on to marry Del Gracci, who regularly beat Cole, while also doting on Cole's younger brother Max. As a teenager, Cole ran away from home and became the getaway driver for a crew of robbers. When his fellow criminals turned violent, Cole intervened, saving the life of F.B.I. agent Joseph Brockmeyer. He was apprehended, and Brockmeyer gave him the choice of either joining the clandestine agency known as International Operations or go to jail. Cole joined I.O., and received training from future Team 7 teammate Marc Slayton (who would eventually become the hero known as Backlash), as well as former members of I.O.'s previous covert operations team, Team 6. At some point, Cole may have been a part of the Army's Special Forces. Cole joined Team 7, being given the codename Deadeye. The group was deliberately exposed to an experimental chemical called the Gen Factor, which activated a variety of psi powers in them, but which also detrimentally affected their mental health. After the experiment the survivors were classified as Gen 12. Cole suspected that, in fact, high-ranking I.O. officers were behind the experiment, while they claimed that it was an unknown chemical weapon. Cole grew more and more disgruntled with I.O.'s manipulations and secrecy and rebelled against teammates John Lynch and Slayton, particularly after Slayton killed an innocent scientist Cole had tried to rescue during a mission in Leningrad, which Slayton had done on their I.O. superiors' orders. Most of Team 7 quit I.O. and went into hiding after they became aware that Craven was interested in using their children, the Gen¹³, who were believed to have inherited their fathers' powers, as weapons. Cole struck out on his own, eventually crossing paths with the ancient Kherubim warrior Zealot. They fell in love, and she took the unprecedented measure of teaching him, a man, the ways of the Coda, the warrior order she had once belonged to. Her Coda-teachings stabilized Cole's sanity and removed what remained of his psionic powers. Cole and Zealot fought their own private war against members of the Daemonite race, as well as the Coda, Cole first taking the codename Grifter. Wildcats and Grifter solo series Cole and Zealot's relationship eventually came to an end, though they remained partners. Both eventually joined the Daemonite hunting team, the WildC.A.T.s. Cole still loved Zealot, though he was unwilling to rekindle their relationship, since he thought doing so would