THERMITE

Real Name: Sam Yurimoto

Identity/Class: Extradimensional/alternate reality (Earth-712/"Earth-S") human mutate or mutate, apparently;
    US citizen without a criminal record

Occupation: Adventurer

Group Membership: Redeemers (Black Archer/Wyatt McDonald, Foxfire/Olivia Underwood, Haywire/Harold Danforth, Inertia/Edith Freiberg, Lamprey/Donald McGuiggin, Mink/Julie Steel, Moonglow/Melissa Hanover, Nighthawk/Kyle Richmond, Pinball/Chester Freeman, Michael Redstone, Remnant/Frank Edwards, Shape/Raleigh Lund);
    formerly the Squadron Supreme (Arcanna Jones, Blue Eagle/James Dore Jr., Doctor Spectrum/Joseph Ledger, Haywire/Harold Danforth, Hyperion/Mark Milton, Inertia/Edith Freiberg, Moonglow/Melissa Hanover, Power Princess/Zarda Shelton, Michael Redstone, Whizzer/Stanley Stewart)

Affiliations: Master Menace (Emil Burbank), Professor Imam

Enemies: Squadron Supreme

Known Relatives: Unidentified mother;
    specifically noted to be single/unmarried

Aliases: "Thermy" (nickname used by Lamprey and Shape)

Base of Operations: Unrevealed;
    body last seen in a Squadron City hibernacle, Cosmopolis, USA;
    formerly Squadron City, Cosmopolis, USA;
    formerly Richmond Manor, New Troy, USA;

First Appearance:  Squadron Supreme I#10 (June, 1986)

Powers/Abilities: The left half of Yurimoto's body constantly generated great heat while his right half was a potentially limitless source of intense cold. He could fire both types of energy as blasts from his hands, often using them in concert. Yurimoto's flame blasts were powerful enough for him to burn through rock, quickly creating tunnels and holes from which he could spring up and attack. His ice blasts could rapidly freeze and disable technology like Blue Eagle's wings or encase people in solid chunks of ice. He could cover a hot tub with an ice sheath within seconds and even create crude objects such as ice ramps and protective shielding. 

    The volatile dual nature of his powers forced Yurimoto to wear a special suit outfitted with a regulator pack to help control his temperature extremes. If the regulator was damaged, he risked an immediate flare up of either or both elemental forces which he himself was not immune to.

    Yurimoto had a playful, somewhat mischievous personality and enjoyed pulling practical jokes.

Height: 5'2"
Weight: 135 lbs.
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Black

History:
(Squadron Supreme I#12 (fb) - BTS) - When his elemental powers manifested themselves, Yurimoto was forced to permanently wear a protective suit and a regulator pack to control his abilities. To prevent himself from going stir crazy locked up in the confining outfit, Yurimoto distracted himself by playing pranks on those around him.

(Squadron Supreme I#7 - BTS) - At an unrevealed point in time after he received his powers, Yurimoto was noticed by Professor Imam. When Nighthawk came to Imam in hopes of recruiting super-powered allies to fight the Squadron and their Utopia Program, the Professor handed Nighthawk a power pyramid that would guide him to those who could help him.

(Squadron Supreme I#10 - BTS) - Using the pyramid, Nighthawk and his allies Pinball, Remnant and Mink traveled the country recruiting six superhumans sympathetic to their cause, including Yurimoto who joined them as Thermite. Now calling their group the Redeemers, the ten member team trained in secret at Nighthawk's luxurious New Troy manor. During this period, they kept close tabs on the Squadron's whereabouts and activities.

(Squadron Supreme I#10) - During one of their regular meetings, the Redeemers watched a recent news report on the death of Tom Thumb and the introduction of the Hibernaculum, designed to preserve life even in the face of certain death. They then all shared what they'd learned about the Squadron and how they could use it to speed up the team's downfall. Nighthawk then turned the subject to how the ten of them were going to overthrow the Squadron.

(Squadron Supreme I#10 - BTS) - It was decided to slowly have the Redeemers infiltrate the Squadron Supreme by showing up and offering their services. Redstone and Moonglow were the first two who sought out the Squadron and were successfully admitted to the team.

(Squadron Supreme I#11 - BTS) - Over the course of several weeks, Thermite, Haywire and Inertia joined the Squadron as well on a provisionary basis. They were provided with guest quarters in Squadron City (though they still weren't told where this hidden base was, nor were they allowed full access to the team's computer files).main image

(Squadron Supreme I#11) - During a series of "capture the flag" training sessions with the Squadron, the team was split in squads of two. Thermite, Lamprey, Haywire, Inertia and Foxfire faced off against Redstone, Moonglow, Blue Eagle and Shape. Using his powers to tunnel his way to the flag, Thermite popped up to assist Lamprey in holding off both Blue Eagle (by icing his wings) and Redstone (using his fire blasts). He then created a protective ice wall around the flag, but was unaware the illusion casting Moonglow had invisibly slipped by and captured the flag right under his nose, winning the game for her team. Afterwards, on the shuttle back to Squadron City, Whizzer announced to the new recruits they'd best get ready for a special assembly that night. As it turned out, the Squadron had arranged a special press conference at which the five recruits were officially inducted into the team. During the swearing in ceremony, feeling bad for betraying the Squadron's trust, Thermite hoped his mother wasn't watching. 

(Squadron Supreme I#11 - BTS) - The ceremony was watched by Thermite's fellow Redeemers who were overjoyed to see their teammates were now in.

(Squadron Supreme I#11 - BTS) - Later that night, using her newly gained security clearance as a Squadron member, Moonglow went to Tom Thumb's labs and accessed all the plans on the b-mod device, Squadron City's location and defenses and sent it via modem to Master Menace and the Redeemers, in hopes they could come up with a way to counteract the effects of the brainwashing device.

(Squadron Supreme I#11) - After completing her task, Moonglow returned to the guest quarters she shared with Thermite and the other (secret) Redeemers. She informed them she'd accomplished her mission without being spotted. Inertia had her doubts though, causing Moonglow to rhetorically ask if she took her for an incompetent. Concerned Moonglow might be a bit too full of herself, Inertia decided to visit the lab the following day and wipe some memory banks with her powers.

(Squadron Supreme I#11 - BTS) - Nighthawk and the other Redeemers were contacted by Master Menace who had used the b-mod design schematics that Moonglow had sent to construct a device that undid the mental reprogramming. Figuring they needed someone to test it out on, they contacted Haywire to lure Lamprey to a spot where the Redeemers and Master Menace were waiting. Lamprey was overpowered and subjected to the treatment, returning the energy vampire to his dangerously unstable former self. The next candidate they decided to recruit was Shape. While on a mission to Harbor City, supervised by Blue Eagle and the Shape, Redstone and Thermite managed to lure their simple minded malleable team member away by promising to go on a picnic. Once they figured no one spotted them, Thermite encased Shape in a block of ice which Redstone carried to the nearby Redeemers hideout (unaware they were actually followed by Blue Eagle).

(Squadron Supreme I#11) - Arriving at the Redeemer hideout, Thermite complained that helping stop the drug runners was the only real action he'd seen since joining the Squadron Supreme. Meanwhile, Black Archer and Remnant spotted Blue Eagle and managed to capture him. Thermite apologized profusely to Nighthawk for having been followed. After a brief discussion, it was agreed to subject the Blue Eagle to the mind control device as well, which crushed Nighthawk's spirit. While Blue Eagle was shoved into place, ready to be wiped, Thermite melted away the remaining ice around the now-deprogrammed Shape.

(Squadron Supreme I#12) - Thermite spotted his teammates Haywire and Inertia making out inside the Squadron dormitory spa's hot tub. Deciding to play a little trick on them, Thermite quickly turned the water to ice, much to the shock of Haywire when he unknowingly slid back into the tub. Ticked off, Haywire chased the snickering Thermite, with Inertia laughing it off as Thermite's way to blow off some steam. Later, Thermite and all the other Squadron members assembled in Washington to celebrate the one year anniversary of the Squadron Supreme taking over the United States. Standing behind Power Princess who proudly told the crowd what the team had accomplished during that time, Thermite and the other Redeemers and un-brainwashed members felt somewhat uneasy.

(Squadron Supreme I#12 - BTS) - Nighthawk and the remaining Redeemers, using information supplied by Moonglow, traveled to Squadron City, penetrated its magical cloak and waited around for the Squadron to return from their Washington ceremony.

(Squadron Supreme I#12) - As soon as they landed on their airfield, the Squadron Supreme spotted Nighthawk and his Redeemers. Much to their surprise, Thermite and the others switched sides. However, in the opening moments of their inevitable confrontation Dr. Spectrum managed to trap the hands of all his opponents in force bubbles. Try as he might, using both his ice and fire powers, Thermite couldn't break free. Once Spectrum was taken out by Inertia, Thermite rejoined the fight. Teaming up with Haywire to take out the Whizzer, Yurimoto very nearly managed to hit the speedster with his frigid force blasts, and the cold force slowed him down just enough for Haywire to ensnare the Whizzer with his tanglewire. Trapped but still coming towards Thermite at super-speed, the Whizzer inadvertently hit Thermite's regulator pack, causing Yurimoto's powers to flare out of control. Within seconds, he found himself encased in a fiery pylon of solid ice.

(Squadron Supreme I#12 - BTS) - With Thermite down for the count, the fighting between the Squadron and the Redeemers continued until Hyperion agreed to Nighthawk's demands and ordered his team to surrender. Thermite was taken to the Squadron City hospital complex where doctors determined he was in critical condition, with only a 10 percent chance of recovery.

(Squadron Supreme: Death of a Universe I#1 - BTS) - Thermite's body was taken to the hibernaculum in Squadron City, along with other critically injured or even technically deceased people like Black Archer, Blue Eagle, Pinball and Foxfire.

(Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Deluxe Edition#12: Squadron Supreme: Thermite profile) - Thermite died.

(Squadron Supreme: Death of a Universe I#1) -  Doctor Spectrum and Lady Lark passed Thermite's hibernaculum on their way to see Black Archer. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Comments: Created by Mark Gruenwald (writer), Paul Ryan (pencils), Sam de la Rosa (inks).

    It's a shame Thermite didn't get any extra "airtime". The plight of having to cope with being trapped inside a bulky suit that you need in order to survive is always an interesting one, even though Mark Gruenwald explored a slightly similar theme with Nuke earlier in the Squadron Supreme limited series.

    To my knowledge, Thermite is the only Earth-712 character who has a similar Earth-616 counterpart (well, there's Kyle "Nighthawk" Richmond, but he got the idea from his evil Squadron Sinister counterpart). The Earth-616 Sam Yurimoto is alive and well (albeit in jail), while the fate of the "original" remains a mystery.  A ten percent chance at recovery aren't the best odds, but Yurimoto might still pull through. Well, maybe someday.
    --Actually, the Deluxe Edition revealed he died; though, as we all know, death is a revolving door in comics.
    There's tons of Hyperions, at least two being native to -616.
    I'm not sure what the distinction you are trying to make with Nighthawk, but the -712 version was the original/predecessor. The Grandmaster guided Kyle-616 to become Nighthawk to mirror his Earth-712 counterpart.
    --Snood

    Thermite received a profile in the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Deluxe Editions#12: Squadron Supreme entry.

    Unless otherwise specified, all locations and beings related in this profile refer to Earth/Reality-712 versions.

    Thanks to MarvellousLuke for image clean-up.

Profile by Norvo.

CLARIFICATIONS:
Thermite should not be confused with:

images: (without ads)
Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Deluxe Edition#12: Squadron Supreme: Thermite profile
Squadron Supreme I#10, p6, pan3 (emerging from ground)
Squadron Supreme I#10, p6, pans4&5 (uses his powers)
Squadron Supreme I#12, p12, pan5 (pranks Haywire)
Squadron Supreme I#12, p26, pan2 (inadvertently puts himself on ice)

Appearances:

Squadron Supreme I#10 (June, 1986) - Mark Gruenwald (writer), Paul Ryan (pencils), Sam de la Rossa (inks), Ralph Macchio (editor)
Squadron Supreme I#11 (July, 1986) - Mark Gruenwald (writer), Paul Ryan (pencils), Sam de la Rossa (inks), Ralph Macchio (editor)
 Squadron Supreme I#12 (August, 1986) - Mark Gruenwald (writer), Paul Ryan (pencils), Sam de la Rossa (inks), Ralph Macchio (editor)
Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Deluxe Edition #12 (November, 1987) - Mark Gruenwald (editor/producer), Peter Sanderson & Steve Saffel (writer/researcher), Paul Ryan (penciler), Josef Rubinstein (inker), Howard Mackie (assistant editor), Marc Siry, Harry Eisenstein, & David Wohl (editorial assistants), Gregory Wright (assistant editor)
Squadron Supreme: Death of a Universe (November, 1989) - Mark Gruenwald (writer), Paul Ryan (pencils), Al Williamson (inks), Ralph Macchio (editor)

First Posted: 08/27/2014
Last updated: 09/06/2014

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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