Richard Milhouse Jones is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character has been depicted as a sidekick and friend to the Hulk, Captain America, Mar-Vell / Captain Marvel, Rom the Space Knight, Genis-Vell / Captain Marvel, and Mary Jane Watson / Venom.
The character has been an active participant in many significant Marvel storylines, including the Kree–Skrull War and the Destiny War. Rick has acquired superpowers on numerous occasions: he was briefly transformed into a version of the Hulk in a 1986 story arc and became A-Bomb, a gamma mutate resembling a blue version of the Abomination, after being experimented on by the Intelligencia in Hulk (vol. 2). Rick later becomes a hacktivist after Doc Green, an alternate persona of Bruce Banner, removes his powers.Avengers Standoff: Assault on Pleasant Hill Alpha one-shot (May 2016) He has also taken on the mantles of Bucky, Abomination, Sleeper Agent, and Captain Spider.
Rick Jones has been adapted into various media outside comics, primarily in association with the Hulk. Luke Perry voiced Rick in the animated series The Incredible Hulk (1996), which adapted his time as Hulk in the comics. Seth Green voiced Rick as A-Bomb in the animated series Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H. (2013), where he is depicted as a member of the eponymous team. Green reprised the role in the Ultimate Spider-Man episode "Return to the Spider-Verse" (2016), voicing a version of Rick from the Marvel Noir universe.
Publication history
Rick Jones first appeared in Hulk #1 (May 1962), and was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. His A-Bomb identity first appeared in Hulk (vol. 2) #2 (February 2008), and was created by writer Jeph Loeb and artist Ed McGuinness.
Fictional character biography Rick Jones was born in Scarsdale, Arizona. He lost his parents at a young age and grew up in an orphanage. Later, he accepted a dare to drive out to a testing ground in New Mexico as the gamma bomb designed by Bruce Banner was being tested. Banner pushed Rick into a protective trench, saving his life, but absorbing the gamma rays that transform Banner into the Hulk. Rick thus became the sole confidant of the Hulk's identity.The Incredible Hulk #1 (May 1962)
Early days with the Hulk and the Avengers Rick's guilt over causing the incident (and lack of any other place to go) led him to stay close to Banner and the Hulk. In one story, he even gained mental control over Hulk. Eventually, the dangerous unpredictability of Hulk forced Rick to keep his distance.
Later, Rick formed the Teen Brigade, a loose network of teenagers with ham radios throughout the United States. The first Brigade played a role in the origin of the Avengers when the Norse god Loki tampered with the Brigade's radio transmission. Originally, the Brigade intended to bring the Fantastic Four together to battle the Hulk, but instead brought Iron Man, Ant-Man, Wasp, and Thor together to form the Avengers.The Avengers #1 (September 1963)
After the Hulk's departure from the team, Rick became an honorary Avenger. He alerted the team to the Hulk's presence when they began searching for him.The Avengers #3 (January 1964)The Avengers #4 (March 1964) He became close to the recently revived Captain America although his guilt led him to leave the Avengers and seek out Banner and Hulk on his own.The Avengers #17 (June 1965)Tales to Astonish #69 (July 1965)
Captain America rescued Rick from one of Hulk's rampages, and after that Rick became Captain America's sidekick, briefly taking the title and uniform of Bucky Barnes, Captain America's long-dead junior partner. This was on Jones' own insistence, over Captain America's guilty objections, noting that others have also lost partners and that it was time to move on. Rick's brief time as Bucky gave him the training to survive around superheroes.Captain America #110–116 (February-August 1969)
When Rick believed Hulk to be dead (although Hulk had actually been sent to the future), he revealed the truth of Banner's condition to Glenn Talbot, thus inadvertently making Banner a wanted fugitive by the military.Tales to Astonish #77 (March 1966)
Captain Mar-Vell After being neglected by Captain America, Rick became fed up with the Captain's ego. After talking with Edwin Jarvis, Rick decided to leave the Avengers for good. Rick joined with the Kree Mar-Vell when he finds himself drawn to the mystical Nega-Bands. Donning the Bands, he is immediately linked to Captain Marvel. Once joined, one of the two remains in a protective bubble in the Negative Zone. After either the person not in the Negative Zone strikes the Nega-Bands together or a certain amount of time passes, the two switch places.Captain Marvel #17 (October 1969) Rick and Mar-Vell go on various adventures encountering many different heroes, such as the Hulk,Captain Marvel #20-21 (June-August 1970) Namor,Sub-Mariner #30 (October 1970) and Captain America.The Avengers #72 (January 1970)
Rick and Mar-Vell play a critical part in the Kree–Skrull War. Rick is freed from the Negative Zone through a portal in the Fantastic Four headquarters. Mar-Vell is released from the Negative Zone while Rick is still in the regular world without the use of the Nega-Bands. The bond between the two is broken. At the height of the conflict, the Supreme Intelligence briefly unleashes the Destiny Force from within Rick. Rick uses his newfound ability to summon images of various Golden Age heroes. While at full power, Rick single-handedly stops both the Kree and Skrull fleets long enough to put an end to the conflict. Injuries that Rick sustains lead Mar-Vell to willingly bond with Rick to save his life.The Avengers #89–97 (June 1971-March 1972) Shortly after this, the Captain Marvel series was re-launched and it is revealed that Rick could not contain Mar-Vell's energy. He was then bombarded with photonic energy, which saved him and enabled him to contain Mar-Vell safely. A consequence of this was that Mar-Vell gained the ability to absorb energy in addition to the Nega-Band energies to boost his strength and could fly using photonic energy.Captain Marvel #22 (September 1972)
Rick and Mar-Vell serve as a duo for several years while Rick pursues his musical career and love life. Eventually, the two are again freed from their bond while aiding the Avengers against the Super-Adaptoid. Rick then parts company with Mar-Vell.Captain Marvel #50–51 (May-July 1977) Rick begins to spend his time with the Hulk again and briefly forms a new Teen Brigade,The Incredible Hulk (vol. 2) #251 (September 1980) after which Rick finds himself again teamed with Mar-Vell,The Incredible Hulk (vol. 2) #245 (March 1980) though not merged with him as they deal with Thanos. Sometime after, Mar-Vell dies from cancer that he developed after the villain Nitro exposed him to nerve gas.Captain Marvel #34 (September 1974)The Death of Captain Marvel (January 1982)
Venturing with Rom After Mar-Vell's death, Rick began to team with the Hulk again.The Incredible Hulk (vol. 2) #267 (January 1982) Guilt over causing Banner to be hit with the gamma rays made Rick decide to expose himself to gamma rays in an attempt to become another Hulk-like being that could stop the Hulk.The Incredible Hulk (vol. 2) #269-270 (March-April 1982) However this plan backfired and Rick was dying of gamma poisoning until Banner cured him.The Incredible Hulk #275-276 (September-October 1982) However, this too led to the consequence of Rick developing a form of blood cancer.Rom #56 (July 1984)
Rick was going to undergo a massive blood transfusion to treat this ailment when the hospital was attacked by monsters created by the Dire Wraiths. Rick was saved by the Spaceknight Rom and began to team with Rom despite the fact that Rick was slowly dying.Rom #57 (August 1984) Following the defeat of the Wraiths, Rom banished them to Limbo and then bade farewell to Rick and Earth.Rom #70 (September 1985) Shortly after Rom left, Rick met the alien Beyonder during the "Secret Wars II" storyline where Beyonder cured his cancer.Rom #72 (November 1985)
Reunion with the Hulk Shortly after the encounter with the Beyonder, Rick once again teamed with the Hulk.The Incredible Hulk (vol. 2) #319 (May 1986) This time, the Hulk had been split into two beings, Banner and Hulk,The Incredible Hulk (vol. 2) #315 (January 1986) but the experiment was a failure and both were dying.The Incredible Hulk (vol. 2) #320-323 (June-September 1986) Thunderbolt Ross tried to stop the process of remerging the two, and Rick intervened only to be dumped into the chemical nutrient bath that was fusing Banner and the Hulk again, transforming into a Hulk-like creature.The Incredible Hulk (vol. 2) #324 (October 1986)
With the Vision's help, Banner and the Hulk are reunited, but, both are weak and still dying. As a result of a nutrient bath developed by Doc Samson, Banner/Hulk is reverted from Green Hulk into the Grey Hulk. During this time, Rick as Hulk battled the Grey Hulk, Zzzax, the Hulkbusters, and the Outcasts. The Grey Hulk is manipulated by Samuel Sterns, along with Banner, into siphoning the radiation from Rick into Sterns. Sterns is then turned back into the Leader and Rick is cured of his Hulk transformations.The Incredible Hulk (vol. 2) #326–329 (December 1986-March 1987)The Incredible Hulk (vol. 2) #332 (June 1987)
Rick stays with Banner, the Grey Hulk, Betty Ross, and Clay Quartermain for several months as they travel the country looking for a government supply of gamma bombs. The group splits after the Hulk's apparent death at the Leader's hands.The Incredible Hulk (vol. 2) #341-346 (March-August 1988) Rick's psionic potential is later released by Moondragon against Atlantean invaders.The Avengers Annual #18 (October 1989)
Rick authors the book "Sidekick", an autobiography of his time with super-heroes. While on a book tour, he meets Marlo Chandler without realizing that she had only recently broken up with the Hulk (then acting as a thug in Las Vegas under the alias Mr. Fixit). Rick is kidnapped by a Skrull vessel and the Hulk aids in Rick's rescue.The Incredible Hulk (vol. 2) #374–376 (October-November 1990) This starts another period with Rick and the Hulk, this time with Marlo and Betty.
Encounters with death Rick came in touch with death in several ways during this time with the Hulk. First, Rick dies at the hands of Thanos, along with half of the universe, when Thanos uses the Infinity Gauntlet to impress Death.The Infinity Gauntlet #1 (July 1991) Rick and the others are brought back in ensuing events.The Infinity Gauntlet #6 (December 1991)
Rick assisted the Hulk many times during his tenure with the Pantheon.The Incredible Hulk (vol. 2) #386–390 (October 1991-February 1992) During this time, he guns down an insane killer, but is still wracked with remorse. Over time he bonds with Wolfsbane of X-Factor, who also killed another insane murderer during the same debacle;The Incredible Hulk (vol. 2) #392 (April 1992) he even ends up inviting her to his wedding.The Incredible Hulk (vol. 2) #418 (June 1994)
Another major encounter with death occurs when Jackie Shorr (who is revealed to be a demented serial killer) comes into his life and claims to be his mother.The Incredible Hulk (vol. 2) #396 (August 1992) This claim has not been proven, but she insists that those she killed and left mummified in her basement were substitutes for Rick, and that he is her real son. Shorr is discovered to be insane, but not until after she kills Marlo by stabbing her with a kitchen knife.The Incredible Hulk (vol. 2) #398 (October 1992) A horrified Rick refuses Reed Richards's offer to carry out a DNA test, saying that he does not want to know, especially if she is truly his mother.The Incredible Hulk (vol. 2) #399 (November 1992)