The Smashers was a gang of brutes hired to cause mayhem for a Lakani plant owned by Tony Stark. Mastermind was the one who formed the team of ruffians in order to hide the fact that he was really an employee of the factory by the name of Bowers who had been embezzling from the company. Bowers had hoped that if he were able to cause an uproar and got the plant shut down that it would hide his crimes or at the very least remove suspicion of said crimes. The group didn't last long however when they attempted to sabotage the plant with a bomb then flee in a helicopter Iron Man followed them grounded the helicopter took Mastermind and another member back to the plant in order to disarm the bomb or risk blowing up with the plant. They eventually complied as the bomb got closer to it's detonation.