| Strong Guy | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | The New Mutants #29 (July 1985) |
| Created by | Chris Claremont Bill Sienkiewicz |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Guido Carosella |
| Species | Human Mutant |
| Team affiliations | X-Factor Investigations Singularity Investigations X-Factor The Arena |
| Abilities | Ability to rechannelkinetic energy into physical strength |
Strong Guy (Guido Carosella) is a fictionalsuperhero appearing inAmerican comic books published byMarvel Comics. He was created byChris Claremont andBill Sienkiewicz and first appeared inThe New Mutants #29 (July 1985).[1]
Strong Guy first appeared inThe New Mutants #29 (July 1985) as Lila Cheney's bodyguard known only as Guido. He joinedX-Factor inX-Factor #71, and was first called Strong Guy inX-Factor #72. Guido's struggles with picking a codename are used for comic effect in the story, andX-Factor writerPeter David admitted that in real life he had difficulty coming up with a decent codename for the character.[2]
Born inRhinebeck, New York to working-class Italian parents, Guido Carosella gained a fortune in a settlement when his parents were killed by falling space debris, and was subsequently taken in by his aunt and uncle. His mutant powers were triggered in childhood during a battle with schoolyard bullies, causing him to become overly muscular and isolate further from his peers. Guido coped with his pain by developing an outgoing "public face", rarely letting even those close to him see him in discomfort.
During the incident with the bus, another boy, Charlie Ronalds, was hurt by Guido's flailing. Due to luck, Charlie survived with only a slight limp. He would later become the villainCharon.[3]
After losing much of his fortune, Guido becomes aroadie andbouncer forLila Cheney.[4][5][6][7] He later works with severalMuir Island mutants to defeat theShadow King, after which they form a new incarnation ofX-Factor.[8][9]
Guido's teammates areHavok,Polaris,Wolfsbane, andQuicksilver. Required to come up with a codename, Guido announces himself as "Strong Guy" at an X-Factorpress conference after hearing a reporter say, "He must be the strong guy! Every super-group has a strong guy!".[10]
Mister Sinister manipulates Strong Guy into destroying theWashington Monument while fightingSlab.[11] With X-Factor, he aids the American-supported Trans-Sabal government in a war against rebels, and fights theHulk, then battles theMutant Liberation Front.[12][13] He also fights theBrotherhood of Mutants.[14]
InThe Infinity War, Strong Guy is among the superheroes who travel across the multiverse to battleAdam Warlock's alter-egos, the Magus and the Goddess.[15][16] Lila Cheney later attempts to have him return to her, but he refuses.[17]
Strong Guy also develops a deep friendship with Wolfsbane. At one point, he personally brings her to Muir Island to get her medical attention.[18] His other best friend on the team,Multiple Man, is seemingly killed attempting to remove theLegacy Virus from his body.[19]
Strong Guy remains a member of X-Factor until an incident inMadripoor. While battling theK'Lanti, he absorbs the energy of one of their bombs and suffers a severeheart attack.[20] Afterwards, he is put insuspended animation to recover untilForge heals him.[21] Afterwards, he chooses to accompany Lila and her band in their travels instead of rejoining the increasingly fractious X-Factor.[22]
Strong Guy was later seen inTokyo as a member of a mutant fighting club called the Arena, in which the mutant fighters were being secretly enslaved by other mutants. He helpedStorm andCallisto in taking down the enslavers.[23]
InPeter David's run onX-Factor, in the aftermath of Marvel's "Decimation" storyline, Strong Guy moves toNew York City to become anenforcer for Jamie Madrox's detective agency,X-Factor Investigations. In the process, he rejoins many of his former teammates from the previous incarnation of X-Factor.[24][25]
Strong Guy later considers becoming the sheriff of Mutant Town, but changes his mind whenArcade destroys the town.[26][27] He is later killed protectingJ. Jonah Jameson from super-powered assassins, but is resurrected byLayla Miller. However, Strong Guy no longer has a soul, which leads him to become more aggressive and kill Wolfsbane's son Tier to become the lord of Hell.[28][29][30][31][32][33]Red Hulk eventually convinces Strong Guy to abandon the position, but he remains in Hell to regain his soul.[34]
Strong Guy returns inDeath of X, along with other mutants, helping the X-Men.[35]
InSecret Empire, Strong Guy is seen among the inhabitants of the mutant nation of New Tian followingHydra's takeover of the United States.[36]
At some point, Strong Guy regains his soul with help fromMagik and joins her team of New Mutants. While fighting his teammates, who have been infected with theTransmode virus, he suffers from a heart attack, butDanielle Moonstar saves him by infecting him with atechno-organic virus.[33]
A still techno-organic Strong Guy is held captive by O*N*E and placed inside aSentinel. He is rescued byCyclops andWolverine before sacrificing himself to save the others by absorbing massive amounts of energy.[37]
Strong Guy is later seen onKrakoa, having been revived by the Krakoan council like many other previously dead mutants.[38]
Strong Guy possesses superhuman strength which he can increase by absorbingkinetic energy and use it to enhance his physical strength to an unmeasured limit. He cannot store the energy he absorbs for very long, and must physically expel it within 90 seconds to prevent it from permanently distorting his body.[39] He possesses superhuman stamina and durability.[volume & issue needed]
An unusual percentage of his body mass is stored in the upper half of his body, causing him to appear top-heavy and thus very imposing. Strong Guy's powers first appeared after being beaten by bullies and hit by a bus; unable to expel the energy, his body was permanently warped.[3] Strong Guy's maximum strength level is such that he has sufficient power to move theBlob,[40] or briefly stand toe to toe with theHulk, although the latter's rage-enhanced strength was so powerful that the energy of channeling merely one blow put Strong Guy in danger of a heart attack afterwards.[41][33] Guido is formidable at hand-to-hand combat in the style of street fighting.[volume & issue needed]
Guido has a gifted intellect and is a talented actor and comedian. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in drama from New York University.[volume & issue needed]
Strong Guy isnearsighted and wears corrective "bottlecap" lenses.[volume & issue needed]
An alternate universe variant of Strong Guy from Earth-295 appears inAge of Apocalypse.[44]
Strong Guy appears as a playable card inMarvel Snap.[47][39][48]
| Creators | |
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| Founders | |
| Government Team | |
| X-Factor Investigations | |
| Serval | |
| Supporting | |
| Enemies | |
