LIVING LIGHTNING: Page 4 of 4

BIOGRAPHY page 4

When the Superhuman Registration Act was rescinded and the Initiative shut down, most of the new franchise teams collapsed without support. Miguel remained with the Rangers, who remained based out of Texas but also tried to patrol the Southwest as a whole when possible. They were drawn into one altercation between RoXXon Oil and the new Scarlet Spider operating in Houston. RoXXon had tapped into a living energy source called Mammon off the coast of Galveston, which was possessing people as hosts. Scarlet Spider and the Rangers defeated Mammon and contained the entity again, but RoXXon simply dismissed their previous CEO as responsible and added a new face to the company. Living Lightning and the other Rangers offered the Scarlet Spider team membership, but he refused to work with such a milquetoast group of law-abiders. [Scarlet Spider (2nd series) #7-9]

Calling himself just "Lightning," Miguel stayed active in the Southwest as a solo hero. He worked with the FBI undercover in Texas and started a flirtatious relationship with his liaison, "Detective Dan." Miguel helped them to hunt down an auto theft ring, and kept the crooks busy with his poker skills while the FBI moved into place. One of the thieves recognized him as an Avenger, although as one of the "lame" ones, much to Miguel's chagrin.

When the Earth was stolen as a battleground for the Grandmaster and Challenger's game of galaxies, Miguel responded to a call for all active Avengers to rally a defense to this dangerous game. Most of the heroes and villains of Earth were placed in a form of stasis by the Elders to prevent them from interfering, leaving only a small number of Avengers as "obstacles" for the players, the Black Order and Lethal Legion. Lightning came under the command of Falcon, Rogue and Sunspot, the leaders of the three active Avengers teams at that time. [Avengers (1st series) #675]

Out of action with the team for so long, Miguel was concerned about his value to the group. When two crisis points erupted, Lightning joined Rogue's team in Rome while Falcon led a group to the Cusco Mountains of Peru. The Order and Legion were vying for control of prizes called Pyramoids. Lightning's team tried to intervene, but Black Dwarf of the Order touched the Pyramoid first and was seemingly disintegrated while claiming a point for his team. Realizing the other Avengers may try to claim the Pyramoid as they did (and with global communications disrupted by the displaced Earth), Rogue ordered Lightning to warn the second group. Miguel flew at near the speed of light, but he arrived in Peru just moments too late to warn the Human Torch. Johnny Storm was apparently killed before Miguel's eyes, because Lightning had struck too slowly. [Avengers (1st series) #676-678]

The Avengers attempted to rally after this loss, but Miguel took the burden on his shoulders. A second hero named Red Wolf was also claimed by the Pyramoids while trying to secure them. After Lightning returned to Rogue's team, they fought another match against the Black Order but grew no closer to ending the crisis. Lightning abandoned his own slower flying teammates to get back to home base and help. The final Pyramoid materialized at Avengers headquarters, and a sinister version of the Hulk was urged on by the Challenger to seize it. Lightning put on an impressive light show, but all the electricity at Miguel's command wasn't enough to stop the Hulk. After the Hulk finally fell, Miguel lamented his failures to Wonder Man, but Simon encouraged him onwards. Being an Avenger was about what you could bring to the team, he said, not what you couldn't. [Avengers (1st series) #679-687]

The Challenger turned on the Grandmaster when he discovered his opponent cheating, and prepared to destroy the Earth in his rage. Lightning and several Avengers were teleported to Grandmaster's citadel to address the cosmic machine used to move the Earth and hold it in balance. The combined lightning of Thor and Miguel Santos brought the machine back on line, while the strength of Thor, Hercules and Sunspot held it in place to stabilize the planet. Once the machine was charged, Lightning felt superfluous with the away team, until the Avengers noticed the beaten Grandmaster slinking away. Miguel confronted the Elder and tried to get him to help, but the Grandmaster cared nothing about Earth's problems. So Miguel used what the Grandmaster did care about and challenged him to a game: Texas Hold 'Em Poker, no limit.

The cards were dealt and the Flop, the Turn and the River were laid before the two players: a King, two Queens, a Ten and a Two, three of them suited. And so the stakes were named. Miguel bet his freedom against the freedom of Human Torch, discovered in stasis aboard the citadel. The stakes were raised to his freedom and his life, against the lives of both Human Torch and Red Wolf. The Grandmaster accepted and (knowing he held a Full House, Kings over Queens) he raised the stakes to the fate of the Earth. If Miguel won, Grandmaster would return the Earth to its original location, all the inhabitants safe. But if the Grandmaster won, all seven billion inhabitants would be his new trophies.

And so, Miguel Santos raised the stakes further, betting his very reputation against the Grandmaster's. If he lost, Miguel's entire career as a hero would be wiped from the minds of Earth. If he were remembered at all, it would be as a D-List loser who never accomplished anything. To call Miguel, Grandmaster would have to wager his own reputation as a gamesman, an endless lifetime of victories. Faced with the threat of being considered a loser, En Dwi Gast of the Elders of the Universe blinked. He folded, and Lightning won back the Avengers and the Earth from the greatest gamesman in history. [Avengers (1st series) #688-689]

Once the battle was over and Earth was saved, Lightning returned to Texas with Red Wolf. The two of them helped Detective Dan capture some renegade Advanced Idea Mechanics terrorists in battle mech armor. Miguel no longer had doubts about his abilities as an Avenger, having proven himself when it really mattered. [Avengers (1st series) #690]