Editing Robbie Baldwin (section)

==Fictional character biography==
Robbie Baldwin was born in [[Springdale (Stamford)|Springdale]], [[Connecticut]] to mother Madeline, who co-starred in a soap opera with [[Mary Jane Watson]]<ref>''New Warriors'' #32. Marvel Comics.</ref> and subsequently became a teacher, and father Justin, a successful [[district attorney]]. As a high school student, Robbie gains superpowers after an accident at the Hammond Research Laboratory where he works part-time as a laboratory worker. When Hammond scientists try to tap into a mysterious other-dimensional energy source, the energy bombards Baldwin. Baldwin survives the experience but finds himself surrounded by energy bubbles and clad in an odd costume.

Minutes afterwards, during a battle with some thieves who want to raid the lab, Baldwin discovers that his body now generates a kinetic energy field that protects him from impact and makes him a bouncing dynamo of [[kinetic energy]]. Calling himself Speedball, Baldwin becomes a crime-fighter in his hometown of Springdale, Connecticut.<ref>''Speedball #1''. Marvel Comics.</ref> Baldwin's parents have marital problems while he secretly leads his double life. This situation leads to domestic stress that escalates over time, driven partly by the conflict between Robbie and his father, who as district attorney is expected to uphold Springdale's ordinance against costumed superheroes and has an extreme prejudice against these "[[vigilante]]s".

The energy source also affects Niels, a cat belonging to one of the scientists, giving him the same powers.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Allan |first=Scoot |date=2020-06-20 |title=New Warriors: 10 Things Fans Should Know About Speedball |url=https://www.cbr.com/marvel-comics-new-warriors-speedball-robbie-baldwin-facts-fans-need-know/ |access-date=2023-02-06 |website=CBR |language=en}}</ref> Speedball makes a number of attempts to catch the cat, hoping that study of Niels would give him better control of his powers. He would later learn that a villainous scientist, Clyde, was also after the cat, hoping to gain Speedball-like powers, and had allegedly created most of the supervillains in Springdale to this end. Speedball would later adopt the cat, who under the name of '''Hairball''', would eventually have its own super adventures with the [[Lockjaw and the Pet Avengers|Pet Avengers]].

While still an inexperienced crime-fighter, Speedball meets [[Spider-Man]] and [[Daredevil (Marvel Comics character)|Daredevil]] during a turf war between the [[Kingpin (character)|Kingpin]]'s and the [[High Evolutionary]]'s henchmen.<ref>''Amazing Spider-Man Annual'' #22. Marvel Comics.</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Cowsill |first1=Alan |last2=Manning |first2=Matthew K. |title=Spider-Man Chronicle: Celebrating 50 Years of Web-Slinging |date=2012 |publisher=DK Publishing |isbn=978-0756692360 |page=171}}</ref>

===The New Warriors===
While shopping in New York City with his mother, Robbie Baldwin joins a battle between [[Terrax]] and a number of superheroes. The heroes become the founding members of the [[New Warriors]], and Baldwin agrees to join the team.<ref>''New Warriors'' #1. Marvel Comics.</ref> The commute from Connecticut to the team's headquarters in New York City is difficult and Baldwin is frequently late for [[Night Thrasher (Dwayne Taylor)|Night Thrasher]]'s formal meetings. With the New Warriors, he battles [[Psionex]].<ref>''New Warriors'' #4. Marvel Comics.</ref> He eventually reveals his double identity to the New Warriors,<ref>''New Warriors'' #7. Marvel Comics.</ref> and when Speedball and the New Warriors battle the [[Force of Nature (comics)|Force of Nature]] shortly afterwards, his mother also learns of his superhero identity.<ref>''New Warriors'' #9. Marvel Comics.</ref> His father learns the truth some time later.<ref>''New Warriors'' #27. Marvel Comics.</ref>

After Baldwin's mother discovers his secret identity, his parents' marriage ends and Baldwin moves permanently to New York City.<ref>''New Warriors'' #31. Marvel Comics.</ref> Baldwin finds friendship with all of his fellow New Warriors, but his closest friendships are with [[Nova (Richard Rider)|Nova]] and [[Rage (comics)|Rage]]. After Baldwin is transported to the dimension his powers derive from,<ref>''New Warriors'' #50. Marvel Comics.</ref> Darrion Grobe joins the New Warriors as Speedball, although the other members think he is Baldwin. Baldwin returns from the kinetic dimension and begins a brief relationship with [[Timeslip (comics)|Timeslip]].<ref>''New Warriors'' #71 (May 1996). Marvel Comics.</ref>

==="Civil War"===
{{See also|Civil War (comics)|Civil War: Front Line}}
At the beginning of the "[[Civil War (comics)|Civil War]]" storyline, the New Warriors attempt to apprehend a group of supervillains in [[Stamford, Connecticut]], for their television reality show. [[Nitro (comics)|Nitro]], one of the criminals, creates an explosive blast that kills 612 civilians, including 60 children, as well as the New Warriors with the exception of Robbie Baldwin. This event triggers the push for superhero registration at the heart of "Civil War".<ref>''[[Civil War (comics)|Civil War]]'' #1. Marvel Comics.</ref> Baldwin is presumed dead after the incident, but he is found alive after the blast launches him over {{convert|500|mi|km}}; his kinetic field kept him alive, but it "burned out" as a result.<ref>''[[Civil War: Front Line]]'' #1 (Aug. 2006). Marvel Comics.</ref>

After awakening from a coma, Baldwin is arrested by [[S.H.I.E.L.D.]] and placed in federal prison.<ref>''Civil War: Front Line'' #2. Marvel Comics.</ref> Furthermore, his own mother disowns him.<ref>''Civil War: Front Line'' #4. Marvel Comics.</ref> After he discovers his powers are still functional, Baldwin is taken to the new penitentiary called Negative Zone Prison Alpha.<ref>''Civil War: Front Line'' #5. Marvel Comics.</ref> [[Mister Fantastic|Reed Richards]], the facility's creator, offers Baldwin the chance to testify before [[United States Congress|Congress]]. However, on the Capitol steps, Baldwin is shot by an assailant and taken away in an ambulance.<ref name="ReferenceA">''Civil War: Front Line'' #6. Marvel Comics.</ref> Although bullet fragments remain inoperably lodged near his spine, Baldwin recovers from the wound. Richards determines that Baldwin's powers are evolving.<ref>''Civil War: Front Line'' #8. Marvel Comics.</ref> Baldwin thwarts an escape from the prison and says that he will comply with the [[Discrimination against superheroes|Superhuman Registration Act]].<ref>''Civil War: Front Line'' #9. Marvel Comics.</ref>

Overcome by guilt and driven insane by his treatment, Baldwin orders a new suit of armor that features 612 internal spikes, in honor of the victims of explosion in Stanford, to trigger his powers. 60 of the spikes are larger than the rest, to represent the children who perished in the blast. Baldwin then rechristens himself "Penance" and is assigned to the [[Thunderbolts (comics)|Thunderbolts]].<ref name="Civil War: Front Line #10">''Civil War: Front Line'' #10. Marvel Comics.</ref>

The Penance revamp of the character is satirized in ''[[Deadpool]]/[[Great Lakes Avengers]] Summer Fun Spectacular'', in which [[Squirrel Girl]] (who has a crush on Speedball and her first kiss) confronts Robbie after learning of his transformation into Penance. Robbie tells Squirrel Girl that he became Penance not out of guilt, but to become "deep" and to escape his comedy-character background. Furthermore, he reveals that he has created a similar costume for his pet cat Niels (who he has renamed "P-Cat, the Penitent Puss") while banging his head against the wall.<ref>''[[Deadpool (comics)|Deadpool]]/[[Great Lakes Avengers]] Summer Fun Spectacular''. Marvel Comics.</ref>

===Thunderbolts===
{{See also|Thunderbolts (comics)}}
[[Image:Penancetbolts.PNG|right|thumb|Robbie Baldwin as Penance. Art by [[Marko Djurdjevic]].]]
After the events of "Civil War", Robbie Baldwin joins [[Norman Osborn]]'s new government-sponsored [[Thunderbolts (comics)|Thunderbolts]] team,<ref>''Thunderbolts'' #110. Marvel Comics.</ref> which mostly comprises [[supervillain]]s who are being forced to reform. On one of the new team's first missions, Osborn sends [[Bullseye (comics)|Bullseye]] and Penance to deal with a vigilante named [[Americop]]. Bullseye forces Baldwin to use his powers to cripple the vigilante. After finding out that Osborn gave the order to Bullseye to do this, Baldwin destroys an expensive, one-of-a-kind eavesdropping device of Osborn's, while reminding his boss that unlike many of the Thunderbolts under Osborn's leadership, he has no failsafe nanites in him that force his compliance.<ref>''Thunderbolts: Desperate Measures''. Marvel Comics.</ref>

During the team's mission to capture the [[Steel Spider]], Penance suffers a mental breakdown and slams his head into a brick wall while remarking that he is "not good enough". Found by teammate [[Radioactive Man (comics)|Radioactive Man]], Penance is eventually brought back to the Thunderbolts Mountain, where he brutally assaults a prisoner who taunted him for his role in the Stamford tragedy. Osborn nearly kills Baldwin, but the team's field leader [[Moonstone (comics)|Moonstone]] persuades Osborn that Baldwin could be manipulated and exploited as a [[Hulk]]-level enforcer for Osborn's schemes.<ref>''Thunderbolts'' #116. Marvel Comics.</ref>

Because of Baldwin's increasing instability, [[Doc Samson]] arrives at Thunderbolts headquarters to provide additional psychiatric assistance. This foils Moonstone's plan to be Baldwin's therapist and exploit his fragile mental state to her own ends.<ref>''Thunderbolts'' #117. Marvel Comics.</ref> Samson helps Penance focus his powers back to their original state, which he uses to defeat Moonstone in combat when (under the influence of a group of renegade telepaths) Moonstone tries to kill Samson.<ref>''Thunderbolts'' #121. Marvel Comics.</ref>

The Thunderbolts fight Baldwin's former New Warriors teammate and best friend [[Nova (Richard Rider)|Nova]], who had recently returned to Earth. After the fight, Baldwin urges Nova to register with the Initiative. Seeing Baldwin in this state prompts Nova to return to space.<ref>''Nova'' #3. Marvel Comics.</ref>

Ultimately, Baldwin deserts the Thunderbolts, although they pursue him. Baldwin eludes them, and with [[Wolverine (character)|Wolverine]]'s help, he travels to [[Latveria]] to retrieve Nitro to stand trial for mass murder.<ref>''Penance - Relentless'' #1. Marvel Comics.</ref> During this adventure, Baldwin steals the ill-gotten fortune of [[Mendel Stromm]], Norman's former employee and rival, after stealing information Osborn obtained on Stromm illegally via Osborn's position with the Thunderbolts.<ref>''Penance - Relentless'' #2. Marvel Comics.</ref> Baldwin confronts [[Doctor Doom]] as part of his quest. Doom eventually concedes the fight and relinquishes Nitro after realizing that defeating Baldwin would force him to tap into Latveria's secret [[nuclear power plant]]s, potentially revealing their existence to the outside world. After secretly donating Stromm's fortune to charity for the rebuilding of Stamford, Baldwin arranges for a new Penance suit (with the same appearance but fewer spikes than the previous one) built after locking Nitro in the previous one. Nitro is imprisoned, but Robbie remains in the suit and returns to the Thunderbolts.<ref>''Penance - Relentless'' #5. marvel Comics.</ref>

During the [[Secret Invasion]], the Thunderbolts are sent to protect Washington from the [[Skrull]]s.<ref>''Thunderbolts'' #124–125. Marvel Comics.</ref> Shortly after, Moonstone drugs Penance and, in the capacity as a psychiatrist, declares Penance needs to be permanently committed to the nearest corrupt maximum security hospital found.<ref>''Thunderbolts'' #127. Marvel Comics.</ref>

===Avengers Initiative===
Penance, brainwashed and heavily drugged, is persuaded by Norman Osborn to join his new [[Avengers: The Initiative|Initiative]], at Camp H.A.M.M.E.R., and has psychotherapy sessions with [[Trauma (comics)|Trauma]], the camp therapist, having been ordered by Osborn to keep Penance in his mentally fragile state.<ref>''Avengers: The Initiative'' #25. Marvel Comics.</ref> Through Trauma's "pet therapy" method, Penance is unknowingly reunited with his cat Niels. When the [[Counter Force (Marvel Comics)|Avengers Resistance]], consisting of many of Penance's New Warriors teammates, come to Camp H.A.M.M.E.R. seeking to release a captured teammate, [[Taskmaster (character)|Taskmaster]] orders Penance to attack them.<ref>''Avengers: The Initiative'' #29. Marvel Comics.</ref> Their fight is interrupted by [[Nightmare (Marvel Comics)|Nightmare]] having taken over the body of his son Trauma. Nightmare forces Penance to remember the Stamford incident, causing him to pass out in mental anguish. [[Tigra]] revives him, using her powers of empathy to help him see Trauma's predicament. With this knowledge, Penance is able to talk Trauma into freeing himself from his father's control. Penance then helps the Avengers Resistance escape Osborn's forces by rupturing a gas main. He refuses Vance's offer to join their team, not wanting his old friends to see how much he had changed.<ref>''Avengers: The Initiative'' #30. Marvel Comics.</ref>

Penance turns against Camp H.A.M.M.E.R. and helps the Avengers Resistance fight the Hood and those that are with Hood. During the battle, he finally reveals his identity to his other ex-New Warriors teammates.<ref>''Avengers: The Initiative'' #34. Marvel Comics.</ref>

==="Heroic Age"===
During the "[[Heroic Age (comics)|Heroic Age]]," Robbie Baldwin returns to using the Speedball identity as part of the [[Avengers Academy]]'s teaching staff.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=25782 |title=C2E2: The Mondo Marvel Panel |publisher=Comic Book Resources |date=2010-04-16 |access-date=2010-12-29}}</ref>

===Fear Itself===
During the "[[Fear Itself (comics)|Fear Itself]]" storyline, Speedball takes the Avengers Academy students on a field trip to the memorial for the people who died during the Stamford incident. They are attacked by a group called "the Cobalt Men", named after one of the villains involved in the Stamford incident. Not wanting them to ruin the memorial of the dead, Speedball quickly defeats them using his enhanced Penance powers. Speedball later admits he cuts himself to store up the energy he uses as Penance because this power is more useful in a fight. He acknowledges that he should not have kept this a secret, and Hank Pym offers to help him find a better way to activate those powers. He later confronts Kuurth, Nerkodd, and a hate group founded by Sin called Sisters of Sin. After this, he cheers up a little and regains his sense of humor.<ref>''Fear Itself: The Home Front'' #1-7. Marvel Comics.</ref> After returning to the Avengers Academy, Speedball announces to the students and teachers that he is quitting the faculty, but still offers to help them anytime.<ref>''Avengers Academy'' #20. Marvel Comics.</ref>

While Speedball is conversing with Justice, a chance sighting of [[Nova (Sam Alexander)|the successor to their former New Warriors teammate]] Nova leads them to conclude that the time is right to reform the New Warriors.<ref>''Nova'' vol. 5 #7. Marvel Comics.</ref> They track down the new Nova and ultimately convince him to join the new team.<ref>''Nova'' vol. 5 #8-10. Marvel Comics.</ref>

===New Warriors: The New Team===
{{See also|New Warriors#New Warriors .28vol. 5.29||label 1=New Warriors vol. 5}}

Having taken to the road again, Speedball and Justice find themselves in the town of New Salem, Colorado, where they meet the [[Salem's Seven]]. They fight, but quickly patch things up after it is clear it was a misunderstanding. While Speedball plays video games with Brutacus, Justice has a little chat with Vertigo, Salem's Seven leader, about the town. When the conversation deviates to Justice's and Speedball's intention of reforming the New Warriors and the difficulties that that will probably bring due to the persisting bad reputation for their involvement in the Civil War events, the Evolutionaries arrive, intent on burning down the town.<ref>''New Warriors'' vol. 5 #1. Marvel Comics.</ref> Justice, Speedball, and Salem's Seven drive them off. Their subsequent mission to stop the Evolutionaries leads to their recruiting of two heroes to the cause, Haechi and [[Sun Girl (Marvel Comics)#Sun Girl #2|Sun Girl]].<ref>''New Warriors'' vol. 5 #2-3. Marvel Comics.</ref>

Looking for Nova but seeing he does not answer his phone, Speedball and the others head back to the Salem's Seven and through their help and that of New Salem's magical inhabitants, they locate the boy. As it turns out, Nova along with [[Hummingbird (comics)|Hummingbird]], [[Kaine Parker|Scarlet Spider]] and [[List of New Warriors members#New Warriors (vol. 5)|Faira Sar Namora]] of Atlantis had been kidnapped and were being held as prisoners in [[Transia|Mount Wundagore]] by the Evolutionaries and the [[High Evolutionary]]. Rushing, they arrive as the Evolutionaries are about to execute Nova, following his and the other prisoners' attempt to break out. Trying to reason with the High Evolutionary fails and Nova reveals his plan of eliminating "mostly everyone". A chaotic fight ensues, with the prisoners, Sun Girl, Haechi and the New Warriors forming an impromptu team that manages to defeat the small army of Evolutionaries through their diverse and very different powers and abilities. Shortly after, when the High Evolutionary activates his machine to eliminate the super-powered population of Earth, Speedball and the others are brought down to their knees in excruciating pain and almost die, but they are all saved by Sun Girl who, as a non-altered human, is immune to the machine and destroys it. With the enemy fleeing but fearing its return, an invitation is made to everyone to join Speedball, Justice and Nova as New Warriors to face the High Evolutionary should he try to repeat his scheme - an invitation that is immediately declined, save for Hummingbird (who eagerly and joyfully accepts) and [[Sun Girl (Marvel Comics)|Sun Girl]] (who does so implicitly).<ref name="NW v5 #4">''New Warriors'' vol. 5 #4. Marvel Comics.</ref>

While Justice takes Scarlet Spider and Faira on the task of cleaning the mountain of the High Evolutionary's hostile contraptions and robots, Speedball takes Sun Girl, Hummingbird and Haechi to a nearby town - with the excuse that it had been attacked - to have dinner and to take an opportunity to better know his new teammates. When the topic of everyone's abilities is discussed and Speedball clarifies his capacity to "bounce", Hummingbird suddenly starts to inquire about his other powers, if he still cuts himself and the reasons why. Somehow, her strange psychic powers shows her Speedball's mental image of himself as clad in the Penance suit instead of his normal appearance - indicating he still struggles internally with his guilt while keeping a carefree facade to everyone else. Speedball attempts to explain himself while telepathically warning Hummingbird in an ominous tone against reading his mind and to tell no one else about this. They decide to return to the base in Wundagore mountain where Justice and the others have encountered a pair of [[New Men (Marvel Comics)|New Men]] that are willing to help their group. Hummingbird develops an "unfathomable" crush on Speedball.<ref name="NW v5 #5">''New Warriors'' vol. 5 #5. Marvel Comics.</ref>

The New Men - now renamed by themselves as Jack Waffles and Mr. Whiskers - assist the New Warriors to go to New York. However, they do so by using the base's advanced technology to teleport the entire Mount Wundagore, provoking a mass panic in the city, but not causing any casualties, as the mountain is "half-phased", so most of it doesn't physically interact with the water or anything passing through it. Still, the Avengers take notice of the event and dispatch Iron Man and Thor. The former takes Speedball and Justice to Avenger's tower, where they and Captain America get into a discussion about the problems that reforming the New Warriors will bring and the incident with the mountain. For a moment, as animosity rises, Robbie starts to discreetly charge his Penance powers to use them against the Avengers. But he is touched by Justice's passionate defense of the New Warriors' team name, its members and their actions. They part with the Avengers on amicable terms.<ref name="NW v5 #5" /><ref name="NW v5 #6">''New Warriors'' vol. 5 #6. Marvel Comics.</ref>

The next day, when Haechi and Sun Girl are forcefully taken to Singapore by Inhuman supremacists led by [[Lash (Marvel Comics)|Lash]], Speedball and the rest of the New Warriors go to save them, battling through all the floors of a skyscraper filled with innocent, mind-controlled people. As they do so, Robbie asks Scarlet Spider if Hummingbird has said anything about him and jokingly suggests to not believe anything she says because "she is really weird". When Scarlet Spider reprimands him for his timing and asks if Robbie can take anything seriously, Speedball discharges his Penance powers on the remaining mind-controlled adversaries and somberly proclaims "Yes. I can". They battle and defeat Lash's henchmen, who teleport away.<ref name="NW v5 #7">''New Warriors'' vol. 5 #7. Marvel Comics.</ref><ref name="NW v5 #8">''New Warriors'' vol. 5 #8. Marvel Comics.</ref>

During a distraction trip the group takes to a bar in Prague, Hummingbird insists on dancing with Robbie. She reveals to him that she is enjoying herself, as much as possible, since she is certain she will die soon as "[[Mictlan]] rises" (an event that portended in her dreams for months).<ref name="NW v5 #9">''New Warriors'' vol. 5 #9. Marvel Comics.</ref>

Some time later, the New Warriors locate the High Evolutionary to stop him from continuing to pursue his plan. With great coordination, they expertly board his ship, defeat his last Evolutionaries and trap him. It is then that the [[Eternals (comics)|Eternals]] appear to ensure the High Evolutionary fulfills his agenda and prevent the [[Celestial (comics)|Celestials]] from judging and destroying Earth.<ref name="NW v5 #10">''New Warriors'' vol. 5 #10. Marvel Comics.</ref> As the situation turns for the worse, Robbie coldly assess each of his teammates and sees they are fighting a losing battle. Nevertheless, he throws his best against the Eternals and for a moment manages to inspire the others to do the same and gain the upper hand. Hummingbird then uses her telepathy to discover that the leader of the Eternals, [[Zuras]], was lying, and the Celestials weren't coming. This was seemingly in vain, as the New Warriors are defeated and used to power up the machine while Zuras manages to silence them or deflect any suspicion of his persona from his peers.<ref name="NW v5 #11">''New Warriors'' vol. 5 #11. Marvel Comics.</ref>

However, Justice, who had been dealt with separately from the rest of the team, returns to the fight and frees his teammates, damaging the High Evolutionary's machine in the process. Justice then convinces the rest of the Eternals and the High Evolutionary that Zuras had, indeed, been lying. The leader of the Eternals is forced to admit the Celestials weren't coming, albeit blaming the attempted genocide entirely on the High Evolutionary with the excuse "he had been tricked by him too". The Eternals leave, warned by the New Warriors not to come back.<ref name="NW v5 #12">''New Warriors'' vol. 5 #12. Marvel Comics.</ref>

<!-- Deleted image removed: [[File:Speedball and Hummingbird from New Warriros Vol 2 Issue 12.png|thumb|left|Robbie and [[Hummingbird (comics)|Hummingbird]] at the end of the final battle. Art by [[Marcus To]], colors by [[Ruth Redmond]].]] -->
Robbie is last seen happily walking away with the rest of his teammates from the crashed ship.<ref name="NW v5 #12" />

During the "[[Outlawed (comics)|Outlawed]]" storyline, Robbie appears as a member of C.R.A.D.L.E. when a law is passed that forbids superheroes who are below the age of 21.<ref>''Outlawed #1. Marvel Comics.</ref>