Nasty Boys

Origin

Self-proclaimed "Nasty Boy" Slab faced X-Factor member Strong Guy before the team fully appeared. The full team battled X-Factor in the next issue seemingly lead by U.S. Senator Steven Shaffran. Shaffran was, in fact, a disguised Mister Sinister who had taken the Senator's form in order to publicly discredit him as a mutant terrorist. While Sinister's reasons for doing this remain somewhat mysterious (as do most of his actions), it was probably because Shaffran was attempting to use his ricochet probability powers. Recently, Nasty Boys member Ruckus appeared at a meeting for Senator Kelly.

Creation

The Nasty Boys were created by Peter David and Larry Stroman and first appeared in X-Factor Vol.1 issue 75 (1992).

Members of the Nasty Boys

Ruckus

The leader of the team,possesses the mutant power to absorb ambient sounds, amplify them in his body and scream them back with great force. The resulting sonic attack (a nearby police siren amplified a thousandfold, for example) can be released in the form of a concentrated blast or with a larger area of effect. Ruckus believes himself to be above the law, and tries to show off this superiority at every chance he gets; he once hit a grocery store, severely wounded the store clerk and blasted his way through police just to get some free beer.

Gorgeous George

A mutant whose body is composed of an unspecified semi-solid, tar-like substance. In effect, George possesses limited shape-shifting powers enabling him to elongate, inflate, or open holes into his body at will. His semi-solid form gives George a certain degree of resistance to physical harm. Like the other members of The Nasty Boys, not much has been revealed regarding the early life and origin of Gorgeous George. Incidentally, he once got so drunk that he forgot how long his arms were supposed to be.

Hairbag

He was recruited by Mister Sinister and possesses superhuman strength, speed, agility, reflexes, hyper-keen senses, and resistance to injury. His body is covered in fur and he has razor sharp fangs and claws, as well as flexible hair follicles. During altercations with X-Factor, Hairbag often fought against Wolfsbane, his opposite. In the Nasty Boys' final fight, Hairbag was captured along with his teammate Slab and taken to a holding cell by X-Factor. While waiting for his lawyer to negotiate bail, Hairbag and Slab were broken out of prison by the Mutant Liberation Front. and returned to the Nasty Boys shortly afterwards. In the cartoon, Hairbag has poisonous breath and can eject his hair like a porcupine.

Ramrod

He can psionically control wood and plants. He always carries with him a staff of wood in order to make certain that he has something to use his powers on should the need arise. He is also an illegal immigrant in the United States. Unlike the other Nasty Boys, Ramrod did not appear in the TV series.

Slab

He is the team's resident powerhouse, able to increase his size and thereby boost his strength and durability. Slab was the first of the Nasty Boys to appear.

Other Media

X-Men: The Animated Series

The Nasty Boysappeared in a few episodes of the series Reunion, Part 1 & 2 (Episode 25 & 26) they were henchmen for Mr. Sinister.