All-American Powers, Enemies, History | Marvel

Jack Magniconte always allowed others to make his decisions for him. His parents and coach encouraged him to pursue a football career, like his brother Steve had before a college knee injury. Steve raised Jack after their parents died, and Jack eventually became the star quarterback for the New York Smashers, dubbed Mr, Magnificent by the press. Having overcome a gambling problem and become a nutritional expert, Steve designed a device to increase muscle mass, borrowing money from loan shark Mr. Sloan to pay for his “intensifier’s” development. Always eager for any edge he could get, Jack offered to test the device, unaware that like numerous others around the globe, he had absorbed alien energies from the Starbrand the day before during a global phenomenon called “the White Event”. The Intensifier activated this energy; Jack’s strength and speed became superhuman. At first overjoyed, Jack learned the downside to his new abilities when he broke a teammate’s ribs with a thrown pass during their next game. Worse, as he led his team inexorably towards the Superbowl, he realized that unable to lose, the game was no longer a challenge; Jack felt like he was cheating, even asking Steve if he could reverse the process. Steve meanwhile had been unable to repeat his success, and Sloan ordered him to repay his debts by having Jack throw the Superbowl. Unwilling to ask Jack to do this, Steve didn’t inform his brother of Sloan’s threat and the Smashers easily won. A despondent Jack went to go see Steve after the game, walking in on Sloan’s men seconds after one accidentally shot Steve. Though Jack swiftly overpowered the thugs, Steve died. Re-evaluating his life, Jack decided he should help others, and convinced his wife Darlene and three fellow players, the stylish Dallas “Dasher” Corbin, robust Beauford “Brick Wall” Wohl and thrillseeking [[Suicide (Smythe, Thomas)|Thomas “Suicide” Smythe, to join him in setting up Kickers, Inc., a foundation to help people with “interesting” problems.

Kickers, Inc. brought down a terrorist-backed Bronx gang, exposed chemist Professor Jordan as the leader of a fake Westchester university witch cult, encountered the fugitive paranormals D.P.7, and thwarted Jordan’s revenge attempt; however, after Jack accidentally caused a plane hijacker’s death, he drew CIA agent Scott Templar’s scrutiny. Increasingly concerned over his uncontrollable strength, Jack voluntarily reported himself to the football commission for tests, and missed the next Superbowl. Templar manipulated Jack to confirm his suspicions, first using him to rescue US Air Force pilots downed in the Caribbean dictatorship of San Leandro, and then monitoring him in action during a Canadian charity race. Indefinitely suspended from football after Templar tried to blackmail Jack into becoming a CIA assassin, Jack decided to enlist, feeling he could put his powers to constructive use and reasoning that this would put him out of the CIA’s reach. The ARmy brass decided Captain Magniconte would be an ideal public symbol, giving him a colorful costume and the codename “All-American”. After a paranormal destroyed Pittsburgh, the U.S. reinstated the draft, and Jack was put in charge of the first paranormal platoon. After a mission that uncovered a South African plot to use his platoon as scapegoats in the destruction of a rebel camp in neighboring Mozambique, Jack was promoted to Major. He later joined other paranormals in defending his world against the extradimensional Skeletron, shortly before his world was transported to universe-616. After their victory, the Living Tribunal sent Jack, and his fellow heroes, back to their Earth and sealed it off from further interference.