ARGONARGON
Real Name: Argon
Identity/Class: Extra-terrestrial, possibly Extra-Dimensional humanoid
Occupation: Warrior
Affiliations: Death Metal (one of his
assimilated personalities);
Krista Marwan; former pawn of
his father
Enemies: Death Metal
Known Relatives: father (unnamed)
Aliases: Champion of the Few
Base of Operations: Death Metal; formerly an unnamed pocket dimension, "beyond space, beyond time"
First Appearance: Death Metal#1(January, 1994)
Powers/Abilities: Argon was a skilled
and powerful warrior. He was a master swordsman and used a
double-bladed energy sword able to cut through solid metal. He
posssessed some degree of superhuman strength (perhaps as high as
Class 25-50) and durability.
The purity of his mind and spirit is the only thing that keeps
Death Metal from maintaining a constant state of
slaughter-frenzy.
History: Argon trained his whole life to be a master warrior and was renown as a defender of the innocent--although where he was renown is unclear.
(Death Metal#1, 2) - Argon's father sent him to
stop the genocidal killing machine known as Death Metal. However,
while Argon thought to overcome Death Metal, his father realized
that he had no chance of being successful. Instead, his father
hoped that Death Metal would defeat Argon and then assimilate his
mind. His goal was for Argon's purity to somehow dampen Death
Metal's murderous fury.
Argon was sent to Earth, where he encountered Death Metal in a
killing frenzy in Toronto, Canada. Argon fought valiantly, but he
could not hope to stand against Death Metal. After a short and
savage battle, Argon was overpowered and assimilated.
As hoped, Argon's mind returned clarity back to Death Metal, who,
now aware of the monster he had become, began to seek his own
destruction. Soon enough, Alpha Flight arrived in response to the
carnage caused by Death Metal and attempted to subdue him. Death
Metal, with the conscience of Argon, sought to escalate the
struggle so that Alpha Flight might actually destroy him.
(Death Metal#2/[Death Metal vs Genetix#1-BTS(fb)]) - Death Metal's efforts to escalate the battle succeeded, but eventually his programming overcame Argon's conscience, and he returned to his state of frenzy. Only Aurora's soothing light restored his clarity and conscience. Upon regaining his mind, Death Metal teleported off Earth to prevent a similar recurrence. Meanwhile, Argon's father teleported his corpse back to his pocket realm.
(Death Metal#3-BTS) - While Death Metal sought the peace of solitude on a distant planet, Mys-Tech Techno-Wizard Rathcoole sought to claim him as his own personal warrior. A battle with Rathcoole's Psycho-Warriors nearly sent him into another slaughter-frenzy, but he eventually faked his defeat, hoping the Warriors' master could destroy him. However, Spirit, a woman worshipping Death Metal, attacked and fought off the Psycho-Warriors. Annoyed, Death Metal teleported away to another planet, where he was assaulted by another man seeking his own death, Brassknuckles.
(Death Metal#4) - Rathcoole and the rest of Techno-Wizards tracked and attempted to capture Death Metal, interrupting his battle with Brassknuckles, which had been joined by Spirit, as well. Death Metal provoked a battle with the Techno-Wizards, again hoping that they could destroy him. They were nearly successful, but Death Metal reformed and fought them off when they planned to destroy some innocent settlers. Death Metal teleported away, having formed an alliance with Spirit and Brasknuckles in order to fight Mys-Tech in the future.
(Death Metal vs Genetix#1-BTS, 2) - Death Metal
returned to Earth, this time seeking to father a child that could
slay him. To do this he took cell samples from the mutant Madison
Jeffries, aka Box, who could manipulate metals, plastics, etc.
Death Metal then took a similar sample from Vesper, who could
mentally control machinery and computers. It combined the genetic
material of these two into a single sample of genetic material
with which it planned to father a child that could eventually
destroy him.
Death Metal then implanted this material into a mutant, Krista
Marwan, who could successfully mother the child he sought. The
group Genetix arrived too late to stop him, but rescued Krista
from his clutches. However, Death Metal again caught up with her
and prepared to lobotomize her, so that she could still mother
the child, without resisting his plans. Fortunately, Argon's
persona surfaced within Death Metal, long enough to stop him
until Genetix could battle him once more.
Comments: Created by Simon Furman and John Royle.
Technically, Argon would be at least BTS in every appearance of Death Metal since Death Metal#1. However, with the cessation of the Marvel UK line in 1994, the characters continue to slide out further and further into Limbo.
Who's Argon's dad? He looked a little like Death Wreck in the face, but that may just be similar artists.
Death Metal's killing frenzy were a result of his being sculpted from the metalflesh of Charnel.
CLARIFICATIONS: No known connection to:
Death Metal should be distinguished from:
Argon's
father
When Puck tried to use the fallen Argon's sword
against Death Metal, he was teleported to Argon's father's pocket
realm. After explaining that his costly gambit had failed, he
teleported Puck back to Earth. However, he did keep Argon's
corpse in his pocket realm.
Ultimately, although his attempts failed to destroy Death Metal,
he was pleased with the benevolent effects Argon's mind had on
the cyborg. In addition, he was especially pleased when Death
Metal unwittingly teleported a bomb away, sending it into the
realm of Argon's father's enemy, Abysss.
--Death Metal#1 (2, 4
Last updated: 09/15/02
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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