Brian Calusky (Earth-616)
Origin[]
Brian Philip Calusky, though born in Brooklyn, NY, was raised on a farm and eventually became a farmhand and drifter. Life on the farm was too slow for Calusky and he decided to enter a life of crime for excitement. His criminal activities eventually landed him in prison, where he met and became cellmates with Dirk Garthwaite, who was known as the Wrecker.
The Wrecking Crew[]
Garthwaite, together with Calusky and two other inmates at Ryker's Island Prison, Dr. Eliot Franklin and Henry Camp, made a successful jailbreak and managed to locate his crowbar. Willing to share his power with his allies, the Wrecker had the three other convicts join him in holding onto the crowbar outside during an electrical storm. Lightning struck the crowbar, magically distributing the enchanted strength bestowed upon the Wrecker among the four of them.[3] The Wrecker's three allies then adopted costumes and aliases as well: Franklin became Thunderball, Camp became Bulldozer, and Brian Philip Calusky became Piledriver. As a result of his new-found powers, his hands became over-sized in proportion to his body. Together the four superhumanly strong criminals became known as the Wrecking Crew, who were led by the Wrecker himself.
Piledriver has the demeanor of a "good ol' country boy" (despite being born in the very urban Brooklyn, NY). He has fought many superheroes over the years, including Spider-Man, the Avengers, the Defenders, and most often, Thor. Unlike Thunderball, Piledriver has remained loyal to the Wrecker and has only been separated from the Wrecking Crew through various incarcerations in prison. While Piledriver and the rest of the Wrecking Crew have faced defeat on many occasions, they always come back for more, making them one of the most enduring super-villain teams in American history.
Piledriver discovered that he has a son named Ricky Calusky. The boy lived with his grandparents, but when he discovered who his father was, he ran away and joined the Wrecking Crew (to the pride of his father) under the name Excavator. Ricky even gained a mystically charged shovel. However, the Crew were defeated by the Runaways during a bank robbery.
Hood's Criminal Army[]
Along the rest of the Wrecking Crew, Brian joined Hood's criminal army, but was later imprisoned after the events of the Siege of Asgard, where they helped Iron Patriot.
Pleasant Hill[]
Piledriver was an inmate of Pleasant Hill, a gated community established by S.H.I.E.L.D.[4]
- Superhuman Strength: Piledriver possess superhuman strength and a high degree of imperviousness to harm. Piledriver's physical strength is in the 10 ton level, though because of his particular talent he has over-sized hands which are more powerful than the other members of the Wrecking Crew, save The Wrecker himself.[5] His blows have proved able to greatly hurt even the likes of Luke Cage.[6]
- Superhuman Stamina: While empowered, Piledriver's musculature generates less fatigue toxins during physical activity than the musculature of an ordinary human. He can exert himself at peak capacity for several hours before fatigue begins to impair him.[5]
- Superhuman Durability: He can withstand high amounts of concussive force, and is virtually bulletproof. Piledriver's power augmented his entire body, strengthening his bone, muscle, and flesh. Because of this, he's capable of withstanding the impact of a .45 caliber bullet without it penetrating his skin.[5] He is tough enough to survive Luke Cage's blows without injury.[7]
- Hand-to-Hand Combat: Piledriver possesses moderate experience at streetfighting techniques.[5]
Piledriver slowly loses his powers if he spends too long outside of the Wrecking Bar's range.[8]