Wrecking Crew
PURPOSE: To accumulate Wealth and Power, Seek revenge on those who have opposed them.
AFFILIATIONS: Masters of Evil, Ulik, Absorbing Man, etc
ENEMIES: Thor, Avengers, Thunderbolts, Spider-man, Iron Man, etc
BASE OF OPERATIONS: Mobile
FIRST APPEARENCE: Defenders #17 (1974)
HISTORY:
Dirk Garthwaite was the son of Burt Garthwaite, a thugish construction worker and
abusive father. Dirk grew up to become a burglar, wielding a crowbar as his chief
weapon to remind himself of the crowbar his father used. Dirk once broke into a
hotel room and overpowered its occupant, the Asgardian god Loki, who had just
requested that Karnella provide him with Mystical Enchantments to be used
against Thor. Karnilla accidentally cast the spell upon Dirk instead.
The Wrecker gained the strength, endurance and resistance to injury of an
Asgardian Warrior. Augmented by the Mystical Energies, the Wrecker went on a
rampage, battling Thor, but was finally beaten by the magical Destroyer construct,
animated by the spirit of Sif.
In a later battle with Thor, the Wrecker struck the third rail of a subway track
and the magic powering him was driven from his body into the crowbar. Without the
crowbar's powers, he was sent to Ryker's Island. At Ryker's, he befriended fellow
convicts Dr. Eliot Franklin, Brian Philip Calusky and Henry Camp, and arranged to
spring them when he made his escape to retrieve the crowbar. After obtaining the
crowbar, the Wrecker had his three friends grasp it with him in an electrical storm.
Struck by Lightning, the storm transferred the Asgardian power amongst the four
criminals.
Each criminal became super-strong and highly resistant to damage. Franklin became
Thunderball; Calusky became Piledriver; and Camp became Bulldozer. Together, they
became known as the Wrecking Crew. Their power was now less than that which The
Wrecker originally possessed but, as a team, they were a dire threat to the
strongest Super-Hero.
Strength Level:
The Wrecker possesses superhuman strength that enables him
to lift (press) about 40 tons. Previously, when sharing his superhuman power with
the other three members of the Wrecking Crew, the Wrecker could lift (press) about
10 tons.
Known Superhuman Powers:
The Wrecker possesses superhuman strength and a
high degree of imperviousness to harm, as a result of the magical power bestowed
upon him by Karnilla the Norn Queen. The enchantment augmented his entire body,
strengthening his bone, muscle, and flesh. The Wrecker is capable of withstanding
the impact of a .45 caliber bullet without it penetrating his skin.
Weapons:
The Wrecker wields a four-foot long cast iron crowbar which has become virtually
indestructible through extensive contact with the Wrecker's enchanted skin.
Wielded by the superhumanly strong Wrecker, the crowbar becomes a weapon of vast
destructive potential. The Wrecker has used the crowbar to demolish entire buildings
in minutes and to hold off the thunder god Thor in battle. The Wrecker has used
the crowbar offensively as both a throwing weapon and a bat.
Weapons:
Thunderball wields a huge demolition ball on a chain. It has no supernatural powers
but it is a deadly weapon in Thunderball's hands. He can also hurl it at foes with
great accuracy and force. In the past when deprived of his Asgardian powers,
Thunderball has carried a charged wrecking ball and armored suit that mimiced
his lost power.
The Wrecker has established a mental link with his enchanted crowbar. In the past
when the Wrecker has lost his superhuman powers, the power has transferred itself
into the crowbar. By making physical contact with the crowbar, the Wrecker can
transfer the power back into himself. Also, by touching the crowbar, the Wrecker
can magically transform whatever he is wearing into his costume. By concentrating
on the crowbar, the Wrecker can use it to take mental possession of whoever touches
it, and cause an enchanted aura that can repel bullets to surround that person.
After first gaining his superhuman powers, the Wrecker was able to teleport
individuals to Asgard from Earth and to create waves of force about him that could
deflect bullets. Ulik the Troll instructed Garth in some basic Asgardian magics
when they were imprisoned together. Garth requires intense concentration to perform
these magics and usually prefers to rely on brute force.
The four supervillains originally had vast superhuman strength, speed, stamina
and invulnerability. Recently however, the powers of the Wrecker himself have been
increased exponentially, and his abilities now surpass those of his lackeys.
Wrecker
(Dirk Garthwaite) is the leader and wields an indestructible crowbar. His strength
and resistance to damage increase dramitically when he is not sharing his power.
When in full possession of the magics, he can press about 40 tons. When he is sharing
his power he can press 10 tons.
Bulldozer
(Henry Camp) has an armored metal helmet and fights by ramming his victims head-first.
He is very fast when charging and his armored body is capable of dealing incredible
smashing damage. Bulldozer can press 10 tons.
Piledriver
(Brian Philip Calusky) has a big-mouth but backs it up with his over-sized
pile-driving fists. Piledriver can press 10 tons.
Thunderball
(Dr. Eliot Franklin) wields a huge demolition ball on a chain. He is a former
scientist and is continually vying with The Wrecker for leadership of The Crew.
Thunderball can press 10 tons.
Thunderball had previously built a Gamma Bomb for Richmond Enterprises, but executive
J.C. Pennysworth had stolen it and Franklin had been sent to prison while trying
to steal it back. He convinced his allies that they should capture the bomb and
use it to ransom New York. They began to tear apart buildings owned by Richmond
Enterprises to find the bomb, attracting the attention of the Defenders, including
Nighthawk (Kyle Richmond himself). The Crew was defeated by the Defenders and
dispersed to different prisons.
After regaining his crowbar, the Wrecker freed his allies and they decided to
publicly defeat Thor in order to salvage their reputations. When they encountered
Iron Fist and threatened his girlfriend Misty Knight, Iron Fist offered to gain
them access to Avengers Mansion in order to save her. The Wrecking Crew invaded
the mansion, finding only Captain America present; but he and Iron Fist managed
to outfight the Wrecking Crew, and they were all sent back to prison. From his
cell at Ryker's, the Wrecker concentrated upon his crowbar's power and used it to
compel a guard to release him. He and the Wrecking Crew finally had their first
shot at Thor as a team, but Thor defeated them all, and only Thunderball escaped.
Thunderball acted on his own for a while, battling Iron Man, and later recovering
the crowbar for himself and battling Spider-Man, but he was ultimately sent back
to Ryker's.
The Wrecking Crew were amoung those villains freed by the Beyonder and transported
to "Battleworld" to serve in Doctor Doom's army of super-villains against the heroes
gathered there. They proved to be useful thugs for Doom's purposes, but they finally
abandoned him after he gained the Beyonder's power, returning to Earth with the aid
of the Molecule Man. The entire Wrecking Crew then joined Baron Zemo's Masters of
Evil and helped provide intelligence on Hercules, uncovering the Avenger's drinking
problem. The Wrecking Crew joined with Goliath and Mister Hyde in a savage assault
on Hercules at Avengers Mansion that left him comatose. When Thor came to avenge
his comrade, he used the power of his hammer to transfer all of the Wrecking Crew's
energies into the crowbar, and the Wrecker himself was beaten in combat by Captain
America.
The Wrecker soon escaped prison and freed his crew. They continued to use Baron
Zemo's remaining resources while they prepared to regain their powers. Thunderball
began rebuilding the Gamma Bomb in the hopes of another blackmail attempt, but his
one-time use of the crowbar had left him craving its power, and he ultimately
turned on the Wrecker, wanting all the power for himself. Faced with the combined
powers of Spider-Man and Spider-Woman, the divided Wrecking Crew fell. Some of the
Wrecking Crew participated in the so-called "Acts of Vengeance" as Thunderball
fought the Fantastic Four, the Wrecker fought Iron Man, and the entire Crew fought
Damage Control, who were secretly aided by Thunderball (who was friends with
Damage Control's John Porter). The Wrecker continued to resent Thunderball's
attempts at claiming his power and mantle of leadership, and began to hunt the
now-powerless Franklin. The Wrecker tracked Franklin to his Yancy Street safehouse,
but encountered the Thing there and was beaten. The entire Crew were imprisoned
at the Vault for a time, participating in an uprising when Venom staged a breakout.
Thunderball opposed even Venom's leadership, and led a splinter team of escapees
against the Avengers when they tried to lockdown the facility, but he finally
sided with the Avengers to help stop a core breach in the Vault.
Finally escaping the Vault, the Wrecker and Thunderball were forced to establish
a working relationship, but could never entirely trust one another again. The Crew
faced Hercules again but Thor feigned defeat at the hands of the Wrecking Crew,
helping Hercules overcome the fear of combat he had suffered since his beating at
their hands. They fought the NYPD's special task force Code: Blue while holding a
hostage, and lost their hostage to the police squad. Ultimately, Loki decided that
he wanted the power of the Wrecker for himself, since it had been meant for him,
and while the Crew were battling Thor and the Ghost Rider, he had the Enchantress
and Ulik bring down each member of the Crew, until only the Wrecker remained. Loki
proceeded to torture the Wrecker, and finally cast him into another dimension.
Deprived of the Wrecker's power, Thunderball worked with the Secret Empire, and
was outfitted with armor which mimicked some of his magical abilities. They attempted
to harness the powers of Nova, but were opposed by the combined forces of Spider-Man,
Moon Knight, Darkhawk, Night Thrasher and the Punisher, and ultimately surrendered
to them. The Wrecker finally returned to Earth and was reunited with the Crew, but
their powers began fading when many of Asgard's links to Earth were separated after
Odin attempted to evade Ragnarok, and they were defeated by Code: Blue. They were
then hired by Arnim Zola to battle the Thunderbolts (unaware that the Thunderbolts
included many of their former allies in the Masters of Evil), receiving an artificial
power boost from him, but the Thunderbolts defeated the Crew.
Defeated again by Spider-Man, the Sub-Mariner and the Thing, the Crew were next
hired by the Doomsday Man to locate Warbird, and they decided to start robbing
banks to bring her out. They wound up battling the Avengers, and were accidentally
sent to Polemachus by the Scarlet Witch. In Polemachus, they set out to defeat
Arkon and Thundra so that they could rule that dimension and claim its energies to
repower themselves, but the Avengers followed them there and defeated them. The
Crew battled Thor and the Warriors Three next, and Thunderball nearly killed Hogun
the Grim. Thor caught up to the Crew and beat them all. After this, the Crew were
shuffled to several prisons, including the Cage, Seagate and the Big House, making
escapes along the way to battle the Fantastic Four. They were also made pawns by
the sorceress Morgan Le Fay, who replaced Thunderball with her magical agent the
Knight in disguise, all as part of her plan to claim the enchanted arrows of Hawkeye;
but the Crew were defeated by the Avengers and Kelsey Leigh, who was resurrected
as the new Captain Britain after the Knight slew her.
Piledriver decided that the Wrecking Crew should be preparing for their later years
by training a new generation into the Crew, and brought his teenage son Ricky onboard
as Excavator. Learning that the Pride, one-time criminal masterminds of Los Angeles
had apparently been slain, the Crew decided to hit banks there now that the Pride
were no longer in control, and because of the smaller super-hero population. However,
Excavator's presence had drawn the attention of the Pride's children, who came to
return him to his grandparents. They beat the entire 5-man Wrecking Crew in battle,
and left them for the police.
The Wrecking Crew were sent to the Raft, but escaped during the mass breakout. The
Wrecker and Piledriver set out to find the Wrecker's "spare" crowbar which he had
hidden in the Museum of Modern Art, and to steal from the paintings there. However,
they were defeated by Toxin. The Wrecker managed to get away again, but was
recaptured by the new team of Avengers which had formed in the aftermath of the
Raft breakout. The other members of the Wrecking Crew are still at large.
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