SLEDGE

Real Name: Sledge

Identity/Class: Sub-species of humanity (Deviant), technology user (Post-World War II era to present)

Occupation: Inventor, explorer

Group Membership: None

Affiliations: Blob, Arcadia Deville, Ulysses Dragonblood, Lucas Guthrie, Tyler Guthrie, Mimic, Risque, Vanisher, Veeg, X-Force (Jesse Bedlam, Cannonball, Meltdown, Moonstar, Siryn, Sunspot, Warpath)

Enemies: Black Queen (Selene), Damocles Foundation, Gatherers, Lava Men, Pele

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: Junkyard, Detroit, Michigan

First Appearance: X-Force I#66 (May, 1997)

Powers/Abilities: Sledge is a genius inventor who creations including portals into alternate realities, a harness that generates a personal force field that can be reshaped to enhance his abilities in hand-to-hand combat, a glowing sphere that can remove memories, a disruptor that can override locks, and his robotweilers. Sledge requires crutches in order to move, having suffered a terrible injury at some point in the past.

History: (X-Force I#97 (fb) - BTS) - Sledge was a Deviant who aided the U.S. state department in the 1950s, and was granted American citizenship. He considered the U.S. to be his true home, because he loved the Cadillac El Dorado car, and the game basketball.

(X-Force I#96 (fb)) - Sledge journeyed to Cumberland, Kentucky, where the Damocles Foundation had obtained one of the Celestials' Gatherers and activated it. He used his force field harness to combat the Gatherer, and managed to destroy it. He then met with brothers Tyler and Lucas and helped them bury the bodies of the Damocles Foundation's agents killed by the Gatherer. Sledge removed the memories of the events from the minds of the children who had been in the Foundation's custody, as well as from Tyler Guthrie's eleven year old son, Sam Guthrie.

(X-Force I#68 (fb) - BTS) - After Reed Richards shared his knowledge of alternate realities with members of the scientific community, Sledge assisted one of those scientists and received all of Richards' data from him in return.

(X-Force I#52 - BTS) - Sledge helped Blob and the Mimic control their powers, placing them both in his debt.

(X-Force I#68 (fb) - BTS) - Sledge sent the Vanisher to another dimension to explore it for him, but the Vanisher never returned.

(X-Force I#51, 53, 55-57 - BTS) - Sledge did something so that Risque owed him a favor. To make good on her debt, she was sent to meet Warpath, whom Sledge hoped could help him retrieve the Vanisher.

(X-Force I#60 - BTS) - Sledge sent Mimic and the Blob to remind Risque to complete her bargain with him.

(X-Force I#65 - BTS) - Risque drugged Warpath and brought him to Sledge's junkyard.

(X-Force I#66) - When Warpath woke up three days later, Sledge met with him, and offered him some beer as he explained how he had obtained Risque, Blob and Mimic's help by doing them favours. In order to get Warpath's help, he showed him a photograph of Michael Whitecloud, a survivor of the massacre of Warpath's tribe. He offered to give him Whitecloud's location in exchange for his help. Warpath agreed to the deal.

(X-Force I#68) - Sledge watched the aftermath of X-Force and the MLF's battle with Operation: Zero Tolerance on television, then prepared Proudstar for his mission-- to retrieve the Vanisher.

(X-Force I#69) - Risque joined Sledge as he monitored Proudstar's progress, but his interdimensional signal on Proudstar suddenly flatlined.

(X-Force I#71 (fb)) - When Warpath returned with the Vanisher, Sledge happily gave him his information and resumed his partnership with the Vanisher.

(X-Force I#81 (fb) - BTS) - Sledge, Risque and the Vanisher attempted to steal the Heart of Pele in Hawaii, only to find it was also sought by the Lava Men. Sledge was separated from Risque in a cave-in, and the Vanisher grabbed the Heart of Pele and teleported himself away.

(X-Force I#81) - X-Force were brought to Sledge by Risque (actually the goddess Pele herself in disguise). The Lava Men demanded that X-Force and Sledge bring them the Heart of Pele, and Siryn was able to get it away from the Vanisher. When the Lava Men revealed they wanted the heart to power their Firebringer weapon, Pele had the Heart of Pele returned to the earth, restoring her full power, and she told Sledge and the Vanisher to leave Hawaii and never return.

(X-Force I#97) - Sledge met up with Ulysses Dragonblood and Arcadia Deville over the revelation that the Damocles Foundation had obtained another Gatherer. Dragonblood offered to handle it solo, but Sledge insisted on accompanying them. Just then, X-Force arrived at the junkyard, and Cannonball confronted Sledge, revealing that he had regained the memories he had removed years ago. Sledge had his friend within the Foundation, Veeg, transport himself, X-Force, Ulysses and Arcadia to the Damocles Foundation base in Brazil. Veeg informed them of two captives that were taken, and Sledge opened their cell with his disruptor, revealing the captives as Selene, the Black Queen of the Hellfire Club, and Sunspot. They cooperated to stop Indigo from reviving the Gatherer, and while Ulysses fought his brother, Sledge tried to destroy the Gatherer, but Selene turned on him and took the creation for herself. It was finally destroyed by Arcadia and Moonstar.

(X-Force I#99 (fb)) - After returning to the junkyard with Ulysses and Arcadia, Arcadia's powers went out of control, and her mind created a replica of the Demon Bear which had fought Moonstar. The Demon Bear image attacked Sledge and Ulysses, so Arcadia went on the run to protect them both from herself, seeking Moonstar for help.

(X-Force I#100 - BTS) - Sledge called Risque and sent her to San Francisco to help X-Force with Arcadia.

Comments: Created by John Francis Moore, Adam Pollina and Mark Morales.

by Prime Eternal

CLARIFICATIONS:
Sledge should not be confused with:

• Sledge, former agent of Expatriate, @ Generation X: Crossroads