Strongman (character)
The Strongman is the name of three different fictional characters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.
Publication history
The Bruce Olafson version of Strongman first appeared in
Fictional character biography
Bruce Olafsen
| Strongman | |
|---|---|
| Publication information | |
Circus of Crime | |
| Notable aliases | Bruto |
| Abilities | Skilled wrestler |
Bruce Olafsen was born in
Strongman was later seen with Ringmaster when he has hypnotized Daredevil into serving him. Spider-Man manages to break Daredevil free of the hypnosis as they both defeat the Circus of Crime.[3]
Strongman was seen at the Circus of Crime when
When Strongman is laid out upon straining himself upon trying to lift an elephant, Ringmaster had to hold auditions for a temporary strongman to cover for Strongman.[5]
Strongman was present when Ringmaster forced
Strongman was with the Ringmaster when the Circus of Crime attacked Hulk and the ex-Circus of Crime members on a deserted island. After freeing the ex-Circus of Crime members, Hulk defeats the Circus of Crime.[8]
Strongman was with the Circus of Crime at the time when Ringmaster had hypnotized
Strongman was with the Circus of Crime when they were seen in
During the "Opening Salvo" part of the Secret Empire storyline, Strongman was with the Circus of Crime at the time when they are recruited by Baron Helmut Zemo to join the Army of Evil.[11]
Percy Van Norton
Percy Van Norton took a serum which made him into a "perfect human" with a range of superhuman abilities. But although he started out fighting crime, something went wrong and he turned bad, ending up fighting as a Nazi as a member of the Battle-Axis. Percy Van Norton joined the Battle-Axis in their fight against the Invaders. At the end of the battle, Van Norton and the other Battle-Axis members was defeated and captured.[12]
NOTE: This character is based on the public domain character Strongman that first appeared in Crash Comics #2 (May 1940) as a wartime hero.[citation needed] As a Marvel character however, he is a retcon addition where he did not appear in a Timely book. The character had fallen into the public domain and was used by Marvel as a villainous member of the Battle-Axis for their second volume of The Invaders.[citation needed]
Spider-Squad's Strongman
The third Strongman appears as a member of the Spider-Squad where they were used by Anton DeLionatus in a plot to gain cash from his failed project. He alongside the Spider-Squad and Anton DeLionatus were defeated by Spider-Man.[13]
Powers and abilities
The Bruce Olafsen version of Strongman has no superhuman powers, but is strong and a skilled wrestler.
The drug that Percy van Norton took gave him superhuman strength, dexterity, stamina, and durability.
In other media
Television
- The Bruce Olafsen version of Strongman appears in the 1981 animated series Spider-Man episode "Carnival of Crime".
- The Bruce Olafsen version of Strongman appears in the Avengers Assemble episode "Crime and Circuses", voiced by Adrian Pasdar. He is seen as a member of the Circus of Crime.
