Air-Walker
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Air-Walker, is a fictional superhuman alien in the Marvel Comics universe. He was originally Gabriel Lan, a Xandarian and a member of their Nova Corps. Later he became a Herald of Galactus known as Air-Walker. Air-Walker was slain in combat then was partially reincarnated as a soul-less construct. In his robotic incarnation, Air-Walker was destroyed and rebuilt multiple times.
[edit] Character biography
Gabriel Lan was a distinguished member of the Xandarian Nova Corps who was appointed as captain of the diplomatic and exploratory spaceship "Way-Opener", with a seven-year mission similar to the Starship Enterprise. Pyreus Kril was the Way-Opener's first officer and Gabriel's devoted friend. The position was ideal given Gabriel's love of space exploration and discovery.
When the Way-Opener was returning home from its seven-year mission, it was confronted by the titanic starship of Galactus. A beam from Galactus' vessel struck the Way-Opener and Gabriel disappeared from the bridge. Gabriel found himself in the presence of Galactus who told him that Gabriel had been found worthy to be the new Herald of Galactus, to replace the discarded Silver Surfer. When confronted with the offer of infinite voyaging and cosmic powers, Gabriel accepted and was transformed by Galactus into Air-Walker, voluntarily discarding his old life.
Air-Walker was happy in his position as Herald, and when not voyaging to find new worlds, he would spend time with Galactus and listen to the world-devourer's stories of travelling the infinite universe since the dawn of time. Once Air-Walker was returning to tell Galactus of a new world to reap, when he encountered a battlefleet of Ovoids, an advanced race with vast psychic powers. The Ovoids were seeking to defend themselves against Galactus, who they feared was going to consume their homeworld. Air-Walker fought the fleet to defend the weakened and hungering Galactus, and was struck down by weaponry designed to kill Galactus himself. Weak with hunger, Galactus retreated.
When Galactus had fed again, he used his restored energies to retrieve what spark remained of Air-Walker and transferred it into an android duplicate. But the android Air-Walker was not the same Gabriel Lan; it lacked the soul and passion that the original had. Dissatisfied with this imitation of his companion, Galactus dispatched it to Earth to re-enlist the Silver Surfer as Herald.
When the Air-Walker android appeared on Earth, his name Gabriel along with his flaming cloak unintentionally fooled many into thinking that he was the archangel Gabriel. A fight ensued with the Fantastic Four and the Silver Surver, who declined to return to Galactus. The Air-Walker android was destroyed in battle, and Galactus left, giving up on hopes of restoring his past relationships.
The Air-Walker android later rebuilt itself and tried to seek out the Silver Surfer, but instead was destroyed in combat with Thor.
Years later Lan's close friend and successor herald Firelord and the Silver Surfer revived the Air-Walker android, though in a battle with Galactus's new herald Morg its skin was destroyed. Air-Walker and Firelord returned to Galactus' service for a time, but when Morg returned he destroyed Air-Walker's body. Lan's consciousness was absorbed into the computer of Galactus' Worldship from where he sought to direct Galactus to uninhabited worlds. In a subsequent battle between Galactus and Tyrant, the Worldship was seemingly destroyed by the Ultimate Nullifier. Air-Walker was presumed destroyed in the process. Since this event, the Worldship has been shown intact.
The Air-Walker android has recently reappeared in Annhilation: Silver Surfer. No explanation was given for his return to material form. As part of his plan to capture all of the Heralds of Galactus, Annihilus had commanded his Annihilation Force to destroy the planet Xandar as a trap to lure both Air-Walker and Firelord. When the Surfer arrived, Air-Walker was already wounded and dying, as the Force had declared that he was useless as an android. The Surfer managed to rescue the ex-Herald, but Air-Walker later passed away from his wounds.
[edit] Powers and abilities
Like past heralds, Air-Walker was granted the power cosmic that allowed him to survive and travel through space, grant him super strength, and a number of other abilities. Unlike the other Heralds, Air-Walker's use of his abilities does not cause or require any additional visual "energy" effects.
Air-Walker wore a short cape of flame (occasionally portrayed as wings of flame), the properties of which have not been explored. He has also wielded a golden trumpet on occasion, which makes no sound and yet can be heard by all denizens of a planet.
As former member of the Nova Corps and a spaceship captain, Gabriel Lan possesses the abilities and skills requisite of those positions.
