Wrecker

Origin

Dirk Garthwaite's very first appearance was in Thor. He was fired from his job in a demolition crew due to his violent tendencies. Not long after he created the alias the Wrecker, he created a costume and went on a series of robberies leaving a crowbar at the scene of every crime as his signature. He enters a hotel room that was being occupied by Thor's brother Loki and puts on his helmet after knocking him out. The end result of that was his crowbar now being indestructible as well as superhuman strength and endurance.

With his newfound power he easily defeats Thor who at the time had his power reduced by his father Odin. The Wrecker is then defeated by Sif. The next time the Wrecker fights Thor he is easily defeated.

Creation

The Wrecker was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in 1968 and first appeared in Thor # 148.

Story Arcs

His next appearance is in the title Defenders. This is when he forms the group known as the Wrecking Crew. The other members of the group are Thunderball, Bulldozer and Piledriver. The Wrecking Crew goes on to fight members of the group the Defenders while searching for a Gamma Bomb, only to be defeated.

In the House Of M: Masters Of Evil, the Wrecker along with the other members of the Wrecking Crew make an appearance as part of The Hood's Masters Of Evil.

The Wrecker along with his Wrecking Crew made an appearance in the Runaways. With the fall of the Pride the Wrecking Crew went to Los Angeles thinking it would be easier to lead a life of crime out there since there aren't and superheroes. They were robbing a bank when the Runaways showed up. They were easily defeated once again.

The Wrecker made an appearance in the New Avengers. He broke out of the security prison known as the Raft. He went to retrieve his costume and crowbar. The New Avengers showed up to stop him. He told them he had the power of a god and displayed his true power as he beat up on them until finally they were able to overpower him mostly due to Spider-Woman's power to attract males to her allowing the other members of the Avengers to get the upper hand on him.

The Wrecker is currently not in possession of his enchanted crowbar. Luke Cage used his crowbar to beat Norman Osborn's Dark Avengers after they aided him in his search for his kidnapped daughter.

Wrecker and his crew are currently working for the Hood, they are all are members of the Hood's Gang.

While in the Hood's Gang, Dirk fought the Enforcers and Daredevil over a power struggle between the two gangs.

During the Secret Invasion he fought the Skrulls next to the heroes to save Earth. He also, has fought the the New Avengers along side his Wrecking Crew and others of the Hood's Gang.

The Wrecker and the Wrecking crew are still members of the Hood's Gang during both the Dark Reign and the Siege. He and his crew have fought the New Avengers on several occasions during both sagas.

Powers

The Wrecker possesses various superhuman attributes as a result of the magical power bestowed upon him by Karnilla the Norn Queen.

Superhuman Strength:

The Wrecker is superhumanly strong and, while fully empowered, is capable of lifting about 40 tons. However, while sharing his strength with the other members of the Wrecking Crew, he is only able to lift about 10 tons. This changed when Ulik

, another foe of Thor, taught the Wrecker how to master his Asgardian-based powers. The Wrecker is now capable of retaining his original strength and greater use of his powers while still empowering the other members of The Wrecking Crew.

Superhuman Stamina:

The Wrecker's musculature generates less fatigue toxins during physical activity than the musculature of an ordinary human. While fully empowered, he can exert himself at peak capacity for about 24 hours before fatigue begins to impair him. However, while sharing his powers with the other three members of the Wrecking Crew, his stamina is considerably diminished. In this state, he is capable of exert himself at peak capacity for about 6 hours.

Superhuman Durability: While fully empowered, the Wrecker's body is highly resistant to all forms of physical injury. He is able to withstand armor piercing machine gun shells, temperature and pressure extremes, falls from great heights, multiple blows from Thor's enchanted hammer, etc. without sustaining injury. While sharing his powers with the other members of the Wrecking Crew, his resistance to damage is substantially decreased. However, his body is still much tougher than that of an ordinary human. He can still withstand great impact forces, high temperatures, and .45 caliber bullets.

Mystical Link:

The Wrecker has established a mental link with his enchanted crowbar. In the past when the Wrecker has lost his superhuman powers, the power has transferred itself into the crowbar. By making physical contact with the crowbar, the Wrecker can transfer the power back into himself. Also, by touching the crowbar, the Wrecker can magically transform whatever he is wearing into his costume. By concentrating on the crowbar, the Wrecker can use it to take mental possession of whoever touches it, and cause an enchanted aura that can repel bullets to surround that person. The Wrecker can also locate members of The Wrecking Crew by concentrating on his crowbar.

Crowbar of the Gods

The Wrecker carries a 4-foot long steel crowbar that was also affected by Karnilla’s magical enchantment, becoming virtually indestructible. It is able to store and release the Wrecker's enchantment, enabling him to share it among the Wrecker and the rest of his Crew. Wielded by the superhumanly strong Wrecker, the crowbar becomes a weapon of vast destructive potential. The Wrecker has used the crowbar to demolish entire buildings in minutes and to hold off the thunder god Thor in battle. The Wrecker has used the crowbar offensively as both a throwing weapon and a bat.