Grapplers (comics)

Grapplers
Publication information
Publisher Marvel Comics
First appearance Marvel Two-in-One #54 (Aug 1979)
Created by Mark Gruenwald
Ralph Macchio
John Byrne
In-story information
Type of business Professional wrestling
Owner(s) Auntie Freeze
Employee(s) Battleaxe
Butterball
Cowgirl
Gladiatrix
Magilla
Poundcakes
Sushi
Vavavoom

The Grapplers are a fictional organization appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. It was a loosely organized band of female wrestlers, most of whom gained superhuman strength after their first published appearances, through the group known as Power Broker, Inc.

Publication history

The Grapplers first appeared in Marvel Two-in-One #54-56 (August–October 1979), and were created by Mark Gruenwald, Ralph Macchio, and John Byrne.

History

Titania, Letha, Poundcakes, and Screaming Mimi, the original four Grapplers, were drafted by the Roxxon Oil Company to invade Project: Pegasus, along with the warrior Thundra.[1] They were given designed costumes and specialized weaponry to heighten their formidable prowess at physical combat. However, Quasar and Giant-Man defeated the quartet and gave them over to authorities.[2]

The group later attacked Dazzler while they were all incarcerated at Ryker's Island in attempt to get vengeance after the Klaw's seeming death at her hands. After getting beaten to near death, Dazzler was able to defeat the Grapplers with a light blast.[3]

The Grapplers then escaped prison and planned to attack the Thing with several other super-villains, though the Avengers, the X-Men, the Fantastic Four, and various other super-heroes foiled their plans.[4] Afterward, the Grapplers decided to halt their illegal activities and become legitimate wrestlers. They soon branched out, and several new members joined their ranks. Soon after, Titania was slain by the Scourge of the Underworld.[5] Investigating her death, Letha also soon met her demise at the Scourge's hands.[6] Screaming Mimi later joined the Thunderbolts[7], while Poundcakes became a freelance mercenary.[8]

Letha and Titania were resurrected years later by the Hood, alongside several other victims of the Scourge. The Hood also gifted the pair with new powers: Letha with the ability to inspire irrational rage telepathically and Titania with the ability to inspire irrational lust. Titania took the codename Lascivious to better represent her new power set.[9]

The Grapplers then resurfaced, consisting of Letha, Lascivious, Poundcakes, and a new Screaming Mimi. Together, they battled their old teammate Songbird, but were defeated and arrested with the exception of the new Screaming Mimi who was a teenage runaway forced to work with them.[10]

The Grapplers escaped imprisonment, and in subsequent appearances often appeared individually or in pairs. Poundcakes was seen breaking out of the Raft alongside Moonstone and several other female criminals.[11] Letha and Lascivious were recruited into the Masters of Evil and spent time in Bagalia.[12] Letha and Poundcakes were later seen with the second Titania, Mary MacPherran at a bar.[13]

Artificial constructs of Grapplers members Poundcakes, Battleaxe, and Gladiatrix were used by Yon-Rogg to battle Captain Marvel, though they were quickly defeated.[14] Similarly, Arcade used constructs of the original Grapplers to battle Dazzler.[15]

As part of the All-New, All-Different Marvel, Letha and Poundcakes appeared as hired extortionists. They battled Nadia Pym, the new Wasp, along with her allies.[16] The Grapplers' defeat led to their imprisonment, though Nadia and Janet Van Dyne later hired them as bodyguards for their new "G.I.R.L." (Genius In action Research Labs) initiative.[17]

Membership

The original line-up bears superficial resemblance to the Female Furies, from Jack Kirby's New Gods.

Titania / Lascivious

Titania (Davida DeVito) was the field leader of the original Grapplers. She wielded an energy rod which enabled her to blast long-range bursts. When the Grapplers were imprisoned, Titania became the leader of the women's wing. While she was crafty, she was also a very sore loser, and the other Grapplers were worried for their reputation after Titania's defeat at the hands of Battleaxe. After the Grapplers attempted to go legitimate as professional wrestlers, Titania was killed by the Scourge of the Underworld posing as a new recruit, Golddigger. She is not to be confused with the more recent Titania, who took her name around the time of her death. Titania, along with Letha, was revived by The Hood during "Dark Reign", adopting the codename Lascivious.

Letha

Letha (Hellen Feliciano) was a blonde bombshell who specialized in acrobatic wrestling. She also used specialized leather belts and straps, though she most often battle in hand-to-hand combat. While the other Grapplers were notable for their strong, feminist personalities, Letha instead had a very feminine personality, often flirting with the enemies or showing concern over fashion. After Titania was slain by the Scourge of the Underworld, Letha joined Firebrand and several other super-villains as they plotted a way to stop the vigilante. However, Letha and the others were soon shot to death by the Scourge themselves. Letha, along with Titania, was revived by The Hood during "Dark Reign".

Poundcakes

Poundcakes (Marian Pouncy) is an ex-convict who joined the Grapplers despite her record. She was given seismic boots by Roxxon, which enabled her to create shockwaves and tremors by stomping the ground. Slightly overweight, Poundcakes was the strongest member of the Grapplers. After Titania and Letha had been killed by the Scourge of the Underworld, Poundcakes became a freelance mercenary. She battled Captain America several times and eventually joined the Femizons, though her stay with Superia was short-lived. She later returned to mercenary work, and rejoined the Grapplers when Titania (now called Lascivious) and Letha were resurrected by the Hood.

Screaming Mimi

Screaming Mimi (Mimi Schwartz/Melissa Gold) met Poundcakes in prison and soon after, was invited to join the Grapplers. Roxxon operated on Screaming Mimi's vocal cords, giving her the ability to drive a person to insanity with her screams. The only Grappler who is not capable of superhuman strength, Screaming Mimi proved useful on several missions. Soon after Titania and Letha were killed, Screaming Mimi joined the Masters of Evil and eventually turned over a new leaf, calling herself Songbird and joining the Thunderbolts.

Later recruits

  • Auntie Freeze (Ann Fraley) used to be a professional wrestler and was the founder of the Grapplers. Each of the four original Grapplers were protégés of Auntie Freeze, and despite her promotion, the Grapplers were unable to gain popularity. She was then contacted by Roxxon, who fitted the four girls to become mercenaries. She later came up with the idea to merge with the Unlimited Class Wrestling Federation and have the girls become legitimate wrestlers to put their past behind them, though the original four did not stick with the idea.
  • Battleaxe (Anita Ehren) is wrestler who uses a pair of axes as her weapon of choice. Among the new recruits, Battleaxe was the only one to succeed in defeating an original member of the Grapplers, Titania. After Titania's murder, Battleaxe blamed the Thing and later battled him in the ring herself. She defeated him, but discovered he allowed her to win and she declared the battle void. Later, she joined the Femizons and battled Captain America, as well as the BAD Girls, Inc.. Most recently, she was seen battling Ms. Marvel, though she was quickly defeated.
  • Butterball (Vivian Dolan) is an overweight wrestler who uses her massive body as a weapon.
  • Cowgirl (Deb Lowry) is a cowboy-themed wrestler.
  • Gladiatrix (Robbin Braxton) is a professional wrestler. Unlike the other new recruits, Gladiatrix chose to use her massive strength for the good of mankind, though she did serve briefly as an agent of Superia's Femizons. She participated in the Civil War and was commended for her duties as a super-hero. At one point, she tried to join the Avengers, but was inevitably rejected.
  • Magilla (Sandy Stalmaster) is a wrestler who is notable for her excess body hair.
  • Sushi (Susan Hayakawa) is a Japanese wrestler who uses karate as her fighting style.
  • Vavavoom (Dawn Middlebury) is a wrestler known for her beauty. While the other Grapplers are known for their muscles, Vavavoom is quite petite and the most conventionally attractive of the group.

References

  1. ↑ Marvel Two-in-One #54 (1979)
  2. ↑ Marvel Two-in-One #56 (1979)
  3. ↑ Dazzler #13 (1982)
  4. ↑ Marvel Two-in-One #96 (1983)
  5. ↑ Thing #33 (1986)
  6. ↑ Captain America #319 (1986)
  7. ↑ Thunderbolts #1 (1997)
  8. ↑ U.S. Agent #2 (2001)
  9. ↑ Punisher #5-9 (2009)
  10. ↑ Women of Marvel #2 (2011)
  11. ↑ Thunderbolts #159 (2011)
  12. ↑ Secret Avengers #29 (July 2012)
  13. ↑ A+X #12 (2013)
  14. ↑ Avengers: The Enemy Within #1 (2013)
  15. ↑ Dazzler #1 (2010)
  16. ↑ The Unstoppable Wasp #4 (2017)
  17. ↑ The Unstoppable Wasp #8 (2017)
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