Vision and the Scarlet Witch #2
Faith of Our Fathers
His arm a melted ruin, the Vision struggles from the agony of his injuries. Looking around the facility, he finds both his wife the Scarlet Witch and the Whizzer laying motionlessly on the ground. He isn’t sure if either of them are alive, and angrily blames the Whizzer for what has happened. Not far away, the Whizzer’s son Nuklo is in a life and death struggle with the villain known as Isbisa. Struggling to get to his feet, the Vision thinks back to the events that led up to this moment…
It was not long after Wanda and the Vision moved into their new home in Leonia, New Jersey, that they were visited by Robert Frank, aka the Whizzer.[1] Frank, still believing that he is Wanda’s father, has come to ask for her help in getting custody of his first son, the radioactive mutant known as Nuklo. He is hoping that Nuklo can be taken to the Inhuman’s great refuge, home of Wanda’s twin brother Pietro, aka Quicksilver, where he can be treated.[2]
Contacting her brother to enlist his aid, Pietro agrees to have the Inhumans do what they can for Nuklo. However, he questions why Wanda hasn’t told Robert that they aren’t really his children. Wanda explains that the Whizzer is an old man with nobody left in the world and doesn’t want to shatter the illusion he still has a family. After ending the call with her brother, Vision asks why Wanda wants to keep up the deception. She explains that Wanda and Pietro have always been orphans and believing that Frank was their father — even if incorrect — gave her so much joy and she owes him help for making her feel that way. With that, Wanda and Vision tell Robert Frank that they are willing to help.
They make arrangements to visit Nuklo at the special containment room built for him at a local hospital. With the Scarlet Witch and Vision’s credentials, Robert is able to get the hospital to release Nuklo into his custody. Although the hospital staff are entirely against this, they have no choice but to comply. The head doctor takes the trio down to the room where they have been containing Nuklo and educating him.[3] Although they have lowered his radiation levels through treatment, the mutant still has the mentality of a young child and, in their minds, still poses a risk.[4] Robert is then introduced to Dr. I.S. Bishoff, the lead scientist that has been treating his son. Bishoff is disappointed to hear that Frank has come to take his son and asks to speak in private.
While they are waiting, the Vision and Scarlet Witch speak to the other doctors and learn about the progress they have been making with Nuklo. While in the private room, Bishoff has Robert recount the events that led to Nuklo’s birth while he puts on the radiation suit he wears when interacting with the man-child. Frank recounts how he and his wife, Madeline Joyce — aka Miss America — retired from costumed heroics at the end of World War II and worked for the government as security on the Manhattan Project. It was here that they were involved in a nuclear accident that irradiated them both and led to their son being born a radioactive mutant. He also recounts how his wife died giving birth to their next children, who he has been led to believe are the Scarlet Witch and her brother Quicksilver.
That’s when Bishoff reveals that he is actually the Whizzer’s old foe Isbisa and how he was responsible for the nuclear accident, an act of revenge against the Whizzer and his teammates in the All-Winners Squad and that he had been working at the hospital to steal Nuklo’s power to increase his own abilities.[5] He then attacked the Whizzer, leading to the battle. In the ensuing conflict, the Vision blames Robert endangering his wife and reveals that she is not really Frank’s daughter. This forces Wanda to reveal the truth to Frank, explaining that they were someone else’s children who were then offered to Frank when his own wife and child died during childbirth. In the escalating conflict, the Vision’s arm was horribly burned by radiation and Nuklo’s containment field was shattered. Seeing his son for the first time in years, Robert Frank apologizes to Nuklo for abandoning him for so many years and promises be there for him in the future. Attacking Isbisa directly, the Whizzer is easily swatted aside by the more powerful foe. Bringing events full circle…
… Finishing his recollection, the Vision makes the decision to amputate his ruined arm to cut off the pain caused by the injury.[6] In the ensuing battle, Nuklo finally absorbs all the power stolen from him by Isbisa, ending the battle in a blinding flash of light. Everyone is surprised to see that Nuklo is no longer radioactive, seemingly cured of his condition. Unfortunately, this doesn’t come without some tragedy, as the Whizzer had died of a heart attack during the battle. As Isbisa is taken into custody and the Whizzer’s body removed from the scene, everyone mourns the loss of Robert Frank, however Wanda points out that he was at least able to impart his love for his son before he died.[7]
Recurring Characters
Vision, Scarlet Witch, Whizzer, Isbisa, Nuklo
Continuity Notes
Here it is mentioned that Wanda and Vision had just recently retired from the Avengers. This happened in Avengers #211.
Robert Frank has believed that Wanda and her brother are his children since Giant-Size Avengers #1. TL;DR: Frank and his wife Madeline Joyce (aka Miss America) went to the High Evolutionary’s Citadel of Science for help giving birth to their children. In reality, Maddy and her baby during childbirth. At the time, the High Evolutionary was caring for the Maximoff twins and had Bova try to pawn them off on the Whizzer as his own. The revelation that they are not related to the Whizzer was revealed in Avengers #185-187. At the time of this story, Wanda has yet to tell Robert the truth. As later revealed in Scarlet Witch (vol. 2) #4 and 12, Wanda and Pietro’s biological parents are Natalya Maximoff and an unidentified Scarlet Warlock.
On a chalkboard, Nuklo has written that he is 32 years old. However, he was born in 1949. The Nuklo profile in Captain America: America’s Avenger #1 states that Nuklo’s aging was slowed while he was contained in the time-capsule. As such, one could assume that Nuklo is physically 32 years old despite his actual age which will always be in a state of change due to the Sliding Timescale.
When Nuklo was born, his highly-radioactive powers make him a risk to everyone around him and was placed in a time capsule that kept him in stasis for years. Although he grew to adulthood, his mind remained undeveloped. See Giant-Size Avengers #1.
Isbisa sought revenge after the All-Winners Squad defeated him in All-Winners Comics #19.
Forced to amputate his arm here, the Vision has a new one made for him by Inhuman scientists in Vision and the Scarlet Witch #4.
As of this writing (February, 2022) the Whizzer has remained deceased. His spirit was allegedly seen in the afterlife in X-Statix Presents: Dead Girl #2.
Topical References
References to the length of time between the Whizzer’s wartime activities and Nuklo’s birth should be considered topical due to the fact that the Sliding Timescale constantly pushes the Modern Age of the Marvel Universe forward in time, making the gulf of years between these two events to continue to grow in time.