Astrophysicist Val Ventura is a founding member and deputy leader of the Milwaukee-based would-be super-team the Great Lakes Avengers. The most level-headed member of the team, Ventura has often been mistaken for world-renowned scientist Reed Richards of the Fantastic Four. Though he is an accomplished scientist in his own right, Ventura is rarely taken seriously by his peers, which has led to him being eager to cooperate with authorities, such as when he and his teammates assisted S.H.I.E.L.D. in an attempt to apprehend the then-fugitive Thunderbolts in the Colorado Rockies. Recently, the GLA realized they were all mutants and changed their name to the Great Lakes X-Men to avoid a lawsuit. Ventura also recently came to terms with his sexuality, and admitted to his teammates that he is gay.