2018

Marvel

Penance is the name held by two separate characters in Marvel Comics. The first and more well-known Penance is Robbie Baldwin, formerly known as Speedball.

Robert "Robbie" Baldwin gained his original powers through an accident involving a dimensional energy source. As Speedball, he possessed kinetic energy powers and was characterized by his carefree attitude. During the Civil War event, Speedball was involved in a battle that resulted in the deaths of hundreds of civilians. This event profoundly traumatized him, and the energy source that originally gave him powers mutated, granting him new abilities.

As Penance, Robbie was forced into a suit of iron spikes that constantly caused him pain. This pain fueled his new kinetic energy blasts. The suit was designed by Tony Stark and Reed Richards as a form of self-imposed punishment and a means to control his powers. He was later a member of the Thunderbolts, initially operating under Norman Osborn's command.

A later character, Monet St. Croix, also briefly held the Penance identity after a complex series of events involving her powers and imprisonment. However, Robbie Baldwin remains the most prominent character associated with the Penance mantle.