Nuke (Marvel Comics)

Nuke
File:Wolvieoriginshitch.jpg Nuke vs. Wolverine, Wolverine: Origins #2 Variant. Art by Bryan Hitch.
Publication information
Publisher	Marvel Comics
First appearance	Daredevil vol. 1, #232
Created by	Frank Miller David Mazzucchelli
In-story information
Alter ego	Frank Simpson
Team affiliations	Weapon Plus, Kingpin General Lewis Hayworth, Generalissimo Felix Guillermo Caridad
Notable aliases	Agent Simpson
Abilities	Plastic skin rendering him invulnerable and giving enhanced speed (700 mph), Second heart, Impervious to Pain, Super Strength, Cyborg body, Remote-controlled vital functions.

For the Squadron Supreme and Supreme Power character, see Nuke (Squadron Supreme)

Nuke (real name, Frank Simpson) is a fictional villain in the Marvel Universe. He first appears in Daredevil #232 and was created by Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli. He is a 6'1" muscular male weighing 200 pounds with an American Flag tattoo on his face.

Character History

Nuke is actually a member of the same Super-Soldier program that Captain America was a part of (marking him part of the same program overseeing the creation of Wolverine as a killing machine), but the process went awry, making him seriously deranged. He is still used by the U.S. Army as a covert operations agent. Nuke often hallucinates that his targets are the Viet Cong; the reason for this is because during the Vietnam War, Nuke was held captive and tortured by the man who would become Wolverine, one of the members of the X-Men, who was posing as a Russian intelligence liaison. Logan was actually a U.S. operative, imbedding a trigger word deep into Nuke's mind. Whenever local Vietnamese sees a U.S. soldier, they shout, "no V.C.!" so as not to be attacked. Logan would repeat the phrase over and over while torturing Nuke, even carving the American flag design into Nuke's face, years before it would be tattooed there.

Logan leaves and allows Nuke to escape, and then watches as he destroys an entire village to the shouts of, "No V.C.!" At this point, Nuke is being conditioned by the U.S. Army to kill, with Logan as his handler.

His mental conditioning at the hands of Wolverine was in fact a carefully planned project enacted during the whole life-span of Frank Simpson. The disturbed son of a wealthy, alcoholic abusive upperclass woman in Ohio, Frank soon developed an unhealthy affection for his babysitter, the only real maternal figure in his life. His babysitter capitalizing his affection for her, talked the young disturbed boy in killing his own mother. Wolverine then showed up, dressed as a cop, stalked Charles Simpson and the babysitter, who were having sex in Charles' car, and shot the girl with Charles own gun, forcing his suicide. He then went to Frank's place to get him into the Super-Soldier project.

Nuke resurfaces, employed by Generalissimo Felix Guillermo Carridad, of Tierra Verde, to destroy a rebel base. Carridad is impressed with his skills, and he enjoys using Nuke periodically as a superhuman iconic symbol.

Later, the Kingpin hires Nuke through several corrupt military officials and sends him to kill Daredevil, and then, Nuke went on a rampage in New York, blowing up part of Hell's Kitchen before the Avengers arrive and capture him. He escapes soon after, going for Daredevil again, but is shot by a military chopper. He comes back some time later.

After Wolverine discovered his full past and set out to take care of loose ends, the U.S. government dispatches Nuke, who was kept at the United States embassy in Chile, to hunt down Wolverine.

Wolverine, with some efforts, quickly dispatched his foe, seeking a way to redeem, or kill him. After the battle he discovered that Nuke enhanced physiology was furtherly mutated, and he has become a cyborg. Acknowledging that now he was beyond any hope of redemption, he tried to kill him, only to be stopped from Captain America.

Apparently Nuke metabolism is now remote controlled from a secret base on Tierra Verde, whose technicians are able to shut down the biomech systems in Nuke body.

Pill Colors

Nuke has a second heart, and takes different colored pills to produce different bodily effects. Nuke's pill colors are: red, for increased adrenaline; white, to bring him down; and blue, to relax.

While it was previously believed that the red pills Nuke took affected his mental state, sending him into his bloodthirsty rages, the Wolverine: Origins series reveals that these pills are placebos, suggesting that Nuke lives in a constant state of increased adrenaline, but doesn't know it. The pills, therefore, trigger his violent behavior, but the effect is purely psychological.

A monitor in the Tierra Verde laboratory from which Nuke is controlled, showing three lines, red, white and blue, suggests that currently the same remote control system that turn on or shut down the biomech system in Nuke controls his adrenaline production and his behaviour.

Powers and Abilities

Nuke has plastic embedded underneath his skin, which makes him somewhat resistant to some forms of damage, and grants him increased speed, up to 700 miles per hour. In addition, he has a second heart that works in conjunction with his colored pills. Before augmentation, Nuke was very strong, and after, he is much stronger, although his limits are unknown. He is nearly impervious to injury and pain, as well. He is experienced with most firearms. Nuke is an insane individual, as well.

External links

• Profile on Nuke