CONNEL

Real Name: Connel (first name unrevealed)

Identity/Class: Alternate reality (unrevealed) human mutate (see comments)

Occupation: Unrevealed; former agent of the "Great Federation of the Galaxy" (unknowingly)

Group Membership: None

Affiliations: Unidentified extraterrestrial

Enemies: None

Known Relatives: His wife and at least two children (none identified)

Aliases: "The Great Connel, Man of Destiny" (as referred to in newspaper headline) (see comments)

Base of Operations: His suburban home; formerly his apartment/laboratory in the city

First Appearance: Astonishing#51/1 (July, 1956)

Powers/Abilities: When Connel was a child, extraterrestrials endowed him with such mental powers as an advanced intellect, telekinesis, telepathy, and personal teleportation (see comments)--because of these abilities, scientists mistakenly believed Connel to be a mutant.

Connel's powers were eventually removed by the extraterrestrials; afterwards, he led a much happier life as an ordinary human.

Height: Unrevealed (5' 10"; by approximation)
Weight: Unrevealed (170 lbs.; by approximation)
Eyes: Unrevealed
Hair: Light-brown

History:
(Astonishing#51/1 (fb) - BTS) - The past of Connel is largely unrevealed, but many years ago, when he was a child, beings from the planet Mystirum chose him to lead the people of Earth down the right path; the extraterrestrials secretly altered young Connel's "mental genes" and gave him great psionic powers to use for the good of humanity--when Connel began to manifest these powers, scientists mistakenly determined that he was a mutant.

   Connel was kept in seclusion within a guarded apartment/laboratory in the city, where his every need was catered to while he worked his wonders.

   Using his great powers for the benefit of all mankind, Connel eventually made the world a virtual Utopia--with his rare gifts, he insured world peace and showed humanity the path to understanding; through his efforts, he extended the human lifespan and taught mankind how to reach the frontiers of space. The people of Earth were in awe of Connel, and they considered him to be the greatest man the world had ever known...but he was also the loneliest.

(Astonishing#51/1 (fb)) - From the window of his apartment, Connel looked at the crowds of people on the streets below. Despite his great achievements, he yearned to have the life of an ordinary human, filled with love and warmth and happiness. But he sadly realized that because of his mutant nature, he would never be accepted as part of the human race.

   Suddenly, Connel sensed the presence of something alien in the room with him--he turned and saw an extraterrestrial! Connel brought forth his powers and tried to overpower the will of the humanoid being; but the alien from the planet Mystirum explained that he possessed the same powers as Connel, and he could therefore counteract those that Connel projected.

   Then the benign alien explained the truth about Connel's nature to him--Connel learned that when he was a child, he had been chosen to lead the people of Earth to the right path, and so the inhabitants of Mystirum had altered his "mental genes" to give him his powers. The alien further explained that Connel had been tasked to use those powers to make mankind worthy of joining the " Great Federation of the Galaxy," and that his mission was successfully completed.

   But with his work over, Connel could only wonder what there was for him now; the alien offered Connel a choice: He could either stay with his own fellow humans, content that his great work was done, or he could project himself to Mystirum, where the powers he possessed would not make him seem "different."

   Connel returned to the window and again looked at the people below, then he reached his decision--although it would be a great adventure, to go to another planet and live a life without being apart from others, Connel nevertheless told the extraterrestrial that he had to remain amongst his own kind, even though he knew he could never live a normal and happy life on Earth. With an understanding of Connel's feelings of loneliness and isolation, the alien told Connel to teleport himself to the street below, then the extraterrestrial vanished.

   Following the alien's final command, Connel willed his body to disappear from his apartment; but when he reappeared amongst the pedestrians on the sidewalk, Connel felt strange...different...as though a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders. He also felt excited and giddy, as though he were about to enter the greatest adventure of his life. Then Connel realized what these feelings meant: His powers were gone! Now just an ordinary human being like all the other pedestrians, Connel easily blended in with the crowd...

   After Connel's mysterious disappearance was discovered at the apartment, a scientist went on a television broadcast to solemnly announce that Connel was gone, and that the world would likely never again see one to equal him.

(Astonishing#51/1 (fb) - BTS) - The events of the intervening years are unrevealed, but Connel apparently adopted a new identity (see comments); he eventually got married, fathered at least two children, and lived an ordinary life at his home in the suburbs.

(Astonishing#51/1) - Five years later, Connel was walking home from the city when he saw a paperboy selling newspapers reporting about the fifth anniversary of his disappearance--the very ordinary man bought a copy and read it, then reminisced about his past while he happily walked home to his wife and family...

Comments: Created by an unidentified writer and Robert Q. Sale.

This was only a 4-page story, so very few details were given about Connel's past and exactly how he changed the world.

The only powers Connel displayed in this story were the hint of his telepathy when the extraterrestrial appeared, and when he performed that final teleportation to the street (see Main Image); but in the flashback following Connel's disappearance, the scientist on the television broadcast stated of Connel: "He could move mountains by pure thought, was telepathic, could transport his body thousands of miles in a matter of seconds!"

Considering that Connel brought peace and prosperity to the entire world, I'm guessing that this story probably took place on an alternate Earth with a radically different history from Earth-616 (mainstream Marvel Universe)--Connel seemed to be the only superhuman present.
Assuming this story took place in the year it was published (1956), I would estimate that Connel was probably born around 1920, which would mean that he would have been an adult by 1941--perhaps Connel used his powers to prevent World War II and the Cold War from ever occurring on that Earth.

Since the name of Connel was known worldwide, he more than likely adopted an alias after his powers were gone and he began to live an ordinary life, but his new identity was never mentioned in the story.

Some aspects of this story--the anniversary of the mysterious disappearance of a "superman," whom we eventually learn had his powers removed so he could live an ordinary life with a wife and family--remind me of Alan Moore's classic "final" Superman tale Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?.

Profile by Ron Fredricks.

CLARIFICATIONS:
Connel has no known connections to:

The unidentified extraterrestrial from Mystirum has no known connections to:

Connel's apartment/laboratory

Located on the top floor of a building in an unidentified city, it was where the supposed mutant Connel lived in isolation; his every need was catered to while he worked his wonders.

Although every entrance was guarded by alarms, secret rays, and humans, none of these security measures deterred an extraterrestrial, who projected his being into the room to speak to Connel.

After learning about the true nature of his powers from the extraterrestrial, Connel teleported himself for a final time, vanishing from the apartment to the sidewalk below--Connel was pleased to discover that his powers had been removed, and he began a much happier life as an ordinary human.

--Astonishing#51/1 (fb)

unidentified extraterrestrial

A being from the planet Mystirum, he was an emissary of the "Great Federation of the Galaxy." He apparently possessed the same powers as Connel (telepathy, telekinesis, personal teleportation).

Years earlier, the learned ones of his planet had endowed Connel with great psionic powers, so that Connel could lead the people of Earth to the right path and make mankind worthy of joining the Federation; using these powers, Connel made the world a virtual Utopia.

Connel led an isolated life, because he was mistakenly believed to be a mutant, and thus the only one of his kind. Perhaps sensing Connel's loneliness, the extraterrestrial projected his being into Connel's apartment and offered him a choice: Connel could either stay with his own fellow humans, content that his great work was done, or he could project himself to Mystirum, where the powers he possessed would not make him seem "different".

But Connel chose to remain with his own kind, even though he knew he could never live a normal and happy life on Earth; perhaps feeling pity for the lonely Connel, the extraterrestrial told him to teleport himself to the sidewalk below, then the extraterrestrial vanished.

The alien had apparently removed Connel's powers after Connel rematerialized on the sidewalk, and had thus granted Connel his fondest wish--to be an ordinary human.

--Astonishing#51/1 (fb)

unidentified scientist

He was one of the scientists who mistakenly believed Connel to be a mutant.

Five years earlier, he solemnly made a television broadcast and announced to the viewers that Connel had mysteriously disappeared; he speculated that Connel had been a chance mutant, and that the world would likely never see one equal to him again.

He also listed the accomplishments Connel had made for the betterment of mankind.

--Astonishing#51/1 (fb)

unidentified paperboy

In the city, he was a teenage vendor selling copies of the Express-Globe newspaper--the publication was running a headline regarding the fifth anniversary of the disappearance of the great Connel.

A stranger approached him and bought a copy--the paperboy was unaware that the stranger had actually been Connel himself.

--Astonishing#51/1

images: (without ads)
Astonishing#51/1, p4, pan3 (Main Image - Connel, willing himself to appear on street)
Astonishing#51/1, p4, pan4 (Headshot - Connel, happy that his powers are gone)
Astonishing#51/1, p2, pan7 (Connel, thinking about his loneliness)
Astonishing#51/1, p4, pan2 (Connel learns he is not a mutant)
Astonishing#51/1, p4, pan7 (Connel walks home to his wife and children in the suburbs)
Astonishing#51/1, p2, pan6 (Connel looking from building with his apartment/laboratory)
Astonishing#51/1, p2, pan5 (Connel's apartment/laboratory (interior); Connel speaking to guard)
Astonishing#51/1, p2, pan4 (Connel looking out window of his apartment/laboratory)
Astonishing#51/1, p3, pan2 (unidentified extraterrestrial speaking to Connel)
Astonishing#51/1, p3, pan4 (unidentified extraterrestrial tells Connel about his true nature)
Astonishing#51/1, p2, pan1 (unidentified scientist on television; unidentified family (foreground))
Astonishing#51/1, p2, pan2 (unidentified scientist talks about Connel's achievements)
Astonishing#51/1, p1, pan1 (unidentified paperboy; Connel (background))

Appearances:
Astonishing#51/1 (July, 1956) - unidentified writer, Robert Q. Sale (pencils and inks), Stan Lee (editor)

First Posted: 08/12/2021
Last updated: 08/12/2021

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

Non-Marvel Copyright info
All other characters mentioned or pictured are ™ and © 1941-2099 Marvel Characters, Inc. All Rights Reserved. If you like this stuff, you should check out the real thing!
Please visit The Marvel Official Site at: http://www.marvel.com

Special Thanks to http://www.g-mart.com/ for hosting the Appendix, Master List, etc.!

Back to Characters