Knock Out

However, the generic quality of the characters had caught our attention, as they seemed easily usable in scenario where one needs super-heroes in the background.

Knock Out and several Capes character returned a few years later as part of the Invincible universe, as this new book by the same writer was a big success. Our Knock Out character profile was eventually updated to follow suit !

For more context about the Capes, Inc. company, see our Bolt character profile.

Background

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Powers & Abilities

Known Superhuman Powers

None.

Abilities

Knockout is a capable pugilist. She presumably received some form of formal training in American Style Boxing.

Her experiences as a Guardian have exposed her to a variety of environments that a normal person would not usually encounter, including a space walk.

Paraphernalia

Knockout employs a unique pair of boxing gloves in combat. Through some unknown method (technological or magical), the gloves grant their wearer the ability to strike physical objects with superhuman force. They also confer a measure of invulnerability. Knockout has never measured the maximum force she can generate from a single punch with the gloves.

History

At some point during the Great Depression, super-villain “The Boxer” attempted to rob an bank in Atlanta order to make ends meet.

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The robbery was going as planned until the hero, Thor Man, entered the scene. The two men battled briefly, until one of the Boxer’s gloves came loose.

Even as the boxing glove fell, Thor Man struck a decisive blow. What he didn’t realize, was that the Boxer’s gloves were the source of his invulnerability. With them gone the Boxer was nothing more than a man. As a result, Thor Man’s strike crushed the Boxer’s chest, killing him instantly.

The Boxer is dead

Thor Man was horrified by the carnage his hammer just wrought. Thus, he didn’t notice when one of the bank’s security guard stole the gloves and slipped away with them.

The security guard initially hoped to sell the gloves in order to make ends meet. After all, times were tough during the Depression. But he eventually found that he risked them falling into the wrong hands. He even wore them himself for a time, taking on the name of the Boxer and fighting crime when necessary.

Decades later, the guard’s grand-daughter found the gloves secreted away in his home. She asked about their history. Then an old man, the guard told her of the gloves checkered past and when she asked for them, he happily passed them on to her.

Capes Inc.

The young woman, now calling herself Knockout, became a super-heroine and began to fight crime. She quickly came to the attention of Capes Incorporated, an organization of professional super-heroes, and joined their ranks. Knockout fought in several battles with the heroes of Capes Inc..

It was soon brought to her attention that she would be more bankable if she augmented her natural appearance. Feeling that she had little choice, Knockout began to wear a pair of prosthetic breast enhancements (she clearly opted out of actual surgery). She found that she received more work and an increase in her salary.

Eventually, Knockout met Kid Thor while on the job and the two entered into a romantic relationship. As it truly began to Blossom, Kid made Knockout more and more comfortable with her natural appearance to the point where she began to eschew wearing the prosthetics.

Guarding the Globe

When the earth was ravaged by a group of Invincible clones from an alternate dimension, Knockout (along with other members of Capes Inc.) answered the call of battle. They did her best to defeat the extra-dimensional duplicates. Unfortunately, like the majority of Earth’s heroes, Knockout found herself grossly outmatched by the awesome might of the extra dimensional Viltrumite youths.

When the war was eventually ended (by the “real” Invincible and Angstrom Levy), the Guardians of the Globe had suffered casualties and were in bad need of new members. Knockout was recruited, along with Kid Thor to help fill out their ranks.

The two participated in several conflicts as members of the Guardians. They also became engaged. Despite the constant risks, the two seemed to thrive among their teammates. They also came out of their insane battles relatively unscathed. That is, until Kid Thor faced the mad god Thoth in India.

Thoth murdered Kid with casual ease during their battle. When his remains were returned to the Guardians’ headquarters in Utah, Knockout wept over his corpse. She inadvertently resurrected him when she placed his magical hammer onto his chest.

Kid’s miraculous resurrection, and the insane events of their lives, caused Knockout to re-evaluate their relationship status. She now wants to marry Kid as soon as possible, in order to never be apart from him again.

Description

Knockout is an attractive Caucasian woman. She has blue eyes and short blonde hair. She normally wears a small stud nose-ring through her right nostril.

Knockout’s physique is reminisce of a female boxer; she isn’t heavily muscled but she clearly has a tiny percentage of body fat.

As a result, she is exceptionally defined but not buxom. This harmed her bankability in the past. To compensate, Knock Out wore an extremely large pair of prosthetic breasts that increased her cup size from what looked like an B to a F. By the time she joined the Guardians, she had abandoned the prosthesis.

Outfit

Knockout’s costume is a relatively simple one. It is a skintight spandex body suit, that has a thick white stripe running down the center of it, from her neck all the way to her lower calves. The sides of the suit are a deep reddish/purple color.

She wears knee high boots of the same reddish/purple color with white squares prominently in the front. Similar squares sit prominently on the hips of the costume as well. Finally the costume leaves her shoulders and arms bare. The neckline of the costume is a turtle neck.

Of course, this is all topped off with her trade mark, red boxing gloves.

Personality

Like Kid Thor, Knockout’s personality is simple. She’s earnest, heroic and self sacrificing. She is seemingly always willing to throw herself into battle with little to no fear for her own life.

The only hesitation she has shown of late, is when the battles take place on she and Kid’s “time off.” With Kid’s death experience, she has begun to re-evaluate what is really important to her in her life. And it seems that the list starts and ends with Kid Thor.

Quotes

“Ah, the breasts. Those are fake. I don’t like wearing them, but when our PR guy suggested it… I gave it a shot. The next week I was offered an endorsement deal and they added me to the trading cards line a month later.”

Kid Thor: “I really wish you didn’t have to wear those any more.”
Knockout: “Are you kidding ? My salary has doubled since I started wearing these. They get in the way a little, for sure — but I need the money. The world just doesn’t want flat-chested super-heroines.”

“Beats the hell out of boring-ass sentry duty. Hell, I’d take a car wash robbery right about now.”

Killcannon: “All will fall who find themselves staring down the barrel of the unconquerable Killcannon !”
Knockout (while KO’ing Killcannon with a single punch): “Ugh, this guy is strictly D-List.”

(To Kid Thor regarding his death) “All I know is I never want to feel that way again. I always want you around.”

By Bryan Gittens.

Source of Character: Image Comic Book Series – Guarding the Globe, created by Robert Kirkman (author), Benito Cereno (author) and Ransom Getty (artist/illustrator).

Helper(s): Sébastien Andrivet (v1 writeup).

Write-up completed on the July 26^th, 2013.