The character first appeared in Captain America #169 (1974) and was created by writers Steve Englehart and Mike Friedrich and artist Sal Buscema.

The Empire had previously damaged Captain America's reputation by accusing him of vigilantism and framing him for the death of small-time criminal the Tumbler.

[5][6] Bloch possesses superhuman physical abilities derived from a lunar stone that is imbued with unknown energy.

After losing the stone, he regains his powers via a mutagenic process created by Dr. Kenneth Sturdy and gains the additional ability to generate intense heat beams from his eyes.

The alternate Bloch became obsessed with Moonstone and began experiencing psychotic episodes and was exposed as a serial killer.