John Gabriel is a

superhero A superhero or superheroine is a fictional character who typically possesses ''superpowers'' or abilities beyond those of ordinary people, is frequently costumed concealing their identity, and fits the role of the hero, typically using their ...

appearing in

American comic book An American comic book is a thin periodical literature originating in the United States, commonly between 24 and 64 pages, containing comics. While the form originated in 1933, American comic books first gained popularity after the 1938 publ ...

s published by

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...

. The character appears in the NEW-GEN comic books. Created by Chris Matonti, J.D. Matonti, and Julia Coppola, he first appeared in NEW-GEN #1 (2010). He is the founder and leader of the A.P.N.G., and the leading scientific mind in the field of

nanotechnology Nanotechnology is the manipulation of matter with at least one dimension sized from 1 to 100 nanometers (nm). At this scale, commonly known as the nanoscale, surface area and quantum mechanical effects become important in describing propertie ...

on the world of New-Gen.

Fictional Character Biography

Utopia and Deadalus' Betrayal

Gabriel's long career in the creation and application of various kinds of

on the world of New-Gen gained him a tremendous amount of success and admiration from the general populace. Through his technological advancements and careful cooperation with his wife, Thea (a guardian of the natural world), Gabriel revolutionized life on New-Gen, creating an almost utopian society. After taking on Sylvester Deadalus as an apprentice, Gabriel was able to create even more ways to make the quality of life more harmonious and comfortable for the general populace. However, unbeknownst to his mentor, Deadalus began to experiment on living things, pushing the envelope of nanotechnology and enhancing his subjects in unnatural ways. When Gabriel found out about this, he was furious and told Deadalus to stop immediately. However, Deadalus released onto the public of New-Gen, a swarm of nanobots he designed to alter the biological structure of those they infected. After the nanobots infected several children, mutating their bodies rapidly and giving them

superpowers Superpower describes a sovereign state or supranational union that holds a dominant position characterized by the ability to exert influence and project power on a global scale. This is done through the combined means of economic, military, tec ...

, Gabriel apprehended Deadalus and banished him to the underworld as punishment. Gabriel then sent his twin sons, Sean and Chris, to present-day

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

Earth Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to Planetary habitability, harbor life. This is enabled by Earth being an ocean world, the only one in the Solar System sustaining liquid surface water. Almost all ...

, to protect them from further attacks by Deadalus. Before he sent them there, Gabriel expressed concern that their bodies had also been affected by Deadalus' nanobot infestation.NEW-GEN #1

Training the A.P.N.G.

After taking in the children whose bodies were affected by Deadalus' nanobots, Gabriel and Thea began to train them in the responsible use of their powers, with the end goal of forming a super-powered team to combat against those who would seek to threaten the lives of the innocent. Gabriel sent the oldest and best trained warrior,

Mini The Mini is a very small two-door, four-seat car, produced for four decades over a single generation, with many names and variants, by the British Motor Corporation (BMC) and its successors British Leyland and the Rover Group, and finally ...

and a combat

robot A robot is a machine—especially one Computer program, programmable by a computer—capable of carrying out a complex series of actions Automation, automatically. A robot can be guided by an external control device, or the robot control, co ...

, the Horus, to dispatch Deadalus after he resurfaced in ancient

Crete Crete ( ; , Modern Greek, Modern: , Ancient Greek, Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the List of islands by area, 88th largest island in the world and the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, fifth la ...

and started wreaking havoc. When Mini had defeated Deadalus, Gabriel commanded Mini to banish Deadalus again, rather than kill him. Periodically, Gabriel checked in on his twin sons on Earth, who grew up not knowing their true father or mother. Thea often chastised Gabriel for the decision to send them to Earth, although she only did so privately, away from the eyes of the students.

Battle with Sly

When Deadalus emerged from the underworld onto Zadaar III, transformed by

microbots Microbotics (or microrobotics) is the field of miniature robotics, in particular mobile robots with characteristic dimensions less than 1 mm. The term can also be used for robots capable of handling micrometer size components. History Micro ...

into the insane and brutal Sly, Gabriel sent Mini to dispatch him again. However, it became evident very quickly that Mini was not strong enough to take out Sly's entire army of enhanced MetalMites by himself, so Gabriel teleported the remaining members of the team to help. As he watched Mini, Flyer,

Gazelle A gazelle is one of many antelope species in the genus ''Gazella'' . There are also seven species included in two further genera; '' Eudorcas'' and '' Nanger'', which were formerly considered subgenera of ''Gazella''. A third former subgenus, ' ...

Diamond Diamond is a Allotropes of carbon, solid form of the element carbon with its atoms arranged in a crystal structure called diamond cubic. Diamond is tasteless, odourless, strong, brittle solid, colourless in pure form, a poor conductor of e ...

, and Roboduck fight Sly from his command center on New-Gen, Gabriel also noticed his sons having fitful visions of the battle. Gabriel prepared to depart and join the fray himself, carrying with him six green orbs containing highly advanced nanotechnology.NEW-GEN #5 Just before Gabriel arrived Sly shot the A.P.N.G. with a nanobot killing energy blast, leaving them powerless and weak. Gabriel, enraged,

teleported Teleportation is the hypothetical transfer of matter or energy from one point to another without traversing the physical space between them. It is a common subject in science fiction and fantasy literature. Teleportation is often paired with tim ...

to the battle and gave each member of the A.P.N.G. one of the green orbs, each of which transformed into a nano-glove, containing nanobots which restore their powers and strength. Gabriel then engaged Sly one on one, using his mastery of his own nanobot-given powers. After being overwhelmed at first, Gabriel fought back and eventually overcame Sly, banishing him for the third time to the underworld.

Powers, abilities, and equipment

Gabriel's powers stem from his complete mastery of the nanotechnology he has implanted within himself. He possess superhuman strength, the ability to emit powerful energy blasts, and telekinetic abilities (and by extension,

flight Flight or flying is the motion (physics), motion of an Physical object, object through an atmosphere, or through the vacuum of Outer space, space, without contacting any planetary surface. This can be achieved by generating aerodynamic lift ass ...

).NEW-GEN #5 He is also able to teleport himself and others to any point in time and space instantaneously.NEW-GEN #1 Gabriel also possesses a genius level intellect, and regularly creates both nanobots and large robots to perform specific, complex tasks.NEW-GEN #1 He also possesses the Kane, a large blue rod composed of nanobots that he can change the shape of according to his will. It also seems to serve as a means for him to focus or augment his powers, as well as weapon in physical combat, at which Gabriel excels.NEW-GEN #5

References

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External links

* https://web.archive.org/web/20110707153446/http://apngenterprises.com/comic/characters-of-new-gen/ * http://www.comicvine.com/gabriel/29-69829/ Marvel Comics characters with superhuman strength