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Quote1 So much to see in a city like this. So many poor lost souls out there, floundering, in need of help. The madmen still clinging to their last shreds of sanity. The murderers who don't have the guts. The down-on-their-luck anarchists. I see them all. And I help them achieve their full potential. Quote2
The Orb[src]

History

Early Life[]

The Orb was born with a head in the form of a giant eye.[4] Due to this deformity, he was neglected by his mother,[5] and was eventually abandoned at an early age. He was raised in a freak show, where he was forced to sleep in cages and eat cat food. The Orb grew up being laughed at and mocked, and stayed a virgin until he was thirty-seven, when he paid for the experience.[4] He wouldn't be able to speak for a long time, before he learned he could just make squishy sounds.[6]

Caretaker[]

Some time later, he ended up becoming a mercenary, and was hired by Daniel Ketch to serve the angel Zadkiel alongside Blackout, Death Ninja, and Doghead. Together, they tried to kill Caretaker, a former adviser to Ketch. However, during the attack, the Orb accidentally damaged his eye after triggering a trap inside Caretaker's home, launching a wooden plank lined with nails into his head.[1] Orb was taken to the South Nashville Prison Hospital, where he received treatment for his trauma.[7]

Orb (Mercenary) (Earth-616) from Ghost Riders Heaven's on Fire Vol 1 5 cover

Heaven's on Fire[]

After recovering, the Orb was broken out of prison by Blackout and Deacon, who wanted him to serve Zadkiel's "task force" of Ghost Rider foes.[8] Alongside Vengeance, the Orb attacked the gateway to Heaven, but was confronted by the Gun Nuns. He was later knocked out by Daniel Ketch while running and screaming for being shot in his left hand, seemingly loosing three of his fingers.[9]

Time and Orblings[]

Orb later returned to his life of crimes and formed a group of robbers, called the Orblings. While trying to rob a bank searching for jewels, was defeated by Spider-Man and Wolverine, before time diamonds scattered the three of them across the timeline.[10] He experienced an alternate life where he was a muscle bound gun toting monster before being pulled back by the Minutemen.[11] He was last seen being led away bemoaning having been reset to the regular timeline.[12]

Original Sin[]

The Orb began having numerous dreams in which he observed the Watcher's base, what could've been a manifestation of his extra-sensory abilities. He contacted Doctor Midas, and offered to make a deal with him to rob the Watcher.[6]

When he, Midas and the Exterminatrix arrived to the Moon, they attacked the Watcher's citadel. As he was repelling Midas' Mindless Ones, the villains stole his armory. During the fight, the Orb envied Uatu's power and shot him so he would "never see anything again." The blast only left the Watcher unconscious, but it was enough for the Orb to take advantage of that and remove his left eye.[13] Back on Earth, the eye's influence caused numerous Mindless Ones in possession of him to radically change, develop thoughts and evolve. After one of the Mindless Ones escaped the Orb's lair and committed suicide following a battle against the Avengers, the heroes began investigating the connection between the Mindless One's behavior and the death of Uatu.[14]

Orb (Mercenary) (Earth-616) from Original Sin Vol 1 2 001

Unleashing a million secrets

When The Orb was finally pinned down, he was confronted by numerous heroes, and activated the eye, unleashing the secrets of the Watcher.[15] He was then apprehended and taken into custody in the Avengers Tower,[6] from where he was freed by the Punisher and Doctor Strange so he could lead them to the eye, which had been stolen. The Orb took them to a secret satellite, where Punisher and Strange discovered other heroes who were working for the same person, Nick Fury.[16] Fury took the Orb and tortured him so he could learn how to activate the other eye of the Watcher, the right one Fury had in his possession.[13]

The procedure also enhanced the Orb's powers, and he was able to defeat the heroes in the satellite and get back to the Moon, where Nick Fury also was, so he could see the Watcher's last secret.[17] The Orb took one of the eyes from Fury, and it bonded with him, developing the obsession to watch different types of events when he returned to Earth.[18] The Orb decided to take up the Watcher's job, albeit in his own twisted way. In addition to observing events more closely, the Orb, while claiming to abide to a rule of non-interference, considered it was acceptable to push forward the development of events he assumed would help people achieve their full potential, including pushing the actions of murderers and madmen.[2]

Deadpool & the Mercs for Money[]

When Deadpool and the Mercs for Money sold a Rigellian Recorder seemingly capable of foretelling the future, the Orb, claiming that no one should have this kind of power, tried to kill them before they could delivery the robot to its new owner, the Ozarks Kingpin, but failed.[19]

Blood in the Aether[]

When Doctor Strange was targeted by several of his enemies following the invasion of the Empirikul, the Orb got hold of him and took him hostage in his taxi. Having seen Strange's "sins," the Orb wanted to assist Strange in confronting them, namely the creature known as Mister Misery. However, the confrontation between Doctor Strange and Mister Misery was interrupted by the appearance of Baron Mordo, and the subsequent arrival of Dormammu.[20]

Enter the Phoenix[]

When the cosmic force known as the Phoenix Force returned to Earth, it staged a contest to determine its next host, and the Orb was one of many individuals summoned to the White Hot Room for it. The Phoenix empowered the assembled champions and had them fight each other in trials by combat.[21] One of the earliest bouts of the contest saw the Orb fight the Valkyrie, and she defeated him.[22]

Death[]

The Orb continued carrying his twisted mission until the arrival of a Multiversal incarnation of the Masters of Evil arrived on the universe. Having been aware of their existence through the Watcher's powers and being excited about their continuous journey of Multiversal destruction, the Orb intercepted them in the North Pole as they set their eyes on the Avengers. He declared his intention to witness the villains, but was in turn killed by their leader, Doom Supreme.[5]

Attributes

Power Grid[25]
:Category:Power Grid/Fighting Skills/Some Training:Category:Power Grid/Energy Projection/Single Type: Short Range:Category:Power Grid/Energy Projection/None:Category:Power Grid/Durability/Normal:Category:Power Grid/Speed/Normal:Category:Power Grid/Strength/Normal:Category:Power Grid/Intelligence/Normal

Powers

Extra-Sensory Abilities: Orb has stated that he has the ability to "see things other people can't," like knowing when someone was thinking about killing him. Through his dreams he can also "observe," as he was able to see the Watcher's base in the Moon.[6] After the absorption of the Watcher's eye, the Orb has since augmented such abilities to near omniscient levels, making him aware of everything that happened to any individual, although he still likes to observe important events up-close.[23]

Watcher's Powers: After absorbing Uatu's eye, the Orb started to manifest powers similar to those the Watcher possessed in life, but the extent of such powers is still unknown.

  • Eye Beam: He showcased the ability to blast people with a red energy beam.[2]
  • Energy Manipulation: The Orb has the ability to shoot energy from his body in powerful blasts of purple. They have been shown to be able to knock down multiple powered individuals in one blow, and even incapacitate the Hulk.[17]
  • Wall-Walking: He has showcased the ability to walk over vertical surfaces with ease.[2]
  • Superhuman Strength: The Orb has shown some level of superhuman strength when grabbing a falling Doctor Strange through his cape using just one hand with no effort.[2] The full extent of his strength is still unknown.

Abilities

Apparently an expert marksman.

Weaknesses

Eyeball for a head: Prior to merging with the Watcher's eye, the Orb's head / big eye was his greatest weak point.

Insanity: The Orb is quite literally insane, he has an obsession with eyeballs, and, on occasion, has been said to roll naked around them.

Paraphernalia

Weapons

Repulsor Ray gun.

Transportation

Taxi; formerly a motorcycle.

Notes

  • Unlike the original Orb, Drake Shannon, the all-new Orb's unusual appearance is not a mask.

See Also

Links and References

References

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