CRUSHER HOGAN

Real Name: Joseph Hogan

Identity/Class: Human

Occupation: Commentator; former custodian, professional wrestler

Group Membership: None

Group Membership: Unlimited Class Wrestling Federation; formerly Championship Wrestling

Affiliations: Agent Anti-Venom (Flash Thompson), Bobby Chance, Doctor Voodoo (Jericho Drumm), Spider-Man (Peter Parker), Venom (Eddie Brock)

Enemies: Doctor Druid (Anthony Ludgate Druid), Hammerhead, Madame Fang, Manslaughter Marsdale, Zombiotes

Known Relatives: Marie (wife), unidentified sons and daughters

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: Manhattan, New York

First Appearance: Amazing Fantasy I#15 (August 1962)

Powers/Abilities: Hogan is in tremendous physical shape and was once a professional wrestler skilled in the sport.

Height: 5'10"
Weight: 210 lbs.
Eyes: Blue
Hair: Bald

History:
(Spider-Man's Tangled Web#14 - BTS) - Joseph "Crusher" Hogan started his wrestling career at Championship Wrestling, but as the company began going bankrupt, he started a self-smear campaign to attract more fans. He also borrowed $1000 from the underworld figure known as Hammerhead and then promised it in the ring to whoever could defeat him.

(Amazing Fantasy I#15) - While appearing at a wrestling exhibition in the old Manhattan armory, Hogan fought against a disguised Peter Parker (the future Spider-Man) seeking the money. Humiliated by the young man, Hogan's career came to a dead stop.

(Amazing Spider-Man III#1/7) - The teenager Clayton Cole was a big wrestling fan and went to see the Crusher Hogan fight with Spider-Man, which he filmed with his phone and uploaded to UTube.

(Amazing Spider-Man I#271) - Over the years, Hogan came to a realization that the unknown masked man had to be Spider-Man. Unable to get any other job than as custodian at his old gym, he began making up stories about being Spider-Man's friend and training him and turning him into the costumed crime-fighter he was now. Hogan also eventually discovered that promoter Madame Fang and wrestler Manslaughter Marsdale planned to cripple another wrestler named Bobby Chance rather than allow him to sign with another promoter. Their confrontation received the attention of Spider-Man, who defeated Manslaughter and even stopped long enough to lend credence to Hogan's stories about their friendship.

SECRET WARS III HAPPENED

(Marvel Comics Presents III#3/3) - Crusher fell asleep while watching old wrestling tapes and got trapped in an Erebus dream spell by Doctor Druid that fed on Crusher's hatred for Spider-Man, whom he blamed for costing him everything he cared for. The former wrestler became more powerful than Spider-Man in any aspect and mercilessly beat up the hero. Doctor Voodoo invaded the dream, explained the situation and warned Spider-Man that he and Crusher would die in the real world if they died in the dream due to the nature of the dream spell. Eventually Voodoo found Druid, the source of the spell, in Hogan's apartment and banished him to another dimension. Voodoo then used magic to make Hogan wake up and remember the events as nothing more than a dream. The former wrestler woke up, decided not to watch old tapes before going to sleep anymore and quickly fell asleep again.

(Venom War#1 (fb) - BTS) - At some point Crusher became a commentator for the UCWF.

(Venom War#1) - Crusher Hogan and Sawbones were the commentators for the UCWF event Night of Fights 2024 at the Grand Garden Arena in New York City. They witnessed the arrival of Lumberjack and Caveman for Symbiote Smith's open challenge for his Unlimited Golden Belt. Gator Grant arrived as the fourth challenger through the crowd and Crusher pointed out Gator's recent problems with Smith at The Romp in the Swamp. The four-way brawl quickly became a Deathmatch according to Crusher when the referee "Nervous" Ned Novis was unable to continue. The event went off-script when Eddie Brock and his time-split versions Bedlam, Tyro and Wilde teleported into the arena. Hogan was shocked to hear Symbiote Smith's arm break at the hands of Eddie Brock. Crusher asked to speed up the evacuation of the building after Smith and his challengers were all taken out by Eddie and his counterparts. Eddie then took the microphone and demanded his son and symbiote be delivered to him.

   The live broadcast continued with Crusher and Sawbones commentating through the attempt by mercenaries Solo and Paladin to stop the symbiotes while Eddie Brock defeated Symbiote Smith. The arena was evacuated, but the commentators stayed behind and after a commercial break saw the surprising arrival of Eddie's son Dylan Brock and his allies Normie Osborn (Rascal), Bren Waters (Toxin), Sleeper and Flexo. Spider-Man with the Venom symbiote soon joined the action as well.

(Venom War#2) - Back from another break Night of Fights 2024 continued with Crusher Hogan and Sawbones on commentary and the factions of symbiotes facing each other. Spider-Man got into a fight with Brock, who wore Bedlam, and got punched to the commentator table. Crusher wanted a word from him for the UCWF fans, but Spider-Man was too busy.

(Venom War#3) - After another commercial break the event continued with Crusher and Sawbones still on commentary. They were shocked that Eddie Brock had just been gunned down by his own son. Bedlam fought Spider-Man and because the symbiote was too powerful for him, Spider-Man asked Sawbones and Crusher if they could control the entrance music. Crusher asked him what kind of music he wanted and Spider-Man told him something classic and loud. They started up "Pomp and Circumstance" (Ooooh yeah!!!) to weaken Bedlam long enough for the Venom symbiote to join with Eddie and Dylan at the same time.

(Venom War#4) - The arena was attacked by Zombiotes (corpses wrapped in mindless symbiotes) and Crusher and Sawbones were bitten and infected by them. Venom (Eddie Brock) kicked Crusher to the ground and Anti-Venom (Thompson) tried to save him by destroying the symbiote, but the plan failed. It needed Venom (Eddie) to merge his symbiote with Anti-Venom to save Crusher and everyone else in the building from the symbiote infection.

(Venom War#5/2) - Crusher commentated on Venom Horse battling Zombiotes and then dropped the mic after Venom Horse had crushed the Zombiotes.

Comments: Created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko.

There is quite a bit of difference between the ret-conned Crusher Hogan from Tangled Web#14 and the traditional Crusher Hogan seen in Amazing Fantasy#15 and revisited in Amazing Spider-Man#271. The traditional Crusher seemed to have made his peace with the world when Spider-Man revisited him, but the ret-conned Crusher was warned his hand would be broken if he lost Hammerhead's money (that is, if it was Hammerhead; it sure looked like him). Presumably, Hammerhead did not live up to his threat or was not able to.

Before the ret-con, it was $100 that Peter Parker won while wrestling Hogan. Much later, according to Spider-Man: Chapter One, it was $1000 dollars Peter won at the exhibition. That Crusher Hogan also had red hair and a colorful WWF (now WWE)-like costume.

In the "Spider-Man" movie, Hogan was renamed Bone-Saw McGraw and played by professional wrestler Randy Poffo (aka Macho Man Randy Savage). The likely reasons for this was to create a more colorful and intimidating character for Peter to fight, and that there were probably already too many copyrighted characters on the script.

Plus they may have wanted to avoid any confusion with Hulk Hogan.

Scott Levy, the co-writer for the Tangled Web story is better known as the wrestling star Raven. You can visit his site to learn more about his career: The Raven Effect.
--Markus Raymond

Original images provided by Bill Lentz.

Profile by Will U; reformatted by Stunner. Update by Markus Raymond.

CLARIFICATIONS:
Joseph Crusher Hogan is not to be confused with:

• Crusher (Caldwell Rozza) - el Professor, Iron Man foe--Tales Of Suspense I#91
• Crusher (Juan Aponte) - mutated boxer--Daredevil I#119
• Crusher - agent of Pluto--Thor I#130
• Crusher of Tunnelworld - giant, tank-like weapon of Ytitnedion--Defenders I#81
• Harold “Happy” Hogan - Iron Man Supporting Character--Tales To Astonish I#45
• Colonel Robert Hogan U.S.A.F. of the TV Series “Hogan’s Heroes”
• Hulk Hogan - outlaw in the Old West--Gunsmoke Western#63
• Hulk Hogan, the world-famous wrestler (and liar)
• Any other characters named “Crusher” or “Hogan” who have appeared in the Marvel Universe