Origin

Gen. Maverick was the military head of Project: Troubleshooter, the Pentagon’s very latest off-the-books facility for the production of human weapons.

Creation

Gen. Maverick makes his first appearance in Avengers (2015) #0 in a vision of The Maker’s of events that happen in New Avengers #8 by Al Ewing and Marcus To.

Major Story Arcs

Avengers Idea Mechanics

After AIM, under Sunspot, decides to rescue Rick Jones from SHIELD custody (arrested for hacking SHIELD secrets), Maverick suggests the American Kaiju project during a secret Pentagon meeting to take AIM out. Unfortunately, his monster was no match for Sunspot’s giant battlebot. By venting gamma radiation, AIM was able to force the kaiju to revert to his human form, who then fell off the radar.

This angered Maverick, pledging to Sunspot that he wasn’t done yet. Maverick never got the chance though. After Sunspot’s long term spycraft plans pitted his AIM group against SHIELD in a gamble to oust The Maker and WHISPER, Sunspot made a deal with Maverick to work together and take down every clandestine AIM splinter group for good.

American Idea Mechanics

As Sunspot’s new government liaison, Maverick made use of secret SHIELD tech, the Hulk Plug-In, a genetic enhancement with a digital regulator that Maverick happens to have the best genetic profile for. It allows him to go full Red Hulk for one hour every day and a half or so. Using it, he joins Sunspot’s field team when they need the muscle. He joined the U.S. Avengers to take on time traveling pirate, The Golden Skull, and was pressured by Sunspot into a one man mission against a rogue American Kaiju, which was kind of Maverick’s fault.

When Hydra’s Captain America starts prepping for a takeover of America, the Hydra spies within Sunspot’s organization are activated, one of which promises Maverick a bypass to his Hulk timer. Maverick gets injected with nanites that allows him to Hulk out right away but also gives Hydra full control over his body. They force him to attack Toni Ho and imprison her. When she re-stabilizes Sunspot’s powers and mounts an escape, Sunspot is able to burn the nanites out of Maverick’s system. Reunited as a team, they are able to take over the Hydra prison they were being help in.

With Toni Ho’s help, Maverick is able to turn off the Hulk Plug-In. Unfortunately, it came with a number of new medical ailments, including permanently Red Hulk skin color. His next attempt to use the Hulk Plug-In, he suffers a major reaction that causes him great pain.

No Surrender

When Earth is stolen to be used as a game board by The Challenger and The Grandmaster, the most prominent Avengers are frozen solid so as not to interfere. All available Avengers are activated, including Maverick. When planetary events start to occur around the globe, Maverick is assigned to Falcon's team and sent to check out Peru, where members of the Lethal Legion are fighting members of The Black Order over an alien marker worth one point in this contest of champions. He fights as best he can, but his hour of power is getting shorter and shorter ever since Hydra’s nanites.

Benched, Maverick is teleported back to the auxiliary base to monitor the situation with Toni. When the Avengers start getting the upper hand in the contest, The Challenger sends his wild card, a resurrected Hulk, to their location to take out their home base. Desperate, Maverick enables his Hulk form and dresses in pieces of Toni’s Iron Patriot armor to give him an edge. Unfortunately, it wasn’t much. Hulk grabbed him by the head and sapped him of all his gamma energy, transforming him back to his human form (including his normal skin color).

Thankfully, the other Avengers are able to reach Hulk and convince him not to play the game. He destroys the last artifact, forcing the Challenger to come to Earth himself. Meanwhile, Living Lightning goes to Grandmaster and challenges him to a side bet, and Quicksilver tracks down the device that is keeping the other Avengers in stasis. With both of them off the game board, Challenger must contend with the full force of the Avengers.

As the dust settles, Sunspot shuts down the U.S. Avengers.

Powers and Abilities

Military Veteran: Trained as a United States Army soldier, that has risen to the rank of general.

Hulk Plug-In: A genetic enhancement with a digital timer and readout on his arm. By activating it, he receives a dose of gamma energy that turns him into a Red Hulk for one hour, the "hour of power."

Iron Hulk: He briefly wore a retro-fitted Iron Patriot armor.