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WATTAGE WASTER

Real Name: Unrevealed

Identity/Class: Human mutate, citizen of the United States

Occupation: Supervillain, energy thief

Group Membership: Energy Drainers (Cold Air Crook, Doomsday Man, Thermal Thief)

Affiliations: Unrevealed

Enemies: Campbell Kids (Clean Clara, Reading Ricardo, Soap Box, TV Tanya), Captain America (Steve Rogers)

Known Relatives: Unidentified

Aliases: Unrevealed

Base of Operations: Unrevealed;
    formerly Energy Museum

First Appearance: Captain America and the Campbell Kids I#1 (1980)

Powers/Abilities: The Wattage Waster could drain electrical energy from any source, including hydro-electric and nuclear reactors. She could fire bolts of electricity from her hands and use her mastery over electrical currents to power and control complex machinery. Wattage Waster moved around on a flying platform, a disc of negative energy generated by the Doomsday Man.

Height: Unrevealed (approximately 5'5")
Weight: Unrevealed (approximately 95 lbs.)
Eyes: Unrevealed
Hair: Unrevealed

History:

(Captain America and the Campbell Kids I#1 (fb) - BTS) - Wattage Waster joined the Energy Drainers along with Thermal Thief and Doomsday Man. They shared a common goal: to waste as much (man-made) energy as possible. They planned to attack the Energy Museum's science fair and steal secret weapons that would allow them to drain the energy of the entire world.

(Captain America and the Campbell Kids I#1 - BTS) - Unbeknownst to Wattage Waster and the others, Captain America had been invited to give a guided tour of the museum to Clean Clara, Reading Ricardo, Soap Box and TV Tanya. These four, bright kids had each come up with an energy based science exhibit that was on display at the fair.

(Captain America and the Campbell Kids I#1) - Thermal Thief was the first to make his presence known. Cap managed to knock him out by kicking him off the hydro-electric exhibit. This left the hero open to Wattage Waster's attack. She siphoned off power from the dam's electrical generators and fired bolts of electricity at the Avenger. Wattage Waster kept Cap distracted long enough for Doomsday Man to come up from behind. The villain drained Cap's lifeforce with a mere touch.

(Captain America and the Campbell Kids I#1 - BTS) - Cap was saved by Soap Box who pedaled his soap box race car at full speed towards the nearby geothermal exhibit. The car slammed into the geyser causing a blinding steam cloud to fill the room, disorienting Wattage Waster and Energy Drainers long enough for Cap to break free.

(Captain America and the Campbell Kids I#1) - Wattage Waster and the others flew off on a disc solid, negative energy created by Doomsday Man who told Cap and the kids about the secret weapons hidden in the museum that would allow them to rule the world. As they disappeared into the distance, they dared their opponents to find a way to defeat them before they located the weapons.

(Captain America and the Campbell Kids I#1 - BTS) - In preparation for their final showdown against Wattage Waster and the Energy Drainers, Cap took the four kids to their exhibits. He showed them the various ways in which they could have conserved energy. Cap reasoned that the key to beating the Energy Drainers was by becoming Energy Savers. Captain America left the kids in the relative safety of their exhibits while he went looking for the villains.

(Captain America and the Campbell Kids I#1 - BTS) - Clean Clara, Reading Ricardo, Soap Box and TV Tanya watched Cap's fight against the Energy Drainers from a safe distance. The hero made short work of Thermal Thief.

(Captain America and the Campbell Kids I#1 (fb) - BTS) - Wattage Waster had drained the energy from the nearby nuclear exhibit in preparation for her fight against Captain America.

(Captain America and the Campbell Kids I#1) - Not allowing her opponent a moment's reprieve after downing the Thermal Thief, the Wattage Waster attacked in full force. Captain America realized she was guiding him towards the recycling exhibit. She eventually managed to pin him down on the conveyor belt headed for the trash sifters, even using her powers to speed up the machinery. She watched Cap get covered in waste and crushed by the trash sifter's teeth.

(Captain America and the Campbell Kids I#1 - BTS) - Captain America kept himself safe by crouching down beneath his shield which was easily able to withstand the trash compacter.

(Captain America and the Campbell Kids I#1) - Wattage Waster got so distracted when she didn't spot Cap's mangled corpse in the trash sifter, she failed to notice he had snuck up underneath her energy disc. He knocked over the platform, causing her to fall in a nearby garbage container.
(Captain America and the Campbell Kids I#1 - BTS) - Wattage Waster remained down for the count while Captain America, with some timely assistance from his four young friends, depowered the Doomsday Man who faded away into nothingness.

Comments: Created by Bill Mantlo, Alan Kupperberg, Herb Trimpe, Dan Green.

The Energy Drainers were created by Marvel for a special educational campaign launched by the U.S Department of Energy... and the Campbell Soup Company because 'corporate synergy' counts as a type of energy, I suppose. They also appeared in a televised PSA that featured a slightly different line up from the comic. Wattage Waster and the Thermal Thief were joined by the 'Cold Air Crook' instead.

Cap referred to this particular trio as 'The Energy Wasters'. In the PSA, Cap is able to defeat Wattage Waster simply by turning off electrical appliances, causing her to fizz out. In the comic, she seemed a lot more solid but it's never made clear if she's a human mutate or actually a sentient energy creature like the Blips. Because of her overall human design and speech patterns, I'm sticking with 'human mutate' for now.

For a bunch of throwaway villains, the Energy Drainers actually look pretty decent. There's nothing in the story that explicitly prohibits it from taking place on Earth-616, so they might return one day. How Wattage Waster didn't pop up as part of the Crimson Cowl's Masters of Evil or Superia's Femizons we'll never know!

Profile by Norvo

CLARIFICATIONS:
Wattage Waster should not be confused with

Images: (without ads)
Captain America and the Campbell Kids I#1 p25, pan1 (main image)
Captain America and the Campbell Kids I#1 p24, pan6 (close-up)
Captain America and the Campbell Kids I#1 p25, pan2 (defeated)

Appearances:
Captain America and the Campbell Kids I#1 (1980) - Bill Mantlo (writer), Alan Kupperberg & Herb Trimpe (pencils), Dan Green (inks)

First Posted: 07/01/2024
Last Updated: 07/01/2024

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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