Origin
Carl Burbank was a former priest that became the mercenary known as Bushwacker after the CIA granted him cybernetic enhancements. Early in his career as an assassin, there was a huge anti-mutant craze and he was getting paid top rates for killing mutants. He began working for the Marauders who hired him to kill mutants from time to time. Bushwacker was targeting talented and gifted mutants whose powers help them in the arts whether it be dance, music or design.
Creation
Bushwacker was created by Ann Nocenti and Rick Leonardi in 1987 and first appeared in Daredevil #248.
Character Evolution
Bushwacker was introduced as a Daredevil enemy although crossed over with the X-Men franchise due to his involvement with the Marauders and the aftermath of Mutant Massacre. After regularly sparring with Daredevil, he appeared in the Punisher’s book during the Acts of Vengeance crossover storyline and became a recurring foe to the Punisher after that.
In his Punisher appearance, much of the character’s backstory was fleshed out including the revelation he was once a priest.
In Daredevil vs Punisher; later inquiry into his origins state that his powers were as much a result of the X-Gene as it was his bionics. Showing that Burbank was in fact, a mutant in and of himself. The character Infrequently appearing throughout the years, he has since fought against Spider-Man, X-Force and the Avengers.
Major Story Arcs
Mutant Massacre
For more information see: Mutant Massacre
The X-Man known as Wolverine was tracking Bushwacker since he started his mutant murdering spree. Wolverine vowed to kill Bushwacker after he discovered a body of a young mutant child gunned down in her apartment. Burbank was a hit and run man and would come home to his wife, Marilyn during weird hours and then have to go somewhere in a hurry. His wife started to worry about his activities and then one night, she finds a box of bullets under their bed. Burbank tells her to stop nagging, whining and to mind her own business. The next day Marilyn would come to the Legal Aid and Drug Hotline clinic to seek help from Matt Murdock. Apparently Marilyn was harassed by Wolverine and she figured her husband was killing people. She wanted to protect him and have him committed before he ends up dead. Murdock agrees to help and promises Marilyn that no one would hurt her husband.
Bushwacker’s killing spree continued and Wolverine found another body of a mutant named Gerhart who was a virtuoso with the violin. Bushwacker’s next victim was a mutant named Vanna Herald who was a talented artist at the Institute of Art. Burbank grabs Vanna’s hand and takes her for a ride on his motorcycle. During the ride, he transform his arm into a gun and shoots several cars on the road. Burbank kisses Vanna during the metal carnage and proceeds to blow her brains out with a bang.
Wolverine would find Bushwacker inside a theater laughing up a storm as he juggles bullets in his left hand. Daredevil sees Wolverine creeping towards Bushwacker but Burbank leaves the theater before the mutant gets to him. Burbank ends up in a dark alley and even shoots a bum’s bottle of alcohol from his hand just for kicks. Wolverine jumps out of the shadows and pounces on top of Bushwacker. Daredevil tackles Wolverine before he can deliver the killing blow. Bushwacker runs off while the two heroes argue with one another.
Daredevil tells Wolverine that we’re not killers until they hear some gunshots and a scream nearby. They find the body of a bloody ballerina posed on a metal gate. Wolverine and Daredevil confront Bushwacker at a nearby gas station. Bullets fly and claws slash away during the brutal melee. Daredevil punches Bushwacker until the assassin is doused with gallons of gasoline after Wolverine slashes a gas tanker. Bushwacker would rather get torched than rot in a cell so he welcomed the inferno and blasted away. The gunfire ignited the gasoline and Daredevil managed to push away Bushwacker before the tanker exploded. Bushwacker was unconscious and his face disfigured from the flames. Daredevil prevents Wolverine from killing Bushwacker and will let the justice system decide his punishment.
Typhoid
The Kingpin hires Typhoid Mary to eliminate Daredevil so she goes through some of the Kingpin’s surveillance files and find some men to do her dirty work. Typhoid Mary would recruit the Wild Boys, Ammo, Bullet and Bushwacker to do her bidding. Typhoid Mary finds Bushwacker in a prison hospital as a surgeon reattaches his gun arm.
Mary tells her crew to beat Daredevil within an inch of his life, maim and disfigure him all you like as long as she gets to deliver the killing blow to the red man. Bullet engages Daredevil outside an anti-nuke rally and gets in a few licks until he crashes into a brick wall. Suddenly Bushwacker rides in on his motorcycles and blazes away at the man with no fear. Bushwacker has a flame thrower and burns Daredevil’s legs as he climbs a fire escape. Bushwacker fights Daredevil on the building rooftop and grazes his head with a gunshot. Daredevil jumps off the building and lands on the giant nukeman balloon below. Bushwacker blows up the balloon in a hail of gunfire and sends Daredevil crashing to the ground. Daredevil is severely beaten but he would survive this encounter and make a full recovery.
Bushwacker would be hired to eliminate a man named Patrick Nidetz and Ben Urich from the Daily Bugle. Nidetz was leaking information to Urich who was writing a series on one of the city’s leading drug lords named Nick Lambert. The heat was on Lambert and the FEDS were sniffing around his business since the drug lord series hit the press. Nidetz was working for Lambert and wanted revenge after his sister died from an overdose of drugs supplied by Lambert. Bushwacker would find Nidetz and Urich at their secret meeting spot in . Both men fall as the bullets sprayed, Nidetz was killed and Urich was wounded. Bushwacker found a tape and some photos of Lambert.
Bushwacker had no idea that Lambert was paying his fee and remembered he was the drug lord that was selling dope to his kids in his old parish. wanted to drain Lambert at the time but he couldn’t because he was a priest. was no longer a priest but a cold blooded killer. Bushwacker sees that Urich is still breathing and allows him to live so his story could put Lambert away. He reminds Urich that the system will fail but his method never does. Nick Lambert would get convicted but would be eventually cleared due to lack of evidence. Days after his release, Lambert is found impaled on a metal fence. Bushwacker got his revenge on Lambert because his method never fails him.
Acts of Vengeance
For more information see: Acts of Vengeance
Bushwacker always considered himself an artist and the way he kills was artistically satisfying for him. Not a man of patience, a person that loses himself in his job and truly enjoys the bloody masterpieces he creates. Bushwacker targeted a woman named Gretchen Carrenna whose genetic mutation gave her enhanced artistic sight. Bushwacker breaks into her studio and guns down several people inside. Gretchen would meet her gruesome end at the hands of Bushwacker when he impales the artist on one of her own sculptures. After that kill, Bushwacker is hired by Loki in disguise to eliminate the Punisher during the Acts of Vengeance.
Bushwacker forces a young man named Jason Hunt to reveal important information on the Punisher before sending him to his grave. Hunt apparently told Bushwacker that the Punisher returns to the area where his family was killed on a particular anniversary date. Bushwacker waited for hours until the Punisher finally arrived in the late evening. Bushwacker would follow the Punisher to one of his secret warehouse bases and challenge him to a joust on their metal steeds. The two men raced towards each other on their motorcycles with guns blazing. Bushwacker shot out the Punisher’s tires and he crashed to the floor. The Punisher got up and blasted Bushwacker’s bike with his semi-automatic goncz. Castle ran into his warehouse as Bushwacker recovered from his fall. Castle only had a ballistic knife and wasn’t able to reach any high powered weapons before Bushwacker entered the warehouse. Bushwacker knew that Castle studied for the priesthood and wanted him to confess so he could end his pain and guilt. Bushwacker reminded Castle that he was a sinner and had to confess or go to eternal damnation.
Castle propped himself above a doorway and got the dropped on Bushwacker. Castle kicks Burbank in the jaw and fires his ballistic knife. Bushwacker destroys the knife with several shots and hits Castle in the chest. The kevlar vest took the brunt of the damage and Castle was bludgeoned with Bushwacker’s arm gun. Bushwacker wanted to find a more artistic way to off the Punisher and took off with one of his bikes. Castle was near death until his friend Microchip saved his life with CPR. Microchip got Bushwacker’s police and CIA files which provided Castle with some background information. Microchip gave Castle the hitman’s home address so the Punisher decided to make a house call. Castle approached Bushwacker’s home with his battle van and fired a couple of gas grenades inside the house. The battle van crashed through the living room but Bushwacker disabled it with large caliber rounds. Castle crashed through the ceiling and a firefight ensued. Bushwacker was clipped a few times as he jumped out a window.
Bushwacker’s wife was screaming and yelling at Castle when Bushwacker tackled the Punisher from behind. Bushwacker attempted to drown Castle in his fish tank until Marilyn broke a mirror on her husband’s back. Marilyn called her husband disgusting and stormed out of the house. Bushwacker chased after his wife and jumped onto the car as she sped off. Burbank pleaded with his wife and she slammed on the brakes when they were on a bridge. Bushwacker fell off the car and watched his wife leave him in the pouring rain. Castle was following them the whole time and sprayed Bushwacker with some automatic fire. Bushwacker slipped off the bridge but was barely holding onto the edge with his left hand. The Punisher stepped on Bushwacker’s fingers and wanted him to confess. Bushwacker made his confession and asked for Castle’s help. The Punisher told Bushwacker that he forgot to say his Hail Mary’s and let him plummet off the bridge into the water below.
The System Bytes
Bushwacker survived and was hired by a man named Mazzilli from Ampersand Communications to take out a guy named Max who created a super virus called ultra-max. Mazzilli stole the ultra-max virus and unleashed it into Raycom’s computer systems and it started infecting a number of computer systems. Max was the only person that could stop the ultra-max virus but Mazzilli wanted that information for himself. Bushwacker tracked down Max at his apartment in Soho but he ran out through the fire escape. Bushwacker shot Max in the shoulder but Daredevil intervened at the right time. Daredevil knocked out Bushwacker with his baton when the assassin needed to reload his arm gun.
Bushwacker was arrested by two cops and placed in the back of the police car. Bushwacker had some hidden ammo and killed the two officers. Max was at the offices of Nelson and Murdock when he tried to help Deathlok who was infected with the ultra-max virus. Bushwacker disguised himself as a window washer when he attacked Foggy Nelson and Max inside the office. Max and Foggy tried to run away when Bushwacker saw Deathlok incapacitated on the floor. Bushwacker spared his life because Deathlok saved Burbank from an early death by dissection some time ago. Daredevil saved his two friends from near death when he used his baton to plug up the barrel of Bushwacker’s arm gun. Max and Foggy went inside a room and continued to help Deathlok with the virus while Bushwacker and Daredevil slugged it out. Bushwacker was gaining the upper hand in hand-to-hand combat and was able to remove the baton from his barrel. Daredevil’s senses were fuzzy from the fight and was disoriented when Bushwacker was about to shoot him. Bushwacker turned around when he heard someone call him out. Deathlok was cured from the ultra-max virus and disabled Bushwacker’s arm gun with one shot. Bushwacker was apprehended and agreed to talk about his involvement with Mazzilli.
Dead Man’s Hand
Bushwacker is later seen in Las Vegas. Bushwacker is looking for a man named Troy Donahue who took his daughter from his ex-wife and his ex-wife is Burbank’s sister-in-law. Bushwacker is looking to bring back the baby girl to his sister-in-law so he can get start mending his relationship with his own wife. Bushwacker finds Donahue and his date inside a restaurant and begins to harass him regarding the baby’s location. Bushwacker is greeted by Nomad whose holding his sister-in-law’s baby. A fight ensues and Donahue escapes with his date, Legs. Bushwacker runs off and Nomad gives baby Bucky to Legs. He tells her and the baby to fly out of Vegas because trouble is coming.
Bushwacker finds Troy and he tells Burbank that Legs has the baby. Bushwacker leaves Troy with a warning and finds Legs inside a restroom at the Las Vegas International Airport. Bushwacker shoots Legs and takes baby Bucky. Bushwacker would enter a diner and leave the baby unattended for a few seconds. Someone grabs the baby and she eventually ends up in the arms of the Punisher. Bushwacker goes on a rampage on the Vegas strip and comes into conflict with Nomad who slices a piece of his arm gun off with a sword. Bushwacker’s arm gun regenerates and he comes after Nomad. Bushwacker is suddenly laced with bullet holes from the Punisher. Bushwacker sees the baby with Castle but he is forced to run away because he suffered too much internal damage.
Bushwacker would be hired by a man named Jenkins to stop Daredevil from learning the truth about some bombings. Two tunnel dwellers named Ralphie and Ed were imprisoned for a violent garage bombing and Daredevil decided to investigate. Jenkins knew of Bushwacker’s history with the red man but warned him that this Daredevil was different and tougher. Bushwacker would find the new Daredevil in his upgraded armor costume after he shakes down a guy for some information. A fight ensues and Bushwacker manages to hit Daredevil in the chest with two gunshots. The new costume prevents the bullets from penetrating but the impact damages a few ribs. Bushwacker gets on his bike and warns Daredevil to stay away from the tunnel people as he speeds towards him. Daredevil jams his baton pole into Bushwacker’s arm gun barrel and throws him to the ground. Daredevil goes down a manhole and ends up in the tunnel dwellers’ domain.
Meanwhile, an underground dweller named King resurrects a Mayan beast called the Devourer and sends it to kill Daredevil. Bushwacker follows Daredevil into the tunnels below and is confronted by Deathlok the Demolisher who was seeking refuge and solitude underground. Bushwacker and the Demolisher engage each other while the Devourer comes after Daredevil. Deathlok jumps on the back of the Devourer while Bushwacker attempts to ambush Daredevil. Bushwacker slowly creeps from behind but Daredevil throws his baton at his enemy and knocks Burbank to the ground. All hell breaks loose when the Peacekeeper helps Daredevil with King and the Devourer. Bushwacker escapes during the fiasco and gets mad at Jenkins for lying to him about the danger he put him in. Bushwacker tells Jenkins that it will cost him triple to go after Daredevil but Jenkins refuses to pay an incompetent twice.
The Architect
Bushwacker would be one of numerous assassins hired by the man called the Architect to come to New York. The Architect offers big money to the first assassin that can kill him. The gathering of assassins and mercenaries would bring conflict with one another over this job. Bushwacker and Boomerang face off in the Village until Elektra enters the fray. Bushwacker retreats when Elektra deflects Boomerang’s razorang and it ends up severing his prosthetic arm gun.
Means and Ends
The Jackal hired Bushwacker to eliminate the Punisher. Bushwacker would ambush Castle and Daredevil during their fight inside an apartment over a hit man named Jimmy Sweets. Bushwacker transformed his right arm into a flamethrower and lit up the room. Jimmy Sweets jumped out of the window with his clothes on fire and his girlfriend was saved by Daredevil but she suffered severe burns to her face. Bushwacker consumed some jet fuel from his gas canister and came after Castle. The Punisher leaped out of the window and got to the roof. Bushwacker started to climb the fire escape when Daredevil decided to get involved. Bushwacker transformed his arm to an automatic rifle and blazed away.
The Punisher tags Bushwacker with a rocket launcher while he was distracted with Daredevil. Bushwacker apparently survived and finds the Punisher on a building rooftop after he just set off some fireworks. Castle jumps off the roof and Bushwacker encounters Daredevil. Bushwacker changes his left hand into a pistol and shoots Daredevil in the shoulder. Daredevil is able to evade the oncoming assault and hits Bushwacker right between the eyes with his baton. Bushwacker was knocked out cold and beaten once again by the man with no fear.
New Kid in Town
Bushwacker would become a client of the She-Hulk‘s law firm and goes on a little rampage in Manhattan days before his court hearing. Bushwacker shoots down two armored guards that try to apprehend him before he comes face to face with the Two Gun Kid. The cowboy warns Bushwacker to turn around slowly or he’ll be force to draw his weapons. Bushwacker welcomes the challenge and feels no one could outdraw him. The two gunmen draw their weapons and the Two Gun Kid is victorious.
The Initiative
Bushwacker reappears in New York’s Time Square after he takes a hostage and demands a helicopter from G.W. Bridge. A young beat cop named Ian refuses to stand down with his weapon drawn as Bushwacker terrorizes Time Square. More cops enter the scene and Bushwacker begins to cause some serious property damage. Bushwacker wants himself to be filmed and placed on television as he makes his demands. He tells everyone that innocent lives are in danger until he gets a helicopter and one more request, Bushwacker wants the Punisher. Things get more complicated when Bridge found out that Ian wasn’t a real cop but one of his axillary volunteers.
Bushwacker notices Ian’s badge is much different than the cops around him but the volunteer would still not budge. Ian even helps the hostage escape when he grabs Bushwacker’s arm gun. Bushwacker is about to go ballistic when he sees Castle in the crowd until he gets grazed in the neck by Bridge. Bushwacker goes down and is apprehended by the authorities. The Punisher realized that this entire hostage situation was a set up by Bridge and used Bushwacker to lure him out.
Secret Invasion/Dark Reign
The Hood would later recruit Bushwacker to join his Masters of Evil and battle the New Avengers on a few occasions. Bushwacker was later seen with the Hood’s gang battling the Skrulls during the Secret Invasion crisis.
The Sting
Bushwacker would resurface with Tombstone as a member of the Hood’s new gang during an underworld gathering at an unfinished building site. Spider-Man had followed his roommate’s client named Lucas to the site and discovered that the Hood had retrieved the original Scorpion costume worned by Mac Gargan. The Hood wanted the men at the meeting to duke it out battle royal style and the last man standing would become the new Scorpion. Spider-Man runs into Carmilla Black at the meeting and gets stung with spin tech which temporarily neutralizes his powers.
Spider-Man falls to the ground and the Hood orders Bushwacker and his men to eliminate the web-head. Carmilla intervenes because she tries to steal the Scorpion suit from the Hood. The Hood orders his men to go after Carmilla and ignore Spider-Man. Carmilla is captured after Tombstone bites her. Spider-Man saves her life when he causes the support beams to crash with his webbing. Bushwacker, Tombstone and the Hood escape during the collapse.
Sex & Violence
Bushwacker later appears as a member of the Assassins Guild and Belladonna calls upon all her specialist in the United States to drop their other assignments to come after Wolverine and Domino. Bushwacker just massacred a number of patrons and civilians inside a diner in Los Angeles when he receives the phone call. Wolverine and Domino are laying in bed together inside a hotel in San Francisco when Bushwacker ambushes them. Wolverine uses his body to shield Domino and slices Bushwacker’s arm gun.
Bushwacker kicks Wolverine away as he forms another weapon but Domino hits his gun hand again. Bushwacker starts to reform his weaponized hand when Wolverine appears from behind and cuts off his arm. Wolverine pops two claws around Bushwacker’s neck as he lays on the floor. Bushwacker tells Wolverine he was able to find them because Razorfist placed a tracer on them and that Belladonna has sent her other specialist to come after them. Wolverine gets all the information he needed and pops his middle claw into Bushwacker.
Standoff
This would not be the end of Burbank however, as he would turn up alive again as a prisoner of the Cosmic Cube fabricated suburban prison of Pleasant Hill concocted by S.H.I.E.L.D. director Maria Hill. As the ultimate means of corralling and rehabilitating dangerous known supercriminals. Bushwhacker would join in on a massive riot that would inevitably end up killing two teams of Avengers.
Until Kobik managed to undo it all by reviving and restoring the respective Heroes powers and original identities.
As their detainment process went sideways, A recently reverted Zemo had Bushwhacker attempt to find Kobik after she’d vanished. But the team put together could not find their quarry, for the time being they returned to base in order to reconnoiter with the rest of the convicts in preparation for the largest full scale riot the world has ever seen.
The prisoners began a mass jailbreak before the deputized authorities could catch and incarcerate them. Bushwhacker seemingly having disappeared during the chaos.
Civil War II
Carl Burbank would later return seeking out a hit on Wilson Fisk for an unknown. But was summarily dealt with by the returning crimeboss after the former asked about his knowledge regarding his young charge; Janus Jardeesh.
He would again turn up alive during another uprising at Ryker’s Island. He would soon be stopped by the combination of Power Man and Iron Fist when the former attempted to break Danny out of prison. They worked together to quell the prisoners alongside Captain Marvel‘s task force assembled in stopping such a transaction from happening.
Later Activities
Carl would again find freedom from his imprisonment. Seeking to join up with the latest incarnation The Hood‘s new gang with him acting as the Kingpin of all Kingpins controlling their respective territories. The new organization hit quite a few bumps in the road, having had a run in with a reformed Doctor Doom, dealing with a conclave of the heroic parts of the superhuman community lead by the Defenders.
Chasing Deadpool across the world during his escapades as a favor pinch hitter and getting on the %^&list of the Assassins Guild. Following an attempted mark on an Mike Murdock whom he mistook for his brother Matt, only to be dispatched with a couple of slugs in his legs. As well as having a skirmish between the hoods joint forces against Iron Man and Von Doom when Mr. Robins attempted to steal Stark Enterprises out from under its indisposed owner.
It was also shown that Carl managed to get his hideously scarred face restored to normalcy during his time as a freelance criminal.
Hulk & The Green Door
Bushwhacker would eventually join up with a Gamma Mutate affiliated research and detention program called the U.S. Hulk Services.
Tasked out of Shadow Base in order to study as well as detain the recently resurfaced Robert Bruce Banner; The Incredible Hulk. While following the latter’s trail all the way through Arizona; Texas, to where one whom encountered him last had his house and home destroyed by the gamma brute. Said individual pined about his loss until Carl noted he was still alive. At least until Burbank shot him point blank a second later.
Alternate Reality
House of M
The Hood invited a number of super criminals including Bushwacker to a meeting and wanted to form an organized team. The Hood wanted this team to work together, help each other and plan each heist. They would receive money, get feared and respect for their services.
Bushwacker asked the Hood why he was in charge and he replied “Because I thought of it”. Bushwacker did not like the response and shot at the Hood. The Hood teleported away and placed two bullets into Bushwacker’s skull when he reappeared.
Powers & Abilities
Carl’s limbs & dermal layer had been surgically modified using polymoprhic elastoid bionic implants. The upgrades seemingly activated his dormant X-Gene which now seemingly enables an abnormal amorphic plasticity within his entire body. Giving him an inkling of shapeshifting and regenerative abilities, said cybernetics also increase Burbank’s strength and durability to an unknown upper limit.
Primarily; bushwhacker could make his singular extremity go from being a shotgun to a pistol to a rifle to a razor blade, and on and on, though he most often reloads munitions by physically consuming necessary fuel through oral intake.
Initially it was just his right arm that transformed and functioned as weaponry, but now he is capable of changing both arms into any firearm or battlement he can think of. Bushwhacker also boasts a potent healing factor, one powerful enough to heal from multiple gunshots, fatalistic lacerations and even point blank headshot’s on more than one occasion. Despite this however he could never fix his facial scaring, until recently.
Bushwacker is an avid assassin with great marksmanship and a formidable hand-to-hand combatant having been trained in the CIA for a few years.
Physically in his prime, he boasts peak human physical aptitude of the finest of human specimens with and/or without his mechanical refitting. Enhanced durability aside, Carl can take an astonishing amount of physical abuse from both human and superhuman foes alike.
What makes Bushwhacker all the more dangerous is his charismatic persona, Mr. Burbank possesses an incredible animal magnetism. A sort of pure raw considerably intense, bordering on manic, presence that emanates fast and forceful while in his vicinity. Often finding little difficulty to get Peoples trust and distrust on equal and also confusing portions. Having once been a superb priestly figure, able to coax and move the hearts and minds of the masses with relative ease in that specific respect. A form of personal zeal which he retains over the various women in his life, traits which he still holds even after his facial disfiguration.
Bushwhacker is also a skilled vehicular specialist, capable of traversal on most any kind on/off road terrain in any motorized transport. Preferring to ride gassed up two wheeler’s one into combat,
Other Media
Punisher (1994)
Bushwacker appears as a boss in the game. He works for the Kingpin.
The Punisher (2005)
Bushwacker is a villain in the 2005 Punisher video game. He appears as a boss on two separate levels of the game. When he is finally defeated, the Punisher rips off his arm.
The Punisher: No Mercy
Bushwacker is playable character in The Punisher: No Mercy game available for download through the Playstation network.