Living Laser

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Please take note that most of the information here does not relate to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

The Living Laser is a character who appears in the Marvel comics and is an enemy of Iron Man. The identity is taken up by Arthur Parks when he becomes a villain.

Appearance[]

Back when he was still human, Dr. Parks was a Caucasian man with brown hair and blue eyes, with a height of 5 ft, 11 in (1.8 m) and a weight of approximately 185 lb (83.9 kg). As a photonic being he can alter his appearance as he sees fit, with his true form being shimmering white photons, usually encased in a transparent containment suit which gives him a purplish tint. As a shapeshifter, he is capable of mimicking his original human form when he wishes.

History[]

Origins[]

Arthur Parks was born in New Brunswick, New Jersey, but eventually moved to New York to continue his education, obtaining a PhD in physics. While in college he met and began dating a woman named Lucy Barton, and this relationship kept him grounded in reality. Dr. Parks eventually became a research scientist working on laser projectors for military applications. Sadly, his relationship with Lucy did not last, and when they broke up, Parks did not take it well. When Lucy became engaged to the son of a wealthy bank president, Parks had a psychotic break, believing that Lucy had dumped him for vapid, shallow reasons and "traded up" the first opportunity she could. Under his insane troll logic, women were only attracted to wealth and power, so he had to obtain more wealth and power to get their attention. Repurposing his research for criminal gain, Parks created compact laser emitters that fit on his wrists and forearms. The emitters could generate energy similar to Iron Man's repulsor blasts, but were also capable of cutting through obstacles or firing thermal beams capable of creating fires.

Now calling himself the Living Laser, Parks set out to demonstrate his newfound power by targeting the bank that Lucy's fiancé worked, which would also gain him a measure of revenge. After effortlessly overpowering the bank's security and causing massive property damage, the Laser attracted the attention of the Avengers, then consisting of Captain America, Ant-Man, Hawkeye, and the Wasp. The Laser developed a stalker-like fixation with the Wasp, believing that he could conquer her if he defeated her male teammates. Choosing to toy with his opponents, the Laser was caught off gaurd when Ant-Man became Giant-Man and easily overpowered him. The Laser's capture was short-lived, however, as he escaped while he was being flown to prison.

Living-Laser-Marvel-Comics-Avengers-Early — The Laser's original costume

Seeking revenge for his initial defeat, the Laser launched a series of attacks designed to lure the Avengers into intricately prepared traps tailored to exploit their weakness. To recoup the expenses he incurred in his campaign of vengeance, the Laser agreed to support Marxist rebels in the Latin American nation of Costa Verde, leaving for the nation with the Wasp as his prisoner.

The Laser effortlessly destroyed the Costa Verde military forces, but then betrayed the rebels by establishing himself as the nation's new dictator. By this time the other Avengers had escaped and followed him to Costa Verde. In the ensuing battle, the Laser was defeated and imprisoned.

A few months after his incarceration, the Laser receives new weapons and an upgraded battlesuit smuggled into the prison by the Mandarin, which he uses in an attempt to escape. The escape attempt is initially thwarted by Iron Man, who had been investigating similar prison breaks by villains that had previously been captured by himself or other Avengers, but the Mandarin is able to use his rings to teleport the Laser to safety. The Laser subsequently teams up with other villains who were similarly freed by the Mandarin, serving as muscle in the elusive mastermind's "master plan" against the Avengers. The Avengers defeat the Mandarin's minions, with the Laser being double-teamed by Hawkeye and Thor.

Living-Laser-MLE — Upgraded battlesuit from the Michelinie/Layton era

The Laser's string of defeats solidified him as a "jobber": a villain who was durable enough to survive numerous encounters with the Avengers and live to talk about, but still not quite strong enough to be a threat to them without help. Though his ego had previously made him reluctant to team up with other villains, he put these feelings aside in the name of pragmatism. Consequently, the Laser would find himself working for Batroc The Leaper, the Masters of Evil, and the Lethal Legion, and would also undergo an experimental procedure that implanted him with cybernetic diodes that would enable him to use his laser powers even when he did not have access to his weapons.

Although this cybernetic upgrade did indeed make him more powerful, his lease on life was now a day at a time: the diodes turned the Laser into a living battery, and when he stored too much energy, he would reach critical mass unless the excess energy was drained. Seeking a cure for this condition, the Laser fled to Germany and made contact with Heaven's Hand, a cabal of scientists allied with Department X (the Russian counterpart to S.H.I.E.L.D.). They agreed to relieve him of the excess energy, which would be used to power their network of satellites. However, Iron Man soon arrives at the facility, prompting the enemies to battle. The Laser begins to overload on energy, and fearing the disaster of him detonating so close to nuclear reactors, Iron Man hurls the Laser into space, where he explodes and seemingly perishes.

Loss of Humanity[]

Miraculously, the Laser managed to survive, but he was no longer human. Instead, he had been converted into a being made of pure photonic energy. Though this made him more powerful - he could move at speed of light and assume any form he wished, it came at a terrible price; he could no longer feel, smell, or taste, and he needed to be kept in a containment suit to keep his photons from dissipating.

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The Inevitable[]

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The Collective[]

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Fall of X[]

The Laser was kidnapped by a Life Model Decoy of Iron Man controlled by Feilong, upgrading his powers at the cost of what little sanity he had left. Convinced that the real Iron Man was responsible, the Laser went on a rampage, defacing an Avengers monument before being stopped by Iron Man and Ironheart. With Iron Man successfully exonerated, the Laser expressed his desire for revenge on Feilong.

When War Machine is arrested for attempted sabotage of a Sentinel factory, the Laser allows himself to be captured so he can protect Rhodey from assassination attempts while he is in prison.

Notes[]

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Trivia[]

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Gallery[]

References[]

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External Links[]

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