- This article is about the mainstream, Earth-616 Marvel Comics Sasquatch. For the Exiles character formerly known as Sasquatch, please see Heather Hudson (Exiles).
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Sasquatch (Walter Langkowski) is a fictional character, a superhero in Marvel Comics' universe. He first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #120 and was created by Chris Claremont and John Byrne.
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Fictional character biography
Art by Clayton Henry.
Dr. Walter Langkowski is a member of Alpha Flight, a native of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada of Polish origin and a renowned physicist. He is also a former American football player for the Green Bay Packers. He possesses the ability to transform into a super-strong, orange-haired beast resembling the legendary Sasquatch. This transformation is triggered by willpower. In his transformed state, Langkowski has increased strength, stamina, and resistance to injury. He also has sharp claws and is able to leap incredible distances. These powers come as a result of Langkowski's own doing. In an attempt to become like the Hulk, Langkowski bombarded himself with gamma radiation at his laboratory near the Arctic Circle. As a proposed explanation for why he transformed into an orange instead of green behemoth (as gamma-irradiated persons are usually affected), Langkowski assumed it had something to do with the Aurora Borealis. However, unbeknownst to Langkowski, it was not the gamma rays that turned him into Sasquatch, but the fact that his lab equipment opened a doorway between our world and the "Realm of Great Beasts." When this portal was opened, a mystical beast called Tanaraq invaded Langkowski's body and granted him his powers. Langkowski had to learn to maintain his own personality and intelligence when in the form of Sasquatch, and was very successful for a time. However, Tanaraq eventually took control of Sasquatch, forcing Snowbird to slay Langkowski.
A new body and a new identity
After his death, his teammates traveled to the realm of the Great Beasts to recover his soul, but they discover he is not a beast, and that his soul has been temporarily projected into the robot exoskeleton of Box (who happened to be present). After some searching for an alternate form, Langkowski and Bochs eventually scanned a humanoid, nearly mindless body trapped in another dimension. This individual turned out to be the Hulk, however, and Langkowski, unwilling to harm his colleague and friend Bruce Banner, abandoned his decision and let his soul pass free. Sasquatch was subsequently brought back to life first by temporarily inhabiting the miniaturized body of Smart Alec, then by inhabiting the body of the then-deceased Snowbird. At first limited to transforming between Snowbird's (female) human form and a white-furred version of his Sasquatch form, he called himself "Wanda Langkowski" and fought to be recognized as legally alive. This body was later mystically altered to be identical to his original body. After this, his Sasquatch form returned to its original orange hue. In 2005, Sasquatch assembled another incarnation of Alpha Flight[1] in order to rescue the original team from an alien race known as the Plodex. Sales were poor, and the series was canceled with issue #12.
Surviving his team
Along with Major Mapleleaf, Puck I and II, Vindicator, Shaman, and Guardian, Sasquatch fights The Collective in New Avengers #16. He is later revealed to be the only member of Alpha Flight to survive the attack. Following the events of Marvel's Civil War, Langkowski is recruited by the Canadian government to form a new team called Omega Flight. He goes out of control possessed by the Great Beast, Tanaraq, but manages to recover. He also forgives Michael Pointer for the indirect role he played in the destruction of Alpha Flight and apologized for forcing him into the role of Guardian. Recently, Sasquatch has gone to Wakanda, along with Wolfsbane, Thornn, and Feral. The group offers their assistance to Wolverine against Sabretooth. Feral is killed by Sabretooth and in the meantime, the villain Romulus is forming plans of his own involving the group.
Powers and abilities
In his Sasquatch form, Langkowski possesses superhuman strength and heightened endurance. When completely possessed by Tanaraq, Sasquatch was several times as powerful. Sasquatch is also highly agile and able to leap great distances. His resistance to conventional injury is superhuman in this form. However, in his first appearance, he held a 25 ton DC-10 jet aloft, against the thrust of its engines, eventually throwing the plane 1,000 feet.[2] Although Sasquatch observes that he is significantly weaker than Ben Grimm[3], Sasquatch is shown lifting a fully armed naval destroyer out of the water so it can be repaired in a Hulk Annual. He had initially towed the ship in to be repaired, and subsequently pushed it back into deep water.[4] Thus, his strength has been consistently demonstrated to be greater than any listed quantification. Early in his career, changing from his human form into his Sasquatch form caused Langkowski extreme physical discomfort.[5] To alleviate the pain, Langkowski recites a slow mantra which serves the same purpose as a yoga practitioner concentrating on his/her craft, to calm the body and to divorce pain from the physical body. Since taking over Snowbird's original body, he can now achieve his Sasquatch form with relatively little pain or effort. Langkowski is a professionally trained scientist with experience dealing with many forms of experimental radiation and their mutagenic effects on lifeforms under controlled settings. As a former professional football player, Langkowski has highly athletic physical strength and endurance, though he is no longer in the peak condition of his life.
Other versions
Exiles
A white-haired entity who seemed to be Walter Langowski joins the inter-dimensional team of heroes dedicated to fixing breaks in the time line. It is soon revealed that she is a black woman named Heather Hudson, shocking the team who are familiar with versions of Walter.
Howling Commandos
In Nick Fury's Howling Commandos, a series published in late 2005 and early 2006, a new intelligent Sasquatch appeared. What, if any, connection this character has to Walter Langkowski or the Sasquatch from Alpha Flight volume 2, was never revealed.
Marvel Zombies
In the Marvel Zombies comics set in the universe of Earth-2149 the zombified Alpha Flight attack the X-Men and are eventually killed by Magneto. Sasquatch is seen in a panel of Marvel Zombies Dead Days attacking the X-Man Wolverine. He is killed alongside the rest of zombie Alpha Flight by Magneto in the next panel.
Ultimate Sasquatch
An Ultimate version of Sasquatch was referenced as having been killed off-panel during the Ultimate X-Men arc "Shock and Awe", as written by Brian K. Vaughan.
Unintelligible monster
Another Sasquatch, this one a barely intelligent monster, appeared in Alpha Flight volume 2. Although his teammates believed this Sasquatch to be a highly degenerated Langkowski, it was an actual sasquatch that had been captured by Department H. He was kept in control by the touch of the superpowered Murmur, though this was not always successful. This Sasquatch died in the final conflict with Department H's corrupt leadership and the Zodiac. Langkowski soon returned to active membership in Alpha Flight.
In other media
Television
Sasquatch appeared in the "Repo Man" episode of The X-Men (1994 TV Series), along with other members of Alpha Flight. He was voiced by Harvey Aitken.
Sasquatch appeared on an episode of the Incredible Hulk animated series titled "Man to Man, Beast to Beast", and was voiced by Peter Strauss (Walter Langkowski) and Clancy Brown (Sasquatch). In that episode, Bruce Banner comes to Canada hoping to find his old friend, Dr. Walter Langkowski (Sasquatch) to get a cure for himself and get rid of Hulk forever, only to find that Walter has developed a bestial alter ego while using himself as a test subject to make a breakthrough in gamma radiation. After battling the Hulk, Walter/Sasquatch exiles himself to the wilderness.
Video games
An evil doppleganger of Sasquatch appears in the video game Marvel Super Heroes: War of the Gems for the SNES. Sasquatch is one of the few Jewish Marvel Characters, as seen here: http://www.adherents.com/lit/comics/image/Sasquatch_InfCru_1.jpg .
Notes
- A doppelganger of Sasquatch was created by Magus in Infinity War #1 and appeared in Infinity War #1, 5, Fantastic Four vol. 1 #369-370 and Wonder Man vol. 2 #15.
- Sasquatch was known as Susquatch in Hulk Comic #12
- A race of giant, hairy humanoids living in Canada are known as the Sasquatch race and were first seen in Alpha Flight vol. 2 #1, 6 and Generation X #58.
Bibliography
As Sasquatch
- Alpha Flight Annual #2
- Alpha Flight Special Edition
- Alpha Flight vol. 1 #1-4, 9-12, 17, 20-21, 23 (formed killed), 24-26, 28, 44-46, 48-62, 64-95, 97-115, 130
- Alpha Flight vol. 2 #13-15, 17-20
- Alpha Flight vol. 3 #1-12
- Classic X-Men #27
- Deadpool vol. 3 #1, 61
- Fantastic Four vol. 1 #266-268, 367-370
- Generation X #19
- Incredible Hulk Annual #8
- Incredible Hulk vol. 2 #272-273, 277-279, 313
- Infinity Gauntlet #1-2
- Infinity War #3-6
- Machine Man vol. 1 #18
- Marvel Super-Heroes: Contest of Champions #1-3
- Marvel Team-Up Annual #7
- Marvel Two-In-One #83-84, 96
- Marvel Two-In-One Annual #7
- Moon Knight vol. 3 #41
- New Warriors vol. 1 #27
- New X-Men: Academy X #13
- Nick Fury's Howling Commandos #1-6
- Quasar #38
- Rom #56-58
- Sabretooth vol. 5 #1-4
- Spider-Man #12
- Uncanny X-Men #120-121, 432-434
- Warlock & the Infinity Watch #8
- Wolverine vol. 2 142-143, 171, 179
- Wonder Man vol. 2 #14-15
- X-Men/Alpha Flight vol. 1 #1-2
- X-Men/Alpha Flight vol. 2 #1-2
