Demolition Team

Demolition Team
The Demolition Team, art by Dave Gibbons.
Publication information
Publisher	DC Comics
First appearance	Green Lantern (vol. 2) #176 (May 1984)
Created by	Len Wein and Dave Gibbons
In-story information
Member(s)	Hardhat Jackhammer Rosie Scoopshovel Steamroller

The Demolition Team are a fictional team of mercenaries in the DC Comics universe. They first appeared in Green Lantern #176 (May 1984) and were created by Len Wein and Dave Gibbons.^[1]

Fictional character history

In their initial appearance, Congressman Jason Bloch hired the Demolition Team to destroy the Los Angeles branch of Ferris Aircraft.^[2] The Ferris employees were virtually defenseless against the team and their state-of-the-art weaponry provided by the Monitor. Help finally arrived in the form of the mysterious Predator who defeated the entire team unaided.^[1] It is assumed the Demolition Team were sent to prison soon after the incident.

The Demolition Team returned several years later with updated technology only to be handily defeated by the Blood Pack after attacking a nuclear power plant in Germany. Hardhat later appeared committing crimes in Opal City.

Rosie, together with several other scientific geniuses and cybernetic beings (Automan, Brainstorm, Doctor Cyber, Ford, and Emil Hamilton), was for a brief period part of the composite cybernetic being known as Enginehead. However (if this story is still canon), the being seems to have been divided into the individual personalities again shortly after the events of the series Enginehead #1-6 (2004).

Most of the team met their end at the hands of the OMACs during the events of The OMAC Project, but Hardhat was seen alive in Infinite Crisis #7. He is participating in the 'Battle of Metropolis', which was a supervillain first step to conquer the world.^[1]

Still later, Hardhat was seen among the "forgotten characters" of Limbo. Other notables include Ace the Bat-Hound, Geist, Gunfire and Merryman of the Inferior Five. As Merryman explains, Hardhat and all the other inhabitants came here to a realm of 'no stories' because they were forgotten about in the real world. They all are rescued by Superman and assist in the battle against the cosmic threat of Mandrakk.^[3]

Members

• Hardhat - A former heavyweight boxing palooka from New York City. His powered helmet and harness made him into a human juggernaut, currently a resident of Limbo.
• Jackhammer - A former oil rig worker from Houston. He carried a larger, more powerful version of a jackhammer capable of untold destruction. He is not to be confused with a similarly named character (real name Jackson Hammersmith) who employed an armor suit with two hydraulically charged hammer pistons against Superman while he had been weakened by Lord Satanus and Syren for a time.
• Rosie - The leader of the Demolition Team. A former, no-nonsense bar owner in New Orleans, she brandished a rapid-fire hot rivet gun.
• Scoopshovel - A former professional jai-alai player from San Diego. His hydraulic power-arm allowed him to dig up almost anything.
• Steamroller - A former motorcycle stunt rider from Chicago. He rode a compact version of a steamroller that could flatten buildings.

In other media

Television

• Steamroller makes non-speaking appearances in Teen Titans. This version is a namesake/construction equipment-themed android who initially appears as a member of H.I.V.E. before joining the Brotherhood of Evil.
• The Demolition Team appear in the Arrow episode "Code of Silence", consisting of Rosie (portrayed by Rachel Luttrell), Hardhat (portrayed by Marc Trottier), and Jackhammer (portrayed by Daniel Cudmore). This version of the group specialize in destroying buildings and wield regular equipment.

Miscellaneous

The Demolition Team appear in Justice League Unlimited #43.

See also

• Wrecking Crew- A similar themed group from Marvel Comics

References