BACKFIRE

Real Name: George (last name unrevealed)

Identity/Class: Alternate reality (New Universe) human (Canadian) paranormal

Occupation: Professional mercenary

Group Membership: Medusa Web (Babel, Dustoff, Electrique, Gatto di Sangue, Imprint, Potiphar, Skybreaker, Thunderhead, Troublemaker)

Affiliations: Babel, C.I.A., Dustoff, Electrique, Gatto di Sangue, Imprint, Justice, Potiphar, Psi-Force, Skybreaker, Thunderhead, Troublemaker

Enemies: Rodstvow, the Siberian Project, Jake Travest
(former) Psi-Force

Known Relatives: unidentified ex-wife, unidentified mother

Aliases: "McPheeters"

Base of Operations: Mobile

First Appearance: Psi-Force I#18 (April, 1988)

Powers/Abilities: Backfire has the parability to cause any attack of force made against him to "backfire"; this seems to cause projectiles to miss him. Backfire's power only seems to work when he's concentrating on the attack.

    Backfire carries a handgun but because he once shot himself in the foot he doesn't keep lives rounds in it. Backfire is a poor fighter; he can speak French.

Height: Unrevealed (approximately 5'11")
Weight: Unrevealed (approximately 185 lbs.)
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Black

History:

(Psi-Force I#18 (fb) - BTS) - George became a parnormal following the White Event (July 22, 1986) caused by the Star Brand, gaining the parability to cause any attack against him to 'backfire.' At some point he joined the mercenary forces of the Medusa Web. He was given the alias "Backfire" but in his opinion, code names were "pretty stupid." He worked with fellow paranormal Electrique more than once and had a testy relationship with her, complaining about how reckless she was in the field, forcing him to "clean up" after her; at least one of these field missions was in Cairo, Egypt.

(Psi-Force I#18 (fb)) - At some point George purchased a gun. However, he accidentally shot himself in the foot. He swore that from then on he would only keep blank rounds in the gun.

(Psi-Force I#18) - The C.I.A. hired the Medusa Web to capture Psi-Force for them after the team's San Francisco home Sanctuary was destroyed (by the paranormal Rodstvow). On December 12, 1987, Backfire, Imprint and Thunderhead found Psi-Force's Wayne Tucker living in a hotel in Seattle, Washington where he was romancing Lindsey Falmon. The three mercenaries monitored Tucker from a van outside the hotel. Backfire reported to their leader, Babel, who told them to deploy Electrique against Tucker, despite Backfire's misgivings.

    On December 18, 1987, Electrique attacked Tucker in the hotel but needlessly assaulted two civilians, knocking them out a window to their apparent deaths. Backfire and Thunderhead ran into the hotel as Backfire complained about once again "cleaning up" after her. The two men clashed with Tucker on the first floor as Electrique caught up to them but Lindsey drove her car through a window to help Tucker escape; a piece of debris caught Backfire by surprise and briefly stunned him while Tucker forced Thunderhead to attack Electrique as a diversion. Once he'd recovered, Backfire tried to tell Electrique in French to depart but she mocked his poor French before exiting. When the Seattle police arrived, Backfire claimed he was a government agent named "McPheeters" and that Thunderhead was his partner. Electrique caught up to Tucker and Falmon near the Space Needle but Tucker's teammate Tyrone Jessup disrupted Electrique's form, possibly killing her. Backfire, Thunderhead and the Seattle police surrounded Tucker, Jessup and Falmon. Jessup unleashed a sonic attack against them but Backfire was unaffected and held his gun to Falmon's head, threatening to shoot her. However, Falmon was a paranormal and her parability activated; as she could psychically see into past events involving objects she saw Backfire's earlier incident with his gun. Realizing the gun held blanks she told Tucker; Tucker promptly punched Backfire in the face, breaking his nose. Tucker, Jessup and Falmon fled Seattle and headed towards Canada. Backfire reported to Babel that Electrique was possibly dead and Thunderhead badly injured but Babel ordered them to continue their pursuit of Tucker, Jessup and Falmon.

(Psi-Force I#20) - On February 15, 1988, Thunderhead, Backfire and Imprint tracked Tucker and Falmon to a hotel in Victoria, Vancouver Island, British Columbia and resumed monitoring them. When Jessup found them spying on the hotel Thunderhead explained to him the C.I.A. had cancelled the Medusa Web's contract; their purpose now was to offer Tucker, Falmon and Jessup membership in the Medusa Web. The next day, Thunderhead, Imprint and Backfire monitored Tucker, Falmon and Jessup as they discussed and rejected the idea of joining the Medusa Web. Thunderhead noted to his allies that the American government was bound to find Tucker and his friends as well.

(Psi-Force I#21) - On February 29, 1988, the C.I.A. sent Jake Travest in the M.A.X. armor to capture Tucker and Jessup. Travest captured Tucker and brought him to a park in Victoria to await Jessup's appearance. Backfire, Imprint and Thunderhead offered to help Falmon, sharing the resources of their monitoring van with her. Backfire collected a shell casing left behind from the M.A.X. armor and gave it to Falmon so she could use her parability for insight into Travest. They followed Travest to the park; although Travest fired guns at Backfire, none of them struck him. Thunderhead and Tucker worked together to incapacitate Travest and Jessup arrived to short out the armor. Tucker declined to join the Medusa Web at that moment but requested their help in getting back into the USA so he could rescue the other members of Psi-Force.

(Psi-Force I#29) - On October 5, 1988, Backfire accompanied the Medusa Web on a mission to rescue Psi-Force from the Siberian Project. Backfire remained in the team's heavy transport helicopter while Justice and other mercenaries rescued Psi-Force.

(Psi-Force I#30) - Rodstvow attempted to kill Justice, Psi-Force, the Medusa Web and even his fellow members of Red Star. Tucker used his telepathy to plan a joint attack of all the paranormals against Rodstvow. Babel ordered Backfire to remain close to Tucker to deflect any attacks Rodstvow might make against him. Backfire's allies focused their ranged attacks on one of Rodstvow's shoulders until they could crack his protective shell. Even after cracking open Rodstvow's shell and killing him his skeletal form remained animated and continued its assault until they manipulated Dehman Doosha into unleashing his pryokinesis against the skeleton and completely eradicated him.

Comments: Created by Fabian Nicieza, Ron Lim and Romeo Tanghal.

    When Backfire spoke French to Electrique in Psi-Force I#18 she complained "Your French is as pathetic as your fighting skills." It's possible that, as a Canadian, Backfire speaks decent Quebecois French but that Electrique, as a speaker of Parisian French, disdains the dialect; then again, maybe Backfire's French really is that bad.

    Backfire's nationality was revealed on the letters page of Psi-Force I#24.

    Backfire appeared as one of the portraits in the Medusa Web's Los Angeles offices seen in Psi-Force I#26. He also appeared as a figure in Thomas Boyd's mind in Psi-Force I#22.

Profile by Prime Eternal.

CLARIFICATIONS:
Backfire should not be confused with:

images: (without ads)
Psi-Force I#21, page 11, panel 3 (main)
Psi-Force I#18, page 16, panel 6 (face)

Appearances:
Psi-Force I#18 (April, 1988) - Fabian Nicieza (writer), Ron Lim (pencils), Romeo Tanghal (inks), Howard Mackie (editor)
Psi-Force I#20-21 (June-July, 1988) - Fabian Nicieza (writer), Ron Lim (pencils), Mike Witherby (inks), Howard Mackie (editor)
Psi-Force I#29-30 (March-April, 1989) - Fabian Nicieza (writer), Rodney Ramos (pencils), Chris Ivy (inks), Howard Mackie (editor)

First posted: 10/24/2026
Last updated: 10/24/2026

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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