Origin
A long time ago, so long that One doesn’t quite remember, One was defeated in battle by Tokiko Minoru, an ancestor of Nico Minoru. He was given the option to die by her sword or live as her sword. He chose the latter and was transformed into the Staff of One. There were terms however. For one, the user of the staff would be required to bloodlet to pay for One’s magic, and each time Mars aligns with Earth and the Sun, One is allowed a few hours of freedom to plead his case and earn his freedom. It has never been granted.
Creation
One debuts in The Runaways (2017) #15 by Rainbow Rowell and Kris Anka, however, the Staff of One, which he essentially is, debuted in Runaways (2003) #4 and has been with Nico in every appearance prior to his debut issue.
Major Story Arcs
Nico’s New Terms
When Mars finally aligns with Earth and the Sun during Nico’s tenure with the staff, One presents himself to Nico. Because Nico stole the staff while running away from her criminal parents, she was never taught the terms and history of her ancestor’s enslavement of One, so One gives her the history lesson. Believing her ancestor to be a villain like her own parents, Nico explicitly considers releasing One so that she could be done with the staff and its blood sacrifices. However, in the excitement at the potential of freedom, One celebrates early and reveals his true intention of amassing an army to take over the world to Nico, not knowing that Nico is more noble than her family lineage.
Nico rescinds her promise to free him and instead promises to never use the staff again. This was One’s worst case scenario, because her actions with the staff was One’s only exposure to something that wasn’t nothingness. So, One offers new terms. Instead of bloodletting, she would allow a drop of One to bleed into her body so that he can experience less and less nothingness. He estimates she wouldn’t notice for at least 100 spells. Nico reluctantly agrees so that she can continue being a hero.
Under the new terms, Nico found a new sense of confidence as a hero, however, when he finally revealed the deal to her girlfriend, Karolina, Karolina worried for her soul. This caused a lot of tension, but when Karolina was forced to return to her parents’ home planet to fix her powers, Nico sent the staff with her to get it as far away from her as possible.
Space
As Karolina’s powers were stabilized, she set a course back to Earth. However, Nico said not to return with the Staff of One. Karolina entrusted it to Xavin, her ex who had escorted her on her trip home, stranding One in space with it.
Powers & Abilities
Sorcerer: One is a powerful magic user. He is normally trapped within the Staff of One and is its personal source for magic.
- Wish Granting: The Staff of One is essentially wish granting, with One taking a negotiated sacrifice of some kind from the user.
- Magic: Outside of the Staff, he is seemingly capable of teleportation and levitation without the need to pay for it.