Orb (comics)

The Orb is the name of two fictional supervillains appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, primarily adversaries of Ghost Rider.

Publication history

The Drake Shannon version of Orb debuted in Marvel Team-Up #15 (November 1973) and was created by writer Len Wein and artist Ross Andru.

The second Orb first appeared in Ghost Rider #26 (Oct. 2008) and was created by Jason Aaron and Tan Eng Huat.[1]

The Orb appeared as one of the villains in the 2014 crossover story Original Sin, which involved the theft of the eyes of the Watcher. Writer Jason Aaron said, "It was Tom [Breevort]'s ideally initially to use the Orb; no one will believe me on that, though. Using him is an obvious idea, but something I didn't think of until Tom mentioned it. Tom's thinking, rationally so, was that since we were doing a story which revolves around eyeballs being stolen then using a villain who got an eyeball for a head was perfect."[2]

Fictional character biography

Drake Shannon
The Orb
Cover art to Ghost Rider #30.
Art by Richard Corben.
Publication information
PublisherMarvel Comics
First appearanceMarvel Team-Up #15 (November 1973)
Created byLen Wein
Ross Andru
In-story information
Alter egoDrake Shannon
PartnershipsJustin Hammer
AbilitiesHelmet is capable of powerful laser blasts. Can also project illusions and hypnotize people.

Drake Shannon was born in Wheeling, West Virginia. An accomplished motorcycle stunt rider, he owned one-half of the traveling motorcycle stunt show which would later feature Johnny Blaze (who would later become Ghost Rider). The other half of the show was owned by Blaze's mentor, Crash Simpson.

While the partnership was initially amiable, the two men grew apart and eventually an intense rivalry developed. Neither wanted to work with the other, but neither wanted to sell their half of the show. To settle the dispute, the two men agreed to a lengthy race, with the winner receiving full ownership of the traveling show.

After many miles of neck-and-neck competition, Shannon deliberately swerved towards Simpson in an effort to force Simpson to crash. However, the maneuver caused Shannon to lose control of his motorcycle. While Simpson managed to remain upright and continue on with the race, Shannon slid 25 yards on his unprotected face. The accident left him hideously disfigured.

After his recovery, for reasons never adequately explained, Shannon was given a powerful motorcycle helmet by They Who Wield Power. The helmet, which was modeled to look like a giant eyeball, could hypnotize people. A later version could also shoot powerful laser beams from its "pupil".

Calling himself "The Orb", Shannon attempted to take over the traveling motorcycle stunt show which he had once half-owned. He put the lives of dozens of innocent people at risk, but informed Johnny Blaze (now the sole owner of the stunt show) that he would let them go unharmed in exchange for the sole ownership of the stunt show. Although Blaze capitulated, Shannon instructed his minions to kill the hostages anyway, so that no one would know how the ownership changed hands. At this point, Ghost Rider and Spider-Man teamed up to defeat him.[3][4]

Becoming a professional criminal, he returned several times, always plotting to get revenge on the Ghost Rider. The Orb attacked Delazny Studios, and battled the Ghost Rider again.[5] He inflicted Roxanne Simpson with amnesia, and battled Ghost Rider once more.[6] He was later revealed to have been a pawn of "They Who Wield Power."[7] Alongside Madame Menace, he battled Ghost Rider once again.[8] At one point he also crossed paths with Hawkeye. The Orb battled Hawkeye, and alongside Hawkeye he discovered Plantman's mobile plant-growing factory, and was shot by Plantman's stimuloids.[9]

Agent of Zadkiel
The Orb
Publication information
PublisherMarvel Comics
First appearanceGhost Rider #26 (Oct. 2008)
Created byJason Aaron
Tan Eng Huat
In-story information
Alter egoUnknown
PartnershipsZadkiel
Doctor Midas
Exterminatrix
AbilitiesUse of ray gun
Possesses an eye of Uatu

A successor to the original Orb. He was born with a head that resembled a giant eye and was abandoned at a young age and grew up in a freak show.[10][11][12]

After performing a number of unidentified jobs, this Orb was hired to take down Caretaker alongside Blackout II, Death-Ninja and Doghead. Blackout alleged that the Orb was killed by the Caretaker,[13] but it was later revealed that he was merely hospitalized with massive eye trauma.[14]

He is later one of the villains considered by Blackout and the Deacon to help them assassinate the Ghost Rider.[15] He was later broken out of prison and began to work for Zadkiel.[16] During the climactic confrontation with the Ghost Riders, the Orb had the fingers of his left hand shot off and was again returned to the prison hospital as a cellmate of the paralyzed Deacon.[17]

This second Orb was notable for the fact that he almost never stopped talking (much to the frustration of both his teammates and his enemies) and that while he always boasted of his prowess with his repulsor ray, he never actually successfully hit anyone with it.

Orb resurfaced in the Astonishing Spider-Man & Wolverine miniseries, robbing a bank. He was sent skipping through time by some glowing diamonds. Eventually, he gained some understanding of time travel but was apprehended by the Minutemen before he could put this knowledge to use.[18]

Orb later appeared with a group of minions in eye-based masks, having just stolen the eyes of a group of people at a bank. Clearly insane, he claimed that he rolled around naked in eyeballs, regarding the eyes as 'windows to the soul' that he could gather power from before his rematch with the Ghost Rider. He claimed that he could see the true selves of the Hulk and Red She-Hulk when he looked into their eyes, describing Betty's conflicting relationship with her father and recognizing that a 'monster' was behind Hulk's eyes that was not the Hulk himself.[19]

In the wake of Uatu the Watcher's murder in the 2014 miniseries "Original Sin", Orb and Exterminatrix are discovered to be in possession of one of Uatu's gouged-out eyes,[20] but after he is captured, he maintains that he did not commit the murder.[21] Doctor Strange and Punisher then take Orb to a satellite,[22] where Orb collapses due to his body's absorption of the things he stole from Uatu's home.[23] As the storyline concludes, the Orb has merged with one of Uatu's eyes, which now resides in his chest.[24]

Orb reappears trying to steal a future-predicting Rigellian Recorder from Deadpool and the Mercs for Money, claiming that the burden of the Watcher's power has made him want to prevent anyone else from having access to similar capabilities, "because I've seen what that can do to someone!" In the midst of a high-speed highway battle, he and his motorcycle are knocked into the Big Wheel by Merc member Foolkiller.[25]

He returns having kidnapped Doctor Strange in the "Blood in the Aether" storyline, where he is revealed to have regained the Watcher's power, now influencing those he observes to commit more brutal actions, such as telling a loner in an apartment that he is viewed as a creep by others in the building and should kill them in response.[26]

Powers and abilities

Drake Shannon is an athletic man with no superhuman powers. He is an expert stunt motorcyclist and a capable hand-to-hand combatant. However, the Orb is criminally insane as a result of the accident which disfigured his face. As the Orb, he wears a helmet originally provided by "They Who Wield Power" composed of unspecified materials, containing specialized micro-circuitry, capable of firing laser blasts and hypnotizing victims. The Orb rides a motorcycle which he specially modified.

The second Orb used a repulsor ray gun. Unlike the original Orb, this Orb's head is an actual giant eyeball.[27] He claims to be able to talk by flexing certain muscles in his 'eye'/head.[21] He has merged with one of the eyes of Uatu, which now resides in his chest.[24]

gollark: I may actually be overestimating it, because averaged out I only have 4 hours of lessons a day (free periods + sports + etc).
gollark: I counted that, yes.
gollark: It filters out one guild on which I discuss somewhat real-world things, filters out DMs, removes pings, and reads the messages.csv files, as well as producing a CSV output for aitextgen.
gollark: ```python#!/usr/bin/env python3import os, os.path, json, csv, reOUT = "/tmp/messages.csv"with open(OUT, "w") as g: outwriter = csv.writer(g) DATA_ROOT = "/tmp/messages" for x in os.listdir(DATA_ROOT): dir = os.path.join(DATA_ROOT, x) if os.path.isdir(dir): with open(os.path.join(dir, "channel.json")) as f: meta = json.load(f) if meta["type"] == 0 and ("guild" not in meta or meta["guild"]["id"] != "771081279403065344"): print(x, meta.get("name", "???"), meta.get("guild", "???")) with open(os.path.join(dir, "messages.csv")) as f: r = csv.reader(f) for row in r: channel, timestamp, message, _ = row message = re.sub("<@[0-9]+>", "", message) outwriter.writerow((message, ))```
gollark: And the messages folder → CSV dumper is something like 20 lines of python.

References
  1. https://www.newsarama.com/4640-jason-aaron-putting-ghost-rider-heaven-s-on-fire-out-p-2.html
  2. Arrant, Chris (June 11, 2014). "Original Sin Insider: Jason Aaron Loses His Head Over #3's Death & Promises Worse to Come". Newsarama. Retrieved 17 May 2020.
  3. Marvel Team-Up #15 (November 1973). Marvel Comics
  4. Cowsill, Alan; Manning, Matthew K. (2012). Spider-Man Chronicle: Celebrating 50 Years of Web-Slinging. DK Publishing. p. 71. ISBN 978-0756692360.
  5. Ghost Rider #14-15 (October and December. 1975). Marvel Comics
  6. Ghost Rider #28 (February 1978). Marvel Comics
  7. Incredible Hulk #241 (November 1979). Marvel Comics
  8. Ghost Rider #63 (December 1981). Marvel Comics
  9. Solo Avengers #19-20 (June–July 1989); Avengers Spotlight #21 (Aug. 1989). Marvel Comics
  10. Ghost Riders: Heaven's on Fire #5 (November 2010). Marvel Comics
  11. https://pulllist.comixology.com/previews/OCT090523/5/
  12. http://www.aintitcool.com/node/43312
  13. Ghost Rider #26 (Oct. 2008). Marvel Comics
  14. Ghost Riders: Heaven's on Fire #2 (November 2009). Marvel Comics
  15. Ghost Rider #33 (May 2009). Marvel Comics
  16. Ghost Riders: Heaven's On Fire #1-2 (October - November 2009). Marvel Comics
  17. Ghost Riders: Heaven's on Fire #5-6 (February - March 2010). Marvel Comics
  18. Astonishing Spider-Man & Wolverine #1-6 (July 2010-July 2011). Marvel Comics
  19. Incredible Hulk #7.1 (July 2012). Marvel Comics
  20. Aaron, Jason (w), Deodato, Mike (a). Original Sin #1 (July 2014). Marvel Comics
  21. Aaron, Jason (w), Deodato, Mike (a). Original Sin #3 (August 2014). Marvel Comics
  22. Aaron, Jason (w), Deodato, Mike (a). Original Sin #4 (August 2014). Marvel Comics
  23. Aaron, Jason (w), Deodato, Mike (a). Original Sin #5 (September 2014). Marvel Comics
  24. Aaron, Jason (w), Deodato, Mike (a). Original Sin #8 (October 2014). Marvel Comics
  25. Cullen Bunn (w), Salva Espin (p), Salva Espin (i), Guru-eFX (col), VC's Joe Sabino (let), Jordan D. White (ed). Deadpool & the Mercs for Money #4 (18 May 2016), United States: Marvel Comics
  26. Jason Aaronn (w), Chris Bachalo, Jorge Fornés (p), John Livesay, Tim Townsend, Al Vey, Victor Olazaba, Jorge Fornés (col), VC's Corey Petit (let), Nick Lowe (ed). Doctor Strange #15 (18 December 2016), United States: Marvel Comics
  27. Ghost Rider #27 (November 2008), letters page. Marvel Comics
  • Orb I at The Appendix to the Handbook of the Marvel Universe
  • Orb II at The Appendix to the Handbook of the Marvel Universe
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