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Quote1 Michael Badilino? The last of my life... My humanity... are long gone. All that's left is... Vengeance! It's who I am. It's what I do. Quote2
Michael Badilino[src]

History

Captain Dolan suggested that Badilino had previously served with Special Forces,[4] but Badilino himself said that he joined the NYPD after leaving the Marines — his father had been a cop and he didn't have any better ideas. He was Jeffrey Piper's first partner when Piper joined the force, and spoke approvingly of the Punisher's lethal approach to criminals.[5] He later became a detective, often assigned to special cases.[citation needed] After Ghost Rider (Dan Ketch) was linked to the death of Captain Dwight Jones, the Mayor appointed Lieutenant Badilino as head of a task force to apprehend the vigilante.[4]

Mephisto manipulated Ghost Rider (Johnny Blaze) to blast Michael's father with hellfire. The trauma drove the man insane. He murdered his daughters, wife and then committed suicide while Michael was away on an assignment. Michael blamed the Ghost Rider and took Mephisto's offer to become a similar being called 'Vengeance' to battle them.[6]

After both Ketch and Blaze battled Vengeance, the Caretaker stopped them. He explained that Badilino's family was also connected to the Medallion of Power, which was why Mephisto had manipulated them as well. In reality, he had given up his soul for power that was his birthright in the first place. He joined the Midnight Sons. While Ketch was missing, Vengeance filled in for him, patrolling the area around Cypress Hills Cemetery.[citation needed]

Badilino's old enemy Anton Hellgate learned of the powers Vengeance and Ghost Rider possessed. He captured Badilino and murdered Blaze's wife Roxanne. While imprisoned, Vengeance was experimented on as Hellgate sought to duplicate the power of a Spirit of Vengeance and add it to his own. He was eventually freed by Ghost Rider, but seemed to be unstable, and no longer able to transform into Vengeance.[citation needed]

Badilino joined a task force, recommended by Agent Uno. On one mission he suddenly turned back into Vengeance and massacred both his unit and the criminals they were after. He sought out Hellgate again and murdered any criminals he came across rather than simply punishing them.[7]

When confronted by Ghost Rider and Blaze, he used a penance stare that was the first step in learning the truth about the Riders' past. Feeling that he had already gone too far, Vengeance caused a massive explosion that destroyed both himself and Hellgate.[8]

Badilino found himself in Mephisto's Realm, where he would be tortured under Hell's new ruler Blackheart. One day, as Blackheart began he's plan against the separated Ghost Rider Noble Kale and Danny Ketch he want to Badilino with an offer. But he spit at Blackheart and refused, so Blackheart left him to continue his eternal damnation. When Danny happened across Badilino, he, with the help of Spirit and Skritch freed him from his torture and together they went to stop Blackheart. Once confronting Blackheart he turning into Vengeance, attacking Blackheart he gave Danny the time needed to restore Noble's memories. Now knowing the truth and the knowledge that he is the Angel of Death increased the power of the Ghost Rider, Noble defeated Blackheart in a blast of light.[9][10]

With Blackheart destroyed, Badilino chose to stay and help the new King of Hell Noble Kale. Like everyone, Badilino was shocked when Noble declared all imprisoned souls will be freed and as long as they do no evil, all demons have free will to do as they please. Uriel appeared, angry that Noble will upset the balance of things attempted to attack when Noble would not listen. Noble quickly stopped him before he could and banished the angel from Hell. Backing Noble, Badilino step forward, telling Uriel to get out and stay out. Noble would leave Hell right after and make Badilino his proxy over Hell while he was away.[3]

Through unknown circumstances, Badilino was once again on Earth living in Brooklyn, New York. When he read in the paper that cops in Tennessee found a shotgun, in a burnt to ashes shack in an old backwoods cemetery and that it wasn't even singed he Knew it was Johnny Blaze's. Once Badilino got his hands on it, he found it wouldn't work for him, so looking to make some extra money he chose to sole it. It was Kowalski, a fellow former cop who had a bad run-in with Johnny Blaze not long before who called him looking to buy the Hellfire Shotgun. Though it hadn't worked for Badilino, the gun blew a hole in his wall when Kowalski tried it, leaving him in shock. Badilino completed the sale and Kowalski went on to help Zadkiel take control of Heaven and even became the new Vengeance.[11]

Some time later it was revealed that Badilino was back in Hell, he was being kept from transforming into Vengeance by manacles. At some point when Johnny Blaze become the King of Hell, he was moved down to R'ack's personal corner of Hell, to be tortured and fight other inmates in Skinner and his old enemy Hellgate for the demon's amusement. After having tortured him with past memories, R'ack had him unchained to fight one of the other two inmates. The demons were afraid of Badilino, because though chained he still retained some measure of strength, and once the new guy unlocked him he crushed the demon's skull with one hand. Badilino wanted to face Hellgate, but R'ack being the one that choose what happens in his corner of Hell struck him and choose Skinner has his opponent.[12]

As they fought Skinner revealed that he wanted to help him get them both out, he had a plan and a shard of the Ghost Riders Hellfire-infused bone. With it Badilino can bypass the manacles keeping him from transforming. Once he touched the shad he transformed into Vengeance, and freed Skinner so he can also use his powers. Together they kill the demon's, and Badilino used their bones to create a new Hellcycle so they can ride out. Needing Hellgate as part of Skinner's plan to escape Badilino freed him, but after he did he was attacked by two special ops demons Skinner called Rock and Bone. After a fight and an assist from Skinner, Badilino grab them by the face and blew their heads off. Having tied up Hellgate with his Hellfire Chain, Badilino dragged him along as they made their way to a weak spot. A weak spot between dimensions and said to have been where Hell was created, and where Lilith performed a ritual to escape.[13] Almost there they were attacked by a group of demons, Badilino faced them head on. Riding up a lake of Hell Fire he cut through them all, even driving the last of them into the lake.[12]

Having reached the spot, as part of Skinner's plan for the ritual they used Hellgate as a portal to make their way to Earth and seemingly killing him in the process. As they traveled through the portal Badilino's and Skinner's memories merged, and he learned that Skinner had murdered his own family. Confronting Skinner about what he did, Skinner, as he attacked explained that it was a kindness, that he killed his wife and little boy to keep them safe from Lilith. But Badilino didn't care, and before he sent Skinner back to Hell he burned him with Hellfire. Not caring about what Ketch or Blaze are playing at, and not being them or wanting anything to do with Hell. Badilino road off to continue his mission as Vengeance.[12]

Attributes

Power Grid[17]
:Category:Power Grid/Fighting Skills/Experienced Fighter:Category:Power Grid/Energy Projection/Single Type: Short Range:Category:Power Grid/Durability/Bulletproof:Category:Power Grid/Speed/Superhuman:Category:Power Grid/Speed/Normal:Category:Power Grid/Strength/Superhuman (800 lbs-25 ton):Category:Power Grid/Intelligence/Normal

Powers

Demonic Transformation: Badilino possessed the supernatural ability to transform into Vengeance at will. In human form, he has no possession of any superhuman powers or supernatural capabilities. But as Vengeance, he possesses a variety of supernatural powers at his disposal.

  • Superhuman Strength: As Vengeance, Badilino possessed superhuman strength sufficient to lift about 10 tons.
  • Superhuman Stamina: The mystical energy that empowers Vengeance prevents his muscles from producing fatigue toxins during physical activities. As a result, while transformed into Vengeance, Badilino possesses limitless superhuman stamina in all physical activities.
  • Superhuman Speed: Vengeance can move at speeds far greater than any normal human, even without his bike. He has been shown to move at blurring speeds.[12]
  • Superhuman Agility: His mystically augmented being grants Vengeance enhanced reflexes, coordination, dexterity and accuracy. This provides heightened movements allowing him to dodge projectiles and attacks with ease.[12]
  • Superhuman Durability: While transformed into Vengeance, Badilino body is highly resistant to physical injury. He is capable of withstanding great impact forces, temperature and pressure extremes, powerful energy blasts, high caliber bullets, and falls from great heights without sustaining injury.
  • Regenerative Healing Factor: Despite his high resistance to injury while he is transformed into Vengeance, Badilino could still sustain physical injury. However, the mystical energies of the Vengeance enable him to rapidly heal physical damage much faster and more extensively than an ordinary person being is capable of.[12]
  • Supernatural Awareness: Vengeance possesses an extrasensory ability that allows him to detect sin, as he did when hunting Dracula. He claimed to have been able to sense Dracula's sin from miles away, but the true range of this ability has yet to be fully revealed.[14]
  • Hellfire Manipulation: As Vengeance, Badilino possessed the ability to generate, control, and project mystical fire, or "hellfire", at will. Hellfire is an empyreal and supernatural flame that burns the soul of a person and can be used to burn their physical body. He could utilize this fire in various ways, including projecting it from his eyes, hands, mouth, or even channel it from his body into his weapons like his shotgun, form walls of hellfire, and even create a motorcycle completely out of hellfire.[15] He has even shown to be able to create a motorcycle made up from the bones of demons through his Hellfire.[12]
  • Mystical Bone Chain Projection: As Vengeance, Badilino wielded a mystical bone chain that was capable of growing in length, cutting through almost anything, and transforming into other weapons. He could also create chains and wield them like his bone chains,[12] spew and project chains from his mouth or chest at will.
  • Penance Stare: As Vengeance, Badilino possesses the supernatural ability to cause any individual who stares into his eyes to see and feel every bit of pain they have ever inflicted on anyone in their entire lifetime.

Abilities

Badilino has been trained in military combat from his time in the Special Forces.[15][2]

Paraphernalia

Weapons

Vengeance had bone chains, normally wrapped around his wrists. He also could throw large spikes that emerged from his jacket and on occasion on his knuckles. Badilino himself often carried a pistol.

Transportation

  • Hellcycle: Unlike his original bike Badilino forged it from the bones of dead demons.

Notes

See Also

Links and References

References

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