Marvel Database
Register
Advertisement

Quote1 Anyone can crush a body, but crushing a spirit... that's when you know you've really won. Quote2
Joystick[src]

History

Origin[]

Virtually nothing is known about the past of Janice Yanizeski before her first appearance as Joystick. She was once a student at the University of Arizona, living what she considered to be a boring life. After her sophomore year, something changed her. In her "new life," she became determined to live life on the edge, and began taking extreme risks. She disappeared for three years, reappearing as Joystick.[citation needed]

The Great Game[]

Joystick was a participant in the so-called "Great Game," a competition in which various wealthy individuals placed bets on the outcomes of battles between superhumanly powerful individuals. Like many players in the game, Joystick was sponsored by a corporate head, in her case, Chu Chi Huan of Chi-Huan Associates. Chi-Huan financed Joystick's equipment and travel expenses in return for a portion of her winnings. The players in the game fought other sponsored players as well as designated superhuman beings, many of whom were unaware of the game's existence, with the end goal of winning the "ultimate prize" promised by the game's supposed architect, James Johnsmeyer.[citation needed]

During the game, she encountered and battled a variety of super-humans, including El Toro Negro, the Scarlet Spider, the heroic Green Goblin, and Kaine. Eventually, the Great Game was ended by its sponsors.[5]

The Masters of Evil[]

Joystick then joined the Crimson Cowl's Masters of Evil in their massive extortion scheme, hoping to regain some of the money she'd lost in the collapse of the Great Game. She was one of the Masters ambushed and stripped by the Thunderbolts as part of their plan to infiltrate the Cowl's base.[6]

Once again affiliated with the Great Game, Joystick was sent to the United Nations alongside a new Polestar and Tremolo to confront the Sub-Mariner, Mister Fantastic, and the Thunderbolts. When the gaming council activated the players' two-minute warning device, threatening to blow them up, Joystick was convinced to help the heroes deactivate the devices in exchange for protection from the gaming council. Joystick helped Mister Fantastic block the signal, but the devices continued their countdown and went off.[7]

The Thunderbolts[]

Joystick eventually joined the new Thunderbolts. She didn't get along well with the rest of the group, and was revealed to be working for the Grandmaster. She attacked Speed Demon, showing that she possessed superhuman speed similar to his. It was revealed that the Grandmaster's plot was for Joystick to steal Zemo's Moonstones.[8]

She turned against the Thunderbolts, trying to gain power that Grandmaster had promised him, after Zemo seemingly killed the Grandmaster she was taken down by Speed Demon who had regained his powers.[9] She was then incarcerated by the CSA before being transferred to Prison 42 in the Negative Zone.[10]

Attributes

Power Grid[14]
:Category:Power Grid/Fighting Skills/Experienced Fighter:Category:Power Grid/Energy Projection/Single Type: Short Range:Category:Power Grid/Durability/Enhanced:Category:Power Grid/Speed/Superhuman:Category:Power Grid/Strength/Superhuman (800 lbs-25 ton):Category:Power Grid/Intelligence/Normal

Powers

Joystick possesses various superhuman attributes. Some of her powers were given to her by the Grandmaster, though the source of most of her others aren't known.

Superhuman Strength: Joystick's musculature, skeletal structure and connective tissues have all been augmented to levels well beyond those of a normal woman of her height, weight and build. As a result, she is capable of lifting 10 tons or more when under extreme duress. Ben Reilly openly admitted she is as strong as he is.

Superhuman Speed: Joystick's primary power is the ability to run, move and think at speeds beyond the natural physical limit of the finest human specimen. She is able to move at speeds sufficient to make her look as if she's little more than a blur over short distances. While the upper limit of her speed isn't known, she has proven capable of matching and possibly exceeding Speed Demon, another superhuman speedster that was originally augmented by the Grandmaster.[11] As a result, Joystick can reach speeds of at least 175 miles per hour.

Superhuman Stamina: Joystick's augmented musculature is much more efficient than that of an ordinary human. As a result, her muscles produce considerably less fatigue toxins during physical activity. At her peak, she can exert herself for up to about 24 hours before the build up of fatigue toxins in her blood starts to affect her.

Superhuman Durability: Joystick's bodily tissues are tougher, more resilient and more resistant to various forms of injury than those of a normal human. Specifically, she is able to resist impact and blunt force to a much greater degree than ordinary humans. She can withstand impacts, such as falling from several stories or being repeatedly struck with superhuman force, that would severely injure or kill a normal human with little to no injury to herself. Also, her skin, joints, ligaments, etc. are specifically enhanced to withstand the extreme friction generated by moving at such extreme speeds.

Superhuman Agility: Joystick's agility, balance and bodily coordination are enhanced to levels that are beyond the natural physical limits of the finest human specimen.

Superhuman Reflexes: Joystick's reflexes are also enhanced, though to a greater degree than even her agility. Joystick's reflexes are almost instantaneous, since she has to be able to maneuver efficiently while moving at superhuman velocities. Her reflexes are greater than those of Speed Demon and have allowed her to defeat him in close quarters combat.[11]

Abilities

Joystick is a formidable hand to hand combatant. Though she's had little formal training, she's able to combine a rudimentary knowledge of combat with her great speed and reflexes to create a unique type of freestyle combat. As a result of her speed, agility and reflexes Joystick can perform complex feats of acrobatic skill or martial arts moves even though she's had nearly no training.

Paraphernalia

Equipment

  • Energy Batons: Joystick wears metal devices on her wrists, each of which generates a "baton" of coherent energy, powered by strontium chips. These batons can be swung or hurled with sufficient concussive force to damage concrete. By striking the batons against one another, Joystick can project a powerful concussive force beam at her opponents.[12]

Trivia

  • Joystick might be bisexual. After hearing Radioactive Man reference the fact that someone wearing one of the old suits of Beetle armour, Elizabeth Vaughn, was a woman, Joystick tries to open up the armor stating, "Buddha said it's a chick in here... Just wanted to see if she was cute..."[13]

See Also

Links and References

References

Advertisement