FIRE

Real Name: Unrevealed

Identity/Class: Extradimensional (Earth-80324) human (baseline Terran) mutate

Occupation: Espionage and field agent

Group Membership: Interplanetary Security Agency (ISA), ISA Strike Squad (Ice, Razor)

Affiliations: Formerly Paradox

Enemies: Bear, Paradox, Saturnian rebels

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: Presumably mobile through Earth's solar system, Reality-80324;
    last active on Titan, moon of Saturn, Reality-80324

First Appearance: Bizarre Adventures#30 (February, 1982)

Powers/Abilities: Fire had a bionic right arm, from the palms of which he could project intense bursts of fire, sufficient to burn off someone's face or to melt a 3' diameter hole through what looked to be 1" thick (or less) steel. These fiery blasts could strike and incapacitate a normal human foe from at least 15' away. He does take at least a few seconds to recharge between blasts.

    Fire discussed being sympathetic to the servant species as he was no longer a baseline human/Terran, either. Before realizing the "Saturnian" being assaulted in his bar was actually Paradox (and the strike squad's ISA contact), Fire was willing to physically serve him a drink while verbally denying him, and to blow his cover to help the "Saturnian" fight off multiple Terran attackers. Nonetheless, in battle, he had no problem referring to his Saturnian enemies by derogatory terms such as "carrots," "vegetables," etc.

Height: Approximately 5'9" (he was never clearly pictured in relation to Paradox, who I've estimated at 6'0", but he seemed a bit shorter and stockier)
Weight: Approximately 185 lbs.
Eyes: Green? (see the color image by comments)
Hair: Brown

History:

(Bizarre Adventures#30 (fb) - BTS) - The man who would become Fire received a bionic flame-thrower in his arm after the ISA sent him in alone into a nest of Jovian spice-smugglers.

(Bizarre Adventures#30 (fb) - BTS) - Fire joined an ISA Strike Squad including fellow ISA mutates Ice and Razor.

(Bizarre Adventures#30 (fb) - BTS) - Fire, Ice, and Razor worked together for a sufficiently long time to become familiar and comfortable together.

(Bizarre Adventures#30 (fb) - BTS) - ISA Central informed their strike squad that a contact would come to lead them on Titan in investigating a rebellion amongst the servant species and suspicion that there was a mole in the ISA.

(Bizarre Adventures#30 (fb) - BTS) - Fire worked as bartender at an unspecified bar on Titan, and Ice and Razor posed as customers.

(Bizarre Adventures#30) - On Titan, Paradox adopted Saturnian form and entered the bar where Fire was bartending. When Paradox ordered a Llango-Tri Color, Fire said, "I can't serve you, vegetable. Rules."...but Fire apparently placed a drink in front of him anyway, leading a Terran nicknamed Bear to try to force the "Saturnian" to put down the drink. After Paradox shattered his drink in Bear's face, another Terran grabbed Paradox and brandished a knife. Fire told the Terran no fighting in his bar, and when the Terran continued forward and asked the barkeep if he was some kind of alien-lover, Fire said, "no." and ignited jets of flame from the perforations in his hand, frying the abusive Terran's face. His true nature exposed, Fire stood by Paradox, clarifying that he just didn't like the odds. He asked if there were any other takers, and a group of Terrans advanced, vowing to kill both the "Saturnian" and anyone who took sides with the "vegetable."

    Ice sensed the "Saturnian" might be their contact, and Razor joined the conflict. When Ice complained about telempathically feeling Razor's assault upon their opponents, Fire encourage Ice to screen it out, as it was the only way she would survive. Razor told Fire the "Saturnian" was their contact, and Fire questioned an alien leading an ISA strike squad, but, as Paradox mowed through his opponents, Fire noted that "Well, maybe he will, at that."

    After their victory, Paradox thanked his assistants, and Fire was confused by Ice's statements about Paradox being both an alien and not. Paradox revealed his nature as a metamorph and confirmed him to be their operations leader, Paradox. Fire asked Paradox if he still wanted that Llango-Tri Color.

    A "few phases later," having melded into the Titanian substrata to surreptitiously gather information on rebel operations, Paradox led the ISA Strike Squad to a warehouse in which the food stores smuggled off Mercury by the rebels were allegedly being hidden. Fire commended Paradox on the good plan of following the food to find the rebels, but Paradox noted that the rebels might have wanted them to track them to their lair and into a trap. As Ice scanned the warehouse, Fire asked Paradox if there was a mole feeding info to the rebels, wouldn't the rebels be ready for them? Paradox responded that by taking out the Terrans at the bar, they had raised questions about themselves, and they (the rebels?) were going to be wondering if they (the strike squad) had any sympathies for the rebel cause. Fire further noted that being Saturnian seemed to suit Paradox, and that he was something of an enigma; when Paradox revealed he was a result of ISA genetic engineering, a surprised Fire revealed that he, Ice, and Razor had been similarly mutated and that he sometimes wondered -- since they weren't exactly human anymore -- whether he, Ice, and Razor didn't deep down have some sympathy for the rebellion. Paradox enigmatically responded, "Do you now?" When Ice and Razor concluded the rebels were stockpiling food, Fire responded that he bet the "carrot-tops" were actually growing food in there. Paradox noted this to be in direct violation of Terran law, which held that all agriculture must take place on Earth. Ice confirmed that she still didn't sense any thinking life-forms; and Fire wondered if the mole might have tipped the rebels to their raid and that the rebels might have fled, leaving behind their food stores. Fire further reasoned that if that were the case, their mission must be to destroy the food cache and then locate the rebels themselves before they could disrupt the Emperor's arrival on Titan. As the Strike Squad approached the warehouse, Fire asked if Ice sensed anything, and she confirmed only plant impressions. Paradox lagged behind and then leapt to the upper levels to enter through a window. Unaware of Paradox's separation, Razor and Ice gathered behind Fire as he burnt a hole through a wall with his hand, all the time reminding Ice to keep scanning so there wouldn't be any surprises when they got in.

    Upon entering, they saw many rows of massive tanks of food, which Fire prepared to incinerate, but Ice suddenly sensed the rebels present before she was killed by a rebel's blaster. Razor blasted the walkway out from under some rebels, and Fire blasted a hole through at least one of the falling Saturnians, after which he identified a mindscreen, which is what had blocked Ice's scans. Meanwhile, Paradox took the form of a domestic cat to approach the Saturnians unnoticed, after which he returned to his standard form and blasted a series of metal support cables suspending the remaining catwalks, causing numerous rebels to fall to their deaths and take out the vegetable tanks in the process. Paradox then instructed Fire to burn them a path out of there.

    They passed through pathway Fire created, but Fire noted more were coming; as the door was blocked, Paradox directed them to an opening that led to the sewers. Fire questioned how Paradox knew where it led, but Paradox told Fire to trust him. Razor noted there was no way out, but Paradox, in Jovian form, ripped a hole in the wall, through which they all descended. With Paradox back in standard form, Fire asked him where he was when they needed him. Paradox claimed to have sought another way into the warehouse only to encounter the main body of rebels, through which he had fought to where he could aid them. Fire accused Paradox of having led them into an ambush, noting that same sort of planning had cost him his hand. Razor noted the mole who had infiltrated the ISA had betrayed them to the rebels, but Fire countered that the only ones who knew about them was themselves, and that the mole might be one of them. Reminding that he had known Razor and Ice for a long time, Fire threatened that if he thought for a second that Paradox was the mole, he would fry his face. Paradox surprisingly admitted to being the mole and fatally blasted the stunned Fire in the chest. Paradox revealed his sympathies to the servant species, brought on by the fatal torture of his lover Catherine DeLys and apologetically noted that he couldn't allow the Strike Squad to upset the rebellion's plans. Paradox then slew and impersonated Razor.

(Bizarre Adventures#30 (fb) - BTS) - Numerous Saturnian rebels had voluntarily sacrificed themselves to lull the ISA into believing the rebellion had been smashed on Titan

(Bizarre Adventures#30) - The next phase, at an ISA command post on Titan, as the Emperor approached, "Razor" used her laser vision to destroy the consoles controlling the Emperor's descent, causing him to fall into Saturn's deadly atmosphere. "Razor" then revealed herself as Paradox and took out ISA forces that tried to stop him; on every colony world there was rejoicing. Paradox left Stanhope amongst the Empire's ruins, believing that the Terrans and Colonials would ultimately be forced to regard each other as equals and develop a new society.

Comments: Created by Bill Mantlo, Mike Vosberg, and Joe Jusko.

    In the main image, Fire is holding in his left a mindscreen device he had taken from a Saturnian rebel...it's not part of his costume or standard weaponry.

    The image to the right comes from the cover, by a different artist. The guy in the middle is supposed to be Fire, but his hand/weapon and face (or at least his hair style) look fairly different. Artistic license, I'd guess.

    So, in a nutshell, the ISA employed Paradox to lead the ISA Strike Squad in uncovering a mole, stopping rebels plots, and protecting the Emperor. However, Paradox actually was the mole, and he facilitated the Strike Squad's deaths while making it appear the rebellion had been smashed.

Thanks to MarvellousLuke for the image clean-up!

Profile by Snood.

CLARIFICATIONS:
No KNOWN connections to:

• other Fire characters...I was sure there were other characters named simply "Fire," but don't find any in my notes...

images: (without ads)
Bizarre Adventures#30 cover (colored image...though it doesn't quite look like him) - by Jeff Easley
        story pg. 18, panel 6 (face - actually Paradox mimicking him);
        pg. 22, panel 3 (using power);
            panel 4 (full body);
            panel 5 (main image)

Appearances:
Bizarre Adventures#30 (February, 1982) - Bill Mantlo (writer), Mike Vosberg (penciler), Joe Jusko (inker), Dennis O'Neil (editor)

Last updated: 05/19/14

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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