Bushwacker

## History

### Origins

While the circumstances around it may vary from universe to universe, in most cases, it is known that Ben was kidnapped by Doctor Coom, and for what are unknown reasons at the time, injected with a serum formulated from concentrated VB, a cheap Australian Beer. This serum gives him the unique abilities of projectile manipulation, primarily with boomerangs, at the cost of slipping into an Australian accent whenever the powers are in use.

### HCU Timeline (Earth-311)

* **The Mothman Tapes Vol. 3 (Post-Credits Scene)**

In the year 2018 Jaxon, Ben, Davis, and C.J. receive a prophecy from an Arei who tells them she is from another Dimension (Earth-711) where the gang finds Mothman, fights him, and loses, killed in the process. This is said to happen on their fourth consecutive trip to Point Pleasant, West Virginia.

* **Bushwacker: Origins**

In the summer of 2021, Ben travels to Australia to see The Chats perform live before possibly being killed in battle with The Mothman. While there he gets kidnapped by Doctor Coom, Who injects him with a serum known as "Project Kangaroo", made from concentrated VB Beer, the serum gives him the powers of projectile manipulation. The serum also gives him an Australian accent while his powers are in use. Ben would then use his newfound powers to defeat a bartender whose bar got destroyed in a fight with one of Doctor Cooms henchmen.

* **The Mothman Tapes Vol. 4**

Months later, the newly formed C.O.C.K. Team would travel to Point Pleasant, West Virginia in order to find and fight the Mothman. During this fight Bushwacker works with the rest of the team to defeat Mothman, claiming victory and saving the world in the process.

* **Detective Bushwacker in: The Amphibian Connection**

Some time after the events of Volume 4, Bushwacker finds himself back on a farm in Australia. He receives a call from the Dayton chief of police, who informs him of a string of occult killings that he needs his help to solve. Investigating the case, Bushwacker learns of a cult known as The Ribbiters, who he tracks down to a meeting where he watches them summon The Frogman, a powerful cryptid not seen since the 70s. The Frogman kills all the cultist before running at Bushwacker, who makes a narrow escape.

* **Nightcrawler: Return of the Pissmaster**

Just after the events of Detective Bushwacker, Bushwacker rushes to Nightcrawlers house, where he informs him of what he just saw. Nightcrawler is worried and tells him that he received a prophecy from The Piss Master, who told him he must travel to Brazil to find a green crystal for his lightsaber, one he would need to defeat The Frogman. Bushwacker travels to Brazil with Nightcrawler and Man Beast, while in the jungles he has to fight off an Encandato, a shapeshifting dolphin man, who he defeats with the help of Man Beast.

* **Joe Connel: Neverending Nightmare**

Some time later, Bushwacker is relaxing in the C.O.C.K. Ring with Nightcrawler when the two get interrupted by a video call from President Joe Biden. Biden informs them that an apparent zombie outbreak has hit Dayton. When they tell him to contact Joe, the two are informed that he has gone off grid. Giving them the ultimatum that if the zombies are not dealt with in the next two days, he would nuke the city, the pair set off to find joe and get to the bottom of what's going on. They quickly find joe and realize that there are no zombies and that joe is experiencing some sort of PTSD. The two chase Joe through his hideout before catching him and putting him in a mental hospital.

## Attributes

### Powers

* Projectile Manipulation: which he uses to throw boomerangs with incredible accuracy and lethality.
* Strength: used to throw boomerangs hard enough to be lethal.
* Speed: used to throw boomerangs fast enough to be lethal.

### Abilities

* Engineering: Bushwacker has a basic adeptness for engineering, using his knowledge to make a variety of trick boomerangs and gadgets.
* Voice Manipulation: though done unwillingly, Bushwackers voice can be molded into a perfect Australian accent.
* Paranormal Knowledge: Bushwacker is a self proclaimed "cryptid expert" knowing alot about the various cryptids the team encounters.

## Equipment

### Weapons

* **Basic Boomerangs:** Bushwacker is often seen wielding two silver steel boomerangs as his go to weapon.
* **Bomberang:** A boomerang equipped with a bomb. These do not return.
* **EMP-Rang:** A boomerang that can interfere with and shut down electronic equipment.
* **Lasso-Rang:** A boomerang with a rope attached for restraining enemies, or pulling them closer. As well as various other uses.
* **Flash Bang-A-Rang:** A boomerang that acts as a flashbang.
* **Splinterang:** A boomerang that splits into tiny pieces, like a shotgun blast.
* **Stealth-Rang:** A silent boomerang.
* **Auto Launcher:** A weapon that launches up to five boomerangs in rapid sucession.
* **Machete**
* **Knife**
* **M-16 Service Rifle:** A typical M-16 rifle with a wood grip and stock, adjourned with a bottlecap from the groups first trip to Point Pleasant.

### Costume

Bushwacker has had many costumes and uniforms over the course of the series such as:

* **Earth-311 Origins Suit:** Undergoing many changes throughout the movies, the main pieces are a black leather jacket with one arm, and black pants with black boots. It sometimes is armored and sometimes not.
* **Earth-616 The Green Suit:** Bushwacker was seen in his first appearance wearing a black green and white suit in a very traditional comic style, featuring a white boomerang emblem on the chest.
* **Detective Bushwacker Suit:** In his various appearances as Detective Bushwacker, he is seen wearing a white shirt and black tie with black pants. He wears a pistol holster on each shoulder for his boomerangs.
* **Vacation Bushwacker (Earth-311):** While traveling to brazil with Nightcrawler and Man Beast, Bushwacker wears a Hawaiian shirt and shorts, with his normal boots and sunglasses.

### Other

* **License Plate Armor:** in his first two appearances in The HCU, Bushwacker is seen wearing armor plating over his jacket made from license plates.

## Notes

* While many modern iterations of Bushwacker pay homage to a Mad Max-esque wastelander look, the character had no connections to any kind of wasteland until the 1998 storyline "Trapped In Wasteland"
* Nightcrawler is the usual leader of The C.O.C.K. Team, but in most universes, Bushwacker takes on a second in command role, working closely with Nightcrawler.
* Most Bushwacker stories take place in America, but many fan favorite stories and characters are Australian.

## Trivia

* In the films, Bushwacker was almost changed entirely to be the same person, but a whole new character, as the actor had grown tired of the idea. This was swiftly dismissed after getting back into the costume and doing a scene for the first time in months, where he realized that he actually loved the character and wanted to continue.
* In Volume 4, Bushwacker can be seen wielding a M-16 Service rifle, this was a confusing choice considering Bushwackers main gimmick is the boomerangs, and was generally not well received by fans.