Mettle(Ken Mack) is a fictional character appearing inAmerican comic bookspublished byMarvel Comics.He was recruited into training at theAvengers Academyto become an Avenger.[1]
| Mettle | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | Avengers Academy#1 (Jun. 2010) |
| Created by | Christos Gage Mike McKone |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Ken Mack |
| Team affiliations | Avengers Academy |
| Notable aliases | Fortress |
| Abilities | Experienced surfer Iridium body grants: Superhuman strength and durability Virtual indestructibility |
Publication history
editMettle first appeared inAvengers Academy#1 (June 2010) and was created byChristos GageandMike McKone.He appeared as a regular character in the series through its final issue, #39 (Jan 2013).
Mettle appeared briefly inAvengers Arena,the successor title toAvengers Academy,byDennis HopelessandKev Walker.[2]
Fictional character biography
editKen Mack was a sixteen-year-old surfer with a laid back and carefree attitude. While surfing, he fell into the water and another surfer hit him with their surf board and ripped off part of his face from the impact, which revealed a rediridiumskull underneath. He was taken toNorman Osborn,where Dr.Baron Von Blitzschlagexplained that the trauma accelerated his transformation that was already taking place. Norman Osborn further accelerated the transformation, changing Ken's body to be completely iridium.[3]
Heroic Age
editMettle is recruited into theAvengers Academyalong with five other students who have been affected by Osborn. In a sparring session withReptilhe is shown to withstand intense heat from a flame thrower with no effect. Noticing that they have been joined byVeil,he comments on her costume, but she becomes frightened by his appearance, changing into her gas form.
He is portrayed as a more responsible member of the new recruits, after discovering that they will all have a training session withJusticeandSpeedball.Strikercomplains in relation to the incident at Stamford, stating that Speedball was stupid in his battle withNitro.Mettle instead stated that he would be the perfect teacher, given that with their abilities one wrong move, any of one them could be a potential murderer. During their training session, Speedball increases the difficulty, withHazmatresponding with a radiation blast. Justice suggests that he take a break. ThenFinessenotices Speedball andQuicksilverarguing about keeping a secret from the cadets. By accessing secret computer files, the students realize that they are not the most powerful, nor the smartest or even the most highly trained kids that Osborn kidnapped. Instead they have been chosen for the academy because they have the greatest potential to go rogue and become dangerous villains.[1]
On a visit to the Raft, Mettle, Hazmat, and Veil plan to seek out Norman Osborn in his cell to kill him for revenge. Hazmat used her power to cause a blackout, giving them enough time for Mettle to rip the Osborn's cell door. However, they let him live when Osborn said he could fix them. When the students were questioned about who cause the blackout, Mettle lied and said it seemed like fate led them to Osborn.[3]Mettle has fought againstArsenal,Whirlwind,Mentallo,and theAbsorbing Man.[4]After a video ofTigra's assault by theHood,Mettle refused to go with Hazmat, Veil, and Striker to get revenge.[5]
In an attempt to bring back theWasp,Veil mistakenly resurrects Carina Walters,Korvacsenses her and arrives to take her back. When Carina refuses to go with him, Korvac attacks, but the Avengers show up to battle him. Carina temporarily transforms Mettle and his teammates to obtain powers from their future selves in order to defeat Korvac. He punches through Korvac, thinking that he killed him. It is later revealed that his future-self seemed comfortable with killing, which scares Mettle. After the fight, Mettle seeks out Hazmat in the student's lounge where they share an emotional moment knowing that they may never be cured.[6]
At the Prom, Mettle and Hazmat shared their thoughts and feelings to each other and decided to start a romantic relationship.[7]
Fear Itself
editIn theFear Itselfstoryline, Mettle throws a pole at an armor robot attacking Washington D.C., killing both the pilot and gunner. He feels guilt for doing so, but Tigra reassures him that by killing him, he saved the lives of innocent civilians. WhenTitaniaand the Absorbing Man attacks the Infinite Mansion, Mettle and Hazmat chose to hold them back and sacrifice themselves in order for their teammates to escape. However, the Avengers Academy instructors show up to save them.[8]In the aftermath of Fear Itself, Mettle and Hazmat attempt to have sex, but Hazmat was still traumatized over accidentally killing her previous boyfriend.[9]This put further strain on their relationship, especially whenX-23joins the academy and Reptil, under the control of his future self, creates jealously.[10]
Avengers Vs. X-Men
editMettle and the students initially do not take kindly to the junior X-Men,[volume & issue needed]but eventually come to understand the difficult situation that the mutants were forced into by adult superheroes, not unlike their present situation.[volume & issue needed]Mettle especially makes a connection withLoa,who is able to make the ground into waves and allows Mettle to surf once again.[volume & issue needed]WhenSebastian Shawattempts to free the mutants, the Avengers Academy students side with them, so Tigra feints defeats and allows them to escape.[volume & issue needed]Loa decides to stay at the academy.[volume & issue needed]He and the students defendJuston Seyfert's sentinel againstEmma Frost,who was powered by thePhoenix Force.[11]
Final Exams
editMettle and Hazmat succumb to Jeremy Briggs's promise of a normal life and take the "Clean Slate". With his powers gone and a special skin graft, Mettle looks normal again. He is about to spend some private time with Hazmat, but when they hear that Jeremy is threatening their other classmates they take the antidote and Mettle's new skin is burned off by a re-powered Hazmat.[12]He and the other students are graduated to associate members of the Avengers.[13]
Avengers Arenaand death
editAfter finally having sex with Hazmat while the teachers (and most students) were away, Mettle is abducted alongside Hazmat, Reptil, X-23, Juston Seyfert, and a dozen others byArcadeon Christmas Eve during theMarvel NOW!event. Mettle is killed by Arcade in Murderworld, as he sacrificed himself to spare Hazmat as the weak link among the 16.[14]When suspicions arise as to where the abductees have gone, Arcade activates the "contingency", using a remotely operated copy of Mettle to assuage the worries ofHank Pymand explain away the absence of the teen heroes.[15]WhenDeathlocketstumbles into an underground facility, she sees a robotic version of Mettle; its skull is exposed to showcase its mechanical parts.[16]
Powers and abilities
editPossessing a body of living iridium, he is virtually indestructible, shown to be able to withstand the intense heat of a flame thrower. His costume is made of "unstable molecules" thatMister Fantasticdesigned, which is able to adjust to his powers.[1]He has superhuman strength and durability due to his body, but he is unable to transform back into his human form. However, due to the tampering of Norman Osborn, he is unable to feel the basic of human sensations due to deteriorated nerve endings and remains closed off from the world. Mettle has been shown that he does not know his own strength and is fearful of his powers.
Before obtaining his iridium body, Ken Mack was an experienced surfer.
Other versions
editMettle appears as a zombie inMarvel Zombies Halloween,attempting to eat Kitty Pryde and her son Peter with other zombies, but is killed by Mephisto.[17]
InMarvel Universe Vs. The AvengersMettle provides vital support to the defenses of Manhattan island during the cannibal plague sweeping the world.[18]
Reception
editIn an article forThe Philadelphia Inquirer,Jerome Maida describes Mettle as an "invulnerable powerhouse".[19]
A review ofAvengers Academy#14.1 by David Pepose forNewsaramaexpressed his love of the expressions artistSean Chengives to the characters, including Mettle "whose face still speaks volumes even as its frozen in the shape of a skull".[20]In his review ofAvengers Academy#20, Pepose calledTom Raney's depiction of the "still-faced" Mettle "absolutely heartbreaking".[21]
References
edit- ^abcAvengers Academy#1 (June 2010)
- ^Sunu, Steve (13 September 2012)."Hopeless and Walker Populate" Avengers Arena "For Marvel NOW!".Comic Book Resources.Retrieved13 September2012.
- ^abAvengers Academy#4 (November 2010)
- ^Avengers Academy#5-7 (Dec. 2010 - Feb. 2011)
- ^Avengers Academy#8 (March 2011)
- ^Avengers Academy#11 (May 2011)
- ^Avengers Academy#13 (June 2011)
- ^Avengers Academy#19 (November 2011)
- ^Avengers Academy#20 (December 2011)
- ^Avengers Academy#25 (December 2011)
- ^Avengers Academy#36
- ^Avengers Academy#35
- ^Avengers Academy#39
- ^Avengers Arena#1 (December 2012)
- ^Avengers Arena#13
- ^Avengers Arena#12 (July 2013)
- ^Marvel Zombies Halloween#1 (October 2012)
- ^Marvel Universe Vs. The Avengers#1-4 (2012-2013)
- ^The Philadelphia Inquirer[bare URL]
- ^"Newsarama | GamesRadar+".22 December 2023.
- ^"Newsarama | GamesRadar+".22 December 2023.