Origin

Years ago, a space vessel of a highly advanced "sub-atomic" race traveled through a magnetic disturbance, causing it to inadvertently leave its native Microverse and become stranded within a telephone earpiece on Earth. The vessel sent out a distress signal, but the telephone's owner dismissed the pleas for assistance as a prank caller. The telephone's owner tired of what he believed were continued prank calls and slammed the headset down, accidentally cracking the earpiece open, granting the aliens their freedom. The next day, telephone repairman A.G. Bell was sent to replace the broken phone and soon noticed the advanced alien technology. Taking the shattered device back to his private workshop, Bell was able to replicate the technology and incorporate it into a homemade costume. Now able to tap into any phone line, Bell began monitoring emergency hotlines and arriving at crime scene as the "Phone Ranger" before emergency first responders could arrive.

Creation

Phone Ranger debuted in Marvel Age Annual #1 by Kurt Busiek and James Fry

Major Story Arcs

Defending Marvel Comics

When the Lethal Legion attacked the offices of Marvels Comics, Phone Ranger was among the many heroes who assembled to oppose them. In the midst of the battle, Phone Ranger was seemingly shot in the face by the Scourge of the Underworld, but the multiple layers of optical fibers within his headpiece diverted the bullet and saved his life.

Civil War

After the enactment of the Superhuman Registration Act, Phone Ranger was one of the many heroes who refused to comply with registration requirements. Along with four other unregistered super-humans, he was cornered by NYPD officers and taken into custody by Spider-Man and Iron Man. Following Captain America's surrender, he has since accepted the offer of super-hero amnesty.

Staten Island Monolith

When a tall red monolith showed up on Staten Island, Captain America assigned Night Thrasher of the Avengers Emergency Response Squad to research and investigate it. He had a number of outside experts come in to assist, including Phone Ranger. Phone Ranger intercepted a radio wave coming from the monolith and recognized it as the language of The Builders. He translated it to "Beware," just as the monolith cracked open revealing the Living Monolith, who had evolved into the Living Testament in his chrysalis.

The Emergency Response Squad did battle with the Living Testament, but he was far too powerful. While they squad kept him busy, Phone Ranger made a distress call to the Avengers for backup. Neither team were enough to stop the Living Testament, and their life force started to drain to power the villain, including Phone Ranger's.

Character Profile

• Height: 5' 6.5"
• Weight: 188 lbs.
• Eye Color: Black
• Hair Color: Reddish-black
• Citizenship: American
• Place of Birth: Boston, MA
• Marital Status: Single
• Occupation: Telephone repairman

Power & Abilities:

Phone Ranger possesses no inherent superhuman abilities. He is skilled in repairing and innovating upon analog and digital telephone technology.

Phone Ranger's costume enables him to tap into any telephone line and many other telecommunications systems. The costume is outfitted with audio bugs, copper wire and optic fiber cables that can hook into any standard telephone circuit, a telephone exchange system to automatically handle multiple calls, voice-activated recorders that encode multiple electric signals simultaneously, and high-powered radio receivers and transmitters to intercept mobile / cellular phone communications. His costume's plastic cable insulation provides enhanced durability.

Variants

Mojoworld

A Mojoworld actor was cast as Phone Ranger in Mojo's adaptation of the first superhero Civil War reimagined as taking place during the American Civil War in the 1860s.