BIOGRAPHY - Page 3
Jack of Hearts roamed space for some time until he was captured by the enigmatic being known as the Stranger and brought to his Laboratory World for study. Either through the Stranger’s intervention or other means, Jack’s power was reduced back down to more manageable levels. Still, he was held as a test subject by the Stranger until the entity’s enemy Overmind freed the Laboratory World’s cells. [Quasar #15]
Jack didn’t know how he was freed, only that he wanted to go home. A number of other lab subjects had been super-beings from Earth, too, and Jack teamed up with them to form a convoy of space freighters back to Earth. In particular, he befriended the powerful Presence and Starlight, who helped telepathically guide Jack of Hearts as the “engine” providing thrust for their ragtag fleet’s flight back home. However, they were stopped in the outer atmosphere by Quasar, Protector of the Universe, who had been warned by his mentor Eon to expect a cosmic assassin from space. Jack of Hearts was tired and belligerent with Quasar, starting a fight when the Avenger wouldn’t let the convoy land. Quasar’s energy-absorbing Quantum Bands nearly killed Jack, as his Zero Power was functionally his lifeforce these days. However, when Quasar pulled them both into a quantum bubble to check on Jack, he lashed out and knocked Quasar unconscious. [Quasar #19]
Despite their brawl, Jack of Hearts only wanted Quasar out of his way, so he was surprised when the Presence actually tried to kill Quasar. The Presence had been contacted by the real cosmic assassin and convinced Quasar and Eon were a threat to all existence. Jack of Hearts refused to kill in cold blood, so Starlight restrained him while the Presence turned his power on Quasar. Jack broke free, but the Presence and Starlight together blasted him with their nuclear power, tearing open his containment armor. The breach released a massive burst of Zero Energy, propelling the severely injured Jack of Hearts away from Earth. [Quasar #20]
Quasar survived the attack of the Presence and the cosmic assassin, Maelstrom. He was aided by the Titan priestess Moondragon, who believed herself to be his perfect mate. When Quasar 
rejected her advances, Moondragon changed tactics. She sought out Jack of Hearts, still drifting through space, and placed him in stasis to keep his Zero Power in check. Moondragon’s Titan science repaired Jack’s armor, and her telepathic powers compelled Jack of Hearts to see her as his mistress. Through rather transparent reverse psychology, Moondragon had Jack of Hearts confront Quasar and tell him to stay away from Moondragon. She and Jack also confronted Her, the artificially-engineered cosmic woman who also sought her perfect mate. When Her placed a genetic cocoon on Quasar, Moondragon was furious and had Jack attack. Quasar navigated through the situation and got Her to remove his cocoon and Moondragon to release her hold on Jack of Hearts. [Quasar #27-29]
Jack of Hearts went back into seclusion at Hart Mansion afterwards, trying to rebuild his life on Earth. Unfortunately, he would not have an easy time. His body began undergoing another round of changes, decaying apparently as a consequence of the Presence’s attack. (A future diagnosis also revealed Jack’s Zero physiology had an adverse reaction to living inside a planetary atmosphere again, and perhaps Earth’s atmosphere in particular.) This time around, Jack was no longer suicidal, but he also couldn’t remain on Earth and ultimately returned to the stars so his imminent death and power release didn’t threaten his world. [Silver Surfer (3rd series) #70, 72, 74]
Jack sought out the Silver Surfer, believing the former Herald of Galactus had the experience to help him find a solution. The Surfer brought Jack to Annoval 14, a penal colony nicknamed “the Anvil.” A brilliant but criminal armorer named Torval was housed there, and Silver Surfer negotiated for time with Torval from the warden. Torval refused at first, causing Jack to panic and threaten the diminutive armorer’s life. The Silver Surfer stepped in and forced Jack to apologize before promising Torval a better deal with the warden. Torval upgraded Jack of Hearts’ armor, 
helping to contain and route Jack's energies in such a way that it restored him to health. The space pirates Nebula and Geater attacked the Anvil while Jack was getting ready, and so Jack and the Surfer foiled the jailbreak. Jack of Hearts stayed behind to ensure Torval got his reward, then planned to continue his wanderings in space. [Silver Surfer (3rd series) #76-78]
It wasn’t long before Jack of Hearts crossed paths with the Silver Surfer again. A conqueror from the dawn of time named Tyrant had returned from exile, seeking powerful beings off of whose energies he could feed. Jack was the last to be captured and brought to Tyrant’s mobile space fortress, alongside the Surfer, former Heralds of Galactus Terrax and Morg, Beta Ray Bill, Gladiator and Ganymede, a warrior woman from the Spinsterhood, ancient foes of Tyrant. Jack was humbled by Tyrant but, before he could be placed in the energy matrix, Jack unleashed his 
Zero Power and freed the other prisoners. Ganymede saw Jack as a noble warrior for his sacrifice play and did her best to tend to his safety in the battle that followed with Tyrant’s troopers. A truce came when Galactus arrived and forced Tyrant to withdraw. Ganymede promised the Silver Surfer she would oversee Jack’s recovery as the erstwhile allies all departed. [Silver Surfer (3rd series) #82]
Jack of Hearts was quickly smitten with the beautiful warrior nun tending to his wounds. Ganymede’s feelings were more complicated. The Spinsterhood made a vow to forsake all others until Tyrant was defeated and spent centuries in cryo-stasis awaiting his return. When she awoke, however, Ganymede’s computers told her the rest of the Spinsterhood failed to awaken, making her the last. With Tyrant once again in retreat thanks to Galactus, Ganymede questioned whether her vows still had any meaning, especially in the face of her own growing attraction to Jack. Jack 
and Ganymede were giving in to their feelings when a Tyrant trooper found them at a Spinsterhood meditation retreat. The robot was defeated, but it reminded Ganymede her vows could not be put aside until Tyrant was permanently defeated. Jack of Hearts remained committed to helping Ganymede, even if she kept him at arms’ length for the foreseeable future. [Silver Surfer (3rd series) Annual #6]
Jack and Ganymede journeyed together to a shrine of the Spinsterhood, hidden in the core of a Jovian moon. Ganymede believed it was the most likely place any surviving sisters may have gathered. The Spinsters’ holy ground was devastated, though, its cryonic chambers filled with corpses. Jack tried to comfort Ganymede as Terrax and Thanos of Titan arrived. Thanos was interested in testing his might against Tyrant and intended to force information from Ganymede in his quest. Jack of Hearts was woefully outmatched against Thanos, as the duo quickly defeated 
him and took Ganymede away. Jack sought reinforcements at the nearby Eternal colony of Titan and was joined by Legacy in pursuing Thanos and Terrax. When they caught up at Tyrant’s fortress, Jack struggled to understand Ganymede’s decision to work willingly with the Mad Titan, if it meant Tyrant’s destruction. Her obsession nearly got them both killed before the attackers were forced to flee Tyrant’s fortress a second time. [Cosmic Powers #3-6]
Jack’s standing with Ganymede diminished further after the arrival of Persephone, another surviving member of the Spinsterhood. Ganymede’s former class rival guilted her into fully embracing her vows again, at any cost. They agreed to a risky plot by Persephone’s new ally, the alien Jakar, to strike at Tyrant’s worldship. Jack of Hearts was compelled into going along with the infiltration as a living distraction for Tyrant’s security. Jakar betrayed the Spinsters and teleported them from his presence once they acquired the globe of knowledge he wanted from Tyrant’s storages. Persephone convinced Ganymede to join her in pursuing Tyrant again, and she chose her vows over any further dalliance with Jack. Jack of Hearts tried to force information out of Jakar with the aid of the Silver Surfer, but he lost the Spinsters’ trail completely. [Cosmic Powers Unlimited #3]
Unable to reconnect with Ganymede, Jack of Hearts wandered space aimlessly. In time, he discovered a Rigellian colony under attack by the Servitors of the Infinites. Jack fought against the bio-mechanoids but, when he punched through the armor of a Servitor, his computer mind interfaced with its programming and absorbed more data than he could handle. His armor was breached by the Servitors’ counterattack, which only ended up releasing enough Zero Energy to wipe out the entire invasion force in his vicinity.
A contingent of Avengers (including Jack’s old contacts Quasar and Moondragon) came to investigate the Rigellian devastation and found Jack. Moondragon’s familiarity with Jack’s armor allowed her to reconstruct it, recreating his containment suit in a design closer to his original. As Jack recovered, the Avengers witnessed the Servitors break down the entire Rigellian colony world into raw materials for their master, a planet-sized being that emerged from a spatial rift to claim the planet’s mass. When Moondragon linked Jack’s downloaded data with Photon’s energy 
form for reconnaissance, however, the Avengers learned the shocking truth: the planet-sized being who emerged was the true Servitor, avatar of the even larger Infinites. More than a dozen Servitors had claimed more than a dozen worlds, forging them together into a massive ring which would allow the imponderable Infinites to reach through space and drag away an entire galaxy. The countless lives that would be lost were literally beneath the Infinites' notice.
Jack of Hearts stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the Avengers as they opposed the Infinites’ efforts. Through Moondragon and Quasar’s Quantum Bands, they united their minds and projected 
through Eternity itself to halt the Infinites before they upended a galaxy. Their entreaties moved the Infinites to cease, and the capacity for life was restored to the worlds that were lost. [Avengers Infinity #1-4] Jack of Hearts traveled with these Avengers after that to hitch a ride back to Earth. They discovered Earth’s solar system had been cut off from the rest of the universe by the Galactic Council, as punishment for Terrans’ constant interference with other species. Jack and the Avengers uncovered the Kree plot to restart their empire at the heart of the matter, helping to end the occupation of Earth. [Maximum Security crossover]
Jack spent the next few days at Avengers Mansion re-acclimating himself to life on Earth and coming to love Jarvis’s cooking. He supported the Avengers in rounding up the remaining alien prisoners roaming the planet and was also present to aid the Avengers against their opponents, Pagan and Lord Templar. In fact, Jack of Hearts became hero of the hour when a Zero Power punch felled Pagan when all other efforts had failed. [Avengers (3rd series) #36-37] The Avengers chose to 
dramatically expand their efforts in light of recent concerns, building a larger standing roster and a network of active informants and field operations personnel. Jack of Hearts joined the field operations as an official associate of the team while his lawyers got his affairs as Jack Hart back in order after his long absence. He performed surveillance and reconnaissance for the team at first in the depths of the Savage Land. [Avengers (3rd series) #38] The rise of Kang and his looming invasion of 21st century Earth put the Avengers’ resources to their test, however. Jack of Hearts was soon called up to the active roster, receiving official membership in Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. Symbolically, Jack even replaced his old mentor Iron Man on the roster, who had to step away because of personal issues. [Avengers (3rd series) #43]
The Avengers faced outright war as Kang’s machinations stirred uprisings among the Deviants, Atlanteans and others. Still, even heroes needed down time. Jack’s neutro-mists had been re-engineered by Hank Pym and Tony Stark upon his return to Earth. A neutro-mist chamber in his 
mansion quarters could regulate his power output, giving him mathematically calculated time outside his armor based on the amount of mist exposure. As an added bonus, the mists also hid his Contraxian skin discoloration, making him appear like a normal human for a few hours at a time. Jack of Hearts struck up a friendship with Triathlon, another newer recruit to the Avengers, as Delroy showed Jack around New York to reacquaint him with the city. [Avengers (3rd series) #44-45]
The time came when the nations of the world could no longer accept Kang’s forces nipping at their borders. They intended to launch a flight of Sentinels to attack Kang’s orbital Damocles base, and the Avengers had a 96-hour window to defeat Kang themselves before this ill-advised strike. Jack of Hearts joined Captain America and several Avengers as a strike team aboard a space-bound Quinjet to take the fight to Kang. [Avengers (3rd series) #46] They failed. Kang not only held off their attack, he even assumed control of the Sentinels when they arrived, re-programming the robots for a devastating attack on Earth. Jack and the other Avengers were left adrift in space, their Quinjet destroyed. [Avengers (3rd series) #48-49]
Quasar and Living Lightning arrived from the deep space monitor squad to rescue Jack of Hearts and the other Avengers. They joined with several others allied with the Triune Understanding to face the threat of the Triple Evil, another invader from space who arrived in a black pyramid and drew the Avengers inside. The Avengers were pacified and drained of their energies in psychic scenarios drawn from their greatest desires. Jack’s scenario was a telling one – not only were his unstable powers brought completely under control, genetic scans also “revealed” he was completely human, allowing the dream Jack to deny his Contraxian heritage. [Avengers (3rd 
series) #50] The Triple Evil was defeated, and Triathlon even managed to take control of its power, bringing it back to Earth for the final fight against Kang. Jack of Hearts was present for the second, and far more successful, strike against Damocles Base. He personally occupied the Scarlet Centurion while Warbird absorbed and dispersed the base’s power core, forcing it to crash and bringing Kang’s invasion to an end. [Avengers (3rd series) #52-56]