Best Cameos in ‘Damage Control’

READ DAMAGE CONTROL’S FIRST SERIES HERE!

Media and entertainment legend Dwayne McDuffie has left behind a rich legacy in the comic book industry. McDuffie’s numerous Marvel credits include a run on the FANTASTIC FOUR, two volumes of Michael Collins’ DEATHLOK, and BEYOND! (2006), a Battle Royale series on an alien arena. However, McDuffie’s lasting contribution to the Marvel Universe was Damage Control. And to celebrate McDuffie’s work, the very first volume of DAMAGE CONTROL (1989) is FREE to read on Marvel Unlimited.

[RELATED: Dwayne McDuffie’s Legacy in Comics]

Have you ever wondered how New York City is repaired so quickly after massive Super Hero battles? It’s because the talented men and women of Damage Control make it their business to rebuild as fast as possible. Most of Damage Control’s employees are simply ordinary humans who are good at their jobs. But their unique personalities and madcap adventures have earned them a place in our hearts.

McDuffie skillfully integrated humor into all four of his DAMAGE CONTROL series, bringing out the humanity in his characters, while taking an irreverent spin on our favorite heroes. In fact, some of Marvel’s biggest names have stopped by the Damage Control offices or worksites!

Trust us when we say that you’ve never seen Marvel icons quite like this.

SPIDER-MAN AND THE AVENGERS: DAMAGE CONTROL (1989) #1

In the very first issue of DAMAGE CONTROL, Spidey and the ‘80s era-Avengers took on a giant robot that could only be stopped after Spider-Man was trapped inside of it. The Damage Control team tried to figure out how to dispose of the robot without harming Spider-Man. At the same time, a new employee named John Porter struck up an unlikely friendship with Thunderball of the Wrecking Crew. John and Thunderball’s connection went on to become a recurring theme in the first three limited series.

DOCTOR DOOM AND THE THING: DAMAGE CONTROL (1989) #2

Years ago, Doctor Doom infamously stiffed Luke Cage on a payment of $200. But Damage Control Comptroller Albert Cleary wasn’t about to let the same thing happen to his company! Even though he knew that confronting Doom could potentially be fatal, Albert got face-to-face with Latveria’s monarch, exposing one of Doom’s underlings as a thief.

When the Fantastic Four’s Thing heard about Albert’s visit with Doom, he raced to the rescue. But Ben Grimm needn’t have bothered. Doom was so impressed by Albert that he offered him a job...which Albert politely declined.

IRON MAN: DAMAGE CONTROL (1989) #3

Before Tony Stark was revealed to be one of the original owners of Damage Control, his alter ego, Iron Man, stopped by in the third issue to help out the team during an emergency. Iron Man also endorsed Damage Control during a brief period in which the core employees wore Super Hero costumes of their own!

X-MEN: DAMAGE CONTROL (1989) #4

Don’t let the cover fool you. Wolverine’s “Patch” costume doesn’t appear in the issue. Instead, the Damage Control team assisted the X-Men in a flashback story about Shi’ar technology gone wrong. Although Professor Xavier was grateful for the assist, he couldn’t allow Damage Control to remember this humiliating encounter.

CAPTAIN AMERICA: DAMAGE CONTROL (1989B) #1

Kicking off the second volume of DAMAGE CONTROL!

During a breakout at superhuman prison “The Vault,” John’s friendship with Thunderball allowed him and his friends to pass themselves off as Super Villains until the timely arrival of Captain America!

Thunderball even helped John pretend he had powers in order to fend off the Wrecking Crew. Unfortunately, Thunderball’s heroic streak only went so far, and he knocked out Cap so that the Wrecking Crew could escape.

SPEEDBALL AND SHE-HULK: DAMAGE CONTROL (1989B) #2-3

In the second issue to their second limited series, She-Hulk answered Edwin Jarvis’ call for help when a vigilante threatened the Damage Control office! That issue also revealed that Speedball had landed an internship at Damage Control in his civilian identity as Robbie Baldwin. Robbie and Damage Control’s Bart Rozum were the office youngsters, hitting it off right away:

Unfortunately, things went south in the third issue when Damage Control layoffs caused former team member, Eugene Strausser, to adopt a Super Villain persona! Eugene and a disgruntled fellow employee attacked She-Hulk when she attempted to singlehandedly restore the position of the Daily Bugle’s building.

Speedball arrived shortly thereafter to aid She Hulk, and he inadvertently defeated Eugene (and his friend) despite his own relative lack of experience.

HULK: DAMAGE CONTROL (1991) #1-2

McDuffie’s third run on the series started off with scandal!

When Damage Control started getting calls to show up to scenes before Super Hero fights had even begun, the team fell under suspicion of the NYPD! That led to an initially tense situation at Yankee Stadium, as the Hulk was just trying to enjoy a baseball game, while 1990’s New Warriors showed up looking for a fight!

Fortunately, the Hulk’s “Professor Hulk” persona was in charge at the time, and he bonded with some of his fellow sci-fi fans over their mutual love of a certain famous TV show. These issues also marked the return of Edifice Rex, a former employee who was granted cosmic powers way back in DAMAGE CONTROL (1989) #1. He’s also an overzealous neat freak.

SILVER SURFER: DAMAGE CONTROL (1991) #4

When Edifice Rex became a threat to Marvel’s cosmic players (including Galactus), the Damage Control team were personally escorted to an outer space meeting by the Silver Surfer! Edifice Rex wasn’t intimidated by Galactus or Eternity, but it was ultimately Damage Control CEO Robin Chapel who saved the day with some quick thinking.

GOLIATH: WORLD WAR HULK: AFTERSMASH! - DAMAGE CONTROL (2008) #1-3

McDuffie’s fourth and final run on DAMAGE CONTROL!

Black Goliath’s nephew, Tom Foster, was bitter over the death of his uncle, Bill Foster, in CIVIL WAR (2006). That’s why Tom adopted the Goliath identity for himself and sided with the Hulk during WORLD WAR HULK! In the aftermath, Tom volunteered to help Damage Control fix the destruction, a change of heart that led him to stay by their side throughout the series.

PENANCE AND THE THUNDERBOLTS: WORLD WAR HULK: AFTERSMASH! - DAMAGE CONTROL (2008) #1-2

There was an unofficial amnesty for unregistered heroes in the wake of WORLD WAR HULK. However, the ever-crooked Thunderbolts attempted to use the opportunity to enforce the Superhuman Registration Act by arresting heroes who were weary of another fight.

Because Penance was previously Speedball, he had confided his secret and his guilt to Bart prior to this incident. That came in handy when Bart essentially blackmailed Penance into convincing the Thunderbolts to temporarily back off and let Damage Control do what they do best.

To read DAMAGE CONTROL, and handfuls of other free series, visit Marvel Unlimited.

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