The Explorer

Emerging from the cosmic reaches of Marvel's early '90s, The Explorer made their debut in Quasar #47 in 1993 — a creation of the legendary Mark Gruenwald and Andy Smith, right at the heart of that era's grand space-opera ambitions. With appearances stretching across an impressive 23 years into 2016, this is a character whose presence in the Marvel cosmos has proven quietly enduring. The Explorer keeps rarefied company indeed, sharing pages with figures like The Possessor, The Obliterator, and The Judicator — names that signal the vast, strange corners of Marvel's universe where cosmic stakes run highest. Rare in the catalog and rooted in Quasar and Contest of Champions, The Explorer is exactly the kind of discovery that rewards the dedicated reader willing to venture beyond the familiar.