Rick Jones
Rick Jones is a male comic character who features in Marvel Comics.
Contents |
Biography
Origin
Rick Jones
At the age of 16, he got his driver's license and managed to save enough money to buy a used car. Overhearing a teen dare a friend to ride out with him on the desert where it was rumored an atomic bomb was going to be tested, Jones offered to take him up on the challenge. He drove his car out to the test site to discover his challenger was too timid to show up. Dr. Robert Bruce Banner, designer of the Gamma Bomb to be tested, learned that someone had ventured onto the test site, and believing the countdown had been delayed, ran out into the desert to warn him back. Banner managed to throw Jones into a protective trench before the bomb detonated, but he himself was bombarded with gamma radiation. This radiation triggered a mutagenic change in Banner, causing him to turn into the raging superhuman Hulk. Rick and Bruce were picked up by the military and placed in quarantine where they were expected to die of radiation poisoning. While Rick was fine, Banner was far from it and that evening when the sun went down Banner transformed into a massive grey skinned brute that became commonly known as the Hulk. The Hulk smashed out of the quarantine and headed for his cabin. Feeling indebted to Bruce for saving his life, Rick followed after the Hulk to make sure that nobody got hurt. The Hulk fought through the military and made a path to the cabin owned by Bruce Banner where he caught Igor trying to steal the Gamma Bomb plans. Igor proved no match for the Hulk who easily subdued him. When the sun began to rise, the Hulk reverted back into Bruce Banner, and Rick covered for Bruce keeping his identity as the Hulk a secret from the military when they arrived. Thus began the long partnership between the Hulk and Rick Jones. It was through this partnership that Rick also met General Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross, Banner's employer in the Air Force and later the Hulks greatest adversary, and his daughter Betty who formed a romance with Banner despite the late revelations that he was the Hulk. The following night Rick accompanied Bruce out into the desert so that if Banner transformed into the Hulk again he would not harm anyone. As with the previous night as soon as the sun went down, Bruce transformed into the Hulk once again. When Betty happened upon Rick and the Hulk she quickly fainted. The pair were then captured by the Gargoyle a gamma mutated Russian agent that was tipped off to the existence of the Hulk by Igor after he was captured by the Air Force. Using mind control pellets, the Gargoyle took Jones and the Hulk prisoner and smuggled them into Russia. Crossing over to the light side of the Earth caused the Hulk to revert the Hulk back into Banner. Upon this discovery, the Gargoyle spirited both Banner and Rick to his lab where he convinced Banner to use his scientific know-how to change the Gargoyle back to normal. Thankful for Banner's help, the former Gargoyle sacrificed his life so that the pair could escape back to the United States. (Incredible Hulk v1 #1)
Hulk
Captain Marvel
Afterwards, Jones came to feel neglected and ignored by Captain America where he became tired of his ego. This led to a talk with Edwin Jarvis were Rick decided to leave the Avengers for good. Whilst leaving, he spotted a spectral Captain America where he was drawn to a mysterious laboratory where he found a pair of golden bracelets. These were the Nega-Bands where he was mentally contacted by Mar-Vell who had been banished to the anti-cosmos of the Negative Zone. By donning the bands, Rick came to be linked to the Kree superhero where they traded places when crossing the Nega-Bands. Jones came to be displaced into a protective bubble in the Negative Zone whilst Mar-Vell took his place. He came to fight Yon-Rogg who had come for the Nega-Bands and after failing he managed to escape whereupon Mar-Vell switched places with Rick Jones again. (Captain Marvel v1 #17)
A-Bomb
The arena match only ended when the Sentry arrived on the scene where he battled the Hulk with Jones worrying that their fight would destroy everyone on the planet. Their fight expended much of their respective energies causing the two to revert to their human forms where Banner landed the final blow that knocked out Robert Reynolds. Rick then attempted to calm down Bruce and thus end the conflict and stop it from escalating any further. However, the Sakaaran Miek was infuriated by this as he wanted the battle to spiral till all the Hulk's enemies were dead and thus he stabbed Jones with his spear. This caused Banner to transform in anger and attack Miek where he learnt that the Sakaaran Native was the one responsible for the devastation on Sakaar which he did to have the Hulk turn his anger against his enemies with this revelation partly leading to the end of the Hulk's rampage when a satellite weapon was used to turn him back into his human form. (World War Hulk v1 #5) When Jones was badly injured, a team of S.H.I.E.L.D. medics came to take him away for treatment though in reality these were A.I.M. agents acting on orders from M.O.D.O.K. Due to Rick's prior exposure to prime gamma energy, he was seen as a perfect specimen for transformation with the Intelligencia requiring a DNA sample from the Abomination. This was acquired by the Red Hulk who murdered Emil Blonsky and he was transformed into a Gamma Mutate. During this time, his love Marlo Chandler who was similarly experimented on was the one who allowed Jones to escape. (Fall of the Hulks: Red Hulk v1 #3)
The Red Hulk later approached Rick Jones outside Gamma Base where he struck the young man who transformed into A-Bomb who intended to kill his attacker. (Hulk v2 #2) Despite his resistance, A-Bomb was defeated by the Red Hulk whose repeated strikes knocked him unconscious but their battle by the base was interrupted by the arrival of the Hulk. (Hulk v2 #3) After recovering from the fight, A-Bomb departed to help the wounded Hulk after he was beaten by the Red Hulk with the transformed Jones stating that he was a friend. (Hulk v2 #5) A-Bomb accompanied him as Hulk and other heroes sought to stop the Red Hulk when the villain was spotted again. He was instrumental in stopping other heroes from interfering to allow the Hulk to defeat his red-skinned foe whereupon he departed. A-Bomb then reverted to his human form where Rick Jones attempted to warn Banner on the identity of the Red Hulk but he was rendered unconscious with an electrical attack from Doc Samson who took him away. (Hulk v2 #6) He was taken back to the Intelligencia where they reprogrammed his mind to allow Rick Jones to be the dominant personality but hid a directive in his mind that compelled him to kill Bruce Banner. (Fall of the Hulks: Red Hulk v1 #3)
With the seeming death of the Hulk persona, Rick Jones as A-Bomb tracked Banner down and offered to help get revenge on the Red Hulk. They were ambushed by Ares who had been sent by Norman Osborn to ascertain the condition of the Hulk with A-Bomb being overwhelmed by the Avenger. However, Banner managed to help them escape where he urged Rick to live his life as they went their own ways. (Hulk v2 #13)
He transformed into A-Bomb to help some civilians during an accident when he was approached by the newest incarnation of the Hulk. This version called himself Doc Green where he seemingly only possessed advance intellect with him determined to remove gamma mutations from the world. He had developed a serum designed to strip gamma mutations from a person and intended to use it on A-Bomb. However, Rick refused to let go of his powers and stated that he used them for good despite Doc Green's claims. A-Bomb managed to destroy one syringe of the serum but Doc Green had another one sent to him where he injected Jones with I. Thus, he lost his powers and turned back into a normal human where he resented Doc Green for taking away his abilities. (Hulk v3 #6)
Whisperer
Despite losing his powers, Jones was not entirely restored to being a human and had a side effect of the process whereby he had the ability to pick up new skills very quickly. He decided to use this power to become a hacker and activist where he exposed hidden secrets to the public. In this guise, he operated in the shadows where he came to be known as the Whisperer. (Avengers Standoff: Assault On Pleasant Hill Alpha v1 #1)
Immortal Hulk
It was shown that after his death that Rick Jones remains were buried at the Severin Memorial Cemetery. The Immortal Hulk came to take Doc Samson there in order to prove that he, Bruce Banner, Betty Ross and Rick Jones were all connected through a cycle of resurrection. They later arrived at Rick's grave only to find it had been dug up and that his body was missing. (Immortal Hulk v1 #15) The remains were bonded with those of Emil Blonsky with their body going through a cocoon stage as it developed into its new form. (Immortal Hulk v1 #16)
Overview
Personality and attributes
It was remarked that he bore a resemblance to Bucky Barnes to the point that Steve Rogers thought Rick could be his sidekicks twin brother. (Avengers v1 #4) After his transformation, he became a gamma-irradiated creature who went by the name of A-Bomb. (Hulk v2 #2) At one point, he operated as a hacker and activist where he went by the name of the Whisperer. (Avengers Standoff: Assault On Pleasant Hill Alpha v1 #1) Shadow Base experimented on his remains and brought him back where they labelled him as Subject B. (Immortal Hulk v1 #17)
He felt responsible for the incident that turned Bruce Banner into the Hulk and felt guilty about his actions. Rick thought that maybe he should have been the one cursed with the power rather than it falling on Banner. (Fall of the Hulks: Red Hulk v1 #3)
After using the Nega-Bands, he came to be linked with Mar-Vell for a time where they came to share their thoughts and desires. (Captain Marvel v1 #17)
Initially, he tended to refer to himself in the third-person where he spoke in a stunted speech-pattern similar to the Hulk. However, he came to wrestle control over the A-Bomb personality allowing him to speak normally in that form. (Hulk v2 #13) The brute form was connected to the ID that did not respond well to taking orders. (Fall of the Hulks: Red Hulk v1 #3)
Powers and abilities
Due to exposure to prime gamma energy, his physiology was more adaptive and made him a prime candidate for gamma mutation. A camouflage gland was added to his body that was part of cuttlefish experiments thus giving him the ability to blend into the background and appear invisible. Similar to the Hulk, he had a healing factor that allowed him to recover from injuries quickly. (Fall of the Hulks: Red Hulk v1 #3) As A-Bomb, he gained the curious ability to track the Hulk with Jones attributing this to their possible gamma radiation connection. (Hulk v2 #13)
This form was noted for being bullet proof allowing him to survive projectile weapons from heavy machine guns. (Hulk v2 #3)
Another ability he had was the power to adapt his skin to match his environment giving him a chameleon-like ability to blend into surroundings. (Hulk v2 #13) Doc Green later used a special serum designed to strip away A-Bomb's gamma mutation thus removing this power from him. (Hulk v3 #6)
After losing his gamma mutation, Rick experienced a side effect whereby he was able to pick up new skills lightning fast. (Avengers Standoff: Assault On Pleasant Hill Alpha v1 #1)
Shadow Base resurrected Jones where they bonded his remains with that of Emil Blonsky creating a new incarnation of the Abomination. (Immortal Hulk v1 #17)
He was responsible for organizing the Teen Brigade who were a group of young amateur ham radio enthusiasts to help him monitor the Hulk's activities. (Incredible Hulk v1 #6)
Notes
- Rick Jones was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby where he made his first appearance in Incredible Hulk v1 #1 (May, 1962).
- He was later transformed into A-Bomb by Jeph Loeb and Ed McGuiness in Hulk v1 #2 (February, 2008).
Alternate Versions
In other media
Television
- In The Marvel Super Heroes, Rick Jones appeared in the setting of the 1966 animated television series Hulk segments where he was voiced by actor Paul Soles.
- In The Incredible Hulk, Rick Jones appeared in the setting of the 1982 animated television series where he was voiced by actor Michael Horton
- In Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H., Rick Jones appeared as A-Bomb in the animated television series where he was voiced by actor Seth Green.
Films
Video games
- In Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2, Rick Jones as A-Bomb appeared as an NPC in the video game where he was voiced by actor Fred Tatasciore.
- In Marvel: Avengers Alliance, Rick Jones as A-Bomb appeared as a playable character in the setting of the Facebook video game.
Appearances
- Incredible Hulk v1: (1962)
- Avengers v1:
- Captain Marvel:
- Hulk v1:
- Hulk v2:
- World War Hulk v1:
- Fall of the Hulks: Red Hulk v1:
- Hulk v3:
- Civil War II: The Fallen v1:
- Captain America: Steve Rogers v1:
- Secret Empire v1:
- Immortal Hulk v1:
- Gamma Flight v1: (2021)
External Links
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