The New Warriors Part Six Meet Robbie Baldwin aka SPEEDBALL

Robert Baldwin or Robbie to his friends was the son of two famous parents. His Father was the District Attorney of Springfield Connecticut, whilst his mother was a former TV Star of a popular Soap Opera. Robbie's parents marriage was not a happy one, and arguments  would break out on a regular basis. The main subject of these disagreements was Robbie himself and what he should be doing with his life and future career. whilst his Father wanted Robbie to follow him into a career like his, his Mother had other ideas. Whilst his parents were deciding what their son should do, they both forgot to ask Robbie what HE WANTED TO DO !

Whilst still studying at High School, Robbie got a position as a Intern at the Hammond Research Laboratory locally. Here the scientists  headed by Doctor Benson were studying and researching ways of tapping in to energy sources from other dimensions. It was hoped that by having access to this free energy  would  provide untold power and riches for the company.

In the quest for results many safe guards and safety measure were ignored. During a test of the equipment, Robbie who had sneaked in to watch the test became bombarded by some of the radiation released by the experiment. The Radiation energy empowered Robbie with a strange kinetic energy, and would activate when his was struck by another object or person. The harder he was hit the stronger his power levels became.

Robbie soon  discovered that his body now generated a kinetic energy field that protected him from any impact and made him a bouncing dynamo of kinetic energy. When the energy field activated it provided Robbie with an enhanced physical appearance and unusual costume.

The Masked Marvel called SPEEDBALL

Along with Robbie, also a Pet Cat at the research labs became irradiated by the energy, and the Cat called Niels, found he too had similar powers as Robbie.  Robbie would spend many weeks during his early crime fighting career  chasing the Cat, as he thought by examining it may hold some answers to how his powers worked, and where they came from.

The Cat would some times "aid" Robbie or Speedball as he now called himself  during his vigilante crime fighting. Speedball nicknamed Niels Fur-Ball.  Speedball and Furball would team up from time to time, not exactly the Dynamic Duo, BUT they had their charm.

Full of Bounce.

The Real Star of the Show 

Robbie's life as Speedball was fun, he got to do things he could never imagine as Robbie Baldwin. However, his parents constant arguments were putting a strain on Robbie's home life, and when his parents separated Robbie found he spent more and more time as a masked crime fighter.

During a trip to New York with his Mother he went to the aid of some other young costumed crime fighters...... but more about that story soon.

The Team is nearly complete

Next time, the final piece of the puzzle come together.


Until next time..... ENJOY !

THE NEW WARRIORS part Five. Meet Night Thrasher's NEW FANTASTIC FOUR

With Angelica Jones on board, Night Thrasher had completed his team. After a lot of study and research he had calculated that he had a better chance at forming a successful super team if he followed the example of another already existing group.

He had deduced that the Fantastic Four were the ideal model to try to replicate. The number was small compared to the Avengers or the X Men.  Other Groups like the Defenders membership changed constantly, as did the Avengers. On the other hand line of the X Men  up did alter from time to time,  But the core of the group was mainly constant. However,  due to the fact were Mutants made them a target for anti press feelings. Dwayne knew he needed the people on his side if he wanted his group to be a success.

THE FANTASTIC FOUR, Dwayne's Roll Model of a successful Super Team

Dwayne Taylor, aka Night Thrasher knew that the Fantastic Four had something special. The line up never changed (and when it did it was only temporary ) and the team members were all connect to each other, the Fantastic Four were a Family First, and this bond kept them together.

Dwayne knew that he could not form the same type of family unit, but he realised that if he formed a group of youngsters who had a longing to be part of a family this would work in his advantage.

Firestar, although she had a Father who was afraid of her powers, was still morning the loss of  her Grandmother, and her love and  guidance.

Marvel Boy, had issues with his abusive Father, and had left home as a result. He too was looking to be part of a group.

Kid Nova, had been a very successful hero, but this and the time he had spent away from home in space had caused him to realise that he did not really fit in with his old life anymore. He had become obsessed with regaining his Nova Powers again, and this had made his home life suffer as a result.

and Finally Dwayne himself as the Night Thrasher was an orphan who had money, power and little else. He needed direction. Becoming Night Thrasher was the 1st Part, building a team was the final piece if the puzzle.

Now Dwayne Taylor had his Own Fantastic Foursome.

The Brains and Leader of the Group was his role . Like Mr Fantastic, Dwayne believed he  was an ideal leader, he had the resources to help fund the Group, and he had the technical know how as well.

The Power House of the Group would be Kid Nova. Like Ben Grimm the Thing, Nova was good in a fight and was extremely powerful too.

The Human Torch roll was to be Firestar's . Angelica Jones may not have been a Hot Head like Johnny Storm, but her Miro Wave Fire Powers made her again a very powerful asset.

The Final member was Marvel Boy, Vance Astrovik like Susan Richards aka the Invisible Woman appeared on the surface the weakest link, BUT like Sue, Vance's Power should not be under estimated, Reed Richards had always known that his wife had the potential to be the Most Powerful Member of the FF.... and this same ideology applied to Marvel Boy too. Vance was still getting to grips with is powers, and day by day they were increasing in strength.

With Firestar joining the team, the Foursome was now complete, however circumstances would mean that  two further members would be added, in the groups initial baptism  of fire.

WHO ARE THE FINAL TWO PIECES OF THE PUZZLE ?

More of the two new members next Time



Until Then ENJOY !

The New Warriors Part Five Meet Angelica Jones AKA FIRESTAR

The next person Night Thrasher wanted to recruit was a young girl called Angelica Jones.

Angelica was a mutant, who was raised by her single father and her Grandmother. Angelica's mutant abilities were noted by Charles Xavier who decided to investigate the neo-mutant with the idea she could join his School at the same time join his Junior XMEN know as the New Mutants.

However, another organisation had also spotted the emergence of Angelica's mutant ability, none other than Villainous and Infamous Hell Fire Club. who spent no time dispatching one of their leading members to recruit Angelica.

Emma Frost was a high flying business woman, socialite  and Head Mistress of the Massachusetts Academy. This was her Public Face. This was only part of the story. Emma Frost was also The White Queen of the Hellfire Club and part of the inner circle. She also used used the cover of the Academy as a training ground for her own group of  newly emerged mutants, called the Hellions, in a similar way to what Professor Xavier was doing in New York, BUT where Xavier's XMEN were trained to protect both Mutant and Human alike, the Hellions were manipulated to do the bidding for the purposes of the furthering the needs of Hellfire Club, Nothing more.

The White Queen from the Hellfire Club

The recent death of Angelica' Grandmother had made this an ideal time to recruit the youngster.  Angelica's Father found his daughters mutant powers worrying, and was fearful of his own safety. Emma Frost, dressed in the modest guise of the Headmistress of the Academy found that her persuasive mental powers were not completely needed in getting Mr Jones to allow his daughter to leave and join Miss Frost's school.

Narrowly missing out on recruiting Angelica for himself, Professor Xavier decided to not interfere in Miss Frost's plans as he felt that Angelica was making a free choice to join the Massachusetts based Academy.

Joining the school, Angelica became Miss Frost's own special project. She knew Angelica could prove to be the most powerful and deadly new mutant she had yet discovered. So with manipulation and control she started to train Angelica who she gave the Code name FIRESTAR. With that Angelica's  Hellion Training costume was replaced a new costume which helped to distance her from the other young Hellions she was training along side. This was all part of The White Queens plan. The other Hellions started to resent Firestar, as she was Emma Frost's star pupil and was treated as a teachers pet.

Emma Frost played down her White Queen personally in front of Angelica, who she now started to keep well away from the other Hellions. Where to the Hellions, Emma was a real Bitch and task master, to Firestar she was a loving Teacher and Mother figure..... Again all part of the plan.

 Firestar was never sent on field missions with the other Hellions, however, because of her lack of control over her lethal powers and because the White Queen wished to instill cruelty and callousness in the emotional Innocent Angelica. The white Queen knew that  befriending other young mutants would work against that goal. The White Queen manipulated Angelica into perceiving Frost as a loving mother figure, unaware that Frost was secretly grooming her to be a potential her own private assassin and bodyguard to be used in her bid to take over the full control of the Hellfire Club.

FROM ANGELICA JONES TO FIRESTAR......

While a student of the Massachusetts Academy, Angelica fell in love with  Randall Chase, who had been  assigned to her as a bodyguard. Growing close to Angelica, Randall eventually began to suspect the White Queen's true motives and marked for  termination by the White Queen. .

Angelica finds her 1st love in Randal

 He escaped, mortally wounded, and managed to warn Angelica of Frost's duplicity just before he died. In retaliation,  Firestar attacked and defeated the White Queen, and decimated the hidden training complex beneath Frost's Massachusetts Academy. Afterwards, she returned to living with her father (as she was still a minor at the time), but kept the unique costume and identity of FIRESTAR  given to her by Emma Frost. Professor X offered her a place within the safety of his School, but Firestar refused as she did not want to move from one secret mutant army to another.

Firestar her own woman at last !

Angelica moved back home, determined to live a normal life with her father, who was still a bit afraid of his daughters new abilities. Things were strained for some time - until Night Thrasher whilst hacking into the Computer Files of the Hellfire Club  uncovered her secret identity and and blackmailed her into meeting him and his group. She felt pressured  into helping him form his new Super Human Group, however she found that being part of the group gave her what she so longed for FAMILY.

As a mainstay of that super-youth group, Firestar grew into a formidable albeit reluctant champion, and she forged a lasting romance with fellow hero Vance Astrovik aka Marvel Boy.

Firestar, was she the final part of the group.? or NOT






Next time the New Group go into battle for the first time


Until Then ENJOY !

THE NEW WARRIORS part Four Meet VANCE ASTROVIK AKA MARVEL BOY

The Next person offered membership to the then unnamed new Super Hero Team was a young guy named Vance Astrovik.

Vance Astrovik was a normal teen who found himself secretly protected by the The Guardians of The Galaxy, which were a group of superheroes from an alternate future who feared Vance could be the  was a target of the villainous  Korvac, also from their time period.

VANCE ASTROVIK MEETS VANCE ASTRO ?

Young Vance experienced a mental shock upon meeting the leader of the Guardians, that caused the youngsters  mutant powers to emerge. Powers the leader of the Guardians knew and understood quiet well, as he turned out to be an older version of the Youngster, from the far future and alternative universe.

The Meeting ignites Young Vances' Mutant abilities

The older Vance, who used the surname Astro, told the youngster that he was capable of many wondrous things, but if he was live a more fulfilled life, Young Vance must never embark on a career in NASA. Older Vance had become an Astronaut and the effect on his life had bigger and serious results. ( More about Vance Astro and the Guardians of the Galaxy at another time.)

Vance heeded the warning and started to try to understand and hone his new mental powers. However, Vance's Father who was an abusive bully and bigot did not like the fact his own son was now a STINKING MUTANT and started to hurt Vance at any opportunity. As a result Vance ran away from home.

He soon ran into Ben Grimm, member of the Famous Fantastic Four.  Ben or The Thing, who had taken a break from the FF was at this time working as part of a super powered Wrestling Federation Group. Taking Vance under his wing, Ben helped mold him into a Super Powered Wrestler. Taking the name MARVEL BOY Vance enjoyed his time with The Thing for the next  few months.

A NEW HERO is BORN

After Ben left to return to his life with the Fantastic Four, Vance found out that Captain America was doing a recruitment drive for Super Heroes to join the Ranks of the Mighty AVENGERS. Captain America had been Vance's hero since he was a young kid, and thought of meeting his hero and maybe fighting along side the War Time Legend was too good a opportunity to waste.

As Marvel Boy, Vance attempted to apply for membership to the AVENGERS. However, he was turned down by his idol, Capt America, on the grounds that he was too young and inexperienced to be a member. Although  Capt America believed that Marvel Boy had useful powers and talents, he also believed that due to his age and lack of experience the Avengers was not the right place for Vance at that time.

MARVEL BOY MEETS HIS HERO AND ALSO REJECTION

Feeling rejected by this Vance left the Avengers Manson and decided that he would indeed start to GET the experience that he was still lacking in. However, Night Thrasher who had been secretly watching the Avengers Manson in disguise spotted the rejected Marvel Boy as a ideal candidate for his  own Super Team.

MARVEL BOY IS MADE AN OFFER HE CAN'T REFUSE

Vance accepted Night Thrashers offer, and became the third member of the team.

At first, Vance did not have much control over his telekinetic powers, and would often give himself nosebleeds by straining himself too much. However, as the years went by, he developed his powers to the point that he could even fly by his own power

So Night Thrasher had 3 of the 4 members for his " version " of the Fantastic Four. His Thing was KID NOVA, His Invisible Woman was MARVEL BOY and he himself took on the Mister Fantastic roll. Now he needed his Human Torch, and he knew exactly who would fit the bill.

THE TEAM IS STARTING TO COME TOGETHER 

Next Time the Final Member is chosen, or is it ?


Until then ENJOY !