Name

Current Alias

Aliases

Daisy, Ihatethat guy. I think he's a delusional, bitter old man. I think he's fighting a war that's beenover a long time. I thinkwe're wasting our time and trying to change a world that doesn'twant to be changed.The only reason why I stick around is you.

Early Life[]

James Taylor James, better known asJ.T. James, was the descendant of famed western heroCarter Slade better known as thePhantom Rider. He had the the power to manipulate Hellfire, first discovering this power when he was attacked with a chain, caught it, and transformed it into aHellfire Chain. Before theSkrulls'Secret Invasion started,Nick Fury taskedDaisy Johnson with recruiting select individuals that he had files on for what would become his secret strike force team. She found J.T. working in a convenience store and watched as he demonstrated his powers with a flaming chain. When she first approached him and told him she was aware he had powers, he asked her "Who the @#$% are you?".^[8]

Secret Invasion[]

As a member of the "Secret Warriors," he was excited at having powers and hoped Nick Fury paid well. He was given the code name Hellfire and was trained alongsideStonewall (Jerry Sledge),Phobos,Yo-Yo Rodriguez, andSebastian Druid.^[8] One of the team's first missions was to take out theDard'van, the religious sect of the Skrulls leading the invasion.^[9] They worked with the remaining heroes not replaced by Skrulls.^{[10][11][2][12][13]} J.T. and the team had a final showdown with the Skrulls inCentral Park.^[14][15] The heroes won and the Skrulls were banished from Earth.^[16] After the battle, J.T. and the team struggled to deal with the fallout of the invasion.^[17]

Secret Warriors[]

Fury's Secret Warriors were sent to an old S.H.I.E.L.D. base inTexas to observe activity there. They discovered Hydra operatives there. In defiance of their orders to observe only, Slingshot, The Druid, and Stonewall engaged the terrorists. When they got back, Fury chastised them for getting seen. Hellfire expected a pat on the shoulder. Fury asked where's the lesson in that; Hellfire quoted his lesson of the difference with luck or discipline; he also pointed out that Fury got that quote from William Westmoreland. Fury shot back that he might have stolen it from someone else. He told his team that they deserve a break.^[18] At dinner Phobos revealed his ability to see the future and prophecies about each member, including that J.T. would die soon.^[19] The team went on their first mission against Hydra, but were no match againstGorgon and had to retreat.^[20] J.T. Slade went through Fury's stuff, but was found by Phobos.

Instead of stopping him, he helped him. They both manage to find where Fury kept hisLife Model Decoy.^[21] After Nick Fury stole $1.2 billion dollars from a HYDRA-owned bank, J.T. secretly stole some of it. When J.T. and Phobos were on monitor duty, they intercepted a message fromBlack Widow requesting immediate extraction, much to their joy.^[22] The team was attacked by theDark Avengers andH.A.M.M.E.R.,^[23] but by working together they were able to escape.^[24][25] After a fight with Fury, J.T. offered to take Daisy out for a drink. Daisy vented her anger at J.T. but as she calmed down, she asked him what "J.T." stands for. He answered that it is James Taylor, as he was named by his mother after the singer/songwriter; he remarked that Daisy did remind him of her. Daisy then asked how he dealt with Fury. Hellfire admitted that he hated the veteran, and the only reason he stuck around with him is because of her.^[26] One evening, the team played cards. When both he and J.T. makes unhappy comments towards Quake for dismissing Druid, she admitted that Fury didn't think he was good enough. However, Stonewall was completely opposed to this, commenting about how seeing his father reminding him of how damaged and alone he has been. But because of Fury, they all had a purpose and they should be working as a family. Everyone but Phobos voted for bringing Druid back. Phobos explained that he's a pragmatist and Fury wouldn't care. Nonetheless, Quake decided to do it anyway. Daisy later returned, rejected by Fury; and strode into the kitchen, where Phobos, J.T. and Eden had a bet about the number of marshmallows. Daisy pushed J.T. right against the fridge before kissing him.^[27] After another romantic moment with Daisy, he received a simple text on his cell phone, reading, "Meet now." He made his way to the Black Atlas Bar to meet withBaron von Strucker.^[6]

The team helped Fury and the other heroes during theSiege ofAsgard.^[28][29][30]

Final Battle With Hydra[]

Hydra was able to track all the money, and while they were unable to do anything about what was funneled to the secret armyDum Dum Dugan was building up for Fury, they were able to find J.T. They turned him into a double-agent and forced him to reveal all he knew of Nick Fury's plans, in return for immunity for himself and Daisy. As Fury prepared the team for battle, Hellfire tricked Quake into letting him out for a while so he could tell his Hydra contact about Fury's plan to attack the main Hydra base ofGehenna.^[31]

• Mighty Avengers #13 claims that J.T. inherited his powers from thePhantom Rider, the "originalGhost Rider," but the Phantom Rider was not truly a Ghost Rider in the sense of having aSpirit of Vengeance. He was simply the first character to use the name "Ghost Rider" and was renamed to avoid confusion withJohnny Blaze.
  • Avengers: Roll Call #1 attempts to explain why J.T. has Ghost Rider–like powers when Carter Slade is not a real Ghost Rider by attributing it to his "mystical bloodline," giving him latent pyrokinesis. The handbook entry notably avoids using the term "Ghost Rider."
  • The 2007Ghost Rider movie adaptsCarter Slade as a real Ghost Rider. It was released just the year beforeMighty Avengers #13 and may have been the cause for the conflation.

• J.T. is named afterJames Taylor, the singer/songwriter, by his mother.^[26]
• J.T. goes by "J.T." and is even listed as "J.T." inNick Fury's files provided toDaisy. She had to personally ask what it stands for, and when she found out his name is "James James," she said that is the "trashiest, white-trash name ever," in a flirting manner.^[26]
• J.T. has a poster ofGhost Rider.^[25]
• J.T. is curious about making out with himself (via aLife Model Decoy).^[35]

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• Marvel