Apollo (Wildstorm)
Apollo is a male comic superhero who features in DC Comics.
Contents |
Biography
Origin
Andrew Pulaski
Jenny Sparks and Stormwatch Black were in hiding when most of Stormwatch died at the hand of the insane Henry Bendix. Jenny recruited new versions of the Engineer and the Doctor, and along with Swift, Jack Hawksmoor, Midnighter and Apollo they formed the Authority to take the place of Stormwatch as the world's first defense against superhuman menaces. They discovered the Carrier, a sentient ship that could travel the Bleed, the space between worlds in the multiverse, and used it as their headquarters. Midnighter preferred fighting crime on the street level, but Apollo told him he was going to have to grow into his new role. Terrorist Kaizen Gamorra attacked Moscow, causing untold loss of life, and Jenny contacted her old handlers Jackson King and Christine Trelane for information on him. The Authority had already done their research, but she wanted her ex-handlers, who were still connected with the UN, to feel important. Jack visited Moscow, and realized the Children of Gamorra used teleporters with a unique energy signature. The signature appeared next in London, and the Authority arrived to defend Jenny's home. Midnighter thought Apollo was out of form after six months out of action, and told him he whined like an old woman. The Authority violently murdered a number of the Children of Gamorra, forcing the rest to teleport away. Apollo had wrecked the teleportation gear of one of the Children, who was forced to fly back to Gamorra Island, with Apollo in pursuit. Kaizen put up his island's force field to rethink his strategy, and the Doctor saved Apollo from splattering himself on the forcefield. The Doctor reminded him that although he was new to superheroics his mind was as old as human existence. Jenny split her team to offer emergency aid to Moscow and London. Jack thought that the more responsibility Jenny got the more he yelled and horrible she became, but he still supported her. Jenny told Apollo that she was uncomfortable with leadership, and haunted by past mistakes, but she had resolved that there had to be people ready to save the world and then change it. (The Authority v1 #2) Apollo kept nagging Jenny about how they were going to get past Gamorra's forcefield, and Engineer had been working with the Carrier, which showed her it could open a gate directly to the island. Jenny told Midnighter to do recon on the island, while the rest of the team traveled to L.A., where they predicted Gamorra's next attack would come. Jack noted that they were resembling a team even though they knew virtually nothing about each other. Jenny contacted the UN to alert them to the danger to L.A., but before she could make any more preparations the Children of Gamorra arrived. The Doctor felt out of his element, but his predecessor spoke to him, reminding him that the world was his village, and he had every Doctor in his corner to help him realize his potential. The Doctor turned half of the attacking Children into trees, but the strain of such powerful magic left him unconscious, and he was returned to the Carrier. Engineer reminded her teammates she wasn't a soldier, but Jack convinced her she had to learn to fight, and she created a web of knives that cut a number of the Children to shreds. Midnighter made his way to Gamorra Tower, and discovered the bioreactor Gamorra was using to pump out more and more superhuman soldiers. Midnighter was trained to beat problems until they were dead, but he realized that strategy would not work against two miles of machinery. He returned to the Carrier, and plowed it into Gamorra Tower, destroying it. Jenny alerted the UN to send inspectors to Gamorra so they could recover Kaizen's technology, and she told the world they would make it better. (The Authority v1 #4)
Christine Trelane contacted the Authority when a rip in spacetime opened and fighter jets emerged, devastating L.A. Apollo and the Doctor destroyed a number of the crafts, and Jenny Sparks recognized them. She said they were under attack from the parallel world of Sliding Albion. Jenny Sparks created a gigantic electric avatar, short-circuiting the ships, and reminding them that her Earth was still under her protection, before the remaining ships returned to Avalon. Jenny filled in the crew on her previous encounter battling a Sliding Avalon invasion in 1920, and reached out to her old contacts to get entry to R.A.F. Rendelsham's holding facility. She introduced the Authority to her ex-husband Lorenzo Antonio Slzfi. (The Authority v1 #6) Lorenzo said Sliding Avalon's civil war led to low birth rates due to biowarfare, so his father Regis was most likely invading her Earth to continue his bloodline, and gain more living space for his people. Regis sent his second wave aboard the Carrier, and Apollo killed most of them, but drained his solar powers in the process. Midnighter, not used to seeing him helpless, embraced his love. The Engineer and Swift both told Jenny they needed to do more than defeat Sliding Avalon, they needed to fix their totalitarian, imperialistic culture. Sliding Avalon attacked Northern Europe, and Jenny came up with a plan to repower Apollo long enough for him to save the continent. Midnighter feared for Apollo's safety, and he assured his friend he was the only one who could do the job, and he intended to return alive. Apollo single-handedly destroyed the Avalon invasion fleet, and Jenny took the Carrier to Avalon itself. She destroyed Westminster Abbey, the base of Regis' power, and Jack Hawksmoor reached into the city, which was sick of Regis' crimes, and ripped him in two. The Carrier took them to Sicily, the other seat of the Blue's power, and the Doctor held it still while their Earth rotated around it, drowning the country. Jenny announced to the world that the imperialism and rape culture of the Blue's was now gone, but if asked to they'd be back to make sure it didn't return, and urged the people of Avalon to make a better world. Engineer thought it was scary that they'd changed an entire world based on what they thought best, and Jenny reminded her that that was the Authority's mission. (The Authority v1 #8)
Post-Flashpoint
Following the Flashpoint, a new version of reality was created with a different history of events.
Apollo starts off as a superpowered young man who first comes to the attention of Stormwatch after he uses his abilities to murder a child molester. Subsequently, a website uses Photoshop to create an image of Apollo battling Superman, the idea of which ultimately convinces Stormwatch to recruit him. Jack Hawksmoor, the Projectionist and the Martian Manhunter came to hunt down Apollo in order to recruit him onto their team. However, he refused them leading to a fight between the two where he was nearly overpowered until he got aid from Midnighter. Together, they came to defeat Stormwatch with Midnighter suggesting a partnership between himself and Apollo. (Stormwatch v3 #1) The skyward battle was abruptly interrupted by Midnighter, a brutal vigilante who fiercely intervened to stop Stormwatch from claiming Apollo, leaving the solar hero to question his path as a massive, monstrous manifestation of the Moon began to threaten the entire planet. (Stormwatch v3 #2) Apollo was thrust into a desperate global crisis when the Earth's Moon suddenly transformed into an organic, monstrous eye that began projecting a maddening psychic pulse across the planet. Working alongside Midnighter and the secret Stormwatch tactical unit, he took to the sky to defend humanity from the colossal creature's waking influence. During the chaotic aerial skirmish, the lunar monster unleashed a volley of gigantic, parasitic stone talons that rained down upon the Earth to slaughter the population. Apollo used his high-velocity flight and raw physical power to intercept the falling projectiles mid-air, aggressively shattering the massive constructs before they could impact the cities below. Despite his initial reluctance to join a covert superhero squad, he coordinated his heavy solar attacks with Midnighter's ground tactics, ultimately fighting to contain the cosmic entity before its awakening could completely tear the Earth's atmosphere apart. (Stormwatch v3 #3)
At some point, Apollo, Midnighter, and Steel were recruited by Superman and Manchester Black to join the Authority and rescue June Moone from a personal hell created when her fears were made real by the power of the Enchantress. (Superman and the Authority v1 #2) Later, Apollo was sent to recruit Lia Nelson/Lightray and was attacked by an enraged OMAC while Ultra-Humanite infiltrated the Fortress of Solitude and subdued Superman. The Authority was then attacked at Dubai by Coldcast; Fleur-de-Lis; Iron Cross and Siv. (Superman and the Authority v1 #3) Superman eventually managed to get free and the rest of the Authority managed to defeat their opponents. So Apollo, with the help of June Moone and OMAC, rescued Lightray from Eclipso. (Superman and the Authority v1 #4)
Overview
Personality and attributes
In appearance, Apollo was a tall, exceptionally muscular human male who possessed the clean-shaven, striking physical features of a classic heroic paradigm. He had long, bright blonde hair that cascaded past his shoulders, contrasting sharply with his brooding and battle-hardened demeanor. His costume was heavily inspired by classical solar iconography, featuring a stark white and gold bodysuit that seamlessly integrated into his sleek body armor. The chest piece prominently displayed a stylized, golden sunburst emblem at its centre, emphasizing his mythological namesake. He wore heavy golden bracers on his wrists, a matching metallic belt, and a flowing white cape attached to his shoulders, completing an imposing silhouette that stood out vividly against the dark, gritty urban environments he investigated. (StormWatch v2 #4)
Apollo had an intensely protective, fierce, and deeply loyal nature that was defined by a strong moral conviction to defend his teammates from corruption and harm. Despite operating as a hardened, black-ops vigilante who spent years executing brutal underground missions in the shadows, he maintained a genuine sense of camaraderie and deep personal devotion to his partner, Midnighter. He was highly alert to institutional betrayal, harboring a fierce resentment toward covert authorities like Henry Bendix who used soldiers as disposable pawns. This protective instinct made him quick to take decisive, aggressive action against any external force that threatened his squad's freedom, combining his immense power with a steadfast commitment to the safety of those he considered his true family. (StormWatch v2 #4)
He was shown to be intensely independent, highly principled, and deeply defensive nature that made him vehemently oppose the concept of organized heroism. Operating as a lone vigilante who only used his immense gifts to protect ordinary people in isolated, dangerous situations, he harbored a profound disgust and absolute abhorrence toward ever being labeled or treated as a traditional 'superhero'. He was fiercely distrustful of institutional authority and secret agencies, reacting with immediate, explosive hostility when covert organizations attempted to corner or recruit him into their hidden operations. Despite his aggressive, misanthropic outer defenses and a clear willingness to violently retaliate against psychic or physical intrusion, he maintained a fundamental, well-meaning sense of baseline justice. This unique moral compass ultimately allowed him to recognize a kindred spirit in the brutal pragmatism of Midnighter, choosing to abandon his strict isolation in favor of a trusted, personal partnership based on mutual autonomy. (Stormwatch v3 #1)
Powers and abilities
Apollo possessed a vast array of photokinetic and physiological traits derived from highly advanced, rogue bio-engineering. His body operated like a living solar battery, absorbing ambient sunlight and transforming it into staggering levels of raw physical power. He exhibited immense superhuman strength and total invulnerability to standard mortal weaponry, enabling him to smash through heavily armed strongholds without taking damage. He possessed the capability for supersonic flight and could survive indefinitely in anaerobic environments, including the deep vacuum of space, simply by choosing not to breathe. For offensive combat, he could manipulate and discharge concentrated solar radiation directly from his body, unleashing devastating blasts of blinding heat and laser-like light from his eyes and hands to vaporize exotic weaponry and hostile forces instantly. (StormWatch v2 #4)
In one case, he was described as being a photon-powered hyper. (Stormwatch v3 #19)
He could effortlessly absorb ambient sunlight to fuel his immense superhuman strength, allowing him to trade physical blows with powerhouse entities like Martian Manhunter without sustaining injury. He possessed the capability for high-velocity supersonic flight and complete physical invulnerability, enabling him to smash through concrete structures and withstand devastating kinetic impacts unscathed. For offensive combat, he could channel concentrated solar radiation directly through his eyes and hands, unleashing blinding, laser-like heat blasts capable of scorching powerful aliens. Additionally, his senses were vastly heightened, allowing him to perceive minute environmental details from immense distances while his body passively projected a protective, glowing aura of pure solar energy. (Stormwatch v3 #2)
Apollo demonstrated an advanced tier of energy manipulation and kinetic output that allowed him to neutralize massive planetary threats. He exhibited the precise kinetic control required to fly at extreme supersonic speeds through the upper atmosphere while simultaneously generating a heavy, thermal energy field around his body to burn up falling orbital debris. His solar heat vision was shown to be highly adjustable, enabling him to narrow his energy beams into hyper-focused, piercing lasers that could instantly cut through dense, alien-engineered dark matter and supernatural stone constructs. Furthermore, his cellular durability allowed him to withstand the immense atmospheric pressure and friction of high-speed re-entry without experiencing any physiological fatigue or thermal damage, confirming his status as an unstoppable aerial juggernaut. (Stormwatch v3 #3)
Apollo could emit radio waves to communicate over long distances without the need of a comm implant. (Stormwatch v3 #3)
Apollo can enhance his healing abilities through exposure to sunlight, he was able to heal his eyes in seconds after they had been burned by Skallox. (Stormwatch v3 #9)
Apollo can project powerful blasts of solar energy from his hands and eyes. (Stormwatch v3 #9) He can also emit powerful energy explosions from his body and create small solar flares. (Stormwatch v3 #10)
Notes
- Apollo was created by Warren Ellis and Bryan Hitch where he made his first appearance in StormWatch v2 #4 (February, 1998).
- On his blog, writer Keith Champagne commented on the Apollo/Ray comparison in his Countdown: Arena, "Because Majestic is more or less the Superman analogue from Wildstorm. Of all the Wildstorm characters, I wanted Apollo in the book and, with Superman spoken for, the best match we could come up with was The Ray due to the solar-powered connection. It doesn't necessarily mean Apollo is a Ray analogue, just that Monarch grouped him together with the other two."
Alternate Versions
- In Flashpoint: Project Superman v1 #1 (2011), an alternate version of Apollo appeared in the Flashpoint timeline. This version was Neil Sinclair who volunteered for a government supersoldier program where the government was looking to create "the hero of tomorrow". The government came to graft Project Six DNA to Sinclair and over time he came to gain numerous superpowers.
Appearances
- Stormwatch v2: (1998)
- The Authority v1:
- Midnighter and Apollo v1:
- Stormwatch v3:
- Midnighter and Apollo v2:
- Superman and the Authority v1:
External Links
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