Hammer and Anvil first appeared in Hulk #182 (December 1974), and were created by Len Wein and Herb Trimpe.[1]
Fictional character biographies
Leroy "Hammer" Jackson was an African-American prisoner said to hate everyone and everything. As part of a chain gang, he was chained to a white racist named Johnny Anvil. The two begrudgingly work together to escape prison and later inadvertently save a metal-eating alien who replaces their chain with a device that grants superhuman powers. The two returned to prison seeking revenge, but wound up battling the Hulk instead.[2][3]
Hammer and Anvil were hired as field operatives by the Deterrence Research Corporation. They encountered and battled Spider-Man and the Guardians of the Galaxy.[4][5][6] They also encountered the Freaks.[7] Hammer and Anvil kidnapped Amanda Sheridan for the DRC, and fought Spider-Woman.[8]
During one fight with the Hulk, Hammer is shot through the head by the Scourge of the Underworld. Due to his link to Hammer, Anvil dies soon afterward.[9][10]
Powers and equipment
Hammer and Anvil are linked at the wrist by an energy chain that gives them the ability to absorb kinetic energy and convert it into strength. However, this also causes them to share pain.
Other versions
Alternate universe variants of Hammer and Anvil from Earth-1610 appear in Ultimate Fantastic Four #49. These versions are Russian and missing opposite arms, with bolts of energy linking them on their limbless sides like a diode.[11]
