Torch

Torch was born in Botany Bay, New South Wales, Australia. His birth name is Tom Winken. He was sent to a reform school known as Borstal, at the age of fourteen. He escaped the school and joined the Merchant Marines. It was in the marines that Torch learned to use an oxy-acetylene cutting torch. He later joined the Melbourne Maulers motorcycle gang, and eventually left them to join the Dreadnoks.

Like the other Dreadnoks he loves violence and tearing things apart. Torch fears Zartan, but he can be coaxed into disobeying him. The most memorable sign of this is when Buzzer stole Zartan’s motorcycle to go joyriding, and convinced Torch to come along. Torch was one of the three Dreadnoks who traveled to the United States with Zartan. Buzzer and Ripper were the other two. Torch and the Dreadnoks would square-off against the Joes again and again. Torch would serve as one of Zartan’s destructive henchmen.

After working alongside Cobra for years, the Dreadnoks reorganized into a national biker gang. In 2001, they renewed their alliance with Cobra and rejoined the fight against G.I. Joe. Torch and many of the original Dreadnoks would be arrested and sent to Blackwater Prision, after losing a battle in the streets of Washington against the Joes and a new, advanced BAT. Tomax & Xamot would use their legal machinations to free the arrested Dreadnoks. Upon being freed the Dreadnoks joined in the battle against the forces of a revived Serpentor, and G.I. Joe, on Cobra Island. They later freed Zartan, who was arrested during the fight, and posing as Cobra Commander, from a military facility where he was being held. A little over a year later, Torch and other Dreadnoks fought Duke and General Rey near their Everglades hideout. Duke and General Ray were looking for information about Rey’s past, and they wanted Zandar to tell them about it.