Rick Jones

* Rick Jones
* A-Bomb
* Captain Marvel

"*Oh please. You keep prancing around like you're some kind of god. [...] Nah. **Gods don't bleed**. Now you may be powerful. You won. But the war isn't over. And maybe your forces are too much for us. We may not be able to save the Earth, but you can be damn sure...**that we will avenge it**,*"
—Rick threatens Doctor Doom[src]

**Rick Jones** is failed college student who broke into a military site where the state-of-the-art gamma bomb was to be tested on a dare. He was saved by scientist Bruce Banner, who was killed by the detonation of the bomb. Rick did not come away unscathed, however, and he became susceptible to many alien and interdimensional energies due to the residual gamma radiation in his blood, allowing him to transform at will into a muscular, scaled creature known as **A-Bomb**.

Following the Incursion, Earth was destroyed and Battleworld was all that remained. Rick subsequently became the leader of the Resistance against God Emperor Doom, leading them in seeking the Cosmic Cube that they required to forge a second Nega Band to restore Earth. Five years later, with other Earths of the Multiverse coming together to form new Battleworlds, Rick wore both Nega Bands and gained the power of Marvel, briefly becoming the new incarnation of **Captain Marvel**. Marvel led the new Avengers against Doom's forces in the final battle, watching as Scarlet Spider sacrificed himself to use the Nega Bands to restore the Multiverse. Inspired by Reilly's sacrifice, Rick joined Elsa Bloodstone in founding the Avengers to prevent anything like the Incursion from ever happening again.

## Biography

### Seeking a Cure

#### Duel of Chinatown

"*Ready to die?"
 "Will break red man!*"
—Thunderbolt and A-Bomb[src]
Having survived the fall from Major Talbot's cargo jet, Rick transformed into A-Bomb and punched his way back to the surface, while many of the people of Chinatown ran in terror. Getting to his feet, A-Bomb roared as loud as he could, getting the attention of Ross, who stopped his massacre as he clearly delighted at the chance to fight A-Bomb and try to prove himself the superior monster.

## Overview

### Personality

Rick Jones is an affable rogue with tongue-in-cheek humour. Having shed the arrogance of his youth, Rick has become a man of honour, good morals, and justice, though has a reputation for being stubborn.

## Powers, Equipment and Abilities

### Powers

* **Energy conduit:** Due to the residual gamma radiation in his blood from the gamma bomb explosion, Rick is incredibly susceptible to outside energies, including alien and interdimensional. This allows him to transform into a mindless, superhumanly strong creature known as A-Bomb. It also allowed him to wield both Nega Bands, and proved worthy enough to become Captain Marvel, while not quite worthy enough to wield them at their full, reality-altering power.
* **Superhuman strength:**

### Abilities

* **Gifted Intellect**: Rick possesses above-average intelligence, having demonstrated an aptitude for physics and chemistry.

## Relationships

### Doctor Doom

"*Pathetic. All that power...and you're still not worthy,*"
—Doom mocks Rick's use of the Bands[src]

## Trivia

* Rick is one of four known characters known to have proven worthy to earn the title of Captain Marvel. The others are Scarlet Spider (who held it for only a few seconds), Mar-Vell, and Carol Danvers. However, he did not prove worthy enough to access the Bands full reality-altering power.
* When Rick wields Excalibur to channel the energy of the Cosmic Cube, he briefly turns green, a reference to the Hulk.

## Behind the Scenes

* Rick, and therefore A-Bomb, are the EMU's versions of Bruce Banner and Hulk respectively.