Little is known about the life of the man known only as Roughouse except that he is apparently a descendant of the race of rock trolls native to the extradimensional realm of Asgard, home of the Gods of Norse mythology. As a child, he was beaten by his abusive father, which drove him to become bigger, stronger, and angrier.
In recent years, Roughouse found employment alongside the pseudo-vampire Bloodscream as an enforcer for the crimelord General Coy on the island nation of Madripoor. Coy ordered the pair to destroy the organization of his rival, Tyger Tiger, which led to several clashes with Tiger’s ally, the mutant adventurer Wolverine. After several defeats, Roughouse was sold to Geist, a former Nazi scientist who had been hired by President Felix Caridad of the Central American republic Tierra Verde to create a superhuman operative. Geist used Roughouse as a test subject for an experimental batch of cocaine that had been tainted by the essence of a living disease called Spore.
Upon his arrival in Tierra Verde, Roughouse was treated for side effects of the drug by Caridad’s ex-wife, the healer named Sister Salvation. Her touch also calmed Roughouse’s buried rage, giving him a sense of inner peace. When Wolverine arrived in the country, he was drawn into a revolution led by a young mutant named La Bandera. Together, the pair freed Roughouse and Salvation and Roughouse subsequently saved Salvation’s son Palo from being subjected to the experimental cocaine, resulting in Caridad himself becoming injected and being consumed by Spore. The creature was ultimately destroyed by Salvation’s touch, and, grateful for her aid, Roughouse chose to remain with her.
Many months later, Roughouse was contacted by the South American crimelord named the Black Tarantula and pressed into his service as an enforcer once more. Roughouse saved his former partner Bloodscream after a near-fatal encounter with Wolverine, and the pair were sent on missions for the Tarantula that brought them into conflict with Wolverine and the costumed crimefighter Spider-Man.
Roughouse was last seen working again with Bloodscream, this time in the employ of Hydra and Hardball, fighting off the Shadow Initiative in a covert ops mission to Madripoor.
