Speedball (Marvel Comics)

**Robert Baldwin**, also known as ***Speedball***, gained superhuman powers when he interned at Hammond Labs and snuck in to watch Dr. Nicholas Benson's experiment with tapping an extra-dimensional energy source. Speedball was accidentally irradiated in the experiment, granting him his superhuman powers and abilities.

## Powers and Abilities

### Powers

**Kinetic Energy Field:** Speedball's exposure to energy from a dimension of kinetic energy gave him the superhuman ability to create a kinetic field fo unknown energy around himself which absorbs all kinetic energy directed against him. This absorption can vary from resisting the effects of physical objects such as bricks and rocks to resisting that of energy, fire, or explosions. Within his kinetic field, it is nearly impossible for him to be hurt, and instead, he bounces harmlessly from object to object with no loss or transference of momentum.

Hindsight deduced that because Speedball taps into a dimension of kinetic energy that Speedball must be an embodiment of time and motion. Gamesmaster, a being who is able to read the minds of almost every being on the planet, is unable to read Speedball's mind when he is in his Speedball form.

He eventually gained the ability to manipulate his kinetic field to extend out to either attack an enemy or block a projectile. He typically uses the field to slam into his opponents. After many years, Speedball learned to extend the kinetic field outward, pushing back everything in his immediate area or, by focusing more locally, delivering more powerful blows in hand-to-hand combat.

**Shapeshifting:**When the Sphinx experimented on him, it was shown that his Speedball form only appears human and can be stretched into a variety of shapes. Speedball has shown control over his own molecules when he reshaped his body to give himself another costume after everyone else on his team got new costumes.

**Hyperkinetic Shockwave:** As Penance, Speedball's powers evolved into a more aggressive form of kinetic energy release. He could absorb energy from his surroundings, such as kinetic energy, electricity, or even the transnormal radiation signatures of other superhuamn beings. This energy was then harnessed as kinetic release, causing explosive force to radiate from his body, firing lance-beams of pure force from his hands or even allowing him to fly. Penance initially required physical pain to activate his powers. Doc Samson later showed Speedball that his powers were affected by his mindset, and he could reactivate his Speedball powers with relaxed and positive thinking. After mostly overcoming his guilt from being Penance, he became Speedball again on a regular basis. Although Speedball is his default power set, he can still access his Penance powers through focusing on dark or negative emotions.

### Weaknesses

**Deliberate Self-Harm:** His Penance powers required him to cut or otherwise injure himself to activate, at least initially. He appears to have still not overcome his guilt, though he is genuinely trying. He still has to cut to use his Penance powers.

## Equipment

**Penance Suit:** As Penance, Speedball wore a suit of armor constructed of super-hardened plastics reinforced with certain allows with a sharp interior lining of spikes causing him constant pain. The suit contained spikes representing the 612 people who died in the Stamford explosion, with the 60 larger spikes representing the 60 children who burned to death in the schoolyard. The spikes are hardened with carbonate steel.

## Relatives

* Justin Baldwin (father)
* Madeline Naylor (mother)