For you conspiracy buffs (Wolverine #44 Spoiler related--feel free to merge)

[stillanerd]

Okay, for those of you who read this weeks Wolverine #44, we learned that Nitro was being supplied Mutant Growth Hormones to increase his powers (which was why the explosion in Stamford was so massive) and that his supplier was Damage Control, Inc. This has lead some to believe this is confirmation that the Riverbank Massacre was an orchestrated event desigend to pass SHRA. Well, I dig some digging on Damage Control, and there's some interesting stuff:

First of all, this is a construction company which specializes in property damage created due to conflicts between superheroes and supervillains. In short, they make money of these battles, meaning the more damage that's made by these superhero/supervillain battles, the more money they make. Stamford is in dire need of some major construction work, and since it was caused by a fight between superbeings, guess whose likely to get the rebuilding contract? So did Damage Control work with Nitro in order to cause property damage so they could profit from the destruction caused in Stamford? And are they part of another larger network? Remember Mark Millar's Marvel Knights Spider-Man #1-12 where the Scorpion revealed to Spider-Man about how there were various military industrilists and major cooperations created the supervillains in order to distract heroes away from their illegeal activities? Well, Damage Control wouldn't have a business if there wasn't any supervillains, so maybe some members of that organization had a hand in fiancing some villains so they could make property damage and get more construction contracts?

And get this: Tony Stark A.K.A. Iron Man--now heading the pro-registration heroes--used to own stock in the company, as did Wilson Fisk, who once tried to buy the company and use it to profit off of the damage created during the Acts of Vengence story arc. S.H.I.E.L.D. also has a connection with Damage Control, in that they helped it's founder, Ann-Marie Hoag, to buy back the company and are also have several investments in it as well. Also, Robbie Baldwin, a.k.a Speedball--currently in custody for his role in the Riverbank Massacre--once worked as an intern with Damage Control.

I know Wikipedia is sometimes not the most reliable of information sites, but here's a bit of history on them:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Damage_Control_(comics)

Coincidence...or conspiracy?

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Goddamnit, you have got to be kidding me. People are dragging DAMAGE CONTROL'S good name through the mud now? This is just ridiculous.

 

[supermarvelman]

That is a good conspiracy theory.

 

[Darthphere]

Goddamnit, you have got to be kidding me. People are dragging DAMAGE CONTROL'S good name through the mud now? This is just ridiculous.

I gotta agree.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

These are the changes that really worry me, too. Spider-Man's f***ing Spider-Man--he'll weather anything at this point and always come out recognizable for the most part. But third-tier characters or groups like Damage Control and Quasar? No one but a few hardcore followers cared about them anyway, so it's easy for Marvel to screw them and never look back to fix things. Weak sauce, man. Weak sauce.

 

[twylight]

Wow....that's deep...they should have a special book for that.

Civil War: Conspiracy

Two freshman reporters undercover the secret plot behind the SHRA.
Who want's them alive, and who wants them dead.
Watch as the Marvel Universe is torn asunder yet again!

 

[Red]

Interesting...When you think about it, this leads us on a path that makes Iron Man an even bigger ass doesn't it?

 

[MaskedManJRK]

Wow....that's deep...they should have a special book for that.

Civil War: Conspiracy

Two freshman reporters undercover the secret plot behind the SHRA.
Who want's them alive, and who wants them dead.
Watch as the Marvel Universe is torn asunder yet again!

Isn't that what the reporter story in Frontline about?

 

[MaskedManJRK]

Interesting...When you think about it, this leads us on a path that makes Iron Man an even bigger ass doesn't it?

Ass would be putting it lightly--I'd be more likely to call him an inhuman murderer.

But, as his solo title is showing, it might be the Extremis virus messing up with his conscience.

 

[PhotoJones]

that's...really well thought out.

and nerdy.

i like.

 

[Dread]

Its a good theory, but I'm sort of with Corp on this, and wouldn't like to see some humorous D-Listers like Damage Control dragged into this sort of mire and made out to be devients. A-Listers can get bungled, ruined, and jump a whole row of sharks, but through continued interest, they can recover. But B and lower listers? Whatever happens to them tends to stick longer. I mean, Iceman was repowered almost immediately after HOM #7. But Jubilee? Nope. Hawkeye's alive somewhere after his death in 2004, but how about Jack of Hearts? Nope.

I mean, if Meltzer really wanted to incite fans for IC, he'd have had Lois Lane die. But no, he picked a far easier target, Sue Dibney, a heroine only a few fans would be outraged over being sacrificed for a murder mystery.

I could rattle off a laundry list of fairly interesting C-Listers who have been mangled and stand unfixed. So, great theory, but I hope its not the DAMAGE CONTROL.

 

[PhotoJones]

Its a good theory, but I'm sort of with Corp on this, and wouldn't like to see some humorous D-Listers like Damage Control dragged into this sort of mire and made out to be devients. A-Listers can get bungled, ruined, and jump a whole row of sharks, but through continued interest, they can recover. But B and lower listers? Whatever happens to them tends to stick longer. I mean, Iceman was repowered almost immediately after HOM #7. But Jubilee? Nope. Hawkeye's alive somewhere after his death in 2004, but how about Jack of Hearts? Nope.

I mean, if Meltzer really wanted to incite fans for IC, he'd have had Lois Lane die. But no, he picked a far easier target, Sue Dibney, a heroine only a few fans would be outraged over being sacrificed for a murder mystery.

I could rattle off a laundry list of fairly interesting C-Listers who have been mangled and stand unfixed. So, great theory, but I hope its not the DAMAGE CONTROL.

i'm sure it proves false for a few reasons; one being i don't know if i can give marvel that kind of credit to put that together.

but you have to hand it to the guy...he did his homework.

 

[Willowhugger]

Damage Control of all people? I find that hilarious. We've been suspecting a SHIELD/Hydra conspiracy and it's an INSURANCE/real estate scam.

 

[stillanerd]

Its a good theory, but I'm sort of with Corp on this, and wouldn't like to see some humorous D-Listers like Damage Control dragged into this sort of mire and made out to be devients. A-Listers can get bungled, ruined, and jump a whole row of sharks, but through continued interest, they can recover. But B and lower listers? Whatever happens to them tends to stick longer. I mean, Iceman was repowered almost immediately after HOM #7. But Jubilee? Nope. Hawkeye's alive somewhere after his death in 2004, but how about Jack of Hearts? Nope.

I mean, if Meltzer really wanted to incite fans for IC, he'd have had Lois Lane die. But no, he picked a far easier target, Sue Dibney, a heroine only a few fans would be outraged over being sacrificed for a murder mystery.

I could rattle off a laundry list of fairly interesting C-Listers who have been mangled and stand unfixed. So, great theory, but I hope its not the DAMAGE CONTROL.

Come now, Dread. This is Marvel run by Joe Quesada, JMS, Bendis, and Millar. We're talking the same company that turned the Scarlet Witch into an all-powerful, reality-altering psycho, killed Hawkeye, retconned it so Xorn never was Magneto, reduced the mutant population, turned the X-Men into the equivalent of Native Americans with the Xavier Mansion becoming akin to a reservation, made the New Warriors look like a bunch of inexperienced ametuers, are in the process of making Iron Man into a manipulative back-stabber, brought back Thor to make him S.H.I.E.L.D.'s secret weapon, are THIS CLOSE to breaking up Reed and Sue's marriage, and, least not we forget, all the stuff that's happened to Spider-Tool, including totemistic origins,

Spoiler

Sins Past

, the Other, the "Iron Spidey" costume, his becoming Tony Stark's lapdog, and especially his public unmasking. Frankly, making Damage Control part of a massive conspiracy sounds right up these folks' alley.

Damage Control of all people? I find that hilarious. We've been suspecting a SHIELD/Hydra conspiracy and it's an INSURANCE/real estate scam.

You know, if it invovled beach front property, one would almost think Lex Luthor was behind it. ")

Anyway, whose to say certain members of S.H.I.E.L.D., such as Maria Hill, aren't also in on the conspiracy along with Damage Control? After all, who would have the resources to manufacture a Mutant Growth Hormone in pill form? Also, doesn't S.H.I.E.L.D. still benefits from SHRA being passed, as well as getting a good return on their investments into Damage Control.

 

[bored]

I think the theory is valid for one reason: it gives Joey Q. and his people an easy out. If people don't like the outcome of "Civil War", there can just be something where everyone finds out Damage Control was behind it all, and the pro-reg and anti-reg heroes, in their joint outrage, will come back together to get revenge, and there will be a big splash-page filled book where Cap and Iron Man, bosom buddies once again, will lead everyone on a massive, over-gunned quest for revenge, or something like that. It's weak and anti-climactic, but it'd be in character for Marvel.

Plus, Damage Control's initials are "D.C.", and why did Marvel really do this? To compete with a 'big event' at DC, so it's all really their fault.*


*no, i'm not serious

 

[Purple Man]

Like any good conspiracy, there are going to be layers upon layers.

Ask yourself what Batman did in 'Identity Crisis'

Who benefits?

Damage Control is only a stepping stone to something larger. It's nice that they were included in this. They were definitly underutilized. And now bringing them deep into something as big as Civil War is the best thing that could have happend to them.

I'm glad to see that Marvel is digging out people from every corner of their universe for this one.

I wouldn't be suprised if the government was behind the whole thing, but I hope it's not because then I'd have to deal with everyone complaining about how Mark Millar hates the government.

Though honestly, what has the United States government done to earn our trust. Secretly tap our phones? Go to war for no real reason?

I'm with Millar on this one. If there were really super heroes in America, the government would do everything they could to control and consolidate the power.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Damage Control is only a stepping stone to something larger. It's nice that they were included in this. They were definitly underutilized. And now bringing them deep into something as big as Civil War is the best thing that could have happend to them.

Turning them into terrorists was the best thing that could've happened to them?

 

[MyPokerShirt]

he did his homework.

/ just read wikipedia

nah, im kidding, good work. i actually think this theory might turn out correct, although not Damage Control themselves but an offshoot of it. like a couple of businessmen trying to bump their profits, thus keeping Damage Control legit.
also i see this as more of the conspiracy behind Stamford than the conspiracy behind SHRA, with them not realising the consequences of boosting villains such as nitro, thus explaining the lack of hints to a conspiracy in the main book.

 

[Darthphere]

Damage Control is only a stepping stone to something larger. It's nice that they were included in this. They were definitly underutilized. And now bringing them deep into something as big as Civil War is the best thing that could have happend to them.

I love Damage Control but....

 

[Marcdachamp]

Y'know, I know how everyone feels about that scene, but Hawkeye looks totally badass there.

As for Damage Control, it doesn't seem to be the company itself, but rather a few guys working for them. You could always say that it was just a few people in on it all. Besides, it's a lot more interesting than making Iron Man or the government behind it all.

 

[Wolverazio]

....

I know I'll be unpopular for this...but somehow, I still get the feeling Tony Stark is behind all this. Course, I think he's being quite a dick with his actions (even if he's not behind it) so I'll like to see it all fall in his lap.

Or maybe Teen Tony's behind it all....

 

[twylight]

Isn't that what the reporter story in Frontline about?

Hence my less than serious post.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Y'know, I know how everyone feels about that scene, but Hawkeye looks totally badass there.

As for Damage Control, it doesn't seem to be the company itself, but rather a few guys working for them. You could always say that it was just a few people in on it all. Besides, it's a lot more interesting than making Iron Man or the government behind it all.

That's something, at least. It'd be nice if Robin and John issued a press release or a TV interview condemning the actions of "an isolated few Damage Control, Inc. employees."

 

[Marcdachamp]

That's something, at least. It'd be nice if Robin and John issued a press release or a TV interview condemning the actions of "an isolated few Damage Control, Inc. employees."

Ironically enough, the only issue of Damage Control I've read has the New Warriors in it. Hell, Namorita and Night thrasher are on the cover!

 

[Darthphere]

Wasnt Hercules shown to be part of Damage Control recently somewhere? I wanna say She-Hulk.