I was reading a marine biology paper by a guy named Dr Walt Newell and when I looked him up for more work it turns out he's like, a superhero in Hawaii or something? And he helped headquarter the Avengers one time. Is this man as cool as he sounds?
We stan Dr. Newell around these parts.
(Avengers file photo of Dr. Walter Newell in his Stingray armor.)
Stingray is a peculiarity among superheroes in that he's strictly a part-time crimefighter. Dr. Walter Newell is one of the world's foremost oceanographers, and invented the Stingray armor to aid in undersea exploration.
The armor is equipped with technology that increases Dr. Newell's strength, speed, and durability for optimal operation underneath the ocean's pressures, as well as the ability to discharge high-voltage electricity for self-defense, and a pair of large glider wings suitable for riding ocean currents.
Initially, Stingray was content to use the suit purely for scientific purposes, but he soon became an ally of Namor, the Sub-Mariner, and met his later-wife Diane through superheroics.
But by and large, Dr. Newell has been consistent about his scientific career coming first, even though he's been a reserve Avenger from time to time. His most lasting contribution to the team's history, though, may well be Hydrobase.
(Map of Hydrobase, also known as Avengers Island, before its sinking)
Hydrobase was Dr. Newell's oceanographic research laboratory, constructed on an artificial island near Manhattan. When the Avengers' flight privileges were revoked by the FAA, Dr. Newell offered Hydrobase as an airfield for the team. Later, the Avengers' headquarters were relocated there in their entirety after the destruction of Avengers Mansion by Baron Zemo and his Masters of Evil. They remained there until its sinking by robots dispatched by Latverian dictator Doctor Doom.
Since then, Dr. Newell has continued his scientific work - first from a station near the Bahamas, and later as part of the Fifty-State Initiative's Hawaiian team, the Point Men.
All that to say: yes, he is extremely cool, and proof that not everyone with powers has to be a full-time superhero - but it's admirable when they can step up to the plate and help when needed.
