The Fastball Special is a popular tag-team move in superhero fiction. In a Fastball Special, a hero with superhuman strength throws a (usually willing) partner toward a target. It dates back to at least a 1958 DC Comics team-up in Adventure Comics #253 in which Superboy throws Robin.[citation needed] The maneuver was popularized by the Marvel Comics series Uncanny X-Men starting in issue #94, when Colossus hurls Wolverine during a Danger Room session (Colossus initially refers to this as "Maneuver Seven"). It quickly became a favorite tactic of the two heroes. It has also since been used by many superheroes in publications other than Marvel.
In other media
Television
- The Fastball Special was referenced in the 1992 animated television series X-Men episode "The Unstoppable Juggernaut". It was later performed by Beast and Wolverine in "Savage Land, Strange Heart (Part 1)."
- In episode 14a of the Television show The Powerpuff Girls, Blossom says "... Bubbles. You, Me. Fastball Special..." just before performing the maneuver.
- In The Aquabats! Super Show! episode "Showtime!" Crash Mclarson performs the maneuver by hurling the M.C. Bat Commander at Space Monster M.
- In Young Justice, the move is performed several times. It's referred to as "maneuver seven", which is what the move was originally known as in the comics.
- In Ultimate Spider-Man, Spider-Man is leading a team exercise with Iron Fist, Luke Cage, Nova and White Tiger where they try to attack him. Luke Cage does a fastball special with Iron Fist by throwing him, but missing, which makes Spider-Man remark that this move rarely works. Yet in the episode, Return of the Sinister Six, Luke and Iron Fist use the move successfully against the Rhino.
- In RWBY, Professor Oobleck uses his weapon to bat Zwei at flaming speeds to destroy an enemy mech.
Film
- Wolverine and Colossus use the move twice in X-Men: The Last Stand, first against a Sentinel and then against Magneto. Brett Ratner specifically studied John Cassaday's interpretation in 2004's Astonishing X-Men #6.
- In the Disney film Sky High, Will Stronghold throws Warren Peace in gym class.
- In the Disney film The Incredibles, Mr. Incredible launches his wife, Elastigirl, in the air toward their falling infant shapeshifting son, Jack-Jack.
Video games
- In Chrono Trigger, a combination technique called "Spin Kick" which is done with Robo and Ayla is reminiscent of this move.
- In Gunstar Heroes, the players can throw enemies, and each other, towards other enemies to destroy or damage them.
- In LEGO Marvel Super-Heroes, there is an achievement entitled "FastBall Special" for using a special throw attack on Wolverine while playing as Colossus. [1]
- In the Marvel Heroes MMORPG, Colossus has an attack called "Fastball Special", which causes Nightcrawler to teleport in with Wolverine, and then have Colossus throw him.
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