COLDSTEEL

Real Name: Josef Stalin

Identity/Class: Deceased, soul-enhanced by magic; Ethnic Georgian

Occupation: Agent of Satannish;
former "lieutenant-in-charge-of-torture-operations" in Mephisto's Hell
former Soviet leader

Group Membership: Lethal Legion

Affiliations: Hangman (field director), Mephisto, Satannish;
(as Stalin) Red Guardian of the 1940's, Klaus Fuchs, Georgi Malenkov

Enemies: Avengers West Coast (Hawkeye, Mockingbird, Scarlet Witch, Spider-Woman, US Agent, War Machine), Mephisto;
(as Stalin) Bob Brant and the Troubleshooters, Adolf Hitler

Known Relatives: Ekaterina (first wife, died three years after their marriage), Yakov (son by Ekaterina), Nadya (second wife), Vassily and Svetlana (children by Nadya)-see Real World History

Aliases: Joe (possibly, See Comments), Man of Steel

Base of Operations: Satannish's Hell, formerly Mephisto's Hell, Russia @ 1940s-50s (World War II era and Post-World War II era)

First Appearances:
(Stalin): (Timely) Human Torch I#5b (Fall 1941);
    (Atlas) Adventures Into Weird Worlds#3 (March 1952);
    (modern Marvel) Sgt. Fury and His Howling Commandos#51 (February 1968);
(Coldsteel): Avengers West Coast#98 (September 1993)

Powers: Stalin's physical abilities were all enhanced by the demon Satannish. He possessed an immense, solid steel frame with great superhuman strength. His powers could be augmented or drained by Satannish as the demon saw fit

History: Josef Stalin was notorious for his iron-handed communist rule of the Soviet Republic during and after the time of World War II. He was particularly known for ordering the murder of Russian peasant farmers who did not obey his orders. Real World History

(Namor Annual#1 (fb) <chronology uncertain>) - Stalin appointed a brave Soviet citizen who had risked his life to save people in a burning building as the Soviet patriotic hero the Red Guardian.

(Human Torch Comics#5b) - Stalin learned of the great battle going on between the Human Torch and the Sub-Mariner.

(Invaders I#32-33) - Stalin was observed during World War II. Due to a Nazi device, Hitler was able to reach into Asgard itself and pull Thor into Nazi Germany. Hitler coaxed Thor into fighting for the Germans against the Communists and sent him to kill Josef Stalin. Thor battled and trounced the Invaders. However, Thor then learned that Hitler did not truly worship him. Thor offered an apology to the Avengers and then left for Asgard. He erased the memory of this incident from the minds of the Invaders.

(Sgt. Fury#51 <December 1943>) - Stalin attended the Teheran conference, where he was protected by the Howling Commandos from Third Reich assassin Jorgen Kline.

(Human Torch Comics#14/5) - Stalin was observed when the Sub-Mariner undertook a mission to Moscow in which he faced an enemy agent called the Cobra.

(Captain America Annual#13 <April 30, 1945>) - Stalin dispatched the Red Guardian to join various American operatives on an attack on the Red Skull's bunker. Thanks to a spy named Klaus Fuchs, Stalin knew that Hitler had entrusted the Red Guardian with a special strongbox. However, the Red Guardian revealed in a meeting with Stalin that he had not acquired the strong box. Stalin blew smoke in his face, telling him that only his role as a great patriotic hero saved the Red Guardian from being shot for failure.

(Namor Annual#1 <July 6th, 1945>) - The first atomic bomb tests took place in the New Mexico Desert. Simultaneously in Potsdam, Germany the leaders of the United Kingdom, USA, and USSR were meeting alongside their respective heroes the Invaders Captain America and The Sub-Mariner for the UK and USA with Red Guardian for the USSR.

(Namor Annual#1 < July 17th, 1945>) - Red Guardian, Captain America, and the Sub-Mariner defeated General Brinkhaus from taking over the minds of the Allied leaders leading to victory for the Third Reich. They saved the Allied Leaders, and General Brinkhaus killed himself.

(Man Comics#27) - Stalin addressed his underlings, including a general, about the plan for the Soviets to launch shuttles to the moon to set up missile silos. This plan was thwarted by Bob Brant and the Troubleshooters.

(Captain America Annual#13 (fb) - BTS) - Stalin died in 1953. Eventually Georgi Malenkov became leader of the Soviet Union and appointed Albert Malik as the Communist Red Skull.

(Avengers West Coast#100 (fb) - BTS) - After his death, Stalin was consigned to Hell, specifically a branch controlled by the demon Mephisto.

(Uncanny Tales#17/4) - Stalin replaced Adolf Hitler as "lieutenant-in-charge-of-torture-operations" in Hell.