Tremor (comics)
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Tremor is a fictional character from the comic book series, Spawn. He is a former Mafia enforcer and associate of Antonio "Tony Twist" Twistelli, the Don of New York, and is now a vigilante seeking revenge on The Family.
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[edit] Background
Richard Masullo was always the muscle, from his days with his brother David till his time with Twist. When he wanted out of the mob Twistelli had him captured and shipped to Germany where he was used as the guinea pig for Project: TREMOR, the mafia's first attempt to create a supersolider. This was the predecessor of the highly successful OvertKill project. Richard was subjected to numerous experiments, mostly gene manipulation but spliced with some cybernetics. The result appeared more demonic than human. The newly dubbed "Tremor" was a failure, as his free will and disgust for what he had become overwhelmed any type of loyalty he had for the mafia. As a result, Twist killed the rest of Tremor's family except for his brother David. Not long afterwards an enraged Tremor broke free from the laboratory. Twist told David that Tremor was the one who slaughtered his family, including Richard, and David went to work hunting Tremor across the globe.
[edit] Role in the Story
Tremor arrived in New York and heard news of dealings between Spawn and Twist. While treking the globe he had been taking out facilities belonging to Twist. This work continued in New York. He attacked Spawn, mistaking him for an ally of the mob. The two came to a sort of understanding and teamed together to go after Twist. They slashed through Twist's men and almost took him out, but David stepped in and fought against Tremor. As Richard revealed himself to his brother, David couldn't understand or believe what was going on because of his own guilt and his hatred for Tremor and began to unload his weapon into him. This wounded Tremor but due to his mutated, cybernetically enhanced condition the damage was only minor. Spawn only saw part of what had happened and attacked David, severely injuring his leg and enraging Tremor. This led to a falling out between the duo and what has been a very uneasy tension between them since.
Tremor is both one of Spawn's greatest allies and deadliest enemies depending upon his mood. He's never forgiven Spawn for injuring David.
[edit] Recent Whereabouts
Tremor has been noteably absent from the book for a very long time. This is most likely because of the legal issues surrounding the Tony Twist character, since Tremor's role in the book is to chase after Twist. Todd McFarlane has also stated in the past that he feels the character is very "cartoony" and thus not suited for current storylines. Tremor made a cameo as a new member of the Image comics team, The Brigade, and more information on this part of his usage in comics is being investigated.
Truth be told, many fans love the Tremor character and feel that he should return to the book.[citation needed] He is one of the many Spawn supporting characters with the kind of potential to have their own mini-series or regular series.
Tremor supposedly made a brief cameo in the latest Spawn arc, however the Tremor that appeared to Spawn while he was being tortured by Thamuz was instead a low-level demon under the guise of an illusion caused by Thamuz' magic.
[edit] Entry in the Spawn Bible
Richard and David Masullo. Two brothers, so much alike, so far apart. Since childhood, Richard tagged along with his older brother David. If David did it, Richard wanted to do it. Richard, bigger and stronger than anyone he knew, would do anything for David. Growing up in the Bronx, the brothers witnessed the under side of local organized crime. After enlisting in a protection scam with local merchants, the two youths quickly snared the attention of then up-and-coming mob boss Tony Twist. It was Richard's brute force that aroused Twist, but he took them as a package with Richard as the strength and David as the cold heart. Twist began funding science corporations and former maverick government scientists to continue their work in mutational genetics, micro-surgery, abstract bionics and over rim radiation studies. The creation of the ultimate soldier/hitman was their pilot project. Richard Masullo a superb employee stayed under Twist's command into full adulthood but he wanted out. With a wife and children that he loved very much, he longed to be a normal guy with a desk job. He was good at his job as a Mafia enforcer and it paid well, but it did not control his heart. He and his wife had plans of starting their own grocery store. To his brother's disagreement, Richard was going to quit. David informed Tony Twist of Richard's plans hoping that Twist would offer his brother more money to stay. But Twist had other plans. In one fell swoop, Twist captured Richard and brought him to a lab in Germany. Where he became a guinea pig for his construction of the ultimate 'Mafia-Made Man'. Richard, in order to spare his family's lives, agreed with Tony's demands. An unholy combination of a new strain chemicals and radiation transformed Richard's body into a mutated form that was neither man nor beast. He became what is now known as Tremor. Even though they could mold Richard's body, they could not mutate the mind and will of a man they truly did not own. Thus the experiment was seen as a failure and they killed Richard's family in spite, but spared Tremor's brother. Days later, Tremor escaped. With their freakish creation at large, Twist told David that a monster, sent by their enemies, killed Richard and his family. Twist convinced David that he had saved him, and that together, they would seek revenge for his family's slaughter. Tremor and Spawn. The most unlikely alliance ever formed. Joining forces, they confronted Twist, but by that time Twist's lies had become a tangled web in David's mind. Even with Tremor's pleas, David couldn't see the truth. He refused to see it. David uncontrollably emptied his gun into the monster that was once his brother, but Spawn intervened. In doing so he crippled David's leg which induced the anger of Tremor. A blur of activities occur, and Spawn and Tremor are left among the carnage, the blood and the uncertainty of what their next meeting would bring. Friends, foes or something in between?
