Nuke was created by Frank Miller and David Mazzuchelli. He first appeared in Daredevil #232. Nuke largely disappeared following his apparent death in Daredevil #233, although his origin was explored and touched upon in issues of Captain America and Wolverine. It was not until Grant Morrison's New X-Men, when it's revealed Nuke was involved in the Weapon Plus program, that the character made a return in subsequent stories.
Fictional character biography
Frank Simpson was a test subject of the Weapon Plus program, the supersoldier program that had created Captain America and would later have their Weapon X facility transform Wolverine into a killing machine. The enhancing and conditioning process went awry, leaving Nuke seriously deranged.
The disturbed son of a wealthy, abusive, alcoholic, upper-class woman in Ohio, Frank soon developed an unhealthy affection for his babysitter, the only real maternal figure in his life. The young woman, who was harboring feelings for his father Charles Simpson, capitalized on Frank's affection and talked the boy into killing his mother. Wolverine, at that time an operative for Weapon Plus, had been sent to kidnap Frank. Wolverine showed up, dressed as a cop. He then stalked Charles and the babysitter, eventually shooting the girl with Charles's gun, after which Charles committed suicide. Wolverine then went to Frank's place and abducted him for the supersoldier project.[1]
Years later, Frank Simpson was sent into the Vietnam War as a black-ops agent. Captured by the Viet Cong, Frank was severely tortured by Logan (who was posing as a Russian intelligence liaison), shattering Frank's still unbalanced mind. While torturing him (even carving the American flag into his face that years later would become part of his superpowered personality), he implanted the phrase "No V.C.!" as a trigger word, along with the compulsion to kill gruesomely, in retaliation for the tortures suffered, anyone who uttered the words. He then allowed Frank to escape, testing his work with a village of peasants, who, seeing an American soldier, tried to soothe his anger and convince him to spare them, shouting the "No V.C.!" phrase, meaning that they were not Viet Cong. Frank, in response to the trigger word, burnt the village to the ground, killing every inhabitant. The experiment being a success, Logan was installed as his handler. Due to his trauma, Nuke often hallucinates that the enemies he is fighting are the Viet Cong.[2]
At some time during the war, Nuke was inducted into the final part of the Project Homegrown, the Weapon VII programs, that turned him into a partial cyborg with a subdermal mesh able to deflect bullets, and a second heart that, working in conjunction with some (placebo) pills, controlled his aggression, leaving him addicted as well. His whereabouts after the war are still unknown.[3]
First appearance
Nuke resurfaces employed by Generalissimo Felix Guillermo Carridad of Tierra Verde to destroy a rebel base. Carridad is impressed with his skills, and he enjoys using Nuke periodically as a superhuman iconic symbol.[4] Following an operation in Nicaragua, the Kingpin hires Nuke through a corrupt general and sends him to kill Daredevil. Nuke launches an attack on Hell's Kitchen, but is defeated by Daredevil. Enraged at a Daily Bugle article reporting on his mass murder in Hell's Kitchen, he escapes his handlers, intending to destroy the Daily Bugle building. He is intercepted by Captain America and shot by a military chopper. He faints from the wound and is presumed dead by the general public.[5] Nuke was taken into custody by the government, still controlled by the Tierra Verde enclave.[6]
Wolverine: Origins – The Death of Wolverine
In the series Wolverine: Origins, following Wolverine's full memories regained, and embarking on a mission to take care of loose ends, the U.S. government dispatches Nuke to hunt Wolverine down.[7] Though Wolverine dispatches Nuke, it is revealed that Nuke's enhanced physiology has further mutated, giving him cybernetic limbs, bones and skull, and the ability to survive the most gruesome injuries, but has left him devoid of any personality or conscience. When Wolverine tries to kill him, Captain America intervenes, believing that Nuke is a failed subject of the Super Soldier Program. Wolverine asks the telepath Emma Frost to restore Nuke's broken mind, saying that he'll euthanize Nuke if he determines this is not possible.[8]
During Norman Osborn's tenure as the head of the American peace-keeping organization H.A.M.M.E.R., the character uses the "Scourge" alias and added to the Thunderbolts,[9] and is demoted from the position of team leader.[10] During Osborn's final confrontation, he sustains injuries that render him comatose.[11]
Simpson is allied with the Iron Nail, attacking individuals in Europe that he perceives as enemies of America, until he is stopped by Captain America.[12] He is caught in an explosion and presumed dead.[13] Nuke later appears alive with a shaved head in the Death of Wolverine mini-series. He is seen working for Madame Hydra and hunting Wolverine as part of her bounty. While at a bar in British Columbia, Wolverine's adamantium skull headbutts Nuke to spread the word that he spared him while also getting the information on who placed the bounty on him.[14]
Powers and abilities
Nuke possesses various superhuman physical attributes as a result of various cybernetic enhancements. Nuke's bones have been replaced with advanced cybernetic components, granting him superhuman strength of an unrevealed limit. Aside from his strength, Nuke's body is considerably more resistant to physical injury than that of an ordinary human; even the arcane nerve strikes Daredevil learned during training by his sensei, Stick, have no effect. Nuke's skin has been replaced with an artificial type of plastic that looks identical to human skin but is much more durable. In addition, he has an artificial secondary heart that works in conjunction with his colored pills. Nuke is the victim of decades of systematic physical and psychological conditioning at the hands of various individuals working for the United States government. As a result, Nuke is insane. He is now little more than a puppet in the hands of his current handler, and able only to follow issued commands. Also in his first appearance in Daredevil, Nuke was equipped with a monstrous multi-barrelled assault rifle which, in addition to being able to fire massive volleys of bullets, fragmentation grenades, and rockets, was also (due to mechanisms left unexplained) able to "keep count" of the casualties inflicted. Nuke also had a habit of resetting the counter after noting down each "score" trying to "better" it in the coming assignment.[volume & issue needed]
Apparently Nuke's metabolism is now remote controlled from a secret base on Tierra Verde, whose technicians are able to shut down the biomech systems in Nuke's body.[8]
Pills
Nuke has a second heart, and takes different colored pills to produce different bodily effects.
Nuke's pill colors are: red, for increased adrenaline; white, to keep him balanced between missions; and blue, to bring him down.
It was originally stated that the red pills Nuke took affected his adrenal glands, sending him into his bloodthirsty rages.[volume & issue needed] The Wolverine: Origins series retconned this, stating instead that these pills are placebos, suggesting that Nuke lives in a constant state of increased adrenaline, but is not aware of this. The pills, therefore, trigger his violent behavior, but the effect is psychosomatic.[volume & issue needed]
Other versions
An alternate timeline variant of Nuke appears in the House of M tie-in Civil War: House of M as a government agent. After being tasked with killing Magneto and his followers,[15] he is disassembled by Wanda.[16]
An alternate timeline variant of Nuke appears in What If vol. 2 #48, which depicts Ben Urich pondering a timeline where Daredevil saved Nuke.[17]
Frank Simpson / Nuke appears in the Ultimate Marvel series Ultimate Comics: Captain America as a soldier during the Vietnam War who received the Super Soldier Serum following Captain America's disappearance.[18][19] Following the war, Simpson became disillusioned with the U.S. and attempts to sell his enhanced blood to North Korean forces, but is foiled by the British S.A.S. and Captain America. Nonetheless, Simpson escapes, recruits an army, and gives them Super Soldier Serum as well, vowing to make Captain America "see the light". Following a second defeat however, Simpson is brought into S.H.I.E.L.D. custody and is later left bed-ridden.[20]
A hybridized character based on Nuke and DC Comics character Bane called Bane Simpson appears in the Amalgam Comics story Bruce Wayne: Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. #1 as a Hydra agent.[21]
In other media
Nuke, renamed William "Will" Simpson, appears in Jessica Jones, portrayed by Wil Traval.[22][23] This version is a police sergeant at the NYPD's 15th Precinct who previously served in the 39th Infantry Division.[24] Throughout the first season, he falls under Kilgrave's control, but is eventually freed by Jessica Jones and falls in love with Trish Walker.[25][26] However, he becomes obsessed with murdering Kilgrave to stop him from hurting anyone else, putting him at odds with Jones.[27] After acquiring experimental pills that increase his combat awareness from the mysterious "IGH" organization,[28] Simpson becomes more manic and kills three of his associates to guarantee that only he can kill Kilgrave.[29] He is eventually defeated by Jones and Walker, with the latter having taken some of his pills, and taken away by IGH.[30] As of the second season, he has begun using an inhaler, spying on Walker,[31] and discovered IGH is targeting Jones before he is attacked and killed by Alisa Campbell.[24] Afterwards, Jones and Walker take his body to the beach near Playland Park and toss him into the ocean.[32]
^Petrarca, David (director); Liz Friedman and Scott Reynolds (writer) (November 20, 2015). "AKA It's Called Whiskey". Marvel's Jessica Jones. Season 1. Episode 3. Netflix.
^Petrarca, David (director); Hilly Hicks Jr. (writer) (November 20, 2015). "AKA 99 Friends". Marvel's Jessica Jones. Season 1. Episode 4. Netflix.
^Jones, Simon Cellan (director); Scott Reynolds (writer) (November 20, 2015). "AKA WWJD?". Marvel's Jessica Jones. Season 1. Episode 8. Netflix.
^Dahl, John (director); Jamie King & Dana Baratta (writer) (November 20, 2015). "AKA Sin Bin". Marvel's Jessica Jones. Season 1. Episode 9. Netflix.
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