COLONEL ARMBRUSTER
Real Name: John D. "Jack" Armbruster
Identity/Class: Normal human
Occupation: Colonel in the United States Air Force
Group Membership: US Air Force
Affiliations: Betty Ross Talbot Banner, Colonel Nick Fury, Dr. Peter Corbeau, General Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross, Glenn Talbot, Jim Wilson
Enemies: Abomination (Emil Blonsky), Hulk (Bruce Banner), Juggernaut (Cain Marko), Rhino (Aleksei Sytsevich), Soviet Super-Troopers
Known Relatives: Armbruster (nephew)
Aliases: None
Base of Operations: Hulkbusters Base, Mobile
First Appearance: Incredible Hulk II#164 (June, 1973)
Powers/Abilities: Colonel Armbruster was experienced in the use of several weapons and a good strategist with military training and experience.
History: (Incredible Hulk II#164) - Colonel Armbruster was brought in to lead an operation to rescue General Ross from the hands of some Russian super-soldiers.
(Incredible Hulk II#165) - Armbruster left for Russia.
(Incredible Hulk II#166/World War Hulks#1/2) - Armbruster and his men snuck into the prison after landing in Russia. During the escape however, Major Talbot was shot and left behind.
(Incredible Hulk II#167) - Armbruster, Ross, and the men arrived back in America. Armbruster had to continuously calm down Ross, who was really nervous to see his daughter and tell her her husband was killed. Armbruster led Ross to a reunion with his daughter.
(Incredible Hulk II#168) - After a visit to the Pentagon, Armbruster and Ross learned that Armbruster would be taking over Ross' position as the head of Project: Greenskin (capturing the Hulk). Ross started to go ape until Armbruster calmed him down. Ross and Armbruster shook hands.
(Incredible Hulk II#171) - Ross asked Armbruster to let him be alone when he saw his daughter again. Armbruster complied, and was then told that the Hulkbusters base had been abandoned. After the Rhino and Abomination attacked, Armbruster started yelling orders, but to no avail, and Armbruster and the soldiers were soon captured. After Hulk defeated the villains, and Armbruster and the others were freed by Jim Wilson, Ross tried to make peace with the Hulk, but while Hulk was distracted, Armbruster dropped a big cage on him.
(Incredible Hulk II#172) - Colonel Armbruster contacted Dr. Corbeau and got his assistance to deal with their Hulk problem. Dr. Corbeau attempted to send the Hulk into another dimension, but it backfired and their attempt brought in the Juggernaut.
(Incredible Hulk II#174) - Colonel Armbruster, in a chopper, retrieved Bruce Banner and other survivors of a boat that was wrecked by the Cobalt Man near Australia. Later, when the Cobalt Man started to run amok in Australia, Colonel Armbruster took control of the Australian armed forces given that he had experience dealing with super-powered beings.
(Incredible Hulk II#179) - Armbruster greeted Major Talbot after he returned from Russia, as it had ended up that he wasn't dead. He realized after he shook hands with Talbot, that his watch stopped.
(Incredible Hulk II#180) - Armbruster informed Talbot that the president would be coming to welcome him back. After Ross suggested Talbot take a rest first, Talbot became very angry. Armbruster suspected that something was amiss with Talbot.
(Incredible Hulk II#182) - Armbruster commanded his soldiers to find out what was wrong with Major Talbot before he met with the president.
(Incredible Hulk II#183) - Armbruster oversaw his soldiers scanning Talbot while he slept.
(Incredible Hulk II#184) - Bruce Banner entered Hulkbuster Base and met up with Major Talbot, General Ross, Betty Ross, and Colonel Armbruster, who shot him with a tranquilizer gun.
(Incredible Hulk II#185) - Armbruster went to check the progress of the tests being done on Talbot. He found his soldier who had done the test dead, and his notes burned up. Armbruster was very persistent and kept on trying until he finally got a print-out of the results. The results said that the Russians had implanted an organic bomb in Talbot. Armbruster then dashed to the place where General Ross, Betty, and Major Talbot were meeting with the President. Armbruster grabbed Talbot, sending them both into a pit just as Talbot exploded, killing him and Armbruster.
Comments: Created by Roy Thomas, Gerry Conway, and Herb Trimpe
This guy was an enemy of the Hulk, but he was by NO means a "bad guy." This was one hell of a loyal, honorable guy.
Thanks to Incredible Hulk: Engine of Destruction for letting me use not only an image, but contributing plenty of info I was missing.
PROFILE BY STUNNER
CLARIFICATIONS: Colonel Armbruster should not be confused with:
Appearances:
Incredible Hulk II#164-166 (June-August, 1973) - Steve Englehart (writer), Herb Trimpe (pencils), Sal Trapani (inks), Roy Thomas (editor)
Incredible Hulk II#167-168 (Sepember-October, 1973) - Steve Englehart (writer), Herb Trimpe (pencils), Jack Abel (inks), Roy Thomas (editor)
Incredible Hulk II#171 (January, 1974) - Steve Englehart & Gerry Conway (writer), Herb Trimpe (pencils), Jack Abel (inks), Roy Thomas (editor)
Incredible Hulk II#172 (February, 1974) - Steve Englehart & Tony Isabella (writer), Herb Trimpe (pencils), Jack Abel (inks), Roy Thomas (editor)
Incredible Hulk II#174 (April, 1974) - Steve Englehart & Gerry Conway (writer), Herb Trimpe (pencils), Jack Abel (inks), Roy Thomas (editor)
Incredible Hulk II#179-180 (September-October, 1974) - Len Wein (writer), Herb Trimpe (pencils), Jack Abel (inks), Roy Thomas (editor)
Incredible Hulk II#182-185 (December, 1974 - March, 1975) - Len Wein (writer), Herb Trimpe (artist), Roy Thomas (editor)
World War Hulks#1 (June, 2010) - Harrison Wilcox (writer), Ben Oliver (artist), Mark Paniccia (editor)
First Posted: 10/20/2003
Last updated: 09/27/2021
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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