JOAQUIN PENNYSWORTH

Real Name: Joaquin C. Pennysworth

Identity/Class: Human

Occupation: Adventurer;
Formerly SHIELD agent

Group Membership: None; potentially the Defenders;
Formerly SHIELD

Affiliations: Krang, Nighthawk, She-Hulk, Son of Satan, Stevens, Thompson

Enemies: Sons of the Serpent

Known Relatives: J.C. Pennysworth (father)

Aliases: None; potentially Nighthawk

Base of Operations: None

First Appearance: Last Defenders#1 (May, 2008)

Powers/Abilities: A trained SHIELD agent, Joaquin Pennysworth seems specially trained in combat and explosives. In a potential future, Pennysworth was seen to take on the mantle of Nighthawk, but whether or not this future will take place remains to be seen.

History:

(Last Defenders#4 (fb) - BTS) - Ashamed of his father's past as a member of the Sons of the Serpent, Joaquin wanted to make things right. Kyle Richmond sponsored him for SHIELD membership.

(Last Defenders#2 (fb) - BTS) - Hearing that the Sons of the Serpent had developed a new Mad Bomb to drive the country to war, SHIELD created whistles to counter the sonics of the bomb. They also neurologically immunized several SHIELD agents, including Pennysworth, to the Bomb's effects.

(Last Defenders#1) - Pennysworth led SHIELD operation Peanut Dumpling to investigate the Sons of the Serpents' activities. They were covert, meaning upper-echelon agents did not know where they were. Pennysworth had Stevens use the security scanner on a park ranger station and he discovered weapon systems nearby. With their whistles prepared, they moved in, but the entire team, including Stevens and Thompson, were taken down by enemy fire. Pennysworth, the only one alive, was hit, but remained alive and was taken captive.

(Last Defenders#2 (fb) - BTS) - After being questioned for a time at the Serpents' base in West Virginia, Pennysworth managed to escape and he spent the following weeks laying low and planting bombs around the base.

(Last Defenders#2) - Nighthawk and She-Hulk found the Serpents' base in West Virginia and fought off several Serpents before finding Joaquin. She-Hulk knocked aside the rest of the Serpents, then Joaquin explained how he'd survived. She-Hulk and Nighthawk began fighting unexpectedly, influenced by the Serpents' sonics, but Joaquin freed them with a whistle he'd prepared. A screen showing the Supreme Serpent and Cheer Chadwick, who were behind the development of the Mad Bomb, appeared and the heroes were threatened.

(Last Defenders#3) - Nighthawk, She-Hulk, and Pennysworth rounded up the rest of the Serpents and Nighthawk was horrified when Pennysworth gunned them down, killing many of them. Pennysworth then triggered his explosives, destroying the bomb as Nighthawk flew them free. Pennysworth collapsed before getting medical treatment at the Helicarrier.

(Last Defenders#4) - Pennysworth was laid up in the Hellicarrier hospital when Richmond came to visit, discussing the past. Pennysworth told Richmond that he was out of SHIELD for his failure and likely at a desk job now, expressing animosity towards Richmond.

(Last Defenders#6) - Richmond found Pennysworth training at a SHIELD facility and convinced him to quit his job and take up the role of Nighthawk. Pennysworth was reluctant, but agreed to do it on his own merit. Richmond purchased the formers Defenders HQ and greeted the new team he'd recruited, including Son of Satan, She-Hulk, and Krang, and encouraged them to begin working together.

Comments: Created by Joe Casey, Jim Muniz & Cam Smith.

In Last Defenders#5-6, a future incarnation of the Defenders saves Richmond from the Omegatron. Pennysworth operated as Nighthawk in this future, and looked like this:

Profile by Chadman.

CLARIFICATIONS:
Joaquin Pennysworth has no known connections to

• any characters not mentioned in this profile.

Stevens and Thompson

(Last Defenders#1) - Pennysworth led SHIELD operation Peanut Dumpling to investigate the Sons of the Serpents' activities. They were covert, meaning upper-echelon agents did not know where they were. Pennysworth had Stevens use the security scanner on a park ranger station and he discovered weapon systems nearby. With their whistles prepared, they moved in, but the entire team, including Stevens and Thompson, were taken down by enemy fire. Pennysworth, the only one alive, was hit, but remained alive and was taken captive.

--Last Defenders#1

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Last Defenders#6, p18, pan1 (main)