Slingers - Team Members

Team Members

The four members of the Slingers were:

• Dusk (Cassie St. Commons): Died in Slingers #0 and mysteriously returned from the dead in Slingers #1. She was the Goth daughter of a rich socialite couple from Connecticut. Dusk has many supernatural abilities. Her primary power is the ability to teleport herself (or others) anywhere she wishes to be. She can manipulate shadows to form objects or constructs of solid dark energy. She also has the ability to sense the whereabouts of her teammates, and knows if they are in danger. She is aware of Hornet's feelings towards her, but found herself attracted to Johnny Gallo, who was dating someone else during the course of the series. Her whereabouts following the series' conclusion have not been revealed; although she was seen (wearing her Dusk costume) as a hypnotized prisoner, being held by the Puppet Master in Ms. Marvel (vol. 2) #18. Dusk made no further appearances during the storyline, which concluded with Puppet Master's defeat and the release of his other captives. Her current whereabouts are again unknown.

• Hornet (Eddie McDonough): A freshman at Empire State University and a victim of cerebral palsy, he wore a suit of flight-capable powered armor which enabled him to fly at high speeds. Micro-servos in the armored suit enhanced his strength beyond normal levels and allowed him to use his withered right arm. His gauntlets contained wrist blasters that could fire darts filled with a fast-acting sedative, which he called "Stingers," as well as powerful laser-beams. After the group dissolved, he and Ricochet eventually returned to fighting crime together under the same identities until Hornet was killed battling a brainwashed Wolverine.

• Prodigy (Ritchie Gilmore): The leader of the group, a wrestler who attended Empire State University. He is an athletic, stubborn loner. Prodigy's costume is mystically infused with power, giving him incredible superhuman strength;enough to stop a speeding train with his bare hands. He can leap incredible distances and when he jumps, it appears that he is flying. His golden costume is completely bulletproof, and can withstand most physical assaults. His cape has similar properties, as it alone once protected a child from a burning building, even as the building itself collapsed around him. Prodigy gave up his cape and his powers at the conclusion of the Slingers series. However, an apparently re-empowered Prodigy later resurfaced. He was arrested in Civil War: Frontline #2 at the hands of Iron Man for openly defying the Super Hero Registration Act. Prodigy succeeded in sending a message to the people of the Marvel Universe, and his actions were considered the first act of Civil War. Prodigy was freed by Captain America's team during the prison break and joined said team against Iron Man and his registered superteam. With his side's defeat, he was back to serving his jail time but was offered to serve on the Initiative Program. He eventually begrudgingly joined along with the third group of recruits. It has not been explained how Prodigy regained his cape and his abilities after the team disbanded. Ritchie is not to be confused with David Alleyne of the New Mutants, who also used the codename "Prodigy."

• Ricochet (Johnny Gallo): A mutant with superhuman agility, enabling him to leap great distances. He has incredible reflexes, and when combined with his leaping powers, can seemingly bounce off walls (ricocheting, as it were). His mutant powers also give him a "Danger Sense", which functions much like Spider-Man's "Spider-Sense", allowing Ricochet to sense danger before it happens. His jacket sleeves hold up to eight throwing discs. Originally used to strike at enemies by rebounding off walls, much like Ricochet himself, Hornet later provided Ricochet with special "gimmick" discs, which can return to the thrower after a short time, or even self-destruct. His mother was killed by Orphan-Maker when he was in his early teens, though the identity of the killer remained unknown to Johnny until much later in life. He also had a troubled relationship with his cold and uncaring father. After the group dissolved, Ricochet and Hornet returned to fighting crime at one point, but Hornet's death prompted Johnny to seek help in giving up the costumed life. He joined the Los Angeles-based "teenage superhero recovery group" called Excelsior, where despite the group's mission statement, has repeatedly found himself fighting alongside other members of the group against local threats.