- Phone Ranger
Superherobox|
caption=
comic_color=background:#ff8080
character_name=Phone Ranger
real_name=A. G. Bell
publisher=Marvel Comics
debut="Marvel Age Annual " #1 "(1985)"
creators=Kurt Busiek James Fry
alliance_color=background:#ffc0c0
status=Active
alliances=
previous_alliances=
aliases=
relatives=
powers=Can interface to any telecommunications system|Phone Ranger is a
superhero in theMarvel Comics universe. Initially conceived as a one-off joke character, he has since become a legitimate presence within the comics universe.Fictional character biography
The Phone Ranger's real name is A. G. Bell (an obvious reference to
Alexander Graham Bell , creator of the telephone). He was born inBoston, Massachusetts , and made a living as a telephone repairman inNew York City .One day, Bell was called in to repair a telephone that had been smashed to pieces by its owner, who flew into a rage at the constant prank calls he had been receiving. In reality, the "prank calls" were distress signals from a tiny spaceship that had fled from a subatomic universe and somehow ended up trapped within the phone receiver. Upon examining the broken telephone, Bell realized that the aliens had left some of their technology behind within the phone. Replicating the technology, Bell fashioned a costume of his own design that allowed him to connect with any telecommunications system in existence, and the Phone Ranger was born.
The Phone Ranger made his official heroic debut when the
Lethal Legion attacked the offices of Marvel Comics (which exist in-universe, publishing the exploits of the heroes with their permission). Desperate for help, writer Kurt Busiek had dialed lots of phone numbers, and on that moment the mysterious Phone Ranger appeared right in front of him. Phone Ranger claimed he was here to fight the Lethal Legion, also claiming that he existed to protect actual telephones.He fought Legion member Unicorn who defeated the super-hero. Later, Phone Ranger was apparently shot in the head by the
Scourge of the Underworld and was presumed dead.Civil War
However, he mysteriously reappeared during the Civil War event (his survival being explained as the thick layer of
optical fiber s in his headpiece deflecting the bullet) as one of the heroes in favor of the Registration Act and helping outSpider-Man andIron Man apprehending rogue heroes. He officially accepted registration after the surrender ofCaptain America .Notes
The Phone Ranger's true identity and his actual powers were unrevealed for most of his history. The Marvel one-shot "Civil War: Battle Damage Report" (2007) finally gave a definitive backstory for the character. The character's origin story actually references an obscure story published in "
Strange Tales " #94 (1962), byStan Lee andSteve Ditko . The connection between this story and the character was first posited by writerJohn Kaminski at the unofficial "Appendix to the Handbook of the Marvel Universe" website. Whether Marvel was aware of this when they created the backstory is unknown.ources
*"Marvel Age Annual" #1
*"Civil War: Battle Damage Report"External links
* [http://www.marvunapp.com/Appendix3/phoneranger.htm Phone Ranger's profile at the Appendix]
* [http://www.marvunapp.com/Appendix3/telephonyst.htm Origin story of the Phone Ranger (since made official by Marvel)]
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