Fictional Biography
The Wrecking Crew are formed when Dirk Garthwaite - the Wrecker - is approached by Dr. Eliot Franklin in prison and asked to retrieve a gamma bomb Eliot had designed, with the intent of ransoming New York for millions of dollars. The Wrecker had formerly been a violent criminal who demolished crime scenes with his crowbar, but gained his power when he was mistaken for Loki and given godly powers by the Norn Queen. Garthwaite manages to retrieve his enchanted crowbar, and during a lightning storm tells Franklin and fellow prisoners Henry Camp and Brian Calusky to grip the weapon simultaneously. A lightning bolt then strikes the crowbar and transforms the four men into the Wrecking Crew. They promptly escape from prison and in the course of searching for the gamma bomb are defeated by the Defenders and Luke Cage.
Over the years the Wrecking Crew have perpetuated a very familiar cycle - escape prison, fight and subsequently lose to superheroes, and return to prison. The Wrecking Crew have battled the Avengers, Captain America, Iron Fist, the Runaways, Spider-Man, the Sub-Mariner, the Thing, and their main foe - Thor. When the Wrecking Crew first battle Thor, they are confident that it will be a quick victory. Thor, however, defeats them all in moments and critically injures the Wrecker - infuriated by the fact that one of the Wrecker's offensives has killed an innocent bystander. Thunderball escapes and several weeks later recovers the Wrecker's crowbar, and goes on to form his own gang before being defeated by Spider-Man.
The team is later chosen by the being known as the Beyonder to participate in the Secret Wars against a team of select superheroes.
The Wrecking Crew's most despicable act was to participate in the near-fatal beating of the hero Hercules during a siege of Avengers Mansion by the supervillain team the Masters of Evil. With Thor's assistance, Hercules eventually confronts the Wrecking Crew and defeats them, restoring his confidence in himself.
The Wrecking Crew was imprisoned in the Raft, when Electro freed the inmates in the New Avengers.
Read more about this topic: Wrecking Crew (comics)
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