MADBOMB


Classification: Terrestrial technology

Creator: Mason Harding, Cheer Chadwick

Users/Possessors: AIM (Harold Bainbridge, Felix Waterhouse), Codename Bravo, Queen Hydra (Grace)'s Hydra, Royalist Forces of America, Serpent Squad (Cobra/Piet Voorhees, Eel/Edward Lavell, Viper/Leon Murtaugh), Sons of the Serpent

First Appearance: Captain America I#193 (January, 1976)

 

Powers/Abilities/Functions: The Madbomb is a sonic device which causes people to go insane when affected by it, making them run wild and attack each other. A Madbomb the size of a fingernail--"Peanut"--can affect people in the same room; a Madbomb the size of a grenade--"Dumpling"--can affect an entire neighborhood; the largest Madbomb, "Big Daddy," could have potentially affected all of the United States.

 

 

 

 


 

 

 


History:
(Captain America I#199 (fb) - BTS) - After being fired from his job at Dynamic Electronics, scientist Mason Harding fell in with the Royalist Forces of America, and was convinced to design the Madbomb for them because he needed the money.

(Captain America I#193) - A Madbomb which was the size of a grenade was set off in Harlem, causing chaos throughout the neighborhood.

(Captain America: Marvels Snapshots I#1) - The effects of the Madbomb spread out from Harlem into South Bronx. When the toddler Jerome Waterhouse and his mother were both driven mad the mother killed Jerome under the Madbomb's influence.

(Captain America I#193) - Captain America managed to find it and smash it with his shield, returning everyone to normal. He and the Falcon then attended a briefing with S.H.I.E.L.D. where they were alerted to the threat of "Big Daddy."

(Captain America: Marvels Snapshots I#1) - The damage done to Manhattan was extreme, with thousands dead. Most of the city was rebuilt but the South Bronx was largely ignored.

(Captain America I#198 - BTS) - Captain America, the Falcon and S.H.I.E.L.D. found the site where "Big Daddy" had been built, but it had already been moved to another location.

















(Captain America I#199) - Mason Harding turned against the Royalist Forces, and used a miniature Madbomb to make the men guarding him shoot at each other. He then went to Captain America and the Falcon, offering them the means to be immune to the Madbomb's effects, and to help them stop "Big Daddy." Meanwhile, William Taurey gave word for "Big Daddy" to be activated.

(Captain America I#200) - The Falcon journeyed to Taurey Towers, where "Big Daddy" was concealed within the top of the building. It had already been activated by the time he fought his way inside, but he pulled the device's lever to "maximum" level, causing it to explode.

(Captain America: Marvels Snapshots I#1) - Felix Waterhouse, whose brother Jerome had died in the Madbomb attack, saw Captain America in the news following the Madbomb's destruction. Feeling outraged at how the South Bronx continued to be ignored, Felix accepted an offer from Harold Bainbridge to become an employee of A.I.M. However, Felix was shocked to see Harold was overseeing the construction of a new Madbomb beneath Manhattan which was virtually a replica of "Big Daddy." Harold insisted that if A.I.M. didn't build a new Madbomb then Hammer, Stark or Cordco would. Felix agreed to help them with the bomb, but still upset by his brother's death made plans to sabotage the Madbomb by making it generate a feedback pulse which would fry all the electronics in the laboratory, including the Madbomb itself. Harold caught Felix before he could get away but Felix activated the pulse, alerting Captain America, the Falcon and Iron Man to the location of the A.I.M. laboratory. The three heroes saved Felix and the laboratory was shut down.

(Captain America I#224 (fb)) - The dismantled parts of "Big Daddy" were transported away by the military. La Tarantula and Senor Suerte made an attempt at stealing the parts to sell on the black market, but were opposed by Captain America. They managed to poison him with la Tarantula's venom.

(Captain America I#224) - After he had recovered, Captain America tracked down la Tarantula and Senor Suerte, and defeated them, returning the parts of "Big Daddy" to the military.

(Last Defenders#2-3) - The Sons of the Serpent enlisted Cheer Chadwick to their cause and had a new Madbomb constructed. The Serpents planned to use the Madbomb to create a race war with which to divide the populace of the USA, then have a new ruling elite step up from the Serpents to guide the country to new "greatness." However, Nighthawk, She-Hulk and Joaquin Pennysworth discovered the plot and Pennysworth set off explosives which destroyed the facility and Madbomb.


(Captain America VI#8 (fb) - BTS) - Queen Hydra provided upgraded versions of Madbombs to the Serpent Squad to incite a riot as a distraction for Captain America in New York City. Though they were unaware of the true identity of their employer they were told Captain America would be no threat because he had been depowered and they could easily loot the city. They activated a Madbomb at McNulty's Bar in New York City, inciting a riot as planned. Captain America and Hawkeye came to the aid of the NYPD to quench the riot.

(Captain America VI#6) - Following Sharon Carter's intel Cap and Hawkeye found the Madbomb at McNulty's Bar where they were attacked by the Serpent Squad. On Cobra's order Eel destroyed the Madbomb to rob the heroes of any chance to learn more about it. The Serpent Squad then continued their attack on the weakened Captain America.

(Captain America VI#7 - BTS) - At Avengers Mansion Cap, Hawkeye, Beast and Sharon discussed the resurgence of Madbombs. While Sharon remembered all of them had been destroyed Cap noted the Madbomb used by the Serpent Squad was a new design. He was sure the Serpent Squad had been provided with the bomb because building such technology was beyond their capabilities.

   The Serpent Squad incited another riot using a Madbomb. Falcon was attacked by the mob before telling Cap to inform the police to call in every man available.


(Captain America VI#7) - Cap and Sharon found the Serpent Squad robbing a bank during the riot. Cap knocked a Madbomb out of Cobra's hand with his shield when he threatened to activate it inside the bank.

(Captain America VI#8) - After defeating the Serpent Squad Cap ordered Sharon to secure the inactive Madbomb Cobra had threatened to use in the bank.

(Captain America VI#9 - BTS) - The ongoing riot caused by one of the Serpent Squad's Madbombs were blamed on the heroes by New York City's mayor J. Jonah Jameson.

(Captain America VI#9) - Using information given to him by the captured Serpent Squad member Viper Falcon found the warehouse where the Serpent Squad picked up the Madbombs. Arriving there he was taken by surprise by Codename Bravo, who used a Madbomb to drive Falcon crazy.

(Captain America VI#10 - BTS) - Driven mad by the Madbomb Falcon joined the rioters.

(Captain America VI#10) - Stark took apart the Madbomb from the bank to find a way to reverse its effect.

(Captain America VI#10 - BTS) - Iron Man arrived in time with countermeasures to calm down the rioters and save Captain America from getting killed by Falcon in the last second.

Comments: Created by Jack Kirby and Frank Giacoia.

Captain America VI update by Markus Raymond.

Profile by Prime Eternal.

CLARIFICATIONS:
The Madbomb should not be confused with:


Images taken from:
Captain America I#200, p26, pan7-9 ("Big Daddy")
Captain America VI#7, p6, pan7 (design plans)
Captain America I#193, p10, pan7 (Madbomb in Cap's hand)
Captain America I#199, p14, pan4 (micro Madbomb)
Captain America VI#6, p17, pan2 (Hydra's stationary Madbomb)
Captain America VI#7, p19, pan3 (Hydra's grenade Madbomb)


Appearances:
Captain America I#193 (January, 1976) - Jack Kirby (writer/penciler/editor), Frank Giacoia (inker)
Captain America I#198-200 (June-August, 1976) - Jack Kirby (writer/penciler/editor), Frank Giacoia (inker), Marv Wolfman (consulting editor)
Captain America I#224 (August, 1978) - Peter B. Gillis (writer), Mike Zeck (artist), Mike Esposito, John Tartag (inkers), Roger Stern (editor)
Last Defenders#2-3 (June-July, 2008) - Joe Casey, Keith Giffen (writers), Jim Muniz (penciler), Cam Smith (inker), Steve Wacker (editor)
Captain America VI#6-10 (February-June, 2012) - Ed Brubaker (writer), Alan Davis (pencils), Mark Farmer (inks), Tom Brevoort (editor)
Captain America: Marvels Snapshots I#1 (June, 2020) - Mark Russell (writer), Ramon K. Perez (artist), Darren Shan (editor)


First Posted: 01/24/2006
Last updated: 05/01/2021

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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