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*Ability to leap vast distances|}}
*Ability to leap vast distances|}}


'''Sasquatch''' ('''Andy PT''') is a very hairy boy who likes to grease a lot. But in general he is a very good guy.
'''Sasquatch''' ('''Walter Langkowski''') is a [[fiction]]al [[character (arts)|character]], a [[superhero]] in [[Marvel Comics]]' [[Marvel Universe|universe]]. He [[first appearance|first appeared]] in ''Uncanny X-Men'' #120 and was created by [[John Byrne]].


==Fictional character biography==
==Fictional character biography==

Revision as of 19:40, 4 November 2010

This article is about the mainstream, Earth-616 Marvel Comics Sasquatch. For the Exiles character formerly known as Sasquatch, please see Heather Hudson (Exiles).
Sasquatch
Sasquatch.
Art by Marc Silvestri.
Publication information
PublisherMarvel Comics
First appearanceUncanny X-Men #120 (Apr 1979)
Created byJohn Byrne
In-story information
Alter egoAndrew Pohl-Thelen
Team affiliationsOmega Flight
Alpha Flight
Beta Flight
Gamma Flight
Notable aliasesWanda Langkowski, Box, Tanaraq
AbilitiesBrilliant scientific mind

Ability to transform his body into a massive, orange-furred form
While transformed:

  • Superhuman strength, endurance, durability, and stamina
  • Regenerative healing factor
  • Sharp claws and teeth
  • Ability to leap vast distances

Sasquatch (Andy PT) is a very hairy boy who likes to grease a lot. But in general he is a very good guy.

Fictional character biography

Dr. Walter Langkowski is a member of Alpha Flight, a native of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada of Polish origin and a renowned physicist, and a professor of both physics and biophysics at McGill University[1]. He is also a former American football player for the Green Bay Packers.

He possesses the ability to transform into a super-strong, orange-haired beast resembling the legendary Sasquatch. This transformation is triggered by willpower. In his transformed state, Langkowski has increased strength, stamina, and resistance to injury. He also has sharp claws and is able to leap incredible distances.

These powers were a result of Langkowski's self-experimentation with gamma radiation. In an attempt to become like the Hulk, Langkowski bombarded himself with a gamma ray projector at his laboratory near the Arctic Circle. As a proposed explanation for why he transformed into an orange instead of green behemoth (as gamma-irradiated persons are usually affected), Langkowski assumed it had something to do with the Aurora Borealis.

However, unknown to Langkowski, it was not the gamma rays that turned him into Sasquatch, but the fact that his lab equipment opened a doorway between our world and the "Realm of Great Beasts." When this portal was opened, a mystical beast called Tanaraq invaded Langkowski's body and granted him his powers. Langkowski had to learn to maintain his own personality and intelligence when in the form of Sasquatch, and was very successful for a time.

Alpha Flight

As a member of the Canadian superhero team Alpha Flight, Sasquatch battled the X-Men in an attempt to capture Wolverine.[2] He later battled the Hulk,[3] and then, alongside the Hulk, battled the Wendigo.[4] Alongside Alpha Flight again, he battled the Great Beast Tundra.[5] With Alpha Flight, Namor, and the Invisible Woman, he first encountered the Master of the World.[6] He then battled the Super-Skrull.[7] With Alpha Flight, he battled Omega Flight.[8] Alongside Rom and Alpha Flight, he battled the Dire Wraiths.[9] With Alpha Flight, he went on a mission with the X-Men and clashed with Loki.[10] His Sasquatch form was eventually revealed as an incarnation of Tanaraq, who took control of Sasquatch, forcing Snowbird to slay Langkowski.[11]

A new body and a new identity

After his death, Langkowski's teammates traveled to the realm of the Great Beasts to recover his soul, but a preservation spell cast by Alpha's resident sorcerer, Shaman, failed to prevent Langkowski's body from crumbling to dust. In desperation, Shaman projected the soul into the robot exoskeleton of Box, who had arrived just as the Alphans returned to Earth.[12] After some searching for an alternate form, Langkowski and Box's creator, Roger Bochs, eventually scanned a humanoid, nearly mindless body trapped in another dimension. However, when the pair projected Langkowski's soul towards this body across an interdimensional "fishing line", it turned out to be the Hulk, and Langkowski, unwilling to displace his colleague and friend Bruce Banner (despite Banner's pleas to the contrary), let his soul dissipate into the interdimensional void.[13]

Sasquatch was subsequently brought back to life first by temporarily inhabiting the miniaturized body of Smart Alec,[volume & issue needed] then by inhabiting the body of the then-deceased Snowbird.[14] At first limited to transforming between Snowbird's (female) human form and a white-furred version of his Sasquatch form, he called himself "Wanda Langkowski" and fought to be recognized as legally alive.[volume & issue needed] This body was later mystically altered to be identical to his original body by Snowbird's spirit.[15] After this, his Sasquatch form returned to its original orange hue. With Alpha Flight, he first battled Llan the Sorcerer.[16] With Alpha Flight, alongside the Avengers, and the People's Protectorate, he battled the Atlantean army, the Peace Corpse, and the Combine.[17] Alongside Alpha Flight, he defended Her against the Consortium.[18]

In 2005, Sasquatch assembled another incarnation of Alpha Flight[19] in order to rescue the original team from an alien race known as the Plodex. Sales were poor, and the series was canceled with issue #12.

Surviving his team

Along with Major Mapleleaf, Puck I and II, Vindicator, Shaman, and Guardian, Sasquatch fights The Collective.[20] He is later revealed to be the only member of Alpha Flight to survive the attack. Following the events of Marvel's Civil War, Langkowski is recruited by the Canadian government to form a new team called Omega Flight. He goes out of control possessed by the Great Beast, Tanaraq, but manages to recover. He also forgives Michael Pointer for the indirect role he played in the destruction of Alpha Flight and apologized for forcing him into the role of Guardian. Sasquatch has gone to Wakanda, along with Wolfsbane, Thornn, and Feral. The group offers their assistance to Wolverine against Sabretooth. Feral is killed by Sabretooth and in the meantime, the villain Romulus forms plans of his own involving the group.[volume & issue needed]

Powers and abilities

In his Sasquatch form, Langkowski possesses superhuman strength and heightened endurance as well as a high degree of resistance to injury that enabled him to go toe-to-toe with the Hulk and survive (in an early appearance, Sasquatch fought the Hulk for "fun" in order to test the limits of his own strength). Sasquatch has proven sufficiently strong enough to pull a naval destroyer ashore for repairs,[21] and to hold a DC-10 against the thrust of its engines and then hurl the plane over 1,000 feet backwards.[22] He also has a healing factor.

Early in his career, changing from his human form into his Sasquatch form caused Langkowski extreme physical discomfort.[23] To alleviate the pain, Langkowski recites a slow mantra which serves the same purpose as a yoga practitioner concentrating on his/her craft, to calm the body and to divorce pain from the physical body.[citation needed] Since taking over Snowbird's original body, he can now achieve his Sasquatch form with relatively little pain or effort.[citation needed]

Langkowski is a professionally trained scientist with a Ph.D. in physics and an extensive knowledge of physics. He is an expert on the effects of radiation on human physiology, and has experience dealing with many forms of experimental radiation and their mutagenic effects on life forms under controlled settings. As a former professional football player, Langkowski has highly athletic physical strength and endurance, though he is no longer in the peak condition of his life. Sasquatch is an above-average hand-to-hand combatant although he relies more on his great strength than formal combat skill.

Other versions

Exiles

Main article: Heather Hudson (Exiles)

A white-haired entity who seemed to be Walter Langowski joins the Exiles, an interdimensional team of heroes dedicated to fixing breaks in the timeline. It is soon revealed that she is a black woman named Heather Hudson, shocking the team who are familiar with versions of Walter.

Howling Commandos

In Nick Fury's Howling Commandos, a series published in late 2005 and early 2006, a new intelligent Sasquatch appeared. What, if any, connection this character has to Walter Langkowski or the Sasquatch from Alpha Flight volume 2, was never revealed.

Marvel Zombies

In the Marvel Zombies comics set in the universe of Earth-2149 the zombified Alpha Flight attack the X-Men and are eventually killed by Magneto. Sasquatch is seen in a panel of Marvel Zombies Dead Days attacking the X-Man Wolverine. He is killed alongside the rest of zombie Alpha Flight by Magneto in the next panel.

Ultimate Sasquatch

An Ultimate version of Sasquatch was referenced as killed off-panel during the Ultimate X-Men arc "Shock and Awe." Sasquatch makes an official appearance in the first part of the Ultimate X-Men's "Absolute Power" arc, as a member of Alpha Flight. Sasquatch, more savage than its 616 counterpart, appears to know Rogue and experienced her powers first hand, though Rogue does not recognize the character. The character is later revealed to be Rahne Sinclair, under the influence to the power enhancing drug Banshee, after reverting to her "powered down" form.[24] Sasquatch is injured by Nightcrawler, who while trying to teleport her away, accidentally, teleports part of her arm off.

Unintelligible monster

Another Sasquatch, this one a barely intelligent monster, appeared in Alpha Flight volume 2. Although his teammates believed this Sasquatch to be a highly degenerated Langkowski, it was an actual sasquatch that had been captured by Department H. He was kept in control by the touch of the superpowered Murmur, though this was not always successful. This Sasquatch died in the final conflict with Department H's corrupt leadership and the Zodiac. Langkowski soon returned to active membership in Alpha Flight.

In other media

Television

  • Sasquatch (along with other members of Alpha Flight) appeared in the X-Men episode "Repo Man" voiced by Harvey Atkin.
Sasquatch and Hulk in The Incredible Hulk (1996 TV series)
  • Sasquatch appeared in The Incredible Hulk episode "Man to Man, Beast to Beast" voiced by Peter Strauss (Walter Langkowski) and Clancy Brown (Sasquatch). In that episode, Bruce Banner comes to Canada hoping to find his old friend, Dr. Walter Langkowski (Sasquatch) to get a cure for himself and get rid of Hulk forever, only to find that Walter has developed a bestial alter ego while using himself as a test subject to make a breakthrough in gamma radiation. After battling the Hulk, Walter/Sasquatch exiles himself to the wilderness when his actions put Hulk's friend, a small boy, in danger.

Video games

An evil doppelganger of Sasquatch appears in the video game Marvel Super Heroes: War of the Gems for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES).

He was mentioned on the hit Canadian television show, Corner Gas. It was brought up in a fight between Spider-Man and Sasquatch, and Brent questioned whether it was a fight "between Spider-Man with the mythological Sasquatch, or the fictional Sasquatch from Alpha Flight" citing, "if it's the latter, the answer would be changed".

Notes

  • A doppelganger of Sasquatch was created by Magus in Infinity War #1 and appeared in Infinity War #1, 5, Fantastic Four vol. 1 #369-370 and Wonder Man vol. 2 #15.
  • Sasquatch was known as Susquatch in Hulk Comic #12
  • A race of giant, hairy humanoids living in Canada are known as the Sasquatch race and were first seen in Alpha Flight vol. 2 #1, 6 and Generation X #58.
  • In The Infinity Crusade it is revealed that Sasquatch is Jewish.[volume & issue needed]

Bibliography

As Sasquatch

  • Alpha Flight Annual #2
  • Alpha Flight Special Edition
  • Alpha Flight vol. 1 #1-4, 9-12, 17, 20-21, 23 (formed killed), 24-26, 28, 44-46, 48-62, 64-95, 97-115, 130
  • Alpha Flight vol. 2 #13-15, 17-20
  • Alpha Flight vol. 3 #1-12
  • Classic X-Men #27
  • Deadpool vol. 3 #1, 61
  • Fantastic Four vol. 1 #266-268, 367-370
  • Generation X #19
  • Incredible Hulk Annual #8
  • Incredible Hulk vol. 2 #272-273, 277-279, 313
  • Infinity Gauntlet #1-2
  • Infinity War #3-6
  • Machine Man vol. 1 #18
  • Marvel Super Hero Contest of Champions #1-3
  • Marvel Team-Up Annual #7
  • Marvel Two-In-One #83-84, 96
  • Marvel Two-In-One Annual #7
  • Moon Knight vol. 3 #41
  • New Warriors vol. 1 #27
  • New X-Men: Academy X #13
  • Nick Fury's Howling Commandos #1-6
  • Quasar #38
  • Rom #56-58
  • Sabretooth vol. 5 #1-4
  • Spider-Man #12
  • Uncanny X-Men #120-121, 432-434
  • Warlock & the Infinity Watch #8
  • Wolverine vol. 2 142-143, 171, 179
  • Wonder Man vol. 2 #14-15
  • X-Men/Alpha Flight vol. 1 #1-2
  • X-Men/Alpha Flight vol. 2 #1-2

References

  1. ^ http://publications.mcgill.ca/mcgillnews/2010/03/15/make-believe-mcgillies/
  2. ^ X-Men #120–121
  3. ^ Incredible Hulk Annual #8
  4. ^ Incredible Hulk Vol. 2 #272
  5. ^ Alpha Flight #1
  6. ^ Alpha Flight #4
  7. ^ Alpha Flight #9–10
  8. ^ Alpha Flight #12
  9. ^ Rom #56–58
  10. ^ X-Men and Alpha Flight #1–2
  11. ^ Alpha Flight #23
  12. ^ Alpha Flight #24
  13. ^ Alpha Flight #28-29
  14. ^ Alpha Flight 451
  15. ^ Alpha Flight #68
  16. ^ Alpha Flight #71-75
  17. ^ Avengers #320-324
  18. ^ Alpha Flight #97-100
  19. ^ Alpha Flight volume 3 #1
  20. ^ New Avengers #16
  21. ^ Incredible Hulk Annual #8, 1979
  22. ^ Uncanny X-Men #120, 1979
  23. ^ Alpha Flight v1 #1
  24. ^ Ultimate X-Men #95
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