Brian Philip Calusky, though born in Brooklyn, NY, was raised on a farm and eventually becomes a farmhand. Life on the farm is too slow for Calusky and he decides to enter a life of crime for excitement. His criminal activities eventually land him in prison, where he meets and becomes cellmates with Dirk Garthwaite, who is known as the Wrecker.
Garthwaite, together with Calusky and two other inmates at Ryker's Island Prison, Dr. Eliot Franklin and Henry Camp, make a successful jailbreak and manage to locate his crowbar. Willing to share his power with his allies, The Wrecker has the three other convicts join him in holding onto the crowbar outside during an electrical storm. Lightning strikes the crowbar, magically distributing the enchanted strength bestowed upon the Wrecker among the four of them. The Wrecker's three allies then adopt costumes and aliases as well: Franklin becomes Thunderball, Camp becomes Bulldozer, and Brian Philip Calusky becomes Piledriver. As a result of his newfound powers, Calusky's hands become oversized in proportion to his body. Together, the four superhumanly strong criminals become known as the Wrecking Crew, who are led by the Wrecker himself. They battle the Defenders while attempting to locate the gamma bomb; Piledriver is defeated by Power Man in this encounter.[2]
With the Wrecking Crew, Piledriver next battled Captain America and Iron Fist while trying to lure Thor into battle.[3] The Wrecking Crew then did battle Thor in a revenge attempt.[4] The Wrecking Crew were among the various criminals taken to the Beyonder's Battleworld, including a number of superpowered criminals and superheroes. Piledriver got the opportunity to face off against the Avengers, the Hulk, the X-Men, the Fantastic Four, and other superheroes.[5] Piledriver stole computer discs from Dextron Labs and the Wrecking Crew next battled Spider-Man and Spider-Woman II.[6] Along with the Wrecking Crew, Piledriver next joined the fourth Masters of Evil, which attacked and took over Avengers Mansion. Piledriver helped defeat the god Hercules in combat, but was drained of his superhuman powers by Thor.[7] He was freed from prison by the Wrecker, but without his superhuman powers he was defeated by Spider-Man and Spider-Woman.[8] He regained his powers and escaped from the Vault. He defeated Captain America and encountered Damage Control personnel.[9] With the rest of the Wrecking Crew, Piledriver freed the Wrecker and Ulik from police custody and battled Hercules and Thor.[10] They battled Thor, Excalibur, Code: Blue, and the Ghost Rider II. His powers were then again drained by Loki, but he escaped.[11]
Piledriver has the demeanor of a "good ol' country boy" (despite being born in the very urban Brooklyn, NY). He has fought many of Marvel's superheroes over the years, including Spider-Man, the Avengers, the Defenders, and most often, Thor. He, as part of the Wrecking Crew threatened the lives of the innocent civilians of Damage Control. Thunderball, who has a soft spot for the man in charge, John Porter, actually attacks Piledriver and the others via trickery, allowing the Damage Control employees to escape.
Unlike Thunderball, Piledriver has remained loyal to the Wrecker and has only been separated from the Wrecking Crew through various incarcerations in prison. While Piledriver and the rest of the Wrecking Crew have faced defeat on many occasions, they always come back for more, making them one of the most enduring supervillain teams in Marvel's history.
Piledriver discovers that he has a son named Ricky Calusky.[12] The boy lived with his grandparents, but when he discovered who his father was, he ran away and joined the Wrecking Crew (to the pride of his father) under the name the Excavator. Ricky even gains a mystically charged shovel. However, he and the rest of the Crew were defeated by the Runaways during a bank robbery.
The Hood has hired him as part of his criminal organization to take advantage of the split in the superhero community caused by the Superhuman Registration Act. He helps them fight the New Avengers, but is taken down by Dr. Strange.
As part of the Hood's gang, he later joins the fight against the Skrull invading force in New York.[13] He joins with the Hood's gang in an attack on the New Avengers, who were expecting the Dark Avengers instead.[14]
During the Avengers: Standoff! storyline, Piledriver was an inmate of Pleasant Hill, a gated community established by S.H.I.E.L.D.[15]
During the "Search for Tony Stark" story arc, Piledriver and the Wrecking Crew rejoin the Hood's gang as they attack Castle Doom. Piledriver is defeated by Doctor Doom in his Iron Man armor.[16]
Powers and abilities
Thanks to Asgardian magic, Piledriver possesses superhuman strength and a high degree of imperviousness to harm. He can withstand high amounts of concussive force and is virtually bulletproof. Piledriver's power augmented his entire body, strengthening his bone, muscle and flesh. Because of this, he is capable of withstanding the impact of high caliber bullets. Because of his strength and particular talent, he has oversized hands which are more powerful than the other members of the Wrecking Crew, with the exception of the Wrecker himself. His superhuman abilities are currently four times greater than when he originally shared the Wrecker's power, making him somewhat stronger than an average well-trained Asgardian god.[17]
Other versions
House of M: Masters of Evil
Piledriver (along with the rest of the Wrecking Crew) appears as a member of the Hood's Masters of Evil.[18] He ends up absorbed into Scramble's body when the Masters of Evil arrive in the Central American country of Santo Rico.[19]
Ultimate Marvel
In the Ultimate Marvel Universe, Piledriver, as a regular civilian, worked for the restoration company called Damage Control. As in regular continuity, he and his friends gained superpowers. They seized control of the Flatiron Building, took hostages and demanded a ransom. Zarda, sometimes known as Power Princess, defeated them in battle.[20]
Piledriver appears in the Avengers Assemble animated series episodes "Avengers: Impossible" and "Downgraded", voiced again by Cam Clarke.[citation needed]
Absorbing Man is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He first appeared in Journey into Mystery #114, cover dated March 1965, created by writer Stan Lee and writer/artist Jack Kirby, and has over the years played a part on several Marvel Comics crossovers such as the original Secret Wars and Fear Itself. Though depicted for many years as a supervillain, Creel has also been portrayed as an anti-hero, siding with characters such as Black Bolt and Alpha Flight.
Masters of Evil is a fictional supervillain team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The first version of the team appeared in The Avengers #6, with the lineup continually changing over the years.
The Cobra is the name of a number of different fictional characters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The most well-known Cobra is Klaus Voorhees, now known as the King Cobra. He first appeared in Journey into Mystery #98 created by writer Stan Lee and artist Don Heck. His nephew, Piet Voorhees, became the second Cobra and first appeared in White Tiger #1 in a story written by Tamora Pierce and drawn by Timothy Liebe. Marvel has also used the moniker "Cobra" for two World War II Nazi villains and also a mercenary enemy of Moon Knight.
The Super-Skrull (Kl'rt) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character, created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, first appeared in Fantastic Four #18. The character has also appeared on television and in video games and novels.
Mister Hyde is a fictional character, a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He is the father of Daisy Johnson.
The Executioner is the name of different fictional characters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.
Three characters have taken the moniker of the fictional supervillain Chemistro appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.
The Wrecking Crew is a team of four fictional supervillains—the Wrecker, Bulldozer, Piledriver and Thunderball—appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. While not featured on the cover, the Wrecking Crew's first appearance is in The Defenders #17.
Whirlwind is a fictional character, a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.
The Destroyer is a fictional magical character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Usually depicted as an opponent of the Thunder God and hero Thor, it is in fact a suit of Asgardian armor animated by magic. The character first appears in Journey into Mystery #118 and was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.
Grey Gargoyle is a fictional character, a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.
The Wrecker is a fictional character, a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.
"Acts of Vengeance" is a comic book crossover storyline that ran through several titles published by Marvel Comics from December 1989 to February 1990.
Thunderball is a fictional character, a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He is a frequent enemy of Thor and a somewhat reluctant ally of the Wrecker and the Wrecking Crew.
Bulldozer is the name of two fictional characters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.
Titania is a supervillainess appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. She is notable for being one of Marvel's strongest human female characters, and the wife of the Absorbing Man. Created by then-Editor-in-Chief Jim Shooter and introduced in the 1984 crossover limited series Secret Wars, Titania has since then become a rival of the She-Hulk, and has also been a member of several incarnations of the Masters of Evil and the Frightful Four.
Vault was the widely used nickname of a fictional prison facility for technological-based superhuman criminals appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The Vault first appeared in Avengers Annual #15 (1986). The prison's full official name is the United States Maximum Security Installation for the Incarceration of Superhuman Criminals.
Hood is a fictional character, a supervillain, and a crime boss appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer Brian K. Vaughan, and artists Kyle Hotz and Eric Powell. He first appeared in Hood #1.
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