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Rampage (Marvel Comics)
Encyclopedia
Stuart Clarke is a comic book
character
in the Marvel Comics
universe
, an ex-supervillain
who first fought as Rampage against the short-lived Champions team. He is an ally of the Punisher
, replacing Microchip
.
. He was working as an engineer at a company when he created an exo-skeleton suit. His company was bankrupted by recession, and he attempted a bank robbery but battled and was defeated by the Champions
. He was freed from custody by Griffin
and Darkstar
. He battled the Champions again, and was injured in an explosion. Clarke subsequently needed to use a wheelchair, and sought revenge on the Champions soon after their disbanding. He manages to hypnotize Iceman
and entrap him in one of the Rampage suits, forcing him to battle Angel and a visiting Spider-Man
.
Clarke ends up homeless and his suits are stored away in a lab, their secrets pored over by profit-minded scientists. Clarke has secreted away a small device that allows him over the course of many weeks, to unlock the control protocols for the suit. Eventually they literally bust out by themselves. Clarke and several of his homeless friends put on the suits and become known as the Recession Raiders. They soon get into a fight with Wonder Man
and Beast
. The fight gets dangerous when the suit hits Beast with a brick chimney. Enraged, Wonder Man subdues the entire squad. Beast recovers after a short hospital stay.
Wonder Man's enemy Lotus springs Clarke from jail and participates in the creation of the armored team Armed Response. Alongside Splice and Armed Response, Rampage was sent by Lotus to battle Wonder Man and the super-powered group, the Crazy-Eight. The eight, all personal friends of Wonder Man, manage to summon his Wonder Man's help and the villains are defeated. During the fight Rampage hesitates to kill several Eight members; wondering instead if he might be able to use them to create better technology.
Rampage and his suit become the base for a private security force for Los Angeles. This group is called 'Armed Response' and are secretly corrupt. The Crazy-Eight deliver proof of this to the media, despite Armed Response's attempt to murder them. The force is shut down.
Years later, Stuart Clarke is working for magnate and super-criminal Sunset Bain
, together with Parnell Jacobs - the villainous War Machine. Clarke apparently built an entirely new armor, retro-engineering from the original, which had been found by Jacobs. After a successful test of fire, Clarke upgraded the armor considerably, but was fired by Bain after it failed to destroy Iron Man. Later, when he is working with the Punisher (see below) he uses Castle to eliminate Bain, who had been setting him and Jacobs against each other.
during the Civil War
. He is obsessed with Iron Man
and is giving the Punisher the means to track down high tech supervillains; after this Frank takes down Stilt-Man
and Tinkerer
. For a time, Clarke serves in the capacity of the Punisher's former weapons expert and information gatherer, Microchip
.
Over the course of the series, Stuart begins to form a strong admiration for Frank and Frank's war on crime. When G.W. Bridge and Jigsaw
both up the stakes in their separate attempts to track down Frank, Stuart is forced to go into hiding with Diamonelle, a woman who had been tending to Frank's wounds.
Later when the news hits that Frank has been apprehended by S.H.I.E.L.D., Stuart is willing to risk his own life for the "only friend he ever had who never let him down". Before he can follow through he is shot multiple times by Diamonelle who is revealed to be a double agent and in the process also revealed to Stuart that Frank killed his girlfriend, Tati, in an earlier trip to Mexico.
Stuart survived the shooting, having lost 3 of his fingers on one of his hands. Rampage appeared among the members of Hood
's Crime Syndicate. In Secret Invasion
, he is among the many supervillains who rejoined the Hood's crime syndicate and attacked an invading Skrull
force. In the midst of the invasion, Clarke learned that the Punisher was in fact responsible for killing his girlfriend and swears to kill Frank, donning his Rampage costume again. Amidst a battle between skrulls, he corners Frank and Bridge. When the three are later attacked by a Skrull sniper, Clarke opts to take down the Skrull as he has powers, during this the Punisher learns Clarke's imprisonment was because he killed a cop, leading to a battle between the two. Concluding by both being trapped in a room where the Skrulls fired a rocket into, leaving Clarke heavily scarred, in a manner similar to Jigsaw
, and vowing revenge on Frank Castle.
that gave him superhuman strength
and durability.
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
character
Character (arts)
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
in the Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
universe
Marvel Universe
The Marvel Universe is the shared fictional universe where most comic book titles and other media published by Marvel Entertainment take place, including those featuring Marvel's most familiar characters, such as Spider-Man, the Hulk, the X-Men, and the Avengers.The Marvel Universe is further...
, an ex-supervillain
Supervillain
A supervillain or supervillainess is a variant of the villain character type, commonly found in comic books, action movies and science fiction in various media.They are sometimes used as foils to superheroes and other fictional heroes...
who first fought as Rampage against the short-lived Champions team. He is an ally of the Punisher
Punisher
The Punisher is a fictional character, an anti-hero appearing in comic books based in the . Created by writer Gerry Conway and artists John Romita, Sr., and Ross Andru, the character made its first appearance in The Amazing Spider-Man #129 .The Punisher is a vigilante who employs murder,...
, replacing Microchip
Microchip (comics)
David Linus "Microchip" Lieberman is a fictional comic book character in the Marvel Universe. Created by writer Mike Baron and artist Klaus Janson, he first appeared in The Punisher #4 as an ally of The Punisher for many years. He assisted the Punisher by building weapons, supplying technology...
.
Fictional character biography
Stuart Clarke was born in East Lansing, MichiganEast Lansing, Michigan
East Lansing is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. The city is located directly east of Lansing, Michigan, the state's capital. Most of the city is within Ingham County, though a small portion lies in Clinton County. The population was 48,579 at the time of the 2010 census, an increase from...
. He was working as an engineer at a company when he created an exo-skeleton suit. His company was bankrupted by recession, and he attempted a bank robbery but battled and was defeated by the Champions
Champions (comics)
The Champions are a team of superheroes that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The team first appears in The Champions #1 The Champions are a team of superheroes that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The team first appears in The Champions #1 The Champions are a...
. He was freed from custody by Griffin
Griffin (Marvel Comics)
Griffin is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics supervillain. He first appeared in Amazing Adventures vol. 1 #15 and was created by Steve Englehart and Tom Sutton.-Fictional character biography:...
and Darkstar
Darkstar (comics)
Darkstar is a fictional character, a mutant superheroine in the Marvel Comics universe. She has been a member of various super-teams in her career, including X-Corporation and Champions of Los Angeles.-Fictional character biography:...
. He battled the Champions again, and was injured in an explosion. Clarke subsequently needed to use a wheelchair, and sought revenge on the Champions soon after their disbanding. He manages to hypnotize Iceman
Iceman (comics)
Iceman is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero, a member of the X-Men. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist/co-writer Jack Kirby, he first appeared in X-Men vol. 1 #1, ....
and entrap him in one of the Rampage suits, forcing him to battle Angel and a visiting Spider-Man
Spider-Man
Spider-Man is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and writer-artist Steve Ditko. He first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15...
.
Clarke ends up homeless and his suits are stored away in a lab, their secrets pored over by profit-minded scientists. Clarke has secreted away a small device that allows him over the course of many weeks, to unlock the control protocols for the suit. Eventually they literally bust out by themselves. Clarke and several of his homeless friends put on the suits and become known as the Recession Raiders. They soon get into a fight with Wonder Man
Wonder Man
Wonder Man is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby, he first appeared in The Avengers #9 .-Publication history:Wonder Man debuted in the superhero-team title The Avengers #9 Wonder...
and Beast
Beast (comics)
Beast , Dr. Henry Philip "Hank" McCoy, is a comic book character, a Marvel Comics superhero and a member of the mutant team of superheroes known as the X-Men...
. The fight gets dangerous when the suit hits Beast with a brick chimney. Enraged, Wonder Man subdues the entire squad. Beast recovers after a short hospital stay.
Wonder Man's enemy Lotus springs Clarke from jail and participates in the creation of the armored team Armed Response. Alongside Splice and Armed Response, Rampage was sent by Lotus to battle Wonder Man and the super-powered group, the Crazy-Eight. The eight, all personal friends of Wonder Man, manage to summon his Wonder Man's help and the villains are defeated. During the fight Rampage hesitates to kill several Eight members; wondering instead if he might be able to use them to create better technology.
Rampage and his suit become the base for a private security force for Los Angeles. This group is called 'Armed Response' and are secretly corrupt. The Crazy-Eight deliver proof of this to the media, despite Armed Response's attempt to murder them. The force is shut down.
Years later, Stuart Clarke is working for magnate and super-criminal Sunset Bain
Sunset Bain
Sunset Bain is a fictional villainess in the Marvel Comics universe. She is a shady business-woman who occasionally masquerades as Madame Menace. Although very technologically adept, she personally does not have any super-powers. Publicly she is the CEO of Baintronics. Privately she maintains her...
, together with Parnell Jacobs - the villainous War Machine. Clarke apparently built an entirely new armor, retro-engineering from the original, which had been found by Jacobs. After a successful test of fire, Clarke upgraded the armor considerably, but was fired by Bain after it failed to destroy Iron Man. Later, when he is working with the Punisher (see below) he uses Castle to eliminate Bain, who had been setting him and Jacobs against each other.
Punisher War Journal
Stuart is seen working with the PunisherPunisher
The Punisher is a fictional character, an anti-hero appearing in comic books based in the . Created by writer Gerry Conway and artists John Romita, Sr., and Ross Andru, the character made its first appearance in The Amazing Spider-Man #129 .The Punisher is a vigilante who employs murder,...
during the Civil War
Civil War (comics)
Civil War is a 2006-2007 Marvel Comics crossover storyline built around a self-titled seven-issue limited series written by Mark Millar and penciled by Steve McNiven, which ran through various other titles published by Marvel at the time...
. He is obsessed with Iron Man
Iron Man
Iron Man is a fictional character, a superhero in the . The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby, first appearing in Tales of Suspense #39 .A billionaire playboy, industrialist and ingenious engineer,...
and is giving the Punisher the means to track down high tech supervillains; after this Frank takes down Stilt-Man
Stilt-Man
Stilt-Man is the name of two supervillains in Marvel Comics.-Publication history:Stilt-Man first appeared in Daredevil vol. 1 #8 and was one of his earliest enemies. He is a criminal wearing a suit of armor with powerful telescopic legs .The character did not age well, as his powers were more a...
and Tinkerer
Tinkerer
The Tinkerer is a fictional character, a supervillain appearing in comic books set in the Marvel Comics Universe...
. For a time, Clarke serves in the capacity of the Punisher's former weapons expert and information gatherer, Microchip
Microchip (comics)
David Linus "Microchip" Lieberman is a fictional comic book character in the Marvel Universe. Created by writer Mike Baron and artist Klaus Janson, he first appeared in The Punisher #4 as an ally of The Punisher for many years. He assisted the Punisher by building weapons, supplying technology...
.
Over the course of the series, Stuart begins to form a strong admiration for Frank and Frank's war on crime. When G.W. Bridge and Jigsaw
Jigsaw
Jigsaw may refer to:* Jigsaw , a tool used for cutting arbitrary curves* Jigsaw puzzle, a tiling puzzle that requires the assembly of interlocking pieces- Film and television :* Jigsaw , a 1949 film noir...
both up the stakes in their separate attempts to track down Frank, Stuart is forced to go into hiding with Diamonelle, a woman who had been tending to Frank's wounds.
Later when the news hits that Frank has been apprehended by S.H.I.E.L.D., Stuart is willing to risk his own life for the "only friend he ever had who never let him down". Before he can follow through he is shot multiple times by Diamonelle who is revealed to be a double agent and in the process also revealed to Stuart that Frank killed his girlfriend, Tati, in an earlier trip to Mexico.
Stuart survived the shooting, having lost 3 of his fingers on one of his hands. Rampage appeared among the members of Hood
Hood (comics)
The Hood is a fictional character, a supervillain, and a crime boss in the . Created by writer Brian K. Vaughan and artists Kyle Hotz and Eric Powell, the character first appeared in The Hood #1 .-Publication history:...
's Crime Syndicate. In Secret Invasion
Secret Invasion
"Secret Invasion" is a comic book crossover storyline that ran through a self-titled eight issue limited series and several tie-in books published by Marvel Comics from April through December 2008....
, he is among the many supervillains who rejoined the Hood's crime syndicate and attacked an invading Skrull
Skrull
The Skrulls are a fictional race of extraterrestrial shapeshifters that appear in publications by Marvel Comics.-Publication history:The Skrulls first appeared in Fantastic Four #2 and were created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby....
force. In the midst of the invasion, Clarke learned that the Punisher was in fact responsible for killing his girlfriend and swears to kill Frank, donning his Rampage costume again. Amidst a battle between skrulls, he corners Frank and Bridge. When the three are later attacked by a Skrull sniper, Clarke opts to take down the Skrull as he has powers, during this the Punisher learns Clarke's imprisonment was because he killed a cop, leading to a battle between the two. Concluding by both being trapped in a room where the Skrulls fired a rocket into, leaving Clarke heavily scarred, in a manner similar to Jigsaw
Jigsaw (Marvel Comics)
Jigsaw is a fictional character, a supervillain in the . Throughout his many appearances, he has served as one of the Punisher's few recurring villains...
, and vowing revenge on Frank Castle.
Powers and abilities
Stuart Clarke is a genius, with an advanced degree in engineering. As Rampage he possessed a power suitPowered exoskeleton
A powered exoskeleton, also known as powered armor, or exoframe, is a powered mobile machine consisting primarily of an exoskeleton-like framework worn by a person and a power supply that supplies at least part of the activation-energy for limb movement.Powered exoskeletons are designed to assist...
that gave him superhuman strength
Superhuman strength
Superhuman strength, also called superstrength, super-strength, or super strength, is an ability commonly employed in fiction. It is the ability for a character to be stronger than humanly possible...
and durability.