Nothing is known about the Vanisher's past before he embarked on a one-man crime wave of spectacular thefts using his power of self-teleportation. Thanks to his remarkable successes, the Vanisher quickly assembled a criminal organization under his leadership. In his greatest coup the Vanisher stole top-secret American defense plans and demanded ten million dollars for their return. Confident that no one could capture him, the Vanisher showed up on the White House lawn accompanied by his men to claim the ransom money. Professor Charles Xavier was present and used his psychic powers to give the Vanisher amnesia. Unaware of his own powers, the Vanisher was easily captured and the defense plans were safely returned to the government.

Eventually, the Vanisher's memory returned and he escaped from prison. He then joined Factor Three, an organization of superhuman mutants intent on world domination. However, the X-Men thwarted Factor Three's efforts to bring about a nuclear holocaust . When Factor Three's leader, the Mutant Master, was exposed as an extraterrestrial, the Vanisher and other members of Factor Three teamed up with the X-Men in defeating him.

Later, seemingly tiring of high profile crimes, the Vanisher organized a small band of adolescent thieves, a number of whom had superhuman powers, called the Fallen Angels. Apparently the Fallen Angels eventually disbanded.

More recently, the Vanisher fell under the mental domination of the Darkling, a superhuman who controlled forces from the Darkforce Dimension, the realm through which the Vanisher apparently travels when he teleports. With the Darkling's defeat the Vanisher regained his free will. He soon joined the Outer Circle of the second criminal team to be known as the Enforcers. The Outer Circle met defeat at the hands of Spider-Man and apparently disbanded. The Vanisher's current whereabouts and activities are unknown.