WES CASSADY

Real Name: Wesley Cassady

Identity/Class: Human mutate

Occupation: Construction crew foreman

Group Membership: None

Affiliations: None

Enemies: Doctor Nero (at least verbally)

Known Relatives: Ruth (wife), Billy (son), second son (name unrevealed)

Aliases: "Bunny-Man" (unseriously proposed codename)

Base of Operations: Emporia, Kansas

First Appearance: Amazing Spider-Man I#302 (July, 1988)

Powers/Abilities: Cassady has superhuman strength in his legs, roughly 100 times that of an ordinary human; he can run at superhuman speed, jump great heights, and kick with excessive force. He can also somehow sense when anyone is watching him, regardless of the observer's distance.

History: (two years prior to ASM I#302) - Wes Cassady was foreman at the construction of On-Line Research when an experimental jack rabbit escaped from a shipment of lab animals. Catching the rabbit, Cassady received a bite which left him in a fever for three days; the rabbit later died of radiation poisoning, and Cassady discovered that the bite had given him superhuman leg strength and an ability to sense surveillance. Unwilling to reveal his powers for fear of people's reactions, Cassady kept the change a secret and continued with his normal life.

(ASM I#302) - Returning as foreman when On-Line commissioned a new building, Cassady quarreled with scientist Royce Nero over the construction's alleged disruption of Nero's experiments. When a fire broke out on site, Cassady, using his speed to avoid flying debris, kicked bundles of fiberglass insulation onto the fire, extinguishing it. However, Cassady realized that his performance was witnessed by Spider-Man, who, as Peter Parker, was in Kansas for a job interview.

Later that evening, Spider-Man approached Cassady's home in hopes of learning more about any local "super-types," and Cassady again sensed his presence. Cassadytold Spider-Man his story and explained how he wanted to live a normal life instead of becoming involved in super-heroics. The next day, when Dr. Nero attacked the On-Line offices and fought Spider-Man, Cassady was present and had the opportunity to assist the web-slinger, but he held back, fearful of exposing his secret and being labeled a "freak," leaving Spider-Man to defeat Dr. Nero on his own. Presumably Cassady remains in the construction business, leading the normal life he craves.

Comments: Created by David Michelinie and Todd McFarlane

CLARIFICATIONS:
Wes Cassady should not be confused with:

• Black Tom Cassidy, @ Uncanny X-Men#99
• "Cass" Cassidy of Earth-Ultraverse, who attacked J.D. Hunt to get his daughter back @ Strangers#13
• Kid Cassidy, one of the Gunhawks @ Gunhawks #1
• Sean Cassidy, a.k.a. Banshee @ Uncanny X-Men #28
• Dr. Viktor Cassidy, inventor of the Cassidy Crystals @ Spider-Man:  Fear Itself Graphic Novel
• Cletus Kasady, a.k.a. Carnage @ Amazing Spider-Man#344
• anyone else surnamed "Cassady," "Cassidy," "Kasady," or any derivative thereof

images: (without ads)
Amazing Spider-Man I#302, p6, pan1 (main image)