CHAMPION's TRAINING FACILITYCHAMPION's TRAINING FACILITY
Classification: Extraterrestrial technology
Creator: Unrevealed
First Appearance: Marvel Two-In-One Annual#7 (October, 1982)
Powers/Abilities/Functions: Although externally spherical, the interior is a rectangular prism with a flat surface.
The Champion and his agents control transport to and from the training sphere.
Physically breaking out of the training sphere resulted only in accessing the surrounding void.
The facility had various forms of training equipment, including the robotic Battaloids, heavy boxing bag(s), reflex-training boxing bags, a boxing ring, the intelligent boxing machine, an exercise bicycle, extension/press cables, spiked battering surfaces, and apparently an inclined benchpress machine and an inclined sit-up machine.
History:
(Marvel
Two-In-One Annual#7 - BTS) - Proja "recruited" -- teleporting them with
or without their permission to the Champion's training sphere -- the
Thing, Thor, Doc Samson, the Hulk, Colossus, Namor the Sub-Mariner,
Sasquatch, and Wonder Man.
Materializing in the training
sphere in a group, the heroes found that none of them knew any more
than the others. Thor correctly sensed that they were far from Earth,
perhaps in some adjacent dimension. Wonder Man considered that the site
looked like some futuristic movie set, but the Thing corrected him,
noting that the place was definitely a gym, as you could not miss that
distinctive aroma.
Prior to the Champion's arrival,
the heroes examined the
facilities. Sasquatch evaluated the heavy boxing bag and speculated
that he doubted that it would register anything less than a high-impact
blow capable of sinking a battleship; the Thing replied that it might
even give him a good workout for a few minutes, at least.
Doc Samson examined one of the Battaloids, determining that their host must be obsessed with physical combat, and that this mobile computer (more of a robot, I'd think) was obviously programmed with thousands of fighting techniques.
(Marvel Two-In-One Annual#7) - The Champion forced the heroes compliance by threatening to use his power against humanity, he summoned eight trainers to prepare them for their bouts.
(Marvel Two-In-One Annual#7 - BTS) - During training, Doc Samson was knocked out by "multi-functional living computer" boxing robot, and Namor refused to participate, leading both to be eliminated from the competition and returned to their locales.
Comments: Created by Tom DeFalco, Ron Wilson, and an uncertain inker (detailed in the Appearances list below).
It is unrevealed whether the same facility and trainers were used previously and subsequently to the Earth challenge, but it seems very likely.
I was looking for a name for the
training facility, but every time the story returned to the facility,
it just said, "elsewhere."
The trainers and others associated
with the boxing event will eventually be covered in a separate profile
or profiles.
Dagnabbit, Marvel.com did not have this one digitally when I did this profile, and so I had to scan my old beat-up copy (it was one of my favorites when I was little, and I read it over, and over, and over), dislodging the staples from the cover.
Profile by Snood.
CLARIFICATIONS:
The Champion's training facility should be distinguished from:
  The Battaloids were four-armed robots with boxing gloves/spheres on the end of their arms.Personally designed by the Champion, they were presumably programmed with significant boxing skills and built to combat vastly superhuman opponents. The Thing knocked out nine of these "rustbuckets." The Thing was fighting another Battaloid when the trainees were summoned to the main event. --Marvel Two-In-One Annual#7 Note: While each of the trainees presumably cycled through all of the training equipment, both times we saw the group training, the Thing was the one fighting the Battaloids. Prior to the Champion's arrival, the heroes examined the facilities, and Doc Samson examined one of the Battaloids, determining that their host must be obsessed with physical combat, and that this mobile computer (more of a robot, I'd think) was obviously programmed with thousands of fighting techniques. |
As one would expect, the training facility was equipped with at least
one reflex boxing bag, which challenges speed and the ability to
respond to the bag bouncing in various directions as struck. --Marvel Two-In-One Annual#7 Note: While each of the trainees presumably cycled through all of the training equipment, both times we saw the group training, Colossus was the one training with the reflex bag. |
  As one would expect, the training facility was equipped with at least one heavy boxing bag. However, this one was a 10 ton titanium bag. The Hulk's trainer set him up to use it, noting that he might have trouble even moving it, but the Hulk shattered it with a single blow. --Marvel Two-In-One Annual#7 |
 
The boxing machine was a multi-functional living computer, and it was
intelligent enough to carry on a conversation.It was equipped with three smaller-sphere tipped striking instruments on each of its two lower rows and apparently a pair of larger, vertically-oriented rectangular striking instruments on its upper row, with its presumptive "face" target surface between the upper weapons. After the machine had been explained to him by his trainer, Doc Samson questioned whether the trainer expected him to believe that "this thing" was alive, and the machine replied back, "Why not? He expects me to believe that you are capable of withstanding my attack!" While Samson believed that his Hulk-level strength would allow him to easily succeed, as he drew back for a big punch, the machine struck him in the abdomen and then followed with a quick shot to his face, knocking him. Samson's trainer -- considering that Samson was no boxer -- cut him from the challenge and sent him back to his office on Earth. --Marvel Two-In-One Annual#7 |
 The facility had an exercise bicycle to help with endurance and leg strength.--Marvel Two-In-One Annual#7 Note: While each of the trainees presumably cycled through all of the training equipment, both times we saw the group training, the reluctant Wonder Man was the one training on the exercise bike. |
 .. The extension cable worked on shoulder and arm strength. Sasquatch was set-up to do 250 repetitions, which he -- recalling his days as an all-pro linebacker -- heartily-pursued. --Marvel Two-In-One Annual#7 . Note: While each of the trainees presumably cycled through all of the training equipment, both times we saw the group training, Sasquatch was the one working the extension cables. |
  .. A pair of spiked, metallic battering surfaces were used to test striking force. Despite instructions to the contrary, Thor used his hammer, Mjolnir, against them and shattered at least one of the surfaces. . --Marvel Two-In-One Annual#7 |
images: (without ads):
Marvel
Two-In-One Annual#7, pg 8 (interior, wide-view);
pg. 9, panel 4 (exterior/void);
pg. 16, panel 1-2 (Hulk with titanium bag);
panel 4-5 (Thor with spiked battering surfaces);
panel 7 (Doc Samson with trainer and living computer);
pg. 17, panel 1-3 (living computer taking out Samson);
panel 9 (Colossus with reflex boxing bag);
pg. 18, panel 1 (Sasquatch with extension cables);
panel 3 (Wonder Man with exercise bike);
panel 4-5 (Thing fighting battaloid);
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
First posted: 11/26/2023
Last updated: 12/06/2023
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