FIREBRANDFIREBRAND
Real Name: Gary Gilbert
Identity/Class: Human technology user; magically resurrected (and then killed again);
US citizen with a criminal record;
identity publicly known
Occupation: Former agent of the Hood;
former business agent for costumed criminals;
former radical agitator and terrorist
Group Membership: The Hood (Parker Robbins)'s army of resurrected Scourge victims aka. Deadly Dozen (Basilisk/Basil Elks, Bird-Man/Achille DiBacco, Black Abbott, Blue Streak/Don Thomas, Cheetah/Esteban Carracus, Cyclone/André Gerard, Death Adder/Roland Burroughs, Hijacker/Howard Mitchell, Human Fly/Richard Deacon, Lascivious/Davida DeVito (formerly Titania), Letha/Helen Feliciano, Megatak/Gregory Nettles, Mind-Wave/Erik Gelden, Miracle Man/Joshua Ayers, Mirage/Desmond Charne, Turner D. Century/Clifford F. Michaels, Wraith/Brian DeWolff), Scourge victims
Affiliations: Bird-Man (Achille DiBacco), Blue Streak (Don Thomas), Cheetah (Esteban Carracus), Commander
Kraken, Cyclone (Andre Gerard), Grappler, Hellrazor (Denton Phelps), Hijacker (Howard Mitchell), Jaguar (Ramon De Rico), Letha
(Hellen
Feliciano), Megatak (Gregory Nettles), Mind-Wave (Erik Gelden), Mirage (Desmond Charne), Rapier (Dominic Tyrone), Ringer (Anthony Davis), Shellshock (Gary Buser), Steeplejack
(Maxwell Plumm), Turner
D. Century (Clifford F. Michaels), Vamp (Denise Baranger), Water Wizard (Peter Van Zandt);
formerly Baroness Rockler of Earth-7511/"Fragmented America", Black Lama
(King Gerald) of Earth-7511, the Hood (Parker Robbins), Mad Thinker, Professor Teller of
Earth-7511, an unidentified group of African-Americans in Bay City;
resurrected via power from Dormammu
Enemies: Baroness Rockler of Earth-7511, Bay City Construction Company, Bay City Police Department, Black Lama, Lyle
Bradshaw, George Washington "G.W." Bridge, Captain America (Steve Rogers), Simon Gilbert, Virginia
"Pepper" Hogan, Iron Man (Tony Stark), Iron Man (Jim Rhodes), New York
Police Department, Northside Real Estate, Punisher (Frank Castle), Scourge of the Underworld,
Stark Industries (especially its Bay City munitions plant and its
guards), unidentified taxicab driver, unidentified inhabitants of the
Elysian Fields hotel between Manhattan's Bowery and Chinatown
forced to incinerate resurrected versions of Frank Jr., Lisa, and Maria Castle;
formerly soldiers of Earth-7511's Kingdom of Grand Rapids Baron and Baroness Rockler
Known Relatives: Simon Gilbert (father, deceased), Roxanne Gilbert (sister)
Aliases: None
Education: B.S. in physics, training program at Stark Industries
Base of Operations:
slain again in the Hood's subterranean base, presumably somewhere in Manhattan, New York;
resurrected in the Hood's subterranean base;
died in "The Bar with No Name," Medina County, Ohio;
mobile through the circuit of "Bars with No Name";
born in Detroit, Michigan
First Appearance: Iron Man I#27 (July, 1970)
Powers/Abilities: Firebrand wears a thermal energy-powered battlesuit of lightweight armor that amplified his strength and durability, and allowed him to fly and project fiery blasts.
Firebrand can project immensely
hot flame blasts from his wrist projectors.
While the maximum amount of heat he could generate is unrevealed, he could blast a hole in a tank within a minute. He can melt Iron Man's armor (at least up through Model 4) under sustained exposure at full powerful for several minutes.
Firebrand wears thermal jet
devices that enable him to fly at up to 30 miles per hour, leaving a
trail of flame behind.
Gilbert engaged in moderate, regular exercise. His costume's exoskeleton boosted his strength to allow him to lift 15 tons.
Firebrand's armor protected his
body from harm, allowing him to withstand punches from Iron Man's armor
or crashing into masonry.
His steel gloves were internally padded,
allowing him to punch Iron Man's armor at his amplified strength
without harming his hands. The costume was highly resistant to heat and
flames, and it contained a cooling system to protect him from the heat
he generated.
Height: 6'2"
Weight: 220 lbs.
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Brown (later black)
History:
(Iron Man I#48 (fb)) - When
Gary Gilbert was young, his father, unscrupulous businessman Simon
Gilbert, used to beat on him after a bad day at the office.
(Iron Manual Mark 3) - Gary's hatred for his father led him to despise the capitalist system of which Simon was a part.
(Iron Man I#27 (fb) - BTS / Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Deluxe Edition#17: Firebrand entry) - Considering himself an All-American boy seeking to make the world a better place, Gary Gilbert -- by his own accounts -- sat-in for civil rights, marched for peace, and demonstrated on campus; in return, he was physically assaulted -- via fists, tear gas, and mace -- by those opposing his side. Eventually he decided that the USA didn't want to be change and that the only way to build anything decent was to tear down what was already in place -- the American government and capitalist economic system -- and start over. As a result, he sought to tear down the establishment any and every way he could.
(Iron Man I#59 (fb) - BTS) - Unwilling to tolerate
Gary's "radical rhetoric," Simon threw him out of the house; Gary
agreed, noting that the smell of pig there was much too high.
(Iron Man I#48 (fb)) - Via his talent for physics (although he was shown performing chemistry experiments), Gilbert worked on ways to further his revolutionary goals; his professors had no idea what he'd constructed.
(Iron Man I#27 (fb) - BTS) - Attending Stark Industries training programs, Gary Gilbert allegedly obtained the knowledge to build a fire-generatoring armored suit.
(Iron Man I#48 (fb)) -
Firebrand tested his thermal energy-powered suit, finding his belt-pack
jets allowed him to fly, while his concentrated blasts of thermal power
could blast holes in tanks.
(Iron Man I#27 (fb) - BTS / Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Deluxe Edition#17: Firebrand entry) - Firebrand allied with a group of African-Americans in an unidentified midwestern state who opposed a community center being built in their Bay City without their input.
(Iron Man I#27) - Firebrand
melted the lock to the construction site for the new community center,
which was backed by the Iron Man Foundation. While his allies occupied
the site, planning to present their demands during the next day's
groundbreaking ceremony, Firebrand assured them that no one would
listen to them and that they would have to fight for what they wanted.
He departed, telling them he would be back after their efforts failed.
(Iron Man I#27 (fb) - BTS) -
Firebrand stashed some tear gas cannisters atop an abandonned tenement
house for use at the construction site.
(Iron Man I#27 - BTS) - After
Councilman Lyle Bradshaw refused to listen to the demands and ordered
the protestors to be hauled away, Iron Man and his associate, Eddie
March (intended to be the center's director), tried to calm the situation.
(Iron Man I#27) - Later after Bradshaw refused to listen to Eddie March and Helene Davis' requests or to extend the deadline at Iron Man's suggestion, Firebrand broke into the room, telling them "We're not waiting to have the world handed to us...it's ours for the taking!" As Iron Man and Eddie attended to the resultant fires, Firebrand took Bradshaw and flew away.
(Iron Man I#27 - BTS) - With one of Firebrand's blasts having broken open Bradshaw's safe, Eddie learned that Bradshaw was secretly the head of Northside Realities and Bay City Constructions, who owned the property and were building the center, respectively. Appreciating that if Firebrand hurt Bradshaw, it would prevent anyone from listening to the protestors, Iron Man -- having apparently repaired his boot jets -- flew Eddie and Helene back to the construction site.
(Iron Man I#27 (fb) - BTS) - Seeing Firebrand arriving with Bradshaw hostage, the police threatened to move in unless he was released in three minutes.
(Iron Man I#27) - The
protestors expressed their regret in allying with Firebrand, as they
were fighting to get something for the community while he was working
to make a war. Firebrand argued that the "fuzz" were bluffing and that
they would back down if he singed Bradshaw's coattails, at which point
Iron Man arrived and announced they had new information that would
change everything. Firebrand argued that Iron Man was trying to trick
them, but Iron Man gambled on Firebrand not being a cold-blooded
murderer, causing him to hesitate long enough for Iron Man to punch him
out. As Iron Man noted that he had held his punch to avoid hurting
Firebrand, the police rushed in, and as Iron Man convinced them there
was no need for further violence, Firebrand escaped, noting that the
war wasn't over and that history was on his side.
(Iron Man I#48 (fb) - BTS) - Firebrand fled because his thermal blasters had melted (he later recalled that Iron Man had caught him offguard and melted his blasters).
(Iron Man I#27 - BTS) - Iron Man was less bothered by Firebrand's escape than his existence or the potential need for it.
(Iron Man I#48 (fb)) -
Firebrand returned to his lab, where he worked hard to recreate his
thermal blasters, which he believed now rivaled the Human Torch's
power. He further decided that he should focus his efforts on
destroying the country's major industries.
(Iron Man I#48 - BTS) - Simon Gilbert -- who had just
been fired from Stark Industries' Board of Directors by Tony Stark --
learned of Firebrand via "the criminal grapevine," and he contacted
Firebrand (not realizing Firebrand was his son, Gary) to assassinate
Stark.
(Iron Man I#48) - As Simon waited in an alley, Firebrand surprised him with a fiery blast that blew up a nearby trash can and then he mocked the older man, calling him "Pops" (which is what Gary called his father) and telling him he would need to get used to such power. Firebrand further taunted Simon by noting his own history, which Simon apparently failed to recognize.
After Firebrand related his goals and his hatred of corporations like Stark Industries, Simon gave him a security pass to get into the local, Stark Industries-owned Bay City munitions plant so he could blow it up. Firebrand agreed, but slapped away the money Gilbert offered him, telling him he didn't want his money but rather wanted to destroy everything Simon believed in. Before departing, Firebrand further taunted Simon, noting him to be the voice of his children, which Simon took as a figurative rather than literal reference.
(Iron Man I#48 (fb) - BTS) -
Ignoring the security pass he had been given, Firebrand instead blasted
his way past the unsuspecting guards.
(Iron Man I#48 - BTS) - The guards subsequently contacted Stark, telling him to send Iron Man before the plant was destroyed.
(Iron Man I#48) - As Firebrand began destroying Stark Industries' stored munitions, Iron Man confronted him, and Firebrand fired a series of blasts at Iron Man (as well as ocassionally delivering a kick to his jaw) while weathering multiple physical strikes by Iron Man. The series of assaults fused Iron Man's repulsor blasters, after which Firebrand blasted out the floor the floor beneath him. Taking advantage of the time and distance it took Firebrand to find him, Iron Man repaired his repulsors, after which he fired a pair of blasts at Firebrand's shoulders, tearing open his armor there and presumably numbing or weakening his arms.
Meanwhile, having been observing from a distance and having had a number of explosive charges placed with the Stark Industries facility, Simon Gilbert considered Firebrand to have failed him and set his charges. However, the flooring below Simon, damaged in the fight between Iron Man and Firebrand, collapsed, leaving him trapped under debris. Firebrand moved to save Simon, but Iron Man, seeing the detonator was set to go off in seconds, grabbed Firebrand and flew him to safety second before the entire building was consumed in the explosion.
Furiously seeking vengeance, Firebrand attacked
Iron Man anew, fusing his repulsors again and begining to melt his
armor before Iron Man was able to get close enough to punch him down
and then tear apart his thermal blasters.
As the police arrived, Gilbert revealed that
Simon Gilbert was his father and that while he hated his father, he was
still his blood-relative, and he vowed vengeance.
(Iron Man I#59) - With armor still granting him
superhuman strength and flight capacity, Firebrand easily escaped the
"rent-a-cops."
(Iron Man I#59 (fb)) - Firebrand immediately sought out his sister, Roxanne Gilbert, in Detroit, revealing his costumed identity and telling her Iron Man had prevented him from saving their father. Knowing they had both left home due to problemas with their dad, Roxie asked whether he really wanted to avenge their father or just his own defeat.
(Iron Man I#59 (fb)) - Gary Gilbert undertook a series of crimes to obtain funds to replenish his supplies; Roxie helped hide him from investigating police. She argued futilely that he was motivated by hate -- of his father, his country, Tony Stark, and Iron Man -- and they could change society peacefully.
(Iron Man I#59 (fb) - BTS) - Wanting nothing to do
with Stark Industries due to their history in munitions sales, Roxanne
wanted to sell the
sizable Stark Industries stock her father had left her. Hoping to use
the opportunity to lecture Stark on her beliefs, she demanded that Tony
Stark come to her house personally to handle the transaction.
(Iron Man I#59) - When Stark arrived, along with his secretary, "Pepper" Hogan, Firebrand melted the taxicab in which they arrived and then forced them both and the driver inside. When Roxanne objected to kidnapping, Firebrand slapped her in the face to silence her before he demanded Iron Man's arrival. Figuring he could come after Stark later and since he was keeping Pepper , Firebrand allowed Stark to leave to summon Iron Man and to bring him to the site of Simon Gilbert's grave.
(Iron Man I#59 (fb) - BTS) - Firebrand brought Pepper and the driver to the graveyard and tied them up.
(Iron Man I#59) - When Iron Man arrived, Firebrand blasted a new gravesite open and -- via his hostages -- forced Iron Man to enter the grave and then buried him there. Iron Man then tunneled a short distance away and then surfaced, returned to the site and blasted Firebrand. As Firebrand swiftly recovered and blasted Iron Man back, Iron Man's revamped cryogenic units protected him, but the energy greatly drained his armor. Distracting Firebrand with multiple images of himself, Iron Man was able to get into sunlight where his armor swiftly recharged. He then returned and shredded Firebrand's exoskeleton and one of his blaster units before he got away and threatened Pepper. When he fired the blast, however, Roxie jumped in the way and took the blast. Stunned by having injured the only good family he had, Firebrand was easily battered unconscious by Iron Man. As the police arrived, Iron Man took Roxanne to the hospital.
(Iron Man I#74) - As the Black Lama (apparently) arranged the escape of the Mad Thinker from prison, the Thinker's "upstairs neighbor," Gary Gilbert took advantage of the situation and escaped along with him. The clueless Gilbert tried to warn the Thinker not to "leech onto my scam," but the uninterested Thinker dismissed him.
Gilbert soon returned to Roxanne's house,
reclaimed his costume, and thanked her, but she countered that she
should have burned it as with it he had only brought evil upon himself.
Learning that Roxie was dating Stark, Gary denounced her as a hypocrite
and vowed to kill Stark.
(Iron Man I#75) - As Firebrand plotted revenge again Iron Man, he was overcome by nightmarish visions, apparently resulting from a mind-linkage with Marianne Rodgers (the telepathic former girlfriend of Tony Stark) and the Black Lama. Marianne appeared to him and noted the Lama's involvement, although she only referred to herself as "I."
(Iron Man I#77) - Hoping that the Mad Thinker
might have had some device with which he might trace, Firebrand
returned to the site of the Mad Thinker's base, from which the two had
parted ways. Firebrand traveled down the tunnel created by MODOK's
entrance into the base, observing the Thinker defeated and bound by
Iron Man, who was then confronted by the Black Lama and Yellow Claw.
When the Claw fled, Firebrand assaulted the exhausted Iron Man,
ultimately defeating him. As a result, the Black Lama introduced
himself and named Firebrand as the ultimate victor of his Golden Globe in
the War of the Super-Villains. After the Lama told him the Globe was
more powerful than any creation of his world, Firebrand accepted the
Globe, which the Lama then used to transport Firebrand and himself back
to his world. Due to his love for Roxie, Iron Man pursued them both
through the Globe's portal as well.
(Iron Man I#80) - Pursued by Iron Man, Firebrand accompanied Black Lama through interdimensional space before emerging from the Golden Globe in the throneroom of the kingdom of Grand Rapids in Earth-7511 ("Fragmented America"). Unwilling to lose the influence he had held over Princess Susan (the daughter of King Jerald, the Lama's true identity) during the king's absence, Baron Rockler ordered the guards, who were loyal to him, to slay both the Lama and Firebrand. Though not understanding the situation, Firebrand fought back and was soon joined by the arriving Iron Man, although the latter tried to protect the soldiers from from Firebrand's deadly attacks. As both Iron Man and Firebrand began suffering madness due to some differing properties in this dimension, the soldiers prepared their powerful Devastator weapon, but the visitors were led into a secret passage by Princess Susan where they were joined by the Black Lama.
Not trusting King Gerald, Firebrand was
interested in his offer of wealth and listened to his story of how his
trip to their reality had progressively maddened him, but returning had
restored his mind. Ultimately, however, Firebrand decided to join Baron
Rockler's revolt and try to take the kingdom for himself and then use
its power-sources to return to Earth and overpower the establishments
he hated. His armor still virtually powerless, Iron Man tried and
failed to stop Firebrand's departure.
(Iron Man I#81 (fb) - BTS) -Firebrand coerced one of Rockler's guards to tell him where to find the Baroness Rockler.
(Iron Man I#81) - Observing secretly as Baroness Rockler poisoned her husband to usurp his power, Firebrand then revealed his presence. Though the Baroness feared she had lost out to the king, Firebrand instead told her that he was on her side; wishing to find out what it felt like to rule something, he offered her a partnership, and she agreed. Aware that the Baroness would eventually betray him, Firebrand wished to take advantage of her local experience, and he planned to get rid of her once he attained power (though he considered it a pity that such a pretty head had to roll). The Baroness then introduced Firebrand to Lord Professor Teller, whose weapon needed a compact power source, which Firebrand felt he could provide.
Powering Professor Teller's massive, robotic,
fire-breathing dragon from its belly (while Teller and Baroness Rockler
were in its head with its controllers), Firebrand broke into King
Jerald's base. Via Teller's power-amplifier, Firebrand hoped to finish
off Iron Man. However, Iron Man incapacitated the dragon, ultimately
using his armor to block the flames at the dragon's mouth until the
pressure build-up caused the dragon to explode. Firebrand then emerged
and attacked Iron Man, and both men began to succumb to the madness the
realm brought on them. Resisting the madness, Iron Man non-lethally
subdued Firebrand, after which King Jerald used the Globe to return
them to Earth. Firebrand entered first, and a warp between the two
realities allowed Firebrand to get a head start and escape into storm
clouds. 
(Iron Man I#172 (fb) - BTS) - Gilbert retired as Firebrand; nonethless, he continued to carry around his Firebrand costume, apparently waiting for the right opportunity.
Gilbert became something of a drifter, and he did not accomplish anything meaningful for some time.
(Iron Man I#172 (fb) - BTS) - Somewhere
between Manhattan's Bowery and Chinatown, Gary Gilbert thought he
spotted Tony Stark (who, unbeknownst to him had descended into an
alcoholic binge)
(Iron Man I#172) - Gary Gilbert spotted Captain America; convinced that Cap and Stark were "establishment pigs" plotting to exploit the local alcoholic population, Firebrand entered a bar.
(Iron Man I#172 (fb) - BTS) - Gilbert donned his Firebrand costume and ordered a drink.
(Iron Man I#172) - Downing the drink, Firebrand introduced himself and then took to the air.
(Iron Man I#172 (fb) - BTS) - Gilbert began torching the Elysian Fields hotel he had seen both Stark and Captain America enter.
(Iron Man I#172) - Ranting about cleansing
everything with flame so it could be rebuilt anew from the ashes, Firebrand proceeded to torch the tenement building.
Captain America leapt out of the building at Firebrand, who shrugged
off his attack, blasted him, and noted him to be part of ancient
history before taking to the air again and continuing his arsonry.
Iron
Man (Jim Rhodes, who had replaced the alcohol-incapacitated Stark) then
arrived and helped clear a path to help those trapped in the building
escape.
As Iron Man retrieved a rooftop water tank to help put out the
fire, Firebrand assaulted him.
The armor's coolant system allowed Iron
Man to tolerate Firebrand's blasts, and he ignored and mocked
Firebrand's insults before dropping Firebrand into the East River. Iron
Man then recovered he waterlogged villain and turned him over to the
police.
(Captain America I#319 (fb) - BTS / Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Deluxe Edition#17: Firebrand entry)
- Retiring as
Firebrand, Gilbert decided to use the methods of "the system" against
itself. He began working as a business agent for criminals,
helping them find work for a small commission.
Gilbert made contact with his
criminal clients at the "Bar with No Name" secret drinking
establishments that served costumed criminals.
(Captain America I#318 (fb) - BTS) - Reading and collecting a series of reports of super-villains being assassinated, Gary Gilbert sought to organize an underground network to to locate and eliminate the killer.
(Captain America I#318) - At the Bar with No Name in the American midwest, Gary Gilbert met with Don Thomas (aka Blue Streak), informing him of the recent series of assassinations of super-villains. Despite Gilbert's warnings, Thomas declined his offer to join a group to oppose this killer.
(Captain America I#319 (fb) - BTS) - Gilbert invited everyone who stopped into one of the Bars with No Name in the last month to a gathering to address the assassinations.
(Captain America I#320 (fb)) - Gilbert met with Peter
van Zante (aka Water Wizard) when he stopped in at the Bar with No
Name, informing him of the meeting.
(Captain America I#319) - At the Bar with No Name in Medina County, Ohio,
Gilbert met with Jaguar (Ramon De Rico) and Letha (Hellen Feliciano),
telling them of the killer vigilante and discussing his or her over a
dozen victims. He then told them of the mass meeting the next Saturday.
Gilbert later spoke with Jake the bartender, telling him he had spoken to about 100 super-villains and had gotten about 50 to promise to attend the meeting the next night; he advised Jake to stock up on liquor. After Gilbert explained that he wanted to eliminate the assassinations because they were bad for business, he introduced himself to the arriving Anthony Davis, the Ringer.
At the meeting, Gilbert performed retina scans on arrivals and made everyone turn in their weapons. Disappointed at the turnout of 19, Gilbert reluctantly started the meeting and had everyone introduce themselves. After detailing the killer's modus operandi, Gilbert asked for suggestions to stop the killer and then struggled to maintain order as everyone began shouting out suggestions. However, Jake then pulled out a pair of automatic weapons and executed all of the criminals present (see comments).
(Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Deluxe Edition#17: Firebrand entry) - Gilbert was shot in the chest (see comments).
(Captain America I#320 (fb) - BTS) - Hours late for the meeting due to a flat tire, Water Wizard found the super-villains' corpses. He contacted Captain America via his hotline.
(Captain America I#320 - BTS) - Water Wizard led Captain America to the Bar with No Name and showed him all of the corpses, and Captain America contacted the police who investigated, while ambulance crews checked for survivors and took away the corpses.
(Lethal Foes of Spider-Man#4 (fb) - BTS) - Among those shot, only the Ringer survived or was otherwise revived as Strikeback.
(Web of Spider-Man#) - Gilbert's Firebrand armor and identity was later adopted by mercenary Russ Broxtel
(Punisher VIII#5 (fb) - BTS) - The Hood
(Parker Robbins) had the corpses of those 17 Scourge victims (see comments) brought to his New York base.
(Punisher VIII#5) - Invoking the power of Dormammu, (the cradle of) Mephisto, (the blood of) Dracula, and "Bella'thoosla" and "Thool'torium," the Hood resurrected Firebrand and the other Scourge victims (Basilisk/Basil Elks, Bird-Man/Achille DiBacco, Black Abbott, Blue Streak/Don Thomas, Cheetah/Esteban Carracus, Cyclone/Andre Gerard, Death Adder/Roland Burroughs, Hijacker/Howard Mitchell, Human Fly/Richard Deacon, Lascivious/Davida DeVito (formerly Titania), Letha/Helen Feliciano, Megatak/Gregory Nettles, Mind-Wave/Erik Gelden, Miracle Man/Joshua Ayers, Mirage/Desmond Charne, Turner D. Century/Clifford F. Michaels, Wraith/Brian DeWolff; and possibly Shellshock/Gary Buser); a human sacrifice enabled each revival, with the victim being consumed in flames and leaving behind fragments of their skeletons, while those resurrected were restored to their fully costumed and armed forms, regardless of how they had been buried.
(Punisher VIII#6) - The Hood had a dinner meeting with the resurrected villains, telling them how the world had changed in the time they had been dead. He further told them that the Punisher (Frank Castle) had assumed the identity of the Scourge of the Underworld to kill them all, that the spell that brought them back was only good for 30 days, and that he would only extend it if they killed the Punisher. Hood then introduced them to Microchip, telling them he would be their information source on the Punisher.
(Punisher VIII#7) - Firebrand discussed with some of the others the changes in society that had occurred since they had died, such as women's fashions (specifically the thong). He subsequently laughed when Mind-Wave mocked Microchip, calling him "Fatchip." He remained silent when Lascivious and Letha used mind-control to demonstrate her power of Mirage, Mind-Wave, and Cyclone.
(Punisher VIII#9 (fb) - BTS) - The Hood has
his agents unearth the bodies of the Punisher's wife and children,
Maria, Lisa, and Frank Castle, Jr., and bring them to his base.
(Punisher VIII#10 - BTS) - Basilisk and Death Adder defeated and captured the Punisher.
(Punisher VIII#10 - BTS) - Basilisk and Death Adder brought the Punisher to the Hood's base.
(Punisher VIII#10) - Alongside Cyclone,
Firebrand was present as the Hood, sitting beside Microchip, offered
the Punisher the revival of his wife and children (as well as
Microchip's son, Louis Frohike) if he would join forces with him,
slaying G.W. Bridge as proof of his commitment. The Punisher not only
refused, but slashed Cyclone's throat and then tried to stab Firebrand
with the same ceremonial blade despite Firebrand's flames covering his
arm; Firebrand cried out for the others to get Castle off of him.
After Microchip grabbed a gun and slew Bridge,
completing the sacrifice, the Punisher and Microchip's family members
rose from their coffins. Briefly shocked, the Punisher decided that
these beings were not his family, and he instructed Firebrand to torch
them. Despite Firebrand's shocked notation that this was his family,
the Punisher insisted that this was not his family, as his family was
dead, and he put a gun to Firebrand's head, forcing him to incinerate
the resurrected Maria, Lisa, and Frank (Jr.) Castle and Louis Frohike.
The Punisher then shot Firebrand through the back of the skull anyway.
Comments: Created by Archie Goodwin, Don Heck, and John Craig.
Firebrand's Official Handbook of
the Marvel Universe Deluxe Edition profile showed him being shot (as
Captain America I#319 just showed Scourge shooting, and then everyone
else lying on the ground). The image shown has Gary Gilbert falling
backwards and a bullet skimming across his chest. That would be too
superficial of a wound to kill him outright. I think it's most likely
that he was falling backwards because he'd already taken a bullet or
two through his chest. The other possibility is that he dropped from
this more superficial wound, and then Scourge walked around, checked
everyone for signs of life, and pumped more bullets into anyone not
clearly dead...and that's why I did not like the story of the Ringer's
survival. Scourge was a professional...he wouldn't have left anyone
alive (and he noted something to the effect of checking everyone when
Captain America set a trap for him by leaving a report that Mirage had
survived).
I wasn't as familiar with
Firebrand when I read Captain America I#319 (having only seen him
before in Iron Man I#172), so his becoming a business agent for
criminals really doesn't his radical personality. He was attacking Iron
Man and Captain America and calling them "establishment pigs"
three years earlier real time, so like 7 months Marvel Time. Maybe he
saw a doctor and got some medication to control his issues.
Scourge victims resurrection:
Both Iron Man I#78 & 79 were inventory/filler stories. #77 continued directly into #80.
Profile by Snood.
CLARIFICATIONS:
Firebrand should be distinguished from:
images: (without ads)
Iron Man I#48 cover (oblique; melting Iron Man's armor);
pg. 7, panel 4 montage (as child, smacked by dad; protests; chemistry; testing suit);
#59, pg. 6, panel 5 (unmasked face) - as remastered for Iron Manual III: Firebrand (Gilbert) entry
#172, pg. 9, panel 3 (unmasked, black hair);
pg. 10, panel 2 (flight);
pg. 13, panel 5 (torching hotel)
Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Deluxe Edition#17: Firebrand entry, image of Gilbert being shot
Captain America I#319, pg. 22, panel 1 (suit & tie);
Punisher VIII#5, pg. 22, panel 1 (resurrected);
#6, Firebrand featurette
#10, pg. 14, panel 1
Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Deluxe Edition#17: Firebrand
entry - as remastered for Iron Manual III: Firebrand (Gilbert) entry
Appearances:
Iron Man I#27 (July, 1970) - Archie Goodwin (writer), Don Heck (penciler), John Craig (inker), Stan Lee (editor)
Iron Man I#48 (July, 1972) - Mike Friedrich (writer), George Tuska (penciler), Vince Colletta (inker), Stan Lee (editor)
Iron Man I#59 (June, 1973) - Mike Friedrich (writer), George Tuska (penciler), Mike Esposito (inker), Roy Thomas (editor)
Iron Man I#74 (May, 1975) - Mike Friedrich (writer), Arvell Jones (penciler), Keith Pollard (pencil assistant), Dick Ayers (inker), Len Wein (editor)
Iron Man I#75 (June, 1975) - Mike Friedrich (writer), Arvell Jones (penciler), Chic Stone (inker), Len Wein (editor)
Iron Man I#77 (August, 1975) - Mike Friedrich (writer), Arvell Jones (penciler), Chic Stone (inker), Len Wein (editor)
Iron Man I#80-81 (November-December, 1975) - Mike Friedrich (writer), Chic Stone (penciler), Vince Colletta (inker), Marv Wolfman (editor)
Iron Man I#172 (July, 1983) - Denny O'Neil (writer), Luke McDonnell (penciler), Steve Mitchell (inker), Mark Gruenwald (editor)
Captain America I#318 (June, 1986) - Mark Gruenwald (writer), Paul
Neary (penciler), Dennis Ianke (finisher), Mike Carlin (editor)
Captain America I#319 (July, 1986) - Mark Gruenwald (writer), Paul
Neary (penciler), Joe Sinnott (finisher), Mike Carlin (editor)
Captain America I#320 (August, 1986) - Mark Gruenwald (writer), Paul
Neary (penciler), Joe Sinnott (finisher), Mike Carlin (editor)
Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Deluxe Edition#17: Firebrand
entry (August, 1987) - Peter Sanderson (writer/researcher), Steve Rude
(penciler), Josef Rubinstein (inker), Gregory Wright (assistant
editor), Marcy Siry & David Wohl (editorial assistant), Mark
Gruenwald (editor/designer)
Punisher VIII#5 (July, 2009) - Rick Remender (writer), Jerome Opena
(artist), Sebastian Girnier (assistant editor), Axel Alonso (editor)
Punisher VIII#6-10 (August-December, 2009) - Rick Remender (writer), Tan Eng Hart
(artist), Sebastian Girnier (assistant editor), Axel Alonso (editor)
First posted: 11/20/2019
Last updated: 11/20/2019
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
Non-Marvel Copyright info
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