main image

STONEWALL

Real Name: Louis Hamilton

Identity/Class: Human mutant, citizen of the United States
           (World War II era to modern era)

Occupation: Adventurer; former lawyer, soldier

Group Membership: Freedom Force (Avalanche/Dominikos Petrakis, Blob/Fred J. Dukes, Crimson Commando/Frank Bohannan, Destiny/Irene Adler, Forge, Mystique/Raven Darkhàlme, Pyro/St. John Allerdyce, Spiral/Rita Wayword, Super Sabre/Martin Fletcher)

Affiliations: Battlestar (Lemar Hoskins), Neal Conan, Valerie Cooper, Madelyne Pryor, Manoli Wetherell, Yankee Clipper

Enemies: The Adversary, Priscilla Morrison, New Mutants (Cable/Nathan Dayspring Summers, Cannonball/Sam Guthrie, Rusty Collins, Magik/Illyana Rasputin, Danielle Moonstar, Rictor/Julio Richter, Skids/Sally Blevins, Sunspot/Roberto DaCosta, Warlock, Wolfsbane/Rahne Sinclair), Reavers (Bonebreaker, Wade Cole, Lady Deathstrike/Yuriko Oyama, Angelo Macon, Pretty Boy, Murray Reese, Skullbuster), the Resistants (Crucible, Meteorite, Mist Mistress, Quill, Occult, Paralyzer, Rust, Think Tank), Tommy, X-Factor (Cyclops/Scott Summers, Marvel Girl/Jean Grey), X-Men (Colossus/Peter Rasputin, Dazzler/Allison Blaire, Havok/Alex Summers, Longshot, Psylocke/Betsy Braddock, Rogue/Anna Marie Raven, Storm/Ororo Munroe, Wolverine/James 'Logan' Howlett)

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: Necrosha;
                                  formerly Freedom Force headquarters, Georgetown, Washington D.C.;
                                  formerly Frank Bohannan's home in Upstate New York

First Appearance: Uncanny X-Men I#215 (March, 1987)

Powers/Abilities: Stonewall is a mutant with complete control over his center of gravity. Thanks to this localized form of gravitikinesis, he cannot be moved or knocked down if he focuses on staying put. Stonewall had enhanced strength, stamina and durability to survive the impact of people and objects crashing into him. He was not fully invulnerable, his eyes remained a potential weak spot. He was also vulnerable to electricity and energy blasts. As he aged, his concentration and control over his powers began to slip, leaving him open to surprise.

Height: 6'4" (unrevealed, by approximation)
Weight: 300 lbs. (unrevealed, by approximation)
Eyes: Blue 
Hair: Black

History:

(Uncanny X-Men I#215 (fb) - BTS) - Louis Hamilton grew up unaware he was a mutant until he joined the United States army at the start of World War II. During the war years, he ran across fellow mutant soldiers Frank Bohannan and Martin Fletcher. Deciding to become superheroes to fight the Nazis, Hamilton became known as Stonewall while his compatriots adopted the names Super Sabre and Crimson Commando.

(Uncanny X-Men I#215 (fb) - BTS) - After World War II, Hamilton and his two allies returned to the United States. Not ready to give up their costumed identities, they spent most of the 1940s active in their hometowns rooting out crooks, lowlifes and other undesirables.

(Uncanny X-Men I#215 (fb) - BTS) - Before they could turn their attention to the growing communist threat, Hamilton and the others were approached by government officials who asked them to stand down lest their clandestine actions spark a new global, possibly nuclear conflict. The fiercely patriotic Martin agreed to an early retirement.

(Uncanny X-Men I#255 (fb) - BTS) - Louis Hamilton went to law school and built a life for himself as a lawyer.

(Uncanny X-Men I#215 (fb) - BTS) - As the decades rolled by, Hamilton and his allies stood idly by as they watched society change. Lamenting the seeming loss of morality, standards and respect for tradition they decided to return to active duty and take matters in their own hands as vigilantes.

(Uncanny X-Men I#216 (fb) - BTS) - The trio specifically targeted killers, rapists, drug dealers and other 'scum' who managed to place themselves beyond the reach of the law.

(Uncanny X-Men I#215 (fb) - BTS) - Operating from the Crimson Commando's home in Upstate New York, they sought out and kidnapped people they perceived to be criminals. Keeping them locked away in Bohannan's basement, the trio would offer their prisoners a long shot at salvation: they were free to try and escape and even allowed a sizeable head start before the former heroes would come after them. These hunts always ended quickly, with none of their victims surviving. 

(Uncanny X-Men I#215 - BTS) - Louis and the others would frequently be on the lookout for evildoers. As a result, they captured Priscilla Morrison and her boyfriend Tommy, who were dealing drugs. When they came across Storm who was knocked out near Sara Grey's burned out home, they mistook her for a looter and took her prisoner too.

(Uncanny X-Men I#215 - BTS) - Stonewall, Super Sabre and Crimson Commando started their day hunting down Tommy. After finding and killing him, they returned to Bohannan's home.

(Uncanny X-Men I#215) - Returning from their death hunt, they were surprised to find Storm had managed to break free (using the lockpicks the trio had failed to find when they searched her). Storm managed to hold her own against Crimson Commando and Stonewall, literally pulling the rug from under the supposedly immovable hero. But she was no match for Super Sabre who effortlessly knocked her out with a snap of his fingers that generated a microsonic boom. When Storm came to, Stonewall and the others explained their origins to her and Priscilla before sending them off into the woods. They gave the pair until sunset to try and get out of the forest.

(Uncanny X-Men I#216) - While Super Sabre was scouring the woods, Stonewall and the Commando discovered a trap Ororo had set for the speedster that would have cut his head off had she triggered it. This made Stonewall question their mission: was Storm even a criminal? But the Commando insisted they pressed on, letting her go would alert the authorities. Stonewall then had to quickly block the returning Super Sabre from accidentally triggering Storm's trap. Sabre agreed with the Commando that Storm shouldn't be allowed to go free. He didn't back down, giving chase and reaching the edge of the forest where he planned to wait for Storm and Priscilla.

(Uncanny X-Men I#216 - BTS) - Despite his enhanced reflexes, Sabre failed to notice Storm was lying in wait for him. She jumped the speedster, causing them both to fall off a nearby ridge. They were unable to dodge the avalanche Priscilla purposefully started and were buried under the rock. Both Storm and Super Sabre survived, but the rockslide separated hem. 

(Uncanny X-Men I#216) - Alerted by the rockslide, Stonewall and the Commando dug for nearly half an hour before finding Sabre's bloodied helmet and Storm's jacket. Believing them both dead, they were caught unawares by Storm who managed to surprise Stonewall once more, getting the jump on him and launching him into a nearby mudpit that turned out to be quicksand. Unwilling to let her opponent die, Storm risked her life to get Hamilton to safety. Moments later, Wolverine arrived to even the score. Logan kept Stonewall at bay while Storm faced the Commando in a duel. After fighting him him to the ground, he and Stonewall agreed to face justice and were escorted to the nearest police station by Storm and Wolverine.

(Uncanny X-Men I#223 (fb) - BTS) - Still unaware Super Sabre had survived, Stonewall and the Crimson Commando were sentenced to serve a term in prison. There, they were approached with the offer to have their sentence commuted if they agreed to join Freedom Force. The heroes agreed and were transferred to Washington D.C.

(Uncanny X-Men I#223) - Valerie Cooper introduced Stonewall and the Commando to their new teammates. Mystique scoffed, calling them 'a pair of over-the-hill, second-strong retread WW II 'heroes' and Blob tried to shove Stonewall, only to find Hamilton was no pushover. Their introductions were cut short by the arrival of Super Sabre who had come to Washington D.C. to either free his friends or join up.

(Uncanny X-Men I#225) - Stonewall, the Commando and Super Sabre were full-fledged members of Freedom Force by the time they were sent to Dallas to apprehend the X-Men. Ambushing them at night,  Super Sabre joined his teammates on a mission to Dallas to apprehend the X-Men at night. Stonewall had to stop Sabre from crashing into the others when he fell for one of Psylocke's telepathic illusions. The fight ended when the X-Men took Mystique hostage inside Eagle Plaza. This prompted Destiny to have a vision: anyone inside Eagle Plaza when dawn breaks would die. Moments later, the sky opened and sunlight poured out over the Dallas skyscraper.

(Uncanny X-Men I#226) - Stonewall and the others stood by, watching over the captured X-Men Dazzler, Psylocke and Rogue who tried to make their escape. During the fight, the city of Dallas fell into chaos due to reality shifts (caused by the Adversary). Agreeing to a truce, the X-Men and Freedom Force worked together to keep innocent people safe. Stonewall and the Commando worked to help evacuate downtown Dallas, leading a caravan of civilians away from the fighting. On their way, they were met by an approaching Cheyenne war party who had come to Dallas to help Forge fight the Adversary. The tribesmen were then gunned down by Texans, influenced by the Adversary. Stonewall and the Commando lamented their loss, but could do nothing. Later, both men were also unable to interfere in the rise of the Adversary and the subsequent sacrifice of the X-Men before Eagle Plaza exploded.

(Uncanny X-Men I#227) - Stonewall, along with the other members of Freedom Force and millions of people worldwide, watched Neal Conan's report on the X-Men's final stand against the Adversary. The mutants seemingly sacrificed their lives to offer Forge the energy of their souls which he used to beat back the ancient demon. When Forge returned with Neal Conan, he was cursed out by Mystique for killing her daughter Rogue.

(New Mutants I#65) Warned by Destiny of their imminent arrival, Freedom Force was ready to deal with Magik and the New Mutants who teleported to Dallas to have their revenge on Forge for killing Colossus and the other X-Men. Stonewall managed to stop Warlock and Mirage from reaching Forge, though the furious Warlock did slip between the hero's legs to reach his goal before Spiral stepped in. Super Sabre eventually knocked out Magik herself with one of his sonic booms. Acting on Destiny's counsel, Freedom Force didn't kill or arrest the New Mutants for their actions, because it would hasten the impending invasion of S'ym and limbo's techno-organic demons.

(X-Factor I#30) - Having witnessed the events in Dallas that claimed the life of Madelyne Pryor, X-Factor members Cyclops and Jean Grey rushed out to Dallas to find Freedom Force. They were the last people to have seen Madelyne alive and hoped they might have heard where her missing son baby Nathan could be. Freedom Force was prepared for them thanks to Destiny who warned them of  Cyclops' violent intent. However, Cyclops and Jean were quickly overpowered and placed under arrest for not obeying the mutant registration act.

(X-Factor I#31) - Breaking free, Cyclops and Jean Grey once again fought Freedom Force. Stonewall was taken out of the fight when Jean telekinetically grabbed hold of him and slammed him into Super Sabre. Angered by the team's continued refusal to reveal anything about his son, Cyclops used his eyebeams to pierce the Blob's skin. As Fred Dukes cried out in pain, Destiny stepped in and revealed as much as she could ascertain about the boy's situation. Assuring them the child was indeed alive, Destiny told the two heroes to look for baby Nathan in New York.

(Captain American I#346) - Freedom Force and Battlestar were ordered to go after the mutant terrorists known as the Resistants. Planning to lure the team to them by holding a mock trial for renowned mutant terrorist Quicksilver (Mystique in disguise), Freedom Force members acted as judge and jury. After the mock trial entered its fourth day, the Resistants finally showed up, but their newest member, the telepathic Think Tank (Marvin Flumm) picked up the deception before they made their presence known. Destiny's future-sight told her they'd been found out and she yelled in court, warning Super Sabre and the others of an approaching meteor hurled at the courtroom courtesy of Resistants member Meteorite. Thanks to Destiny's head's up, Freedom Force kept everyone safe while Captain America (John Walker) singlehandedly took on the Resistants.

(Marvel Comics Presents I#86/2 - BTS) - Stonewall and the other members of Freedom Force were unable prevent Mystique from being captured by Firestar.

(Uncanny X-Men I#255) - Stonewall and Freedom Force, along with Forge, were sent to Muir Island to help defend Moira MacTaggert's research facility from the attacking Reavers. On the plane, Stonewall was calmly discussing the merits of the poet Joyce with Pyro who didn't care for the man's work. Moments later, Lady Deathstrike jumped on the nose of the plane, striking to kill the pilots and causing the craft to crash. Stonewall made sure the elderly seer Destiny escaped unharmed before joining Mystique, Blob, Pyro and Avalanche in engaging the Reavers. Avalanche was quickly shot while Pyro's flame was snuffed by the mentally unstable Muir resident Legion. This left Stonewall to face Donald Pierce who managed to quickly kill the war veteran by exposing him to electrical current from his cyborg form.

(X-Necrosha I#1 - BTS) - Stonewall was among the many deceased friends, foes, allies and X-Men acquaintances who were revived by Selene and pressed into service as part of her Undead Army through a combination of magic and the transmode virus.

(X-Necrosha I#1) - Teleported in by Blink (Clarice Ferguson), Stonewall and his recently resurrected old friend Super Sabre joined forces to attack the X-Men. Even as Stonewall and the others made their presence known, Bastion and Cameron Hodge picked up his lifesigns, realizing to their shock that hundreds if not millions deceased mutants were on the brink of returning.

(X-Force II#21) - Stonewall and Super Sabre were seen on Utopia fighting Colossus.

(X-Force III#22 ~ X-Men Legacy I#231) - With the arrival of the New Mutants, Stonewall had to fight both Sunspot and Colossus.

(New Mutants III#7) - Sunspot managed to trip Stonewall, causing him to topple and pin down his resurrected companion Super Sabre. 

Comments: Created by Chris Claremont, Alan Davis, Dan Green.

Is even Stonewall sturdy enough to escape the effects of the sliding timescale?

Establishing him as a World War II veteran active in the 40s and 50s is one heck of a topical reference. When he first showed up he looked like a man in his mid 60s, which was age appropriate for 1987 but hard to believe post 2020. The Crimson Commando was revealed to have a minor healing factor that slowed his aging considerably, perhaps Stonewall and Super Sabre were exposed to an unrevealed phenomenon that kept them equally full of vim and vigor.

Stonewall started out as an eloquent, thinking man with an open mind who didn't see the world as black and white unlike his compatriots. However, as soon as he joined Freedom Force he seemed to lose all hints of a personality as well as most of his lines, speaking only a handful of times before Donald Pierce electrocuted him. The character deserved a better fate than background filling and cannon fodder. For one thing, his costume is one of the most memorable in superhero comics. By picking a ramparts motif, Alan Davis subtly told readers all they needed to know about Stonewall and his powers. And boy, it sure takes a confident man to fight crime in mauve and cadmium yellow.  

Just why Freedom Force decided to take Stonewall is a little beyond me. They already had the immovable and far more invulnerable Blob as a charter member, do you really need another member who can't be budged (most of the time). I suppose that's why Chris Claremont immediately had Blob confront Stonewall in Uncanny X-Men I#223 with Hamilton coming out as the clear winner.

Uncanny X-Men I#255 retroactively established Louis Hamilton was a lawyer, which is at odds with the way Mark Gruenwald wrote him in Captain America I#346. In that issue, all Louis knew about court procedures he learned from watching L.A. Law.

Thanks to Loki for providing Stonewall's image from the Gamer's Handbook of the Marvel Universe Volume 5 1989 Character Update.

Profile by Norvo.

CLARIFICATIONS:
Stonewall has no known connections to

images: (without ads)
Uncanny X-Men I#223, p1, pan1 (main image)
Uncanny X-Men I#215, p18, pan4 (close up)
Uncanny X-Men I#216, p13, pan2 (discovers Storms trap)
Uncanny X-Men I#223, p4, pans 5&6 (stopping Blob)
New Mutants I#65, p17, pan5 (blocking Warlock and Mirage)
Captain America I#346, p17, pans5&6 (acting like a lawyer)
Uncanny X-Men I#255, p18, pans5&6 (killed by Donald Pierce)
Gamer's Handbook of the Marvel Universe Volume 5 1989 Character Update (full body)

Appearances:
 Uncanny X-Men I#215 (March, 1987) - Chris Claremont (writer), Alan Davis (pencils), Dan Green (inks), Ann Nocenti (editor)
Uncanny X-Men I#216 (April, 1987) - Chris Claremont (writer), Jackson Guice (pencils), Dan Green (inks), Ann Nocenti (editor)
Uncanny X-Men I#223 (November, 1987) - Chris Claremont (writer), Kerry Gammill (pencils), Dan Green (inks), Ann Nocenti (editor)
Uncanny X-Men I#225 (January, 1988) - Chris Claremont (writer), Marc Silvestri (pencils), Dan Green (inks), Ann Nocenti (editor)
Uncanny X-Men I#226 (February, 1988) - Chris Claremont (writer), Marc Silvestri (pencils), Dan Green (inks), Ann Nocenti (editor)
Uncanny X-Men I#227 (March, 1988) - Chris Claremont (writer), Marc Silvestri (pencils), Dan Green (inks), Ann Nocenti (editor)
New Mutants I#65 (July, 1988) - Louise Simonson (writer), Bret Blevins (pencils), Terry Austin (inks), Ann Nocenti (editor)
X-Factor I#30 (July, 1988) - Louise Simonson (writer), Walter Simonson (pencils), Bob Wiacek (inks), Bob Harras (editor)
X-Factor I#31 (August, 1988) - Louise Simonson (writer), Walter Simonson (pencils), Bob Wiacek (inks), Bob Harras (editor)
Captain America I#346 (October, 1988) - Mark Gruenwald (writer), Kieron Dwyer (pencils), Al Milgrom (inks), Ralph Macchio (editor)
Uncanny X-Men I#255 (Mid-December, 1989) - Chris Claremont (writer), Mark Silvestri (pencils), Dan Green (inks), Bob Harras (editor)
X-Necrosha I#1 (December, 2009) - Craig Kylie, Chris Yost (writers), Clayton Crain (pencils & inks), Jeanine Schaefer, Nick Lowe (editors)
X-Force III#21 (January, 2010) - Craig Kylie, Chris Yost (writers), Clayton Crain (pencils, inks), Jeanine Schaefer (editor)
New Mutants III#7 (January, 2010) - Zeb Wells (writer), Diogenes Neves (pencils), Ed Tadeo (inks), Nick Lowe (editor)
X-Force III#22 (February, 2010) - Craig Kylie, Chris Yost (writers), Clayton Crain (pencils, inks), Jeanine Schaefer (editor)
X-Men Legacy I#231 (February, 2010) - Mike Carey (writer), Clay Mann (pencils), Danny Miki (inks), Nick Lowe (editor)

First Posted: 10/22/2021
Last updated: 10/24/2021

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

Non-Marvel Copyright info
All other characters mentioned or pictured are ™ and © 1941-2099 Marvel Characters, Inc. All Rights Reserved. If you like this stuff, you should check out the real thing!
Please visit The Marvel Official Site at: http://www.marvel.com

Special Thanks to www.g-mart.com for hosting the Appendix, Master List, etc.!

Back to Characters

3