Ramrod II
Context
Ramrod II is a minor Marvel villain. He’s a straightforward, easy-to-use superhuman brawler.
He was first and primarily seen during a 1973 story arc in Daredevil, but has made a few appearances since.
Ramrod has mostly been seen fighting street-level characters, for whom his strength and durability are genuine threats.
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Background
- Real Name: Unrevealed.
- Known Relatives: None.
- Group Affiliation: None.
- Base Of Operations: Mobile.
- Height: 6’8” (2.03 m). Weight: 300lbs. (136 Kg.).
- Eyes: Blue. Hair: None.
Powers and Abilities
Ramrod is a superb brawler and athlete. He evidenced superior strength and aggression.
He received a new skeleton made of steel, his muscles were enhanced, and several areas of his body were rebuilt using steel plating. This grants him “Class 10” strength, as well as minor superhuman jumping ability.
Durability-wise, his track record is contradictory.
- Super-heroic human fighters can hurt him by striking at less protected spots.
- Yet even superhuman strength levels below Ramrod’s own will have difficulties landing telling hits.
Ramrod favours charge attacks, body rushes and the like. He also considers it a plus when he gets to destroy random stuff across the battlefield.
Moondragon equipped him with a radiation detector. But it was calibrated to allow Ramrod to only track one specific radioactive marker.
History
Ramrod was a foreman on an off-shore oil rig. His nickname came from his merciless brutality, and his habit of pushing the men under his command harder than is reasonable.
One day, a full oil drum fell on him, crushing every bone. It was hinted that this wasn’t an accident.
He miraculously survived, but was now fully crippled.
Alien abduction
He then woke up inside a spaceship. Ramrod was one of three men turned into superhumans by Moondragon, along with the Dark Messiah and Angar the Screamer.
As the mysterious “Madame McEvil”, Moondragon sent them after Daredevil (Matt Murdock). Ramrod refused to obey, but “McEvil” told him he had been poisoned. He would only get the antidote if he followed orders.
Ramrod clashed twice with Daredevil and the Black Widow (Natalia Romanova) in San Francisco :
- The first attack was solo. But he ran into a visiting Spider-Man (Peter Parker).
- The second was done along with Moondragon’s other two agents. During this battle, Ramrod was handily defeated by Captain Marvel (Mar-Vell).
Oh, we got both kinds. Country *and* western.
Ramrod then moved from Frisco to New York City. There, he became a regular at a Brooklyn bar called Mickey’s.
He applied for a position as a country music singer at Mickey’s, but didn’t even get an audition.
The vicious, petty Ramrod craved vengeance. He blackmailed an Empire State University chemistry professor into providing him with a poison. This toxin would make people act crazy before killing them.
Then he used the chemical to spike the beer at Mickey’s.
However, ESU student Peter Parker intervened in time to save the patrons. As the amazing Spider-Man, he defeated Ramrod using an electromagnet crane in a nearby junkyard.
Acts of Vengeance
During the 1989 Acts of Vengeance conspiracy, Ramrod fell under the influence of one of Doctor Doom’s aggression enhancers.
He therefore attempted to attack the Fantastic Four.
However, this technology makes people far slower and clumsier. The effect was so pronounced on Ramrod that he somehow knocked himself out in a fall.
Adνеrtisеmеnt
Get in the ring !
In 1993, Ramrod was part of a fighting event organised by Batroc during a huge AIM weapons expo. It was a series of ring matches against Crossbones.
As it happened Captain America (Steve Rogers) was impersonating Crossbones. He only narrowly won against Ramrod, using vicious blows to the least armoured parts of Ramrod’s body – such as the eyes.
Glimpses
In 2008, Ramrod was glimpsed in a Bar With No Name in New York City. When Spider-Man came in, a brief brawl erupted.
The bartender demanded that it stop, and the patrons complied. None of them had a genuine reason to get into a full-on fight against Spidey.
In 2013, Ramrod was likewise glimpsed in a secret casino for super-villains. He made some terrible attempt at flirting with a disguised Domino (Neena Thurman), who told him off.
Description
Ramrod is a big muscular bruiser, with 220 pounds (100Kg.) of enhanced flesh and 80 pounds (36 Kg.) of metal.
Parts of his body are visibly made of steel, including :
- His head (save for his face and ears).
- The upper part of his chest and back.
- Part of his arms.
- Two heavy, integral brass knuckles.
Ramrod wears a broad black leather belt, green trousers and work boots. The brown costume was only worn during the second clash with Spider-Man.
Personality
Ramrod may have had his “body bolstered and rebuilt by gizmos from another planet”, but he’s a jobberWrestling slang for a wrestler who almost always loses..
He’s daft, arrogant, brutal, petty and small-minded. Not necessarily in this order.
Ramrod was not initially a cold-blooded killer. He refused to commit murder. But by the time of his second clash with Spider-Man he was willing to murder dozens of innocents to enact petty revenge.
Ramrod is a big country music fan. He fancies himself an excellent country singer.
On the other hand, his grammar and diction are terrible.
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Quotes
“Ha ! You think that’s gonna hurt… the RAMROD !? I’m a man of steel, just like in the funnies !”
“Blast ! I’m on the wrong floor ! The papers are in the room below ! But that don’t stop me ! Walls — doors — nothin’ stops me !”
“You’re nothin’ — just a wisecrackin’ bodybuilder in a halloween mask ! Me, I’ve had my body bolstered by gizmos from another planet ! I’m a cyborg, pal — one of the first ! Part man, part machine !”
DC Universe Adaptation
(This section proposes ways of using this character in DC Universe stories).
Ramrod is one more thug with a gimmick. He could be a good foe for a human character, and could easily be used as a part of a small army of low-powered super-criminals.
DC Heroes RPG
Tell me more about the game stats
Ramrod II
| Dex: 06 | Str: 09 | Bod: 08 |
| Int: 03 | Wil: 02 | Min: 03 |
| Inf: 03 | Aur: 03 | Spi: 03 |
| Init: 014 | HP: 020 |
Powers:
Jumping: 03, Skin armour: 02
Bonuses and Limitations:
Skin armour doesn’t apply vs Structural Descriptor.
Skills:
Acrobatics (Athletics): 06, Acrobatics (Climbing): 09, Artist (Singing): 02, Martial artist: 07, Vehicles (Land): 03
Bonuses and Limitations:
Acrobatics (Climbing) is a Powered Skill that is Contingent Upon STR. If the surface he wants to climb is too tough for him to punch handholds and footholds into (say, solid steel) Ramrod can only engage 3 APs of Acrobatics (Climbing).
Advantages:
Familiarity (Country & western music).
Connections:
Underworld (Low).
Drawbacks:
Distinct Appearance, Public ID.
Motivation:
Mercenary.
Occupation:
Criminal.
Wealth:
005
Design Notes
These stats do not take X-Men #38 (2013) into account.
It was one of those things where a random assortment of villains are portrayed as having the same capabilities as your average pub patron, and are knocked out en masseIn a group; all together. Guys, I can’t work with that.
DC Adventures RPG
Tell me more about the game stats
Ramrod II — Averaged PL 9
| STR | STA | AGL | DEX |
|---|---|---|---|
| 02 (08) | 02 (07) | 00 (02) | 01 |
| FGT | INT | AWE | PRE |
| 04 (07) | 00 | 00 | 01 |
Powers:
Cyborg from Titan ● 42 points ● Descriptor: Cybernetics, Eternal technology.
– Enhanced Strength 6, Enhanced Stamina 5, Enhanced Agility 2, Enhanced Fighting 3.
– Protection 2 (Limited to non-energy, non-structural attacks).
– Leaping 3, Movement 1 (Wall-Crawling (Quirk- not on armoured surfaces)).
– Enhanced Advantages (Defensive Roll 2; Move-by Action).
– Enhanced Skill (Acrobatics 4).
Combat Advantages:
All-Out Attack, Close Attack 1, Defensive Roll 1(3), Move-by Action.
Other Advantages:
None demonstrated.
Skills:
Acrobatics 4 (+6), Athletics 3 (+11), Close combat (Unarmed) 2 (+10), Expertise (Country music singer) 3 (+3), Expertise (Country music lore) 5 (+5), Insight 2 (+2), Perception 2 (+2), Vehicles 2 (+3) (Limited 1 to land vehicles).
Offence:
| Initiative +2 |
| Unarmed +10, Close, Damage 8 |
Defence:
| Dodge | 10 |
| Fortitude | 11 |
| Parry | 11 |
| Toughness | 7*/10/12** |
| Will | 02 |
* Without Defensive Roll
** With Defensive Roll and Protection
Complications:
- Appearance Ramrod is visibly a cyborg, though that can be disguised.
- Professional criminal Ramrod is a full-time criminal, and known as such.
Powers Levels:
- Trade-off areas. Attack/Effect PL 9, Dodge/Toughness PL 11, Parry/Toughness PL 11, Fort/Will PL 7.
- Points total 92. Abilities 20, Defences 18, Skills 9, Powers 42, Devices 0, Advantages 3. Equiv. PL 7.
Design Notes
The lack of Impervious Toughness does much of the heavy lifting to represent his inconsistent durability.
Source of Character: Marvel Universe.