SCRAP IRON
Earth-148611
Real Name: John Rost
Identity/Class: Alternate reality (Earth-148611) human Paranormal
Occupation: Patient
Group Membership: The Clinic for Paranormal Research Therapy Group D (Terry Wilke, Merriam Sorensen, Dwight Frye, Jim Walkins)
Affiliations: Bazooka (Dwight Frye), Dementia (Deborah Brownlea), Lenore Fenzl, Indigo (Dionne McQuaid), Interface (Pamela Leighton), Dave Landers, Naslund, Tanis Newhouse, Shock (Sally Gallagher), Sponge (Merriam Sorensen), Squirm (Jim Walkins), Stalagmite (Curtis Smith), Thrust (Terry Wilke), Wormhole (Martin Murken)
Enemies: Deputies of the county sheriff's office
Known Relatives: None
Aliases: None
Base of Operations: The Clinic for Paranormal Research, Wisconsin, USA
First Appearance: (unidentified) D.P.7 I#13 (November, 1987);
(identified) D.P.7 I#17 (March, 1988)
Powers/Abilities: John Rost has the ability to make his body steel hard and highly impervious to harm but it limits his mobility and speed.
Height: Unrevealed (approximately 6'2")
Weight: Unrevealed (approximately 195 lbs.)
Eyes: Blue
Hair: Silvery-white
History:
(D.P.7 I#19/The Clinic profile) - John Rost was a paranormal who gained
his abilities following the White Event (a cosmic event caused by the Starbrand).
On February 28, 1987, Rost became a patient at the Clinic for
Paranormal Research in Wisconsin and was assigned to Therapy Group D
which included Terry Wilke, Merriam Sorensen, Dwight Frye and Jim
Walkins. Rost was given the nickname "Scrap Iron."
(D.P.7 I#13) - When Dave Landers returned to the Clinic after a period away from the facilities, he visited the exercise room to assist his friend Randy O'Brien in his physical rehabilitation. Scrap Iron and his friend Bazooka were in the exercise room spotting each other on the free weights. Landers asked if they were done with the free weights. Bazooka replied they weren't but could rotate him in. Bazooka asked if he could squat 300 rounds. Landers replied he wasn't doing squats, he was doing curls - and demonstrated with the 300-pound bar. Scrap Iron and Bazooka were both shocked to see how strong Dave was.
(D.P.7 I#17) - After Bazooka joined the Black Powers gang at the Clinic, Scrap Iron accused him of "puttin' on airs." One day in the exercise room, Scrap Iron told Bazooka to "cut it out," which started a fight between them. Unleashing their paranormal abilities against each other, they smashed a hole through a wall and continued fighting in the hallway, just narrowly missing Charlotte Beck and Squirm as they clashed. Finally, Dave Landers and Stalagmite intervened on behalf of security. Landers kneed Bazooka in the groin while Stalagmite simply sat on Scrap Iron, using his paranormal weight powers to confine him.
Landers and Stalagmite brought Scrap Iron and Bazooka to the office of Tanis Newhouse, the Clinic director, where she demanded an explanation for their actions. Scrap Iron explained what had started the fight, to which Miss Newhouse wondered if that was sufficient grounds for causing thousands of dollars of damage to the building. Scrap Iron had to sheepishly admit he was wrong and Miss Newhouse promised they would both have to pay restitutions for the damage their fight caused.
Later, when the Clinic held a gathering for all the patients, Scrap Iron attended. He assumed Miss Newhouse was going to lecture everyone about property damage but instead she called on the patients to return to their assigned Therapy Groups. At this, the gathering turned violent when Bazooka fired a blast from his hand at fellow patient Tangler, knocking him out of the building. Again angered at his old friend, Scrap Iron started fighting Bazooka while all the patients clashed with each other. The riot ended when Lenore Fenzl used her paranormal power to drain energy from them to temporarily tranquilize everyone in the room.
(D.P.7 I#18) - After a brief skirmish between fellow patients Charlotte Beck and Indigo, Scrap Iron was one of several patients who looked out into the hallway, wondering what was going on. Dave Landers insisted the problem was over. As Pamela Leighton was worried whether everything was safe, Landers asked Scrap Iron to escort her to her room and stay with her until she felt safe.
(D.P.7 I#21) - After former clinic staffer Abner Heath alerted the media and the police to the true nature of the Clinic, the local sheriff and deputies from his office came to investigate the Clinic. When Bazooka reacted violently to the deputies' presence and killed one of them, a conflict soon escalated throughout the Clinic as the deputies began opening fire on the Clinic's patients. Scrap Iron was in a hallway with fellow patients Pamela and Sally Gallagher when the gunshots erupted. Afraid of what it might mean, the three of them decided to make a run for it and attempted to escape the Clinic. John told Sally to use her electrical shock powers to disarm one of the deputies as they ran past. Sally's blast caused the deputy to drop his pistol but another deputy armed with a shotgun retaliated by blasting Sally in the back. Enraged, John attacked the deputy, who fired his shotgun point blank into John's chest but had no effect due to John's paranormal power. John grabbed the deputy's shotgun and yelled "They call me Scrap Iron, creep-- mention my name to the Devil when ya see 'im!" He proceeded to club the deputy to death with the butt of the shotgun.
The assault on the Clinic continued to escalate as many of the patients joined forces against the deputies. Scrap Iron was seen charging towards the sheriff, the sheriff's shotgun having no effect on him. Pamela was shot during the firefight and in the aftermath, Scrap Iron was seen carrying her body. The deaths of so many patients, Clinic staff members and deputies caused the Clinic to be permanently shut down.
Comments: Created by Mark Gruenwald, Paul Ryan and Danny Bulanadi.
Immediately following D.P.7 I#21, Bazooka turned up in the U.S. Army due to the draft. One can assume that all the adult male paranormals who were at the Clinic when it was closed were likewise drafted into the army but it wasn't confirmed whether Scrap Iron was one of them.
Although Pamela ("Interface") flirted with Randy O'Brien a few times, it does seem like John might have become involved with her behind-the-scenes, based on Landers asking him to escort her to her room in issue D.P.7 I#18 and that he was hanging out with her in #21 when the siege began. Also note that he was carrying her body after the siege. It wasn't confirmed whether Pamela died in the firefight or not.
Profile by Prime Eternal.
CLARIFICATIONS:
Scrap Iron should not be confused with:
images: (without ads)
D.P. 7 I#21, page 19, panel 1 (Scrap Iron, main)
D.P. 7 I#19/the Clinic, page 4, John Rost entry (Scrap Iron, face)
Appearances:
D.P.7 I#13 (November, 1987) - Mark Gruenwald (writer), Paul Ryan (penciler), Danny Bulanadi (inker), Howard Mackie (editor)
D.P.7 I#17 (March, 1988) - Mark Gruenwald (writer), Paul Ryan (penciler), Danny Bulanadi (inker), Howard Mackie (editor)
D.P.7 I#18 (April, 1988) - Mark Gruenwald (writer), Paul Ryan (penciler), Danny Bulanadi (inker), Howard Mackie (editor)
D.P.7 I#21 (July, 1988) - Mark Gruenwald (writer), Paul Ryan (penciler), Danny Bulanadi (inker), Howard Mackie (editor)
First posted: 06/09/2025
Last updated:
06/09/2025
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
Non-Marvel Copyright info
All other characters mentioned or pictured are ™ and © 1941-2099 Marvel
Characters, Inc. All Rights Reserved. If you like this stuff, you
should check out the real thing!
Please visit The Marvel Official Site at: http://www.marvel.com
Special Thanks to http://www.g-mart.com/ for hosting the Appendix, Master List, etc.!