Roughouse is a
fictional characterA character is the representation of a person in a narrative or dramatic work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr through its Latin transcription character, the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its...
, a
comic bookA comic book is a magazine made up of narrative artwork, often accompanied by dialog and often including brief descriptive prose...
supervillainA supervillain or supervillainess is a variant of the villain character type, commonly found in comic books, action movies and science fiction in various mediums.They are often used as foils to superheroes and other fictional heroes...
in the
Marvel ComicsMarvel Publishing, Inc., a company doing business as Marvel Comics, produces American comic books and related media. It forms a subsidiary of Marvel Entertainment, Inc....
universeThe Marvel Universe is the shared fictional universe where most comic book titles published by Marvel Comics take place, including those featuring Marvel's most familiar characters, such as Spider-Man, the Hulk, the X-Men, and Captain America....
and the occasional enemy of
WolverineWolverine is a fictional Canadian superhero who appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Incredible Hulk #180 and was created by writer Len Wein and Marvel art director John Romita Sr., who designed the character, and was first drawn for publication by...
. His first appearance was in
Wolverine vol. 2, #4. The character was created by
Chris ClaremontChris Claremont is an award-winning American comic book writer and novelist, known for his 17-year stint on Uncanny X-Men, far longer than any other writer...
and
John BuscemaJohn Buscema, born Giovanni Natale Buscema , was an American comic-book artist and one of the mainstays of Marvel Comics during its 1960s and 1970s ascendancy into an industry leader and its subsequent expansion to a major pop culture conglomerate...
.
Roughouse is one of the most mysterious opponents that Wolverine has come across. Little is known of his past beyond the fact that Roughouse is descended from the race of
trollA troll is a member of a race of fearsome creatures from Norse mythology.Originally more or less the Nordic equivalents of giants, although often smaller in size, the different depictions have come to range from the fiendish giants – similar to the ogres of England – to a devious, more human-like...
s that inhabit the
dimension of AsgardAsgard is a fictional realm within the Marvel Comics universe based on the Asgard of Norse mythology and is home to the Asgardians and other beings of Norse mythology. Asgard features prominently in tales of Thor.-Fictional History:...
, the mythical home of the
Asgardian "godsThe Asgardians or Gods of Asgard are a fictional race of gods in the Marvel Comics universe. Some are taken from mythology while others are original creations....
." In
Wolverine vol.
Roughouse is a
fictional characterA character is the representation of a person in a narrative or dramatic work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr through its Latin transcription character, the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its...
, a
comic bookA comic book is a magazine made up of narrative artwork, often accompanied by dialog and often including brief descriptive prose...
supervillainA supervillain or supervillainess is a variant of the villain character type, commonly found in comic books, action movies and science fiction in various mediums.They are often used as foils to superheroes and other fictional heroes...
in the
Marvel ComicsMarvel Publishing, Inc., a company doing business as Marvel Comics, produces American comic books and related media. It forms a subsidiary of Marvel Entertainment, Inc....
universeThe Marvel Universe is the shared fictional universe where most comic book titles published by Marvel Comics take place, including those featuring Marvel's most familiar characters, such as Spider-Man, the Hulk, the X-Men, and Captain America....
and the occasional enemy of
WolverineWolverine is a fictional Canadian superhero who appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Incredible Hulk #180 and was created by writer Len Wein and Marvel art director John Romita Sr., who designed the character, and was first drawn for publication by...
. His first appearance was in
Wolverine vol. 2, #4. The character was created by
Chris ClaremontChris Claremont is an award-winning American comic book writer and novelist, known for his 17-year stint on Uncanny X-Men, far longer than any other writer...
and
John BuscemaJohn Buscema, born Giovanni Natale Buscema , was an American comic-book artist and one of the mainstays of Marvel Comics during its 1960s and 1970s ascendancy into an industry leader and its subsequent expansion to a major pop culture conglomerate...
.
Fictional character biography
Roughouse is one of the most mysterious opponents that Wolverine has come across. Little is known of his past beyond the fact that Roughouse is descended from the race of
trollA troll is a member of a race of fearsome creatures from Norse mythology.Originally more or less the Nordic equivalents of giants, although often smaller in size, the different depictions have come to range from the fiendish giants – similar to the ogres of England – to a devious, more human-like...
s that inhabit the
dimension of AsgardAsgard is a fictional realm within the Marvel Comics universe based on the Asgard of Norse mythology and is home to the Asgardians and other beings of Norse mythology. Asgard features prominently in tales of Thor.-Fictional History:...
, the mythical home of the
Asgardian "godsThe Asgardians or Gods of Asgard are a fictional race of gods in the Marvel Comics universe. Some are taken from mythology while others are original creations....
." In
Wolverine vol. 2, #6, Roughouse provides the first clue to his origin by uttering the phrase, "
Ymir'sBased on the frost giant Ymir from Norse mythology, Ymir is a fictional character that appears in publications published by Marvel Comics. The character first appears in Journey Into Mystery #97 and was created by Stan Lee & Jack Kirby....
icy breath." This is a reference to the giant Ymir, said to be the father of the race of beings known as the
Frost GiantFrost Giant is the second album from The Dead Science, released in 2005 on Absolutely Kosher Records. It was recorded in ten days at Bear Creek Studios in December 2004...
s, the primary enemies of the Asgardian "gods." He is also known to have been systematically
abused by his father as a boyChild abuse is the physical and/or psychological/emotional mistreatment of children. In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention define child maltreatment as any act or series of acts or commission or omission by a parent or other caregiver that results in harm, potential...
. Some writers have suggested that the reason Roughouse wears long hair and a full beard is to hide
scarScars are areas of fibrous tissue that replace normal skin after injury. A scar results from the biologic process of wound repair in the skin and other tissues of the body. Thus, scarring is a natural part of the healing process. With the exception of very minor lesions, every wound Scars (also...
s received at the hands of his father.
In recent years, Roughouse has come to the island nation of
MadripoorMadripoor is a fictional comic book island located in Southeast Asia in the Marvel Comics universe. Based on illustrations, its location is shown to be in the southern portion of the Strait of Malacca, southwest of Singapore.-Publication history:...
along with his partner, the "pseudo-vampire"
BloodscreamBloodscream is a fictional character, a comic book supervillain in the Marvel Comics universe and an enemy of Wolverine.-Publication history:Bloodscream's first appearance was in Wolverine vol...
. They have found employment under General Coy, one of the islands' most powerful crime lords, as special enforcers used to eliminate any threats to his operations. They are sent after the woman called
Tyger TigerTyger Tiger is a fictional character most often appearing in Wolverine stories in the Marvel Comics universe. She is a former banker turned crime lord.-Fictional character biography:...
, Coy's primary rival as the supreme crime boss of Madripoor. This brings the two mercenaries into a number of conflicts with Wolverine. The duo are never able to defeat him.
General Coy grows tired of Roughouse's failures and literally sells him to
GeistGeist was a supervillain first appearing in Wolverine #17. He was a cyborg, but had no superpowers. He was encased in a metal shell simply to survive, because he was so old.-Fictional character biography:...
("
GhostA ghost has been defined as the disembodied spirit or soul of a deceased person, although in popular usage the term refers only to the apparition of such a person...
"), a former high ranking agent of
Nazi GermanyNazi Germany and the Third Reich are the common English names for Germany between 1933 and 1945, while it was led by Adolf Hitler and the National Socialist German Worker's Party . The name Third Reich refers to the state as the successor to the Holy Roman Empire of the Middle Ages and the German...
in the
United KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
and a
cyborgA cyborg is a cybernetic organism . The term was coined in 1960 when Manfred Clynes and Nathan Kline used it in an article about the advantages of self-regulating human-machine systems in outer space. D. S...
. By the time Roughouse meets him, Geist is financing himself through
illegal drug tradeThe illegal drug trade is a global black market consisting of the cultivation, manufacture, distribution and sale of illegal controlled drugs. Most jurisdictions prohibit trade, except under license, of many types of drugs by drug control laws...
and needs a guinea pig on which to experiment a new drug. Geist's men give Roughouse a dose of this experimental version of cocaine which temporarily drives him mad.
Wolverine holds back in the fight with Roughouse, since Roughouse is not truly even aware of what he is doing. After helping Roughouse escape, they come upon a mysterious
nunA Nun, or also known as a Sister in some cases, is a woman who has taken special vows committing her to a religious life. She may be an ascetic who voluntarily chooses to leave mainstream society and live her life in prayer and contemplation in a monastery or convent...
of the
Roman Catholic ChurchThe Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church. With more than a billion members, over half of all Christians and more than one-sixth of the world's population, the Catholic Church is a communion of the Western, or Latin Rite Church, and...
known only as Sister Salvation, who possesses the ability to cure those suffering from physical or mental injuries and cure sickness just by touching them with her hands. After several "sessions" she is able to fully purge Roughouse's body of the cocaine induced suffering. Roughhouse decides to stay with Sister Salvation in Tierra Verde to help her rebuild her destroyed mission.
It would be quite a while before Wolverine and Roughouse would cross paths again. Roughhouse and Bloodscream have now renewed their partnership and ambush Wolverine after the adamantium has been stripped from his
skeletonIn biology, a skeleton is a rigid framework that provides protection and structure in many types of animal, particularly those of the phylum Chordata and of the superphylum Ecdysozoa. Exoskeletons are external, as is typical of many invertebrates; they enclose the soft tissues and organs of the...
. They manage to get the upper hand and beat Wolverine unconscious. They bring him to their hideout where they beat him repeatedly over the next few days. Wolverine is able to free himself from the chains and ambushes and defeats his captors. This is the last time he crosses paths with Roughouse.
It is unknown why Roughouse renews his partnership with Bloodscream, but as Bloodscream becomes increasingly cannibalistic it is unlikely Roughouse would have stayed with him as Roughouse, while a villain, still had some sense of honor and valued human life. Sure enough, when next Wolverine encounters Bloodscream, Roughouse is no longer with him, but is instead replaced by the cannibalistic imbecile,
VerminVermin is a fictional character, a comic book supervillain in the Marvel Comics universe. The character's first appearance was in Captain America #272 .-Fictional character biography:...
.
Powers and abilities
Roughouse possesses various superhuman physical attributes as a result of his unique heritage.
Roughouse possesses an unspecified degree of superhuman strength. The exact level of Roughouse's strength remains unrevealed, but he is considerably stronger than the finest human athlete.
Like full blooded Rock Trolls, the various tissues of Roughouse's body have much greater density than those of ordinary humans (contributing somewhat to Roughouse's great strength and size). As a result, Roughouse's body is highly resistant to conventional injury. Roughouse's body can withstand temperature extremes, puncture wounds, impact trauma, and high caliber machine gun shells without being injured. Even though Roughouse can be injured, the force or weaponry required to do so would have to be considerably more powerful than most conventional materials.
Roughouse's superhuman musculature produces far less lactic acid than the musculature of ordinary humans, granting him superhuman levels of stamina in all physical activities.
Skills
Aside from his superhuman powers, Roughouse is a formidable hand to hand combatant. He utilizes mostly street fighting techniques that let him make full use of his great size and physical strength. He also has many connections throughout the criminal underworld, where he often hires himself out as a special enforcer.
Television
- Roughouse had a cameo in episode 16 of the X-Men
X-Men, also known as X-Men: The Animated Series, is an American animated television series which debuted on October 31, 1992 in the United States on the Fox Network as part of its Fox Kids Saturday morning lineup ....
series along with BloodscreamBloodscream is a fictional character, a comic book supervillain in the Marvel Comics universe and an enemy of Wolverine.-Publication history:Bloodscream's first appearance was in Wolverine vol...
just like with the first ongoing Wolverine comic series