Quasar

Avril Kincaid was a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent stationed at Pleasant Hill, the secret prison community where supervillains had been forcibly given new identities through Kobik’s reality-altering power. Operating undercover as a daycare worker, Avril became caught in the uprising after Baron Zemo and Fixer restored the prisoners’ memories. During the crisis, she entered the Pleasant Hill museum and encountered its curator, who revealed himself as former Quasar Wendell Vaughn. As part of a contingency prepared for Pleasant Hill’s collapse, Wendell entrusted Avril with the Quantum Bands, and she used their power against Zemo’s forces. Afterward, Wendell began training her to become the new Quasar.

Avril later helped defend Earth from the approaching Chitauri and tested the newly constructed planetary defense shield. She was critically injured during the attack and left comatose, but eventually awakened while many of Earth’s strongest heroes were trapped outside the planetary barrier. Avril used the Quantum Bands to destroy the shield from within, allowing Captain Marvel and the others to return to Earth, seemingly sacrificing herself in the process. Wendell later resumed the Quasar identity, but while trapped within a black hole he briefly perceived Avril alive somewhere in deep space, revealing that she had survived and remained lost beyond Earth.

Appearance: Quasar has fair peach skin and a tall, athletic, curvaceous build with broad shoulders, a full bust, a narrow waist, rounded hips, and long muscular legs. Her eyes are vivid green with dark pupils. Her hair is auburn-red, thick, and medium length, with heavy bangs across the forehead and longer side sections gathered into a loose braid that falls over one shoulder. She wears a close-fitting red and deep navy-black bodysuit that tightly follows her chest, abdomen, hips, arms, and legs. The upper torso carries a large metallic-gold Quasar emblem centered across the chest, formed from a bright star-like symbol with a vertical extension. Red panels cover much of the chest, upper arms, and outer legs, while dark sections run through the center of the torso, shoulders, sides, and lower body. Gold trim traces several of the panel boundaries and continues around her waist in sharp angular sections.

Her forearms are covered by long dark gauntlets fitted with large glowing gold circular elements along the wrists and outer forearms. Matching gold accents appear at the hips, knees, and lower legs, while tall metallic-gold boots cover her calves and feet with smooth fitted shafts and slightly pointed toes. A massive navy-black cape falls from her shoulders and extends almost to the ground, its interior scattered with small white, blue, and orange star-like specks across a deep cosmic field.

Personality: Avril is courageous, determined, duty-driven, and willing to place herself in extreme danger when civilian lives or the planet are threatened. Her S.H.I.E.L.D. training gives her a disciplined approach to dangerous situations, while taking possession of the Quantum Bands forces her to adjust rapidly from covert operative to cosmic hero. Despite possessing extraordinary power, she remains comparatively inexperienced with it and willingly accepts instruction rather than assuming she has already mastered the responsibility that came with becoming Quasar.

Wendell Vaughn is Avril’s mentor and predecessor, personally entrusting her with the Quantum Bands and training her to use them after Pleasant Hill. Joy is Avril’s girlfriend, although Avril’s secret training as Quasar leaves Joy unaware of why Avril is frequently absent. Avril also works alongside Captain America, Winter Soldier, and Captain Marvel during major crises, ultimately sacrificing herself to reopen Earth to the heroes trapped beyond its planetary shield.

Avril wields the Quantum Bands, cosmic artifacts that draw upon vast quantities of quantum energy. They allow her to absorb, manipulate, and redirect energy; produce powerful energy blasts; generate protective force fields and solid-energy constructs; fly through space; and detect unusual energy phenomena. The bands are linked directly to their wearer and can channel power on a scale sufficient for Avril to destroy a planetary defense barrier.

Outside the Quantum Bands, Avril is a trained S.H.I.E.L.D. operative skilled in espionage, covert operations, firearms, tactical combat, and intelligence work. Wendell Vaughn’s instruction further develops her ability to control the bands and prepares her for the responsibilities carried by the Quasar identity.