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Yes, yes, yes! This guy is from Brooklyn!!
Accidental exposure to toxic chemicals as a young man gave Elvin Haliday superhuman powers.
That really sells things short. Like, you could say Steve Rogers got his powers when he was "a young man"; Elvin got his when he was 12. Literally still a kid; not even a teenager. They didn't have tweens in 1990, but that's what he is. While visiting Queens to trade comics with another boy, he was attacked by some racist bullies; he ran and hid from them, but was foolish enough to hide in Newtown Creek, not realizing it was one of the most polluted sites in the US. And then a couple guys in a van showed up to dump some more waste in, and didn't see him, so he got fully doused by it. He made it back home and was nursed to health, and found that he grew bigger, stronger, and more invulnerable over the next few days.
According to the people who keep the stats,
Rage stands 6'6" and weighs 450 lb., so he uses Hasbro's larger body. At the outset of his career, he didn't have a fancy superhero costume, just leather pants, big boots, and a sweet leather vest. He wears fingerless gloves with studded bracelets, and has several similar belts around his waist. The vest is a new piece, because none of the vests we've seen before were this style, with sculpted pockets, a built-in belt, and a large collar. Because his powers involve physical strength (and increase when he uses them in violent or agressive ways), both his hands are done as fists.
To conceal his identity, Rage wore a simple ski mask - though I'm not sure how effective it would be at keeping your face warm when there's a cutout to allow the nose to poke through. That's one of the first parts that would get frostbitten! Befitting his name, his mouth is sculpted in a massive snarl with his teeth gritted, and his brows are kint so hard you can see it through the cloth.
The mask is yellow, with black tiger stripes
on the forehead and cheeks - what is he, a fan of old-school Wolverine? Also, who's designing a ski mask that intentionally makes the wearer look angry? Those black markings around the eyes are certainly not friendly! The yellow is matched on the lining of his pockets, for a more cohesive look. All the studs and buckles on his costume are silver, and he's got painted chest hair. One thing that is missing, however? He originally had the word "RAGE" painted on the back of his vest, but that's not here.
Rage isn't just strong, fast, and durable: a side effect
of his powers is that his body produces less of the chemical that creates fatigue, so he can exert himself for over 24 hours before beginning to lose any stamina or experience any buildup of toxins. The action figure moves with swivel/hinge ankles, swivel shins, double-hinged knees, swivel thighs, balljointed hips, swivel waist, hinged chest, swivel/hinge wrists, double-hinged elbows, swivel biceps, swivel/hinge shoulders, hinged neck, and a balljoined head. Like Crossbones, Rage's head sits a little too high on the neck, but in this case, that might be an intentional choice: the collar on the vest might have made him look stumpy otherwise. Elvin's head is also larger than Brock Rumlow's, making it look more proportional, but making the body look smaller by contrast.
He has no accessories, just the right arm of Abomination (this series' BAF).
Rage is an interesting character - he's like a Shazam who could never turn back into Billy Batson. Although he was initially an Avenger, he had to resign when they learned he was still a minor. Fortunately, he then joined the New Warriors, so finally Night Thrasher has someone to work with. Let's start building that team, Hasbro!
-- 10/05/20
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