Roadblock
| F Ex 20 |
A Gd 10 |
S Ex 25 |
E Rm 30 |
R Gd 10 |
I Ex 20 |
P In 40 |
Res In 40 |
Pop Ty 5 |
| Health: Karma: |
85 70 |
Origin:
As are the vast, vast majority of his fellow Gi Joes, Marvin is naught but a normal human, lacking super powers of any stripe. However, he is remarkably strong - within human limits, if barely - and possessed of a patriotic drive and will to succeed that dwarfs that of most people.
Known Powers:
(none)
Equipment:
Assault Rifles: unlike most of his Gi Joe career thus far, this year saw Marvin handling more conventional weaponry - if in an unconventional manner. He can fire both of these weapons to inflict Good (10) Shooting damage in a short burst, or Excellent (20) Shooting damage when fired full auto.
The trick is he'll often fire both of these weapons at the same time, gaining a +1 CS to the overall damage he can inflict. The only downside here is that when he does so, Marvin will be at a -2 CS to hit whatever he happens to be aiming at. Of course, when firing full auto, the odds are still in your favor.
Furthermore, each rifle has a bottom-mounted accessory. His M-16 carries a shotgun attachment that can be fired to inflict Excellent (20) Shooting damage per blast, while his Heckler and Koch G-36 has a grenade attachment that fires explosives that inflict Remarkable (30) Edged Attack damage in their target area.
J2J Pineapple Grenades: Marvin's always got at least one grenade on his person while 'on the job', helping him to blow up heavy opposition (such as vehicles) that gets in his way. These explosive devices can be thrown to inflict Remarkable (30) Edged Attack (fragmentary) damage to all within one area.
the Joe-Com: this is a new device given to all Joes since the group's reactivation. This high-tech wristband functions as an audio/video transceiver with various other goodies built in to help a soldier on the go, and is described in greater detail in its own equipment entry.
Knife: in the event that he's got to cut something (or somebody) in a fight, Marvin carries this useful utility blade, sheathed on his right leg. Made from Incredible (40) m.s. metals, it can be used to cut through items of like m.s., and allows him to inflict Edged Attack damage in melee.
Semi-Automatic Pistol: a backup for his main gun, Marvin carries one of these pieces on him at all times. He can fire this one-handed firearm to inflict Typical (6) Shooting damage in a single shot, or Good (10) Shooting damage in a clip-expending burst of leaden doom.
Uzi 9mm: complementing his much larger weaponry when he's not waving it around, Marvin tends to use this weapon when he's not trying to completely obliterate a target. He can fire this weapon to inflict Good (10) Shooting damage in a short burst, raised to Excellent (20) when fired continuously.
Quirks:
Compulsiveness (cartoon variant): if you're simulating the animated version of Roadblock, you're probably familiar with his bad habit of rhyming. Constantly. Every sentence, even. If you would like to include this aspect of his character, he must pass a Psc FEAT at -1 CS to keep from doing so.
Talents:
Artist / Cooking: his true passion in life, Marvin loves to cook. He's worked all his life to become a master chef, and has become something of a celebrity in this capacity. He's written several cook books, and would've had his own cable television show had he not rejoined the Joe team upon its reactivation.
Guns: Marvin is an expert in the use of most all firearms. Whether wielding a standard, semi-automatic, or fully automatic rifle or pistol - or as it usually turns out, his trademark .50 cal cannon - Marvin may do so as though his Agy score was +1 CS higher than is listed above.
Marksman: supplementing his knowledge in the use of firearms, Marvin has also been well trained in the use of heavier weaponry. Whenever using any distance weapon that requires line of sight to hit (rocket launchers, mortars, etc...), Marvin does so at his Agy score +1 CS.
Martial Arts type B: physically impressive when you get down to it, Marvin can use what his momma gave him - and how! When making unarmed melee strikes of any variety, Marvin may do so as though his Ftg was +1 CS higher than is listed above.
Military / United States: the origin for most of Marvin's impressive skills, this talent represents the hard work he's put into being all he can be. Thanks to his military training, Marvin knows military protocols and procedures like the back of his hand, and can lead fighting men into battle when necessary.
Contacts:
As one of the most rock-steady members of the Gi Joe team, Marvin can naturally rely on the entire team for assistance should he need it - he's saved their bacon more times than they can count. He's also got several additional contacts in entertainment and intelligence circles.
Costume:
Marvin's thirteenth uniform is similar in composition to his fourth. This outfit (just like his twelfth), consists of gray and black camoo trousers, a dark green vest over a black T-shirt, black leather gloves, black and brown leather boots, a dark green leather belt, and black webbing to hold grenades and such.
Personality:
Marvin is amiable and well-liked in general. He's a very patriotic fellow, who has no problem going out of his way to make a point about those who don't appreciate the freedom they have. He also loves to cook, and is just as home producing a soufflé as he is laying down cover fire for his friends.
Real Name: Marvin F. Hinton, grade E-4 (later E-7)
Occupation: Gi Joe operative, famous cookbook author
Legal Status: citizen of the United States with no known criminal record
Marital Status: single
Alias(es), if any: none
Group Affiliation: Gi Joe
Height: 6' 6"
Hair: black (usually shaved)
Eyes: brown
Weight: 250 lbs
Other Distinguishing Characteristics: Marvin is an incredibly large, imposing fellow. He usually wears a goatee, though the exact cut of this fashion accessory varies with time.
Story:
Marvin has always loved cooking, and wanted to grow up to become one of the world's greatest chefs. As such, the man worked constantly to attain this goal, doing time as a bouncer to save up enough money to attend the prestigious Escoffier School in France. Things changed once he got there, though.
You see, Marvin was contacted by an Army recruiter who told him he could become just as good a chef by studying with the Armed Forces - some of the Army's chefs are the best of the best. Buying this, Marvin then enlisted but quickly found Army cuisine to be atrocious - and transferred to infantry.
While he wasn't doing what he originally wanted to, Marvin found that he enjoyed the Army life, and came to use his impressive physical capabilities as a heavy machine gunner - he's one of the few people who can even lift an M2 .50 Cal machine gun - much less fire it without a tripod or gun mount.
His exceptional abilities saw him assigned to an elite unit with Sergeant Hauser, the man who would eventually become Duke. He (and Warrant Officer Fairborne, who would eventually be known as Flint) are known to have participated in all kinds of special missions, though their specifics are still classified.
Hauser was so impressed with Marvin's abilities and personality that, when he was assigned to the Gi Joe team as it's 'first shirt', he brought Marvin along with him. Their very first mission on the Joe team was quite a success, too, in that it saw them capturing, at long last, the one and only Cobra Commander!
Even if he escaped shortly thereafter. The point is that Marvin showed that he was a valuable addition to the Joes' ranks, and has proved it time and time again over the years. This earned him a spot on the team's elite 'Tiger Force' unit, not to mention it's highly classified 'Star Brigade' squad.
Over the years, Marvin has grown to become the veritable heart of the Gi Joe team, being incredibly patriotic yet not preachy about it. The fact that he's incredibly likable, not to mention one of the greatest cooks the team's operatives have ever experienced, has only helped to bring this about.
Of course, all good things come to an end, and at the end of 1994, the Gi Joe team was disbanded, the threat that it was formed to fight supposedly no longer serious enough - as if terrorism ever sleeps. Seeing this as an opportunity, Marvin decided to get back into cooking, and did so with style!
In the next couple of years, Marvin would write two exceptionally popular cookbooks, and gained national fame as one of the country's best - and coolest - chefs. In fact, he was offered his own cable television show, presumably on the Food Network, but once again life threw Marvin a curve.
With a massive upswing in international terrorism, one punctuated by the return of Cobra itself, the Gi Joe team was called back into action. Though he would have preferred to cook for the country on television, Marvin answered the call of duty (and Duke's personal request) and returned to the fold.
The idea was, of course, for Marvin and several of his returning compatriots to serve as senior members and leaders of this new Gi Joe team, one populated by a very large number of new recruits, but it seems that Marvin has taken to participating in its missions directly - he just couldn't help himself!
Marvin has remained with the Gi Joe team to this very day, through thick and thin, even when Cobra instigated World War III. Fighting hard with his Gi Joe cohorts, Marvin helped to turn the tide, and Cobra was ultimately defeated as a result of their hard work and sheer indefatigability.
Now all that remains is to secure a world whose infrastructure was almost destroyed by Cobra, and to round up all the stragglers from that organization who managed to evade capture when their leader was brought down. Naturally, Marvin is more than up for the challenge in this, as well!
* Note: while a 'Roadblock' action figure was in fact released in 2002, it included all the personal details of the Joe known as "Double Blast". This fellow is assuredly not the original Roadblock, though his fellow used Roadblock's original, 1984 action figure mold (both of Double Blast's figures do, actually).
Some confusion may have come about as a result of this, but I personally don't recognize this as a new Roadblock figure, but instead as a new Double Blast figure - Roadblock 2, as it were, an action figure that's likely to get a good pounding from Roadblock 1 as soon as he figures out what's up...!
Extra Goodies:
Gi Joe directories featuring a version of Roadblock:
| 1984 | 1986 | 1988 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 |
* Note: 1993 saw two versions of Roadblock (Versions 5 and 6), as did 2003 (Versions 8 and 9), while 2004 saw three (Versions 10, 11 and 12).