1st Appearance of X the Marvel(Willie Dance)
Luke Cage is in his office looking over all the bills and collection notices that have piled up since he was gone to California looking for Claire. He finds out that his phone has been disconnected and a new and very noisy gymnasium opened next door. When suddenly a man punches through his wall, ending up on his floor. The man apologizes but with everything that Power Man has endured, he just wants to fight.

Luke hurls punches and insults at an obviously simple minded man. Luke continues to initiate the fight while the wrestler, Willie Dance tries to calm him down. The fight doesn’t end until Willie’s manager, Bernie, comes in and says he will fix Luke’s wall. When the manager and wrester leave Luke stares through the gaping hole in his wall and thinks. He realizes that he was a jerk for fighting that guy and he feels horrible.

In the gym next door, Willie Dance is remembering his glory days while Bernie is working out the kinks in his muscles. Willie knows that something happened to his mind, that he is deteriorating but he isn’t exactly sure why. Bernie, his manager, knows that Willie has a blood clot in his brain that will eventually kill him.

Outside the gym a thief has stolen some super soldier serum and trying to escape so he hides it in Willie Dance’s locker. Willie who now goes by the name X da marvel has a disagreement with his manager and they part ways. Willie opens his locker to find a container that he thinks is full of a protein drink and he guzzles it. Almost instantly he is transformed into a muscular powerhouse and he remembers the brutality of Luke’s words from earlier in the day. X da Marvel busts through Luke’s office wall again and they both battle it out. Willie using his wrestling moves and Luke using his power the two men fight their way out into the street.

X is thrown against a brick wall so he pulls a chunk of brick out and hurls them at Luke. The brick shatter when they hit Luke but smaller pieces hit Bernie, who is trying to stop the fight. Bernie is badly hurt and needs medical attention. The super soldier serum wears off and X the Marvel is transformed back into his overweight form. As he climbs into the ambulance with Bernie, Luke reflects on his life.
- Ron C

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