Elvin Haliday was born in
Brooklyn, New York. At age 13, he is exposed to toxic waste while hiding from bullies, which accelerates his growth and gives him superhuman physical abilities. Encouraged by his grandmother to use his newfound abilities for good, Elvin adopts a costume and the name Rage. Soon after his transformation, Rage confronts the
Avengers, demanding to be made a member. He scolds
Captain America for the team's lack of black members. Rage leaves after a brief scuffle, but assists the Avengers in their next mission against L.D.50. Alongside the Avengers, he battles other-dimensional alien prisoners. After racial tensions escalate due to the machinations of the
Hate-Monger, Rage and the
New Warriors battle the
Sons of the Serpent.
Captain America is ultimately able to calm the situation and forces the Hate-Monger to retreat. During the battle, the other Avengers learn that Rage is a teenager. Captain America ousts Rage from the main team, but allows him to remain as a trainee. During his time with the New Warriors, Rage's grandmother Edna Staples is killed by a street gang called the Poison Memories, bent on revenge against the team, leaving him an orphan.
Andrew Chord, the legal guardian of his teammate
Night Thrasher, becomes Rage's legal guardian as well. Rage is accused of murdering Kimeiko Ashu, the leader of the Poison Memories. Soon after
Nitro devastates
Stamford, Connecticut, Rage and former teammate
Justice learn that the former members of the New Warriors are being publicly hunted down. The two discover that former New Warriors member
Carlton LaFroyge (Hindsight Lad), enraged at the events in Stamford, had publicly outed the identities of the New Warriors. Rage and Justice decide to side with Captain America during the
Civil War and oppose the proposed
Superhuman Registration Act.
The Initiative Sometime later, Rage is seen on board a bus of new recruits arriving at
Camp Hammond. During the investigation, Rage reveals that he had an altercation with Gauntlet the day before the assault and that Gauntlet was about to recommend removing him from the Initiative and nullifying his powers until he turns 18. During the
Dark Reign storyline, Rage quits the Initiative along with other New Warriors-associated cadets (Justice,
Debrii,
Slapstick, and the
Scarlet Spiders) to form
Counter Force. He later returns to Camp Hammond with the team, now calling themselves the New Warriors again. In
Captain America: Sam Wilson, Rage goes to
Empire State University with
Falcon (Joaquin Torres) to confront an anti-immigrant politician who is giving a speech at campus. They later face the Bombshells, a trio of armored protesters, and defeat them. While returning home, Rage encounters
Man Mountain Marko and
Speed Demon, who are robbing a pawn shop. After a brief fight, the villains escape and Rage is arrested by the
Americops. When
Captain America (Sam Wilson) offers him help, Rage turns it down, preferring to prove his innocence himself. Sam does so by releasing footage of the Americops beating Rage. Judge David Roderick deems the footage inadmissible and has Rage convicted. To get better proof of Rage's innocence, Sam captures Speed Demon, who confesses to his and Marko's robbery of the pawn shop. Rage is beaten by prisoners and sustains severe brain damage, with
Claire Temple stating that he will not survive. In the
Venomized storyline, Rage recovers and helps evacuate
Manhattan during the Hive's invasion of Earth. The O.G.'s gang members are later taken in and employed as local market workers, while The O.G. is sentenced to 10,000 hours of community service under Night Thrasher's supervision. ==Powers and abilities==