CANASTA
CANASTA
Real Name: Henry David Cavanaugh (see comments)
Identity/Class: Human, exotic technology user
Occupation: Electrician, adventurer
Group Membership: Anti-Registration Undergound (All-Out/Unarmed Training Automaton, Attacker/Richard Kaine, Awe-Striker/Cecily Johnson, Basic Black/Norman Gentry, Battlestar/Lemar Hoskins, Brain Spasm/Dennis Hoxie, Captain Kinship/Edward Randlebuck, Dahntu/Charles Luc Phan, Freeware/Kurt Duryea, Gladiatrix/Robin Braxton, Green Guardswoman/Natalie Bell, Harbormaster/Sean Beckett, Haunter/Mark Runnemyer, Human Haze/Steve Cochrane, Iguanid/Tom Boldstep, Johnny Justice/Jonadab Megyscol, Kruzado/Dorothy Cardoza, Lawman/Leon Frankfurt, Leather Angel/Andrew Mussawyr, Masked Rose/Josie Tyler, Natural/Beru Addison, Network/Valerie Martin, Orange Crusher/Andy Gardner, Panthrax/Alex Mitchell, Peace-Lover/Barry Kanczeski, Qiblah/Jared Nelson, Saint Hildegard/Sonya van Jagt, Scorecard/Bill Merrick, Skybolt/Zack Zimmerman, Solo/James Bourne, Spaceheat/Charles Yaméogo, Staten Island Star/Russell Feldman, Stone-Tough/Ted Pendleton, Tosser/Ferris Hartke, Typeface/Gordon Thomas, U.S. Annie/Harriet Best, Warbug/Bernard Van Buren, Winter Woman/Angela Stover, Xantippe/Mandy Atkinson, Zapster/Langley Saint-Margaret, others); see comments
Affiliations: See comments
Enemies:
(At least formerly) S.H.I.E.L.D. and its "Cape-Killers"
see
comments
Known Relatives: See comments
Aliases: See comments
Base of
Operations: Unrevealed;
previously an
unidentified Anti-Registration Underground safehouse in Manhattan,
New York
see comments
First Appearance:
(Unidentified) Civil War: Front Line#4 (2006);
(identified) Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z
hardcover#14: Anti-Registration Underground profile (2010)
Powers/Abilities: See comments
Height:
Unrevealed (approximately 6"; see
comments)
Weight:
Unrevealed (approximately 186 lbs.;
see
comments)
Eyes:
Unrevealed (see
comments)
Hair:
Unrevealed (see
comments)
History: See comments.
(Civil War: Front Line#4 (fb) - BTS / Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z hardcover#14: Anti-Registration Underground (fb) - BTS) - Following the Stamford disaster, where hundreds had perished during a battle between New Warriors and four Raft escapees, Iron Man (Tony Stark), Mr. Fantastic (Reed Richards) and others worked with US officials to develop the Superhuman Registration Act (SHRA), outlawing any crimefighting activities by unregistered super heroes.
Vigilante Typeface, although his identity was already known, resolved to fight a perceived assault on freedom, and he organized an Anti-Registration Underground, beginning with ex-government operative Battlestar and anti-terrorist Solo, to support super heroes who continued fighting crime without SHRA approval. Their ranks were soon supplemented by mystic-armored Freeware; bodysuit-enhanced Green Guardswoman; Masked Rose, leader of super-team TJAW (Truth, Justice, and the American Way), empowered by accidental mutant blood exposure; exoskeleton-empowered Network; and cyborg Skybolt. Via a covert interview with Alternative reporter Sally Floyd, ARU members publicized their perspective, and several other anti-registration heroes joined, including Canasta.
(Civil War: Front Line#4) - Canasta was present at the ARU base while the ARU members debated whether to seek and join Captain America (Steve Rogers)’s Secret Avengers, a better organized and equipped anti- SHRA unit, or to remain independent. Suddenly, armored S.H.I.E.L.D. Cape-Killers, accompanied by Iron Man, Ms. Marvel (Carol Danvers), Wonder Man (Simon Williams) and at least ten unidentified flying heroes, raided the base. Caught by surprise, few ARU members managed to effectively fight back against their more powerful and organized opponents. Although S.H.I.E.L.D. captured over 40 members, Canasta, the Awe-Striker, Dahntu, the Green Guardswoman, the Harbormaster, and the Tosser evaded capture, as did the Masked Rose, who had been absent seeking new recruits.
(Civil War: Battle Damage Report) - Tony Stark considered Canasta as a potential Initiative recruit.
Comments:
Created by Paul Jenkins, Sean Chen, Rick Magyar;
Codename, real name, and nature provided by Ronald Byrd
During
the production of the Civil War: Battle Damage Report (2007) writer
Paul Jenkins provided Ronald Byrd with authorization to provide
identities, real names for the various background Anti-Registration
Underground characters, and to flesh them out as much as he wanted.
Ronald provided identities and real names for the Anti-Registration
Underground entry in Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A
to Z hardcover#14 (2010). There wasn't room to provide much more than
that in that entry. However, Ronald had backgrounds and histories in
mind for these characters when he provided their names.
While the
information is unofficial until it sees print, here is the full story
behind Canasta:
REAL
NAME: Henry David Cavanaugh
ALIASES:
The Card Cutter of Crime
IDENTITY:
Publicly known
OCCUPATION:
Electrician
CITIZENSHIP:
USA
PLACE
OF BIRTH: St.
Petersburgh, Maryland
KNOWN
RELATIVES: Arthur
Cavanaugh (father), Jessica Cavanaugh (nee Carney, mother), Carnegie
Rooney (ex-wife)
GROUP
AFFILIATION: Formerly
Anti-Registration Underground
EDUCATION:
College degree
SHRA
CLASSIFICATION: Exotic
Technology User
FIRST
APPEARANCE: Civil
War: Front Line#4 (2006)
HISTORY:
When electrician Henry Cavanaugh
and several friends, during a lull in a poker game, watched TV
reports of a battle between the Avengers and Baron (Helmut) Zemo's
Masters of Evil, one of the game attendees brashly opined that, if he
tried hard enough, he could build advanced weapons as effective as
those used by costumed heroes and villains. The declaration escalated
into a standing challenge to all attendees, who spent the next few
days attempting to build such weaponry. Although most soon lost
interest and admitted defeat, Cavanaugh, seeking a distraction from
his recent divorce, devoted extra time and energy to the project,
ultimately creating two bracelets capable of firing multiple
projectiles. Allowing his friends to believe he too had failed the
invention challenge, Cavanaugh developed the costumed identity of
Canasta (based on the rummy card game of that name) and became active as a costumed adventurer, neither publicly
revealing his identity nor particularly concerning himself with
keeping it secret. Occasionally defeating criminals for whose capture
rewards were offered or whose stolen goods were similarly worth
rewards if returned, Canasta, unlike many such adventurers, willingly
accepted any such reward money eligible to a costumed adventurer,
donating some of his justly earned funds to charities and investing
others, eventually expanding his electrician business, Cav-Tech
Elec-Trec, to the extent that he could delegate more responsibilities
to employees and devote additional time to costumed adventures.
Following the passage of the Superhuman Registration Act (SHRA), Canasta declined to register out of an incorrect presumption that the SHRA was primarily a publicity exercise and that non-registrants would suffer no consequences more serious than a fine. Since Canasta had, when accepting reward money, made little effort to conceal his transfer of such funds to personal and work-related bank accounts, S.H.I.E.L.D. operatives had little difficulty tracing him to Cav-Tech; however, their attempt to arrest Canasta was hindered by some of Canasta's employees, allowing him to escape. He was eventually recruited into Typeface's Anti-Registration Underground and was present when SHIELD raided the ARU's safehouse and arrested most of its members. Canasta was one of the few ARU members to evade capture.
Following the SHRA's repeal, Canasta, learning that his employees had themselves been imprisoned for helping him escape, declined to return to costumed action and instead initiated the lengthy but necessary legal proceedings to have them released.
HEIGHT:
6' WEIGHT:
186 lbs.
EYES:
Black HAIR:
Black (balding)
ABILITIES/ACCESSORIES:
Canasta wears twin
bracelets equipped to fire any of four metal projectiles, shaped like
the symbols of traditional card suits, each of which is attached to a
grappling line for rapid fire and retraction; the projectiles and
lines are stored in individual canisters, which Canasta wears on his
belt and attaches or detaches to his bracelets as necessary.
Club-shaped projectiles serve as blunt striking instruments.
Diamond-shaped projectiles as cutting blades or grappling hooks.
Heart-shaped projectiles deliver electrical shocks of up to 500 volts on contact, the level adjustable by Canasta as needed.
Spade-shaped projectiles adhere to any object, which can subsequently be retracted to Canasta's grasp; adhesive projectiles can be separated from captured objects by a built-in dissolvent, although this renders the projectile useless for further adherence unless the adhesive is reapplied.
Canasta can also use the various projectiles as hand-held weapons if necessary; he can only use two cartridges at a time, one on each wrist, and he customarily carries at least three of each type of cartridge on his person.
Canasta is an accomplished inventor and electrician, as well as an above-average athlete and hand-to-hand combatant.
Profile by Ronald Byrd, Snood, and Multi-Tasking Mike Fichera.
CLARIFICATIONS:
Canasta has no known connections to:
Appearances:
Civil War: Front Line#3/1 - BTS (September, 2006) - Paul Jenkins
(writer), Ramon Bachs (penciler), John Lucas (iniker), Cory Sedlmeier
(editor)
Civil War: Front Line#4/1 - BTS (September, 2006) - Paul Jenkins
(writer), Ramon Bachs (penciler), John Lucas (iniker), Tom Brevoort
(editor)
Civil War: Front Line#4/3 (September, 2006) - Paul Jenkins (writer),
Sean Chen (penciler), Rick Magyar (iniker), Molly Lazer, Aubrey
Sitterson (assistant editors), Tom Brevoort (editor)
Civil War: Front Line#5/2 - BTS (October, 2006) - Paul Jenkins
(writer), Steve Lieber (artist), Molly Lazer, Aubrey Sitterson
(assistant editors), Tom Brevoort (editor)
Civil War#6 -BTS (December, 2006) - Mark Millar
(writer), Steve McNiven (pencils), Dexter Vines (inks), Tom Brevoort
(editor)
Civil War#7 -BTS (January, 2007) - Mark Millar
(writer), Steve McNiven (pencils), Dexter Vines, John Dell &
Tim Townsend (inks), Tom Brevoort (editor)
Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z
hardcover#14 (June, 2010) - Jeff Christiansen & Mike Fichera (head
writers/coordinators), Markus Raymond & Mike O'Sullivan
(coordination assistants), Stuart Vandal, Sean McQuad, Michael Hoskin,
Ronald Byrd, Markus Raymond, Mike O'Sullivan, Madison Carter, Kevin
Garcia, Gabriel Shechter, Jacob Rougemont, Rob London, Rich Green,
Chris Biggs, David Wiltfong, Jeph York, Mark O'English, & Mike
Gagnon (writers),
John Denning (associate editor), Alex Starbuck (assistant editor),
Thedore Kutt (copy editor), Mark D. Beazley
(editor, special projects), Jeff Youngquist & Jennifer Grunwald (editor)
First
posted: 01/06/2022
Last
updated: 03/04/2022
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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