Origin
Michael Pointer was an Alaskan postal worker who’s latent mutant power to absorb energies drew the “collective” (displaced energies that the maddened Scarlet Witch had stripped from Earth’s mutants) to him. Unable to control the massive influx of mutant powers, Pointer went on a rampage from Alaska to Canada where he was confronted by Alpha Flight. Murdering the Canadian team, Pointer was then drawn to Genosha where he now faced the Avengers. The Collective was removed from Pointer and trapped within a container by Iron Man who then had it flung into the sun by Sentry.
Creation
Michael Pointer was created by Brian Michael Bendis and Steve McNiven and first appeared in The New Avengers #16.
Character Evolution
Following Civil War, Pointer returned when he was convinced to join The Initiative and serve with the new Alpha Flight team. With a new costume created by Mr. Fantastic to help regulate the energies he absorbed, Pointer adopted the identity of Guardian – one of the members of Alpha Flight he had killed.
Major Story Arcs
Utopia
Norman Osborn chose Pointer for his team of X-Men, recognizing Pointer’s powers as having incredible potential and seeing his guilt over the deaths of Alpha Flight as an easy way to manipulate him. Wearing a modified costume, and now calling himself Omega, Pointer met Calvin Rankin (aka Mimic) while working for Osborn. At the coercion of Osborn and Dark Beast, who routinely had Pointer absorb large doses of energy from “the Omega Machine”, Pointer became addicted to absorbing energies and became increasingly erratic. Sometime before Siege, Pointer and Mimic realized they were not happy working for Osborn or his regime and together they fled from the team.
Legacy
Months later, Mimic returned to the real X-Men with Pointer in tow, the two having developed a close friendship. Pointer’s addiction to absorbing energies had taken it’s toll and he had absorbed so much that he was close to critical mass. With the hopes that the X-Men could help him and his addiction, Rogue and Mimic attempted to absorb Pointer’s excess energy which was too much for them and threatened all three of them. Pointer realized the only way to no longer be a threat to everyone around him was if his brain was shut down and he was unable to absorb energy. As Pointer’s best (and only) friend, Mimic was tasked with using Rachel Grey‘s psychic powers to place Pointer into a coma while Beast and the X-Men promised to try and cure Pointer’s problem.
Powers and Abilities
Pointer absorbs the energies of other mutants and superhumans. He stores these energies indefinitely, although he constantly needs more energy to keep himself alive. Powers he has absorbed include, but are not limited to, the power of flight, energy projection, super strength, telepathy and many more. His original suit regulated the amount of energy he absorbed and released.