As an intern at a research laboratory, Robert Baldwin was accidentally bombarded by energy bubbles from another dimension. When one of a gang of thieves attempting to steal a rare metal from the lab struck Baldwin it activated his powers causing him to ricochet around the room knocking the crooks unconscious. After learning to control his powers Baldwin became the masked adventurer known as Speedball.
As Speedball, Baldwin joined with other young heroes in a group known as the New Warriors. While Speedball was a member, the New Warriors participated in a reality television program documenting their adventures. When the New Warriors discovered a group of superhuman criminals hiding in the suburban city of Stamford, Connecticut things went horribly wrong. The villain Nitro released his power and the insuring explosion killed most of the members of the New Warriors and 612 citizens - including 60 children at an elementary school playground. Apparently the only surviving member of the New Warriors to be held responsible, Baldwin was publicly scapegoated and incarcerated. While in prison he was given the option of submitting to the new Superhuman Registration Act and joining a government team of pardoned criminals known as the Thunderbolts. No longer the happy-go-lucky hero he once was, Baldwin sought not only redemption but punishment for the deaths of the innocent - contracting the construction of a uniform that would activate his powers through excruciating pain while causing him to pay his Penance.
Current Version:
Speedball
Former Versions:
Penance
