Mettle (Ken Mack) is a fictional character appearing in
American comic book
An American comic book is a thin periodical literature originating in the United States, commonly between 24 and 64 pages, containing comics. While the form originated in 1933, American comic books first gained popularity after the 1938 publ ...
s published by
Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...
. He was recruited into training at the
Avengers Academy
''Avengers Academy'' is a Marvel Comics comic book ongoing series, series that debuted in June 2010 as part of the "Heroic Age (comics), Heroic Age", and concluded after thirty-nine issues in November 2012. The series was written by Christos Gag ...
to become an Avenger.
Publication history
Mettle first appeared in ''
Avengers Academy
''Avengers Academy'' is a Marvel Comics comic book ongoing series, series that debuted in June 2010 as part of the "Heroic Age (comics), Heroic Age", and concluded after thirty-nine issues in November 2012. The series was written by Christos Gag ...
'' #1 (June 2010) and was created by
Christos Gage
Christos N. Gage is an American screenwriter and comic book writer. He is known for his work on the TV series ''Daredevil (TV series), Daredevil'', ''Hawaii Five-0 (2010 TV series), Hawaii Five-0'', ''Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'', ''Numbers ...
and
Mike McKone
Michael McKone is a British comic book artist.
Career
McKone's first published works for the major companies included ''Justice League of America'' and '' Justice League International'' for DC Comics and '' The Punisher War Zone'' for Marvel C ...
. He appeared as a regular character in the series through its final issue, #39 (Jan 2013).
Mettle appeared briefly in ''
Avengers Arena
''Avengers Arena'' is a comic book series published by Marvel Comics that debuted in December 2012 as part of the Marvel NOW! relaunch. The series shows 16 young heroes from the Marvel Universe and pit them against each other in a kill-or-be-kille ...
'', the successor title to ''Avengers Academy'', by
Dennis Hopeless
Dennis Hallum, known professionally as Dennis Hopeless and Dennis "Hopeless" Hallum, is an American comic book writer from Kansas City, Missouri, who has written for Marvel, Image, Dark Horse, Boom! Studios, Arcana Studio and Oni Press.
Hallum h ...
and
Kev Walker
Kevin Walker is a British comics artist and illustrator, based in Leeds, who worked mainly on '' 2000 AD'' and ''Warhammer'' comics and the collectible card game '' Magic: The Gathering''. He is now working for Marvel Comics.
Biography
Walker b ...
.
Fictional character biography
Ken 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 surfboard and ripped off part of his face from the impact, which revealed a red
iridium
Iridium is a chemical element; it has the symbol Ir and atomic number 77. This very hard, brittle, silvery-white transition metal of the platinum group, is considered the second-densest naturally occurring metal (after osmium) with a density ...
skull underneath. Ken was taken to
Norman Osborn
Norman Virgil Osborn is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, he first appeared in ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' #14 (July 1964) as the first and best-known incarnation of th ...
, where
Baron Von Blitzschlag
Baron Werner Von Blitzschlag is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Werner Von Blitzschlag holds the title of German-language title of "Freiherr" corresponding to "Baron" in English. His last name is German fo ...
explained that the trauma accelerated a transformation that was already taking place. Osborn further accelerated the transformation, changing Ken's body to be completely made of iridium.
[''Avengers Academy'' #4 (November 2010)]
Heroic Age
Mettle is recruited into the
Avengers Academy
''Avengers Academy'' is a Marvel Comics comic book ongoing series, series that debuted in June 2010 as part of the "Heroic Age (comics), Heroic Age", and concluded after thirty-nine issues in November 2012. The series was written by Christos Gag ...
along with five other students who have been affected by Osborn. In a sparring session with
Reptil
Reptil (Humberto Lopez) is a fictional superhero character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He is best known as a supporting member on ''The Super Hero Squad Show'' and a member of the Avengers Academy in the comics.
...
, he is shown to withstand intense heat from a flame thrower with no effect. Noticing that they have been joined by
Veil
A veil is an article of clothing or hanging cloth that is intended to cover some part of the human head, head or face, or an object of some significance. Veiling has a long history in European, Asian, and African societies. The practice has be ...
, 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 with
Justice
In its broadest sense, justice is the idea that individuals should be treated fairly. According to the ''Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy'', the most plausible candidate for a core definition comes from the ''Institutes (Justinian), Inst ...
and
Speedball.
Striker complains about the incident at Stamford, stating that Speedball was stupid in his battle with
Nitro
Nitro may refer to:
Chemistry
*Nitrogen, a chemical element and a gas except at very low temperatures, with which many compounds are formed:
**Nitro compound, an organic compound containing one or more nitro functional groups, -NO2
**Nitro ligand ...
. Mettle instead stated that he would be the perfect teacher, given that with their abilities one wrong move, anyone could be a potential murderer. During their training session, Speedball increases the difficulty, with
Hazmat
Hazmat, HazMat or HAZMAT may refer to:
* Dangerous goods, hazardous materials and items
* Hazmat suit
* Hazmat diving
* Hazmat (comics) is a Marvel Comics character
* ''HazMat'' (film), a 2013 horror film
See also
* Hazmat Modine
Hazmat Mo ...
responding with a radiation blast. Justice suggests that he take a break. Then
Finesse
In contract bridge and similar games, a finesse is a type of card play technique which will enable a player to win an additional trick or tricks should there be a favorable position of one or more cards in the hands of the opponents.
The player a ...
notices Speedball and
Quicksilver arguing about keeping a secret from the cadets. By accessing secret computer files, the students realize that they are not the most powerful, 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.
[''Avengers Academy'' #1 (June 2010)]
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 caused the blackout, Mettle lied and said it seemed fate led them to Osborn.
Mettle has fought against
Arsenal
An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
,
Whirlwind
A whirlwind is a phenomenon in which a vortex of wind (a vertically oriented rotating column of air) forms due to instabilities and turbulence created by heating and flow ( current) gradients. Whirlwinds can vary in size and last from a cou ...
,
Mentallo
Mentallo (Marvin Flumm) is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. After being fired from S.H.I.E.L.D. for attempting a covert takeover, he has since operated as both a freelance criminal and subversive, and a ...
, and
Absorbing Man
The Absorbing Man (Carl "Crusher" Creel) is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and writer-artist Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in ''Journey into Mystery'' #114 (cover dat ...
. After a video of
Tigra
Tigra (Greer Grant Nelson) is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Roy Thomas and artist Wally Wood (Marie Severin was then brought in to help layout the art), with her early adventur ...
's assault by the
Hood
Hood may refer to:
Covering
Apparel
* Hood (headgear), type of head covering
** Article of academic dress
** Bondage hood, sex toy
* Hoodie, hooded sweatshirt
Anatomy
* Clitoral hood, a hood of skin surrounding the clitoris
* Hood, a flap of ...
, Mettle refuses to go with Hazmat, Veil, and Striker to get revenge.
[''Avengers Academy'' #8 (March 2011)]
In an attempt to bring back the
Wasp
A wasp is any insect of the narrow-waisted suborder Apocrita of the order Hymenoptera which is neither a bee nor an ant; this excludes the broad-waisted sawflies (Symphyta), which look somewhat like wasps, but are in a separate suborder ...
, Veil mistakenly resurrects Carina Walters,
Michael Korvac's wife. Korvac senses 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 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 they may never be cured.
[''Avengers Academy'' #11 (May 2011)]
At the Prom, Mettle and Hazmat shared their thoughts and feelings and decided to start a romantic relationship.
[''Avengers Academy'' #13 (June 2011)]
Fear Itself
In the ''
Fear Itself'' storyline, Mettle throws a pole at an armored 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. When
Titania and Absorbing Man attack the Infinite Mansion, Mettle and Hazmat choose to hold them back and sacrifice themselves for their teammates to escape. However, the Avengers Academy instructors show up to save them.
[''Avengers Academy'' #19 (November 2011)] In the aftermath of Fear Itself, Mettle and Hazmat attempt to have sex, but Hazmat is still traumatized over accidentally killing her previous boyfriend.
[''Avengers Academy'' #20 (December 2011)] This puts further strain on their relationship, especially when
X-23
Laura Kinney (designation X-23) is a fictional superheroine appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, commonly in association with Wolverine (character), Wolverine, whose codename she has also used, and the X-Men. The characte ...
joins the academy and Reptil, under the control of his future self, creates jealousy.
[''Avengers Academy'' #25 (December 2011)]
Avengers Arena and death
In ''
Avengers Arena
''Avengers Arena'' is a comic book series published by Marvel Comics that debuted in December 2012 as part of the Marvel NOW! relaunch. The series shows 16 young heroes from the Marvel Universe and pit them against each other in a kill-or-be-kille ...
'', Mettle is abducted alongside Hazmat, Reptil, X-23,
Juston Seyfert
S'Byll
S'Byll (sometimes spelled S'byll) is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.
S'Byll is a Skrull that was raised on the planet Satriani. She was responsible for curing Super-Skrull of his disease.
Si ...
, and a dozen others by
Arcade
Arcade most often refers to:
* Arcade game, a coin-operated video, pinball, electro-mechanical, redemption, etc., game
** Arcade video game, a coin-operated video game
** Arcade cabinet, housing which holds an arcade video game's hardware
** Arcad ...
. Mettle is killed by Arcade while protecting Hazmat.
[''Avengers Arena'' #1 (December 2012)] 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 of
Hank Pym
Dr. Henry Jonathan Pym is a character (arts), character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by penciller Jack Kirby, editor-plotter Stan Lee and writer Larry Lieber, Pym debuted in ''Tales to Astonish'' #27 (Ja ...
and explain the absence of the teen heroes.
The return of the Avengers Academy
In the web comic ''
Avengers Academy: Marvel's Voices'', Mettle is revealed to have been resurrected and given to
Emplate
Earth Lord
Earth Sentry
Earth Sentry (John Foster) was created by Tom DeFalco and Ron Frenz, and first appeared in ''A-Next'' #2 (1999) in the MC2 universe.
When John and his father Bill were investigating a UFO crash site, they discovered ...
, who feeds on his
bone marrow
Bone marrow is a semi-solid biological tissue, tissue found within the Spongy bone, spongy (also known as cancellous) portions of bones. In birds and mammals, bone marrow is the primary site of new blood cell production (or haematopoiesis). It i ...
. Mettle defeats Emplate and allows the rest of the Academy students to escape, after which he reunites with Hazmat. Healing from Arcade's bomb and Emplate's feeding has restored his face and skin, too.
Powers and abilities
Mettle's body is made of living iridium, which gives him immense superhuman strength and durability. His costume is made of
unstable molecules
In chemistry and physics, metastability is an intermediate energetic state within a dynamical system other than the system's state of least energy.
A ball resting in a hollow on a slope is a simple example of metastability. If the ball is onl ...
which can adjust to his powers.
Due to the tampering of Norman Osborn, Mettle has damaged nerves that diminish his sense of pain and touch.
Other versions
* A zombified alternate universe variant of Mettle from
Earth-2149 appears in ''Marvel Zombies Halloween''.
* An alternate universe variant of Mettle from Earth-11080 appears in ''Marvel Universe Vs. The Avengers''.
Reception
In an article for ''
The Philadelphia Inquirer
''The Philadelphia Inquirer'', often referred to simply as ''The Inquirer'', is a daily newspaper headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Founded on June 1, 1829, ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'' is the third-longest continuously operating da ...
'', Jerome Maida describes Mettle as an "invulnerable powerhouse."
A review of ''Avengers Academy'' #14 by
David Pepose
David Pepose is an American Script (comics), comics writer and former crime reporter who has written for Marvel Comics and Alternative comics, independent comics. His book ''Spencer & Locke'' was nominated multiple times for the Ringo Awards and h ...
for
Newsarama
''Newsarama'' is an American website that publishes news, interviews, and essays about the American comic book industry. It is owned by Future US. In June 2020, Newsarama was merged with the website ''GamesRadar+'', also owned by Future US.
Hi ...
expressed his love of the expressions artist
Sean Chen gives to the characters, including Mettle "whose face still speaks volumes even as it frozen in the shape of a skull." In his review of ''Avengers Academy'' #20, Pepose called
Tom Raney
Tom Raney is an American comic book artist known for illustrating titles as '' Annihilation: Conquest'', '' Alpha Flight'', ''Ultimate X-Men'' and ''Uncanny X-Men'' for Marvel Comics, '' DV8'' and '' Stormwatch'' for Image Comics, and '' Outsider ...
's depiction of the "still-faced" Mettle "absolutely heartbreaking."
References
{{Avengers Academy
Characters created by Christos Gage
Comics characters introduced in 2010
Fictional surfers
Marvel Comics characters with superhuman durability or invulnerability
Marvel Comics characters with superhuman strength
Marvel Comics male superheroes