The Ringer
Real Name: Anthony Davis
First Appearance: Defenders 51
Died In: Captain America 319
Got Better In: Lethal Foes of Spider-Man 3
What's His Problem: All he wanted was to commit lucrative criminal acts with weapons reminiscent of Cheerios. Was that so much to ask?
Abilities: The Ringer was an ex-NASA technician, a gifted mechanical engineer and inventor who designed his own armor and weaponry. The equipment was actually constructed by the Tinkerer, based on Davis's designs. The Ringer was an agile, moderately skillful unarmed combatant and a good marksman with thrown weapons, especially rings.
Weapons: The Ringer's costume housed an indeterminate number of specially constructed rings, some of which could be fired from his armor's gauntlets, while others were thrown by hand. His weapons included exploding rings, freezing rings, constricting rings that could crush opponents, and a series of interlocking rings that could be used as a ladder, a lasso or a whip. Later, the Ringer's redesigned battle armor gave him a greater degree of protection from injury and also housed "particulate matter condensers" with which the Ringer could form rings composed of urban atmospheric pollutants. Yet another argument for tougher clean air laws!
Favorite Quote: "You're a sick one, super-hero! You hide behind the law to satisfy your adolescent urges. You just want to indulge in sanctioned violence and bask in hero worship. You're a hypocrite! You don't really give a damn about the injustice and inequality of the system you serve! At least I admit I'm only looking out for my own interests!" (Defenders 51. The Ringer regales Nighthawk with rousing ideological debate whilst--dare I say it--running rings around him.)
Heroes He Kept Running Into: Nighthawk and Spider-Man each used the Ringer as a punching bag before the Scourge of the Underworld put him out of his misery in the Bar with No Name massacre.
People Who Think He's Not So Bad: Ringer's devoted wife, Leila, respected her husband's brilliance as much as she despised his weakness. When the Beetle used him as an unwilling pawn against Spider-Man and broke his spirit, the Ringer descended into small-time midwestern crime in an ongoing attempt to redeem his rep, eventually dying at the hands of Scourge in Ohio. Leila blamed the Beetle for his death and, using her feminine wiles and her husband's ring weaponry, tried to off the Beetle after infiltrating his Sinister Syndicate and romancing Syndicate member Boomerang. She and Boomerang made a cute (and deadly) couple, so we may see more of Leila yet.
Most Despicable Act: Okay, so he robbed a safe, tussled with Nighthawk, fought Spider-Man unwillingly on behalf of the Beetle and then got himself killed. What, did you think a guy called the Ringer was going to be evil incarnate?
What's Happening Here? A new Ringer employing Davis's costume and weaponry has battled Moon Knight, Thunderbolt II, the Pantheon and Spider-Man, and at last report was one of many super-criminals in the employ of criminal entrepreneur Justin Hammer. Who this Ringer is and how he got the suit remains to be seen, but it isn't that surprising since the Tinkerer built Davis's gear and had access to the designs, which he could have easily sold to another criminal.
Wait, This Just In... Jeanne the editor here. Guess what? Anthony Davis is alive! Now calling himself "Strikeback", Davis popped up (literally) in the Lethal Foes of Spider-Man limited series looking, I must say, a good deal more buff than he had in his Ringer days. Found by A.I.M. agents after the Bar With No Name massacre, he was reconstructed on Cable-esque lines and determined to prevent Leila from following in his criminal footsteps. When last spotted, Davis had just teleported Leila away from the scene of her latest crime so that they could discuss their future. No report on how the marriage encounter session is working out...
by Sean McQuaid
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