Origin
Archer was a member of the Xavier Security Enforcers (or X.S.E.) before he started his own group together with teammates Fixx and Greystone, namely the Xavier’s Underground Enforcers. Archer and teammates Fixx and Greystone all originated from Bishop‘s timeline in the future. Archer felt that the X.S.E. had lost it’s way and was no longer effective in protecting Xavier’s dream of peaceful co-existence. He and his teammates went back to the past (the present day of the Earth-616 timeline), taking on recently deceased bodies as anchor forms, with Archer taking on the body of the dead terrorist Jude Black. The group quickly joined X-Factor. During his time with X-Factor, Archer remained one of the most mysterious members of the group, never even revealing the face behind his mask to most of his teammates. Archer, who had lost his family in his own time, reached out to the estranged family of his host body Jude Black, and forged a connection, giving Archer a second chance at having a family.
Although Archer accepted that there was no way to return to his own time, Greystone became increasingly irrational and insisted on trying to return. This Greystone even became a danger to his former teammates of the X.U.E. and his new teammates of X-factor. Although Archer tried his best to help his friend, it was all for nothing. At one point in time, Greystone thought it was necessary to detonate a time-altering bomb in an airplane, trying to stop certain things from happening, so that the future might be safe. Havok was able to stop the mad Greystone, but the bomb went off anyway. This bomb teleported Havok into the “Mutant X” time-line, but almost certainly killed Greystone. Archer, Fixx and X-Factor believed their teammates to have perished (although Havok returned a few years later and returned tot the X-Men). The X-Factor team quietly disbanded soon afterwards. Archer soon afterwards quit the hero business, and chose instead to embrace Black’s family as his new purpose in his new home. What has become of Archer and his teammate Fixx and if they’re even still in the 616 timeline remains to be seen.
Powers
Archer has the mutant ability to turn his body into electrokinetic energy. It is unknown exactly what effect this has on his physical body, but his need for a containment suit allows us to infer that his powers are difficult to control. His gauntlets allow him to channel his energy into powerful and destructive blasts of energy. Archer also uses a staff that he can charge with electric energy; he uses this as his primary melee weapon.
After being projected into the present of Earth-616, Archer is linked to the body of the brain-dead terrorist Jude Black. He now defaults to Jude’s form, but can transform into his original mutant body at will, though strain seems to force them to revert and it may be difficult for him to sustain the transformation over long periods.
Archer is a trained peacekeeper, and is an experienced combatant.