L.R. Collins (Earth-616)

Skip Collins
Name	L.R. Collins
Current Alias	Skip Collins
Aliases	L.R. "Skip" Collins
Affiliation and Relationships
Affiliation	Formerly US Army
Relatives	Louisa Collins (wife); Leroy Collins, Jr. (son)
Marital Status	Married
Physical Characteristics
Gender	Male
Height	5′1″ (1.55 m)
Weight	210 lbs (95.25 kg)
Eyes	Irises: Blue
Hair	Grey-haired, Balding
Origin and Living Status
Origin	Human mutate
Living Status	Alive
Reality	Earth-616
Personal Information
Identity	Secret
Citizenship	American
Occupation	Traffic controller
Base of Operations	Unspecified small American town
Creators and Appearances
Creators	John Byrne
First	Fantastic Four #234 (June, 1981)
First	Fantastic Four #234 (June, 1981)

History

L.R. "Skip" Collins enlisted in the United States Army in the year 1955. He was part of a unit that was sent to the deserts of Nevada, where they were to be used as guinea pigs to test the effects of radiation from a bomb explosion on the human body. Although exposed to the radiations of a powerful explosions, military doctors found nothing out of the ordinary about Skip following the test. However, Skip did develop a strange buzzing sensation in his head, but opted not to mention it and went about his life. Unknown to Collins, the radiations endowed him with the extraordinary ability to affect reality, which he subconsciously used to slightly alter the world around him. By the modern age, Skip had married his wife Louisa and they had a son, nicknamed Junior. Collins also left the military and settled into a mundane job as a traffic controller with the Acme Aglet company. Skip's lived a clockwork life of suburban drudgery but was more or less happy with his mundane life even though his wife was lazy and his son an arrogant party animal. Skip continued to live out his life, unaware that he was still subconsciously tapping his powers to right anything that was slightly off in his life, such as tidying the house or altering time to get to work on time.

Collins' world soon brushed with the openly fantastic when he was sent on a business trip to New York City. During that trip, Collins took some time to go sightseeing. While visiting the Baxter Building he witnessed two of its most famous residents emerging from the building, the Fantastic Four's Mister Fantastic and Invisible Girl. He followed after the couple and when they came to the aid of some firemen trying to rescue people from a burning building, Skip's powers subconsciously assisted the heroes rescue attempt.

Soon the planet Earth was rocked by the impending arrival of Ego the Living Planet, causing catastrophic damage to New York City. Witnessing the Thing attempting to keep the heavily damaged bridge to save a freighter trapped beneath it. Wishing he could help, Collins' powers manifested, bringing him closer to the bridge, and making the damaged portions light enough for the Thing to lift. The Thing succeeded in saving the freighter, but Collins was apparently crushed by a slab of concrete. However Skip survived, thanks to the powers he was now finally becoming aware of. When he later witnessed the Fantastic Four blasting off into space to face Ego, Collins realized the Earth might be doomed. Wishing the damage could be undone, Skip unleashed the full potential of his abilities, repairing all the destruction caused by Ego's pending arrival. No longer remembering his powers, Skip then wandered off to see a Broadway show, blissfully unaware of his powers once again. The Fantastic Four were later able to repel Ego's approach to Earth.

The subsequent fate of Skip Collins is unknown.

Attributes

Powers

Reality Warping: Skip Collins has the ability to alter reality, this includes moving and reshaping matter, increasing or decreasing the mass of objects, as well as travel forward and backward in time and space. His powers operate on at least a global scale as he was able to reverse the planet wide damage caused by the approach of Ego the living planet. Skip's powers also render him impervious to harm. For the most part, Skip remains unaware of his powers, using them subconsciously.

Notes

Collins was likely involved in the 1957 US military tests conducted at the Nevada Test and Training Range where US soldiers were exposed to nuclear explosions in order to test their effects on the human body. With most characters active in the modern age, a fact like this would be considered a topical reference per the Sliding Timescale of Earth-616. However, given Skip's subconscious control over time and space, and the fact that his powers subconsciously protect him from mortal danger, it is highly possible that his powers have made it possible for him to have been in the military in the 1950s and still maintain some semblance of vitality to still appear to be a middle aged man in the modern era.

See Also

• 1 appearance(s) of L.R. Collins (Earth-616)
• 1 appearance(s) in handbook(s) of L.R. Collins (Earth-616)
• 2 image(s) of L.R. Collins (Earth-616)

Links and References

• Skip Collins on Marvel Appendix