



Contents show]





History

Early Life

Robert Farrell, born in Brooklyn, New York, was the eldest of seven children. He became responsible for his younger siblings when his mother Emma Johnson Farrell died. Robert was a scientific prodigy, and when he realized he couldn't earn enough to support his family, he turned to a life of crime as the Rocket Racer.

Rocket Racer

As Rocket Racer he snatched a courier's bulging briefcase. Spider-Man couldn't stop him because he was moving too fast on his rocket powered skateboard. However, a car pulled out in front of him suddenly and Spider-Man was able to defeat him and leave him with the police.[2]

Farrell hired the Tinkerer to redesign his skateboard after his first defeat by Spider-Man. He hired Jackson Weele to steal evidence that might incriminate him. Farrell used the evidence to blackmail Weele. He attempted suicide but Farrell stopped him and mocked Weele calling him Big Weele.[3] Weele was annoyed by Farrell and hired the Tinkerer himself to construct the Big Wheel, to chase Robert around town with. Spider-Man assisted and Big Wheel seemingly fell to his death in the Hudson River.[4]

Later, Rocket Racer was saved by Spider-Man from the Bounty Hunter.[5]

University Scholarship

He became a member of the Outlaws.[6] Later Spider-Man gave him a break and he took a high school equivalence test which garnered him a perfect score. This test allowed him a special scholarship to Empire State University. At one point he fought another university student called Eddie the Cross who was a white supremacist. During a fight in the Science Laboratories, Rocket Racer fired a rocket at a jar he held above his head filled with Spider-Man's new web formula. Unfortunately this poured all over Eddie and he became the villain named Skinhead.[7]

Silver Sable International

He was hired by Silver Sable as a freelance operative for Silver Sable International to prevent two youths from stealing the victims' weapons at the Bar With No Name, the site of the Scourge massacre.[8]

He was again hired by Sable to stop the Speed Demon.[9] He joined Spider-Man and the Outlaws against the Avengers and the Space Phantom,[10][11] He was again hired along with the Outlaws to retrieve a Symkarian nuclear device in the United Kingdom.[12] He was hired by Sable to stop a runaway subway maintenance robot.[13] Farrell later joined the Outlaws to rescue the kidnapped daughter of a Canadian official.[14][11][15] Farrell became a regular visitor of the Bar With No Name.[16] He teamed up with Monica Rambeau to battle Skinhead.[17]

Great Game

Seeing as he wasn't getting much work from Silver Sable, Farrell decided to get into the Great Game together with the Prowler. Rather than following the game's rules, Robert and Hobie staged a fight and intended to split the earnings. They were targeted by another participant named el Toro Negro, who blasted them with a bazooka. Prowler shielded Robert from the ensuing fall, resulting in Rocket Racer surviving with only a broken arm, whereas Hobie broke most of his bones and fell into a coma.[18]

Troy

Henry Sleeman was hired by an unnamed employer to befriend Farrell and steal his Rocket Racer tech. He did so, taking the name "Troy" and befriending him for months. When Farrell finally showed him the gear he knocked him out and stole it, pursuing Spider-Man with the intention of fighting him, only to be defeated when restaurateur Harry Sloane opened a door at just the right time for 'Troy' to run into the door and knock himself unconscious.[19]

Farrell briefly joined Tombstone's prison squad along with Big Ben and Hypno-Hustler where they provided Tombstone some protection while he underwent a heart bypass.[20]

50-State Initiative

He was recruited into the 50-State Initiative.[21] As a registered hero, he reported to Camp Hammond for training.[22]

M.O.D.O.K.'s 11

Despite his attempts to reform, Farrell needed money to support his comatose mother and stop the repossession of their home. He joined the M.O.D.O.K.'s 11 a group of villains formed by M.O.D.O.K.. The team consisted of Armadillo, Chameleon, Living Laser, Mandarin, Mentallo, Nightshade, Puma, Monica Rappaccini, Spot, and the Ultra-Adaptoid. He was tempted back into crime, and reduced to a state of stuttering nervousness by the situation.[23] However, he turned out to have been working for S.H.I.E.L.D. all along, with a deal that they would give him the money he needed in return for the Hypernova,[24] but he failed in this and it is unknown yet what happened with his mother.[25]

Battling the New Avengers

New Avengers Iron Fist and Spider-Woman tried to take him down after he committed a robbery.[26]

Avengers Academy

He later joined the Avengers Academy when they opened their doors to a larger crew.[27][28]

Briggs Chemical LLC

When Jeremy Briggs came back to the Avengers Compound to offer other students a job at his company, Robert agreed to the proposition, both for the money offered by Briggs (intending to use it to pay for his siblings' college) and because he saw himself more as an engineer than as a hero.[29] As he was not present during the final fight against Briggs, his current whereabouts are unknown.[30]



Powers and Abilities

Abilities

Robert Farrell has a gifted intellect, but no superhuman powers. He built gauntlets furnished with explosive mini-rockets, and utilizes a cybernetically-controlled, rocket-powered magnetic skateboard, which he designed and was later redesigned by the Tinkerer.[31]





Paraphernalia

Equipment

Rocket Racer Suit: The Racers costume is made of synthetic stretch fabric which has been augmented to make it highly resistant to damage.[31]

Transportation

Jet-Powered Skateboard: Rocket Racer uses a jet-powered skateboard with gyroscopic stabilizers, and magnetic boots that keep him attached to the board. The skateboard also adheres to vertical and inverted surfaces. The board is cybernetically controlled via the Rocket Racer's head-set.[31]

Weapons

Rocket Racer Gloves: He wears gloves that are each capable of firing up to four micro-rockets simultaneously. The gloves also provide him with a rocket-powered punch.[31]

Discover and Discuss

Search this site for:



