"MAD-DOG" RASSITANO

Real Name: Sgt. Julius Anthony Rassitano

Identity/Class: Human

Occupation: Police officer, sharpshooter

Group Membership: Code: Blue

Affiliations: Annex, Susan Austin, Cloak, Code: Gray, Dagger, Daredevil, Alex DePaul, Earth Force (Earth Lord, Skyhawk, Wind Warrior), Excalibur, Fantastic Force, Fantastic Four, Nick Fury, Ghost Rider (Dan Ketch/Noble Kale), Gods of Asgard, Hermod, Jose Hidalgo, Kevin Masterson, New Warriors, Mary Jane Watson-Parker, Daniel Rizzo, Thomas Rizzo, S.H.I.E.L.D., Sif, Spider-Man, Stellaris, Thor, Thunderstrike, Yancy Street Gang

Enemies: Absorbing Man, Battlestar, Beetle, Bloodaxe, Cadre, Cardiac, Carjack, Chloe, Darkhawk, Leila Davis, Demogoblin, Devil Dinosaur, Doombot, D'Spayre, Evilhawk, Glump, Grey Gargoyle, Hobgoblin (Macendale), Kai-Ra, Kronin Krask, Loki, Man-Eater, Moon Boy, Officer Z.E.R.O., Pandara, Peacekeepers, Armand Pelps, Steven Polk, Ren-Tech, Resistants, Rock Trolls, St. Johnny, Sandman, She-Hulk (Earth-A), Silver Sbale, Agent Simon, Thermal Man, Thornn, Thunderbolts, Titania, Ulik, Uroc, Wrecking Crew

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: Code: Blue Headquarters, NYPD precinct, Metro Division, Manhattan, New York

First Appearance: Thor I#426 (November, 1990)

Powers/Abilities: Rassitano wields a variety of police weapons including handguns, rifles and grenades. He is a specialist at sharpshooting, and often employs an infra-red scope on his rifle. Rassitano is so adept at hitting a target that he can shoot through a bull's eye several times over without missing. He has also wielded plasma guns. Rassitano also wears a SWAT uniform which provides body armor, and wears a headset to communicate with the rest of the team.

History: (Thunderstrike I#8 (fb) - BTS) - Julius Anthony Rassitano-- nicknamed "Mad-Dog"-- was once the partner of Daniel Rizzo. Rassitano became a good friend of Rizzo's family, and was traumatized when Daniel died in a drug sting.

(Thor I#426) - Rassitano joined Code: Blue for their first mission-- to rescue a hostage from the Wrecking Crew. He fired a smoke bomb into the apartment the Wrecking Crew was hiding in to provide the other team members with the cover they needed to break in and save the hostage.

(Thor I#427) - Rassitano participated in a training session alongside Code: Blue. Later, they set out the site of a battle between Excalibur, Thor and the Wrecking Crew.

(Thor I#428) - Rassitano aided Rigger against Thunderball of the Wrecking Crew, holding him off with machine gun fire. Ultimately, Code: Blue arrested Bulldozer of the Wrecking Crew.

(Thor I#429) - Rassitano and Ruiz were assigned to transport Bulldozer to Kennedy Airport so that he could transferred to The Vault. Along the way, they drove through Cypress Cemetary and were attacked by the rest of the Wrecking Crew, but were saved from them by Ghost Rider.

(Deadly Foes of Spider-Man#2) - Rassitano joined with Code: Blue in attempting to capture the Beetle and Leila Davis after they tried to break Boomerang out of the Tombs prison, but the two villains escaped.

(Thor I#432) - Rassitano joined Code: Blue in raiding Loki's building and rescuing Kevin Masterson from him.

(Thor I#433) - Soon after, Rassitano joined Code: Blue in battling Ulik, and nearly had him defeated when the new Thor, Eric Masterson, arrived. Thor ruined their efforts, and it became clear to them immediately that he was not the original Thor. Ultimately, Thor was able to help them defeat Ulik by fighting dirty.

(Cloak and Dagger III#19) - Rassitano joined Code: Blue in attempting to bring down D'Spayre as he fought Cloak and Dagger, but D'Spayre cast them all aside with a wave of his hand. After Cloak and Dagger defeated D'Spayre, their friend Detective Rebecca Niles had Code: Blue assist Cloak and Dagger in bringing down a warehouse where the drug "D'Lite" was being shipped from.

(Thor I#448) - Rassitano joined Code: Blue in battling the Absorbing Man and Titania at a construction site alongside Spider-Man and Thor. Ruiz and Rassitano managed to bind Titania with steel ribbons, but the Absorbing Man broke her out. The battle finally ended when the Absorbing Man feigned defeat, wanting to spare Titania further carnage.

(Thor I#449) - Just as they were cleaning up after the Absorbing Man and Titania, Code: Blue learned that Uroc was breaking Ulik out of Ryker's Island. Rassitano joined Code: Blue in battling them, but was outmatched. After gravely wounding Majowski, Ulik and Uroc fled with the arrival of Thor.

(Thor I#450) - Rassitano joined Code: Blue on their mission to Asgard to apprehend Ulik, and aided Thor and Fandral against Kai-Ra, Glump and the Rock Trolls attacking Asgard. Fandral led Code: Blue to the Well of Eternal Tears, where they saved Hogun and Volstagg from Ulik and Uroc. In battle with Uroc, Rassitano used a liquid nitrogen weapon created by Fielstein to freeze Uroc's left hand, and then shattered it with a single bullet. Afterwards when Code: Blue was honored in Asgard, Rassitano was shocked to see Rigger wearing a dress and romancing Fandral, not used to seeing her act like a woman.

(Thor I#451) - After the festivities ended, Rassitano joined Code: Blue in returning to Earth with Thor's aid. He saw Ruiz romancing Fandral as they left, and his jealousy flared up again.

(Marvel Comics Presents I#112/4) - Rassitano joined Code: Blue in battling the Demogoblin in Riverside Park, and managed to apprehend him.

(Thor I#456) - Rassitano joined Code: Blue in battling Bloodaxe alongside Earth Force to rescue Susan Austin from him. After Bloodaxe's defeat, Rassitano joined Rigger in escorting Austin home.

(Fantastic Four I#372) - Rassitano joined Code: Blue in their mission to arrest the Human Torch at Four Freedoms Plaza after he set fire to Empire State University. The Invisible Woman fought back against them, but the Torch surrendered himself into their custody. As they brought him the precinct, the Torch was attacked by his enemies Lyja and Paibok, disguised as people in the crowd, and he broke free from Code: Blue to avoid being killed.

(Darkhawk I#23) - Rassitano joined Code: Blue in battling St. Johnny as he fought Darkhawk. During the battle, Rassitano saw Darkhawk's face without his helmet, and was horrified by its disfiguration. After Darkhawk seemingly killed St. Johnny, they tried to arrest him, but were prevented by the arrival of Evilhawk.

(Darkhawk I#24) - Rassitano assisted Code: Blue in firing upon Evilhawk as he prepared to make off with Darkhawk, but Evilhawk easily shrugged off their weapons and departed.

(Web of Spider-Man Annual#9) - When the Cadre ran wild in New York, Rassitano joined Code: Blue in battling them. Rassitano attempted to shoot them down from Code: Blue's helicopter, but the helicopter was destroyed by Vortex of the Cadre. Rassitano was saved by Spider-Man. The Cadre finally escaped with the Knight Templar Chloe, assisted by Spider-Man.

(Spider-Man Unlimited I#1/3) - Rassitano joined Code: Blue against Cardiac, to prevent him killing white-collar criminal Steven Polk. Rassitano managed to save Polk's life by leaping with him from a construction site with a parachute to escape Cardiac, but Cardiac himself avoided arrest.

(Thunderstrike I#1) - Rassitano joined Code: Blue in arresting Carjack and several of his men, and first encountered the new Thor in his identity as Thunderstrike.

(Sensational She-Hulk#52) - Rassitano joined Code: Blue in arresting Titania after she was knocked out by the Thing who had helped a weakened She-Hulk in her fight against the villainess.

(Spider-Man Unlimited I#3/3) - Fielstein participated in the arrest of Ren-Tech following their defeat by Annex.

(Thunderstrike I#3) - Rassitano showboated for the rest of Code: Blue on the firing range by firing his gun through the same target five times. Later, he assisted in the arrest of Armand Pelps, a member of a child pornography ring.

(Silver Sable and the Wild Pack#27) - Rassitano joined Code: Blue at Central Park in an attempt to capture the Man-Eater after he ran amock. They found themselves at odds with the Man-Eater's employer, Silver Sable, and she sabotaged their efforts to capture him.

(Captain America I#426) - Rassitano joined Code: Blue in arresting members of the Resistants after they had been defeated by the Super-Patriot (disguised as Captain America). Believing the Super-Patriot to be the real Captain America, they did not suspect that the Super-Patriot had attempted to rob an armored car.

(Thunderstrike I#5) - Rassitano was taken captive by S.H.I.E.L.D. along with the rest of Code: Blue and their witness Mary Jane Watson-Parker when Majowski accessed sealed files on Tantalus. They were brought to the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier.

(Thunderstrike I#6) - Rassitano was subjected to torture equipment by S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Simon, but refused to yield. He aided Code: Blue in making a break-out from the Helicarrier, and they were finally allowed to depart by Nick Fury. Using information Majowski still possessed, Rassitano joined Code: Blue, Thunderstrike and Stellaris in searching for Pandara in New York's sewers, battling Tantalus' Peacekeepers. They finally took her captive thanks to the efforts of Blackwulf.

(Thunderstrike I#7) - After Pandara was freed from her cell, she unleashed her demons upon the precinct, and Rassitano joined Code: Blue against the creatures. During the battle, "Jock" Jackson lost his life.

(Thunderstrike I#8) - The death of Jackson hit Rassitano hard, as it brought back memories of Daniel Rizzo's death. He joined Code: Blue in their assignment to field test the robot Officer Z.E.R.O., and was surprised to discover that Z.E.R.O.'s creator was Thomas Rizzo, his old partner's brother. When Z.E.R.O. killed some drug dealers which it had happened upon, Rassitano flew into a rage, calling it a disgrace to its uniform. Z.E.R.O. then assaulted Rassitano, having tapped into Thomas Rizzo's subconscious hatred of the police. Ultimately, Rizzo sacrificed himself to save the lives of Code: Blue. Rassitano offered to tell Rizzo's parents what had happened.

(New Warriors Annual#4) - Rassitano joined Code: Blue and the mayor of New York in monitoring the confrontation between Psionex and the New Warriors.

(Night Thrasher II#15) - Rassitano stood guard with Code: Blue over an AIDS research lab which was being threatened with eviction, but had fallen under the protection of the Hulk. Ultimately, the situation was diffused by Night Thrasher, who paid off the landlord.

(Thunderstrike I#13/2) - Rassitano joined Code: Blue in battling a malfunctioning Doombot, and helped Ruiz tie it down in an adamantium net after Fielstein set off explosives which damaged it.

(Thunderstrike I#14/2) - Rassitano joined Code: Blue in battling the Wrecker, but was called off the field with the rest of Code: Blue by Jim Young, who wanted Thor to battle the Wrecker for them, but Code: Blue returned to action when Thor departed. Rassitano helped stall the Wrecker while they prepared to set up a meeting between him and his father. After losing his concentration on the earthly plane, the Wrecker was cast back into the dimension he had escaped from.

(Thunderstrike I#15/2) - Rassitano joined Code: Blue in battle against the Thermal Man, and joined Thunderstrike in destroying the robot by slicing it apart with adamantium wire. However, Code: Blue was then shut down for going on a mission without authorization.

(Thunderstrike I#16/2) - Reactivated by the mayor, Rassitano joined Code: Blue and Daredevil against Kronin Krask, and wielded energy disruptors from Redfield Electronics at him, but they were ineffective. Ultimately, Krask was defeated by Code: Gray and trapped within a CD. Code: Blue was officially reinstated, and Rassitano joined Code: Blue and Code: Gray in celebrating.

(X-Force I#40) - Rassitano joined Lt. Stone, Rigger and detective Jose Hidalgo in apprehending the mutant villain Thornn, whom they found in the sewers of New York. Thornn was brought down by Hidalgo, using a tranquilizer gun.

(Fantastic Force I#6) - Rassitano participated in the arrest of the Grey Gargoyle following his defeat by Fantastic Force.

(Thunderstrike I#22) - Rassitano took great joy in Code: Blue's newfound favour in New York, and played with the Code: Blue action figures which had been made, having his figure make out with a figure of Rigger. He joined Code: Blue at the scene of a battle between Thunderstrike, Bloodaxe, Quicksand and Mongoose.

(Thunderstrike I#23) - Rassitano witnessed Thunderstrike's possession by the Bloodaxe, and watched as he set off to deal with Seth.

(Journey Into Mystery I#505) - Rassitano joined Code: Blue in battling the Wrecking Crew alongside Spider-Man and the Lost Gods Ericka Velez and Howie Barker (Sif and Hermod). With the aid of those heroes, the Wrecking Crew was defeated.

(Ghost Rider III#82) - Rassitano participated in Code: Blue's battle with Devil Dinosaur and Moon Boy, which led to the arrest of Moon Boy.

(New Thunderbolts#3) - Rassitano joined Code: Blue at the United Nations building while the Thunderbolts attempted to prevent the building from toppling over. Although Code: Blue attempted to arrest the Thunderbolts they were prevented by Spider-Man, and had to allow the ex-criminals to save the day.

(Spider-Man: Hobgoblin Lives#1) - Code: Blue (Fielstein, Rassitano, Ruiz, Stone) led Hobgoblin (Macendale) to the court.

(She-Hulk II#21) - Code: Blue apprehended the She-Hulk of Earth-A, who had been impersonating her Earth-616 counterpart. Mr. Fantastic helped Code: Blue return all such Earth-A invaders back to their home planet.

Comments: Created by Tom DeFalco, Ron Frenz, Joe Sinnott and Dan Panosian.

According to Ron Frenz on Facebook he modeled this character after comic book shop owner Ron Russitano Jr., whom he had known for around 30 years. Russitano recently (09/23/2023) passed away. R.I.P.