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Robbie Baldwin
Robbie Baldwin

Robbie Baldwin

206 appearances Β· Copper/Modern Age Β· 1988–2026 Β· 9 key issues
Who is Robbie Baldwin?

Teenager Robbie Baldwin gained the power to generate a kinetic energy field after accidentally triggering an experimental energy generator during a lab visit in Springdale, Connecticut. Adopting the name Speedball, he discovered he could bounce off any surface and unleash stored kinetic force as concussive blasts.

Born from the creative minds of Chris Claremont and John Buscema in 1988's Marvel Age Annual #4, Robbie Baldwin is a Copper Age Marvel original who has proven himself one of the era's most enduring figures β€” racking up 194 catalog appearances across nearly four decades and counting. He's spent his career in some seriously compelling company, sharing pages with the likes of Spider-Man, Captain America, Nova, and Richard Rider, and his deepest roots run through The New Warriors, Marvel Comics Presents, and Thunderbolts β€” a trajectory that speaks to real range and staying power. Nine of his appearances carry key-issue status, a testament to how meaningfully he's woven himself into the fabric of Marvel storytelling. If you're tracing the pulse of Marvel from the late '80s right into the present day, Robbie Baldwin is a name you'll keep encountering β€” and one absolutely worth following.

Identity

Real name. Robert "Robbie" Baldwin

Powers. Kinetic energy manipulation β€” generates a kinetic energy field that lets him bounce off surfaces and convert/release stored kinetic force as concussive bursts; as Penance, channeled pain-triggered kinetic energy

Teams & affiliations
New Warriors
β˜… First appearance
The Amazing Spider-Man Annual #22
Sep 1988

Part of the Penance legacy

Robbie Baldwin is one of 2 heroes to carry the Penance mantle. See the whole Penance family β–Έ

Trivia

  • Penance's costume wasn't just a grim aesthetic overhaul β€” those inward-facing spikes were a deliberate design choice meant to keep Robbie Baldwin in a state of constant, self-inflicted pain, making the suit itself an instrument of punishment rather than protection.moa.omnimulti.com
  • Fabian Nicieza has written more of Robbie Baldwin's comics than any other writer in our catalog β€” 30 issues.

Top series

Covers through the years β€” 1989–2026

Thor #411 β˜… 1989
Thor #411
The New Mutants Annual #7 β˜… 1991
The New Mutants Annual #7
Starblast #1 1994
Starblast #1
Thunderbolts #1 β˜… 1997
Thunderbolts #1
Spider-Girl #15 1999
Spider-Girl #15
Alias #21 2003
Alias #21
Defenders #4 2005
Defenders #4
Avengers Next #4 2007
Avengers Next #4
Avengers: The Initiative #30 2010
Avengers: The Initiative #30
Nova #7 2013
Nova #7
The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl & the Great Lakes Avengers #[nn] 2016
The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl & the Great Lakes Avengers #[nn]
Captain America Epic Collection #15 2018
Captain America Epic Collection #15
Marvel Masterworks: Brother Voodoo #1 2021
Marvel Masterworks: Brother Voodoo #1
Thunderbolts: Dark Reign Omnibus #[nn] 2026
Thunderbolts: Dark Reign Omnibus #[nn]

Appearances (1–150 of 206, oldest first)

Marvel Age Annual (1985)
#4
Fantastic Four Annual (1963)
#21
Speedball (1988)
The Amazing Spider-Man Annual (1964)
#22
Captain America (1968)
Damage Control (1989)
Thor (1966)
Marvel Super-Heroes (1990)
Comics Scene (1987)
The New Mutants Annual (1984)
#7
X-Men Annual (1970)
#15
The New Warriors Annual (1991)
#1
X-Factor Annual (1986)
#6
The New Warriors: Beginnings (1992)
The Incredible Hulk (1968)
Marvel Holiday Special (1992)
Slapstick (1992)
#4
Marvel Swimsuit Special (1992)
Starblast (1994)
#1
Justice: Four Balance (1994)
#2
Force Works (1994)
#7
Spider-Man: Maximum Clonage Alpha (1995)
#1
The Spectacular Spider-Man (1976)
Spider-Man (1997)
Spider-Man Special (1997)
#3
What If...? (1989)
New Warriors (1999)
Avengers (1998)
#13
Marvel Special (1997)
Contest of Champions II (1999)
#3
Spider-Girl (1998)
Generation X (1994)
#59
Ant-Man's Big Christmas (2000)
#1
Maximum Security (2000)
Thunderbolts: Justice Like Lightning (2001)
Marvel Universe: Millennial Visions (2002)
#1
Alias (2001)
#21
She-Hulk (2004)
Marvel Visionaries: Steve Ditko (2005)
Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Teams 2005 (2005)
Defenders (2005)
#4
All-New Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z (2006)
#1
New Warriors: Reality Check (2006)
I (heart) Marvel: Masked Intentions (2006)
#1
New Avengers: Illuminati (2006)
#1
Civil War (2006)
#1
Marvel Holiday Special 2006 (2006)
#1
Avengers Next (2007)
Ultimate Fantastic Four (2004)
#38
Avengers: The Initiative (2007)
#1
Marvel Zombies: Dead Days (2007)
Deadpool / GLI - Summer Fun Spectacular (2007)
#1
Civil War Chronicles (2007)
Nova (2007)
#1
House of M: Avengers (2008)
#3
WWH Aftersmash: Damage Control (2008)
Thunderbolts: International Incident (2008)
#1
The Mighty Avengers (2007)
#12
Thunderbolts: Reason in Madness (2008)
#1
Marvel Apes (2008)
#2
Secret Invasion (2009)