EMERSON BALE
Real Name: Emerson Bale
Identity/Class: Human, citizen of the United States
Occupation: Criminal defense attorney, private attorney (for the Worthington family and others)
Group Membership: None
Affiliations: Avengers (Beast/Henry McCoy, Captain America/Steve Rogers, Falcon/Sam Wilson, Iron Man/Tony Stark, Ms Marvel/Carol Danvers, Scarlet Witch/Wanda Maximoff, Vision, Wasp/Janet van Dyne), Champions (Angel/Warren Worthington III, Black Widow/Natasha Romanoff, Iceman/Robert Drake, Ghost Rider/John Blaze, Hercules), Richard Fenster, Jeryn Hogarth, Matt Murdock, Phantom Rider (Hamilton Slade), Virginia Hunter, Kathryn Worthington, Warren Worthington Jr., Brian DeWolff (Wraith)
Enemies: Nitro (Robert Hunter), Rampage (Stuart Clarke), Philip DeWolff
Known Relatives: None
Aliases: None
Base of Operations: New York City, New York
First Appearance: Champions#5 (April, 1976)
Powers/Abilities: None, apart from his always sharp legal advice. Sometimes even he is a little weirded out by the strange cases and clients he takes. He's a large man who appears to be in his late 40s/early 50s. He always sports a thick mustache. He favors blue suits.
Height: 5'9" (by approximation)
Weight: 195 lbs. (by approximation)
Eyes: Black
Hair: Black
History:
(Champions#5) - Emerson Bale was one of the world's finest legal minds, having senators, sports stars, and millionaries for clients, including Warren K. Worthington III (Angel of the X-Men). Emerson Bale was an old friend of Warren's parents, and met with him to inform Warren that he wouldn't allow his relatives to get all his inheritance just because Warren was a mutant, and he would do anything for Warren to keep his money. After having said that to Warren, he showed him some papers with the exact amount of money Warren had inherited from his parents.
(Champions#7) - At a hospital, Emerson Bale tried to convince Stuart Clarke (aka Rampage), to accept him as his defense attorney. Warren had asked him to do this because he didn't want to see the fine scientific mind of Clarke rot in prison. Emerson told Clarke that he was a fool for not accepting his legal advice. He left the room, and met with Warren K. Worthington III and Johnny Blaze outside, informing Warren that Clarke wouldn't accept his aid, and after telling them the news, departed the hospital. Rampage was later broken out of prison by the Griffin and Darkstar.
(Champions#8) - At the Champions headquaters, Bale was present when Rampage came to show the Champions pictures of the Black Widow being captured by the Titanuim Man. He watched as Rampage seemingly blew himself up, actually just leaving him unconscious. Bale remarked, "I didn't realize being the Champions lawyer would involve this kind of danger!" Later Mr. Fenster, the Champions PR-man, exclaimed that he had just realized that Ghost Rider's face was not a mask. Emerson replied, "Why do you think I had to sit down? Frightening. Most frigthening."
(Avengers I#190 - BTS) - With the break-up of the Champions, Bale spent a few quiet years being a more-or-less regular attorney.
(Avengers I#190) - Later, the Avengers were fighting the U.S. government in court to keep their security clearance. Henry Peter Gyrich had been threatening to pull it for some time, citing them as threats to national security. The Avengers recruited Emerson Bale, Matt Murdock, and Jeryn Hogarth (of Heroes for Hire) to defend them, with their experience in super-hero litigation. Bale gave a long speech to the senators trying the case about the good the Avengers had done for the country. When a crisis (rampaging Grey Gargoyle) required the Avengers attention, Gyrich reluctantly gave them permission to go and fight it, ruining his credibility. Emerson and Jeryn celebrated a case that now seemed in the bag.
(Avengers I#191) - The senate committee ultimately decided to let the Avengers keep their security clearance.
(Marvel Team-Up I#51) - For the trial against Phillip & Brian DeWolff, Bale was hired to defend Brian. Phillip had been controlling his catatonic son Brian's mind, and using him as the 'Wraith' (Marvel Team-Up I#48-50). During the trial, Phillip DeWolff managed to regain control of his son's mind, but he was defeated by Dr. Strange, Spider-Man and Iron Man. When Phillip was defeated, Dr. Strange managed to magically reawaken the dormant consciousness of Brian DeWolff. The trial continued, and Bale used famous witnesses like Matt Murdock, Nick Fury, Professor Charles Xavier and Heather Douglas (Moondragon) to prove the existencxe of mental powers that could have influenced Brian. Emerson managed to make his difficult case, and the panel of judges found Brian DeWolff innocent on all charges, while Phillip DeWolff was convicted and sent to jail.
(Spectacular Spider-Man I#55) - Bale journeyed to Project: PEGASUS with his client Virginia Hunter, and told the Project that they had no right to hold Virginia's father captive against his will, because Robert Hunter had yet to go to trial, or even be arraigned. Dr. Wilburn told Emerson that he left him no choice, and called for subject "N" to be brought up. When subject "N" arrived, Dr. Wilburn told Emerson and Virginia that Robert Hunter was captured in a gaseous state and had been kept in two separate tanks. Emerson demanded that Robert Hunter be released. Subject "N" was released, and revealed himself to be the super-villain Nitro. After regaining his human-form, he blew himself up, knocking out the Project: PEGASUS team, Bale and Virginia. Nitro left with Bale and Virginia.
In Virginia's apartment, Bale regained consciousness. Nitro wanted revenge on Captain Marvel for his imprisonment, and asked if Virginia or Emerson knew where Captain Marvel was. Emerson told him that Captain Marvel was most recently seen in Denver. When Nitro and Virginia left, Emerson phoned the police. Later, after Spider-Man had defeated Nitro, Bale had a short conversation with Spider-Man, where he told him that he wouldn't defend Nitro at his coming trial, because he couldn't defend the villain in good conscience, having first-hand knowledge of his guilt. He had planned on defending Nitro, arguing his power had driven him insane, but he had seen how much Nitro enjoyed his power.
(Marvel Westerns: Outlaw Files - BTS) - Hamilton Slade made arrangements with Emerson Bale that his scrapbook, journal and other special records were kept secret until his death and then given to the next surviving family member.
Comments: Created by Tony Isabella (writer), Don Heck (pencils), John Tartaglione (inks).
Profile by The Beetle & Caliban
CLARIFICATIONS:
Emerson Bale has no known connections to
images: (without ads)
Champions#8, p9, pan5 (main image)
Champions#5, p2, pan3 (telling Warren about his inheritance)
Avengers I#190, p6, pan5 (defending the Avengers)
Appearances:
Champions#5 (April, 1976) - Tony Isabella (writer), Don Heck (pencils), John Tartaglione (inks), Marv Wolfman (editor)
Champions#7 (August, 1976) - Tony Isabella (writer), George Tuska (pencils), Vince Colletta (inks), Marv Wolfman (editor)
Champions#8 (October, 1976) - Bill Mantlo (writer), Bob Hall (pencils), Bruce Patterson (inks), Archie Goodwin (editor)
Avengers I#190 (December, 1979) - Roger Stern, Steven Grant (writers), John Byrne (pencils), Dan Green (inks), Roger Stern (editor)
Avengers I#191 (January, 1980) - David Michelinie (writer), John Byrne (pencils), Dan Green (inks), Roger Stern (editor)
Marvel Team-Up I#51 (November, 1976) - Bill Mantlo (writer), Sal Buscema (pencils), Mike Esposito (inks), Archie Goodwin (editor)
Spectacular Spider-Man I#55 (June, 1981) - Roger Stern (writer), Luke McDonnell (pencils), Jim Mooney (inks), Denny O'Neil (editor)
Marvel Westerns: Outlaw Files (2006) - Michael Hoskin & others (writers), Jeff Youngquist (editor)
Firs Posted: 06/02/2002
Last updated: 02/01/2014
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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