Johnny Watts is a rookie superhero called Fuse and is the current boyfriend of Kate Bishop (aka Hawkeye).
Johnny lives in the Venice neighbourhood of Los Angeles where his sister, Ramone, owns a surf shop. Their mother was a former member of the Dora Milaje, elite warriors of Wakanda, who ended up in California after leaving Wakanda under unrevealed circumstances.
One night he encountered superhero and aspiring private investigator Kate Bishop after she had rescued a girl from some violent fraternity members. Although he agreed Kate had the situation under control, Johnny chose to stay–unwilling to walk away and leave Kate alone in the presence of men who go around attacking women, since that he would not tolerate that sort of thing in his neighbourhood.
Johnny and Ramone both got involved in Kate’s case to search for Ramone’s missing ex, and they soon became part of her close circle of friends in LA and regularly helped her on cases. The initial attraction between Johnny and Kate continued to grow and they soon started dating.
During one of their adventures Johnny saved Kate’s life by shielding her from falling concrete, revealing that he secretly had super powers. Now using the code name “Fuse”, Johnny was one of Kate’s first recruits when she decided to start up a new West Coast Avengers team. Along with his new teammates Fuse has gone on to battle threats such as B.R.O.D.O.K. and his genetically engineered monsters; Madame Masque’s Masters Of Evil; a cult of vampires, and an invasion of Frost Giants.
Johnny was revealed to be bisexual when Kate’s ex-boyfriend Marvel Boy (Noh-Varr) worked with the team. Both of the young men found each other attractive, much to Kate’s shock, and a potential love triangle was teased but the West Coast Avengers book was cancelled before it could develop anywhere and Marvel Boy left the group soon afterward.
When he turned fifteen Fuse manifested the ability to transform his body to match the appearance and properties of any material he can touch. This can grant him superhuman strength and durability. We have seen him transform his body into stone as well as flame and even water, briefly.
He wears piercings made out of vibranium, left to him by his mother, so that he is always in contact with something powerful and virtually indestructible to transform into. This is his most commonly used battle-form.
In one possible future, Fuse is one of the few superheroes to have survived an alien invasion and a devastating plague. He is one of the protectors of a settlement of survivors, and fought alongside Captain Marvel when she was accidentally transported into this time period.
Johnny Watts first appeared in Hawkeye (2017) #2 by Kelly Thompson and Leonardo Romero. His first appearance as Fuse was in West COast Avengers (2018) by Kelly Thompson and Stefano Caselli.
Contributed by Mike McDermott