NAIN ROUGENAIN ROUGE
Real Name: Dick Snerd
Identity/Class: Human
Occupation: City Councilman, entrepreneur,
super villain;
former superhero
Group Membership: None
Affiliations: Firebrand (Erikson Hades), Pitchfork, Shriek (Frances Barrison)
Enemies: Amy, Connie Ferrari, the
Great Lakes Avengers (Big Bertha/Ashley Crawford, Doorman/DeMarr Davis,
Flatman/Matt, Good Boy/Good Silva, Mister Immortal/Craig Hollis)
Known Relatives: None
Aliases: "The Boss," "Protector of Detroit," "the Red Dwarf"
Base of Operations: Club Baphomet, Detroit,
Michigan, USA
First Appearance: (mentioned only as "the
Boss"): Great Lakes Avengers I#1 (December, 2016);
(fully seen): Great Lakes Avengers I#2 (January, 2017)
Powers/Abilities: Nain Rouge had no superhuman
powers but he wore a costume equipped with metallic, clawed gloves. He
was also a skilled politician, liar and was familiar with the American
legal system.
Height: 6'3" (by approximation)
Weight: 170 lbs. (by approximation)
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Brown
History: (Great Lakes Avengers I#4 (fb)) - The
young Dick Snerd moonlighted as the superhero Nain Rouge, sworn
protector of Detroit during one of its worst crime waves. Despite local
newspapers calling him a cut-rate Daredevil, Nain Rouge wanted to make
a difference and during one night on patrol, Nain Rouge overheard
screaming from an apartment building. Climbing up to the apartment
window, Nain Rouge found a man holding a family at gunpoint and the man
fired on Nain Rouge, shooting him in the chest. Nain Rouge then fell a
few stories into a garbage bin outside, bleeding and realizing that the
world didn't actually need superheroes. Deciding to make a difference
in a different way, Snerd ran for City Council and was elected, soon
deciding to hire super villains Firebrand and Shriek to destroy slum
property so that he could replace the dilapidated property with new
businesses.
(Great Lakes Avengers I#2 (fb) - BTS) - At some
point, Dick Snerd began using his Nain Rouge identity to purchase
businesses that he then began replacing slum property with, making side
money from the deals. He eventually purchased a nightclub that was
dubbed Club Baphomet.
(Great Lakes Avengers I#1 - BTS) - Years later, when
the Great Lakes Avengers moved into Detroit, Snerd's agents Firebrand
and Shriek witnessed the heroes' arrival and argued over who was going
to tell Snerd.
(Great Lakes Avengers I#2) - Annoyed that the nearby Club Baphomet was keeping them awake with their all-night partying, the Great Lakes Avengers visited Club Baphomet, where Big Bertha was informed that Nain Rouge owned the Club. When Bertha confronted him, Nain Rouge introduced himself and revealed that he knew all about the Great Lakes Avengers' history and admitted that superheroes were stuck in their own history. Reminding Bertha that he owned not only Club Baphomet but the entire block, Nain Rouge then remarked that perhaps they had gotten off on the wrong foot and suggested Bertha have a drink, referring her to that night's specials, which were drinks insulting named after the Great Lakes Avengers such as "Flatman 'Fruit' Cocktail," "Big Bursta's Buttered Rum" and "Mr. Immbarrassment." Using knowledge of Big Bertha and former Great Lakes Avengers leader Mr. Immortal's past relationship, Nain Rouge laughingly admitted that perhaps he should have left the third special off the drink list but he felt as if the missing Mr. Immortal would appreciate it. When Nain Rouge then commented that Bertha would know that more than anyone, Big Bertha grew in size and attacked Nain Rouge, remarking that she hoped he had insurance. Later that evening, City Councilman Dick Snerd appeared live on television, where protesters argued against Snerd's suggestion that the villains attacking crime-ridden Detroit neighborhoods should be hailed as heroes instead of villains. During the protest, the lycanthropic Good Silva hurled a bottle at Snerd and got arrested, meeting the Great Lakes Avengers in jail, where they had been sent after their attack on Nain Rouge. Moments after the GLA's lawyer, Connie Ferrari, arrived to have the Great Lakes Avengers released, Dick Snerd arrived at the police station and argued against their release, claiming Silva had tried to assassinate him. Ferrarri immediately reminded Snerd that a thrown bottle was not an assassin's bullet and there were no witnesses proving Silva had thrown the bottle, thereby giving police no reason to hold her. Ferrari then announced that Silva and the Great Lakes Avengers would be released and when Snerd protested, Ferrari asked if Snerd wanted to explain to voters why he took Detroit's only superheroes off the streets during a rash of super-villain attacks. Snerd responded with angry silence before announcing that everyone present would regret crossing him, as he was a big man with a lot of power, power barely contained by his bigness. Returning to his limo outside, Snerd put on his Nain Rouge mask and asked his driver to take him downtown, as he needed to blow off a little steam.
(Great Lakes Avengers I#3) - Dick Snerd appeared on
Detroit 4 News following a legal injunction being filed to halt the
Great Lakes Avengers' activities, where he angrily proclaimed that
Detroit never asked for a superhero team and that he was not about to
let anyone decide that Detroit needed to be policed like a bunch of
criminals. Snerd then announced that the city would conduct their own
investigation into whether Detroit needed a superhero team and reach
their own conclusions regarding the matter, promising that until that
time, he was not going to let costumed heroes run freely through his
town. Shortly after watching Snerd's announcement on television, the
Great Lakes Avengers reunited with their missing teammate Mr. Immortal
but an angry Big Bertha opted to leave with Good Boy (Silva) and
Doorman to investigate Nain Rouge's Club for leads. Once inside Club
Baphomet, Good Boy picked up the scent of someone she recognized from
their night in jail and both Big Bertha and Good Boy soon discovered
the seeming corpse of Nain Rouge laying over his desk without his mask,
revealing his identity as Dick Snerd.
(Great Lakes Avengers I#4 (fb) - BTS) - Realizing
Snerd was not actually dead, Big Bertha and Good Boy kidnapped Snerd
and brought him to the Great Lakes Avengers HQ.
(Great Lakes Avengers I#4) - An hour later, after
tying Snerd to a chair, Good Boy and Big Bertha argued over what to do
next and why they had kidnapped him in the first place. Snerd chimed
in, claiming that he was kidnapped because the GLA saw him as a
super-villain when he insisted that he was the only one helping the
city of Detroit. Good Boy replied by accusing Snerd of sending super
villains to drive people out of their homes and Snerd answered Good
Boy's accusations by claiming that businesses, restaurants and new jobs
replace the destroyed slums. Big Bertha then accused Snerd of replacing
the slums only with businesses that he owned but Snerd sarcastically
remarked that, technically, Nain Rouge owned the businesses and that
owning businesses would be a conflict of interest since Snerd was a
City Councilman. When Big Bertha asked about the people he had hurt
while destroying slums but Snerd responded by asking about the ones he
had actually helped by creating new jobs, insisting that he had brought
in more money to Detroit than anyone had in decades. Remarking that he
was once on the side of angels like the GLA, Snerd recounted his
origins as a hero and how he opted to change the city as a City
Councilman instead. Again insisting he had done more in his years as a
City Councilman than any superheroes had, Snerd found that Big Bertha
and Good Boy had taken to playing on their cellphones rather than
listen to his origin story. As Big Bertha decided to go out for coffee,
Snerd commented that his origin was a good story, but Bertha ordered
Good Boy to kill Snerd if he moved while she out. Snerd soon coughed
and Good Boy ominously looked at Snerd and remarked that she thought
that qualified as moving. Transforming into her wolf form, Good Boy
threatened Snerd, who was unfazed, prompting Good Boy to remind Snerd
that he had destroyed their home and hospitalized her brother. Snerd
admitted that while he did do those things, it was all speculation at
best unless she had evidence to convict him of any crimes. Snerd then
arrogantly claimed that Good Boy wouldn't kill him, as he had the best
lawyers in town and was too important a target. Good Boy reluctantly
agreed but then decided that she must kill Snerd before pouncing on
him, unaware that the GLA's lawyer Connie Ferrari was arriving on the
scene at that very moment. Once Connie came inside, she heard a loud
crash and traced the noise to the room housing Good Boy and the captive
Dick Snerd. Opening the door, Connie found a bloody Snerd and a
confused-looking Good Boy sitting on the ground, commenting that she
had messed up. A short time later, the Great Lakes Avengers drove past
Butler Hospital in the Flatmobile and dumped the injured Snerd onto the
ground outside, still tied up with his Nain Rouge mask and a note
stating that he was a criminal.
(Great Lakes Avengers I#5 (fb) - BTS) - While in the
hospital, Good Boy's brother Lucky, who was hospitalized due to
injuries suffered when Snerd's agent Pitchfork attacked his home, gave
Dick Snerd a "Tito Frehley" (a drawing on his face resembled a
combination bandito mustache/Ace
Frehley makeup from the band KISS).
(Great Lakes Avengers I#5) - Connie Ferrari spoke
with the Great Lakes Avengers and they all agreed that what happened
with Nain Rouge could never go further than Ferrari or the GLA for risk
of getting SHIELD involved. As Big Bertha left, Good Boy's brother
Lucky arrived, having been at the hospital and learned of the attack on
Dick Snerd, and questioned Good Boy about her possible involvement.
Good insisted that Snerd deserved the attack but Lucky suggested they
leave town to escape the potential ramifications of the attack. As Good
packed, Flatman attempted to talk her out of leaving but Good agreed
with Lucky that Snerd was a smart man and would recall who his attacker
was then trace her to the other Great Lakes Avengers members. Back at
Butler Hospital, one of the nurses noticed and was shocked by the "Tito
Frehley" drawn on Dick Snerd's face and when a doctor came over to see
about the nurse's shock, he remarked that it was the best "Tito
Frehley" he had ever seen and asked for his phone so that he make the
image of Snerd go viral over the internet.
(Great Lakes Avengers I#6 - BTS) - With the
unconscious Dick Snerd publicly revealed as the super villain Nain
Rouge, Doug and his live-in graphic designer/life coach Geoff prepared
to buy Club Baphomet from Snerd.
Comments: Created by Zac Gorman and Will Robson.
Nain Rouge is based on the local
Detroit area legend of the devilish Nain Rouge creature that is said to
bring misfortune to others and the city itself. The legend states that
Nain Rouge was a red, imp-like creature whom Detroit founder Antoine de
la Mothe Cadillac was warned to appease but rather than appease the
creature, Cadillac swatted it aside and was soon after struck with a
string of bad luck including being charged with abuse of power and
transferred to Louisiana and later returning to France, where he was
imprisoned and lost his fortune. According to legend and Marie Caroline
Watson Hamlin's 1883 Legends of le Detroit
writings, the Nain Rouge creature was dwarf-like in stature with a red
face and a bright, glistening eye that froze instead of burning all who
came into its focus. Rumor and legend has it that the Nain Rouge was
seen before the 1763 Battle of Bloody Run, Michigan's surrender during
the War of 1812, the 1967 Detroit riots and the 1976 Detroit ice storm.
The legend is still celebrated to this day as Detroit, Michigan holds
an annual festival called the Marche du Nain Rouge every spring.
Perhaps there is also an Earth-616 Marvel Comics version of the actual
imp and that's what Dick Snerd based his criminal identity on...
Profile by Proto-Man.
CLARIFICATIONS:
Nain Rouge has no known connections to:
images: (without ads)
Great Lakes Avengers I#2, p20, pan3 (Nain Rouge, main image)
Great Lakes Avengers I#2, p18, pan1 (Nain Rouge, maskless headshot)
Great Lakes Avengers I#4, p3, pan2 (Nain Rouge in original superhero
costume)
Great Lakes Avengers I#5, p20, pan4 (Dick Snerd with "Tito Frehley")
Appearances:
Great Lakes Avengers I#1 (December, 2016) - Zac Gorman (writer), Will
Robson (art), Tom Brevoort (editor)
Great Lakes Avengers I#2 (January, 2017) - Zac Gorman (writer), Will
Robson (art), Tom Brevoort (editor)
Great Lakes Avengers I#3 (February, 2017) - Zac Gorman (writer), Will
Robson (art), Tom Brevoort (editor)
Great Lakes Avengers I#4 (March, 2017) - Zac Gorman (writer), Jacob
Chabot (art), Tom Brevoort (editor)
Great Lakes Avengers I#5 (April, 2017) - Zac Gorman (writer), Will
Robson (art), Tom Brevoort (editor)
Great Lakes Avengers I#6 (May, 2017) - Zac Gorman (writer), Will Robson
(art), Tom Brevoort (editor)
First Posted: 10/25/2018
Last updated: 11/28/2022
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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