Whatcha gonna do, brother, when PowerMania runs wild on you? Not every hero comes from noble or innocent beginnings, my friends. Spider-Man, Daredevil and the Uncanny X-Men were given powers through no fault of their own. Captain America chose his path to serve his country and battle the forces of evil. And the Incredible Hulk and Fantastic Four received their gifts only by accident while they were in the pursuit of scientific advancements. Typically, if a character seeks out superhuman powers on purpose, it is for their own selfish interests and, thus, they become a super-powered criminal or villain. In 1972, Archie Goodwin, John Romita Sr. and George Tuska created a hero unlike any other in the Marvel Universe. Carl Lucas, a hardened street tough serving time for a crime he didn’t commit, volunteers for a cell-regeneration experiment based on ideas from Captain America’s super-soldier formula. A prison guard with a grudge against Lucas sabotaged the experiment and the process left him with super-human strength and durability. His power allows him to escape from prison unharmed and he heads to New York City, deciding to use his new powers to launch a business venture as a “Hero for Hire” under […]
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