He punched until nothing but a pile of red mush remained splattered across the floor. Finally standing when he felt the ceiling tiles crash against his back.

He stood. And knew with the blood on his hands that he had declared war on the heroes of New York. An act which could not be undone.

This time, however. Johnny didn't have to stand and take it. In the inferno of the diner, he grabbed the hero by the throat and beat him senseless.

Then, he didn't stop. Taking out years of built up rage, unconcerned about the black smoke choking his lungs, the fire boiling him from all sides...

He landed a job as a line cook, an old family friend allowing the Holiday siblings to stay with him and work under him at his diner. Johnny thrived for a few years, before another incident saw the diner go up in flames when a fire-wielding hero got upset about his order being "undercooked."

Johnny was left with no home, no parents, and very few belongings he could salvage from under the rubble. Thankfully, his younger sister Michelle had survived the incident - now the only family he had, he took care of her like a father.

The lack of a load baring wall on the first floor lead to the apartment building partially collapsing, killing several others in the incident- including the supervillain who was chucked through the wall. The incident was written off as "a tragic but necessary accident for the sake of justice."