History
It has been revealed that the original history of Reno Jones and Kid Cassidy as presented in the Gunhawks series was really just the dime novels version based on the real adventures of the characters, embellezing them and changing certain aspects. [1]For this original history see the Gunhawks.[citation needed]
The Gunhawks[]
Kid Cassidy's father was a plantation owner in the antebellum south, and despite being a better master than most, still treated his slaves as slaves. Kid and Reno Jones, a young slave, played together as children, but had grown apart as they grew older. When the American Civil War broke out, Cassidy enlisted on the side of the Confederates and came home to discover that his house had been attacked by Union soldiers, and his father had been killed. After the war, his old friendship with Reno was revived and the two rode together for awhile as partners in pursuit of Reno's love Rachel who had been carried off by the Union soldiers, as the team Gunhawks [2] [3]. During this time Kid genuinely became sick of racism.[citation needed]
At this point their friendship was unquestionable; Kid underwent grueling trials to become a brave for his friend, and Reno, armed with only a knife, fought an angry grizzly bear to save Kid. They fought buffalo rustlers, led a revolt against a slave-owning plantation owner, and tried to stop the Medicine Creek massacre where the insane Reverend Graves ran guns to Grey Fox's Cheyenne but then set the cavalry on them, hoping to wipe out both sides. Afterwards Reno spotted Grey Fox fleeing with Rachel, now his woman, but Kid knocked him out, having learned Rachel didn't Reno pursuing her, afraid of Fox's violent jealousy. Reno drew on Kid for this, only to deliberately shoot wide. Kid Cassidy was gunned down at this point and Reno had to flee as a fugitive, thinking that he was themurderer when Grey Fox was the real culprit. [4] In the dime novel version the gunfight happened in a Cheyenne camp, but in reality happened in a saloon. [1]
Turning villain[]
Unbeknownst to Reno, Kid actually survived, holding onto a seething hatred of Reno. By 1885 he was an enforcer, working for Clay Riley in leading the masked Nightriders gang, who specialized in terrorizing towns to drive out their inhabitants. When Riley set them on Wonderment, Montana, the town where Reno had chosen to settle down with his wife and child, Cassidy led the Nightriders into town and ran amok, destroying buildings and lynching many of the town's black population. Cassidy recognized Reno Jones among the townspeople, but missed a chance to kill him. When Reno and Marcel Fournier rode out of Wonderment to find help, Cassidy let them ride by without sniping them.[citation needed]
Several days later, Cassidy led his Nightriders back into Wonderment, causing even more destruction, but the Rawhide Kid, Kid Colt, Outlaw Kid, and the Two-Gun Kid rode into town and drove them off. Later, when the bounty hunter Gunhawk and Pinkerton agent Caleb Hammer attempted to ride into Wonderment, Cassidy had them both taken captive. After learning that they were after Kid Colt, he decided to let only one leave, ordering them to face each other in a gunfight to see who would live, but the Phantom Rider suddenly appeared, giving them a chance to escape. Knowing that Clay Riley had a special hatred for the Phantom Rider, Cassidy sent a rider to inform him of the development so that Riley would give him what he needed to finish the job.[citation needed]
Cassidy was joined by Riley for their final assault upon Wonderment, but were unprepared for the clash that awaited them, as the outlaws brought in by Reno had trained the townsfolk to fight back, and the local tribes were brought in by Red Wolf. The Phantom Rider killed Riley, but Cassidy managed to wound him, and was surprised to find that the Phantom Rider was Reno. Before Cassidy could kill him, the Outlaw Kid set off an explosion that knocked Cassidy over, and Jones strangled him to death.[3]
Afterlife[]
During the War of the Realms in modern day, the Sorcerer Supreme from Cassidy's time, the Demon Rider, was summoned by Thor's sister Laussa for protection. To this end, the Demon Rider called the spirits of Cassidy Kid and other heroes from the 1800s. The spirits encountered Laussa's protectors, her "Babysitters Club," in the Wild West-themed amusement park Six Gun Territory. A fight broke out since the spirits couldn't properly communicate their intention, until Druid's magic allowed him to understand that Laussa was the reason for their presence.[5] After the Demon Rider made herself present and clarified that the undead warriors intended to pledge their allegiance to Laussa, they all rode out of the town to take part in the War of the Realm's final battle.[6]Attributes
Abilities
Paraphernalia
Weapons
Transportation
See Also
- 13 appearance(s) of Richard Cassidy (Earth-616)
- 1 mention(s) in handbook(s) of Richard Cassidy (Earth-616)
- 13 image(s) of Richard Cassidy (Earth-616)