Steven Hudak (Earth-616)

Scorcher
Name	Steven Hudak
Current Alias	Scorcher
Aliases	Nicknames: Steve Other Aliases: Jamal
Affiliation and Relationships
Affiliation	Army of Evil Formerly Sinister Sixteen, Initiative (Hood's Gang), Masters of Evil
Relatives	Spouses: Kali Hudak (ex-wife) Children: Lucas Hudak (son)
Marital Status	Divorced
Physical Characteristics
Gender	Male
Height	5′10″ (1.78 m)
Weight	175 lbs (79.38 kg)
Eyes	Irises: Brown
Hair	Bald
Origin and Living Status
Origin	Human
Living Status	Alive
Reality	Earth-616
Personal Information
Citizenship	American
Occupation	former chemist
Base of Operations	Mobile
Creators and Appearances
Creators	Kurt Busiek, Pat Olliffe
First	Untold Tales of Spider-Man #1 (July, 1995)
First	Untold Tales of Spider-Man #1 (July, 1995)

History

Untold Tales of Spider-Man

After being wrongly fired for embezzlement, Steven Hudak designed an armored suit containing flame-thrower equipment and attacked his former company as the Scorcher.

Scorcher's criminal activities were secretly supported by Norman Osborn. The Scorcher was stopped by Spider-Man (Peter Parker).

Scorcher escaped prison, but was again defeated by Spider-Man. He seemingly died in an explosion.

Return

The Scorcher returned to crime after several years of hiatus. He attempted to attack the Christmas shoppers, but was stopped by Spider-Man (Ben Reilly).

The Crimson Cowl recruited Scorcher as part of the Masters of Evil. They were defeated by the Thunderbolts.

Secret War

After Nick Fury's Secret War, Scorcher accepted a contract to kill Daredevil, accompanied by Diamondback (Debbie Bertrand). He was again stopped by Spider-Man. Hudak was pressed to join Lucia von Bardas' attempted attack on the United States in exchange for upgrades to his suit. While being interrogated by S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, Hudak expressed disinterest in continuing his criminal career and even offered his services to S.H.I.E.L.D. in exchange for his freedom. He is currently attempting to reconcile with his ex-wife.

The Savage Land Mutates approached him, offering cash to get Sauron out of imprisonment in the Raft (a job that went to Electro). Still trying to distance himself from crime, Hudak hoped that the X-Men could deal with the problem and attest to his compliance. This resulted in Wolverine investigating the Savage Land, where he met the New Avengers, a team he soon joined.

Fifty-State Initiative

After the Civil War, the Scorcher returned to crime once more. He fought and was defeated by the Fifty-State Initiative's New Jersey team, the Defenders, specifically by She-Hulk.

The Aftermath

After the Secret Invasion, Norman Osborn took charge of both the Initiative and the Hood, who sent Scorcher, Living Laser, Griffin, and Razor-Fist after Tigra and Gauntlet. Griffin traced them to a sewer underneath New York City. Scorcher started to torch them, planning on taking Tigra back alive and just bringing back Gauntlet's right arm, when he and the rest of the villains were defeated by the sudden arrival of the New Warriors. After they regained consciousness, Norman Osborn lead them and the others who would join them to Camp HAMMER.

Pleasant Hill

At some point, Scorcher was captured by S.H.I.E.L.D. and incarcerated at Pleasant Hill. S.H.I.E.L.D. used the Kobik project on Scorcher which turned him into an unnamed Pleasant Hill firefighter. After escaping from the facility in the confusion caused by Baron Zemo, the Scorcher returned to his hideout in Brooklyn. Still suffering from the effects of the mind-tampering S.H.I.E.L.D. inflicted on him, he wanted to ensure that his past was actually real this time. Unfortunately, S.H.I.E.L.D. were staking out the hideout and again captured him. This time, however, he was freed by the Absorbing Man and Titania who were recruiting as many former Pleasant Hill inmates to the Hood's army as they could in order to exact revenge against those who did this to them. The Scorcher was among the villains dumped in the middle of Times Square by the Hood when the villains showed disdain for his plan of going after the families of the Avengers and S.H.I.E.L.D.

Secret Empire

Scorcher later joined Baron Zemo's Army of Evil and participated in an attack on Manhattan in order to lure out a number of different superheroes as part of a larger scheme of Hydra's to wipe out opposition to its takeover of the United States.

Midnight Mission

After Moon Knight died, a new Moon Knight claimed the mantle and began brutally assaulting villains. Believing the two were the same, Scorcher formed a crew with Looter, Squid, and Flying Tiger to attack the Midnight Mission and try to draw him out. The team of the same name stopped the attack, which made them realize that the imposter's actions were making things more dangerous.

Attributes

Power Grid

Abilities

• Gifted Intellect: Scorcher is a skilled chemist and inventor.

Paraphernalia

Equipment

• Scorcher Armor: Scorcher wears an armored suit that grants him several superhuman abilities.
  • Pyrokinesis: The armor's gauntlets can emit fire and flames hot enough to melt metal and concrete.
  • Superhuman Durability: The armor protects him from heat and flames and grants him additional protection from impacts and penetrations.
  • Flight: The armor is equipped with a jetpack that allows him to fly at 145 mph.

See Also

• 46 appearance(s) of Steven Hudak (Earth-616)
• 4 appearance(s) in handbook(s) of Steven Hudak (Earth-616)
• 5 minor appearance(s) of Steven Hudak (Earth-616)
• 3 mention(s) of Steven Hudak (Earth-616)
• 2 mention(s) in handbook(s) of Steven Hudak (Earth-616)
• 9 image(s) of Steven Hudak (Earth-616)

Links and References

• Steven Hudak on Marvel.com