Nebulon
Real Name: Who knows?
First Appearance: Defenders 13
Died In: Avengers Annual 11
What's His Problem? Nebulon was an alien prospector whom the Squadron Sinister duped into "buying" the Earth from them as a mining property. Nebulon's subsequent attempted flooding of "his" new planet was thwarted by the Defenders, but he returned months later as a would-be planetary messiah dedicated to "enlightening" mankind through his Celestial Mind Control movement, which actually robbed its participants of free will. After that fell through, he returned to more conventional schemes of conquest.
Powers: Nebulon could tap any planet's biospheric energy for powers such as teleportation, superhuman strength and energy blasts (sufficient to slug it out with the Hulk). A shape-shifter, Nebulon was actually a hideous giant fish-thingie and would revert to that form if he had insufficient energy to maintain a given disguise. Nebulon was also no slouch at mind control under certain conditions.
Favorite Quote: "I concede! Your race is beyond redemption!" (Defenders Annual 1. Nebulon's CMC movement was on the verge of brainwashing the free world into peaceful harmony when Dr. Strange literally talked him out of it with a speech about imperfect humanity's paradoxical potential for greatness.)
Heroes He Kept Running Into: The Defenders never gave Nebulon a break, no matter what scam he was running that month. His final gambit also brought him into conflict with the Avengers.
People Who Think He's Not So Bad: During his pseudo-benevolent phase, Nebulon befriended the otherdimensional Ludberdites and embraced their philosophy of higher beings' obligation to improve the lot of lower beings, the inspiration for his CMC movement. As Mister Nebul, the head of the CMC movement, Nebulon attracted millions of followers by helping them get in touch with their inner Bozo (don't ask--just read the back issues!). Most Earthlings of his acquaintance considered him a dangerous enemy alien, and his own people exiled him as a troublemaker after his Earthly shenanigans. Even his wife, Supernalia, deemed him unfit to live after his many failures, and eventually maneuvered him into committing ritual suicide with her to restore their honor.
Most Despicable Act: Nebulon once impersonated Namor's beloved late wife, Lady Dorma, and seduced Sub-Mariner into resuming war with the surface world. The Defenders exposed the imposture, and a titanically ticked Namor struck back in spades after realizing he'd been brainwashed (not to mention that he'd been kissing a giant alien fish. Blech!)
by Sean McQuaid
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