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Power Pack is a
superhero A superhero or superheroine is a stock character that typically possesses ''superpowers'', abilities beyond those of ordinary people, and fits the role of the hero, typically using his or her powers to help the world become a better place, ...
team consisting of four young siblings appearing in American comic books published by
Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...
. Created by writer
Louise Simonson Louise Simonson (née Mary Louise Alexander; born September 26, 1946) is an American comic book writer and editor. She is best known for her work on comic book titles such as ''Conan the Barbarian'', '' Power Pack'', ''X-Factor'', ''New Mutants'', ...
and artist
June Brigman June Brigman (born October 25, 1960) Miller, John Jackson"Comics Industry Birthdays" ''Comics Buyer's Guide'', June 10, 2005. Accessed January 1, 2011WebCitation archive is an American comic book artist and illustrator. She is best known for cr ...
, they first appeared in their own
series Series may refer to: People with the name * Caroline Series (born 1951), English mathematician, daughter of George Series * George Series (1920–1995), English physicist Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Series, the ordered sets used in ...
in 1984, which lasted 62 issues, and have since appeared in other books. Power Pack is the first team of pre-teen superheroes in the Marvel Universe and the first team of heroes in comics to feature characters of that age operating without adult supervision. In 2005, the title was relaunched as a series aimed at younger readers—though this was eventually declared a separate continuity from that of the original series and the mainstream Marvel Universe. The team consists of four siblings: Alex Power, Julie Power, Jack Power, and Katie Power. The dying alien called Whitey, a scientist of the Kymellian race, transfers one of his four superpowers to each of the Power children so they can save their planet from the alien conquerors known as the Snarks. The children band together as the superhero team Power Pack. Along with fighting aliens and super-villains, the team's stories were known for focusing on morality debates and social issues such as child abuse, homelessness, drug abuse, bullying, and the ethics of using excessive or lethal force in combat.


Publication history


Original series

During the early 1980s, Marvel Comics had a policy that all their editors should also be writers.
Louise Simonson Louise Simonson (née Mary Louise Alexander; born September 26, 1946) is an American comic book writer and editor. She is best known for her work on comic book titles such as ''Conan the Barbarian'', '' Power Pack'', ''X-Factor'', ''New Mutants'', ...
was encouraged to think of a series she could write, and eventually she pitched a team of pre-teen siblings with superpowers called Power Pack. Simonson later explained: Simonson chose
June Brigman June Brigman (born October 25, 1960) Miller, John Jackson"Comics Industry Birthdays" ''Comics Buyer's Guide'', June 10, 2005. Accessed January 1, 2011WebCitation archive is an American comic book artist and illustrator. She is best known for cr ...
as ''Power Packs penciler because of her talent for drawing children. The ''Power Pack'' series premiered in May 1984 (cover date August 1984) in a double-sized issue inked by
Bob Wiacek Bob Wiacek (born January 7, 1953) is an American comic book artist and writer, working primarily as an inker. Wiacek has inked over such pencilers as Carmine Infantino on ''Star Wars'', Paul Smith and John Romita Jr. on ''The Uncanny X-Men'', J ...
. The series continued into 1991, during which time Brigman and Wiacek were replaced by
Jon Bogdanove Jon Bogdanove is an American comics artist and writer. He is best known for his work on '' Power Pack'' and '' Superman: The Man of Steel'', as well as for creating the character Steel with writer Louise Simonson in 1993. Career Comics After at ...
and
Hilary Barta Hilary Barta (born June 17, 1957) is an American comic book writer and artist. Biography Barta was born on June 17, 1957. His first comics work came in June 1982, when he helped Marvel inkers Al Milgrom, Joe Sinnott and Sal Trapani provide in ...
as principal artists. The ''Power Pack'' letters column, titled "Pick of the Pack", printed drawings and jokes about the characters submitted by readers, an unusual practice for a Marvel title. In the first story of the series, the alien Kymellian known as Whitey is fatally injured by the alien villains known as Snarks. He gives the four Power children his powers before dying. His mass control power goes to Jack, his energy and disintegration power goes to Katie, his ability to fly goes to Julie, and his control over gravity goes to Alex. In issue #25, the team's powers are temporarily stolen, then returned but rearranged. Due to this "power switch", each Power Pack child now has an ability wielded by one of their siblings, leading to a change in codenames. The Power Pack children finally switched their costumes to match their new powers in issue #47. In issue #52, another rearrangement of powers and codenames occurred. Unlike superheroes such as Spider-Man or
Batman Batman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on ...
who were orphaned, free agents, or teenagers often trusted to be on their own without supervision, Power Pack was made up of pre-adolescent siblings who had a close relationship with each other, as well as their supportive parents Jim and Maggie Power. Early in the series, the children decided to keep their powers and superhero activities concealed from their parents, believing it would cause them stress and worry. This decision led to several moral compromises and feelings of guilt for the Power Pack members whenever they had to lie to friends and family or allow harm to occur because helping could mean revealing their abilities.''Power Pack'' #38 The question of whether or not the powers should be revealed was also an ongoing source of debate among the children. ''Power Pack'' readers also argued the matter out in the series letter pages. During Jon Bogdanove's story "Revenge of the Bogeyman", which served as a tie-in for the crossover
Inferno Inferno may refer to: * Hell, an afterlife place of suffering * Conflagration, a large uncontrolled fire Film * ''L'Inferno'', a 1911 Italian film * Inferno (1953 film), ''Inferno'' (1953 film), a film noir by Roy Ward Baker * Inferno (1973 fi ...
, the parents learn their children are superheroes. In an epilogue to the story, writer Julianna Jones depicted Jim and Maggie Power as so overwhelmed by the situation that they increasingly suffer psychological breakdowns and become convinced that they are not fit parents for superheroes. To help the Power family, the New Mutants team convinces Jim and Maggie Power that they were deceived and their children were never superheroes. This restored the secret identity status quo and led Power Pack to keep their heroic lives a secret again. Despite the characters of ''Power Pack'' being children, the series often dealt with mature issues. Many of the social problems of the 1980s found their way into the book's storylines. Among the themes addressed were pollution, drug abuse, runaways,''Power Pack/Cloak and Dagger: Shelter from the Storm'' (1990) kidnapping, gun violence, bullying, orphanhood, and homelessness. Stories regularly depicted the Power children learning and debating how to use their potentially lethal powers responsibly, often on their own but sometimes with guidance from older heroes such as Spider-Man. In one early issue, Jack was wracked with remorse when he thought he had killed a man. In a later story arc, Katie seriously injures a Snark prince named Jakal, which causes her immense guilt and leads her to call herself a "monster". As the series went on, the children were shown to slowly age and mature. In issue #1, Alex is 12 years old, Julie is 10, Jack is 8, and Katie is 5. In issue #45, Julie graduates from elementary school with honors in English, and the story says she will join Alex at school 44 (an actual middle school existing in
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
). The same year Power Pack debuted, the team appeared alongside Spider-Man in a special comic designed to discuss children targeted by sexual abuse. The one-shot issue, written by Louise Simonson, was distributed for free and reprinted in the comics sections of many major newspapers. Marvel continued the campaign by featuring the characters in print
public service announcement A public service announcement (PSA) is a message in the public interest disseminated by the media without charge to raise public awareness and change behavior. In the UK, they are generally called a public information film (PIF); in Hong Kong, ...
s. Later the same year, the writers used the Snark Wars storyline (wherein the children are kidnapped by the evil Snark alien race) to address the issue of child abduction. During the same storyline, photos of missing children were printed in lieu of the comic's regular letters column. In 1989, the Power Pack teamed-up with
Cloak and Dagger "Cloak and dagger" was a fighting style common in the Renaissance involving a knife hidden beneath a cloak. The term later came into use as a metaphor, referring to situations involving intrigue, secrecy, espionage, or mystery. Overview In " Th ...
in a special graphic novel addressing teen homelessness and runaways. Hotline telephone numbers for
Covenant House Covenant House is a large, Catholic, privately funded agency in the Americas, whose primary purpose is to promote Catholicism. It provides shelter, food, immediate crisis care, and other services to homeless and runaway young people. Covenant Ho ...
were printed on the back cover. Along with Spider-Man and the duo of Cloak and Dagger, Power Pack frequently encountered members of the
X-Men The X-Men are a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, first appearing in Uncanny X-Men, ''The X-Men'' #1 by artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby and writer/editor Stan Lee in 1963. Although initially cancelled in ...
and
New Mutants The New Mutants are a group of fictional mutant superheroes appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, generally in association with the X-Men. Originally depicted as the teenaged junior class at the Xavier Institute, subs ...
. In issue #16, they met Franklin Richards (son of Mr. Fantastic and
Invisible Woman The Invisible Woman (Susan "Sue" Storm-Richards) is a superheroine appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is a founding member of the Fantastic Four and was the first female superhero created by Marvel during ...
of the
Fantastic Four The Fantastic Four is a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The team debuted in ''The Fantastic Four'' #1 ( cover dated Nov. 1961), helping usher in a new level of realism in the medium. It was the first ...
), and in issue #17 Franklin became a part-time member of Power Pack himself. He joined on many other adventures, occasionally staying with the Power family for days at a time when his own family were off on adventures. Starting with issue #34, the ''Power Pack'' series regularly rotated writers. Simonson wrote issues #35, #37, and #39–40, while John Bogdanove wrote issue #36, issues #42–43, and issues #47–52. Howard Mackie wrote issue #34, Julianna Jones wrote issues #38 and #44–45, Steven Heyer wrote #41, Terry Austin wrote issues #46 and #53, Judy Bogdanove wrote #54, and
Dwayne McDuffie Dwayne Glenn McDuffie (February 20, 1962February 21, 2011) was an American writer of comic books and television, known for producing and writing the animated series '' Static Shock'', '' Damage Control'', ''Justice League Unlimited'' and '' Ben ...
wrote issue #55. During Jon Bogdanove's final issues, Franklin Richards returned as a regular member of the team. Further changes involved Alex Power mutating into a Kymellian appearance without explanation, forcing him to hide from his girlfriend Allison (who soon dates someone else) as well as from public life. The series was cancelled with issue #62. The final issue, printed in the fourth quarter of 1990 (cover-dated February 1991), depicted the team and their parents journeying into space together. One year after the original series' cancellation, creators Louise Simonson and June Brigman teamed up for the one-shot issue ''Power Pack Holiday Special'' (published in fourth quarter of 1991, with a cover date of February 1992). The one-shot comic resolved the cliffhanger the series had ended on, restored the Power Pack members' original powers, and undid some of the changes to the characters done during the run by Michael Higgins and Tom Morgan. ''Power Pack Holiday Special'' also included a short comedy story involving an art style that evoked ''
Calvin and Hobbes ''Calvin and Hobbes'' is a daily American comic strip created by cartoonist Bill Watterson that was syndicated from November 18, 1985, to December 31, 1995. Commonly cited as "the last great newspaper comic", ''Calvin and Hobbes'' has enjoyed b ...
'', and a short story that showed an older, teenage Julie dealing with romance and self-esteem issues. The ''Power Pack'' stories were reprinted by
Marvel UK Marvel UK was an imprint of Marvel Comics formed in 1972 to reprint US-produced stories for the British weekly comic market. Marvel UK later produced original material by British creators such as Alan Moore, John Wagner, Dave Gibbons, Steve Di ...
beginning around 1986. It was Marvel UK's practice at the time to use a less well-known series as a secondary story in a comic devoted to more recognizable characters, and ''Power Pack'' became the back-up "strip" in a run of Marvel's licensed ''
Star Wars ''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera multimedia franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop-culture Cultural impact of S ...
'' weekly ''
Return of the Jedi ''Return of the Jedi'' (also known as ''Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi'' is a 1983 American epic space opera film directed by Richard Marquand. The screenplay is by Lawrence Kasdan and George Lucas from a story by Lucas, who ...
''. During this period, it was printed partly in black and white and partly in color, as was the main ''Star Wars'' strip. ''Power Pack'' subsequently became the back-up strip for the UK '' ThunderCats'' comic, where it remained until its eventual replacement by the '' Galaxy Rangers'' series.


2000 miniseries

A four-part ''Power Pack'' mini-series published in 2000 depicted the children as now being slightly older than when they had last been in the 1991 ''Power Pack Holiday Special''. Katie was now in the fifth grade (having skipped two grades due to her intelligence), Jack had joined Julie in middle school, and Alex was now a teenager in high school. James and Maggie, the children's parents, were now aware that their children were also the heroes of Power Pack and accepted it. The Power children now wore masks when in costume and their superhero activities were largely restricted to "practice sessions" in the forest around their new home in
Bainbridge Island Bainbridge Island is a city and island in Kitsap County, Washington. It is located in Puget Sound. The population was 23,025 at the 2010 census and an estimated 25,298 in 2019, making Bainbridge Island the second largest city in Kitsap County. ...
, from
Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...
. The series once again pitted the Pack against Queen Mauraud and the Snarks.


Return of Power Pack

Joe Quesada Joseph Quesada (; born January 12, 1962'' Comics Buyer's Guide'' #1650; February 2009; page 107) is an American comic book artist, writer, editor, and television producer. He became known in the 1990s for his work on various Valiant Comics books ...
announced in a ''New Joe Fridays'' column at
Newsarama Newsarama is an American website that publishes news, interviews, and essays about the American comic book industry. It is owned by Future US. In June 2020, Newsarama was merged with the website GamesRadar+, also owned by FutureUS. History N ...
that Power Pack would be returning to the Marvel Universe in late 2007, after the events of ''Civil War''. However, due to the various delays within their release shipping schedules for Marvel Comics, these plans were put on hold. A new Power Pack story was commissioned for the 2007 Marvel Holiday Special, which would have been the first original material featuring the full cast in the standard Marvel Universe since the 2000 mini-series. It was briefly summarized as "Power Pack relives holidays past" in official Marvel solicits, but the story was scrapped from the publication at the last minute, when it was decided to prioritize the recently canceled title ''The Loners'', which featured Julie Power among its cast. A ''Loners'' story written by CB Cebulski ran in place of the Power Pack story, though the official solicitation information still listed the Power Pack story and description. Three of the Power siblingsAlex, Jack, and Katieappear within ''
Fantastic Four The Fantastic Four is a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The team debuted in ''The Fantastic Four'' #1 ( cover dated Nov. 1961), helping usher in a new level of realism in the medium. It was the first ...
'' #574 (2010) as guests celebrating Franklin Richards' birthday. They were all depicted as only slightly older than they had been in the 2000 mini-series, with Alex still a teenager. During the story, Alex was invited to join Reed Richards'
Future Foundation The Future Foundation is a fictional organization appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Jonathan Hickman, the team first appeared in ''Fantastic Four'' #579 (July 2010) and stars in the series ''FF,'' wr ...
.''Fantastic Four'' #579 He then made frequent appearances in the ''Fantastic Four'' series. In 2020, a 5-issue limited series written by
Ryan North Ryan North (born October 20, 1980) is a Canadian writer and computer programmer. He is the creator and author of '' Dinosaur Comics'', and has written for the comic series of ''Adventure Time'' and Marvel Comics' ''The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl''. ...
and illustrated by Nico Leon began publication as part of Marvel's ''
Outlawed An outlaw, in its original and legal meaning, is a person declared as outside the protection of the law. In pre-modern societies, all legal protection was withdrawn from the criminal, so that anyone was legally empowered to persecute or kill them ...
'' event.


Fictional team history


At the beginning

Alex (age 12),
Julie Julie may refer to: * Julie (given name), a list of people and fictional characters with the name Film and television * ''Julie'' (1956 film), an American film noir starring Doris Day * ''Julie'' (1975 film), a Hindi film by K. S. Sethumadhava ...
(10),
Jack Jack may refer to: Places * Jack, Alabama, US, an unincorporated community * Jack, Missouri, US, an unincorporated community * Jack County, Texas, a county in Texas, USA People and fictional characters * Jack (given name), a male given name, ...
(8),Comment from editors in Power Pack #6 "Pick of the Pack" letters column: "Jack is almost nine"Comment from editors in Power Pack #9 "Pick of the Pack" letters column, regarding Alex's "my brother is almost 8" comment in issue #6: "Alex did screw up! Jack is almost nine! Alex was so flustered by meeting Spider-Man that he could hardly talk straight...and boy is Jack mad! He figures it's no wonder that Spider-Man treated them like babies! He thought Jack was a whole year younger than he is!" and Katie Power (5) were bright, normal American children living with their parents in a beachfront house in
Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...
. Their father, Dr. James Power, was a brilliant physicist who discovered a process to generate energy from
antimatter In modern physics, antimatter is defined as matter composed of the antiparticles (or "partners") of the corresponding particles in "ordinary" matter. Antimatter occurs in natural processes like cosmic ray collisions and some types of radioac ...
with the assistance of a converter, of which he made a prototype. The process was, however, known to several alien races to cause chain reactions and destroy planets, and Dr. Power's knowledge of the process was discovered by Aelfyre "Whitey" Whitemane, a member of the Kymellian race, who resemble humanoid horses. A similar accident destroyed the Kymellians' home planet.''Power Pack'' #1 Whitey tried to stop the experiment by warning the Powers but was mortally wounded by his enemies, the reptilian
Snark Snark may refer to: Fictional creatures * Snark (Lewis Carroll), a fictional animal species in Lewis Carroll's ''The Hunting of the Snark'' (1876) * Zn'rx, a race of fictional aliens in Marvel Comics publications, commonly referred to as "Snark ...
s, in the process. The Snarks kidnapped Dr. Power and his wife, Margaret, hoping to obtain the secret of antimatter. Whitey rescued the Power children and told them what was happening. Before dying, he passed his powers to them to complete his mission. The children, with the help of Whitey's "Smartship", a
sentient Sentience is the capacity to experience feelings and sensations. The word was first coined by philosophers in the 1630s for the concept of an ability to feel, derived from Latin '' sentientem'' (a feeling), to distinguish it from the ability to ...
starship called Friday, managed to stop the antimatter test by stealing and destroying the converter and rescued their parents from the Snarks. They decided to continue being superheroes and to hide their powers from their parents. Alex took the codename ''Gee'', Julie became ''Lightspeed'', Jack became ''Mass Master'', and Katie became ''Energizer''. They wore costumes made for them by Friday, which were actually Kymellian spacesuits. The costumes, which were constructed of unstable molecules and stored 'Elsewhere', could materialize and disappear on voice command. After rescuing their parents, the entire family moves to New York City, where the team attempted to deal with normal "kid problems" such as bullies and loose teeth while battling some of the deadliest villains in the Marvel Universe. The Pack fought the villain
Kurse Kaecilius Elloe Kaifi Kala Jennifer Kale Noble Kale Kaluu Kamikaze Kamran Kamran is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He was created by G. Willow Wilson and Takeshi Miyazawa and fi ...
on two occasions during ''
Secret Wars II ''Secret Wars II'' is a nine-issue comic book limited series and crossover published from 1985 to 1986 by Marvel Comics. The series was written by Marvel's then editor-in-chief Jim Shooter and primarily pencilled by Al Milgrom. The series was a ...
''. They were also heavily involved in the events of the ''
Fall of the Mutants "The Fall of the Mutants" was a comic book crossover event by Marvel Comics spanning January to March 1988. It spanned three issues each of ''Uncanny X-Men'' #225-227, ''X-Factor'' #24-26, and ''New Mutants'' #59-61; unlike most crossovers howev ...
'' and ''
Inferno Inferno may refer to: * Hell, an afterlife place of suffering * Conflagration, a large uncontrolled fire Film * ''L'Inferno'', a 1911 Italian film * Inferno (1953 film), ''Inferno'' (1953 film), a film noir by Roy Ward Baker * Inferno (1973 fi ...
'' storylines.''Power Pack'' #42–44 During the ''
Mutant Massacre "Mutant Massacre" was a 1986 Marvel Comics crossover storyline. It primarily involved the superhero teams the X-Men and X-Factor. The solo hero Thor, the New Mutants, Power Pack and Daredevil crossed over for an issue each in their own comic b ...
'', they descended into the sewers and fought Sabretooth. The Pack's two greatest enemies during the original series were the Snarks and Carmody/The Bogeyman. The Snarks generally attempted to kidnap the Power children and steal their powers. Carmody, James Power's former employer, spotted the Power children when they stole the antimatter converter at the beginning of the series and became obsessed with revenge. At first, he tried to work with government agencies to prove the Powers were mutants.''Power Pack'' #5 Later, he became a supervillain himself, assuming the identity of the Bogeyman. After being thrown into
Limbo In Catholic theology, Limbo (Latin '' limbus'', edge or boundary, referring to the edge of Hell) is the afterlife condition of those who die in original sin without being assigned to the Hell of the Damned. Medieval theologians of Western Euro ...
by Magik of the
New Mutants The New Mutants are a group of fictional mutant superheroes appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, generally in association with the X-Men. Originally depicted as the teenaged junior class at the Xavier Institute, subs ...
, he returned in a demonic form and nearly killed the entire Power family before ultimately committing suicide. Power Pack joined forces with Cloak & Dagger, the
X-Men The X-Men are a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, first appearing in Uncanny X-Men, ''The X-Men'' #1 by artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby and writer/editor Stan Lee in 1963. Although initially cancelled in ...
and the
New Mutants The New Mutants are a group of fictional mutant superheroes appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, generally in association with the X-Men. Originally depicted as the teenaged junior class at the Xavier Institute, subs ...
on numerous occasions. The team took great pains to conceal their superhuman abilities from their family and "normal" friends. However, during ''
Inferno Inferno may refer to: * Hell, an afterlife place of suffering * Conflagration, a large uncontrolled fire Film * ''L'Inferno'', a 1911 Italian film * Inferno (1953 film), ''Inferno'' (1953 film), a film noir by Roy Ward Baker * Inferno (1973 fi ...
'', when confronted by the demonic Carmody, the children were forced to reveal their powers to save their parents. The discovery led Jim and Maggie to have mental breakdowns. They were restored to normal through the combined efforts of
Mirage A mirage is a naturally-occurring optical phenomenon in which light rays bend via refraction to produce a displaced image of distant objects or the sky. The word comes to English via the French ''(se) mirer'', from the Latin ''mirari'', meanin ...
and Gosamyr, who convinced them that the superpowered children were clones created to protect them from Carmody and that the "real" Power children, who were powerless, had been taken away and guarded by the New Mutants until Carmody was defeated. This explanation placated their parents and, once they were reunited with their "normal" children, their minds healed themselves. The "clones", which had been generated by Mirage, were then removed, making the children's secret safe once again.''Power Pack'' #44 This "cover-up" proved to be unpopular with readers, and was highly criticized in the comic's letters column. Another occasional member of the team was Franklin Richards, the son of
Mister Fantastic Mister Fantastic (Reed Richards) is a superhero character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is a founding member, and the leader, of the Fantastic Four. Richards has a mastery of mechanical, aerospace a ...
and the
Invisible Woman The Invisible Woman (Susan "Sue" Storm-Richards) is a superheroine appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is a founding member of the Fantastic Four and was the first female superhero created by Marvel during ...
, who went by the name Tattletale while adventuring. James and Margaret Power were introduced to Franklin after the events of the Snark Wars, and befriended Reed and Sue Richards when Franklin was returned to
Avengers Mansion Avengers Mansion is a fictional building appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. It has traditionally been the base of the Avengers. The enormous, city block-sized building is located at 890 Fifth Avenue, Manhattan, New ...
. Subsequently, Franklin was often invited to stay with the Power family while his parents were away on missions. Although Franklin was a member of the group, the
Fantastic Four The Fantastic Four is a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The team debuted in ''The Fantastic Four'' #1 ( cover dated Nov. 1961), helping usher in a new level of realism in the medium. It was the first ...
had no knowledge of Power Pack until the end of the series; instead, they thought of the Power children simply as "Franklin's friends".


End of the series

Sometime later, Alex underwent a transformation into a Kymellian, and Margaret Power began losing her mind. The Power family sought help for Margaret and Alex in various places, beginning with Reed Richards' lab, but their efforts were disrupted by the Red Ghost and his super apes. The Power family traveled to the UK to try to find help for Margaret and Alex, but the institute was overrun by Nightmare and they encountered Excalibur. After that the Powers visited the Caribbean. The children planned to enjoy the sun and sand while their father consulted with colleagues but found themselves confronted with what seemed to be an alien attack on the beach where they were relaxing. The family decided to abandon New York and fly with Friday to New Kymellia to seek help for Alex and his mother.''Power Pack'' #62 Both Alex and his parents had been replaced by "pseudoplasm" doubles by a renegade Kymellian Technocrat and his ally, the exiled Maraud (called Meraud in this storyline). The real Alex and his parents were being held captive in the Technocrat's hidden satellite orbiting New Kymellia. Eventually, the other Power siblings learned the truth and rescued their family, switching powers several times as needed, and barely escaping from the satellite before it was destroyed by Maraud.''Power Pack Holiday Special'' #1 After recovering on New Kymellia, the Power family returned to New York with Friday. Each of the children was back in possession of his or her original power, and their parents remained unaware of their children's powers and of Power Pack's existence.


Post-series


Alex, New Warriors and the Future Foundation

The Kymellians had given Alex the ability to absorb the powers of his siblings into himself and thus use them all. With these powers, he joined the
New Warriors The New Warriors is a fictional superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. They traditionally consisted of teenage and young adult heroes, and were often seen to serve as a junior counterpart to Avengers (comics), ...
superhero group under the name Powerpax, later Powerhouse. This caused some friction with Alex's brother and sisters; even their parents noticed the heightened levels of hostility and forced the children to see a psychologist. Alex eventually gave the others' powers back; the four reverted to their original names (except Alex, who named himself ''Zero-G'' and Julie, who was now called ''Starstreak'', the name Katie had chosen when she had Julie's powers). Speedball later tried to recruit Alex back into the New Warriors. Alex politely refused, citing the conflicts his membership would cause among his siblings, though Katie offered her services, to Speedball's chagrin.''New Warriors'' (vol. 2) 1 At some point outside of any published story, their parents discovered that the children had superpowers and were active as superheroes. Why Power Pack's parents could now retain this information without suffering mental trauma and insanity – thanks to telepathic manipulation by Byrel Whitemane that had previously been established as impossible to circumvent – has not been explained. Following the events of the 2000 mini-series, Julie left the family home in unrevealed circumstances to try to become an actress in Los Angeles. Despite Julie's departure from Power Pack, the team defeats Big Wheel. Katie is later seen in costume having beaten several A.I.M. agents unconscious, when
Flatman Flatman is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: *David Flatman (born 1980), English rugby player * Frederick Flatman (1843–1911), New Zealand Member of Parliament *Nat Flatman, 19th-century English champion jockey *Thomas Flatman ...
and Doorman offered her membership in the
Great Lakes Avengers The Great Lakes Avengers (also known as The Lightning Rods, The Great Lakes X-Men, The Great Lakes Champions, and The Great Lakes Initiative) are a fictional superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The cha ...
but she declined, and Power Pack fight
Grizzly The grizzly bear (''Ursus arctos horribilis''), also known as the North American brown bear or simply grizzly, is a population or subspecies of the brown bear inhabiting North America. In addition to the mainland grizzly (''Ursus arctos horri ...
in
New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...
, a sighting which is used as his
alibi An alibi (from the Latin, '' alibī'', meaning "somewhere else") is a statement by a person, who is a possible perpetrator of a crime, of where they were at the time a particular offence was committed, which is somewhere other than where the crim ...
against charges that he robbed
Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as The Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh and Eighth avenues from 31st to 33rd Street, above Pennsylva ...
. During Marvel's ''
Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...
'' event, Alex's codename Powerhouse was briefly mentioned by Hindsight Lad, an ex-teammate responsible for outing the secret identities of many New Warriors. Alex is one of the 142 registered superheroes who appear on the cover of the comic book '' Avengers: The Initiative'' #1. He later joined Reed Richards' Future Foundation project, which allowed gifted children living within the
Baxter Building The Baxter Building is a fictitious 35-story office building appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The building is depicted in Manhattan, and its five upper floors house the Fantastic Four's headquarters. Publication hist ...
to map out the outlook for their generation.


Julie, Excelsior/Loners, Avengers Academy and Future Foundation

Sometime after the events of the 2000 mini-series, Julie Power concluded that adventuring had deprived her of a normal childhood. She dropped out of high school, left her family, and moved to Los Angeles to become an actress. She joined
Excelsior Excelsior, a Latin comparative word often translated as "ever upward" or "even higher", may refer to: Arts and entertainment Literature and poetry * "Excelsior" (Longfellow), an 1841 poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow * ''Excelsior'' (Macedo ...
, a support group for "former" teenage superheroes, where she is once again known as Lightspeed. Excelsior's first mission was to return the members of the Runaways to the foster care from which the children had absconded and ended with Excelsior battling
Ultron Ultron () is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer Roy Thomas and artist John Buscema, and initially made his debut as an unnamed character in '' The Avengers'' #54 (July ...
. Though they are not seen on-panel, it is then established that Excelsior spend several months attempting to recapture the child cast of the Runaways, but are constantly thwarted by being ineffectual, getting roped into cleaning up after the Runaways' crimefighting exploits, and on occasion simply by being outsmarted by the Runaways. The Loners are all registered under the Superhuman Registration Act, but consider themselves retired from super-heroics when they are not battling superpowered menaces or operating in public as superheroes attempting to capture runaway superpowered children. However, Julie later tells the rest of the group that she is not registered. While she is less intelligent and articulate than previously established, Julie reveals in ''Loners'' #4 that this is merely an affectation she adopts for the benefit of others – she pretends to be a "dumb blonde" to fit in with Los Angelenos. It had previously been established that Julie is a redhead, her "blonde" hair the result of using light hues in the production of the comic's art to reflect the brighter climate of the west coast. The Loners' support group has moved to New York City, where Julie is presumably seen, though not named, at recent meetings. As with the cast's sudden relocation to Los Angeles from New York between the cancellation of their series and the beginning of ''Runaways'' volume 2, the move is not explained. Julie was seen among the other young superheroes to arrive on the new campus for the
Avengers Academy ''Avengers Academy'' is a Marvel Comics comic book series that debuted in June 2010 as part of the " Heroic Age", and concluded after thirty-nine issues in November 2012. The series was written by Christos Gage, with artwork by Mike McKone and t ...
, where she is attending classes as a teacher assistant, under Quicksilver's tutelage. Sometime after Julie ended the relationship with
Karolina Dean Karolina Dean ( ), also known as Lucy in the Sky, L.S.D., or Princess Justice, is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, first appearing in the series '' Runaways.'' Karolina has been described as ...
, she was dealing with her depression and dropping out of college; when Alex & Dragon Man appeared in her apartment and recruited her on a rescue mission to help save the Foundation. Afterward, she joined the team as both teacher and Co-leader of the FF.


Members

The Power siblings have changed powers on several occasions and are the core of the Pack.


Other versions


Age of Apocalypse

During the ''
Age of Apocalypse "Age of Apocalypse" is a 1995 comic book crossover storyline mostly published in the X-Men franchise of books by Marvel Comics. The ''Age of Apocalypse'' briefly replaced the universe of Earth-616 and had ramifications in the main Marvel Comics ...
'', the Power children had been captured and used by Beast in his gruesome experiments which ended with fusing the four siblings together.'' Exiles'' #61 They were later dissected, and kept sealed in containing tubes at his secret laboratory in the Yucatán.


All-ages miniseries

A new ''Power Pack'' miniseries debuted in 2005. Written by
Marc Sumerak Marc Sumerak (born 1978 in Solon, Ohio) is a freelance comic book writer from Cleveland, Ohio. He graduated from Bowling Green State University in 2000 and worked as an editor at Marvel Comics before becoming a freelance writer. His credits inclu ...
and penciled by Gurihiru Studios, it mostly ignored previous ''Power Pack'' continuity and was aimed toward young children. Marvel later noted that these stories take place on Earth-5631 as opposed to the established mainstream Marvel continuity of Earth-616. Although the initial four-issue series was not released under the Marvel Age imprint because of editorial decisions, it was later reprinted in digest format under the Marvel Age banner. Each of these first four issues focussed on one of the Power children and their respective troubles in balancing the secret of their powers with the demands of their daily lives. A second ''Power Pack'' miniseries by the same creative team, ''X-Men & Power Pack'', debuted in October 2005. The series guest-starred various members and villains from the
X-Men The X-Men are a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, first appearing in Uncanny X-Men, ''The X-Men'' #1 by artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby and writer/editor Stan Lee in 1963. Although initially cancelled in ...
comics, including
Cyclops In Greek mythology and later Roman mythology, the Cyclopes ( ; el, Κύκλωπες, ''Kýklōpes'', "Circle-eyes" or "Round-eyes"; singular Cyclops ; , ''Kýklōps'') are giant one-eyed creatures. Three groups of Cyclopes can be distinguish ...
,
Wolverine The wolverine (), (''Gulo gulo''; ''Gulo'' is Latin for " glutton"), also referred to as the glutton, carcajou, or quickhatch (from East Cree, ''kwiihkwahaacheew''), is the largest land-dwelling species of the family Mustelidae. It is a muscul ...
, Sabretooth, Beast, Mystique, Nightcrawler, and
Mister Sinister Mister Sinister (Nathaniel Essex) is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Chris Claremont, the character was first mentioned as the employer behind the team of assassins known as the Mara ...
and his Marauders. The
Circus of Crime The comic book stories published by Marvel Comics since the 1940s have featured several fictional teams and organizations and this page lists them. 0–9 198 A A-Force A-Next A.I. Army Because of his revelation that he is now a simulated A ...
also makes an appearance. A third ''Power Pack'' miniseries, titled ''Avengers & Power Pack: Assemble!'' debuted in April 2006. This series teamed the Pack with various members of the
Avengers Avenger, Avengers, The Avenger, or The Avengers may refer to: Arts and entertainment In the Marvel Comics universe * Avengers (comics), a team of superheroes **Avengers (Marvel Cinematic Universe), a central team of protagonist superheroes of ...
:
Captain America Captain America is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by cartoonists Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, the character First appearance, first appeared in ''#Golden Age, Captain America Comics'' #1 (cover ...
,
Iron Man Iron Man is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was co-created by writer and editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby. The charact ...
, Spider-Man, and
Spider-Woman Spider-Woman is the code name of several fictional characters in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The first and original version is Jessica Drew (later impersonated by Veranke), the second version is Julia Carpenter, and the third vers ...
. Issues #3 & #4 were a two-part adventure in which the Pack and the Avengers battled
Kang the Conqueror Kang the Conqueror (Nathaniel Richards) is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is most frequently depicted as an opponent of the Avengers and the Fantastic Four. A time-traveling entity, sev ...
, although the latter's plot of conquest which culminates in these two volumes spans the whole miniseries. A fourth ''Power Pack'' miniseries, titled ''Spider-Man & Power Pack'', debuted in November 2006. The series featured Spider-Man and some of his rogue's gallery, such as the
Vulture A vulture is a bird of prey that scavenges on carrion. There are 23 extant species of vulture (including Condors). Old World vultures include 16 living species native to Europe, Africa, and Asia; New World vultures are restricted to North and ...
,
Sandman The Sandman is a mythical character in European folklore who puts people to sleep and encourages and inspires beautiful dreams by sprinkling magical sand onto their eyes. Representation in traditional folklore The Sandman is a traditional charact ...
, and
Venom Venom or zootoxin is a type of toxin produced by an animal that is actively delivered through a wound by means of a bite, sting, or similar action. The toxin is delivered through a specially evolved ''venom apparatus'', such as fangs or a sti ...
. The miniseries included two sub-plots: in one, Spider-Man was reduced in age and temporarily joined the Power siblings; the second involved the group teaming up with Spidey to capture Venom symbiote costumes that had been taking control of various women – including Mary-Jane Watson – during part one, and then Katie in part two. A fifth ''Power Pack'' miniseries, ''Hulk & Power Pack'', debuted in March 2007, following the events of the ''Spider-Man and Power Pack'' miniseries. The series involved the Hulk and his enemies the
Absorbing Man Absorbing Man (Carl "Crusher" Creel) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He first appeared in ''Journey into Mystery'' #114, cover dated March 1965, created by writer Stan Lee and writer/artist Ja ...
,
Abomination Abomination may refer to: * Abomination (Bible), covering Biblical references **Abomination (Judaism) *Abomination (character) The Abomination is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The original ...
, and Zzzax. The miniseries was drawn by David Williams (except for issue #3, which was drawn by Andy Kuhn). A sixth ''Power Pack'' miniseries, ''Fantastic Four & Power Pack'', debuted in July 2007, co-starring the Fantastic Four, who made a previous appearance in issue #3 of the first ''Power Pack'' miniseries. Gurihiru Studios returned for the artwork; however, Fred Van Lente replaced Mark Sumerak as writer. The series pitted the Pack against the Fantastic Four's enemies and also featured Franklin Richards, who, as Tattletale, was a member of Power Pack in the regular Marvel Universe. A seventh ''Power Pack'' miniseries, ''Iron Man & Power Pack'', debuted in November 2007, co-starring Iron Man, who had previously appeared in the ''Avengers & Power Pack: Assemble!'' miniseries. The series was written by Marc Sumerak and the artwork was by Marcelo Diachara. Opponents include the Puppet Master, the Ghost,
Blizzard A blizzard is a severe snowstorm characterized by strong sustained winds and low visibility, lasting for a prolonged period of time—typically at least three or four hours. A ground blizzard is a weather condition where snow is not falling ...
, Speed Demon and Ultimo. James Rhodes and
Pepper Potts Virginia "Pepper" Potts is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. She serves as a supporting character to Iron Man and sometimes a romantic interest of Tony Stark. Created by writers Stan Lee and ...
also have guest appearances. An eighth ''Power Pack'' miniseries, titled ''Power Pack: Day One'' debuted in March 2008. The series, which featured the same creative team as ''Fantastic Four & Power Pack'' (Fred Van Lente and Gurihiru), focused on the origins of the team and the incorporation of their new member, Franklin Richards. This series is credited as being "based on" the origin tale from the 1984 series by Louise Simonson and June Brigman, though it is lighter in tone, has a shorter page-count, and changes some plot elements. The series also included scientific back-up information about the physical aspects of the siblings' powers, with artwork by Colleen Coover. A ninth series, ''Skrulls vs Power Pack'', made its debut in July 2008. The storyline involved Power Pack encountering the alien
Skrull The Skrulls are a fictional race of extraterrestrial shapeshifters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The Skrulls first appeared in ''Fantastic Four'' #2 and were created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. They originated fro ...
s. This miniseries also introduced the Kymellian Kofi Whitemane to this continuity. The creative team was Fred Van Lente as writer and Cory Hamscher as artist. Gurihiru provided the covers and the colors. A tenth miniseries, ''Wolverine and Power Pack'', made its debut in November 2008. Wolverine had previously appeared in the ''X-Men and Power Pack'' miniseries. The series reunited the original creative team of Marc Sumerak and Gurihiru. Logan and the four children confronted
Sauron Sauron (pronounced ) is the title character and the primary antagonist, through the forging of the One Ring, of J. R. R. Tolkien's ''The Lord of the Rings'', where he rules the land of Mordor and has the ambition of ruling the whole of Midd ...
, faced the
Danger Room The Danger Room is a fictional training facility appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. It first appeared in ''The X-Men'' #1 (September 1963) and was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. The facility is depicted as built for ...
, and defended the Xavier school against Sentinels, giant robots programmed for anti-mutant genocide. Since the Power siblings are not actually mutants, their intervention was decisive in the outcome of the latter battle. Logan and Power Pack have adventures together in 19th-century New York City and 20th-century Tokyo. An eleventh Power Pack miniseries began in April 2010, with
Thor Thor (; from non, Þórr ) is a prominent god in Germanic paganism. In Norse mythology, he is a hammer-wielding god associated with lightning, thunder, storms, sacred groves and trees, strength, the protection of humankind, hallowing, an ...
appearing and co-headlining, called ''Thor And The Warriors Four''. The creative team is writer Alex Zalben and artwork once again by Gurihiru. Thor and the Power children confront an evil plot of Loki's while trying to save the Powers' grandmother. High points include Alex wielding Mjolnir,
Beta Ray Bill Beta Ray Bill is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Debuting in the Bronze Age of Comic Books, the character was initially intended to be a surprise; an apparent monster who unexpectedly turns ou ...
and the other Asgardians turning into children, a guest appearance by
Lockjaw and the Pet Avengers ''Lockjaw and the Pet Avengers'' is a four-issue comic book limited series published by Marvel Comics from July to October 2009. It was followed up by the four-issue limited series ''Lockjaw and the Pet Avengers Unleashed'' from May to August 201 ...
, and Dr. Donald Blake making applesauce. The series also contains a back-up adventure of
Hercules Hercules (, ) is the Roman equivalent of the Greek divine hero Heracles, son of Jupiter and the mortal Alcmena. In classical mythology, Hercules is famous for his strength and for his numerous far-ranging adventures. The Romans adapted the Gr ...
telling the story of his Twelve Labors while babysitting the Pack.


Mini Marvels

In a ''
Mini Marvels ''Mini Marvels'' is an all-ages comic book written and illustrated by Chris Giarrusso and published by Marvel Comics. The comic has been published in the form of back-ups in other comic books as well as original one-shots and trade paperback col ...
'' short, Spider-Man is hired to babysit the infant Power children.


House of M

Alex and Julie appear in ''
House of M "House of M" is a 2005 comic book storyline published by Marvel Comics, consisting of a core eight-issue comic book Limited series (comics), limited series written by Brian Michael Bendis and illustrated by Olivier Coipel and a number of fictiona ...
: Avengers'' #3 as members of a superpowered gang called the Wolfpack, the House of M's version of the
New Warriors The New Warriors is a fictional superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. They traditionally consisted of teenage and young adult heroes, and were often seen to serve as a junior counterpart to Avengers (comics), ...
.


Marvel 2099

In the alternate ''
Marvel 2099 Marvel 2099 is a Marvel Comics imprint, started in 1992, that was originally one possible future of the Marvel Universe, but later revealed in a climax of ''Superior Spider-Man Goblin Nation arc'' and ''Amazing Spider-Man'' Vol. 3 #14 to be the ...
'' timeline, Julie, Jack, and Kate appear as adults, apparently having aged at a greatly reduced rate as a result of their powers.
Alchemax Alchemax is a fictional megacorporation appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, usually depicted as part of the 2099 universe. Publication history The Earth-928 version of Alchemax first appeared in '' Spider-Man 2099'' #1 ...
CEO J. Jonah Jameson hires them to take down Captain America 2099 and
Spider-Man 2099 Spider-Man 2099 is a fictional superhero character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by Peter David and Rick Leonardi in 1992 for the Marvel 2099 comic book line, and is a futuristic re-imagin ...
. Eventually, it is revealed that they are actually
Skrull The Skrulls are a fictional race of extraterrestrial shapeshifters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The Skrulls first appeared in ''Fantastic Four'' #2 and were created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. They originated fro ...
s who have been brainwashed into believing they are Power Pack.


Marvel Zombies

The zombified Power children appear in ''
Marvel Zombies vs. The Army of Darkness ''Marvel Zombies vs. The Army of Darkness'' is a five-issue 2007 comic book limited series published by Marvel Comics in association with Dynamite Entertainment, an intercompany crossover in which Ash Williams, hero of the popular ''Evil Dead'' fi ...
'' #3. They come into conflict with
Nextwave ''Nextwave'' is a humorous comic book series by Warren Ellis and Stuart Immonen, published by Marvel Comics between 2006 and 2007. ''Nextwave'' consistently features extreme violence and comedy, and simultaneously satirizes and celebrates Marve ...
, who have not been infected at that point but are ruthlessly dispatched off-panel moments later. An explosion violently kills all of them but Alex, who appears in ''Marvel Zombies Halloween'' with other zombies attacking Kitty Pryde and her son Peter.


MC2

Katie, going by Kate, appears in issues 2–5 of ''
A-Next A-Next is a fictional team of superheroes, appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. It is the Marvel Comics 2 universe version of the Avengers. The team made its first appearance in '' What If?'' #105, the first comic featu ...
''. During a conversation with American Dream, she indicates that something tragic happened to one of her brothers, but the details of the situation remain unclear.


Millennial Visions

In the "Power Pack: Starting Over" story within Marvel's 2001 ''Millennial Visions'' one-shot comic, the team is depicted as a group of adults ranging from 25 (Katie) to 32 (Alex). In this alternate universe, the siblings split up after their parents were killed by anti-mutant activists and led disparate lives until Julie reunites them to face a new Snark attack.


New Mutants

In an issue of ''
New Mutants The New Mutants are a group of fictional mutant superheroes appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, generally in association with the X-Men. Originally depicted as the teenaged junior class at the Xavier Institute, subs ...
'', Katie appears in a dystopian future ruled by Sunspot. She has all of her siblings' powers, explaining that this is because they were killed some time ago. She fights for the rights of downtrodden humans and helps the time-lost members of the New Mutants find their way home.


Renew Your Vows

The siblings appear in the miniseries ''Spider-Man: Renew Your Vows'' as schoolmates of Peter Parker's daughter Annie. They are forced to go into hiding when it is discovered that they have superhuman abilities and are taken in by
S.H.I.E.L.D. S.H.I.E.L.D. is a fictional espionage, special law enforcement, and counter-terrorism agency appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in ''Strange Tales'' #135 (August 1965), it often dea ...


X-Force

A young girl called Francine Power appears in an alternate future in ''
X-Force X-Force is a fictional team of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, most commonly in association with the X-Men. Conceived by writer/illustrator Rob Liefeld, the team first appeared in '' New Mutants'' #100 ...
Annual'' #1, operating under the name Powerpax. She has all of the powers of the various members of Power Pack and wears a costume similar to the one later worn by Alex Power in the pages of ''New Warriors''.


Collected editions

''Power Pack Classic volume 4'' () was scheduled to be released in March 2013 but was cancelled. It would have contained ''Power Pack'' (1984) #27–36 and material from ''Strange Tales'' (1987) #13–14.


In other media


TV pilot


Plot

As the Power siblings get ready for a new school year, they must deal with typical kid issues while also balancing their lives as superpowered children when they learn of Dr. Mobius, a phantom that haunts an abandoned house.


Cast

* Nathaniel Moreau as Alex Power * Margot Finley as Julie Power * Bradley Machry as Jack Power * Jacelyn Holmes as Katie Power * Jonathan Whittaker as Dr. James Power * Cheryl Wilson as Margaret Power *
Daniel DeSanto Daniel DeSanto is a Canadian actor. Early life Raised in the Toronto suburb of Etobicoke, DeSanto made his acting debut at the age of 8 as the lead protagonist in ''Brown Bread Sandwiches'' (a.k.a. ''La famiglia Buonanotte''), a film about Ita ...
as Eddie * Christian Masten as Harlan * Rachel Wilson as Tina * Charlene DiPardo as Rhonda * Greg Swanson as Dr. Mobius


Production

Following the cancellation of the original comic, Paragon Entertainment Corporation and
New World Television New World Pictures (also known as New World Entertainment and New World Communications Group, Inc.) was an American independent production, distribution, and (in its final years as an autonomous entity) multimedia company. It was founded in 19 ...
developed Power Pack into a live-action show for
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...
's Saturday Morning Kids block. While a pilot episode was made, the series was passed on and later picked up by
Fox Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelve sp ...
, which chose to broadcast it as a Saturday morning special, on September 28, 1991, rather than ordering an entire series. The 27-minute pilot has subsequently been aired a few times on
Fox Kids Fox Kids (originally known as Fox Children's Network and later as the Fox Kids Network; stylized as FOX KIDS) was an American children's block programming, programming block and branding for a slate of international children's television channel ...
during the off-season. Minor alterations to the concept were made for the pilot, ranging from the children's parents being aware of their superhuman abilities, Julie's acceleration power being altered to her being able to move at superhuman speed, without the ability to fly, and the "cloud" aspect of Jack's density power being eliminated; he was only able to shrink in size. The children did not wear costumes.


Other television appearances

* All four members of Power Pack (Alex, Julie, Jack, and Katie) have cameo appearances alongside Franklin Richards in ''
The Super Hero Squad Show ''The Super Hero Squad Show'' is an American superhero animated series produced by Marvel Animation. It is based on the Marvel Super Hero Squad action figure line from Hasbro, which portray the Avengers, the X-Men, and various other characters ...
'' episode "Support Your Local Sky-Father!". * The name Power Pack is mentioned in the ''
Ultimate Spider-Man ''Ultimate Spider-Man'' is a superhero comic book series that was published by Marvel Comics from 2000 to 2011. The series is a modernized re-imagining of Marvel's long-running Spider-Man comic book franchise as part of the company's Ultimate ...
'' episode "Blade and the Howling Commandos". Spider-Man brought up the name as one of the "big guns" in the superhero community.


Film

In 2000,
Marvel Entertainment Marvel Entertainment, LLC (formerly Marvel Enterprises) is an American show business, entertainment company (law), company founded in June 1998 and based in New York City, New York (state), New York, formed by the merger of #Marvel Entertainment ...
entered into a joint venture agreement with
Artisan Entertainment Artisan Entertainment (formerly known as U.S.A. Home Video, International Video Entertainment (IVE) and LIVE Entertainment) was an American film studio and home video company. It was considered one of the largest mini-major film studios until ...
to turn at least 15 Marvel superhero franchises into live-action films, television series, direct-to-video films, and internet projects. These 15 franchises included an adaptation of Power Pack. In September 2017,
Marvel Studios Marvel Studios, LLC (originally known as Marvel Films from 1993 to 1996) is an American film and television production company that is a subsidiary of Walt Disney Studios, a division of the Walt Disney Company. Marvel Studios produces the Mar ...
revealed plans to introduce Power Pack into the
Marvel Cinematic Universe The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on a series of superhero films produced by Marvel Studios. The films are based on characters that appear in American comic books published by ...
with their own film in development. Jonathan Schwartz, an executive producer on ''
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 ''Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2'' is a 2017 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics superhero team Guardians of the Galaxy, produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. It is the sequel to ' ...
'', will oversee the project, with the plot being described as "a ''
Spy Kids ''Spy Kids'' is an American spy family action-adventure comedy franchise created by Robert Rodriguez. The plot follows adventures of Carmen and Juni Cortez, two children who become involved in their parents' espionage organization. The films i ...
''–like story".


References


External links


Marvel Directory (Power Pack)



Power Pack's 'Site within Writer Marc Sumerak 'Page
* {{Portal bar, 1980s, Comics 1984 comics debuts Child characters in comics Comics by Louise Simonson Marvel Comics titles Marvel Comics superhero teams Marvel Comics child superheroes