History:
SCUZZ
Real Name: Dennis Michael Cuzinski
Identity/Class: Alternate reality (New Universe) human (former paranormal)
Occupation: Cultist, former high school student
Legal Status: Citizen of the United States with no criminal record
Group Membership: The White Eventists; formerly the DDTeens (Dynamite, Ghost-Driver/Evan Huebner, Mothball/Joel Larson, Quiver/Annie Stevenson, Raindrop/Heather Hanneman, Squirm/Jim Walkins), the Clinic for Paranormal Research's Therapy Group C (Charlotte Beck, Lenore Fenzl, Stephanie Harrington, Dave Landers, Randy O'Brien, Jeff Walters)
Affiliations: Charlotte Beck, Brother Boorman, Michael Crawley, Lenore Fenzl, Ghost-Driver (Evan Huebner), Hannah, Stephanie Harrington, Keso, Dave Landers, Madeline, Father Milius, Mothball (Joel Larson), Randy O'Brien, Mary Perzentka, Quiver (Annie Stevenson), Raindrop (Heather Hanneman), Robert, Dr. Jane Semple, Sponge (Merriam Sorensen), Squirm (Jim Walkins), Jeff Walters
Enemies: Bernard, Bill, the Black Powers (Bazooka/Dwight Frye, Blindspot/Lionel Berry, Chill/Ross Wexler, Indigo), Bloodhound, the Cure (William Wexler), Michael Cuzinski, the Flaming Demons, Fraley, Glenn, Lezar, Maiscott, Perricone, Price, Receptor, Regulator, Reinforcer, Rockow, Seka, Shrapnel, Vice Versa, Philip Nolan Voigt, West
Known Relatives: Michael Cuzinski (father), Shirley Cuzinski (mother, deceased)
Aliases: Scorcher, the Duke of Disintegration
Base of Operations: Manhattan, New York, USA
formerly Sheboygan, Wisconsin, USA
formerly the Clinic for Paranormal Research, south of LaCrosse, Wisconsin, USA
formerly Rhinelander, Wisconsin, USA
Place of Birth: Green Bay, Wisconsin, October 13, 1971
Extent of Education: Ninth grade
Religion: Catholic (non-practicing)
First Appearance: D.P.7 I#1 (November, 1986)
Powers/Abilities: Scuzz's body formerly exuded an unidentified corrosive chemical believed to be some form of molecular acid, which caused materials that came in contact with it to deteriorate. His body secreted the substance through the pores of his skin, with the heaviest secretion occurring where he had the greatest concentration of sweat glands. All of his bodily fluids contained traces of this substance, including his sweat, tears, saliva, blood, glandular fluids and liquid waste products. Apparently his digestive tract could process sufficient nutrients from foodstuffs despite this substance in his system. Scuzz had some degree of control over his body's production of the substance; he could never half the production of this chemical completely, but could accelerate it by working himself into an excited high-adrenaline state. Scuzz's acid-like substance looked like sweat and evaporated as rapidly as perspiration does. When it came into contact with clothing or any other materials, acrid-smalling smoke and fumes were emitted as the chemical broke down the other materials. The maximum strength of its corrossiveness was undetermined. He proved able to "corrode" a wide variety of substances including skin, glass, wood, cinderblock, plastic, aluminum, asbestos and tempered steel. The denser the substance, the logner it took for Scuzz's chemical to dissolve it. The corrosion process stopped the moment the chemical evaporated. Consequently, to break down certain materials required concentrated manipulation of Scuzz's substance. By exciting himself, Scuzz could assume a high-output state he called his "Scorcher" mode. In this state, Scuzz's body turned red as if he had a bad sunburn, made all of his clothing combust and enabled him to manufacture and throw "scuzz-balls" by simply flicking excess moisture off his hands. He could only maintain this energized state for approximately three minutes. When it died down, Scuzz's body was left with a slightly diminished capacity for the production of his corrosive substance. It took approximately 30 minutes before Scuzz's body could regain its normal level of corrosive manufacture. At such time, Scuzz could again work himself into a "Scorcher" mode. At his normal level of corrosive manufacture, Scuzz's clothing lasted about 24 hours before he would completely disintegrate it. In "Scorcher" mode he could completely disintegrate his clothing in about 2 minutes. If Scuzz handled his food too long before eating it, it would spoil. His body's manufacturing of this chemical made physical intimacy with other humans highly problematic.
Height: 5'7"
Weight: 140 lbs.
Eyes: Blue
Hair: Red-blond
History:
(Official Timeline of the New Universe) - On July 22, 1986, Dennis "Scuzz" Cuzinski and a classmate were playing hooky from school in Rhinelander, Wisconsin when they saw the White Event, a cosmic phenomena caused by the Star Brand. Scuzz convinced his classmate the White Event was a nuclear blast.
(D.P.7 Annual I#1) - On August 31, 1986, Scuzz was in his bedroom listening to music as his new paranormal power began to manifest, causing him to slowly disintegrate the bed he was lying on. When his father smelled the smoke he assumed Scuzz had been smoking in bed and angrily confronted him. Scuzz was startled to see his bed smouldering and helped his father smother it. Scuzz's father started to spank him as punishment for smoking but as he did so, the substance coming from Scuzz's body injured him. He finally ended the beating and left Scuzz in his room. Unknown to Scuzz, he was observed by the ghostly paranormal the Witness, who was drawn to paranormals as their powers emerged.
(D.P.7 I#6 (fb) - BTS) - On September 24, 1986, Scuzz's guidance counselor from high school sent him to the Clinic for Paranormal Research for help in controlling his parability. He was placed in Therapy Group C.
(D.P.7 I#1) - On September 29, 1986, Scuzz attended a meeting of Therapy Group C under the guidance of the Clinic's Dr. Jane Semple, who introduced the new patients Dave Landers and Randy O'Brien to the group. At the time, the group also included Charlotte Beck, Lenore Fenzl, Stephanie Harrington and Jeff Walters. When Jane asked Dennis to introduce himself he insisted on being called "Scuzz." Scuzz demonstrated his ability to dissolve anything he touched and talked about he wore through his clothes every three days. Scuzz lied about his reason for being at the Clinic, claiming his own father had committed him there.
Therapy Group C's members continued to bond in the weeks that followed. The group even celebrated Scuzz's birthday with a cake made by Lenore. On October 19, 1986, Randy discovered the Clinic's staff were making plans to brainwash them. Regulator took Randy away to silence him but the rest of Therapy Group C learned what had happened from Dave. As they debated in the Clinic's hallways whether to save Randy and leave the Clinic, a team of Clinic security personnel entered the hallway armed with tranquilizer guns. When they opened fire at the group, Lenore used her parability to freeze the guards in their tracks. The group went to rescue Randy from Regulator but he used his own parability to regulate physiological reactions upon them, giving Scuzz an enormous allergic reaction. However, Dave overcame the pain Regulator put him through and struck him down, cancelling his parability's effects. When all seven of the group members had revived they resolved to break out of the Clinic and fled into the night.
(D.P.7 I#2) - The seven friends fled through the woods to the highway. When Jeff reported a bus was coming, Scuzz convinced Charlotte to attempt to use her parability to stop the bus by creating more friction around the bus' wheels. Although Charlotte hadn't tried to use her parability in this way before it worked and Lenore then used her own parability to paralyze the driver and passengers. Scuzz was pleased that they'd used their powers to carjack a bus. When Jeff began to grow faint due to lack of food for his enhanced metabolism, Scuzz plotted a way to steal him food. Entering a McDonald's restaurant, Scuzz entered a large order for fast food, claiming it was for the passengers of the bus, then exited the restaurant, claiming he was getting the money. Jeff then entered the McDonald's at super-speed and stole the food. When Scuzz returned and the staff told him a "tornado" had swept the food away, he claimed the bus couldn't wait any longer and they'd have to leave. Scuzz congratulated the group on their theft and suggested they start using codenames in the future. He suggested "the Blur" for Jeff, "Friction" for Charlotte, "Twilight" for Lenore and "Mastodon" for Dave. For himself, Scuzz claimed he'd be "the Duke of Disintegration" but moments later decided he'd keep going by "Scuzz" because "I want people to know it's me."
Three miles from Dave's mobile home the group left the bus and continued on foot. However, they were ambushed by Bloodhound, Shrapnel and Vice Versa, three paranormal headhunters working for the Clinic. Bloodhound knocked out most of the group with tranquilizer darts. After Jeff disarmed Bloodhound, Scuzz tried to use Bloodhound's rifle to fire a dart at Vice Versa, but her parability caused the dart to deflect back at Scuzz. Before falling asleep, Scuzz used his power to wreck the rifle. However, Scuzz revived quickly from the dart's effects and awoke to find Charlotte and Jeff had defeated the three enemies. As the headhunters had placed masks over Dave and Randy's faces to incapacitate them, Scuzz used his parability to melt the masks off. Once their group had been revived and the three headhunters were incapacitated, Scuzz gleefully claimed their enemies' equipment and they continued toward the mobile home.
(D.P.7 I#3) - On October 21, 1986, Dave attached his mobile home to his truck and the seven friends took to the highway to keep ahead of the Clinic. When Bloodhound, Shrapnel and Vice Versa pursued them in a police car, Scuzz again encouraged Charlotte to use her parability to affect the car's steering wheel. However, the three pursuers maintained control over the vehicle until Randy's Anti-Body attacked them, sending the car off the road. When Randy tried to assist the wreck, the others disargreed with him. Scuzz was in favor of leaving their enemies in the wreck to die.
(D.P.7 I#4) - On October 25, 1986, Scuzz got into an argument with Jeff after Jeff insulted his odor but Lenore broke up their quarrel. Later, Scuzz went to dinner at a restaurant with Jeff, Charlotte and Randy and the four discussed whether Dr. Semple was aware of the Clinic's secret purposes. Dave was arrested by a posse who accused him of being "the Wompus," an urban legend of a wild man who mutilated cattle. Scuzz and the others tried to clear Dave's name but their investigations led nowhere so they decided to fake a cattle mutilation. At night, Lenore used her parability to tranquilize a cow then Jeff, garbed in a bear rug, appeared to the cow's owner as "the Wompus," running too fast to be hit by the farmer's shotgun. However, while leaving the farm Jeff stumbled across the actual cattle mutilators, a gang of college students. Jeff frightened them into confessing what they'd done to the authorities, securing Dave's release.
(Untold Tales of the Marvel Universe: D.P.7 I#1) - In late October, 1986, the seven friends helped break up a fight at the Screaming Eagle bar outside of Keshena, Wisconsin but the owner was frightened by their parabilities and told them to leave. Outside, they met Keso, who invited them to stay on the Menominee reservation nearby. Keso revealed he and his sister Seka were paranormals, Keso having the parability to communicate with spirits of the dead and Seka having the parability to raise the dead. Seka had turned against the tribe and used the dead to assault them. Keso asked the seven friends to assist him in confronting his sister. The seven agreed and fought Seka's reanimated corpses. Scuzz used his parability to dissolve some of the corpses. Randy ultimately halted Seka by using his Anti-Body to jar her out of her rage. The Menominee thanked the seven for their help and they departed the reservation in peace.
(Kickers, Inc. I#5) - On November 2, 1986, Stephanie learned her son had asked Kickers, Inc. to help her and she convinced the others to meet with them. The Kickers tried to help them but when the four male Kickers confronted the Clinic's staff, the Clinic's director, Philip Nolan Voigt and his assistant Reinforcer altered the Kickers' minds so they would see the seven paranormals as threats who needed to be in the Clinic's care. The Kickers attacked Scuzz, Dave, Jeff and Randy. Scuzz easily knocked out Dallas "Dasher" Corbin. Although the Kickers were soundly beaten, Scuzz and the others realized the Clinic were bound to have followed the Kickers to their location, forcing the seven friends to board Dave's mobile home and flee.
(D.P.7 I#5) - On November 7, 1986, Scuzz helped Dave and Randy assist a school bus that had been stuck in a ditch. Although Scuzz denied any unselfish motives he enjoyed the opportunity to use his powers. Scuzz suggested they should start wearing masks and capes to perform good deeds but Randy retorted "the rest of us are adults. Adults don't do things like that." As they continued on the road, Scuzz rode in the gate of Dave's truck and when he spat, saw the spit corrode the truck. Surprised at how much stronger his spit had become, Scuzz tested his parability by forming a spitball (or "scuzz-ball") then hurling it at a road sign. To his satisfaction, the scuzz-ball blasted a hole through the sign. Scuzz now believed his parability was greater than the others but decided to keep it to himself.
After Jeff's mother suggested the group consult an exorcist to see if their parabilities were caused by demonic possession, Jeff brought the matter to the group. The others got into an argument about where their parabilities came from, with Stephanie strongly in favor of trying religion. When Randy asked Scuzz for his opinion, Scuzz retorted they'd treated him like a "punk kid" instead of an equal. He complained they hadn't used the aliases he'd given them and they were "crazy" for wanting to lose their powers. "I like mine!" Scuzz insisted and announced he was leaving the group. Jeff, Dave and Randy tried to force him to stay but Scuzz fought them, burning Dave's arm and using a scuzz-ball to blast a hole through Randy's Anti-Body. Stephanie encouraged the others to let Scuzz leave, thinking his "resistance" would prevent the exorcist from curing them. As Dave's mobile home pulled away, leaving Scuzz alone, he started to cry but stopped when Jeff ran up to give him his mother's address and telephone number in case he needed to find them again. Once Jeff left, Scuzz destroyed the paper.
(D.P.7 I#6) - On November 13, 1986, Scuzz wandered around a bar, admiring the motorcycles parked outside. One of the owners, Rockow, accused Scuzz of eyeing his ride and attacked him. Scuzz tried to fight back but Rockow was aided by four of his friends. When Rockow knocked Scuzz down and hovered over him, Scuzz spat into his right eye, ultimately costing him vision in that eye. The bikers beat Scuzz up and left him in the parking lot.
Two days later, Scuzz awoke in a hospital in Wausau, where barmaid Mary Perzentka had brought him. Scuzz was surprised to find he hadn't scorched the hospital bed with his parability, indicating it had lessened in intensity due to his injuries. Although nearly twice his age, Mary flirted with Scuzz and invited him to stay at her apartment. Scuzz wondered why she cared about him and Mary answered that she'd always been attracted to needy people. Scuzz stayed with Mary for two weeks as he recovered. On December 3, 1986, Scuzz and Mary started to make out on Mary's sofa but his acidic mouth burned her tongue, causing her to bleed. Scuzz realized he couldn't be close to anyone because of his parability and there had been no point in trying to be with a woman. Indulging in his own death wish, Scuzz returned to the bar where he'd been beaten and sat on Rockow's motorcycle. Rockow, now wearing an eyepatch, stormed out to attack him. This time, Scuzz leaped on him and activated a blast of his body's acidic substance all at once. As Scuzz's body burst into acidic flame he called himself "the Scorcher" and assaulted Rockow's friends, hurling scuzz-balls at their motorcycles that were so powerful, the motorcycles exploded. Taking one of the motorcycles, Scuzz drove down the highway, expecting his parability would ignite the gas tank and kill himself. However, Scuzz had expended so much energy that his parability wore down and his "Scorcher" power faded.
(D.P.7 I#7) - Scuzz stopped the motorcycle at a farmhouse and tried to sneak inside to find some clothes. The owners awoke and caught him but he claimed he'd been robbed and they gave him a shirt and overalls. When the farmers insisted on calling the police, Scuzz fled their house and tried to escape on his motorcycle but a team of mercenaries hired by the Clinic had been following him since the explosions at the bar. One of the mercenaries shot Scuzz with a tranquilizer dart and they prepared to deliver him back to the Clinic.
(D.P.7 I#10) - On December 9, 1986, Scuzz, Jeff, Randy, Lenore, Charlotte and Stephanie were all back at the Clinic, where Regulator, Reinforcer and Receptor were combining their parabilities to rewrite their memories of the last few months and render them easier to manage when they were awakened.
(D.P.7 I#12) - Scuzz, Charlotte, Lenore, and Jeff completed their sessions with Regulator, Reinforcer and Receptor and were returned to Therapy Group C, under Dr. Semple's supervision. Weakened from weeks in hospital beds, all four needed wheelchairs as Dr. Semple took them through "reorientation." The four tried to recall the events that led to them leaving the Clinic as their new memories omitted all the events that implicated the Clinic. Randy's Anti-Body was blamed for influencing the others to leave the Clinic and Scuzz recalled with disgust how he'd lost control of his parability when he assaulted the bikers. When Dave and Randy revived, neither one under the Clinic's control, they were shocked to discover how their friends' memories had been altered but resolved they couldn't force them to leave the Clinic. Randy and Dave wound up in a fight with Philip Nolan Voigt that ended with Voigt's seeming destruction.
(D.P.7 I#13) - Scuzz, Jeff, Charlotte and Lenore went to the gym for physical therapy and were pleasantly surprised when Dave and Randy came to join them. When therapy was over, Dave and Randy told the others they were staying and asked them to help find out what had happened to Stephanie to place her in a coma.
(D.P.7 I#14) - On July 20, 1987, Charlotte met with Scuzz and the others in her group and told them she was leaving to join the Black Powers group.
(D.P.7 I#15) - Scuzz was amused to see Jeff had taken a job working in the Clinic's cafeteria, noting with Jeff's appetite it was like "putting a fox in charge of a henhouse," but Jeff informed him the Clinic's nutritionist was working to help him manage his appetite with high protein milkshakes. That afternoon Scuzz went to a class at the Clinic taught by Lenore, alongside fellow youngsters Joel Larson, Annie Stevenson and Evan Huebner. Scuzz asked Evan what his parability was but as Evan didn't have one, he refused to tell Scuzz. Scuzz considered forming his own gang like the Black Powers.
(Psi-Force I#15) - On September 16, 1987, when the new arrival Michael Crawley came to the Clinic, he panicked when left in a MRI machine and blew up the lab with his parability. Scuzz and Dave went to stop Michael and Scuzz burned Michael's shoulder but Michael used a psychokinetic blast to stun Scuzz and Dave then fled the Clinic. Michael nearly became manipulated into joining Bill and Glenn's criminal gang but Randy, Jeff and Scuzz pursued him and helped expose Bill and Glenn. Michael came back to the Clinic with them.
(D.P.7 I#16) - Scuzz went ahead with his plan to form a gang out of the younger patients at the Clinic. Assembling Joel Larson, Annie Stevenson, Michael Crawley, Evan Huebner and Heather Hanneman, Scuzz gathered them outside the Clinic at night and activated his "Scorcher" mode, using his parability to fling fiery scuzz-balls at an old car. Joel used his own parability to hurl energy-absorbing 'mothballs' at Scuzz that drained his Scorcher mode away. Unfortunately, this meant Scuzz was naked. He forced Crawley to give him his pants, then continued to have the other kids show off their parabilities. Crawley used his psychokinesis to destroy the car's remains. This upset Heather, whose parability caused a raincloud to appear. Huebner showed off his ability to enter an Anti-Body. Scuzz recognized Huebner's "Shadowman" as one of Randy's Anti-Bodies but because Evan used the Anti-Body in ways Randy hadn't, he assumed Evan had a very similar parability to his. Finally, Annie generated a sonic wave to destroy more of the smashed car. Scuzz then told the kids they would be their own group from then on and be loyal only to each other; he dubbed them "the DDTeens." As he'd done before with his therapy group, Scuzz insisted they should all have codenames and declared he was now "the Scorcher." Crawley wanted to be called "Nuke" but Evan objected because there was already a Squadron Supreme member and a Daredevil villain with the same name. Agreeing that their codenames should be unique, Scuzz dubbed Crawley "Dynamite." Joel wanted to be called "Forcebreaker" but Scuzz refused and dubbed him "Mothball."
Before they could finish, Dave (newly-appointed as a security guard) arrived and ordered the kids to return indoors. Dave took Scuzz aside for an attempted heart-to-heart, having noticed that Reinforcer's brainwashing had faded and Scuzz had reverted to his old personality. Dave was concerned Scuzz would get the other kids into trouble but Scuzz only played along with Dave. Heading inside the Clinic, Scuzz and Crawley met up with Charlotte in the hall. When Charlotte addressed him, Scuzz scoffed that the Black Powers didn't seem to want anyone else's company but Charlotte insisted they didn't own her. Charlotte asked Scuzz for updates about the rest of their therapy group but they were interrupted by Blindspot, who summoned her away. Scuzz jeered, "Don't own ya, huh?" at Charlotte as she left. Scuzz took Crawley to plan their next moves. Crawley enjoyed spending time Scuzz because he reminded him of his friend Wayne Tucker.
Scuzz and Crawley went to the cafeteria for dinner and informed Dr. Semple that all the teenagers were dropping out of their therapy groups. Dr. Semple promised to inform the director. The DDTeens sat at a table together and Joel pressured Scuzz into standing up to the Black Powers. To maintain his status as leader, Scuzz confronted the Black Powers at their table, telling Charlotte he wanted her to join the DDTeens because she was still under 20. Angry, Indigo assaulted Scuzz with a fist made of energy and began to tighten the first around him. Despite the intense pressure, Scuzz tried to keep from crying out but a tear dripped from his eye and scorched the table beneath him. Indigo cast him away, calling him an "infant." Dave arrived too late to help but lectured the Black Powers to leave him alone. Joel mocked Scuzz over the episode but Scuzz vowed they'd get back at the Black Powers.
After dinner, Scuzz told the DDTeens they'd attack the Black Powers as a group. Joel was against it but Scuzz had the others assist him, first using Evan to send his Shadowman to spy on them, locating the Black Powers in the third floor lounge. Although the Black Powers were six adults against the DDTeens' five teens, Scuzz assumed Charlotte wouldn't fight him. Annie used a loud sonic note to disorient the Black Powers as the rest of them rushed in, Scuzz hurling scuzz-balls at them. Indigo grabbed Scuzz with another energy fist but Scuzz activated his Scorcher mode; the flames from his acid set off the sprinklers in the lounge. Chill used his parability to freeze Scuzz, who was annoyed as he'd assumed he'd be able to burn through Chill's ice. Finally, Charlotte tried to stop the fighting by sticking everyone to the group. This enraged Indigo, who assaulted her. In the end, Joel brought Dave and Joel's mothballs drained the powers of all the fighting paranormals. Scuzz was badly frostbitten by Chill and Dave carried him away for medical care. Joel insisted he hadn't chickened out but Scuzz was still angry at him for involving Dave.
(D.P.7 I#17) - As Charlotte had quit the Black Powers, Scuzz invited her to join the DDTeens, although she noted she wouldn't be a teenager for much longer. Scuzz etched 'DDTeens Rule' into her desk with his finger, much to Charlotte's irritation. The next day, Scuzz and the DDTeens (now wearing matching denim jeans and jackets) attended an assembly convened at the Clinic by director Tanis Newhouse. When director Newhouse ordered all the patients in special groups to return to their original therapy groups, Scuzz and others objected loudly. Suddenly, Indigo and Bazooka launched an attack on Freefall and Tangler, attempting to murder them for having killed two of their friends. This provoked a riot among the patients and Scuzz burst into his Scorcher mode, ordering the DDTeens into the fight. Sponge used her parability to blast Scuzz with water, smothering his flames. The riot ended when Lenore exposed everyone in the room to her body's light, knocking everyone unconscious.
(D.P.7 I#18) - On December 23, 1987, Scuzz recuperated in the clinic's infirmary from his injuries during the riot.
(D.P.7 I#21) - On January 3, 1988, the DDTeens had a snow fight, with Scuzz, Quiver, Raindrop and their new member Squirm fighting against Ghost-Driver, Dynamite and Mothball. They were observed by Jensen, a journalist who had been brought to the Clinic by ex-employee Abner Heath to view where the bodies of the dead Clinic staffers Reinforcer and Receptor had been buried. When Scuzz saw Jensen taking photographs of them he realized the entire Clinic could be brought down. Rather than warn the rest of the Clinic, Scuzz decided the DDTeens should flee the Clinic and headed to Sheboygan, arriving on January 9, 1988 and inviting themselves into Stephanie Harrington's home as her new houseguests.
(D.P.7 I#23) - The DDTeens took up residence in the Harrington's basement but Stephanie's husband Chuck didn't enjoy hosting them. On April 24, 1988, Scuzz and Mothball got into a fight in the basement and Chuck ordered them to leave that evening. Stephanie brought them to the nearest bus station and waited with them for the bus. Stephanie was confronted at the bus station by Major Edward Zentner of the U.S. Army and Dave Landers, who had been drafted. Zentner tried to recruit Stephanie into the Army but Dave turned against him and knocked him out, then told the Harringtons to flee the country for Canada. Dave warned Scuzz that when he turned 18 he'd be drafted as well then asked the DDTeens to help protect Stephanie and her family. Instead, Scuzz ordered the DDTeens back to the Harringtons' house, intending to squat there.
(D.P.7 I#25) - On June 2, 1988, Scuzz led the DDTeens to King Supermarket in Sheboygan and stole a load of groceries. Running to the Harringtons' station wagon, Scuzz drove them away but the supermarket staff called the police. A police car soon gave chase and as the other DDTeens distracted Scuzz with their complaints he took his eyes off the road; Scuzz accidentally drove the station wagon off the road and down a cliffside. The police called an ambulance; Scuzz was carried out of the wreck by paramedics.
(D.P.7 I#31 (fb)) - Joel and Annie both died in the wreck. Although Scuzz had never liked Joel very much, he was torn up by Annie's death. Once he had recovered he left the hospital and decided to kill himself when he was stopped by Father Milius, a member of the White Eventists, a cult of paranormals. Father Milius welcomed Scuzz into the White Eventists and taught him the cult's beliefs -- that God had used the White Event to create all paranormals and that when the world ended, paranormals would have a special place with God. Michael Crawley joined Scuzz in the cult but he chose to leave. When Scuzz refused to go with him, Crawley feared he'd been brainwashed.
(D.P.7 I#31) - On January 1, 1989, Michael Crawley asked Dave Landers to help him break Scuzz out of the White Eventists' compound in northern Wisconsin. When Dave burst in Scuzz refused to leave with him but Father Milius told Scuzz not to fight another paranormal and instead go with Dave to teach him the truth of their beliefs. Dave brought Scuzz to Manhattan. When Scuzz saw Randy was now trapped inside one of his Anti-Bodies, Scuzz opined it was "easier to tell you're one of the chosen" with his change. Scuzz explained how he'd joined the White Eventists and shared his beliefs with Dave, Randy and their friend Merriam. The next day, Scuzz went out to the Bowery and started preaching to people about his beliefs. Members of the Flaming Demons gang pretended to be swayed by Scuzz's speech and invited him to come with them, claiming they had a paranormal friend he should meet. Instead, the Flaming Demons had been kidnapping White Eventists and torturing them, taking advantage of the cult's pacifist nature. The Flaming Demons chained up Scuzz next to a paranormal named Hannah as Scuzz began to burn her due to his parability. Dave rescued Scuzz and the other White Eventists and reluctantly concluded the cult had done some good for him. Dave let Scuzz depart with Hannah and the other White Eventists.
(D.P.7 I#32) - On February 23, 1989, Scuzz was eating dinner with other White Eventists when one named Robert showed them a newspaper about the Cure, a paranormal who could remove parabilities from other paranormals. Scuzz had begun falling in love with Hannah and knew the Cure could make it possible for him to be intimate with a woman, but the White Eventists' elder member Brother Boorman denounced the Cure as a heretic. Later, Scuzz joined Hannah in passing out pamphlets about their faith. Scuzz suggested maybe the Cure could be part of God's plan but Hannah dismissed the idea. Scuzz told Hannah he was in love with her and wanted permission to lose his parability so they could be together but Hannah told him it was a test of his faith. Angry, Scuzz used his parability to destroy a garbage bin.
Scuzz went to Jacob Isaacsen Middle School, where the Cure was offering to remove parabilities through a lottery system. When the Cure called up Scuzz, he assaulted the Cure, going into his "Scorcher" mode and attempting to kill him for the White Eventists' beliefs. Scuzz's attempt failed and instead the Cure removed his parability. Although he was no longer a paranormal, Scuzz was welcomed back by the White Eventists, who considered him a hero for trying to eliminate the Cure.
Comments: Created by Mark Gruenwald, Paul Ryan and Romeo Tanghal.
Scuzz received a Marvel Handbook-style profile in D.P.7 I#24.
"D.P.7" was the name of the series the characters from Therapy Group C appeared in but their informal group never went by that name.
Scuzz was the only cast member in D.P.7 who routinely went by an alias. In fact, he was seldom ever called by his real name.
Of the original seven cast members, Scuzz was the one who fell out-of-focus after the Pitt event. If you check the letters pages, you can see fans were a bit alarmed that after the car crash in issue #25 it took half a year to learn which of the DDTeens had been killed.
Scuzz appeared in D.P.7 I#9 only as a character in Randy O'Brien's mind while he was being reconditioned by Receptor and Reinforcer.
Scuzz's Earth-15731 counterpart appeared in Exiles I#72.
Profile by Prime Eternal.
CLARIFICATIONS:
Scuzz should not be confused with:
Michael Cuzinski was Dennis' father (he never called him "Scuzz"). Michael was a harsh disciplinarian who would beat Dennis for perceived infractions against his rules. When Scuzz's powers first manifested they caused his bed to smoulder and Michael accused him of smoking in bed. After smothering the bed to stop the fumes, Michael proceeded to spank Scuzz, a ritual Scuzz found very humiliating given his age. The substance in Dennis' body caused pain in Michael's hand which he at first compared to poison ivy. Thinking Dennis was playing a prank he beat him harder. By the time he stopped, Michael claimed his hand felt like it had battery acid on it. Scuzz's guidance counselor later encouraged him to seek help from the Clinic for Paranormal Research. Later, Randy O'Brien visited Michael while he was trying to find Scuzz. Randy felt Michael was a "creep" but, claiming to be a representative of the Clinic, told Michael to contact him in case Scuzz returned home. When Scuzz joined the White Eventist cult his friend Michael Crawley tried to locate Michael Cuzinski for help but he had gone missing and none of his neighbors knew where he'd gone.
--D.P.7 I#6) D.P.7 Annual I#1, D.P.7 I#6, [31]
images: (without ads)
D.P.7 I#24, Scuzz profile (main)
D.P.7 I#31, page 16, panel 5 (face)
D.P.7 I#5, page 7, panel 7 (scuzz-ball)
D.P.7 I#6, cover (Scorcher)
D.P.7 Annual I#1, page 15, panel 1 (Michael)
Appearances:
D.P.7 I#1-6 (November, 1986-April, 1987) - Mark Gruenwald (writer), Paul Ryan (penciler), Romeo Tanghal (inker), Ralph Macchio (editor)
Kickers, Inc. I#5 (March, 1987) - Tom DeFalco (plot), Mark Gruenwald (script), Paul Ryan (penciler), Sam DeLarosa (inker), Michael Higgins (editor)
D.P.7 I#7 (May, 1987) - Mark Gruenwald (writer), Paul Ryan (penciler, inker), Romeo Tanghal (inker), Ralph Macchio (editor)
D.P.7 I#10 (August, 1987) - Mark Gruenwald (writer), Paul Ryan (penciler), Danny Bulanadi (inker), Ralph Macchio (editor)
D.P.7 I#12-18 (October, 1987-April, 1988) - Mark Gruenwald (writer), Paul Ryan (penciler), Danny Bulanadi (inker), Howard Mackie (editor)
D.P.7 Annual I#1 (1987) - Mark Gruenwald (writer), Lee Weeks (penciler), Tony DeZuniga (inker), Ralph Macchio (editor)
Psi-Force I#15 (January, 1988) - Danny Fingeroth (writer), Javier Saltares (penciler), Tony DeZuniga (inker), Bob Budiansky (editor), Howard Mackie (editor)
D.P.7 I#21 (July, 1988) - Mark Gruenwald (writer), Paul Ryan (penciler), Danny Bulanadi (inker), Howard Mackie (editor)
D.P.7 I#23 (September, 1988) - Mark Gruenwald (writer), Paul Ryan (penciler), Danny Bulanadi (inker), Howard Mackie (editor)
D.P.7 I#25 (November, 1988) - Mark Gruenwald (writer), Paul Ryan (penciler), Danny Bulanadi (inker), Howard Mackie (editor)
D.P.7 I#31-32 (May-June, 1989) - Mark Gruenwald (writer), Paul Ryan (penciler), Danny Bulanadi (inker), Howard Mackie (editor)
Untold Tales of the New Universe: D.P.7 I#1 (May, 2006) - C. B. Cebulski (writer), Mark Bright (penciler), John Stanisci (inker), Mark Paniccia (editor)
First posted: 09/09/2025
Last updated:
09/09/2025
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.!