At age 13, he was exposed to toxic waste after hiding from bullies, which accelerated his growth and gave him superhuman physical abilities.

[9] After racial tensions escalated due to the machinations of the energy vampire called the Hate-Monger, Rage and the New Warriors battled the Sons of the Serpent.

He soon helped the New Warriors and Darkhawk steal one of the Avengers' Quinjets for a mission to Cambodia to battle Tai and the Folding Circle.

[13] As a member of the New Warriors, he battled Force of Nature, the Trans-Saballian army,[14] and, with Spider-Man, Archangel, and Doctor Strange, went up against Darkforce.

[15] During his time with the New Warriors, Elvin's grandmother Edna Staples was killed by a street gang called the Poison Memories, bent on revenge against the team, leaving him an orphan.

[17] For some time, Rage was in legal trouble with the authorities, as he had been accused of murdering Kimeiko Ashu, the leader of the Poison Memories.

[18] Later, Rage and Night Thrasher were voted out of the New Warriors after they had been absent during the team's battle with the paramilitary group Undertow who had enslaved their teammate Namorita.

Both Rage and Justice decided to side with Captain America during the Civil War, and refused to go along with the proposed Superhuman Registration Act.

[32] During his time in the Initiative program, Rage is subjected to constant verbal abuse by Gauntlet about his former teammates, the New Warriors, due to the Stamford tragedy.

[34] The recruits (except for Komodo, who had obeyed orders not to engage the Hulk) are then subjected to even more verbal abuse and more intense training by Gauntlet as punishment for breaking ranks.

During the Dark Reign storyline, Rage quits the Initiative along with other New Warriors-associated cadets (Justice, Debrii, Slapstick, and the remaining Scarlet Spiders) to form Counter Force.

[41] During the Secret Wars storyline, Demolition Man met Rage and Edwin Jarvis at Avengers Mansion during the incursion between Earth-616 and Earth-1610.

[42] During the Civil War II storyline, Rage comes to the aid of local neighborhoods in Brooklyn who are being attacked by the Americops, a private police force funded by Keane Industries.

While returning home, Rage encounters Man Mountain Marko and Speed Demon, who were robbing a pawn shop.

To get better proof of Rage's innocence, Sam later caught Speed Demon where he confessed to his and Man Mountain Marko's robbery of the pawn shop.

While visiting him, Sam is told by Claire Temple that Rage will not survive due to the extensive brain damage he sustained.

[49] During Annihilation - Scourge, Rage is one of heroes called by Mister Fantastic in the Negative Zone to fight the forces of the Cancerverse led by that universe's Sentry.

[50] Elvin's exposure to unknown biochemical radioactive wastes gave him superhuman strength, speed, stamina, durability and resistance to physical injury.

Rage possesses basic street-fighting skills, and has received some combat training from Captain America and Night Thrasher.

Rage usually wears a costume of synthetic stretch fabric and body armor, and formerly wore a helmet of unspecified material, all of which he designed for himself.

Rage appears as a member of the House of M's version of the Wolfpack alongside Speedball, Turbo, Zero-G, Darkhawk, and Lightspeed.