COLDFIRE

Real Name: James Lucas Jr.

Identity/Class: Human mutate

Occupation: Unrevealed

Group Membership: Corporation

Affiliations: Hardcore, Dr. Karl Malus

Enemies: Cage, Corporation, Karl Malus, Dakota North

Known Relatives: Carl Lucas (Cage, Power Man), Dr. James Leonard Lucas (father), Esther Lucas (mother, deceased)

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: Formerly Harlem, New York; Corporation Headquarters, Taylor, Mississippi

 

First Appearance: Cage#3 (June, 1992)

 

Powers: Coldfire could animate and control an incendiary protoplasm, forming it into a semihumanoid form. He could reshape the protoplasm into waves, project a white-hot flame, and even form multiple bodies for himself. He actually transferred his consciousness into the protoplasm, leaving his body behind defenseless. The transfer process required a focusing of the consciousness through a basic emotion -- James focused his will through hatred of his brother.

History: (Cage#3(fb)) - James and his family grew up in Harlem, New York. Even at an early age, James hated his brother Carl, blaming him for a number of things. After James Sr. had to bail Carl out of prison, James Jr. attacked Carl, and their father had to separate them.

BTS - James blamed Carl for their mother's death, and tried to convince his father to do the same. When Carl was in prison, James intercepted all of his letters, preventing them from reaching James Sr.
Eventually, partially through James machinations, both Carl and his father thought the other one dead. James Jr. kept his father and himself moving around the country, to prevent the two men from learning that the other was still alive.

 

(Cage#8) - When Cage fought Power Man Steele in the Hole in Colorado, James Jr. convinced his father (both of them lived in an apartment in Phoenix, Arizona) that it was time for another vacation, primarily because his brother was getting too close. James vowed to himself that he would kill Carl before he let him hurt his father again.

(Cage#10) - Dakota North sought to locate Cage's brother and father. She located James and tried to question him, but he took a swing at her. She easily took him down and attempted to forcibly question James, but then Hardcore rolled down the window and instructed him, at gunpoint, to let James go. James got in the car with Hardcore and they took off as Hardcore blew up Dakota's car. Hardcore then stated they had much to discuss about a common goal.

(Cage#12) - James Jr. and Sr. were both shown to be prisoners/hostages of Hardcore, forcing his compliance in the plan of Cruz Bushmaster.

(Cage#13 - 14) - James Jr. and Sr. were revealed to be in the custody of the Corporation in Mississippi, although they were not actually being physically restrained. Malus took them on the tour of the facility and showed him that they could grant superhuman powers. James was interested, as it might allow him to contend with his brother.
Using technology salvaged from behind the Iron Curtain, Malus mutated James Jr., allowing him to transfer his mind into an incendiary protoplasm. Soon after, James was training with the other agents of the Corporation and overpowering them. However, despite James' apparent enthusiasm, Malus had James Sr taken as hostage, to insure his compliance.
Meanwhile, the Tinkerer enlisted the aid of Cage and Dakota to rescue his son, the Agent, from the Corporation by revealing that they also held his brother and father. As soon as Cage broke in, James assumed he had come to hurt their father, transformed into Coldfire, and attacked Cage. While they fought, however, Dakota closed in on Malus, who threatened to kill James Sr. The Tinkerer patched an image of this through to the Lucas brothers, and they joined forces to save their father. They easily freed James Sr., but Malus then threatened to destroy James Jr.'s helpless body in order to make him surrender. James refused and helped Cage and the others to escape, while Malus killed his body. James' Coldfire form began to dwindle as his hatred for Cage had dampened, but he refocused his hatred on Malus. After everyone else had made it to safety, Coldfire returned and destroyed the Corporation building, and apparently everyone in it.

Comments: Created by Marc McLaurin and Scott Benediel.

Malus alleged that the technology used to mutate Coldfire was the same as that used to animate "a Living Colossus." Being that it came from "behind the Iron Curtain," which would mean the former Soviet Union, and the obvious name, this would pretty much have to refer to It the Living Colossus. However, It was animated by a Kigor (an alien), which created the link through which Bob O'Bryan later activated it.
I checked with our monster expert, Prime Eternal, who agreed with this: it may not have been intended as a reference to IT at all, or the writer may have been misinformed as to IT's origins.

Malus' remark might have been a reference to reverse-engineering of the original Kigor's spacecraft, by the Gargoyle (Gremlin's father), on behalf of the Soviet Union. This technology was then either bought (via the black market) or stolen, then duplicated by Dr. Vault to temporarily take control of the Living Colossus during its violent encounter with the Hulk in L.A.
--Carycomic

The name Coldfire came from Malus's phrase: "Hate is the cold fire that can spark the process."

CLARIFICATIONS:

Cruz Bushmaster should be distinguished from:

Appearances:
Cage I#3 (June, 1992) - Marc McLaurin (writer), Dwayne Turner (pencils), Chris Ivy (inks), Kelly Corvese (editor)
Cage I#8 (November, 1992) - Marc McLaurin (writer), Dwayne Turner (pencils), Chris Ivy (inks), Kelly Corvese (editor)
Cage I#10 (January, 1993) - Marc McLaurin (writer), Dwayne Turner (pencils), Chris Ivy (inks), Kelly Corvese (editor)
Cage I#12 (March, 1993) - Marc McLaurin (writer), Dwayne Turner (pencils), Chris Ivy (inks), Kelly Corvese (editor)
Cage I#13 (April, 1993) - Marc McLaurin (writer), Scott Benefiel (pencils), Frank Turner (inks), Chris Cooper (editor)
Cage I#14 (May, 1993) - Marc McLaurin (writer), Paris Cullins (pencils), Frank Turner (inks), Chris Cooper (editor)

First Posted: 09/27/2002
Last updated: 09/27/2002

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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