Piecemeal (comics)

For other uses, see Piecemeal (disambiguation).

Not to be confused with peasemeal.

Piecemeal is the name of two Marvel Comics characters.

Gilbert Benson

Piecemeal
New Mutants Annual #7, The first appearance of Harness and Piecemeal
Publication information
Publisher	Marvel Comics
First appearance	New Mutants Annual #7
Created by	Fabian Nicieza Guang Yap
In-story information
Alter ego	Gilbert Benson
Species	Human Mutant
Team affiliations	Alliance of Evil
Notable aliases	Proteus, Kevin MacTaggert
Abilities	absorb energy frequencies and store them within his body.

Piecemeal (Gilbert Benson) is a fictional mutant character in the Marvel Universe. His first appearance was in New Mutants Annual #7.

Fictional character biography

Young Gilbert Benson was a mutant with the ability to absorb different energy frequencies and store them within his body. His mother, the armored mutant mercenary known as Harness who had been employed by Advanced Idea Mechanics, cruelly exploited this ability and forced Gilbert, whom she dubbed Piecemeal, to travel across the world with her to absorb the dispersed energy of Proteus, the deceased reality-warping son of geneticist Moira MacTaggert.

Absorbing the energy, Piecemeal grew larger and larger until he looked like a 700-pound monstrosity. The mutant team X-Force, alongside the New Warriors and a makeshift group of Muir Island-based X-Men allies, did their best to help siphon off the energy, but they failed. Finally, Gilbert's body exploded, and in that instant his mind combined with that of the reformed Proteus to form a new amalgamated being. The new entity set about warping reality all over Scotland.

The amalgamated Proteus/Piecemeal also captured their mothers and held them hostage as the pre-government-sponsored X-Factor team arrived. Finally, X-Factor convinced the boys to disperse their energies, consigning them both to oblivion.

Powers and abilities

Benson could track and absorb energy fields, and alter his mutant cells to store and metabolize specific energy signatures.

Villain

The second Piecemeal was a Cyborg villain, a foe of the Hulk.

Fictional character biography

Piecemeal was created by scientists in the Amazon jungle, under the auspices of the Red Skull. Pieces of animal corpses were combined with a captured spy from the Commission on Superhuman Activities and advanced technology to form a formidable killing machine. Before the cyborg's blanked mind could be reprogrammed, the Hulk discovered the lab and destroyed it. However, Piecemeal managed to escape in the confusion. Wandering through the jungle, it chanced upon a small airport, and stowed away on a cargo plane headed for Loch Ness, Scotland.

A short time later, a retired member of the Pantheon (an organisation to which the Hulk was allied at the time) who owned an inn near the loch sent for the Hulk when it seemed like a new monster had appeared, when in reality, Piecemeal had been attacking people and draining their minds.

The Hulk faced Piecemeal in battle, and was victorious, although Piecemeal's body was never found, suggesting it may still be living in the Loch.

Powers and abilities

As a cyborg, Piecemeal possessed mechanically-augmented strength. It had claws that could shred steel, and a tail that could crush a concrete bunker. It could generate bursts of bioelectricity strong enough to shatter a tank. It also had the ability to absorb the memories and emotions of its victims, and copy the powers and appearance of superpowered opponents.