Aquarius was created by Doug Shuler.

He first appeared in title #x.

Art by Doug Shuler

Stephen Masterson was born in 1402 just outside of London England. His mother was a witch and possessed minor powers of divination and necromancy, though because of her inability to read, she could not decipher the few magical tomes she had accumulated. She taught young Stephen her powers and also told him that his father was the King of England. Although Stephen couldn't tell anyone about his heritage, he considered himself head and shoulders above the other poor waifs. He also sneaked into his mother's room to poke around through her tomes and librams. One day he opened a book titled Elementalus Mastorium. As he opened it, the contents leapt off the pages and poured into his mind, filling it with strange and arcane knowledge. Driven to madness, Stephen fled in terror into the woods. For a week he wandered,contemplating what he had read and attempting to sort out his thoughts.

He eventually returned, only to find that his mother was standing trial for witchcraft. He attacked the townsfolk, in his rage unleashing the elements on the little town, though he didn't act in time to save his mother. In the chaos, a loose arrow caught young Stephen on the face, scarring him. After destroying the village, Stephen sat in the middle of the destruction, vowing to avenge himself on the world. It was at this time that Capricorn arrived to talk to young Stephen. The boy thought him a demon come to take his soul, and proceeded to attack the Satyr as well.

After a short magical war, Capricorn found it necessary to retreat and attack again at a later date, for the boy had such mastery over the weather as to be capable of defeating even him. And return he did, with a full complement of offensive spells to use on the confused boy. Capricorn defeated Stephen by attacking out of surprise, binding the boy and taking him to Taurus. Capricorn and Taurus kept him for several months, interrogating the boy to learn his motives. Eventually, they found that he hated all of mankind for what they had done to his mother and his face; his hate fuelling his power, his power fuelling his hate!

After several divinations were cast upon Stephen by Capricorn, it was found that the boy grew in power and control when near the element of gold. To test this, Capricorn planted a coin on the boy, and then purposely offended him. Stephen, angered at the foul remarks, caused a wind to whip up and break the bonds around him. He was free, but before he attacked, Capricorn was able to tell him about the gold and work a deal with him; Capricorn would get him more gold if he wouldn't attack. He agreed, with their friendship eventually outgrowing the simple bribe.

Practicing, Stephen eventually learned to control the abilities that had been impressed upon his brain, although he had no understanding of how he did it. Within 5 years, he had learned to control the weather with flawless perfection, calming violent storms and bringing rain to drought-plagued lands. The fire for more power, more magic grew greater and greater, causing him to pursue forbidden magics. Thus, he became the Aquarius in 1437, joining the Zodiac as their third member.

Eventually, he learned that he could learn no other magic, at least until he had gained more experience in his current art. As a result, he has vowed to become the master of the Earth's rains and snows, to become the very source of the world's weather. He therefore asked Capricorn for a longevity spell, the first of many used by the group.

Because of his background, Stephen tends to carry himself as a noble, strutting about and acting arrogant. Tall and proud, he still feels resentment for the death of his mother and is sensitive on the subject of witches and their trials. He feels he should never have to explain himself, or speak loudly for that matter, as everyone should listen to him the first time. He is easily insulted, but does not fly off the handle; instead he becomes bitingly sarcastic and cold.

Aquarius is currently one of the most powerful of the Zodiac members, and he likes it that way. He also respects the power and control exhibited by Libra and is currently involved in a relationship with her, though he wishes she would treat him better. Together, they enjoy leaving the group unannounced for several days at a time and roughing up lesser heroes. Aquarius has no proper Secret Identity, being rather pleased that the entire world will soon know just who he is. Having no reason to live amongst the peoples of Earth, he delights in the practice of his abilities and living a life of private luxury in any of his several mansions about the world. He tends to cause weather extremes for the sheer pleasure of it, not caring what his tornadoes, hurricanes, or droughts do to the local population.

Aquarius has the ability to control the weather on a large scale, approximately I 00 square miles! Although he has little direct control over this effect, his presence in a town is often heralded by fog or rain. If he is angered, the storm becomes more violent, with lightning and thunder appearing. As he calms, the storm might clear, although rain is definitely his favorite weather. This ability can be controlled by him consciously every so often, usually when he hasn't foughtfor a long time, enabling him to change the temperature as well. If he really felt like it, he could create snow in the summer or at the equator, and heat-waves in the winter!

Physically, Aquarius is quite a handsome man and keeps himself well groomed. He keeps up with modern styles and fashions despite his actual age, though he tends to have a 15th century look about him. His accent is one belonging to an English professor and is quite eloquent. His costume fades from white near the neck and chest to a stormy blue at the feet and hands. It is trimmed with lightning yellow. His faceplate is made of pure gold, his hair a dark brown.

Aquarius has appeared in: