MARVEL BOY

Real Name: David Bank

Identity/Class: Human mutant

Occupation: Unrevealed;
    last seen as a student

Group Membership: None

Affiliations: Justice (Vance Astrovik)
    Formerly Adrenamix, Alison Gaulthing, the Psigns of the Time

Enemies: Formerly Anderson Gaulthing

Known Relatives: Irving Bank (father), unidentified sister & mother, Meyer Banciewicz (grandfather)

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: New Orleans, Louisana

First Appearance:
(Behind the Scenes) Justice: Four Balance#3 (November, 1994);
(Seen and named) Justice: Four Balance#4 (December, 1994)

 

 

 

Powers/Abilities: David has undefined energy powers. At time he could use these to fly and project energy blasts, and his raw power could easily overcome the telekinetic powers of Justice. Untrained at the time, David could not always access his powers at will, though he may have improved over time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

History:
(Justice: Four Balance#4 (fb) - BTS) - David was the first-born son to a family line in which--for thousands of years--the first-born sons were mutants who developed superhuman powers around puberty. Meyer Banciewicz had injured others with his powers, and had then beaten his son Irving so severely that he had prevented him from ever using his powers again.

(Justice: Four Balance#4 (fb) - BTS) - Irving was desperate that his son, David, not lose the opportunities that he had missed. However, David did not seem to develop powers on his own.

(Justice: Four Balance#4 (fb) - BTS) - David's dad pressured him into playing soccer. He kicked the ball into his own team's goal, they lost the game, and he got wedgies for a month.

(Justice: Four Balance#4 (fb) - BTS) - David ran for student council and lost by 500 votes, which was especially humiliating as his eight grade class only had 510 kids in it.

(Justice: Four Balance#4 (fb) - BTS) - Irving brought David to Adrenamix--a company performing psychic enhancements on youths--hoping to find out why David's powers hadn't surfaced, or hoping to give him powers in some fashion.

(Justice: Four Balance#3 (fb) - BTS) - Six children survived the experiments at Adrenamix: Alison Gaulthing--who couldn't deal with what her father had done and fled to her death; the four kids who compromised the Psigns of the Time; and David Bank, who was released because his father threatened to call the police.

(Justice: Four Balance#3 - BTS) - After learning of another survivor of Adrenamix's experiments, Justice resolved to find him and make sure he was ok.

(Justice: Four Balance#4) - David's dad took him out on a downtown rooftop, encouraging him to test his powers by stopping criminals. David didn't wish to try, but his dad pressured him, telling him his gift was special and that he knew what it was like to lose your big chance, to see it pass you by, just beyond your reach. Eventually they observed a mugging, and upon further encouragement from his dad, David flew through the air and blasted the muggers into submission. David was startled by what he had done, but his dad was ecstatic, telling David that he was going to make sure that he became the greatest superhero the planet had ever seen. As they then headed home before Mrs. Bank could realize they were out, Mr. Bank told David that they'd practice again the next night.

(Justice: Four Balance#4 - BTS) - Justice spent the weekend watching both David and Irving Bank.

(Justice: Four Balance#4) - The next Monday, Justice watched as David performed poorly during a soccer game and was mocked by the other students. That night Irving pressured David into going out and practicing again, even though David really didn't want to go. When David tried to fly and failed, falling to the ground, Irving grabbed him and began yelling at him. Fearing that things were going to escalate to physical abuse, Justice flew down and levitated Irving into the air. Justice tried to talk sense into them, but they mistook him for an attacker, and the terrified David unleashed his full power, flattening Justice. David collapsed as well, but his father was happy to see that he wasn't hurt.
    Unable to understand his power, David wondered what Adrenamix had done to him, but Justice revealed that the powers were innate to him. Justice further shared Irving and Irving's father's histories, and Irving filled in the blanks. Justice told Irving that he couldn't force heroics or the use of his powers on David, because that would be as bad as what his father had done to him. Irving saw his point and told David that he loved him and only wanted what was best for him. David realized, though he might not want to be a superhero, that he did have to learn how to control the powers within him. Justice then departed, suggesting they leave before the police arrived and that they work a bit harder to meet each other in the middle. Realizing Justice's own history of familial abuse--which culminated in Justice having struck back and killed his father, the Banks took his advice to heart. David joked with his father that that would never happen to them--not because he loved his father too much to kill him, but because he could never find a sidekick dorky enough to make him look good by comparison.
    A few days later Justice sent David a modified version of his old Marvel Boy costume, with a note that said, "To the New Marvel Boy--Wear it well!" Both David and his father were eager for him to try it on.

(Civil War: Battle Damage Report) - Tony Stark considered David as a potential Initiative recruit.

Comments: Created by Fabian Nicieza, Craig Brasfield, and Frank Turner.

    As you can see in the last issue of Justice: Four Balance, Fabian had pitched a series about this character for some time. However, the powers-that-be proved resistant, and I guess it's just never going to be at this point.

    David never appeared on panel in costume or using the alias Marvel Boy.

    I think Irving should try hypnosis to get his powers back in gear.

Profile by Snood.

CLARIFICATIONS:
 David Bank has no known connections to:

Irving Bank

(Justice: Four Balance#4 (fb) - BTS) - Irving  was the first-born son to a family line in which--for thousands of years--the first-born sons were mutants who developed superhuman powers around puberty. His father, Meyer Banciewiz had hurt others with his powers, and when Irving's powers started developing he couldn't bear to see him go through what he had. So Meyer tried to beat the powers out of him, and he did succeed in scaring him into burying his abilities so deeply that he could never bring them out again.

(Justice: Four Balance#4 (fb) - BTS) - At the age of 14, his father was arrested for abusing Irving, and Irving moved away, relocating to New Orleans and changing his last name to "Bank."

(Justice: Four Balance#4 (fb) - BTS) -  Irving worked as the personal accountant to shady restaurant & club owner Michel Devereaux."Mr. D." pressured Irving to use creative cash disbursements and other unethical practices in order to show a low taxable income salary. Irving grew to hate his job, his life, and even himself. He wanted his son to become everything he wasn't: noble, heroic, and virtuous.

(Justice: Four Balance#4 (fb) - BTS) - Irving--now thirty-eight years old--was desperate that his son, David, not lose the opportunities that he had missed. However, David did not seem to develop powers on his own.

 (Justice: Four Balance#4 (fb) - BTS) - Irving brought David to Adrenamix--a company performing psychic enhancements on youths--hoping to find out why David's powers hadn't surfaced, or hoping to give him powers in some fashion.

(Justice: Four Balance#3 (fb) - BTS) - Six children survived the experiments at Adrenamix: Alison Gaulthing--who couldn't deal with what her father had done and fled to her death; the four kids who compromised the Psigns of the Time; and David Bank, who was released because his father threatened to call the police.

(Justice: Four Balance#4 (fb) - BTS) - Irving began pressuring David to try to use his "new" powers, despite David's extreme reluctance.

(Justice: Four Balance#4) - Irving began having nightmares about causing his son's death.

(Justice: Four Balance#4) - Continued pushing progressed into anger with David for not seeming to try, at which point the mutant hero Justice, who had underwent parental abuse, took action to prevent things from escalating into abuse. When Justice telekinetically grabbed Irving, the terrified David lashed out with his powers, easily overwhelming Justice. Though stunned, Justice revealed David's family history, and Irving filled in the blanks. The two came to an agreement to try to see each other's side and work more towards a compromise.

(Justice: Four Balance#4) - A few days later Justice sent David a modified version of his old Marvel Boy costume, with a note that said, "To the New Marvel Boy--Wear it well!" Both David and his father were eager for him to try it on.

--Justice: Four Balance#4 (4 (fb) - BTS, 3 (fb) - BTS, 3

 

Meyer Banciewicz

(Justice: Four Balance#4 (fb) - BTS) - Meyer was born in Poland in 1924, the first-born son to a family line in which--for thousands of years--the first-born sons were mutants who developed superhuman powers around puberty. .

(Justice: Four Balance#4 (fb) - BTS) - Meyer lived through the Warsaw Uprisings.

(Justice: Four Balance#4 (fb) - BTS) - Meyer spent three years in Auschwitz.

(Justice: Four Balance#4 (fb) - BTS) - At the age of 13, incredible power sprung from his body, and he killed hundreds of Nazi soldiers before the horror of what he'd become made him stop. He mentally shut down his own powers because of the guilt that he felt.

(Justice: Four Balance#4 (fb) - BTS) - Meyer came to the USA after World War II and settled in Long Island, New York.

(Justice: Four Balance#4 (fb) - BTS) - In 1970 (or, more likely, 24 years before the main story), Meyer was arrested during a domestic dispute for having physically abused his 14 year old son, Irving.

(Justice: Four Balance#4 (fb) - BTS) - After this, Irving moved away and changed his name.

--Justice: Four Balance#4 (4 (fb) - BTS

images: (without ads)
Justice: Four Balance#4, p1 (title page image)
        p6, panel 2 (sweat suit)
        p12, panel 3 (Meyer)
        p22, panel 3 (David face)
            panel 5 (Irving)
       

Appearances:
Justice: Four Balance#3-4 (November-December, 1994) - Fabian Nicieza (writer), Craig Brasfield (pencils), Frank Turner (inks), Rob Tokar (editor)
Civil War: Battle Damage Report (2007)

First Posted: 02/24/2006
Last updated: 05/20/2006

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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