TORPEDO
Real Name: Michael Stivak
Identity/Class: Human technology user
Occupation: Something specializing in advanced technology
Group Membership: None
Affiliations: Torpedo (Brock Jones)
Enemies: Daredevil (Matt Murdock), Kligger; Dire Wraiths (unbeknownst to him)
Known Relatives: Eugene Stivak (aka Kligger, uncle)
Aliases: None
Base of Operations: Manhattan, New York;
formerly Yugoslavia
First Appearance: Daredevil I#126 (October, 1975)
Powers/Abilities: Michael Stivak was a skilled technological developer.
The costume granted him the ability to fly, project
bursts of concussive force, and punch with superhuman force (800 lbs. to
25 tons). He could reach speeds of 2500 mph and could punch through
armored aircraft. He could project concussive force from his gauntlets
as well.
The Torpedo armor was bulletproof and could also absorb and harmlessly
dissipate large amounts of radiation.
Height: 5'10"
Weight: 180 lbs.
Eyes: Unrevealed
Hair: Gray
History:
(Official Handbook of the Marvel
Universe Deluxe Edition#20: Torpedo - BTS / Rom#21 (fb - BTS) /
Daredevil#127 (fb - BTS)) - Kligger, the head of the East Coast branch
of the Corporation,
was also involved with the extraterrestrials known as the Dire Wraiths.
The Wraiths sought his aid in creating a battle-suit powerful enough to
defeat their enemy, Rom--it was for this reason that Kligger enlisted
his nephew, Michael, to build a battle-suit. Kligger duped Michael (who
still resided in Yugoslavia) into believing that the suit was
being designed for national defense; at the same time, Kligger duped his
superiors in the Corporation into believing that the suit was being
designed to assist in the Corporation's covert takeover of the USA.
Michael may have been given a set of initial plans from Wraith
scientists.
Michael Stivak had perfected the battle-suit, but then learned of his uncle's plans (or at least those that he had told the Corporation). Angered at the betrayal, Michael designed a much less powerful costume (which would be used to create the inferior Rocketeer series of suits) and presented it to his uncle. However, Kligger learned of the existence of the more powerful suit and tried to steal the suit's only existing plans. Michael donned the suit, took the name "The Torpedo," and set out to destroy the suit's plans, which were kept in a bank vault in New York.
(Daredevil I#126) - Michael Stivak began stealing all evidence and/or plans for the Torpedo suit's development. Due to the fact that he was breaking into vaults and causing public destruction, he was mistaken for a criminal by both the New York Police Department and Daredevil. Daredevil fought the Torpedo, who was so single-minded in his quest that he would not stop to explain his actions, but rather engaged in the stereotypical mistaken-identities/motives battle, which spilled into an office building.
Stivak managed to overpower Daredevil, and was going to deliver a fatal punch; but when the elevator doors behind Daredevil opened, Stivak was forced to redirect his punch to prevent himself from killing an innocent man inside the elevator car. Stivak's redirected punch caused the building to collapse, fatally injuring him; Daredevil was buried as well, but eventually made his way topside, relatively unharmed.
The man who had been in the elevator, Brock Jones, was uninjured, and having been a former professional football player, he managed to dodge the collapsing debris. Jones pulled Stivak from the rubble, but Stivak knew he wouldn't survive, so he told Jones his story and explained that it was vitally important that his uncle not get hold of the Torpedo costume. Feeling somewhat responsible for Stivak's death, Jones decided to complete his mission for him. After Stivak died, Jones put on the Torpedo costume and became his successor.
Meanwhile, as Daredevil came to the surface, he saw the Torpedo standing over the body of Stivak (whom Jones had dressed in his own clothes), and mistakenly assumed that Jones was the same man he had been fighting. Daredevil accused the Torpedo (Jones) of being a murderer, and (of course) another mistaken-identities-battle ensued.
(Daredevil I#127) - The corpse of Michael Stivak (clad in Brock Jones' business suit) was seen laying in the rubble of the building--presumably, it was soon thereafter taken to the morgue.
Comments: Created by Marv Wolfman and Bob Brown.
Daredevil's hearing failed to differentiate the Stivak and Jones Torpedoes because the noise of the turbines in the costume's engines covered up his heartbeat or any other identifying structure.
Contrary to the appearance on the Gil Kane-cover (see main image), the Torpedo suit had red goggles (see headshot).
And Stivak in the Torpedo suit can be seen in Brock Jones' one-panel memory flashback in Marvel Premiere I#39--there may be other such flashback appearances any time Jones' reviewed how he got his suit, but Stivak himself didn't return after his death.--Ron Fredricks
New and additional images by Ron Fredricks.
Profile by Snood.
CLARIFICATIONS:
Torpedo (Michael Stivak) should be distinguished from:
images: (without ads)
Daredevil I#126, cover (main image - Torpedo)
Daredevil I#126, p6, pan4 (headshot - Torpedo)
Daredevil I#126, p6, pan5 (Torpedo flies from robbery)
Daredevil I#126, p17, pan4 (dying Torpedo speaks to Brock Jones [left])
Daredevil I#127, p1, pan1 (deceased Michael Stivak out of Torpedo costume, wearing Brock Jones' clothes)
Appearances:
Daredevil I#126 (October, 1975) - Marv Wolfman (writer/editor), Bob Brown (layouts/breakdowns), Klaus Janson (finished art/inks), Michele Wolfman (colors), Irv Watanabe (letters)
Daredevil I#127 (November, 1975) - Marv Wolfman (writer/editor), Bob Brown (pencils), Klaus Janson (inks), Petra Goldberg (colors), Joe Rosen (letters)
First posted: 01/12/2003
Last updated: 09/19/2025
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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