Highly skilled hand-to-hand combatant Skilled marksman, actor, espionage agent, bodyguard and detective Slightly superhuman strength, speed, stamina, agility, reflexes, and durability Use of stun gun Wears bulletproof body suit Helmet with belt activated faceplate Infrared vision via helmet's lenses
The character was inspired by the 1950s Western television series Have Gun – Will Travel, in which the title character, Paladin, an investigator/gunfighter, travels around the Old West working as a mercenary for people who hire him to solve their problems.[2]
Paladin first appeared in Daredevil #150 (January 1978), with follow-up appearances in #152 (May 1978) and #154 (September 1978) as part of the same story arc.[3] The character had a one-shot story published in Marvel Premiere #43 (August 1978),[4] and was a billed guest star in the Spider-Man team-up title Marvel Team-Up #108 (August 1981).[5]
Paladin is a mercenary and private investigator, whose past is largely unrevealed. When first seen, he sought Daredevil while engaged in an assignment to track down the Purple Man, and battled Daredevil. He clashed with Daredevil a second time after the crime fighter inadvertently interfered with Paladin's search for the Purple Man. Paladin allied with Daredevil in battle against the Cobra, the Jester, and Mister Hyde, who were under control of the Purple Man.[7]
Paladin next battled the Ghost.[8] Paladin aided the Wasp against Baron Brimstone, acquired a modified uniform, and began a romance with the Wasp.[9] Paladin aided the Avengers in battle against the Masters of Evil.[10] Paladin allied with Spider-Man and the Wasp against mobsters; despite respecting Spider-Man's abilities, Paladin is incredulous that Spider-Man offers his heroic services without charge (Paladin literally laughs in Spider-Man's face upon learning this[11]), while Spider-Man in turn is disgusted by Paladin's mercenary ways.[12] Paladin also considers Spider-Man's incessant battle banter "unprofessional".[13]
Paladin was later employed by Silver Sable to investigate a conspiracy which threatened her native country of Symkaria, and he allied with Spider-Man.[14] Paladin was then hired by Diamondback to raid Serpent Society headquarters. He was captured, but freed by Captain America.[15] Paladin accompanied Captain America in his search for Diamondback, the Asp, and Black Mamba. With his new allies, Paladin battled Superia's horde of female superhumans.[16]
An unabashed womanizer, Paladin often flirted with whoever woman caught his eye. He briefly dated the Wasp at a time when she was separated from Hank Pym, much to the Black Knight's jealousy, who was also attracted to her.[17] For a time, he also enlisted Generation X into helping him retrieve a sword for Adrienne Frost, the sister of current X-Men member Emma Frost. During this period, the mutant known as Jubilee was strongly attracted to Paladin, but that affection disappeared when Generation X and Paladin later went their separate ways.[18] He has also been a longtime ally to Silver Sable and her Wild Pack organization, working for pay, of course. He once helped them protect a scientist from a kidnapping attempt by the Heroes for Hire, a group he would later join.[19] His main opponent was Misty Knight, who seemed to be an equal match.[volume&issueneeded]
Paladin had exhibited a certain amount of honor in some cases. For example, he was once hired by a corrupt government to assist rebels as part of a sting operation. He aided the rebels in a bomb-laying operation at a government facility. When the rebels were caught, his government handler remarked how lucky they were that the bomb had not gone off. Paladin replied, "I'm sorry, that would have been extra," and activated the bomb by remote control while driving away.[20]
In the 1990 one-shot The Punisher: No Escape, he was offered 10 million dollars by mobster Vincent Mangano to kill the Punisher.[21] Paladin agreed to this arrangement, but did not succeed, and in the ensuing fight both of his legs were broken by the U.S. Agent.
Paladin once took down Daredevil with a sniper rifle from a helicopter at a great distance. He did so for the FBI, in exchange for getting his record expunged. The hit, while serious, was not fatal; Paladin's sniper attack led to Daredevil's arrest.[22]
Paladin was a main character in the 2006 Heroes for Hire series, although as Misty Knight said he was just there for the money. As it turns out, he was a traitor to the group, only using the Heroes as a means to hunt down Captain America for S.H.I.E.L.D. as part of the Civil War.[volume&issueneeded]
He single-handedly defeated Captain America and the entire Heroes for Hire team, with the exceptions of Tarantula, and Orka, who weren't present when the fight took place, with a special gas weapon that affected the nervous system.[volume&issueneeded] He then radioed S.H.I.E.L.D. and told them he had Captain America in custody.[23] However, he did not account for Shang-Chi's ability to hold his breath over an extended period (thanks to his martial arts training) and was overpowered by him.[volume&issueneeded] Shang-Chi then aided Captain America, who afterwards switched his costume with Paladin, causing S.H.I.E.L.D. to take Paladin instead into custody.[24]
In the Dark Reign storyline, Paladin became a member of the post-Secret InvasionThunderbolts, serving as Norman Osborn's personal black ops team.[25][volume&issueneeded] Hired to assassinate Elektra for 82 million dollars, Paladin broke into H.A.M.M.E.R. headquarters. However, Elektra overpowered him by choking him with one of her teeth that was loosened when Paladin punched her. Begging for his life, Paladin gave Elektra the key to escape her prison.[26]
During the Siege of Asgard, Paladin and the other Thunderbolts were sent to Asgard with the mission of stealing the Spear of Odin for Osborn. After fighting through a contingent of Asgardians, they managed to find the Spear of Odin.[volume&issueneeded] Paladin, finally having had enough of serving a madman like Osborn, turned on his teammates and tried to take back the object. After being attacked by fellow Thunderbolt Grizzly, Paladin was saved by Ant-Man. Grizzly then lost the Spear of Odin to Mr. X who in turn was easily defeated by Quicksilver. Ant-Man recovered the Spear of Odin and gave it to Paladin who decided to take the object in order to keep Osborn from using its power for his own ends. Paladin then departed from Asgard after saying goodbye to Ant-Man.[27]
During the Shadowland storyline, Paladin is paired with Silver Sable, Misty Knight, and Shroud when Daredevil's Hand ninjas end up targeting members of the mafia.[28] Following this, Misty Knight reopens Heroes for Hire under the influence of Puppet Master; Paladin joins the team and soon realizes this and frees Misty from Puppet Master's control with the help from Iron Fist. After the defeat of Puppet Master, Paladin convinces Misty to keep the operation open, but under their terms.[29]
Powers and abilities
Paladin's physical strength, speed, stamina, agility, reflexes, and durability are all slightly superhuman. [citation needed] He is also a highly skilled hand-to-hand combatant, with knowledge of Boxing,[30]Judo,[30]Savate,[31] and Taekwondo.[30] In addition, Paladin is a skilled marksman, actor, espionage agent, bodyguard and detective.
While he has been known to use lethal force, his preferred weapon is his stun gun, firing a beam which scrambles the signals within the target's nervous system sufficiently to render most people unconscious. The range and effectiveness are unknown. The gun is equipped so that only Paladin may operate it.
Paladin wears a bodysuit of synthetic stretch fabric, and his boots, gloves, helmet, torso, and knee and elbow guards are made of bulletproof composite materials. Paladin's helmet is equipped with a belt-activated faceplate which slides down to make the helmet airtight; the sealed helmet has a one-hour air supply. The lenses in Paladin's helmet can be adjusted for infrared vision.
Elektra Natchios is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, usually in supporting roles featuring the superhero Matt Murdock / Daredevil, to whom Elektra has functioned as a villainous adversary, love interest, and later, a heroic ally. Created by Frank Miller, the character first appeared in Daredevil #168. In the various storylines in which the character has appeared since her debut, her violent nature and mercenary lifestyle has served as a divisive point of conflict between her and Daredevil, which in 2020, culminated in her becoming the second Daredevil.
Bullseye is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by Marv Wolfman and John Romita Sr. A psychopathic assassin, Bullseye uses the opportunities afforded by his line of work to exercise his homicidal tendencies and to work out his own personal vendetta against Daredevil. He is also an enemy of the Punisher. Although he possesses no superpowers, Bullseye is able to use almost any object as a lethal projectile, be it weapons like shuriken and sai or seemingly harmless objects like playing cards and pencils. His marksmanship is uncanny, at a nearly supernatural level.
The Thunderbolts are an antihero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The team consists mostly of reformed supervillains. Created by Kurt Busiek and Mark Bagley, the team first appeared in The Incredible Hulk #449.
Taskmaster is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer David Michelinie and artist George Pérez, the character made his debut in The Avengers #195. Possessing photographic reflexes that allow him to mimic any fighting style at the cost of his long and short-term memory, he has served as an adversary of Marvel Universe superheroes such as Captain America, Ant-Man, and Spider-Man. He is usually depicted as a mercenary hired by criminal organizations to act as a training instructor. He is the biological father of Finesse.
Odin Borson, the All-Father is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. First mentioned in Journey into Mystery #85, the character first appears in Journey into Mystery #86, and was adapted from the Odin of Norse mythology by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. The character is depicted as the father of Thor and former king of Asgard.
Diamondback is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Originally depicted as a supervillain who was part of the Serpent Society, she was first introduced in Captain America #310 and became a series regular for years afterwards.
Mister Hyde is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Don Heck, the character first appeared in Journey into Mystery #99. Calvin Zabo is a supervillain known under the codename of Mister Hyde. He is the father of the superhero Daisy Johnson. The character has also been a member of the Masters of Evil.
Loki Laufeyson is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer Stan Lee, scripter Larry Lieber and penciller Jack Kirby, and is based on the Norse mythological deity of the same name. Although a version of Loki first appeared in Venus #6, his characterization as the adoptive brother and nemesis of the superhero Thor, which has persisted to the modern age, was not introduced until Journey into Mystery #85.
Silver Sable is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Tom DeFalco and Ron Frenz, Silver Sable first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #265. She is usually depicted as a mercenary, hunter of war criminals, leader of the Wild Pack, and owner of Silver Sable International. Her work as a mercenary has sometimes brought her into conflict with several superheroes. Silver Sable is primarily an ally and occasional opponent of Spider-Man.
Heroes for Hire are a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The team first appeared in Power Man and Iron Fist #54, and was created by Ed Hannigan and Lee Elias. The team continued to appear in comics regularly over the years, and has made guest appearances in television productions and game environments featuring other superheroes.
Ghost is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by David Michelinie and Bob Layton, the character first appeared in Iron Man #219. Ghost is a genius inventor and hacker who wears a battle suit that allows him to become invisible and intangible. Although he started out as an adversary of the superhero Iron Man, Ghost has also been depicted as an antihero and member of the Thunderbolts.
Ant-Man is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The third character to use the Ant-Man name, he was created by Robert Kirkman and Phil Hester, and first appears in The Irredeemable Ant-Man #1.
"Secret Invasion" is a comic book crossover storyline written by Brian Michael Bendis and illustrated by Leinil Francis Yu, that ran through a self-titled eight-issue limited series and several tie-in books published by Marvel Comics from April through December 2008. The story involves a subversive, long-term invasion of Earth by the Skrulls, a group of alien shapeshifters who have secretly replaced many superheroes in the Marvel Universe with impostors over a period of years, prior to the overt invasion. Marvel's promotional tagline for the event was "Who do you trust?".
Dark Reign is a 2008 to 2009 comic book branding used by Marvel Comics. It deals with the aftermath of the "Secret Invasion" storyline, which leads to a shift of power in the Marvel Universe toward Norman Osborn. The title refers to Osborn's rise to national power and the ramifications thereof. Joe Quesada, then-editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics, stated that "Dark Reign is not really an event, it's what's happening in the Marvel Universe." He believes that "Dark Reign leads to an interesting place in the Marvel Universe. I think you'll see a pulling back at the end of Dark Reign, but you'll understand at the end of it what we were trying to get to."
Siege is an American comic book, published by Marvel Comics from January to May 2010. It deals with the climax of the "Dark Reign" storyline, which saw Norman Osborn become the United States primary defense officer, leading H.A.M.M.E.R. as well as employing his own evil Avengers. The story depicts Loki manipulating Osborn into leading an all-out assault on Asgard, at the time located within the United States. Captain America and his own Avengers lead a rebellion against Osborn. The events in Siege led to Marvel Comics introducing the subsequent storyline "Heroic Age".
"Shadowland" is a 2010 comic book storyline published by Marvel Comics, focusing on Daredevil and other "street-level" superheroes in the Marvel Universe. The storyline started in the Daredevil comic and was expanded upon in the Shadowland five-issue mini series as well as four tie-in mini series, four one-shots, and two issues of Thunderbolts. The storyline was collected into seven individual hard cover and soft cover Trade paperbacks in 2011.
The Wild Pack is a fictional mercenary team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The team is led by Silver Sable.
"The War of the Realms" is a 2019 comic book storyline published by Marvel Comics, written by Jason Aaron and drawn by Russell Dauterman. The storyline has been met with positive reviews, with critics praising the storyline and the art.
References
↑ Cowsill, Alan; Manning, Matthew K. (2012). Spider-Man Chronicle: Celebrating 50 Years of Web-Slinging. DK Publishing. p.178. ISBN978-0756692360.
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