Portal (comics)
Encyclopedia
Portal is a fictional character
, a mutant
superhero
in the Marvel Comics
Universe
. He first appeared as Charles Little Sky in Avengers
#304 (June 1989) and as Portal in Darkhawk
#5 (July 1991).
. As a teenager, he manifested his dimension-spanning powers during a confrontation between the Avengers
and Puma
, the superhuman protector of Little Sky's tribe. Little Sky fled the reservation he lived on, moving to New York City
where he took a job as a construction worker. He was followed by Puma, who had set out in pursuit of Little Sky out of fear that the powers he'd soon manifest would prove dangerous. When Puma finally tracked him down at Ellis Island
, Little Sky's powers activated for the first time, opening a portal to the dimension where the U-Foes
had been exiled, freeing them. The U-Foes attempted to kill Little Sky to keep him from using his powers to banish them again, and the Avengers and Puma were forced to team up to protect him. During the fight, Little Sky escaped, using his powers and began traveling the dimensions.
Along the way he picked up a variety of weapons, including a gun that fired 'energy harpoons,' and learned to control his powers. In one dimension he encountered Kistur, the leader of an intergalactic gang of criminals who was armed with one of the android Darkhawk
bodies created by Dargin Bokk
. Kistur asked Little Sky to join the gang so they could use his powers to plunder other dimensions. Little Sky refused and Kistur tried to kill him, but Little Sky fought back and ended up accidentally shooting Kistur's Darkhawk amulet, the focal point of his powers, out of his chest. The loss of the amulet killed Kistur's Darkhawk body, and Little Sky removed and donned Kistur's body armor for further protection. Worried that Kistur might revive, Little Sky attempted to destroy the amulet, but when that failed he discarded it in another dimension.
Little Sky eventually managed to return to Earth, opening a portal to a museum
in New York City
that Chris Powell
and his family were touring. Powell transformed into his Darkhawk persona, and Portal, mistaking Powell for a re-born Kistur, attacked. Darkhawk managed to incapacitate Portal, who was taken in federal custody by a Guardsman
. Portal had been injured during the fight and was placed in a hospital under the guard of Captain America
. The U-Foes
wanted Portal to take them to a dimension they'd once happened upon while they were exiled from Earth, and they attacked the hospital. Captain America, Darkhawk and Daredevil
defeated the U-Foes, but Portal revived and after explaining how he had acquired parts of his armor from an opponent resembling Darkhawk, escaped to another dimension during the fight.
Portal surfaced again to retrieve his weapons and equipment from a federal research center, battling some Guardsmen. Portal was targeted by the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants
led by Toad
, whose member Sauron
brainwashed Portal into assisting them. He was rescued by Darkhawk, Spider-Man
, and Sleepwalker
, after which he escaped again into another dimensional warp.
Portal would later return as Darkhawk's ally, protecting New York in his stead at a time when Darkhawk seemed to be dying and needed time to recuperate. During this time, Portal was targeted by Shaper, a superhuman snuff
artist who'd targeted Darkhawk for death. Shaper ended up going after Portal instead when Portal began using Chris Powell's amulet to become the Darkhawk in Chris's place. Meanwhile, members of the Mahari
race, another alien species from the same home world as Kistur, took control of the Darkhawk ship in a plan to avenge Kistur. They reanimated Kistur in a redesigned Darkhawk android as Overhawk, and went after Portal's family. In the end, Portal and Darkhawk managed to prevent them from destroying the Earth.
Portal is not a criminal, and cannot truly be called a villain. He is not so much evil as amoral, mistrustful of others because of his being harassed by those who would exploit his mutant abilities. While he may return a favor to those who have helped him, as he did by retrieving Spider-Man when Sleepwalker had him freed from Sauron's mind control and filling in for Darkhawk because of their past understanding, he is otherwise a loner who is not generally inclined to heroism. He will do whatever he feels he must to survive, although never more than necessary, such as when he used sleeping gas
to subdue the technicians studying his Darkhawk armor, not needing to kill them.
Charles is one of the few mutants that retained their superhuman powers after the M-Day
. He is shown as the director of A.R.M.O.R. and he used his powers to transport Machine Man
and Jocasta
to the Marvel Zombies
universe. He collects Jocasta after Machine Man retrieves a sample of the still-living Vanessa Fisk
's tissues, but is forced to leave a badly damaged Machine Man behind. After fending off with the help of Jocasta, Machine Man and the 616-Earth Morbius the Zombies that invaded A.R.M.O.R., Portal discovered that some of them managed to escape. He then agreed Morbius' project to reform the Midnight Sons
to destroy the living dead.
capable of opening rifts in space passing through extra-dimensional warps to transport himself and others. His portals allow instantaneous travel between different vibratory-attuned planes of reality, or "dimensions". Opening a portal without preparation will give him access to another dimension completely at random.
He seems to possess some talent for finding dimensions he has been to before, yet he could not immediately find Earth again once he first got lost in the dimensional planes. Presumably, then, Portal has a kind of extrasensory "marking" ability, allowing him to record the space/time coordinates of a dimension while he's present in it, so that he could return to it again in the future if he chooses. He couldn't automatically return to Earth because he hadn't consciously "marked" it before leaving. Portal is capable of using his powers for teleportation, traveling instantly across about a few miles within a single dimension. Trying to transport himself more than a few miles in one jump, however, will destabilize the portal and send him off into another dimension, even if he's trying to stay anchored in one. Dimensional warps created by Portal cease to exist when he is rendered unconscious.
Portal has also been shown to be able to home in on other people who have gone through one of his portals, opening a new gateway to retrieve or follow them if necessary. He used this ability to rescue Spider-Man
from the dimension he had thrown the wall-crawler into while under Sauron
's control.
Portal is also armed with a wide variety of weaponry, including a huge gun that shoots 'energy harpoons' (fires concussive force blasts capable of leveling an office building), a hand-weapon (capable of firing a fast-hardening adhesive substance which impedes physical movement of target), a wheel (a 1/2 in throwing disc which can separate into components with independent guidance systems, each of which contains a burst of concussive force equal to several hand grenades), and a suit of body armor composed of alien materials that he stole from a dead Darkhawk
android that's been outfitted to allow him to survive in space. Portal also carries a supply of adhesive ammunition contained in his belt, and a directional mechanism that focuses his warp power.
Little Sky also has a quantity of gymnastics training. He is highly skilled in the use of his own weaponry, and a skilled motorcyclist.
He's also visited planets in unnamed dimensions, such as:
as a character who needs to be rescued before a player can use him to move from stage to stage throughout the game.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
, a mutant
Mutant (Marvel Comics)
In comic books published by Marvel Comics, a mutant is an organism who possesses a genetic trait called an X-gene that allows the mutant to naturally develop superhuman powers and abilities...
superhero
Superhero
A superhero is a type of stock character, possessing "extraordinary or superhuman powers", dedicated to protecting the public. Since the debut of the prototypical superhero Superman in 1938, stories of superheroes — ranging from brief episodic adventures to continuing years-long sagas —...
in the Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
Universe
Marvel Universe
The Marvel Universe is the shared fictional universe where most comic book titles and other media published by Marvel Entertainment take place, including those featuring Marvel's most familiar characters, such as Spider-Man, the Hulk, the X-Men, and the Avengers.The Marvel Universe is further...
. He first appeared as Charles Little Sky in Avengers
Avengers (comics)
The Avengers is a fictional team of superheroes, appearing in magazines published by Marvel Comics. The team made its debut in The Avengers #1 The Avengers is a fictional team of superheroes, appearing in magazines published by Marvel Comics. The team made its debut in The Avengers #1 The Avengers...
#304 (June 1989) and as Portal in Darkhawk
Darkhawk
Darkhawk is a fictional comic book superhero who first appeared in his own self-titled series, Darkhawk #1...
#5 (July 1991).
Fictional character biography
Native American Charles Little Sky was born in Hartsdale, New MexicoNew Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
. As a teenager, he manifested his dimension-spanning powers during a confrontation between the Avengers
Avengers (comics)
The Avengers is a fictional team of superheroes, appearing in magazines published by Marvel Comics. The team made its debut in The Avengers #1 The Avengers is a fictional team of superheroes, appearing in magazines published by Marvel Comics. The team made its debut in The Avengers #1 The Avengers...
and Puma
Puma (comics)
Puma is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics universe most closely associated with Spider-Man. While originally a villain, he gained a great respect for Spider-Man and became his occasional ally.-Publication history:...
, the superhuman protector of Little Sky's tribe. Little Sky fled the reservation he lived on, moving to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
where he took a job as a construction worker. He was followed by Puma, who had set out in pursuit of Little Sky out of fear that the powers he'd soon manifest would prove dangerous. When Puma finally tracked him down at Ellis Island
Ellis Island
Ellis Island in New York Harbor was the gateway for millions of immigrants to the United States. It was the nation's busiest immigrant inspection station from 1892 until 1954. The island was greatly expanded with landfill between 1892 and 1934. Before that, the much smaller original island was the...
, Little Sky's powers activated for the first time, opening a portal to the dimension where the U-Foes
U-Foes
U-Foes are a fictional comic book supervillain team appearing in various series published by Marvel Comics. The group first appeared in Incredible Hulk #254...
had been exiled, freeing them. The U-Foes attempted to kill Little Sky to keep him from using his powers to banish them again, and the Avengers and Puma were forced to team up to protect him. During the fight, Little Sky escaped, using his powers and began traveling the dimensions.
Along the way he picked up a variety of weapons, including a gun that fired 'energy harpoons,' and learned to control his powers. In one dimension he encountered Kistur, the leader of an intergalactic gang of criminals who was armed with one of the android Darkhawk
Darkhawk
Darkhawk is a fictional comic book superhero who first appeared in his own self-titled series, Darkhawk #1...
bodies created by Dargin Bokk
Evilhawk
Evilhawk is a fictional character in the Marvel Universe.Evilhawk is a reptilian alien from the planet Luq with an android body. He is an enemy of Darkhawk.-Fictional character biography:...
. Kistur asked Little Sky to join the gang so they could use his powers to plunder other dimensions. Little Sky refused and Kistur tried to kill him, but Little Sky fought back and ended up accidentally shooting Kistur's Darkhawk amulet, the focal point of his powers, out of his chest. The loss of the amulet killed Kistur's Darkhawk body, and Little Sky removed and donned Kistur's body armor for further protection. Worried that Kistur might revive, Little Sky attempted to destroy the amulet, but when that failed he discarded it in another dimension.
Little Sky eventually managed to return to Earth, opening a portal to a museum
Museum
A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
that Chris Powell
Darkhawk
Darkhawk is a fictional comic book superhero who first appeared in his own self-titled series, Darkhawk #1...
and his family were touring. Powell transformed into his Darkhawk persona, and Portal, mistaking Powell for a re-born Kistur, attacked. Darkhawk managed to incapacitate Portal, who was taken in federal custody by a Guardsman
Guardsman (comics)
Guardsman was the name of a superhero in the Marvel Universe, but was later applied to a small squad of agents. He/they wear suits of power armor while working security at the Vault; the suits were designed by Tony Stark, better known as the superhero Iron Man....
. Portal had been injured during the fight and was placed in a hospital under the guard of Captain America
Captain America
Captain America is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Captain America Comics #1 , from Marvel Comics' 1940s predecessor, Timely Comics, and was created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby...
. The U-Foes
U-Foes
U-Foes are a fictional comic book supervillain team appearing in various series published by Marvel Comics. The group first appeared in Incredible Hulk #254...
wanted Portal to take them to a dimension they'd once happened upon while they were exiled from Earth, and they attacked the hospital. Captain America, Darkhawk and Daredevil
Daredevil (Marvel Comics)
Daredevil is a fictional character, a superhero in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Bill Everett, with an unspecified amount of input from Jack Kirby, and first appeared in Daredevil #1 .Living in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood...
defeated the U-Foes, but Portal revived and after explaining how he had acquired parts of his armor from an opponent resembling Darkhawk, escaped to another dimension during the fight.
Portal surfaced again to retrieve his weapons and equipment from a federal research center, battling some Guardsmen. Portal was targeted by the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants
Brotherhood of Mutants
The Brotherhood of Mutants, originally known as the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, is a fictional Marvel Comics supervillain team devoted to mutant superiority over normal humans. They are among the chief adversaries of the X-Men...
led by Toad
Toad (comics)
Toad is a Marvel Comics supervillain, an enemy of the X-Men. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist/co-writer Jack Kirby, he first appeared in X-Men #4 ....
, whose member Sauron
Sauron (comics)
Sauron is a comic book character, a supervillain in Marvel Comics' main shared universe. An enemy of the X-Men, the character was created by writer Roy Thomas and artist Neal Adams. He first fully appeared as Sauron in X-Men #60 ....
brainwashed Portal into assisting them. He was rescued by Darkhawk, Spider-Man
Spider-Man
Spider-Man is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and writer-artist Steve Ditko. He first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15...
, and Sleepwalker
Sleepwalker (comics)
Sleepwalker is a Marvel Comics character created by Bob Budiansky. He is named after his race, and is the star of a self-titled comic book which ran for 33 issues from June 1991 to February 1994, with one Holiday Special. All but two of the issues were written by Budiansky, with Tom Brevoort and...
, after which he escaped again into another dimensional warp.
Portal would later return as Darkhawk's ally, protecting New York in his stead at a time when Darkhawk seemed to be dying and needed time to recuperate. During this time, Portal was targeted by Shaper, a superhuman snuff
Snuff film
A snuff film is a motion picture genre that depicts the actual death or murder of a person or people, without the aid of special effects, for the express purpose of distribution and entertainment or financial exploitation. For-profit snuff films are generally regarded as an urban legend, whose...
artist who'd targeted Darkhawk for death. Shaper ended up going after Portal instead when Portal began using Chris Powell's amulet to become the Darkhawk in Chris's place. Meanwhile, members of the Mahari
Mahari
Mahari is a Hebrew acronym, referring to any one of a number of rabbis:*Yaakov ben Moshe Levi Moelin, known as Maharil, Mahari Segal or Mahari Moelin*Yehuda Leib Schneersohn , Ukrainian Hasidic rabbi, first leader of the Kapust Hasidim...
race, another alien species from the same home world as Kistur, took control of the Darkhawk ship in a plan to avenge Kistur. They reanimated Kistur in a redesigned Darkhawk android as Overhawk, and went after Portal's family. In the end, Portal and Darkhawk managed to prevent them from destroying the Earth.
Portal is not a criminal, and cannot truly be called a villain. He is not so much evil as amoral, mistrustful of others because of his being harassed by those who would exploit his mutant abilities. While he may return a favor to those who have helped him, as he did by retrieving Spider-Man when Sleepwalker had him freed from Sauron's mind control and filling in for Darkhawk because of their past understanding, he is otherwise a loner who is not generally inclined to heroism. He will do whatever he feels he must to survive, although never more than necessary, such as when he used sleeping gas
Sleeping gas
Sleeping gas is an oneirogenic general anaesthetic that is used to put a subject into a state where they are not conscious of what is happening around them...
to subdue the technicians studying his Darkhawk armor, not needing to kill them.
Charles is one of the few mutants that retained their superhuman powers after the M-Day
Decimation (comics)
Decimation is the late 2005 Marvel Comics storyline spinning off from the House of M limited series. It focuses on the ramifications of the Scarlet Witch stripping nearly all of the mutant population of their powers, thereby reducing a society of millions to one of scant hundreds.This event, which...
. He is shown as the director of A.R.M.O.R. and he used his powers to transport Machine Man
Machine Man
Machine Man is a fictional character, an android superhero in the Marvel Comics Universe. The character was created by Jack Kirby for 2001: A Space Odyssey #8 , a comic written and drawn by Kirby featuring concepts based on the eponymous Stanley Kubrick film and Arthur C. Clarke novel...
and Jocasta
Jocasta (comics)
Jocasta is a fictional, comic book superhero appearing books published by Marvel Comics. A member of the Avengers, the character is a robot created by the villain Ultron.-Publication history:Jocasta first appears in The Avengers Jocasta is a fictional, comic book superhero appearing books published...
to the Marvel Zombies
Marvel Zombies
Marvel Zombies is a five-issue limited series published from December 2005 to April 2006 by Marvel Comics. The series was written by Robert Kirkman with art by Sean Phillips and covers by Arthur Suydam. It was the first series in the Marvel Zombies series of related stories...
universe. He collects Jocasta after Machine Man retrieves a sample of the still-living Vanessa Fisk
Vanessa Fisk
Vanessa Fisk is a Marvel Comics character. She is the wife of Wilson Fisk, the so-called Kingpin of crime, and mother of Richard Fisk.-Fictional character biography:Little is known about Vanessa Fisk's personal life and early years...
's tissues, but is forced to leave a badly damaged Machine Man behind. After fending off with the help of Jocasta, Machine Man and the 616-Earth Morbius the Zombies that invaded A.R.M.O.R., Portal discovered that some of them managed to escape. He then agreed Morbius' project to reform the Midnight Sons
Midnight Sons
The Midnight Sons is fictional team of supernatural superheroes in the Marvel Comics Universe. The team first appears in Ghost Rider The Midnight Sons is fictional team of supernatural superheroes in the Marvel Comics Universe. The team first appears in Ghost Rider The Midnight Sons is fictional...
to destroy the living dead.
Powers, abilities, and equipment
Portal is a mutantMutant (Marvel Comics)
In comic books published by Marvel Comics, a mutant is an organism who possesses a genetic trait called an X-gene that allows the mutant to naturally develop superhuman powers and abilities...
capable of opening rifts in space passing through extra-dimensional warps to transport himself and others. His portals allow instantaneous travel between different vibratory-attuned planes of reality, or "dimensions". Opening a portal without preparation will give him access to another dimension completely at random.
He seems to possess some talent for finding dimensions he has been to before, yet he could not immediately find Earth again once he first got lost in the dimensional planes. Presumably, then, Portal has a kind of extrasensory "marking" ability, allowing him to record the space/time coordinates of a dimension while he's present in it, so that he could return to it again in the future if he chooses. He couldn't automatically return to Earth because he hadn't consciously "marked" it before leaving. Portal is capable of using his powers for teleportation, traveling instantly across about a few miles within a single dimension. Trying to transport himself more than a few miles in one jump, however, will destabilize the portal and send him off into another dimension, even if he's trying to stay anchored in one. Dimensional warps created by Portal cease to exist when he is rendered unconscious.
Portal has also been shown to be able to home in on other people who have gone through one of his portals, opening a new gateway to retrieve or follow them if necessary. He used this ability to rescue Spider-Man
Spider-Man
Spider-Man is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and writer-artist Steve Ditko. He first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15...
from the dimension he had thrown the wall-crawler into while under Sauron
Sauron (comics)
Sauron is a comic book character, a supervillain in Marvel Comics' main shared universe. An enemy of the X-Men, the character was created by writer Roy Thomas and artist Neal Adams. He first fully appeared as Sauron in X-Men #60 ....
's control.
Portal is also armed with a wide variety of weaponry, including a huge gun that shoots 'energy harpoons' (fires concussive force blasts capable of leveling an office building), a hand-weapon (capable of firing a fast-hardening adhesive substance which impedes physical movement of target), a wheel (a 1/2 in throwing disc which can separate into components with independent guidance systems, each of which contains a burst of concussive force equal to several hand grenades), and a suit of body armor composed of alien materials that he stole from a dead Darkhawk
Darkhawk
Darkhawk is a fictional comic book superhero who first appeared in his own self-titled series, Darkhawk #1...
android that's been outfitted to allow him to survive in space. Portal also carries a supply of adhesive ammunition contained in his belt, and a directional mechanism that focuses his warp power.
Little Sky also has a quantity of gymnastics training. He is highly skilled in the use of his own weaponry, and a skilled motorcyclist.
Dimensions and planets
Portal has reached a wide variety of dimensions with his powers, including:- The Asta Dimension, where he encountered Kistur
- The Dark DimensionDormammuDormammu is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Strange Tales #126 Dormammu is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Strange Tales #126 Dormammu is a...
, home of the Mindless Ones, where he banished Spider-Man under the influence of Sauron - The Marvel ZombiesMarvel ZombiesMarvel Zombies is a five-issue limited series published from December 2005 to April 2006 by Marvel Comics. The series was written by Robert Kirkman with art by Sean Phillips and covers by Arthur Suydam. It was the first series in the Marvel Zombies series of related stories...
dimension - The Mindscape, Sleepwalker's home dimension, which Sleepwalker once observed Portal pass through.
- Null Space, the home of Dargin Bokk's Darkhawk ship. (It is unknown when or how Little Sky discovered the location of the Darkhawk ship, but he was already familiar with it when Darkhawk asked Little Sky to take him there.)
- The Szell Dimension, where he acquired the device that guides his teleportation.
He's also visited planets in unnamed dimensions, such as:
- Jahraide, where he outfitted his armor with apparatus that lets him survive in space.
Video games
Portal appears in X-Men Legends II: Rise of ApocalypseX-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse
X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse is an action role-playing game released in 2005 for the Xbox, PlayStation 2, N-Gage, PlayStation Portable, and GameCube video game consoles as well as the PC...
as a character who needs to be rescued before a player can use him to move from stage to stage throughout the game.