Nuke (Marvel Comics)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- For the Squadron Supreme and Supreme Power character, see Nuke (Squadron Supreme)
| Nuke | |
 Cover art for Wolverine: Origins #2. Art by Bryan Hitch. |
|
| Publication information | |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | Daredevil vol. 1, #232 |
| Created by | Frank Miller David Mazzucchelli |
| In story information | |
| Alter ego | Frank Simpson |
| Team affiliations | Weapon Plus, Kingpin General Lewis Hayworth, Generalissimo Felix Guillermo Caridad |
| Notable aliases | Agent Simpson |
| Abilities | Cybernetic enhancements grant superhuman strength, speed, stamina, and durability Second heart Remote-controlled vital functions. |
Nuke (real name Frank Simpson) is a fictional supervillain in the Marvel Universe. The character first appears in Daredevil #232 and was created by Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli. Nuke's most distinguishing feature is an American Flag tattooed on his face.
Contents |
[edit] Fictional character biography
Nuke was actually a test subject of the Weapon Plus program, the supersoldier program that had created Captain America and would later transform Wolverine into a killing machine. The enhancing and conditioning process went awry, leaving Nuke seriously deranged.
[edit] Early life
The origins of Nuke are explained during the miniseries Wolverine: Origins.
The disturbed son of a wealthy, abusive, alcoholic, upper-class woman in Ohio, Frank soon developed an unhealthy affection for his babysitter, the only real maternal figure in his life. The young woman, who was harboring feelings for his father Charles, capitalized on Frank's affection and talked the boy into killing his mother. Wolverine, who at that time was an operative for Weapon Plus had been sent to kidnap Frank Simpson. Wolverine showed up, dressed as a cop. He then stalked Charles Simpson and the babysitter, eventually shooting the girl with Charles' gun, after which Charles committed suicide. Wolverine then went to Frank's place and abducted him for the supersoldier project.
Years later, Frank Simpson was sent into the Vietnam War as a black-ops agent. Captured by the Viet Cong, Frank was severely tortured by Logan (who was posing as a Russian intelligence liaison), shattering Frank's still unbalanced mind. While torturing him,(even carving into his face the American flag that years later would become part of his superpowered personality), he implanted the phrase "No V.C.!" as a trigger word, along with the compulsion to kill gruesomely, in retaliation for the tortures suffered, anyone who uttered the words. He then allowed Frank to escape, testing his work with a village of peasants, who, seeing an American soldier, tried to soothe his anger and convince him to spare them, shouting the "No V.C.!" phrase, meaning that they weren't Viet Cong. Frank, in response to the trigger word, burnt the village to the ground killing every inhabitant. The experiment being a success, Logan was instated as the handler of the human weapon. Due to his trauma, Nuke often hallucinates that the enemies he is fighting are the Viet Cong.
At some time during the war, Nuke was inducted into the final part of the Project Homegrown, the Weapon VII programs, that turned him in a partial cyborg with a subdermal mesh able to deflect bullets, and a second heart that, working in conjunction with some (placebo) pills, controlled his aggression, leaving him addicted as well. His whereabouts after the war are still unknown.
[edit] First Appearance
Nuke resurfaced, employed by Generalissimo Felix Guillermo Carridad, of Tierra Verde, to destroy a rebel base. Carridad was impressed with his skills, and he enjoyed using Nuke periodically as a superhuman iconic symbol.
In the Born Again story arc, the Kingpin hired Nuke through several corrupt military officials and sent him to kill Daredevil. Nuke went on a rampage in New York City, blowing up part of Hell's Kitchen, causing Daredevil and the Avengers to capture him. He escaped soon after, going for Daredevil again, but was intercepted by Captain America and shot by a military chopper. Apparently dead, he was in fact taken in care by the Government, still controlled by the Tierra Verde enclave.
[edit] Origins Events
After Wolverine discovered his full past and set out to take care of loose ends, the U.S. government dispatched Nuke, who was kept at the United States embassy in Chile, to hunt down Wolverine.
Wolverine, with some efforts, quickly dispatched his foe, seeking a way to redeem, or kill him. After the battle he discovered that Nuke's enhanced physiology was further mutated, and he has become a cyborg, with artificial limbs, bones and skull, able to survive and being rebuilt after the most gruesome injuries, yet devoid of any personality or conscience. Acknowledging that now he was beyond any hope of redemption, he tried to kill him, only to be stopped by Captain America, who had arrived because he believed that Nuke was a failed subject of the Super Soldier Program. Now without any legs, the leftovers of Nuke's body were handed over to Emma Frost by Wolverine, who wanted Emma to try to restore Nuke's broken mind, if possible. And, if it turned out impossible, Logan told Emma to call him, because in that case he'd come back and kill Frank.
Apparently Nuke's metabolism is now remote controlled from a secret base on Tierra Verde, whose technicians are able to shut down the biomech systems in Nuke's body.
[edit] Pill Colors
Nuke has a second heart, and takes different colored pills to produce different bodily effects. Nuke's pill colors are: red, for increased adrenaline; white, to bring him down; and blue, to relax.
While it was previously believed that the red pills Nuke took affected his mental state, sending him into his bloodthirsty rages, the Wolverine: Origins series reveals that these pills are placebos, suggesting that Nuke lives in a constant state of increased adrenaline, but doesn't know it. The pills, therefore, trigger his violent behavior, but the effect is purely psychological.
A monitor in the Tierra Verde laboratory from which Nuke is controlled, showing three lines, red, white and blue, suggests that currently the same remote control system that turn on or shut down the biomech system in Nuke controls his adrenaline production and his behaviour.
[edit] Powers and Abilities
Nuke possesses various superhuman physical attributes as a result of various cybernetic enhancements. Nuke's bones have been replaced with advanced cybernetic components, granting him superhuman strength of an unrevealed limit. Aside from his strength, Nuke's body is considerably more resistant to physical injury than that of an ordinary human. Nuke's skin has been replaced with an artificial type of plastic that looks identical to human skin but is much more durable. In addition, he has an artificial second heart that works in conjunction with his colored pills. Nuke is the victim of decades of systematic physical and mental abuse and conditioning at the hands of various individuals working for the United States government. As a result, Nuke is insane. He is now little more than a puppet in the hands of his current handler, and able only to follow issued commands.
[edit] External links
|
||||||||||||||||||||
