IMPASSE

Real Name: Unrevealed

Identity/Class: Human mutate

Occupation: Assassin

Affiliations: formerly Caesar Cicero

Enemies: Iron Fist, Maxine Lavender, Misty Knight, Power Man (Cage), Vienna, Colleen Wing

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: Manhattan, New York

First Appearance: Power Man and Iron Fist#101 (January, 1984)

Powers/Abilities: Impasse carries and can spread a deadly toxin on contact. This acts almost instantly on its victim. He used a gun to shoot a highly concentrated mist containing the toxin, which can incapacitate others (even superhumans) in seconds. Spreading the toxin by contact works more slowly, although repeated contract speeds its action. When spread by contact, the toxin may take several minutes or more to overcome its victim. The toxin is uniformly fatal within a few days, although there is a specific vaccine, which apparently allows the victim to recover almost instantly.

History:
(Power Man and Iron Fist#101 (fb)-BTS) - The man who would become Impasse once worked for Caesar Cicero. The crimeboss once got a drug charge dropped against the man, who wold never forget the only nice thing anyone had ever done for him.
The man then went overseas and got busted for smuggling. He was given a choice--go to jail or let the country's scientists experiment on him with germ warfare. The experiments succeeded, and then the man, now calling himself Impasse, stole a germ warfare gun from his captors, escaped, and returned to the USA.

(Power Man and Iron Fist#101) - Impasse used his gun to infect Power Man and Iron Fist, because they had caused trouble for Caesar Cicero. He then met with Cicero and revealed both his identity and his plans to make Cicero the head of the New York Crimelords. Cicero--realizing this guy was crazy and that the attacks on Luke and Danny would bring down a heap o' trouble on his head--was terrified of Impasse.
Meanwhile, Vienna had been hired by the unnamed foreign government to retrieve--or at least stop him from using--the weapon Impasse had stolen. She set the Daughters of the Dragon (Colleen and Misty) after Cicero, who revealed Impasse's involvement. Impasse went after Maxine Lavender, the assistant District Attorney, who was trying a case against Cicero. He was driven off by Vienna and the Daughters of the Dragon--but not before infecting Colleen by contact. Vienna allowed Impasse to steal her car, which contained a tracking device.
Impasse confronted Cicero, furious over his betrayal, but was stopped from killing him by Colleen and Misty. Just before collapsing, Colleen destroyed his gun. Misty knocked him out, but was infected in the process. Vienna showed up with the vaccine, charged the Daughters $20, 000 for it, saved all those infected, and walked off.

Comments: Created by Steven Grant and Geof Isherwood

This issue was part of the "Assistant Editor's Month," featuring Linda Grant taking over for Dennis O'Neil.

***CAUTION--(Medical) TIRADE ALERT***

Ah, the world of fiction and its knowledge of medicine. Two things you will always see, which will always be wrong:

• 1) Antibiotics used to overcome a virus. Antibiotics work pretty much only against bacteria. There are a few antiviral drugs designed specifically to work against viruses, but these are different from antibiotics.
  This is sort of a moot point, though, as antibiotics are often used to fight the secondary, opportunistic bacteria that may attack a body weakened by a virus. In addition, I don't think they actually referred to the toxin in this story as a virus. In fact, given the sliding timescale and the rapidity of inset onset and resolution, it could be nanotech, for all we know.
• 2) Diabetes. People with Diabetes do not need insulin to prevent them from becoming hypoglycemic (low blood sugar). Depending on the type of Diabetes Mellitus (that's the sugar-related one), people (and animals) either don't produce enough insulin, or they can't utilize it. Insulin LOWERS blood sugar. People who don't take their insulin get HIGH blood sugar, which over a period of days or more can result in severe metabolic problems, infections, and eventually cataracts, loss of limbs (from complications), or even death.
  However, in almost every movie you will see and in almost every book you will read, the people seem to need their insulin or their blood sugar drops rapidly and they seizure or go into a coma. This is wrong. This is stupid. This perpetuates ignorance, which can result in fatal complications of others.
  Sorry, but this is a very frustrating point.

***OK, YOU'RE SAFE NOW***

and the profile is over.

CLARIFICATIONS:
Not so much

Appearances:
Power Man and Iron Fist#101 (January, 1984) - Steven Grant (writer), Geof Isherwood (pencils), Andy Mushynsky (inks), Linda Grant (editor)

First Posted: 10/27/2002
Last updated: 10/27/2002

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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