# Gauntlet (Joseph Green)

The Gauntlet (Joseph Green) is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.

## Publication history

The Gauntlet made his first appearance in She-Hulk #100 and was created by Dan Slott, Stefano Caselli and Eric Powell. He was not referred to by name until the first issue of Avengers: The Initiative. His origin was finally revealed in the 2007 Avengers: The Initiative Annual.

## Fictional character biography

Joseph Green is a U.S. Army sergeant who was dispatched to the Middle East to investigate an alien crash site. There, he discovers a gauntlet that he uses to fend off Hydra troops. However, he soon learns that the gauntlet has bonded to his nervous system and cannot be removed.
In the Civil War storyline, Henry Peter Gyrich recruits Gauntlet to be a drill sergeant at Camp Hammond. He is fully aware of the "darker" aspects of the camp and is apparently willingly going along with some hidden agenda by the powers behind the camp's activities.
After the events of World War Hulk, Gauntlet is angered at the many cadets who had broken orders to confront the Hulk themselves. He is badly beaten and left with a "NW" on his chest, daubed in his blood. The team had recently learned of a social movement, indicated by "NW" graffiti, of young people in general defiance of the current power structure. Gyrich eventually has Hank Pym briefly revive him. Before going into a coma as a result, he identifies his assailant as the Ghost. It is later revealed to the reader that the attacker was recruit Slapstick, taking revenge for Gauntlet's pejorative usage of the New Warriors' name. It is known that Gyrich mobilized Pym to revive Gauntlet before a S.H.I.E.L.D. investigation could discover the truth to prevent them from also finding classified information, and was present when Gauntlet made the false identification. While Gauntlet is incapacitated, Taskmaster takes over his drill instructor duties.
During Gauntlet's coma, Gyrich attempts to equip KIA with Armory's weapon, the Tactigon. After the weapon successfully bonds with KIA, the clone is flooded with memories of the original MVP's death, seeking vengeance on those involved. Arriving at Gauntlet's hospital room, the clone is surprised to find Gauntlet's bed empty. Following this, the gauntlet controls Green, forcing him to acquire the sword element of the alien's armor. Following an altercation with KIA, the clone's attacks cause the gauntlet to lose its control over Gauntlet, causing him to revert to normal. It is later revealed that when the Tactigon stabbed Gauntlet, it injected him with a drug that brought him out of his coma, as it considers his control over the weapon to be a weak point.
During Secret Invasion, Gauntlet and Taskmaster attempt to ensure the safety of the cadets at Camp Hammond by locking down the facility. However, a Skrull posing as Yellowjacket gives orders to Gauntlet to send the Initiative cadets to help fight the Skrulls in New York City.
Following the invasion's end, Gauntlet is placed in charge of Camp Hammond. Many of the other instructors left, unwilling to place themselves under Norman Osborn's control, and the real Pym declines to be a part of the Initiative, leaving Gauntlet to reluctantly assume the position.
When Osborn threatens to take Gauntlet's arm, Gauntlet escapes and joins the Avengers Resistance. His wife pretends to be ashamed of him for abandoning his family, so that she will not be harassed when he is not there to protect her. As Osborn's regime ends following the Siege of Asgard, Gauntlet is sent to Afghanistan.
During the Iron Man 2020 event, Gauntlet joins Force Works. However, he is later attacked by Cormorant, who removes his gauntlet as part of his plan to reassemble the Gauntlet Armor.

## Powers and abilities

Gauntlet wields a robotic alien gauntlet that is fused to his body and can envelop itself in energy and enable him to fly. Additionally, the gauntlet can take control of Gauntlet's body, specifically when he is in a state of low-brain activity.

## Other versions

In one possible, seemingly inevitable, future timeline, the Gauntlet inspires Southpaw to reform and become a superhero, while his daughter Kid Glove acts as her sidekick. He sports a more traditional superhero costume and is seemingly linked to a cosmic event known as "The Reckoning War".