TORPEDO

Real Name: Michael Stivak

Identity/Class: Human technology user

Occupation: Something specializing in advanced technology

Group Membership: None

Affiliations: Torpedo (Brock Jones)

Enemies: Daredevil, Kligger ; Dire Wraiths (unbeknownst to him)

Known Relatives: Eugene Stivak (Kligger, uncle)

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: formerly Yugoslavia;
Manhattan, New York

First Appearance: Daredevil I#126 (October, 1975)

Powers/Abilities: Michael Stivak is a skilled technological developer.
The costume granted him the ability to fly, project bursts of concussive force, and punch with superhuman force (800 lbs. to 25 tons). He could reach speeds of 2500 mph and could punch through armored aircraft. He could project concussive force from his gauntlets as well.
The Torpedo armor was bulletproof and could also absorb and harmlessly dissipate large amounts of radiation.

Height: (Stivak) 5' 10"; (Jones) 6' Weight: (Stivak) 180 lbs.; (Jones) 200 lbs.

History:
(OHotMU DE#20 - BTS / Rom#21 (fb-BTS) / Daredevil#127 (fb - BTS)) - Kligger, the head of the East Coast branch of the Corporation, was also involved with the extra-terrestrials known as the Dire Wraiths. The Wraiths sought his aid in creating a battlesuit powerful enough to defeat their enemy, Rom. It was for this reason that Kligger enlisted his nephew, Michael, to build a battlesuit. Kligger duped Michael (who still resided in Yugoslavia) into believing that the suit was being designed for national defense. At the same time, Kligger duped his superiors in the Corporation into believing that the suit was being designed to assist in the Corporation's covert takeover of the USA. Michael may have been given a set of initial plans from Wraith scientists.

Michael Stivak had perfected the Battlesuit, but then learned of his father's plans (or at least those that he had told the Corporation). Angered at the betrayal, Michael designed a much less powerful costume (which would be used to create the Rocketeer series) and presented it to his uncle. Kligger, however, learned of the existence of the more powerful suit and tried to steal the suit's only existing plans. Michael donned the suit and took the name "The Torpedo" and set out to destroy the suit's plans, which were kept in a vault in New York.

(DD#126) - Michael Stivak began stealing all evidence and/or plans for the Torpedo suit's development. Due to the fact that he was breaking into vaults and causing public destruction, he was mistaken for a criminal by both the New York Police Department and Daredevil. Daredevil fought the Torpedo, who was so single-minded in his quest that he would not stop to explain his actions, but rather engaged in the stereotypical mistaken-identities/motives battle. Stivak managed to overpower Daredevil, and was going to deliver a fatal punch, when the elevator behind Daredevil opened, and Stivak was forced to redirect his punch to prevent himself from killing an innocent man. His redirected punch caused the building to collapse, fatally injuring Stivak. Daredevil was buried as well, but eventually made his way topside, relatively unharmed. The man who had been in the elevator, Brock Jones, was uninjured as well, and--having been a former professional football player--managed to dodge the collapsing debris. Jones pulled Stivak from the rubble, but Stivak knew he wouldn't survive. Stivak told Jones his story, and explained that it was vitally important that his uncle not get hold of the costume. Feeling somewhat responsible for Stivak's death, Jones decided to complete his mission for him. When Stivak died, Jones put on the Torpedo costume and became his successor. Meanwhile, as Daredevil came to the surface, he saw the Torpedo standing over Stivak--whom Jones had covered in his own clothes--and mistakenly assumed that he was the same man he had been fighting. Daredevil accused the Jones/Torpedo of being a murderer, and (of course) another mistaken-identities-battle ensued.

Comments: Created by Marv Wolfman and Bob Brown.

Daredevil's hearing failed to differentiate the Stivak and Jones Torpedoes because the turbines in the engines covered up his heartbeat or any other identifying structure.

CLARIFICATIONS:
He should be distinguished from

First Posted: 01/12/2003
Last updated: 04/30/2004

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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