THE HELPERTHE HELPER
Real Name: Yusef Abbas
Identity/Class: Human mutant (? - see comments)
Occupation: Convenience store employee, high
school student
Group Membership: None
Affiliations: Captain America (Steve Rogers), Clyde Dobronski, Olga
Enemies: S.H.I.E.L.D. (Bartles,
others);
formerly Clyde
Dobronski
Known Relatives: Unidentified father and mother
Aliases: "Kid," "Son," "Young Man"
Base of Operations: Toledo, Ohio, USA
First Appearance: Civil War: Marvels
Snapshots#1 (February, 2021)
Powers/Abilities: The Helper possesses minor
elemental abilities, allowing him to transform elements in his vicinity
into other elements. For example, he has been shown to transmute fog
from oxygen, transform water into ice, suppress fires, remove lead from
water, rearrange pavement to correct potholes, transmute elements in
the air to create small rain clouds to water plants and redirect
breezes to reduce his weight and create a shield of oxygen to protect
himself from chemical inhalation.
Height: 5'10" (by approximation)
Weight: 155 lbs. (by approximation)
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Black
History: (Civil War: Marvels Snapshots#1 (fb))
- As a child, Yusef Abbas was a big fan of superheroes and hoped to one
day become one. One day in young teen years, Yusef discovered that he
had minor elemental abilities and, realizing that his powers were more
like tricks instead of full powers, Yusef decided to use his powers to
help others rather than save the world. During an early use of his
powers, Yusef fixed a local pothole by transforming pavement to fill in
the hole. Donning a small mask, Yusef dubbed himself the Helper and
became a minor hero in his own right, using his powers to help others
such as generating small rain clouds to water rooftop plants. At some
point, the Helper saved a man's grandchildren from a fire, rescued
children at the zoo and tried to
help others by removing lead from his town's water supply. One night,
while watching television with his mother, Yusef witnessed the
supervillain Nitro exploding, killing numerous civilians in Stamford,
Connecticut. Nervous, Yusef tried to go about his normal life but grew
increasingly worried when his homeroom teacher spoke about the
government finally doing something about the superheroic "freaks" and
when customers in his family store said similar things. Following the
passage of the Superhuman Registration Act (SHRA), Yusef continued
trying to live a normal life but when his help was needed during a
chemical spill, he nonetheless arrived on the scene as the Helper.
Recognizing the Helper from his earlier rescue of children at the zoo,
the chemical plant employees asked the Helper to get inside the plant
to shut off a valve before the other employees trapped inside became
endangered. Rearranging breezes to create a shield from chemical
inhalation, the Helper ventured inside the plant but found the valve
stuck in place. Figuring he would die trying to save the plant
employees, the Helper was surprised when Captain America appeared on
the scene and helped turn off the valve while the Helper continued
shielding them from chemical inhalation. Once the area was safe, the
Helper admitted he had considered giving up heroics to not break the
SHRA law until he heard about the chemical spill. Captain America then
inspired the Helper to continue his activities by reminding him that
good was above any program.
(Civil War: Marvels Snapshots#1) - S.H.I.E.L.D.
agents (including Clyde Dobronski and Bartles) arrived in Toledo, Ohio
to apprehend the Helper for violating the Superhuman Registration Act
by failing to register. Captured by the agents, the Helper watched as
numerous townspeople came to his defense, insisting he had helped them,
but S.H.I.E.L.D. warned the civilians to depart or risk arrest. Not
wishing to see anyone hurt, the Helper used his powers to generate a
mist in hopes of disappearing in the distraction but the agents
switched to infrared vision. When Agent Clyde Dobronski warned that the
Helper did not want to fight them, the Helper asked why they couldn't
just leave him alone as he used his powers to transform a puddle into
ice, causing Dobronski to slip. The Helper then tried to run for it but
Bartles fired taser rounds into the Helper, shocking him to the ground.
Bartles then roughly apprehended the Helper but Dobronski reminded
Bartles that the Helper was done. Imprisoned within S.H.I.E.L.D.'s
Toledo, Ohio field office until a regional crew could arrive the next
day to transfer him to a detention facility, the Helper was informed by
Dobronski that the room was equipped with power dampeners capable of
suppressing the Helper's superhuman powers. Reading the Helper's file,
Dobronski was surprised to learn the Helper was just a kid and informed
that the Helper would be prevented from contacting his family until the
regional crew processed him the following day. The Helper accused
Dobronski of being a fascist and Dobronski tried to explain how
S.H.I.E.L.D. was attempting to keep the peace. When Dobronski asked why
the Helper didn't just go along with the program, the Helper proclaimed
that the program "sucked" and Dobronski replied that the Helper was
just a kid and didn't know any different. Revealing his backstory and
his inspiration from Captain America to Dobronski, the Helper heard
Dobronski admit his understanding of how inspirational Captain America
could be and accused Dobronski of siding with the group that had
attacked Captain America and caused the death of the heroic Goliath.
Dobronski tried to say Goliath's death was an accident but the Helper
replied by suggesting that, if Dobronski really was a good cop, he had
some serious questions to ask himself.
The conversation was then interrupted by S.H.I.E.L.D.
Agent Bartles, who brought in a new prisoner, a young girl named Olga.
From his cell, the Helper watched as Bartles was overly rough with Olga
and Clyde Dobronski came to her defense, reminding Bartles that Olga
was just a kid. When Bartles left and Dobronski tried to introduce
himself to Olga, the Helper laughed and said Olga would not talk to
Dobronski. The Helper then introduced himself to Olga, revealing his
real name, and asked if it was true that she could fly. Upon hearing
Olga's backstory and how she was simply flying for fun and not engaged
in vigilante activity when S.H.I.E.L.D. apprehended her, the Helper
exclaimed that it always started with an excuse until everyone ended up
in handcuffs. Dobronski then suggested the two get rest before they
were transferred the next morning but Dobronski himself ended up dozing
off instead, awakening to see the Helper attempting to overload the
facility's power dampeners. Dobronski warned that the dampeners would
electrocute if the Helper didn't stop but the Helper insisted that he
could not go to whatever concentration camp S.H.I.E.L.D. was sending
him to. Dobronski continued trying to get the Helper to stop risking
himself until Bartles returned, having forgotten something, and saw the
Helper attempting to escape. Drawing his weapon, Bartles nearly
attacked the Helper but Dobronski, having grown sympathetic towards the
two imprisoned kids, smashed his coffee mug over Bartles' head.
Dobronski then shut down the power dampeners and freed the surprised
Helper and Olga. Leading the two to a side entrance where they could
escape, Dobronski assured the Helper that he would figure things out
after the Helper remarked that Dobronski was going to be in serious
trouble for attacking Bartles and setting them free. Dobronski then
told the Helper to make sure Olga got home safe but Olga smiled and
said she would make sure the Helper was safe. The Helper then explained
that he could redirect the wind to offset his weight so Olga could
carry him while flying. Dobronski then watched the two kids fly away
and called his son Donnie on the phone, unsure if he would be seeing
him for awhile after he was punished by S.H.I.E.L.D.
Comments: Created by Saladin Ahmed and Ryan Kelly.
It was never directly stated how the Helper acquired his superhuman powers, only that he "found out he had them." Given that the panel of him learning of his powers shows him in his early teens and that he "found out about them," I'm leaning towards the Helper being a mutant.
Profile by Proto-Man.
CLARIFICATIONS:
The Helper has no known connections to:
Olga was a young girl with the ability to fly. Not interested in becoming a superhero, Olga used her powers for fun after the Superhuman Registration Act passed. Thinking she would be fine since she was not using her powers for vigilante activities, Olga was nonetheless apprehended by S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Bartles and taken to S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Toledo, Ohio field office in handcuffs that prevented her from using her powers. Placed in a cell until she could be transferred to a detention facility, Olga met the element-transmuting Helper. When Bartles returned and found the Helper attempting to overload the facility's power dampeners, he nearly attacked the Helper until S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Clyde Dobronski, having become sympathetic to the treatment of Olga and the Helper, smashed his coffee mug over Bartles' head. Dobronski then freed Olga and the Helper and led them to an exit, telling the Helper to make sure Olga got home safe. Olga smiled and instead said she would make sure the Helper was safe. When the Helper said he could offset his weight by redirecting the winds as Olga carried him, Olga sarcastically remarked that their escape would be fun. The two then flew away from the S.H.I.E.L.D. facility.
Olga could fly via unrevealed means.
--Civil War: Marvels Snapshots#1
images: (without ads)
Civil War: Marvels Snapshots#1, p13, pan1 (The Helper, main image)
Civil War: Marvels Snapshots#1, p24, pan1 (The Helper, headshot)
Civil War: Marvels Snapshots#1, p12, pan4 (young Yusef using powers)
Civil War: Marvels Snapshots#1, p17, pan1 (The Helper in prison)
Civil War: Marvels Snapshots#1, p29, pan3 (Olga)
Appearances:
Civil War: Marvels Snapshots#1 (February, 2021) - Saladin Ahmed
(writer), Ryan Kelly (art), Darren Shan (editor)
First Posted: 03/25/2021
Last updated: 03/25/2021
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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