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"A prospectus outlining new budgetary allocations will arrive shortly. In keeping with the agency's mandate, the majority of funding, equipment and manpower will be dedicated to analysis of the Tesseract, coded as Project P.E.G.A.S.U.S."
World Security Council to Nick Fury[src]

Project Potential Energy Group - Alternate Sources - United States, abbreviated as Project P.E.G.A.S.U.S., or simply Pegasus, was the name of the joint project between S.H.I.E.L.D., NASA, and the United States Air Force to study the Tesseract and harness its power.

In the 1980s, project leader Wendy Lawson, who was in reality a Kree named Mar-Vell, used the Tesseract's energy to create the Light-Speed Engine in an attempt to end the Kree-Skrull War. Following Mar-Vell's death in 1989, the project was terminated.

In the aftermath of the Battle of Puente Antiguo, the World Security Council and S.H.I.E.L.D. reactivated P.E.G.A.S.U.S. to continue their attempts in harnessing the power of the Tesseract, until the actions perpetrated by Loki rendered the project defunct.

History[]

Foundation[]

"Howard Stark fished that out of the ocean when he was looking for you. He thought what we think, the Tesseract could be the key to unlimited sustainable energy. That's something the world sorely needs."
Nick Fury to Steve Rogers[src]

In 1945, following the Battle in the Valkyrie, Howard Stark attempted to locate his friend Captain America. While searching in the ocean, Stark discovered the Tesseract.[1] In the following years, Stark studied the Tesseract and co-founded S.H.I.E.L.D. Believing that the energy within the Tesseract would be beneficial to mankind, Stark created the Arc Reactor, although he was unable to perfect it. As a result, Stark was instrumental in the creation of Project P.E.G.A.S.U.S., a joint venture between S.H.I.E.L.D., NASA and the United States Air Force tasked with studying and harnessing the Tesseract's energy[2][3] and to whom he relinquished custody of the Tesseract.[4]

Light-Speed Engine[]

"What do Skrulls want with Dr. Lawson?"
"They believe she developed a Light-Speed Engine at P.E.G.A.S.U.S."
Nick Fury and Vers[src]

In the 1980s, a Kree named Mar-Vell, disguised as a human scientist Dr. Wendy Lawson, joined Project P.E.G.A.S.U.S. Her intention was to harness the Tesseract's energy to create a Light-Speed Engine and send the surviving Skrulls to a new home planet far from the reach of the Kree Empire. Carol Danvers and Maria Rambeau both served as test pilots for the project, as the Air Force did not allow women to fly combat missions. Goose, Mar-Vell's pet Flerken, was a regular fixture around the project. After successfully creating the engine, Mar-Vell took the Tesseract and hid it in her laboratory in orbit.

When Mar-Vell decided to test the finished engine, Danvers volunteered to fly the prototype craft. During the flight, they were attacked by Starforce, who had discovered Mar-Vell's plans to assist the Skrulls. After a dogfight with Kree forces, Mar-Vell and Danvers crashed. When Danvers noticed Mar-Vell's blue blood, she confessed that she was Kree and asked Danvers to destroy the power source. Yon-Rogg shot Mar-Vell and demanded that Danvers hand over the source. Instead, she destroyed the power core and absorbed its energy, rendering her unconscious. Yon-Rogg, accompanied by Minn-Erva, decided to take Danvers back to Hala and erase her memories.

The United States Air Force covered up the entire incident, informing Maria Rambeau that the test craft's Black Box had been destroyed, while Project P.E.G.A.S.U.S. was decommissioned, with the Tesseract now being lost.

Captain Marvel (film) 80

Nick Fury and Carol Danvers visit the Joint Dark Energy Mission Facility

Six years later, after being captured by the Skrulls and having her memories probed by Talos, Danvers was able to recall Dr. Lawson and Project P.E.G.A.S.U.S. Escaping from the Skrulls, she arrived on Earth and set out to solve the mystery of who Lawson was. Nick Fury accompanied her to the Joint Dark Energy Mission Facility , where they asked to meet Lawson. Although asked to wait, Fury and Danvers decided to investigate on their own, breaking into Project P.E.G.A.S.U.S's archives. They discovered Lawson's file and learned about the crash and Mar-Vell's plans for the Light-Speed Engine. Following a Battle at Mar-Vell's Laboratory, the Tesseract was returned to S.H.I.E.L.D.'s custody on Earth.[4]

Howard Stark's Legacy[]

ProjectPegasusCrate

Tony Stark accesses his father's P.E.G.A.S.U.S. research

"Tap the Oracle grid. I need some things out of storage. Give me everything from Projects P.E.G.A.S.U.S., E.X.O.D.U.S. and G.O.L.I.A.T.H."
Tony Stark to J.A.R.V.I.S.[src]

While dying due to palladium poisoning from his early arc reactor design, Tony Stark was informed by Nick Fury that his father Howard Stark's work would be instrumental in finding a solution, with Fury presenting Stark with a box of the elder Stark's possessions. As Stark rifled through his father's belongings, he found his father's research on the Tesseract and asked J.A.R.V.I.S. to give him the details of Project P.E.G.A.S.U.S.[2]

Reactivation[]

"What is it?"
"Power, Doctor. If we can figure out how to tap it, maybe unlimited power."
Erik Selvig and Nick Fury[src]

Following the Destroyer's attack in New Mexico, Project P.E.G.A.S.U.S. was restarted on the orders of the World Security Council[5] prior to 2012. Due to the highly sensitive nature of the research conducted there, S.H.I.E.L.D. also provided its security force, including one of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s best operatives, Clint Barton. The project's scientists studied the Tesseract, knowing that it was an incredible source of energy, but they had found no way to tap it. S.H.I.E.L.D. enlisted Erik Selvig to investigate the cube and he expressed interest in its nature, however, S.H.I.E.L.D. was unaware that Selvig was being influenced by Loki.[6]

Termination[]

Avengers 41

Loki makes his arrival to Earth

"S.H.I.E.L.D. covered up New Mexico, Project P.E.G.A.S.U.S."
Skye[src]

Eventually, Erik Selvig came to a rudimentary understanding of the Tesseract's capabilities; although he was taken quite by surprise when it began to exhibit a curious energy build-up. The Joint Dark Energy Mission Facility was hastily evacuated, but not before Loki himself appeared, apparently having triggered the Tesseract remotely with his Scepter to open a wormhole for him to reach Earth. In the confusion, Loki made his escape, but the unrestrained energies released from his transit finally erupted to consume the entirety of the Project P.E.G.A.S.U.S. facility, leaving a vast crater in its wake, with the final death toll measured in the dozens.

Project P.E.G.A.S.U.S. was effectively ended when Thor took the Tesseract back to Asgard.[3] S.H.I.E.L.D. covered up any traces of the project.[7]

Alternate Universes[]

Stolen Iso-8[]

In an alternate universe, R.A.I.D. attacked Project P.E.G.A.S.U.S., stealing three nuclear warheads powered by Iso-8, each powerful enough to destroy an entire city.[8]

Captain Carter's Arrival[]

In an alternate universe, Captain Carter arrived in the Joint Dark Energy Mission Facility in 2011 using the Tesseract. She was greeted by Hawkeye and Nick Fury.[9]

1980s Avengers[]

"Dr. Wendy Lawson, U.S. Air Force. She's spearheading our joint research into the Tesseract."
Peggy Carter to the Avengers[src]

To be added

This section requires expansion

Appearances[]

This section requires expansion

Trivia[]

  • In the comics, P.E.G.A.S.U.S. stands for Potential Energy Group/Alternate Sources/United States.

References[]

External Links[]

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