to support her. Templar's overworked mind snapped, and he swore to Elsa that he'd bring her riches beyond her dreams, but Elsa only derisively laughed at him as she left. Determined to win Elsa's affections at any cost, Templar had Maria prepare his lab for the greatest experiment of his life.
With Maria assisting him, Templar worked on his planet-moving machine to the point of exhaustion, despite Maria insistently pleading with him to get some food and rest. After completing the device, Templar activated it for a scheme to extort the world, all to win the love of Elsa. As the planet moved closer to the sun, the effects of Templar's doomsday machine were soon felt--the world's temperature began to rise, the polar ice caps began to melt, reservoirs began to dry up, and various media reported that the end of the world was coming soon. Unaware that Templar had caused the planetary disaster, Maria begged him to get some rest, but the irrational Templar ordered her to leave his lab, then he collapsed to the floor from fatigue. As he slept, Templar had a nightmare about the world plunging into the sun, and the horrific dream shocked him back to his senses--he realized he had to stop the planet's destruction.
(Venus#11/1) - After learning on Mount Olympus that a cataclysmic event threatened the world, Venus was carried to Templar's lab by Mercury to investigate. Templar told Venus his story and how he was responsible for the planet's plunge towards the sun, but he couldn't recall the counter-formula to reverse the process. Then the worried Maria returned to the lab to check on Templar--Venus sensed that the plain woman secretly loved the scientist. As the frustrated Templar tried to remember the counter-formula, Venus figured that his mental block was due to the grief he felt from his unrequited love for Elsa, so she departed to speak with the woman, only to learn that Elsa despised Templar, and she would never love him, even if it meant the world was doomed.
Remembering Maria's unexpressed feelings for Templar, Venus returned to the lab and revealed to the scientist that Maria loved him--Maria shyly admitted her feelings to Templar as well. But Templar didn't care because he wasn't in love with Maria, for he only desired Elsa, and he was unconcerned with the world if he couldn't have her. When all seemed hopeless, Venus thought of a solution--the goddess summoned her handmaidens to bring love for Maria to the heart of Michael Templar. The handmaidens appeared and bestowed their loveliness and charms to Maria, transforming the plain woman into a beauty. Templar immediately fell in love with the new Maria and suddenly remembered the counter-formula for his machine. With Maria's help, Templar modified the device and restored Earth back to its proper location. With the planet saved, Venus left Michael Templar and Maria Storm, having brought real love to their lonely lives.
Comments: Created by an unidentified writer and Werner Roth (artist)
In regards to Templar's machine moving the world: I'm no expert in astrophysics, but it seems to me all sorts of gravitational havoc would result in the Solar system if the planet were to be moved; so maybe Templar's device actually created a hyperspatial "worm-hole" between Earth and the sun, which effectively reduced the relative distance between the two and resulted in the planet (still in its regular orbit) receiving more of the sun's energy than normal--if this were so, then perhaps one of the side-effects of Templar's disruption of the space/time continuum was that "solar wave" space-warp (discovered by Reed Richards, used by Doctor Doom @ Fantastic Four I#23).
(Earlier, in Captain America Comics I#70/1 (January, 1949), Cap (Jeff Mace) battled Martian invaders when Professor Kendall Kulto's "atomic powered planet mover" pulled the planet Mars closer to Earth--perhaps this device also worked on similar principles to Michael Templar's machine.)
When Maria was bestowed with the charms of Venus' handmaidens, it sort of reminded me of the Fawcett/DC character Mary Marvel, who in the early days was also empowered by various legendary female characters-- I wonder if Maria was left with any supernatural abilities.
And considering Templar's mood swings, his obsessive tendencies, his suicidal depression (Oh, yeah...and there was also that thing with him almost becoming the worst mass-murderer in the history of the planet!), I can't understand Maria's attraction to him. Ah well, I guess that's just the "Mystery of Love" for ya...
Profile by Ron Fredricks.
CLARIFICATIONS:
Michael Templar has no known connections to:
Maria Storm has no known connections to:
Elsa has no known connections to:
A device built by Templar, it was somehow able to move Earth closer to the sun (see comments). Located in Templar's lab on the coast of Maine, it consisted of a single control console (and possibly other supporting devices behind the scenes).
It initially fired some form of a green-energy discharge which caused the world to move closer to the sun.
Later, Templar modified the device to counter its actions so that it
fired a blue-energy discharge, which restored the planet to its original
location.
(This energy was described as a "blue
flame"--perhaps it had some connection to the blue flame-like energy the
Eternals use to form the Uni-Mind, or the energy that empowered the Blue Blaze?)
--Venus#11/1
The bespectacled Maria was a mousey "plain Jane" who worked as Michael Templar's lab assistant; she also secretly loved the scientist.
When Templar was rejected by Elsa, Maria tried to comfort the lovelorn scientist with some reassuring words. She later unknowingly assisted him in building a machine that would move Earth closer to the sun, and she was concerned when she saw Templar driving himself too hard to complete the device. After activating the machine, the irrational Templar ordered Maria to leave his lab.
Later, when Venus appeared in his lab to investigate Earth's plunge towards the sun, Templar admitted that he was responsible for the planetary disaster, but he couldn't recall how to reverse the process. The concerned Maria returned to check on Templar, and the goddess sensed that Maria was in love with him.
So obsessed with Elsa was Templar that he couldn't remember how to reverse Earth's plunge into the sun, and Venus tried to convince Elsa to return to him. After failing to reunite Templar with Elsa, Venus tried to kindle a romance between the scientist and the woman who truly loved him--Maria. But Templar only desired Elsa and was not attracted to Maria, so Venus summoned her handmaidens--Cleopatra, Juliet, Salome, Helen of Troy, Liti, Du Barry, Bilitis, and Psyche--and each contributed a portion of her own beauty, charm, and loveliness to Maria, which transformed her physical appearance. Upon seeing the new Maria, Templar fell in love with her and was able to recall the counter-formula for his machine to return Earth to its proper location.
--Venus#11/1
The object of Michael Templar's affection, the lonely scientist had fallen madly in love with her. But Elsa was a gold-digger, and she thought Templar would never be anything but a struggling, plodding researcher all his life, and he would never be able to support her, so she rejected him.
After Templar built a machine that threatened the destruction of the planet, Elsa was attending an "end-of-the-world" party. Venus plead with Elsa to return Templar's love, but she refused and told the goddess how she really felt about the scientist--Venus found Elsa to be selfish, heartless, and cruel, and she thought Templar deserved better.
--Venus#11/1
images: (without ads)
Venus#11/1, p1, pan1 (Main Image, Michael Templar
restraining Venus)
Venus#11/1, p4, pan2 (Headshot, Michael Templar
confesses to Venus that he's responsible for Earth's crisis)
Venus#11/1, p6, pan7 (Michael Templar collapsed on lab
floor, having nightmare about Earth's fate)
Venus#11/1, p7, pan1 (Michael Templar comes to his
senses)
Venus#11/1, p6, pan1 (Michael Templar at console of
device)
Venus#11/1, p6, pan2 (energy beam (green) fires from
Templar's laboratory to move Earth closer to sun)
Venus#11/1, p11, pan5 (counter-active energy beam (blue)
fires from Templar's laboratory to restore Earth to normal location)
Venus#11/1, p5, pan5 ((before) plain and mousey Maria
Storm)
Venus#11/1 p10, pan6 (Venus' handmaidens bestow their
charms to Maria Storm (Michael Templar in background))
Venus#11/1, p11, pan1 ((after) Venus presents Maria
Storm transformed into a knock-out)
Venus#11/1, p5, pan3 (Elsa rejects Michael
Templar)
Venus#11/1, p8, pan6 (Elsa tells Venus how she really
feels about Michael Templar)
Appearances:
Venus#11/1 (November, 1950) - unidentified writer, Werner Roth (pencils and inks), Stan Lee (editor)
Last updated: 11/06/16
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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