Marvel-Phile
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by Steven E. Schend and Dale A. Donovan Lesser Lights II: Long-lost heroes This past summer has seen the reemer- 3-D MAN gence of some Marvel characters who Gestalt being havent been seen in action since the early 1980s. Of course, Im speaking of Adam POWERS: Warlock and Thanos, the major players in Alter ego: Hal Chandler owns a pair of the cosmic epic Infinity Gauntlet mini- special glasses that have identical red and series. Its great to see these old characters green images of a human figure on each back in their four-color glory, and Im sure lens. When Hal dons the glasses and focus- there are some great plans with these es on merging the two figures, he triggers characters forthcoming. a dimensional transfer that places him in a Nostalgia, the lowly terror of nigh- trancelike state. His mind and the two forgotten days, is alive still in The images from his glasses of his elder broth- MARVEL®-Phile in this, the second half of er, Chuck, merge into a gestalt being our quest to bring you characters from known as 3-D Man. the dusty pages of Marvel Comics past. As 3-D Man can remain active for only the aforementioned miniseries is showing three hours at a time, after which he must readers new and old, just because a char- split into his composite images and return acter hasnt been seen in a while certainly Hals mind to his body. While active, 3-D doesnt mean he lacks potential. This is the Mans brain is a composite of the minds of case with our two intrepid heroes for this both Hal and Chuck Chandler, with Chuck month, 3-D Man and the Blue Shield. They usually being the dominant mind in the may not have set the world aflame when merging. 3-D Mans body is based primari- they first appeared, nor are they as cosmi- ly on Chucks original form, including the cally powerful as Warlock and his entou- experimental flight suit that was changed rage, but heytheir costumes are bright into the two-tone red/green suit (see His- and colorful, their spirits are strong and tory). Chucks body was altered by radia- noble, and they deserve a second chance tion from an exploding Skrull ship, and in the spotlight. In a world full of cosmic 3-D Man has a number of powers in addi- destroyers and ageless amphibians, these tion to his enhanced statistics: heroes are a bit more down to earth, and —Leaping: 3-D Man has an Amazing your players heroes could learn a thing or rank Leaping ability, able to leap up 3 two from them (and vice versa). Look out areas from a standing start. world, these heroes may be making a —Running: 3-D Man has a ground speed comeback in a MARVEL SUPER HEROES of Good, enabling him to run at approxi- game campaign near you! mately 60 MPH (4 areas/round). 3-D MAN game statistics Chuck Chandler Hal Chandler 3-D Man F GD(10) PR(4) RM(30) A GD(10) PR(4) RM(30) S GD(10) PR(4) RM(30) E EX(20) GD(10) AM(60) R GD(10) GD(10) GD(10) I GD(10) EX(20) IN(40) P EX(20) GD(10) IN(40) Health: 50 22 150 Karma: 40 40 90 Resources: GD(10) PR(4) PR(4) Popularity: 0 0 0 in either era (10 in 1958) (5 in 1958) Color by Steve Sullivan DRAGON 31 MARVEL —Skrull sense: Thanks to exposure to seeming death. He didn’t mention the sional transfer and summoned 3-D Man Skrull radiation while escaping the explod- images on his glasses to anyone. When he into being for the first time in 20 years. ing space craft, 3-D Man has an Excellent was alone, Hal put on his glasses, focused Inexplicably, Chuck’s mind was back in ability to detect the presence of Skrulls on a blank wall, and visually merged the control of the hero’s form and quickly within six areas. two images into one form. This triggered a surmised the situation, including the rea- TALENTS: Chuck Chandler has the Pilot- dimensional transfer, and Chuck Chandler sons for his long hiatus. ing and Martial Arts B skills. Hal has exhib- jumped back into three-dimensional reality Ironically, it was the presence of 3-D ited no particular talents. The 3-D Man a changed man. His experimental flight Man himself that triggered Banner’s trans- could potentially tap into either brother’s suit had become part of his skin, and it formation into the Hulk. After a fruitless talents while active. and his body had become divided into battle, 3-D Man realized he was out- shades of red and green. Chuck quickly matched by the sheer power of the Hulk. HISTORY: During the late 1950s, NASA’s discovered his new abilities and powers in He also determined that the Hulk was not hopes in the space race were pinned on a this new form. an inherent threat to his family, but in- number of experimental projects designed It was 3-D Man’s ability to sense Skrulls stead was simply misunderstood and per- to put a man into orbit around Earth: One that brought him into conflict with a varie- secuted. He helped the Hulk escape the of the most important projects involved ty of their schemes in 1958. The Skrulls authorities and later returned to his broth- the XF-13 rocket plane, a machine capable were using their shape-changing abilities er’s glasses. of propelling itself and its pilot into the to infiltrate and undermine Earth’s scien- It is unknown whether Hal and Chuck upper atmosphere. Its pilot was one of tific advancements. The aliens had man- Chandler will ever again revive their 3-D America’s best test-pilots: Chuck Chandler. aged to take over high governmental persona. It is also unknown whether the Chuck Chandler was a former star foot- positions and influence normal humans to alien radiation that created 3-D Man has ball quarterback at La Brea University who aid them in their plots to destabilize socie- affected Hal’s children. His two boys are rejected a professional football offer to ty. One of their strangest operations was a approaching puberty, the prime time for become a test pilot. Given his athletic back- mind-control gambit using a young rock- mutant powers to surface. For now, Hal ground and his piloting skills, he was con- and-roll star, Vince Rivers, to control the Chandler and his family reside peacefully stantly compared to another of America’s minds of young teenagers in the Los in Los Alamos, New Mexico. best pilots—Ben Grimm. The night before Angeles area. This plot was quickly foiled Chuck’s flight, he was attacked by foreign by 3-D Man’s attendance at one of Rivers’ ROLE-PLAYING NOTES: agents looking for information on the XF- local concerts. Chuck Chandler: Chuck was always 13. With some help from his younger The 3-D Man’s exploits were remarkable highly enthusiastic about whatever he did, brother, Hal, Chuck escaped and proceeded in the fact that he uncovered and neutral- focusing all his energy toward his goals. with the XF-13’s test flight. Chuck wore an ized a number of Skrull power bases while Aside from Ben Grimm, he was the best experimental body-temperature suit special- he could only be active for three hours at test pilot in the U.S.A. in 1958, and he ly designed for this flight, though its exact a time. After this time period, he had to carried himself proudly with his reputa- purpose remained unexplained. return to Hal Chandler’s comatose form tion. He shared a close rapport with his Upon reaching the higher atmosphere, and split into composite images again. younger brother, Hal, and treasured their Chuck encountered a flying saucer that During one such transformation, a Skrull friendship greatly. Chuck is quick to anger was hidden from the radar screens of the blasted at Hal’s form just as 3-D Man trig- and deals with his problems aggressively. NASA base. He radioed his sighting in just gered the dimensional transfer. The only Being a physically active person makes his as he disappeared from the base’s monitor- immediate result was that, upon summon- temporary and (ahem) two-dimensional ing radar screens. Chuck soon learned ing the gestalt form later, Hal’s mind was existence hard on Chuck, though he re- that his abduction was by a race of aliens in control of 3-D Man instead of Chuck. members very little about his time spent known as Skrulls, who were interested in While in control of the two-tone hero, Hal as a double image and only comes to full both Earth’s military potential in their war defeated the Cold Warrior, an American consciousness as 3-D Man. against the Kree, and in the native Earth scientist with artificial cold and ice powers Hal Chandler: Hal, as a young man, was space programs of both the Americans who was duped into thinking 3-D Man was moody and believed himself inferior in and the Soviets. The Skrulls had, in fact, a Communist by a Skrull disguised as others’ eyes due to his polio-crippled leg been behind the attack on Chuck at his then-Vice President Richard M. Nixon. and need for a crutch. He was also in- home the night before the flight.