Saturday, April 10, 2021

Saturday Showcase: Battlestar


What is going on my Marvel Maniacs?  If you have not seen the latest episode of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, you have missed some major damage go down,  My advice, see it as soon as you can.  As promised, today's Saturday Showcase will feature Battlestar aka the new Cap's "Bucky". So let us begin.

Lemar Hoskins was born in Chicago, Illinois. Along with his Army buddies John Walker, Hector Lennox, and Jerome Johnson, he is given superhuman strength by Dr. Karl Malus on behalf of the Power Broker, and they become wrestlers. The four later form the Bold Urban Commandos (also known as the "BUCkies"), and are employed by John Walker, known as the Super-Patriot. The Buckies stage a fake attack on the Super-Patriot for publicity to make John look good.

When the Commission selects Walker to replace Steve Rogers as Captain America, Hoskins is the only one in his group allowed to accompany the new Captain America. He takes the identity of Bucky and undergoes a rigorous training under the supervision of the Commission. 

Hoskins is persuaded by another black man that "Bucky" is a demeaning title, since American slaveholders often referred to male slaves as "bucks". Consequently, Hoskins takes on the identity of Battlestar, wearing a new costume and wielding a shield patterned after the one Steve Rogers originally carried.


Powers and Abilities:

As a result of the experimental mutagenic process conducted on him by Karl Malus on behalf of the Power Broker, Lemar Hoskins has superhuman strength. His endurance is also heightened albeit to a lesser degree. His agility and reflexes are of the order of a superior Olympic athlete. Additionally, he possesses superhuman durability and resilience, enabling him to survive high impacts and blows.

Battlestar is highly trained in gymnastics and acrobatics. He is an exceptional hand-to-hand combatant, and received rigorous training in unarmed combat and the use of his shield, in a style similar to the original Captain America, from the Taskmaster. He carries a near indestructible blunt-end triangular adamantium shield in combat, and is capable of using it defensively against kinetic and energy based attacks, and offensively as a missile weapon.

Publication Information:

Publisher: Marvel Comics

First Appearance:

    As unnamed man:

            Captain America #323 (November 1986)

    As Lemar Hoskins:

            Captain America #333 (September 1987)

    As Bucky:

            Captain America #334 (October 1987)

    As Battlestar:

            Captain America #341 (May 1988)

Created By: Mark Gruenwald & Paul Neary

Alter Ego: Lemar Hoskins

Team Affiliations:

    Bold Urban Commandos

    CSA

    Wild Pack

    U.S. Army

Partnerships: U.S. Agent

Notable Aliases: Bucky

Abilities:

    Highly trained acrobat and gymnast

    Exceptional hand-to-hand combatant

    Superhuman strength, durability and resilience

    Enhanced endurance

    Peak-level agility and reflexes

    Wields a near indestructible vibranium shield

Well, that's all I have on the great Battlestar.  

I hope you enjoyed this post and learned something new.

Until next time, get your READ on!


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