LT. MARC STONE

Real Name: Marcus Stone

Identity/Class: Human

Occupation: Police lieutenant

Group Membership: Code: Blue

Affiliations: Annex, Avengers, Black Panther, Captain America, Cloak, Code: Gray, Dagger, Daredevil, Alex DePaul, Diamondback, Earth Force, Vinnie Evans, Excalibur, Fantastic Force, Fantastic Four, Nick Fury, Gods of Asgard, Hercules, Hermod, Jose Hidalgo, Kevin Masterson, New Warriors, Foggy Nelson, Mary Jane Watson-Parker, Franklin Richards, Valeria Richards, Thomas Rizzo, S.H.I.E.L.D., Sif, Spider-Man, Spider-Man (Ben Reilly), Stellaris, Thor, Thunderstrike, Warriors Three, Yancy Stret Gang

Enemies: Absorbing Man, Battlestar, Beetle, Brute Benhurst, Bloodaxe, Cadre, Carjack, Chloe, Darkhawk, Leila Davis, Dead Ringer, Demogoblin, Diablo, Doombot, D'Spayre, Evilhawk, Georgie the Gyp, Glump, Grey Gargoyle, Kai-Ra, Klaw, Kenneth and Kevin Krask, Kronin Krask, Loki, Man-Eater, Officer Z.E.R.O., Pandara, Peacekeepers, Armand Pelps, Phage, Steven Polk, the Purple Man, Ren-Tech, Resistants, Richie Cool, Rock Trolls, St. Johnny, Sandman, Scorpion, She-Hulk (Earth-A), Shocker, Silver Sable, Thermal Man, Thornn, Thunderbolts, Time-Bot, Titania, Ulik, Uroc, Venom (Eddie Brock), Wrecking Crew, Jim Young

Known Relatives: unnamed father (deceased), unnamed ex-wife

Aliases: "Loot"

Base of Operations: Code: Blue Headquarters, NYPD precinct, Metro Division, Manhattan, New York

First Appearance: Thor I#404 (June, 1989)

Powers/Abilities: Lt. Stone is a dedicated police officer, distrusting of vigilantes and determined to capture any lawbreaker, no matter how powerful he may be. He wields a variety of conventional police weapons, including rifles, handguns, and grenades. He has also used plasma guns and grenade launchers. Stone wears a SWAT uniform which provides body armor, and wears a headset to communicate with his team.

History: (Thor I#492 (fb) - BTS) - When Marc Stone was a child, his father would take him out to see nature, and quizzed him on what kinds of trees and plants they saw. As a result, Stone retained keen knowledge of plantlife even in his adult years.

(Thunderstrike#14/2 (fb) - BTS) - However, later in his life, Stone recalled that his father was abusive toward him. Even after becoming a police officer, Stone kept this secret from his friends.

(Thor I#404) - Lt. Stone assisted in the arrest of Brute Benhurst after he had briefly wielded the power of the Executioner, only to lose it following a battle with Thor.

(Thor I#409) - Lt. Stone and his partner Vinnie Evans examined weapons which had been confiscated from "Georgie the Gyp" and "Richie Cool", a pair of small-time thugs. Stone did not suspect that their supplier was Dr. Doom. Doom later sent his Time-Bot to the precinct, and Stone joined with the other officers present in battling it, but their guns were no match for the robot's powerful exterior shell. Thor and Hercules soon arrived to take care of the robot while Lt. Stone and his men arrested Georgie the Gyp and Richie Cool.

(Thor I#414) - To appease his wife, Stone agreed to to resign as a police officer to prevent her from divorcing him. On his last day, Evans convinced Stone to accompany him in confronting Loki, who had assumed the guise of a businessman taking over local crime syndicates. Loki noted that the two policemen had no evidence against him, and dismissed him. Stone and Evans then heard that a "double zero" (superhuman battle) was going on in the warehouse district, and they decided to head in.

When they arrived, they found the Rock Troll Ulik battling Hercules and Thor simultaneously, and seemingly holding the upper hand. Stone was determined to assist the two heroes, even though the odds were stacked against him. Ulik managed to K.O. both Thor and Hercules, and fled the scene, but Stone pursued him. Stone tracked Ulik to the roof of a building, and in combat, Ulik smashed his rifle. As Ulik attempted to continue in his escape, Stone pulled out his handgun and informed Ulik he was under arrest. Even though Stone himself noted that he couldn't possibly bring Ulik down, he refused to quit, and emptied his gun at Ulik. The final bullet from Stone's gun struck Ulik in the temple, and caused him fall from the roof, into an electric sign, and onto the pavement. Ulik was arrested, and Stone threw away his resignation papers.

(Thor I#426) - Lt. Stone became the leader of Code: Blue, a special SWAT team designed to combat superhuman menaces. They were first called into action when the Wrecking Crew took a hostage. Although Stone was skeptical of whether or not they could succeed at their mission, the hostage was safely rescued.

(Thor I#427) - Lt. Stone oversaw part of Code: Blue training by testing them under live ammo on the firing range. Later, they set out the site of a battle between Excalibur, Thor and the Wrecking Crew.

(Thor I#428) - Lt. Stone led Code: Blue against the Wrecking Crew in a rematch, and managed to fend off Bulldozer with a grenade launcher. Afterwards, they arrested Bulldozer.

(Deadly Foes of Spider-Man#2) - Lt. Stone led Code: Blue in attempting to capture the Beetle and Leila Davis after they tried to break Boomerang out of the Tombs prison, but the two villains escaped.

(Thor I#432) - Lt. Stone led Code: Blue in raiding Loki's building and rescuing Kevin Masterson from him. After Thor slew Loki in the aftermath, Stone took Thor aside and told him that he disapproved of what he had done. Thor informed Stone that he would be judged by the gods for his actions, and Stone was satisfied by that.

(Thor I#433) - Soon after, Lt. Stone joined Code: Blue in battling Ulik, and nearly had him defeated when the new Thor, Eric Masterson, arrived. Thor ruined their efforts, and it became clear to Stone immediately that he was not the original Thor. Ultimately, Thor was able to help them defeat Ulik by fighting dirty.

(Cloak and Dagger III#19) - Lt. Stone led Code: Blue in attempting to bring down D'Spayre as he fought Cloak and Dagger, but D'Spayre cast them all aside with a wave of his hand. After Cloak and Dagger defeated D'Spayre, their friend Detective Rebecca Niles had Code: Blue assist Cloak and Dagger in bringing down a warehouse where the drug "D'Lite" was being shipped from.

(Thor I#447) - Lt. Stone and Ruiz investigated the scene of a robbery committed by Titania. Spider-Man appeared to offer them his help, but Stone drove him off, having little regard for vigilantes.

(Thor I#448) - Lt. Stone led Code: Blue in battling the Absorbing Man and Titania at a construction site alongside Spider-Man and Thor. The battle finally ended when the Absorbing Man feigned defeat, wanting to spare Titania further carnage.

(Thor I#449) - Just as they were cleaning up after the Absorbing Man and Titania, Code: Blue learned that Uroc was breaking Ulik out of Ryker's Island. Lt. Stone led Code: Blue into battle against them, but was outmatched, and very nearly killed by Ulik. Majowski saved Stone from Ulik, but was gravely wounded as a result. After Ulik and Uroc fled because of the arrival of Thor, Stone insisted that Thor help Code: Blue in apprehending Ulik for what he had done to Majowski.

(Thor I#450) - Against the wishes of Captain Conklin, Lt. Stone led Code: Blue on a mission to Asgard to apprehend Ulik, using Thor to transport them there. They joined Fandral against Kai-Ra, Glump and the Rock Trolls attacking Asgard, then split off from Thor to follow Fandral to the Well of Eternal Tears, where Ulik and Uroc were holding Hogun and Volstagg. Code: Blue managed to save Fandral's friends and destroy Uroc's left hand, while Stone set after Ulik solo. Although Ulik beat Stone badly, breaking his left arm, Stone was able to incapacitate him by tossing a grenade in his mouth. Ulik was left hanging on the edge of the Well of Eternal Tears as a result, and told Stone to kill him, but Stone informed him that his intent was to arrest him and bring him back to Earth. Ulik refused to be humiliated in this way, and cast himself into the Well. Afterwards, while Code: Blue was honored in Asgard, Stone was treated for his injuries but did not partake in the merriment, having lost his suspect.

(Thor I#451) - After the festivities ended, Lt. Stone led Code: Blue back to Earth with Thor's aid.

(Marvel Comics Presents#112/4) - Lt. Stone led Code: Blue in battling the Demogoblin in Riverside Park, and managed to apprehend him.

(Thor I#456) - Lt. Stone led Code: Blue against Bloodaxe to rescue Susan Austin from him, and guided by the astral form of Dr. Strange, he had Fielstein cast a grenade into a whirlwind created by Earth Force's Wind Warrior. The resulting blast cast Bloodaxe into another dimension.

(Fantastic Four I#372) - Lt. Stone led Code: Blue to arrest the Human Torch at Four Freedoms Plaza after he set fire to Empire State University. The Invisible Woman fought back against them, but the Torch surrendered himself into their custody. As they brought him the precinct, the Torch was attacked by his enemies Lyja and Paibok, disguised as people in the crowd, and he broke free from Code: Blue to avoid being killed.

(Darkhawk#23) - Lt. Stone led Code: Blue in battling St. Johnny as he fought Darkhawk. After Darkhawk seemingly killed St. Johnny, they tried to arrest him, but were prevented by the arrival of Evilhawk.

(Darkhawk#24)- Lt. Stone then led Code: Blue in firing upon Evilhawk as he prepared to make off with Darkhawk, but Evilhawk easily shrugged off their weapons and departed.

(Web of Spider-Man Annual#9) - Lt. Stone led Code: Blue in battling the Cadre when they went wild in New York. Stone was affected by the powers of the Cadre member Dementia, causing him to run wild, even shooting at his fellow officers. The Cadre finally escaped with the Knight Templar Chloe, abetted by Spider-Man, who slowed Code: Blue down.

(Spider-Man Unlimited I#1/3) - Lt. Stone led Code: Blue against Cardiac, to prevent him killing white-collar criminal Steven Polk. They managed to save Polk's life, but Cardiac escaped.

(Thunderstrike#1) - Lt. Stone led Code: Blue in arresting Carjack and several of his men, and first encountered the new Thor in his identity as Thunderstrike.

(Sensational She-Hulk#52) - Lt. Stone led Code: Blue in arresting Titania after she was knocked out by the Thing who had helped a weakened She-Hulk in her fight against the villainess.

(Spider-Man Unlimited I#3) - Lt. Stone participated in the arrest of Dr. Octopus after he surrendered to Spider-Man.

(Spider-Man Unlimited I#3/3) - Lt. Stone participated in the arrest of Ren-Tech following their defeat by Annex.

(Thunderstrike#3) - Lt. Stone received the aid of Thunderstrike and Sif in tracking the vigilante Sangre, who was executing members of a child pornography ring. Thanks to information found by Majowski, Stone arrested Armand Pelps, a member of the ring, but Thunderstrike failed to capture Sangre.

(Silver Sable#27) - Lt. Stone led Code: Blue to Central Park in an attempt to capture the Man-Eater after he ran amock. They found themselves at odds with the Man-Eater's employer, Silver Sable, and she sabotaged their efforts to capture him.

(Captain America I#426) - Lt. Stone led Code: Blue in arresting members of the Resistants after they had been defeated by the Super-Patriot (disguised as Captain America). Believing the Super-Patriot to be the real Captain America, Stone did not suspect that the Super-Patriot had attempted to rob an armored car, and invited him to make a statement at their precinct later.

(Captain America I#428) - After Dead-Ringer had been captured by Captain America, Lt. Stone interrogated him about his origins while Captain America and Diamondback watched outside the interrogation room. After Dead-Ringer assumed the form of Snapdragon, a woman Diamondback had killed, Diamondback broke into the room and forced him to name the place where he had found her body. Captain America and Diamondback then left to allow Stone to finish his interrogation.

(Thunderstrike#5) - Lt. Stone was taken captive by S.H.I.E.L.D. along with the rest of Code: Blue and their witness Mary Jane Watson-Parker after allowing Majowski to hack into sealed files on Tantalus to assist in their investigation into the killer Pandara. They were brought to the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier.

(Thunderstrike#6) - Lt. Stone joined Code: Blue in making a break-out from the Helicarrier, and they were finally allowed to depart by Nick Fury. Using information Majowski still possessed, Lt. Stone led Code: Blue, Thunderstrike and Stellaris in searching for Pandara in New York's sewers, battling Tantalus' Peacekeepers. They finally took her captive thanks to the efforts of Blackwulf.

(Thunderstrike#7) - S.H.I.E.L.D. threatened to take Pandara away from Code: Blue, and the rogue agent Simon set her free, but thanks to a tape recorded confession of her activities and the sacrifice of "Jock" Jackson, Lt. Stone was able to secure his arrest on her. Stone was choked up at the loss of Jackson, as he had been the most loyal member of Code: Blue.

(Thunderstrike#8) - Lt. Stone reluctantly led Code: Blue on a field test of the robot Officer Z.E.R.O. When the robot assaulted them, Stone fought back, but could not harm it. It was only by the sacrifice of Z.E.R.O.'s creator Thomas Rizzo that the machine was halted.

(New Warriors Annual#4) - Lt. Stone led Code: Blue alongside the mayor of New York in monitoring the confrontation between Psionex and the New Warriors.

(Thunderstrike#11) - Stone and Conklin met with Thunderstrike after Kevin Masterson was shot. They provided him with information on school shootings, unaware that he was Kevin's father.

(Night Thrasher II#15) - Lt. Stone stood guard with Code: Blue over an AIDS research lab which was being threatened with eviction, but had fallen under the protection of the Hulk. Ultimately, the situation was diffused by Night Thrasher, who paid off the landlord.

(Thunderstrike#13/2) - Lt. Stone met with Captain Conklin, Chief O'Grady and Jim Young of the mayor's office, and learned that Young had Code: Blue in his sights for the amount of money it cost to deploy them. When Young could find no other alternative, he allowed Lt. Stone to lead Code: Blue against a malfunctioning Doombot. Stone relutantly accepted the assistance of the Yancy Street Gang in having it destroyed. Afterward, he learned that the Krask and Krask law firm was suing the city for damages the Doombot caused, blaming Code: Blue for not stopping it sooner.

(Thunderstrike#14/2) - Lt. Stone was forced to take Code: Blue off the field in the midst of a battle with the Wrecker at the behest of Jim Young, who sent Thor to battle the Wrecker for them. When Thor departed, Stone returned to the field, and thanks to information from Majowski, learned the Wrecker was losing his footing within Earth's dimension, and could be cast out if he lost his concentration. Stone had the Wrecker confront his father in order to make him lose concentration, and the plan worked.

(Thunderstrike#15/2) - Stone joined Code: Blue against the Thermal Man at Captain Conklin's orders, despite Young's insistence that they not take missions without his approval. Stone was wounded by one of the Thermal Man's heat blasts at his chest, but survived, and had Code: Blue and Thunderstrike destroy the Thermal Man using adamantium wire they had obtained from Stark Enterprises. In the aftermath, Code: Blue was shut down for not receiving proper authorization.

(Thunderstrike#16/2) - As Stone and the city's lawyer, Foggy Nelson, met with Krask and Krask, they learned that the two Krask brother's father Kronin Krask was still alive, and was using his electrical powers to manipulate the stock exchange. The mayor's office reactivated Code: Blue to face the menace, and they were able to trap Krask within a CD thanks to Code: Gray. The Krask brothers were forced to settle out-of-court, and while Code: Blue and Code: Gray celebrated together, Stone learned that his divorce was going through.

(X-Force I#40) - Lt. Stone led Rassitano, Rigger and detective Jose Hidalgo in apprehending the mutant villain Thornn, whom they found in the sewers of New York. Hidalgo was able to tranquilize her, and Lt. Stone joined Rigger in guarding her while she was in police custody.

(Fantastic Force#1) - Lt. Stone and Rigger took Klaw into custody after his defeat at the hands of the Black Panther and Fantastic Force.

(Fantastic Force#6) - Lt. Stone participated in the arrest of the Grey Gargoyle following his defeat by Fantastic Force.

(Thunderstrike#22) - Lt. Stone led Code: Blue to the scene of a battle between Thunderstrike, Bloodaxe, Quicksand and Mongoose.

(Thunderstrike#23) - Lt. Stone witnessed Thunderstrike's possession by the Bloodaxe and decide to alert the Avengers to what had happened to him.

(Thor I#492) - Lt. Stone and Curzon investigated the remains of mechanical-mystical creatures which had been destroyed in battle with Thor. Lt. Stone identified ash among the remains, setting Curzon off to investigate the background of Asgard.

(Avengers Unplugged#3) - Code: Blue was contacted to deal with the remains of Super-Android F-4, who had been destroyed by Crystal and the Black Widow. Lt. Stone determined that the best way to deal with the ash remains was to vacuum them up.

(Avengers I#398 - BTS/Marvel Vision#5 - Daily Bugle) - Lt. Stone joined Code: Blue in an investigation at Avengers Mansion into the disappearance of Thor and Crystal after a battle with Benedict.

(Sensational Spider-Man#5 - BTS/Marvel Vision#6 - Daily Bugle) - Lt. Stone and Code: Blue investigated a battle between Spider-Man and the Molten Man at the MultiVex Corporation headquarters.

(Venom: The Hunted#3 - BTS/Marvel Vision#7 - Daily Bugle) - When Venom and Phage engaged in a battle within New York, Lt. Stone promised to bring both creatures to justice.

(Spider-Man Unlimited I#13) - Lt. Stone joined Code: Blue in attempting to capture the Scorpion, which was finally accomplished with the assistance of Spider-Man, Iron Fist and Luke Cage. As they took the Scorpion into custody, their van was attacked by the Scorpion's employers, who set him free.

(Journey Into Mystery I#504) - Lt. Stone questioned officer Ericka Velez regarding the death of Red Norvell, and heard Velez's story about her being one of the Lost Gods. Neither was aware at the time that they had known each other before when she was Sif.

(Journey Into Mystery I#505) - Lt. Stone led Code: Blue in battling the Wrecking Crew alongside Spider-Man and the Lost Gods Ericka Velez and Howie Barker (Hermod). With the aid of those heroes, the Wrecking Crew was defeated.

(Journey Into Mystery I#506) - Afterwards when the Wrecker was found badly beaten, Lt. Stone met with Velez and told her that the Wrecker's story matched what she had learned from Red Norvell about the Asgardians. He warned Velez to avoid becoming a vigilante.

(Spider-Man: Hobgoblin Lives#3) - Lt. Stone and Ruiz investigated the site of Betty Leeds' capture by the Hobgoblin, and passed their information along to Spider-Man.

(Fantastic Four III#35-36) - While Diablo assaulted New York, Lt. Stone responded with Code: Blue to fight back. Stone and his men found Blanca Del Tierro, and he introduced her to the Fantastic Four. Blanca proved to be key in defeating Diablo.

(Fantastic Four III#46) - Lt. Stone returned Franklin and Valeria Richards to the Fantastic Four's custody after they were found by Code: Blue.

(New Thunderbolts#3) - Lt. Stone led Code: Blue to the United Nations building while the Thunderbolts attempted to prevent the building from toppling over. Stone threatened to arrest all of the Thunderbolts, but he was prevented by Spider-Man, who disarmed them. Stone was forced to stand by and allow the Thunderbolts to save the day.

(New Thunderbolts#8 - BTS) - Lt. Stone led Code: Blue in response to a call from Speed Demon to arrest the Shocker after he stole from a private estate.

(New Thunderbolts#10) - Lt. Stone was controlled by the Purple Man into leading Code: Blue against Songbird and the Swordsman, but they were halted by the rest of the Thunderbolts.

(New Thunderbolts#12 - BTS) - The Purple Man continued to use Code: Blue as his minions, until the Thunderbolts finally undid the effects of his powers.

(She-Hulk II#21) - Code: Blue apprehended the She-Hulk of Earth-A, who had been impersonating her Earth-616 counterpart. Mr. Fantastic helped Code: Blue return all such Earth-A invaders back to their home planet.

Comments: Created by Tom DeFalco, Ron Frenz and Joe Sinnott.

by Prime Eternal

CLARIFICATIONS:
Marc Stone should not be confused with:

• Stone, of the Chaste, @ Daredevil I#188
• Stone, servant of the Purple Man, @ Daredevil I#134
• Stone, Gerald, partner of Styx, @ Amazing Spider-Man I#309
• Stone, of the Hounds, @ X-Factor I#137
• Stone, of MI-6's Omega Team, aided Freelance Restorations against Fu Manchu, @ Master of Kung Fu II#2
• Stones of Merlin, sought by Dr. Doom, @ Fantastic Four I#5
• Colonel Stone, father of Stellar Stone, commander of Space Sentinels, @ Speed Carter#1
• Chantal Stone, of Tri-Corp Research, @ Amazing Spider-Man II#1
• Chuck Stone, drug addict, ally of Eddie Brock, @ Amazing Spider-Man I#388
• Kron Stone, son of Tyler Stone, Venom 2099, @ Punisher 2099#1
• Nelson Stone of the FBI, superior of Stephanie Briggs and Joe Wade, @ Web of Scarlet Spider#3
• Stellar Stone, of the Space Sentinels, @ Speed Carter#1
• Tiberius Stone, rival of Tony Stark, @ Iron Man III#37
• Tyler Stone, of Alchemax, @ Spider-Man 2099#1
• Roy Stone, of the Leatherneck Raiders/Battlefield Raiders, @ Captain Savage and his Leatherneck Raiders#1