BLAZE

Real Name: Kirk Donoghue

Identity/Class: Human, technology-user.

Occupation: Criminal.

Affiliations: Hired by the Foreigner and employed his own henchmen.

Enemies: Spider-Man, the Black Cat, the Foreigner (for going against orders).

Known Relatives: None.

Aliases: None known.

Base of Operations: New York City.

First Appearance: Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man II#123, February 1987 (but see Clarifications)

Powers/Abilities: The Blaze used a flame cartridge gun and a set of concussion grenades. His henchmen carried conventional firearms.

History: (Spectacular Spider-Man II#123 (fb) - BTS) - Small-time criminal Kirk Donoghue is apprehended by Spider-Man and goes to prison for some weeks or months.

(Spectacular Spider-Man II#123) - A month after his release, Donoghue is hired by the wealthy assassin called the Foreigner to battle Spider-Man and the Black Cat as part of an elaborate campaign being waged against the web-slinger by the Foreigner, with the Cat's assistance. After firebombing the Black Cat's apartment, the Foreigner supplies Donoghue with the costumed identity of the Blaze, a fictional "villain" created some months earlier by three college students (The students play no role in the Foreigner's plan, but he apparently thought it would be amusing to give his hired villain the identity of a fictional one.). Claiming that the Blaze was the bomber, he sends Spidey and the Cat to confront him at a department store, but Donoghue, suspecting a set-up, has hired additional support and tries to extort $30,000 from the heroes by showing them, via video camera, his men torturing a security guard. Spider-Man shoves the villain and, with the Cat, searches the store; however, it turns out that the guard is already dead and her assault was recorded on videotape. While the Black Cat takes care of the henchmen, Spider-Man, in a fury, easily beats the Blaze, but is stopped by the arrival of Police Lieutenant Kris Keating. However, "Keating" is actually the Foreigner in disguise, and once the Blaze is in police custody, "Keating" kills him for going against orders and frames Spider-Man for the crime, although the Black Cat exposes the frame weeks later.

 

Comments: Created by Peter David, Dwayne Turner, and Art Nichols;
Blaze identity originally created by Peter David, Rich Buckler, and Armando Gil.

Technically speaking, Donoghue was the third person to use the Blaze identity (see Clarifications), but he was the first to do so with any serious intent. Since Spider-Man deals with so many nameless minor criminals, it's unclear whether or not his clash with the pre-costume Donoghue might have been seen in an earlier story. Presumably the Foreigner could give the costume and equipment to another operative if he wished, but there was nothing in the Blaze's arsenal that couldn't be matched by any one of scores of other super-villains.

CLARIFICATIONS:
The Blaze should not be confused with:

Appearances:
Spectacular Spider-Man II#123 (February, 1987) - Peter David (writer), Dwayne Turner (pencils), Art Nichols (inks), Jim Salicrup (editor)

First Posted: 02/06/2003
Last updated: 10/14/2011

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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