Trauma (comics)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Trauma
Trauma. Art by Stefano Caselli.
Publication information
Publisher	Marvel Comics
First appearance	Avengers: The Initiative #1 (March, 2007)
Created by	Dan Slott Stefano Caselli
In story information
Alter ego	Terrence Ward
Species	Human mutate
Team affiliations	The Initiative Shadow Initiative
Abilities	able to change own form into manifestation of opponents worst fear

Trauma (Terrence Ward) is a fictional comic book character. He is a teenage superhero in Marvel Comics' shared universe, the Marvel Universe. Created by writer Dan Slott and artist Stefano Caselli, he first appeared in Avengers: The Initiative #1 (April 2007).

[edit] Fictional character biography

Little is known about Terrence Ward's background at this point. He has a living mother, and she is in an insane asylum.^[1] He is first introduced giving his codename^[2] as he receives his first costume. The team's drill-sergeant, The Gauntlet, refers to Trauma as "emo-boy." Trauma wears a black tee with a block "T" for his codename, a black foppish fringe, and tight black jeans.

Trauma's powers are first introduced in a Danger Room-like simulation overseen by Gauntlet and Henry Peter Gyrich. A scientist states that the powers-that-be are very interested in his "power set." Trauma's powers exploit the deepest fears in others, causing him to morph into a physical representation of that deep-seated fear. He must be within proximity to another person for these powers to work. During a training exercise with the other new heroes, Trauma morphs into a giant spider to exploit Armory's fear. Armory loses her senses and begins firing blindly. She blasts off Komodo's arm and shoots MVP in the head while he attempts to protect Cloud 9 from harm. Armory is "grounded" and expelled from Camp Hammond. Gyrich, who is overseeing the entire project, informs Trauma and Cloud 9 that the mishap 'never happened.'

After it appears that Trauma can't control his powers, Gyrich takes him away to receive private tutoring on how to control his powers. Gyrich also tells Trauma that as he is a "shape changer who can read minds", his power set is one of those considered a "Holy Grail". The instructor was revealed to be Dani Moonstar^[3]. At first Trauma tried to reject her (since he really wanted his powers to be neutralized instead); first by using his powers on Hank McCoy, then by attacking Dani by summoning the Demon Bear. However, Dani facing her fears against the creature years ago plus her training in self-defense allows her to easily force Trauma to reluctantly accept her help in controlling his powers.

Trauma is part of the Initiative's black-ops team. ^[4]

As a part of the Initiative's Black-Ops team, he joins fellow team members Bengal, Constrictor, The Scarlet Spiders, and Mutant Zero into the Hulk-controlled Manhattan to rescue his fellow members of the Initiative that rushed into battle with the Hulk. Trauma does battle with Korg, a member of Hulk's Warbound, transforming into Thor, Korg's greatest fear, and defeating him.

He then engages the Hulk, transforming into the Abomination, Juggernaut, Brian Banner, and then Bruce Banner himself until Hulk reveals that he has no fear. Stuck in human form, Trauma is thrown aside into a car, and is left alive to carry on the message that Hulk has no fear. While recovering at Camp Hammond, he makes peace with the other Initiative members, particularly Hardball and Cloud 9. When Dani Moonstar teases Secretary Gyrich about Trauma not being the "Big Gun" he expected, Gyrich then decreases Trauma's power ranking from Class Omega to Class 50.^[5]

A psychotic clone of MVP, wielding Armory's Tactigon and calling himself "Killed in Action" went after Trauma for the hand he played in his "death". Trauma transformed himself into what the Tactigon feared most, an amored alien creature. This did not faze KIA, who rammed a bladed weapon into Trauma's chest, killing him.^[6] In the aftermath of KIA's rampage, his fellow trainees visit his open casket. To the surprise of the group, Trauma suddenly rises from his coffin. With no knowledge of how he has returned to the living, Trauma chooses to remain in Camp Hammond as a counselor in order to get answers.^[7]

[edit] Powers and abilities

Trauma has the ability to read a person's mind and shape-shift into their worst fear. At first, he could not fully control the power, causing him to become a gigantic version of Armory's fear (a spider). After receiving training from Dani Moonstar, Terrance is now able to "fine-tune" his transformations, and actually use them to calm people, as shown when he become Gyrich's father, who died from Alzheimer's disease, and telling him "you're clean, son". Dani believes Trauma could use this power to become one of the greatest psychiatrists in the world, helping patients to face their fears, one at a time. Terrance's powers do not work on those without emotions (robots, for example), and were eventually inefficient on the Hulk, who declared himself truly without fear. He has even been able to assume the forms of Thor, Abomination, and the Juggernaut, but it is unknown if he inherited their full powers.

[edit] References