Team leader: Wrecker III
Other members: Bulldozer II, Piledriver II and Thunderball.
Allies: Secret Wars Villains, Masters of Evil IV.
Major enemies: Avengers
First appearance:
Origin:
About the team:
History:
Dirk Garthwaite was born in New York city, he was a manual laborer. Henry was born in Topeka, Kansas and he joined the U.S. army where he became a master sergent. Brian Phillip Calusky was born in Brooklyn and became a farmhand. Eliot Franklin was born in Buffalo, New York and became a physicist and engineer. All four landed in jail for various reasons.
Dirk was accidentially given superhuman powers ment for Loki by Karnilla, became the Wrecker III and battled Thor. Defeated by Sif animating the Destroyer (Mighty Thor #148-150).
Wrecker III escaped confinement, battled Thor, who neutralized his superhuman powers (Mighty Thor #171).
Wrecker III decided to share his powers with Henry, Brian and Eliot, who became Bulldozer II, Piledriver II and Thunderball. The named their group the Wrecking Crew. The Wrecking Crew battled Doctor Strange, Nighthalk, Hulk and Power Man while attempting to locate a gamma bomb (Defenders #17-19).
The Wrecker III was controlled by the Puppet Master into attacking the Fantastic Four (Fantastic Four #168).
The Wrecking Crew battled Captain America and Iron Fist while trying to lure Thor into battle (Iron Fist #11-12).
The Wrecking Crew battled Thor in an attempt to gain revenge (Mighty Thor #304) and attacked Iron Man II (Iron Man #171).
The Wrecking Crew were taken to the Battleworld by the Beyonder and involved in the Secret Wars (Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars #1-12).
The Wrecking Crew were recruited by Baron Zemo II into the Masters of Evil IV so they could take over the Avengers mansion. They helped brutally beat Hercules, but were eventually defeated and the Crew's powers were drained back into the Wrecker III by Thor (Avengers #273-277).
The Wrecking Crew battled Spider-Man and Spider-Woman II while attempting at acquire the means to blackmail the federal government. Thunderball fought with the Wrecker III for control over the Norn power, and they were defeated by Spider-Man and Spider-Woman II, and Thunderball went into police custody. Wrecker III's mother died (Spectacular Spider-Man #125-126).
The Wrecker III decided to hunt down Thunderball for betraying him was able to discover that Thunderball was being held by police in a safe house on Yancy Street, about the same time the Thing was visiting his old neighborhood. The Wrecker III tried to kill Thunderball, but the Thing defeated him in combat (Fantastic Four #355).
While serving time in the Vault, Thunderball helped lead a number of convict in an escape attempt. He clashed with Venom for leadership, fought the Avengers and Freedom Force, and helped Iron Man and Henry Pym disarm a bomb that would have destroyed the Vault (The Vault Graphic Novel).
Somehow he was freed from the Vault during the Loki's Acts of Vengenace and his powers restored. Thunderball was among a number of super villains mind controlled into attacking the Fantastic Four while they were testifying before congress (Fantastic Four #335).
Also during the Acts of Vengenace the Wrecker III attempted to kill Tony Stark and battled Iron Man (Iron Man #251).
The Crew freed the Wrecker III and Ulik the troll from police custody while attempting to gain the Wrecker III's crowbar. They fought Hercules and Thor, but were defeated. The Wrecker III teleported himself and the Crew away with the crowbar (Mighty Thor #418).
The Wrecking Crew battled Thor, Excalibur and Code Blue (Mighty Thor #426-428).
The Crew battled Ghost Rider II and their powers were drained by Loki (Mighty Thor #429).
Thunderball was freed from police custody by the Secret Empire. He has used an exoskeleton and electrifed wrecking ball of his own design. As an agent of the Secret Empire and faced Spider-Man, Darkhawk, Punisher, Moon Knight, Nova and Night Thrasher (Amazing Spider-Man #353-358).
Thunderball was able to restore the powers of the Crew with technology he developed. Joshua Lord, arranged for Thunderball to enter Canada so that his private security force, the Hardliners, could apprehend him and thus enhance their reputation and hopefully reinforce their case, when those responsible for the enforcement of the Super Powers Registration act is decided. Thunderball was unaware of this plan and started to cause great property damage to Toronto when the Hardliners attempted to use a device called the Pacifier on him. Alpha Flight arrived on the scene after the Hardliners had left and found themselves in conflict with an enraged Thunderball. Alpha tried to subdue him, but it was Aurora who rendered him unconcious by radiating different degrees of light and overpowering his senses. However the rest of the Wrecking Crew arrived at that moment. The Wrecking Crew's greater experience enabled them to take the upper hand for a while and both Windshear and Northstar were injured. It was only with the
arrival of Wild Heart and Beta Flight that Alpha started to gain an advantage. With
Thunderball unconcious and unable to see a clear victory, the Wrecker III gathered his team around him and teleported them all away, but he warned Alpha that they made an enemy this day (Alpha Flight #118-119).
After loosing their powers again they were granted new powers by Arnim Zola. Zola then sent the Rat Pack to New York city in the aftermath of Onslaught to kidnap people to experiment on. The Thunderbolts tried to stop the Rat Pack, so they lead the Thunderbolts into the hands of the Wrecking Crew at Liberty Island, but the Thunderbolts defeated the Crew (Thunderbolts #1).
The Crew were then freed from prison and recruited by the Doomsday Man to capture his old foe Ms. Marvel (who was now calling herself Warbird), but they mistakenly captured Photon (who used to go by the name Captain Marvel II) and the Doomsday Man attempted to disintegrate them as punishment. The Scarlet Witch used one of her hex bolts to save them and this accidentially transported the Crew and Photon to the world of Polemacus. (Avengers III #15-16).
On Polemacus the Crew conquored the kingdom ruled by Arkon and Thundra, but the Avengers followed and were able to defeat them (Avengers #17-18).
By chance, a civilian-garbed Dirk Garthwaite spoted Thor and the Warriors Three getting milkshakes in New York city. He alerted the Wrecking Crew, who attacked the heroes. While Thor is busy fighting Dirk, Thunderball drained Hogun the Grim. After keeping Hogun alive with CPR, an enraged Thor goes after the Crew, who've taken over a mansion. Thor shows up and levels the Crew. (Mighty Thor II #28-29).
The Wrecking Crew were recruited by Baron Zemo II into the Masters of Evil IV so they could take over the Avengers mansion. They helped brutally beat Hercules, but were eventually defeated and the Crew's powers were drained back into the Wrecker III by Thor (Avengers #273-277).
The Wrecking Crew battled Spider-Man and Spider-Woman II while attempting at acquire the means to blackmail the federal government. Thunderball fought with the Wrecker III for control over the Norn power, and they were defeated by Spider-Man and Spider-Woman II, and Thunderball went into police custody. Wrecker III's mother died (Spectacular Spider-Man #125-126).
Thunderball was able to restore the powers of the Crew with technology he developed. Joshua Lord, arranged for Thunderball to enter Canada so that his private security force, the Hardliners, could apprehend him and thus enhance their reputation and hopefully reinforce their case, when those responsible for the enforcement of the Super Powers Registration act is decided. Thunderball was unaware of this plan and started to cause great property damage to Toronto when the Hardliners attempted to use a device called the Pacifier on him. Alpha Flight arrived on the scene after the Hardliners had left and found themselves in conflict with an enraged Thunderball. Alpha tried to subdue him, but it was Aurora who rendered him unconcious by radiating different degrees of light and overpowering his senses. However the rest of the Wrecking Crew arrived at that moment. The Wrecking Crew's greater experience enabled them to take the upper hand for a while and both Windshear and Northstar were injured. It was only with the
arrival of Wild Heart and Beta Flight that Alpha started to gain an advantage. With
Thunderball unconcious and unable to see a clear victory, the Wrecker III gathered his team around him and teleported them all away, but he warned Alpha that they made an enemy this day (Alpha Flight #118-119).
