The COSSACK
The COSSACK
Real Name: Unrevealed
Identity/Class: Human technology user;
citizen of Russia
Occupation: Freelance mercenary, extortionist;
former Russian intelligence agent
Group Membership: Formerly Russian intelligence
(specific agency unrevealed)
Affiliations: Dr. Hermann Schreck, a small band of mercenaries as agents
Enemies: Black Widow (Natasha Romanoff), Daredevil (Matt Murdock), the Gael
Known Relatives: None
Aliases: None
Base of Operations: Mobile, formerly the U. S. S. R.
First
Appearance: Daredevil I#217 (April, 1985)
Powers/Abilities: The Cossack is a large man, granting him considerable strength, and is presumably trained in armed and unarmed combat. He was no match for Daredevil. He once used a weapon designed to disrupt the electricity in the brain in the region that controlled sight, rendering victims temporarily blind, either over an area of several blocks, or even at distant sites through a targeting beam. He and his associates wore special headgear to render themselves immune to its effects. He can speak both Russian and English, and possibly other languages as well.
Height: 6'4" (by estimation)
Weight: 190 lbs. (by estimation)
Eyes: Blue
Hair: Red
History: (Daredevil I#217 (fb) - BTS) - The Cossack was formerly employed as an intelligent agent in Russia. However, at an unknown point in time, he betrayed his superiors, was expelled (and likely fled from execution), and became a freelance agent.
Some time after this the Cossack got a lead on East German defector Dr. Hermann Shreck who had reportedly developed a weapon that incapacitated without killing. The Cossack approached the Black Widow, another former Russian operative turned freelancer, informing her of this and proposing they work together. When she refused, he used it on her, and catching her by surprise, threw her out of a high story building. The Black Widow was saved by Daredevil, and she revealed the Cossack's plot to him.
The Cossack attempted to extort fifteen million
dollars in gems from the city of New York with the threat of his
blindness weapon. When the mayor informed reporters that he refused to
be intimidated by cheap threats, the Cossack responded that "Death would
rain down on foolish New York" unless he was paid. Realizing the Cossack
planned to use the weapon regardless of whether he was paid, Daredevil
reasoned that the comment about death raining down referred to crashing
airplanes. Daredevil traveled to "an airport," which turned out to be
the one the Cossack was attacking. The Cossack had already used the
weapon to blind everyone in the terminal, including the air traffic
controllers (and unintentionally the assassin known as the Gael), but
Daredevil easily stopped him and his agents before they could turn the
weapon on the airplanes, and the Cossack was arrested.
Comments: Created by Denny O'Neil and David Mazzuccheli.
In case any writers or artists read this and
think of bringing the character back, please note that the weird
headgear he's wearing in the main image isn't part of his standard
outfit, so if he doesn't have the blindness device he wouldn't be
wearing it.
A Cossack is a member of a group of frontiersmen of southern Russia organized as cavalry in the czarist army (straight from the dictionary).
Obviously this story took place before the
fall of the Berlin Wall and the USSR; while the sliding timescale now
means it took place several years later, there was nothing about Cossack
that wouldn't translate to him working for a more recent iteration of
the Russian government, though Shreck being an East German defector
might have to change as more years pass.
The Cossack's weapon, when used on the air traffic controllers, also blinded everyone else in the vicinity, including the assassin known as the Gael, who was preparing to murder Glorianna O'Breen. His sudden blindness allowed her to escape, and made him an easy target for Daredevil. The Gael's not the kind of guy you want as an enemy.
Profile by Snood; Shreck sub-profile by Chadman
CLARIFICATIONS :
The Cossack should not be confused with:
(Daredevil I#217 (fb) - BTS) - An East German defector, Dr. Hermann Schreck developed a weapon that would take away the sight of others, using equipment and radar to impact the nerve centers of the brain. The Cossack stole the machine.
--Daredevil I#217 ([Daredevil I#217 (fb)]
images: (without ads)
Daredevil I#217, p7, pan1
(main image)
Daredevil I#217, p12, pan2 (headshot,
without the headgear)
Daredevil I#217, p17, pan1 (with blindness device)
Appearances:
Daredevil I#217 (April, 1985) - Denny O'Neil (writer), David
Mazzucchelli (artist), Ralph Macchio (editor)
First Posted: 09/03/2001
Last updated: 10/18/2026
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
Non-Marvel
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