CAPTAIN ZERO

Real Name: David Stack

Identity/Class: Human (mutate/mutant?)

Occupation: would-be super-hero;
former mental patient

Group Membership: None

Affiliations: Spider-Man; rescued Maggie Lorca
    former member of the Mad Dog Ward

Enemies: Brainstorm, Doctor Hope

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: Mad Dog#736, Super-Drag (nickname from Brainstorm)

Base of Operations: Manhattan, New York;
formerly the Mad Dog Ward of Pleasant Valley Mental Institution, Queens, New York

First Appearance: Amazing Spider-Man I#295 (December, 1987)

Powers/Abilities: It's not clear whether Zero actually possessed any superhuman powers. He was big and strong, and willing to tangle with Brainstorm, who had Class 10 strength, but didn't last long against him. His exposure to Dr. Hope's experiments made his mind immune to Brainstorm's psychic attacks.

He had good intentions and was happy to risk his life to save others, although he was somewhat mentally limited.

History: Though his past is unknown, the man known only as Captain Zero ended up a patient at in the Mad Dog Ward, where he was subjected to unspecified experiments of Doctor Hope.

(Amazing Spider-Man I#295) - Spider-Man/Peter Parker was drugged and held as an inmate in the Mad Dog Ward. There he met Captain Zero, who also saw himself as a superhero. Living as a permanent resident in the hospital, Zero tried to maintain his heroic nature by carrying around some of the elderly or infirm patients. He was quite excited when Parker led a brief revolt, but like everyone else present, he was quickly drugged back into submission by the attendants.

(Spectacular Spider-Man II#133) - Zero wondered when the next revolt might be, because the last one was exciting. However, he was seen as a potential trouble maker, and scheduled for a frontal lobotomy. Parker arranged another revolt, this time a successful one, and the hospital and its activities were exposed and shut down. Zero was either freed or he escaped during the struggle.

 

 

(Spider-Man#29-31) - Zero decided to start his superhero career in full swing, and he rescued a young girl's teddy bear, that had fallen out of her apartment window. Of course, in the process of saving the bear, he unwittingly tore free and swung on an electrical cable, causing an explosion which rained bricks down towards the people on the streets below. Fortunately, Spidey was there to save the day, and after saving the people Zero had endangered, he took the somewhat misdirected hero under his wing. He gave Zero some pointers on how to be a hero, and later, Zero fought his former fellow Mad Dog, Brainstorm, stopping him from killing Maggie Lorca. Zero couldn't have stood long against Brainstorm, but it was long enough for Spidey to return and join the fight. Between Zero's soapy-water-to-the-eyes and Spidey's double ear clap, Brainstorm collapsed in defeat--well, pretty much, anyway.

A short time later, Captain Zero assisted Spider-Man and Mary Jane out by helping a man pose as a space traveler, to convince his new far out foster son to accept him.

(Civil War: Battle Damage Report) - Tony Stark considered Captain Zero as a potential Initiative recruit.

Comments: Created by Ann Nocenti and Cyndy Martin.

I don't know how well it comes through, but ole' Zero initially had a "Z" shaved into the side of his head. Someone asked him if he was sure he didn't intend to be called Zorro.

Captain Zero's real name was revealed in the Civil War: Battle Damage Report.

CLARIFICATIONS:
No known connection to:

 

 

images: (without ads)
Spider-Man#29, p3, pan4 (main image)
Spectacular Spider-Man II#133, p3, pan5 (head shot)

Appearances:
Amazing Spider-Man I#295 (December, 1987) - Ann Nocenti (writer), Cynthia Martin (pencils), Kyle Baker (inks), Jim Salicrup (editor)
Spectacular Spider-Man II#133 (December, 1987) - Ann Nocenti (writer), Cynthia Martin (pencils), Joe Rubinstein (inks), Jim Salicrup (editor)
Spider-Man#29-31 (December, 1992 - February, 1993) - Ann Nocenti (writer), Chris Marrinan (pencils), Sam de la Rosa & Don Hudson (#31) (inks), Danny Fingeroth (editor)
Civil War: Battle Damage Report (2007)

First Posted: 04/01/2003
Last updated: 04/01/2003

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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