WRENCH
Real Name: Leonard Hebb
Identity/Class: Human mutant
Occupation: Mechanic, adventurer
Group Membership: Team America (Cowboy (Luke Merriweather, Honcho (James McDonald), R.U. Reddy (Winthrop Roan, Jr.) Wolf), Thunderiders (Cowboy, Georgiana Hebb, R.U. Reddy, Thing (Ben Grimm), Sharon Ventura, Wolf)
Affiliations: Richie Champoulion, Marauder, New Mutants (Mirage (Dani Moonstar), Sunspot (Roberto DeCosta), Karma (Xi’an Coy Manh), Cannonball (Sam Guthrie), Wolfsbane (Rahne Sinclair)), Tony Stark, Charles Xavier
Enemies: Monique
Adreadite, Advanced Idea Mechanics, Mr. Ashe, Emperor
of Texas,
Hydra, unidentified hired killer, the Mayhem Organization, Mr.
Mudge, Silver Samurai, Viper;
briefly Ghost Rider (Johnny Blaze)
Known Relatives: Father, mother (names unrevealed), Georgiana Hebb (wife)
Aliases: None
Base of Operations: Mobile worldwide
First Appearance: Team America#2 (July, 1982)
Powers/Abilities: Wrench was a gestalt telepath. When he was in contact with other gestalts, he was able to psychically create a physical being dubbed the Marauder, or project said psychic energies onto a host body. He was an expert motorcycle stunt rider. He was also a top rate mechanic and engineer, capable of designing a host of racing vehicles at a moment’s notice.
History:
(Team America#2) – Len and Georgiana watched Team America win their last race from the comfort of their Winnebago. Len swore that he would join the team. Driving to South Florida, the pair found Wolf as he joined the Savage Skulls biker gang. Failing to take Wolf’s hint, Len was knocked out as the bikers attacked the pair. Only the intervention of the Marauder and the rest of Team America prevented any further harm. Len begged to join and was allowed in, despite the oddness of Honcho knowing his nickname (Wrench) without ever having met the man before. Len proved his worth by customizing and building their dune buggy from the ground up for the next race. The vehicle handled perfectly, with only the interference of the hired killer preventing the team from coming in first place.
(Team America#3) – Wrench and the others crossed the finish line during their next race. His main concern was with the bike’s condition after the race. When the team was captured by the Mayhem Organization, Wrench and the others were freed by the Marauder. Confronting Mister Mayhem, Wrench jury-rigged the lights after they were blown out during the fight. He was disappointed that Mayhem escaped in the darkness.
(Team America#7) – Wrench raced with the team at their race in Texas. Along with the rest of the group, he was rounded up by Senator Clover and placed under house arrest when his daughter disappeared. When ranger Dixon Bowie escaped from the self-proclaimed Emperor of Texas, Wrench and the others went with him to rescue the kidnapped Cowboy. Parachuting in, Wrench and the others were separated from Bowie. Wrench and the rest of the team found Cowboy with the dying Emperor just before the compound was destroyed. Wrench and the others raced out before the compound went up in a fireball.
(Team America#8) – Wrench spent the entire plane ride to Cairo going over the schematics for his new car. Once the team landed, he threw himself into his work, ignoring everyone else. When he noticed Georgiana and Cowboy had left together, he said nothing, but his worries grew. After the time trials (and the car’s engine burning out), Wrench stayed up the entire night rebuilding and improving the vehicle. He apologized to Georgiana for his ignoring her, but he quickly forgot her when the race started. When Wolf crashed, Cowboy swept Georgiana off her feet for her morale speech, an act that earned the pair a hard look from Wrench.
(Team America#9) – Wrench busied himself trying to fix a toaster as the team took stock of their situation. After losing the race in Cairo, the group had been forced to live out of their trailer. When Wolf came back with their food, pushing their last bike instead of riding it, Wrench grew irate when told of the bike’s failure. Over dinner, Wrench unveiled his designs for a new racing car. He was dejected when the group told him that without serious capital, there was no hope. When the Marauder gave them a new motorcycle, Wrench was ecstatic, but his joy turned sour when he noticed Cowboy and Georgiana hugging.
With the team winning more races, Wrench spent every cent and second building his new car. Unveiling it, they took it out during their next race, where it promptly overheated. Despite that, the group was approached by Mr. Mudge of Stark Industries. As Honcho, Reddy and Wolf failed to make it on the Stark Racing team, Mudge showed Wrench around the factory. Wrench argued that he could handle multiple disciplines, such as braking, steering, and other mechanical divisions, but Mudge insisted that Wrench stick to one. Seeing Wrench walk up to a group of engineers and correctly diagnose the faults in their work, Mudge assigned Wrench to the brake section. When Wrench went to talk to the man, he found Mudge overseeing the dismantling of the Marauder’s bike. When he confronted him, Mudge coolly explained that Wrench should have checked his contract. Mudge ordered him thrown out. Later, Wrench sat dejected by the trailer when the rest of the team showed up. He explained what happened. He went along with them to try and argue their case to Tony Stark, who listened to them. With the bike back in their hands, as well as a hefty severance check, Wrench was happy until he noticed Cowboy hanging off the back of Georgiana’s seat.
(Team America#10) – When Honcho was kidnapped by the followers of Mr. Ashe, Wrench argued for a rescue. He did not follow Reddy, Cowboy and Wolf onto the compound. When Honcho was rescued, he walked with the team into the hotel. Hearing Mr. Ashe’s dying scream, Wrench and the others rushed into Honcho’s room, only to find the cult leader turned into a pile of ash thanks to a poisoned letter.
(Team America#11) – Wrench focused on the motorcycle's condition during the race. He noticed Georgiana being very friendly with Cowboy, but said nothing. When Reddy joked about the nature of her friendship with Cowboy, Wrench snapped and yelled at Reddy. Walking away, Wrench met up with Honcho and Reddy as they hit the town looking for Wolf. Finding him at the Quentin Carnival, Wrench eyed Cowboy when they collected their erstwhile teammate. When the Ghost Rider attacked the race, Wrench stared in wide-eyed horror. He kept out of the way, especially when Hydra attacked moments later. When the Marauder’s helmet was removed, he gasped in mute horror at the Marauder’s identity.
(Team America#12) – Wrench refused to believe his eyes that it was Georgiana. When the team talked to Georgiana in private, Wrench was silent. After they captured Hydra leader Mrs. Carson, Wrench suggested they turn the matter over to the proper authorities after she told her story of their origin. When the team came to Carson’s aid, Wrench helped drive the Hydra goons away. He smashed a wrench into the skull of one particular agent, an act that made him uneasy. When the fighting was over, Wrench confronted Georgiana. She told him the reason she was with Cowboy (riding lessons), something he never considered. Stammering, he apologized and then asked for her hand in marriage. He was ecstatic when she said yes. Later, Wrench and Georgiana agreed to leave the team in order to focus on their private lives. They were married (with Team America in attendance) at Winthrop Senior’s home.
(New Mutants I#5) – Wrench and Georgiana came to New York when Honcho called them. Informed of the Viper’s recent actions, Wrench was silent as Professor Xavier and several members of the New Mutants arrived in their room. He agreed to work with Xavier.
(New Mutants I#6) – Wrench and the others trained for their mission. While the rest argued or talked to Professor X, Wrench stopped to fix Wolf's bike. During the actual mission, Wrench and Honcho slipped into A.I.M.’s base, overpowered two guards and took their uniforms. Wrench accidentally tripped the alarm while completing their objective (stealing the Cavourite Crystal). Escaping moments before the Shadow King destroyed the area, Wrench rode on Georgiana's bike. Their bike was wrecked by A.I.M. sentry fire, but they managed to escape as Wolf summoned the power of the Marauder. He and the others made it back to Xavier’s plane, and waited for Wolf and Cowboy to reappear. He was stunned when Xavier announced he couldn’t feel the New Mutant’s presence.
(New Mutants I#8/The Thing I#27 - BTS) – After their adventures with the New Mutants, Wrench was irritated to discover that they had lost the copyright to the name Team America. Dubbing themselves the Thunderiders, he and the others decided to expand their roster and start touring.
(The Thing I#27) – Wrench and the rest of the Thunderiders were out on a drive when they almost hit the Thing. Driving back to their camp, they discussed their encounter and considered bringing the Thing into the team. Holding tryouts, it came down to the Thing and Richie Champoulion. Wrench argued for the Thing, citing Champoulion’s attitude and that the Thing’s poor performance on the bike could be a result of the bike itself. Wrench was silent when the Marauder returned and attacked Grimm. When the Marauder’s helmet was smashed and the team saw Champoulion’s face, Wrench said nothing.
(The Thing I#28) –The Thing’s tenure with the team lasted two weeks. During this time, Wrench and the others practiced with him and incorporated him into their stunts. The biggest and last one involved the rest of the team leaving their bikes and forming a pyramid on the Thing, with Wrench balanced on his right and Georgiana on his back. When the Thing decided to leave, Wrench was shocked. He brought up the fact that he had built a new bike just for the Thing’s abilities, but Grimm offered to pay him back in installments.
Comments:
Developed by Jim Shooter, Denny O’Neil & Bill Mantlo (script),
Mike Vosburg (pencils) and Vince Colleta (inks).
According to my research, the entire concept of Team America was created by Ideal Toys to sell a toy line and was later licensed by Marvel. The line actually began as Evel Knievel. According to the Evel Knievel Toy Museum, the line came about when Knievel was arrested for assault in the late 1970s. As best as I can tell, Wrench was never intended to be part of the Ideal toy line, and was a pure Marvel creation.
While Wrench had his own uniform, he rarely raced, opting instead to serve as team mechanic.
The pinup in issue 7 is credited to Cohn (script), Brozowski & Giacoia (art), and was part of “Honcho’s Hints” where various Team America members would talk about motorcycles or road safety.
“Project: New Genesis”? Seems to be invoking the Forever People.
In issue 12, Wrench and the others are flatly told they are mutants, yet Professor X explains it to them again and they act shocked.
Profile by David Lawrence.
CLARIFICATIONS
:
Wrench has no known connections to:
images:
(without ads)
Team America#7, pinup (main image, in costume)
Team America#5, pinup (head shot)
The Thing I#28, p3, pan4 (Thunderiders uniform)
Appearances:
Team America#2 (July, 1982) – Jim Shooter, Denny
O’Neil & Bill Mantlo (script), Mike Vosburg
(pencils), Vince Colleta (inks), Jim Shooter (editor)
Team America#3 (August, 1982) – Bill Mantlo (script), Luke
McDonall (pencils), Mike Vosburg (inks), Jim Shooter (editor)
Team America#7 (December, 1982) – Bill Mantlo (script), Luke
McDonall (pencils), Vince Colleta (inks), Jim Shooter (editor)
Team America#8 (January, 1983) – Jim Shooter & Bill
Mantlo (plot/script), Don Perlin (pencils), Vince Colleta
(inks), Jim Shooter (editor)
Team America#9 (February, 1983) – Jim Shooter & Bill
Mantlo (plot/script), Mark Bright (pencils), Vince Colleta
(inks), Jim Shooter (editor)
Team America#10 (March, 1983) – Steven Grant (script), Alan
Kupperburg (pencils), Vince Colleta (inks), Jim
Shooter (editor)
Team America#11 (April, 1983) – Jim Shooter & Tom
DeFalco (plot/script), David Simmons, Sharon Weiss (pencils), Jim
Shooter (editor)
Team America#12 (May, 1983) – Jim Shooter (script), Don
Perlin (pencils), Vince Colleta (inks), Jim Shooter (editor)
New Mutants I#5 (July, 1983) – Chris Claremont (script), Sal
Buscema (pencils), Bob McCloud (inks), Louise Jones (editor)
New Mutants I#6 (August, 1983) – Chris Claremont (script),
Sal Buscema (pencils), Armando Gill, J. Tartag (inks), Louise Jones
(editor)
The Thing I#27 (September, 1985) –Mike Carlin (script), Ron
Wilson (pencils), Paul Ryan (inks), Mark Gruenwald (editor)
The Thing I#28 (October, 1985) –Mike Carlin (script), Ron
Wilson (pencils), Brett Breeding (inks), Mark Gruenwald (editor)
First Posted: 03/17/2010
Last
updated: 05/16/2011
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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