Cerebra's Files

War IV

Real Name: Unknown
Affiliation: Horsemen of Apocalypse
Previous Affiliations: NASA
Status: Presumed Deceased (Ozymandias) Alternate-X Versions: None
Codename Etymology: Pronounced w r [late Old English wyrre, werre, from Old North French werre "war" (French guerre), from Frankish werra, from Proto-Germanic werso (cf. Old Saxon werran, Old High German werran, German verwirren "to confuse, perplex")] A battle. Old codename pronounced g z r; [From Scandanavian dialect gasa "to gape," related somehow to Old Norse ga "heed."] One who stares.
Powers & History: Originally, Gazer was a gray-skinned mutant with large spherical eyes and an immunity to radiation, which he actually processed into life-sustaining energy. As such, he joined NASA and was placed aboard the orbiting space station. He was joined there by the X-Men when the alien Golgotha creature was on Earth and more were approaching. The X-Men used the space station as a staging ground for their attack on the creatures. Gazer was fairly annoying to the team during the start of their encounter.

After M-Day, however, Gazer lost his powers and his eyes turned back to normal, though his skin remained gray. This may have been a result of radiation poisoning, however, since Gazer was no longer immune. He had been running tests on a headless and limbless body which he called "Phantom Torso," and which he believed was talking to him. While the Torso "advised" him to ask NASA to bring him home, Gazer was entranced by an alien presence he sensed approaching. When the alien finally passed by, Gazer let himself out of the airlock to try and contact it, feeling that it might somehow help him survive.

Instead, Gazer was beamed aboard Apocalypse's ship, and the immortal mutant forced him to fight archaeologist Dr. Foster for the right to become the next War. Gazer was about to be killed when Ozymandias stabbed Foster in the chest, telling Gazer that he would owe him after the transformation. As Gazer was being stretched and otherwise physically and genetically modified, the legless Sunfire tried to save him, exhorting him to escape. Unfortunately, Gazer's mind was already overthrown and he caused Sunfire to be re-captured.

As War IV, Gazer became a tall, powerful giant, with armor and an electrified mace, and was given a flying mechanical horse with which to attack the X-Men and their watchdog Sentinels. While Apocalypse made his offer of a cure for an upcoming plague to the 198, Gazer was approached by Ozymandias, who wanted him to betray Apocalypse in repayment of his debt. War refused, and then betrayed Ozymandias to his master. He was then tasked with finding the rebellious Ozymandias, but he failed to do so, and rejoined Apocalypse to fight the X-Men earlier. Just then, Ozymandias appeared and impaled War from behind, apparently killing him.
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