R.U. REDDY
Real Name: Winthrop Roan, Jr.
Identity/Class: Human mutant
Occupation: Stunt rider, adventurer, professional singer
Group Membership: Team America (Cowboy (Luke Merriweather), Honcho (James McDonald), Wolf, Wrench (Leonard Hebb) ), Thunderiders (Cowboy, Georgiana Hebb, Sharon Ventura, Thing (Ben Grimm), Wrench, Wolf)
Affiliations: Evelyn Barde, Captain America (Steve Rogers), Richie Champoulion, Marauder, New Mutants (Mirage (Dani Moonstar), Sunspot (Roberto DeCosta), Karma (Xi’an Coy Manh), Cannonball (Sam Guthrie), Wolfsbane (Rahne Sinclair)), Tony Stark, Charles Xavier
Enemies:
Monique
Adreadite, Advanced Idea Mechanics, Mr. Ashe, Emperor of Texas,
Mr. Gutman, Hydra, the Mad Thinker and his Intellectual Robots, unidentified hired killer, the Mayhem Organization, Mr.
Mudge, the Silver Samurai, Viper;
Known Relatives: Winthrop Roan, Sr. (father), unnamed mother
Aliases: “Pelirojo”
Base of Operations: Mobile worldwide
First Appearance: Captain America I#269 (May, 1982)
Powers/Abilities: R.U. Reddy was a gestalt telepath. When he was in contact with other gestalts, he was able to psychically create a physical being dubbed the Marauder, or project said psychic energies onto a host body. Reddy was a professional rock and roll singer and well versed in music. He was also an expert motorcycle stunt rider.
History:
(Team America#1 (fb) - BTS) – After several years of living off the Roan family name and squandering millions, Reddy was disowned by his father and forced to earn his own living. He wandered America for a bit, becoming a rock singer in the meantime, but never earning any serious amount of money.
(Team America#1) – Pulling into Daytona, Reddy was flat broke and searching for work. Vowing to pay his father back for every cent he had borrowed, he mused that in order for the latter to happen, the former had to occur first. He spotted a masked gunman in his rear view mirror and barely avoided being shot. First thinking the man was an agent of his father, Reddy dismissed the idea before finding a note instructing him to go to a nearby garage. There, Reddy ran afoul of the biker known as the Wolf and the former secret agent Honcho. After a tense standoff, the trio decided to join forces, especially when they discovered that the note had been written by a person calling himself/herself the Marauder. Six days later, they were ready for the race. The race was a relay, with three members of the team expected to perform 25 laps around the course. Reddy went second after a brief argument with Wolf. When Hydra attacked the race, Reddy tried to help racer “Pops” flee with his new motorcycle but was captured along with him. Minutes later, the Hydra blimp crashed, thanks largely to the efforts of the departing Marauder. Wolf thought Reddy may have been the masked rider, but was unsure. The three of them were then confronted by the Hydra leader, Mr. Davan, at gunpoint. Using their mind link, they were able to dodge his bullets. When he committed suicide via cyanide capsule, the three were left with more questions than answers. Regardless, the three took their place in the winner’s circle and enjoyed the moment.
(Team America#2) – Reddy inquired about the amount of prize money and how much the trophy would be worth melted down after the race. Later, he and Wolf got into a physical confrontation that was only broken up by Honcho. When Wolf took off in a huff, Reddy and the rest tracked him, saving Wrench and Georgiana from Wolf’s former gang in the process. The group headed toward Colorado for the next race. Reddy almost quit when he learned that Honcho had spent their winnings. When confronted by the hired killer, Reddy and Wolf put aside their differences and attacked the assassin. Both were soundly beaten. During the actual race, Reddy was at checkpoint one. He was meant to relieve Wolf during the race, but decided to leave, opting to check in with Honcho and the rest to see how they were handling the killer. When Wolf finished in second place, Reddy congratulated him all the same.
(Captain America I#269) – The assembled Team America (Honcho, R.U. Reddy and Wolf) were hired to perform a charity show at Madison Square Garden with Captain America. When a giant yellow humanoid suddenly appeared and kidnapped a Nobel Prize winning scientist in the stands, Captain America followed the monster back through the strange portal it had created. Reddy and the others followed after him, finding themselves in a strange village. Greeted by Mark Twain and Albert Einstein, the foursome were taken to the town hall where they met the Mad Thinker. Reddy recognized the Mad Thinker and attacked the Thinker’s robot, but was knocked out. Caged, Reddy and the others were freed by the mysterious Marauder. Later, when the Thinker was being hauled off by SHIELD, Reddy and the rest rode off into the sunset on the way to their next show.
(Team America#3) – After a race, Reddy commented on when they would get paid. Kidnapped by the Mayhem Organization, Reddy and the rest escaped due to the efforts of the Marauder.
(Team America#4) – Reddy and Wolf traded barbs after Wolf commented on Reddy’s greed. When Wolf later called them, asking for help against a gang brainwashing runaways, Reddy and the rest answered the call. Wolf questioned Reddy’s apparent lateness, suggesting that perhaps Reddy had been the one under the Marauder’s leathers.
(Team America#5) – Reddy and the rest of the team did a show, unaware that Adrian Turner was watching them. Reddy questioned Honcho’s behavior, especially Honcho’s reluctance to speak about it. When ordered to go on to the next show without him, Reddy and Wolf talked about Honcho’s orders. When Honcho managed to free himself from Turner’s deathtrap, Reddy and Wolf arrived on the scene seconds after the Marauder left. Giving him the tools needed, Reddy watched as Honcho diffused a bomb. The three of them then rode off toward their next show.
(Team America#6) – Reddy took the lead in a race, crossing the finish line first, despite the plan being all five members to cross at the same time. Reddy apologized to Honcho, but explained he needed his share of prize money. Instead of saving it to repay his father, he took to see an old girlfriend in the small town of Ooloosa, located in the backwoods of Louisiana. Pulling into town, Reddy stopped by the home of Evelyn’s parents. Shocked to learn that she had become a microbiologist, and more shocked to learn she hadn’t been seen for nearly a week, Reddy headed into “La Mort de Bayou” in search of her. Stopping to fill up, he made a few inquiries with some locals, who began to act very peculiar when he mentioned why he was there.
A few miles down the road, Reddy saw several men in a pickup truck bearing down on him. Turning around, he narrowly avoided being shot. A few death-defying stunts later, Reddy was still on the road and the men were in the bayou. Stopping his motorcycle to help them, Reddy was horrified as the men were eaten alive by a gelatinous green blob. Racing away, Reddy arrived at a run-down motel before sunset. Looking around, he found Evelyn and her dog barricaded inside the main office. Upon seeing Reddy, the dog went into a frenzy and rushed outside, where it was eaten by the slime. Evelyn explained how she had become stranded. Reddy quickly took her and raced away from the hotel before the slime consumed them as well. Heading toward the Sweetwater Chemical Plant, Reddy and Evelyn overheard the owner, Mr. Gutman, explain the slime’s origin and usefulness to a group of terrorists. Evelyn was somehow captured, forcing Reddy to rescue her. Crashing into a wall, Reddy and Evelyn were both knocked out. Before they could be fed to the slime, the Marauder broke in and freed them. Escaping, Reddy tried to help the hysterical Gutman, but was unable to save him when he tripped over a cable and fell directly into the slime. On the bike, Reddy bounced from safe spot to safe spot until he hit the road. He narrowly avoided being hit by an oil truck, but he noticed the slime was still moving toward the road. Yanking the driver free, Reddy drove the rig straight into the path of the slime, igniting the fuel in the process. The resulting explosion utterly destroyed every trace of the slime. Reddy and Evelyn celebrated, but Reddy had to give the trucker the remainder of his prize money to cover the loss of the man’s cargo.
(Team America#7) – While in Texas, Reddy and the rest of the team were arrested after Senator Clover’s daughter was kidnapped. When freed, Reddy and the rest of Team America parachuted into the Emperor of Texas’ compound. Reddy and the others were separated by winds, later meeting up before the entire compound collapsed.
(Team America#8) – Reddy flirted with the passengers and crew of the plane as the team flew from America to Egypt for a race. Reddy chided Wolf on his airsickness. Once landed, Reddy and the others got ready for the race, despite Honcho vanishing. Reddy and Wolf came to blows after Wolf finally got tired of Reddy’s snide remarks. Only the efforts of the rest of the team kept them from seriously harming each other. Reddy decided to help Wrench fix their car for the race, but fell asleep instead. During the actual race, Reddy and the others watched as Wolf crashed, losing the race. When Honcho stumbled back and told of his mission and reason for not being there, Reddy and the others stood by him.
(Team America#9) – Due to their loss in Cairo, Team America had been forced to live in their camper in Brooklyn. When the idea of taking out a loan was suggested, Reddy shot it down, swearing he would not add to his debt. His treatment of Wolf grew worse, with Reddy slurring the man when the engine of their last bike died. When the Marauder dropped off the motorcycle, Reddy pumped his fist with glee. With the motorbike in their possession, Team America began to win races once more. Each member of the team took turns with the bike, Reddy included. During this time, Wrench had sunk their winnings into building a new car. The car handled perfectly, but in the final lap it overheated and caught fire.
Mr. Mudge of Stark Industries had been watching the race intently. He approached Team America and offered them a job with Stark Industries. They accepted, although not without some dissension in the ranks. When it was revealed that Mudge had only signed them to get his hands on the Marauder’s bike, Reddy and the others were dismissed. When the Marauder returned the bike to them, Tony Stark confronted Team America and apologized for Mudge’s actions. He cut them a check for their time spent at the company. Reddy and the others accepted and went on their way.
(Team America#10) – Reddy teased Wolf about his performance in an upcoming race in Las Vegas. Leaving the track, he headed back toward the hotel where the team was registered. He arrived in time to see an empty suit fall from Honcho’s window. Checking Honcho, Reddy was stunned when the former spy told him there was a man in the suit when it left the room. When the Mr. Ashe and his cult kidnapped Honcho, Reddy tried to help but was gassed. Coming to, he alerted the police. When told they were unable to act, Reddy, Wolf and Cowboy broke into Ashe’s compound. Captured, Reddy and Wolf were placed into tubes. Reddy smuggled a flare in with him and used it to escape. In their mad dash to freedom, Reddy and others fought their way out as Ashe escaped in a personal airplane. When Ashe and his cult later ambushed the Team in their rooms, Reddy was horrified as Ashe fell victim to his own deadly dust.
(Team America#11) – The team was doing time trials for a rally in Oklahoma. Reddy passed the time insulting Wolf and provoking Wrench. Later, after everyone had finished practicing, Reddy and the others found Wolf watching Johnny Blaze intently as the rider performed a dangerous stunt. On the day of the race, Reddy and the others were distracted when the supernatural Ghost Rider burst onto the track. Reddy ducked off the track, as it became a battleground between the demonic biker and the Marauder. When a contingent of Hydra troops attacked, Reddy and the other members of Team America fought them off until the Ghost Rider turned his full fury upon the terrorists. Later, when the wreckage and injured were being cleared away, Reddy and the others found the weakened Marauder. Reddy was amazed when he saw the masked rider’s true identity.
(Team America#12) – Reddy had a hard time believing when he saw the slender Georgiana in the Marauder’s clothes. Later, back in their vehicle, Reddy raged against his father. Pointing to the large collection of letters the senior Roan had sent him, Reddy refused to listen to the older man until he earned the same fortune he had squandered. When Viper, the Hydra leader, attacked, Reddy and the others tried to subdue her. Reddy was elbowed to the face and thrown into the others for his trouble. He listened when she told the team the truth: they were all the results of Hydra’s New Genesis project. The project had been deemed a failure but they drew Hydra’s attention when the Marauder hacked into their database and damaged their mainframes. They agreed to let the woman go so she could say goodbye to her family. Secretly, they followed her. When she was outside of her house, Reddy and the others attacked the assembled Hydra assassins, managing to drive them off. When it was over, they said goodbye to the woman and her family.
Later, after the excitement had died down and the other members of the team began to plan for the future, Reddy threw a tantrum when the idea to disband came up. Cursing Wolf and Wrench, Reddy nearly came to blows with both men before Georgiana reasoned with him. Citing his father’s letters as proof of affection, she convinced him to call his father. Reddy did, and the two reconciled. After a brief discussion, Reddy told the others his father would pay for Wrench and Georgiana’s wedding, which was going to be held at the Roan estate. Once the wedding was over, Reddy said goodbye to the team. Heading back to New York, Reddy and Cowboy shared one last drink together at the airport. Once on board the plane, Reddy mused about the nature of the Marauder and thought about the times the dark rider showed up when Georgiana was nowhere near the scene.
(Team America#12/New Mutants I#5 - BTS) – Reddy, Cowboy and Wolf reformed Team America and continued to tour across America.
(New Mutants I#5) – Reddy and the others were performing a show in Westchester. Unknown to them, several members of the New Mutants were in attendance. Reddy performed death defying stunts before the crowd, but he, Cowboy and Wolf were knocked out when Hydra attacked. Later, after receiving word from Honcho, Reddy and the others met to discuss Viper’s ultimatum. When Charles Xavier entered their room and told them of their mutant powers, Reddy was nonplussed.
(New Mutants I#6) – Reddy and the others trained at night in the Mexican desert. Reddy adapted the easiest to the riding, even mocking Wolf when the latter crashed. It earned him a severe reprimand from Xavier. As their training progressed, and Honcho and Wrench were chosen to sneak into the A.I.M. base, Reddy and Wolf slept, courtesy of Xavier. While they were asleep, Xavier strengthened their powers, awakening them when Honcho and Wrench had escaped. When the base exploded, Reddy took Honcho and drove away. Despite the harrowing night and battle with A.I.M. troops, Reddy and the other arrived back at the X-Men's plane. Reddy was dumbstruck when Xavier exclaimed that he could no longer hear the New Mutants.
(New Mutants I#8) – Reddy and the rest of the team took a break in the Danger Room from their training.
(New Mutants I#8/The Thing I#27 - BTS) – After their adventures with the New Mutants, Reddy was annoyed to discover they lost the copyright to the name Team America. Dubbing themselves the Thunderiders, Reddy and the others decided to expand their roster and start touring.
(The Thing I#27) – While out on a ride, the Thunderiders nearly ran over the Thing and his friend Vance Astro. When the Thing wandered into their camp, Reddy offered apologies. The next day after their show, the team opened up tryouts for the departing Sharon Ventura. Despite the impressive show from Richie Champulion, Reddy wanted the Thing to be inducted. Reddy argued that he felt the stirrings of the mind link that only occurred near other gestalts. Believing the Thing to be a fellow member of the New Genesis Project, Reddy insisted that he be a member of the team. After the Thing was voted in, the Marauder attacked him. Reddy was horrified, as he could not believe that the Marauder's powers could be used in such a fashion. When the Marauder’s helmet was removed and Richie Champoulion was revealed to be the host, Reddy was speechless.
(The Thing I#28) – The Thing's tenure with the team lasted two weeks. During this time, Reddy and the others practiced with him and incorporated him into their stunts. The biggest and last one involved the rest of the team leaving their bikes and forming a pyramid on the Thing, with Reddy balanced on his left shoulder and Georgiana balanced on his back. Reddy was still in the showers when the Thing decided to quit.
Comments: Developed by J.M. DeMattis (script), Mike Zeck (pencils), and John Beatty & Joe Rubenstein (inks).
According to my research, the entire concept of Team America was created by Ideal Toys to sell a toy line and was later licensed by Marvel. The line actually began as Evel Knievel. According to the Evel Knievel Toy Museum, the line came about when Knievel was arrested for assault in the late 1970s. Retooling the line, the Evel Knievel figures became R.U. Reddy, Honcho, the Wolf and the Marauder, with accompanying vehicles.
In issue one, there is a slight mistake in coloring. Honcho was the first one in the race and wearing white, but Reddy was colored white by mistake.
Reddy’s father is mentioned in nearly every appearance, but doesn’t actually appear on screen until issue 12.
Throughout most of the early issues, Reddy was hinted to be the Marauder.
Reddy refers to Wolf as a ‘wetback’ in issue 9, yet no-one seems to call him on it.
The team’s first appearance was in the Captain America issue (with the implication that they had been around a while), yet issue one shows the team coming together with issue two opening seconds after the first. I put the Captain America issue between two and three.
“Project: New Genesis”? Seems to be invoking the Forever People...
In issue 12, Reddy and the others are flatly told they are mutants, yet when Professor X explains it to them again, they act shocked.
Profile by David Lawrence.
CLARIFICATIONS
:
R.U. Reddy has no known connections to:
A very old and very rich man, Winthrop Roan, Sr. had disowned Reddy for his frivolous ways. He later heard about his son’s adventures and made several efforts to contact him. When he finally reached his son the pair reconnected.
--Team America#12
images:
(without ads)
Team America#1, p31, pan5 (main image)
Team America#6, p1, pan1 (head shot)
The Thing I#28, p3, pan4 (full body Thunderiders uniform)
Team America#12, p42, pan2 (Winthrop Roan, Sr.).
Appearances:
Captain America I#269 (May, 1982) - J.M. DeMattis (script),
Mike Zeck (pencils), John Beatty, Mike Zeck & Joe Rubenstein
(inks), Jim
Salicrup (editor)
Team America#1 (June, 1982) - Jim Shooter (script), Mike
Vosburg (pencils), Vince Colleta (inks), Jim Shooter (editor)
Team America#2 (July, 1982) - Jim Shooter, Denny
O’Neil & Bill Mantlo (script), Mike Vosburg
(pencils), Vince
Colleta (inks), Jim Shooter (editor)
Team America#3 (August, 1982) - Bill Mantlo (script), Luke
McDonall (pencils), Mike Vosburg (inks), Jim Shooter (editor)
Team America#4 (September, 1982) - Bill Mantlo (script), Luke
McDonall (pencils), Mike Vosburg (inks), Jim Shooter (editor)
Team America#5 (October, 1982) - Bill Mantlo (script), Alan Kupperburg
(pencils), Vince Colleta (inks), Jim Shooter (editor)
Team America#6 (November, 1982) - Bill Mantlo (script), Alan Kupperburg
(pencils), Vince Colleta (inks), Jim Shooter (editor)
Team America#7 (December, 1982) - Bill Mantlo (script), Luke
McDonall (pencils), Vince Colleta (inks), Jim Shooter (editor)
Team America#8 (January, 1983) - Jim Shooter & Bill Mantlo
(plot/script), Don Perlin (pencils), Vince Colleta (inks), Jim Shooter
(editor)
Team America#9 (February, 1983) - Jim Shooter & Bill Mantlo
(plot/script), Mark Bright (pencils), Vince Colleta (inks), Jim Shooter
(editor)
Team America#10 (March, 1983) - Steven Grant (script), Alan
Kupperburg (pencils), Vince Colleta (inks), Jim Shooter (editor)
Team America#11 (April, 1983) - Jim Shooter & Tom DeFalco
(plot/script), David Simmons & Sharon Weiss (pencils), Jim
Shooter
(editor)
Team America#12 (May, 1983) - Jim Shooter (script), Don
Perlin (pencils), Vince Colleta (inks), Jim Shooter (editor)
New Mutants I#5 (July, 1983) - Chris Claremont (script), Sal
Buscema (pencils), Bob McCloud (inks), Louise Jones (editor)
New Mutants I#6 (August, 1983) - Chris Claremont (script),
Sal Buscema (pencils), Armando Gill & J. Tartag (inks), Louise
Jones
(editor)
New Mutants I#8 (October, 1983) - Chris Claremont (script),
Sal Buscema (pencils), Bob McCloud (inks), Louise Jones (editor)
The Thing I#27 (September, 1985) - Mike Carlin (script), Ron
Wilson (pencils), Paul Ryan (inks), Mark Gruenwald (editor)
The Thing I#28 (October, 1985) - Mike Carlin (script), Ron
Wilson (pencils), Brett Breeding (inks), Mark Gruenwald (editor)
First Posted: 11/12/2009
Last
updated: 05/16/2011
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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