HEAVY METTLE

Membership: Joe Manfredi, Barracuda, Blackwing, Firestrike, Riot, Stronghold, Warbow

Purpose: Joe Manfredi's private army of super-villains

Affiliations: Maggia, Norman Osborn, Shadow Initiative (Badd Axe, Batwing, Bengal, Butterball, Firearms, Johnny Guitar, Komodo, Ringer (Keith Kraft), Slaughter Boy)

Enemies: Blastaar's forces, New Warriors

Base of Operations: New York City

First Appearance:
(individual): New Warriors II#2, (November, 1999)
(team) New Warriors II#4 (January, 2000)

History: (New Warriors II#2) - At a bar in New York City, Firestrike with his boss, Joe Manfredi. Manfredi tells Firestrike that Turbo's powers originate from her costume just as Firestrike and the rest of the Heavy Mettle gets their powers from their costumes. Manfredi orders Firestrike to get the New Warrior Turbo's costume. Firestrike asks if Manfredi cares whether or not the girl's alive when he get it

(New Warriors II#4) - Joe Manfredi orders Firestrike and the rest of the Heavy Mettle to attack the New Warriors. Uses Harley Traynor to set-up the New Warriors, attacks them, is defeated by the New Warriors but manage to escape

(New Warriors II#7) - Set-up by the New Warriors, Nova disguised as Firestrike brings down the Heavy Mettle, who are all send to jail including Firestrike, who in order to take down Joe Manfredi joins the witness protection program

(Avengers: The Initiative#26) - With a large influx of Initiative recruits under Norman Osborn's regime, the ranks of the Shadow Initiative were bolstered by members of Heavy Mettle (Barracuda, Blackwing, Riot, Stronghold, Warbow), the Larcenous Three (Badd Axe, Firearms), Butterball, Ringer, and Slaughter Boy, who joined Batwing, Bengal, and Komodo.

(Avengers: The Initiative#27) - The Shadow Initiative, after a brief period of training, stormed the Negative Zone gates and started fighting for 42. Among their enemies were Blastaar's alien hordes and inmates, such as Hardball, Arthur Nagan, Condor, and Dragon Man. Slaughter Boy, Blackwing, and Johnny Guitar were the first killed. Firearms soon panicked and was killed at the gate trying to escape. Bengal and Komodo used Butterball to get them in close. The Shadow Initiative moved in until Dragon Man attacked, but that turned to their favor when he began defending the injured Komodo. The tables turned when Hardball began aiding the Initiative, then Taskmaster, Constrictor, Penance, Living Laser, and Scorcher came in to take care of the rest. The survivors of the Initiative began understanding their true place in the Initiative now.

COMMENTS: Created by Jay Faerber Steve Scott & Karl Kerschl

For unknown reasons, when Nova disguised as Firestrike comes to the Heavy Mettle's headquaters, he mistakenly calls Riot Decibel. Later Decibel calls himself Riot in the same issue .

Profile by: The Beetle

CLARIFICATIONS:
Heavy Mettle is not to be confsed with:

Joe Manfredi is the son of:

Barracuda is not to be confused with:

  • Captain Barracuda @ Strange Tales I#120
  • Barracuda of the Old West, aka Captain Barracuda, as well, @ Kid Colt#109
  • Cuda, short for Barracuda, @ Darkhawk#33
  • Barracuda, the song by Heart, the hardest rocking women in the business.

Blackwing is not to be confused with:

  • Blackwing, a.k.a Joe Manfredi, a.k.a Joe Silvermane @Daredevil I#118
  • any other "Black" or "Wing" characters

Riot is not to be confused with:

  • Riot, aka Heidi Slatkin @Skull Kill Krew#1
  • Riot 2099, Ryan Wingfoot, @ Fantastic Four 2099#1, 4
  • Riot-Act @Marvel: The Lost Generation#12
  • Riot Squad, agents of the Leader, @ Incredible Hulk II#345, 366

Stronghold is not to be confused with:

  • Stronghold of the Ultraverse, former headquarters of Rachel Deming's exiles, @ Exiles (uv) I#1
  • Stranglehold @X-Force#84
  • Strong Guy, a.k.a Guido Carosella @New Mutants I#29
  • Strongarm, of Omega Flight, @Alpha Flight I#110
  • Strongarm, a.k.a Cary Armstrong @Spectacular Spider-Man Super Special#1
  • or any other "Strong" characters

Warbow is not to be confused with:

  • Warbow, one of the Crystal Warriors of Crystallium, @ Crystar#1
  • any other "War" or "Bow" characters

Joe Manfredi/Joe Silvermane/Blackwing - The son of crimeboss Silvio "Silvermane" Manfredi, Joe Manfredi himself has been a costumed supervillain himself known as Blackwing, but after his defeat by the Thunderbolts as a member of the Masters of Evil, Joe Manfredi decided to retire as a costumed supervillain, and stay on as crimeboss. He founded is own superarmy.

He'll get a full entry eventually


Firestrike

The leader of the Heavy Mettle, who was also Dalton Beck a arson investigator, who became romantically involved with Mickey Musashi, aka the New Warrior Turbo
 


Barracuda

 

Barracuda's armor gives her the ability to breath underwater, besides giving her superhuman strength. Besides that Barracuda uses a metal staff

 

-- New Warriors II#4 (New Warriors II#4, 7, Avengers: The Initiative#26

 

 

 

 


Blackwing

 

Female member of the Heavy Mettle, who has taken over Joe Manfredi's old identity, her armor gives her the ability to fly

 

-- New Warriors II#4 (New Warriors II#4, 7, Avengers: The Initiative#26

 

 

 

 


Riot

 

Riot's armor gives him the ability to create superstrong soundwaves, enought to knock down a man.

He is also referred to as Decibel

-- New Warriors II#4 (New Warriors II#4, 7, Avengers: The Initiative#26

 

 

 

 

 


Stronghold

 

The strongest of the team, Stronghold wears an armor which gives her superhuman strength

 

-- New Warriors II#4 (New Warriors II#4, 7, Avengers: The Initiative#26


Warbow

 

Warbow is proficient in the use of bows, he uses special arrows

(Avengers: The Initiative#28) - When the Heavy Hitters (Nonstop, Prodigy, Telemetry) succeeded from the Initiative, Osborn sent the Force of Nature (Aqueduct, Skybreaker, Sunstreak, Terraformer), the U-Foes (Ironclad, Vapor, Vector, X-Ray), Freedom Force (Challenger, Cloud-9, Equinox, Think Tank), members of the Shadow Initiative (Badd Axe, Ringer (Keith Kraft), Warbow), and other trainees (Brother Grimm, Griffin, Scorcher, Razor-Fist) to attack them. They briefly battled the Avengers Resistance (Debrii, Gauntlet (Joseph Green), Justice (Vance Astrovik), Night Thrasher (Donyell Taylor), Rage, Scarlet Spider, Slapstick, Tigra, Ultragirl). Prodigy and Night Thrasher were captured, but the others escaped.

(Avengers: The Initiative#32) - Forced by Osborn into attacking Asgard with dozens of other Initiative recruits, Warbow panicked and tried to flee, but was shot down in a hail of arrows and presumably killed.

-- New Warriors II#4 (New Warriors II#4, 7, Avengers: The Initiative#26, 28, 32

 

 

 


Appearances:
New Warriors II#2 (November, 1999) - Jay Faerber (writer), Steve Scott (pencils), Walden Wong (inks), Bobbie Chase (editor)
New Warriors II#4 (January, 2000) - Jay Faerber (writer), Karl Kerschl (pencils), Walden Wong (inks), Bobbie Chase (editor)
New Warriors II#7 (April, 2000) - Jay Faerber (writer), Jamal Igle (pencils), Walden Wong (inks), Bobbie Chase (editor)
Avengers: The Initiative#26 (September-October, 2009) - Christos Gage (writer), Rafa Sandoval (penciler), Roger Bonet (inker), Jeannine Schaefer (editor)
Avengers: The Initiative#28 (November, 2009) - Christos Gage (writer), Rafa Sandoval (penciler), Roger Bonet (inker), Bill Rosemann (editor)
Avengers: The Initiative#32 (March, 2010) - Christos Gage (writer), Mahmud Asrar (penciler), Rebecca Buchman (inker), Bill Rosemann (editor)


First Posted: 02/26/2002
Last updated: 02/25/2014

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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