AXE of VIOLENCE
Real Name: Lizabeth Andrew"Lizzie" Borden
Identity/Class: Deceased, soul-enhanced by magic (19th century,
modern era)
Occupation: Agent of Satannish
Group Membership: Lethal Legion
Affiliations: Satannish,
Hangman
(field director);
former possession of Mephisto;
possibly formerly Pazuzu
Enemies: Avengers West Coast (Hawkeye/Clint Barton,
Mockingbird/H'rpra,
Scarlet Witch/Wanda Maximoff, Spider-Woman/Julia Carpenter, US
Agent/John Walker, War Machine/James Rhodes), Mephisto;
(as Lizzie) her family
Known Relatives: Andrew (father, deceased), Sara (mother, deceased), Abby (step-mother, deceased), John Morse (maternal uncle, deceased), Emma (sister, deceased)
Aliases: None
Base of Operations: Satannish's hell, formerly
Mephisto's Hell;
formerly Fall River, Massachusetts circa 1892
First Appearance: (next issue ad) Avengers West
Coast I#97 (August 1993);
(in-story) Avengers West Coast#98 (September 1993)
Powers: Borden's physical abilities were all enhanced by Satannish. Her right hand was replaced by a magical axe capable of slicing through Vibranium and even War Machine's armor with ease. She also used two-sided axes as throwing weapons. Her powers could be augmented or drained by Satannish as he saw fit.
Height: (Borden) 5'3"; (Axe of Violence) 5'9" (by
estimation)
Weight: (Borden) Unrevealed; (Axe of Violence) 120 lbs. (by
estimation)
Eyes: Blue
Hair: Blonde
History: (Historical/Avengers West Coast I#99(fb)) - Lizzie Borden was born on July 19th 1860 and was still a small child when her mother passed away. Her father subsequently remarried again, but Lizzie never accepted this woman and considered her a rival for her father's attentions. When she was 32, she stood trial for the murders of her father and step-mother and was acquitted of all charges. Declared guilty in the eyes of the public, she became a recluse and was never seen again until her death in 1927.
(Howard the Duck III#2 (fb) - BTS) - At some point,
perhaps around the time she allegedly slew her parents, Lizzie Borden
may have wielded the doucheblade, a mystical weapon empowered by the
demon Pazuzu.
(Avengers West Coast I#100 (fb) - BTS) - After her death she was consigned to Hell, specifically a branch controlled by the demon Mephisto.
(Avengers West Coast I#98) - Another
demon, Satannish, stole her soul, along with three others to create his
Lethal Legion in effort to gain revenge on the Avengers West Coast for
their previous defeat of him. Satannish imbued her with power,
transforming her into Axe of Violence, and promised her and her allies
they could return to true life if they could bring him the souls of the
Avengers West. Lizzie participated in the brutal beating of US Agent.
(Avengers West Coast I#99) - Lizzie
personally slew Stella Houston, former lover of Hangman and then fled
from Spider-Woman and War Machine. This was a diversion to allow other
Legion members to abduct Mockingbird. She returned with them to
Satannish's realm.
(Avengers West Coast I#100) - As Satannish had planned this drew the Avengers to his realm, where the Legion and Hangman defeated them. However, Mephisto had sneaked into Satannish's realm within the form of Hawkeye, and attacked Satannish, demanding the stolen souls back. Lizzie and the other members had their powers drained by Satannish to return himself to full power to battle Mephisto. Powerless, they were easily rounded up by the Avengers. However, Lizzie and the rest of the Legion had the souls destroyed as both Mephisto and Satannish struggled to obtain them.
Comments: Created/Adapted by Roy Thomas, David Ross and Tim Dzon.
I think either Mephisto or Satannish could have duped the other and hidden the souls somewhere for future use.
Lizzie Borden was more of an unattractive plain jane with mousy strawberry blonde hair than the platinum blonde beauty Marvel has depicted. On the other hand, Satannish may have transformed her into the Marilyn Monroe-type we see.
"Lizzie Borden took an axe, and gave her mother forty
whacks,
When she saw what she had done, she gave her father forty-one"
Contrary to the rhyme, Lizzi's step-mother received 18 blows, mostly to
the head. Her father received 13 to the head, chest and arm.
Lizzie's ancestors were relatives of the founders of the Borden Milk Company. Their descendants include Sir Winston Churchill !!
I'm not sure if anyone here is an afficianado of true
crime stories like I am, but I thought this was interesting. Lizzie
Borden is a descendant of James Cornell, who in the 17th century also
committed matricide by killing his mother. Cornell would have gotten
away with it, but the spirit of his mother appeared to her brother and
James's uncle took him to trail. James's daughter, Innocent Cornell (a
name that defines irony) married Richard Borden, Lizzie's ancestor. I
confirmed the genealogy for myself at www.ancestry.com.
--Will U
A name like Innocent was typical of the Purtains at that time. Look
through some of the baptismal records of the time and you'll find
names that, to modern eyes, are equally ironic, like Faith, Hope, and
Charity for girls, and Perseverance for boys.
--Chris
The
Borden House where the murders took place still exists to this day. It's
now a bed and breakfast open to the public. The owners insist that the
ghosts of Andrew and Abby still walk the halls. (Marvel's inspiration
for the story ?)
Lizzy Andrew Borden: She was acquitted for the crime of
manslaughter of her father and stepmother, and the murder's true
identity remains unknown. The idea that she was the killer is in lack of
evidence, more a urban legend. --Valerio Pastore.
Axe of Violence is a cool villainess. She make a great villainess for Daredevil or the Punisher if she were restored to life.
All my notes listed her as "Axe of Vengeance." Jim Sharpe pointed out the error, based on info from Jacob (Proto-Man).
Almost all of the historical information in contributed by William Uchtman.
Clarifications:
No known connection to:
images: (without ads)
Avengers West Coast I#97, p21, pan1 (main image)
Avengers West Coast I#99, p21, pan1 (headshots of Borden and Axe of
Violence)
Avengers West Coast I#99, p6, pan4
(as Lizzie Borden)
Avengers West
Coast I#99, p7, pan1 (cutting War Machine's armor)
Photo of the real Lizzie Borden
Appearances:
Avengers West Coast I#98-100 (September-November, 1993) - Roy Thomas
(writer), Dave Ross (pencils), Tim Dzon (inks), Nel Yomtov (editor)
First Posted: prior to 09/15/2001
Last updated: 07/26/2026
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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Marvel Characters, Inc. All Rights Reserved. If you like this stuff, you
should check out the real thing!
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