The Gauntlet (Joseph Green
[''Avengers: The Initiative'' #6. (2007). Marvel Comics.]) is a fictional
superhero
A superhero or superheroine is a stock character that typically possesses ''superpowers'', abilities beyond those of ordinary people, and fits the role of the hero, typically using his or her powers to help the world become a better place, ...
appearing in
American comic book
An American comic book is a thin periodical originating in the United States, on average 32 pages, containing comics. While the form originated in 1933, American comic books first gained popularity after the 1938 publication of ''Action Comics'' ...
s published by
Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...
.
Publication history
The Gauntlet made his first appearance in ''
She-Hulk
She-Hulk (Jennifer "Jen" Walters) is a fictional Character (arts), character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist John Buscema, she first appeared in ''The Savage She-Hulk'' #1 (cov ...
'' #100 and was created by
Dan Slott
Dan Slott (born July 3, 1967) is an American comic book writer, known for his work on Marvel Comics books such as ''The Amazing Spider-Man'', as well as '' She-Hulk'', ''Silver Surfer'', ''The Superior Spider-Man'', '' Tony Stark: Iron Man'', ''Th ...
,
Stefano Caselli
Stefano Caselli (born 21 February 1978) is an People of Italy, Italian comic book artist best known for his work on the Marvel Comics title ''Avengers: The Initiative'', the mini-series ''Civil War: Young Avengers/Runaways'' and ''Secret Warriors ...
and
Eric Powell.
[''She-Hulk'' #100. Marvel Comics.] He was not referred to by name until the first issue of ''
Avengers: The Initiative''. His origin was finally revealed in the 2007 ''Avengers: The Initiative Annual''.
Fictional character biography
Two aliens of unknown origin–one fully armored, the other multi-limbed—engaged in a struggle as they descended to Earth. Both extraterrestrials died as they entered the atmosphere, and their weapons were scattered across the planet's surface. The US government tracked the crash site of two of the weapons to the
Middle East
The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabian Peninsula, Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Anatolia, Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Pro ...
, where Sergeant Joseph Green was dispatched to secure the area. On arrival, Green's unit came under attack by
HYDRA troopers. Green used the right gauntlet of the alien's armor to defeat them. After securing victory, Green found himself unable to remove the gauntlet and was seen walking away from the area, carrying the alien's sword with him. How the alien's other gauntlet was acquired by
Southpaw has not yet been revealed, nor how the alien's leg armor came to be part of the costume of
Grasshopper
Grasshoppers are a group of insects belonging to the suborder Caelifera. They are among what is possibly the most ancient living group of chewing herbivorous insects, dating back to the early Triassic around 250 million years ago.
Grasshopp ...
. However, the opposing alien's weapon later found its way into
Armory
Armory or armoury may mean:
* An arsenal, a military or civilian location for the storage of arms and ammunition
Places
*National Guard Armory, in the United States and Canada, a training place for National Guard or other part-time or regular mili ...
's possession.
[''Avengers: The Initiative Annual''. Marvel Comics.]
In the aftermath of the ''
Civil War
A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country).
The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...
'' storyline, Gauntlet was recruited by
Henry Peter Gyrich
Henry Peter Gyrich () is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He is a liaison of the United States government who is against the superhuman community.
Publication history
The character first appeared ...
to be a
drill sergeant
A drill instructor is a non-commissioned officer in the armed forces, fire department, or police forces with specific duties that vary by country. Foot drill, military step, and marching are typically taught by drill instructors.
Australia
Austr ...
at a
superhero training camp. He is fully aware of the "darker" aspects of the training camp and is apparently willingly going along with some hidden agenda by the powers behind the camp's activities.
Gauntlet lives with his wife and two children on the base. He has confided in his wife that he only wants to prepare the recruits for the rough life of being a superhero and is only harsh to them in order to do so. Any sort of harm that befalls the recruits he takes as a personal failure for not teaching them well enough. He makes particular use of the
New Warriors
The New Warriors is a fictional superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. They traditionally consisted of teenage and young adult heroes, and were often seen to serve as a junior counterpart to Avengers (comics), ...
name as an insult, referring to that team's role in the disaster that sparked the Civil War's events; this not only causes friction with recruits, several of whom are former New Warriors members/associates, but also with the Avenger
Justice
Justice, in its broadest sense, is the principle that people receive that which they deserve, with the interpretation of what then constitutes "deserving" being impacted upon by numerous fields, with many differing viewpoints and perspective ...
, a New Warriors founder and a liaison/"counselor" for the young recruits.
After the events of ''
World War Hulk
"World War Hulk" is a comic book crossover storyline that ran through a self-titled limited series and various titles published by Marvel Comics in 2007, featuring the Hulk.
The series consists of five main issues titled ''World War Hulk'', wi ...
'', Gauntlet is angered at the many cadets who had broken orders to confront the
Hulk
The Hulk is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in the debut issue of ''The Incredible Hulk (comic book), The Incredible Hulk' ...
themselves. He is badly beaten and left with a "NW" on his chest, daubed in his own blood. The team had recently learned of a
social movement
A social movement is a loosely organized effort by a large group of people to achieve a particular goal, typically a social or political one. This may be to carry out a social change, or to resist or undo one. It is a type of group action and may ...
, indicated by "NW" graffiti, of young people in general defiance of the current power structure. Gyrich eventually has
Hank Pym
Dr. Henry Jonathan "Hank" Pym () is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by penciller Jack Kirby, editor-plotter Stan Lee and writer Larry Lieber, the character first appeared in ''Tales to ...
briefly revive him. Before going into a
coma
A coma is a deep state of prolonged unconsciousness in which a person cannot be awakened, fails to respond normally to painful stimuli, light, or sound, lacks a normal wake-sleep cycle and does not initiate voluntary actions. Coma patients exhi ...
as a result, he identifies his assailant as the
Ghost
A ghost is the soul or spirit of a dead person or animal that is believed to be able to appear to the living. In ghostlore, descriptions of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to rea ...
.
It is later revealed to the reader that the attacker was none other than base recruit
Slapstick
Slapstick is a style of humor involving exaggerated physical activity that exceeds the boundaries of normal physical comedy. Slapstick may involve both intentional violence and violence by mishap, often resulting from inept use of props such a ...
, taking revenge for Gauntlet's pejorative usage of the New Warriors' name.
It is known that Gyrich mobilized Pym to revive Gauntlet before a
S.H.I.E.L.D.
S.H.I.E.L.D. is a fictional espionage, special law enforcement, and counter-terrorism agency appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in ''Strange Tales'' #135 (August 1965), it often deals ...
investigation could discover the truth to prevent them from also finding classified information, and was present when Gauntlet made the false identification.
While Gauntlet was incapacitated,
Taskmaster took over his drill instructor duties.
[''Avengers: The Initiative'' #8. Marvel Comics.]
During Gauntlet's coma, Gyrich attempted to equip
KIA
Kia Corporation, commonly known as Kia (, ; formerly known as Kyungsung Precision Industry and Kia Motors Corporation), is a South Korean multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Seoul, South Korea. It is South Korea's second lar ...
with Armory's weapon, the Tactigon. After the weapon successfully bonded with KIA, the clone is flooded with memories of the original
MVP
In team sports, a most valuable player award, abbreviated 'MVP award', is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particu ...
's death, seeking vengeance on those involved. Arriving at Gauntlet's hospital room, the clone is surprised to find Gauntlet's bed empty. Following this, it appears the gauntlet weapon itself is temporarily controlling Green, forcing him to acquire the sword element of the alien's armor.
[''Avengers: The Initiative'' #9. Marvel Comics.] Following an altercation with KIA, the clone's attacks appeared to cause the gauntlet to lose its control over Gauntlet, causing him to revert to his normal self. It is later revealed that when the Tactigon stabbed Gauntlet, it injected him with a drug that brought him out of his coma, as it considered his control over the weapon to be a weak point.
During an
invasion
An invasion is a military offensive in which large numbers of combatants of one geopolitical entity aggressively enter territory owned by another such entity, generally with the objective of either: conquering; liberating or re-establishing con ...
of Earth by the
Skrull Empire, Gauntlet and Taskmaster attempt to ensure the safety of the cadets at Camp Hammond by locking down the facility. However, a Skrull posing as Yellowjacket gives orders to Gauntlet to send the Initiative cadets to help fight the Skrulls in New York City.
Following the invasion's end, Gauntlet is placed in charge of the Camp Hammond facility. Many of the other instructors left, unwilling to place themselves under
Norman Osborn
Norman Osborn is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character, created by writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, first appeared in ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' #14 (July 1964) as the first ...
's control, and the real Hank Pym declined to be a part of the Initiative, as he was never really there in the first place, leaving Gauntlet to reluctantly assume the position.
When Osborn threatened to take Gauntlet's arm, Gauntlet escaped and ultimately joined the
Avengers Resistance. His wife pretends to be ashamed of him for abandoning his family, so that she will not be harassed when he is not there to protect her. As Osborn's regime ends following the
Siege of Asgard, Gauntlet is sent by personal request to
Afghanistan
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...
.
During the
Iron Man 2020
Iron Man (Arno Stark) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He is a superhero appearing as the counterpart of the superhero Iron Man in the (then) future year of 2020 set in the multiverse world o ...
event, Gauntlet appears as a member of
Force Works
Force Works was the name of different fictional superhero teams appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.
Publication history
The first version of Force Works first appeared in the comic book series ''Force Works'' #1 (July ...
. During a raid on a robot hideout, one of the robots self-destructs when cornered by War Machine and Gauntlet. Maria Hill mentioned to War Machine that Gauntlet will be in the hospital for a few weeks.
Powers and abilities
Green's right hand is fused to a large, robotic gauntlet of alien origin, which is able to manifest a right hand made of pure energy that is larger, stronger and more durable than his own. The gauntlet itself appears to have the ability to exert a certain degree of control upon Green, specifically when he is in a state of low-brain activity. Gauntlet can not only use the reliquary for manifesting energy limbs, but also discharging machinery and cybernetics debilitating energy as concussive blasts.
[''Tony Stark: Iron Man'' #2. Marvel Comics.][''Tony Stark: Iron Man'' #9. Marvel Comics.] It can also surround its wearer in an energy field to enable self propelled flight.
In addition to these superpowers, Gauntlet is also a highly trained member of the United States Army.
Other versions
The Reckoning War
In one possible, seemingly inevitable, future timeline, the Gauntlet inspires Southpaw to reform, and become a superhero, while his daughter Kid Glove acts as her sidekick. He sports a more traditional superhero costume and is seemingly linked to a cosmic event known as "The Reckoning War".
References
External links
Gauntletat Marvel Wiki
Gauntletat Comic Vine
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gauntlet (Comics)
Characters created by Dan Slott
Characters created by Eric Powell
Comics characters introduced in 2006
Fictional African-American people
Fictional military sergeants
Fictional United States Army personnel
Marvel Comics superheroes