IfMarvelfans think the Punisher has it rough, they’re going to be shocked when they hear about one hero and the dark journey they went through. Fans everywhere know about the awful things that made Frank Castle the man he is today. But he’s got nothingon a Marvel herothat turned to violent means just to access his powers.
The following article discusses self-harm.
Marvel’s epic conflict began with a bang inCivil War #1by Mark Millar and Steve McNiven, which saw an explosion in Stamford, Connecticut during a confrontation between the New Warriors and Nitro. One of the few survivors of the explosion was Robbie Baldwin, aka Speedball, who was arrested for the deaths of the 612 victims killed in the explosion.
Robbie’s powers changed as a result of the explosion, now requiring physical pain to activate them. Between the shift in his power set and the deep guilt he was feeling over the explosion,Speedball became Penance andfashioned himself a new costume. The Penance outfit was lined with 612 spikes, one for each victim of the Stamford Incident.
Marvel’s Darkest Hero Ever Was Penance
Robbie Baldwin Literally Cut Himself to Use His Powers
BeforeCivil War, Speedball was a happy-go-lucky character. But afterwhat happened inCivil War, Baldwin was in a bad place for a long time. As Penance, he worked for the Thunderbolts, hunting down his former allies, later being forced to work for Norman Osborn. While Baldwin eventually went back to being Speedball, recuperating emotionally and mentally was a struggle.
One can see similarities between Speedball/Penance and the Punisher. But while Frank internalized what happened to him and used it to make himself into a killing machine, Robbie externalized his trauma. He didn’t just wear the suit to activate his powers. He wanted to feel the weight of what the Stamford victims, even if the deaths weren’t strictly on him.
Speedball’s Penance Arc was One of Marvel’s Biggest Tragedies
Unlike Punisher, At Least Speedball Managed to Improve
It’s easy to look back on Speedball’s transformation into Penance as ‘edgy’, even his associate Squirrel Girl made a point about how this persona wasn’t who he was. But this era was meant to show how radically trauma can change a person. Just like Castle went from being a family man to being a killer, Speedball became his polar opposite.
While it’s good to see that Penance’s days are long gone, it’s a hard chapter of Marvel history to forget. And sure, the Punisher still tops the characters when it comes to heroes with a dark past. But for a brief period,Marvel’siconic gunman paled in comparison to Speedball’s dark transformation.
