ELMER GORE

Real Name: Elmer Gore (last name legally changed; original last name unknown)

Identity/Class: Human; South African

Occupation: Mercenary

Affiliations: Anton Pretorius, his Band of Mercenaries (Miyo Moshigo, Strike, others)

Enemies: Black Panther (T'Challa), Patrick Slade, Zanti Chikane

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: Elmer "Sex 'N' Violence" Gore, Tangerine Lime

Base of Operations: mobile in South Africa

First Appearance: Marvel Comics Presents#13/2 (late February, 1989)

Powers/Abilities: None. He was a skilled fighter, using different knives and a machine gun.

History:
(MCP#15/2 fb): As a child Elmer was always taunted by the other kids in school. They called him Elmer Fudd and asked him if he had gotten the "wascally wabbit" yet. He became extremely violent and soon his taunters were silent because of their injuries. In high school he earned the name Elmer "Sex 'N' Violence" Gore for his brutal behavior. His parents sent him to counseling sessions, but they stopped doing this after Elmer beat up his father and threatened to kill him if he brought him to another session. Elmer later changed his name legally to Elmer Gore. He kept the name Elmer to show he could take the jokes and because he liked to watch Elmer Fudd.

(MCP#13/2): Gore watched the conversation between the Black Panther and Patrick Slade from behind the trees and was ready to throw his knife.

(MCP#14/2): With a kick, Elmer killed the dog the Black Panther brought to the meeting . He threw his knife and nailed Slade to a tree with it. He moved ahead with his mercenaries and stopped them from shooting the Panther because he didn't want to leave bullets for the police, and because their attack should look primitive. He gave Strike a club and threw Panther into the barbed wire. Then he took a club by himself and moved forward with his team to kill the Black Panther.

(MCP#15/2): Elmer told the struggling Black Panther about his brutal past. He couldn't understand why everybody was afraid of the Panther and told his partners that the newspapers won't print anything about this murder and it would soon be forgotten. Gore didn't care much when Strike told him about the disappearance of Patrick Slade, because Slade was easy to find again with the help of their informants. Gore hit the Black Panther with the club, but Panther blocked it and then used the barbed wire as a weapon. Gore's forehead was cut open by the wire, and the Panther got away. Gore ordered his team to get their weapons and he left with them to avoid contact with the Security Forces. This was the worst night in a long time for Elmer Gore.

(MCP#19/2): Elmer was informed by Miyo Moshigo over walky-talky that the Black Panther arrived at Slade's store again, and Gore told Moshigo that he would take over his team now. A short time later a truck of the Security Forces entered the Black Township and sprayed tear-gas.

(MCP#29/2): Gore was waiting on the roof of Slade's store with his team, and he listened to a conversation between Panther and Slade again. He broke through the ceiling and grabbed Slade when he tried to tell Black Panther the name of Gore's boss. Gore threatened to kill Slade with his knife before he could say the name of Panther's mother or anything else.

(MCP#30/2): Gore wasn't afraid when the Panther told him that the only thing that kept him from Gore was Slade. He wounded Slade with his knife and threw him to the ground to attack Black Panther. Gore was taken down by Black Panther. Later Gore found Slade behind some artifacts and killed him with his knife, while the Panther was fighting Moshigo.

(MCP#31/2): Gore cleaned his knife with Slade's shirt and left the scene with Strike through the backdoor when the Security Forces arrived.

(MCP#36/2): Gore went slowly to Black Panther on the tennis court of Pretorius' mansion. He took out brass knuckles with a blade and cut the net to get to Black Panther. He sliced Black Panther many times, but got his nose broken. He hit the Panther with a chair, threw him into the pool, and tried to drown him. Gore was singing about killing the rabbit all the while.

(MCP#37/2): Gore was on top and the Black Panther couldn't get to the surface of the water. He opened the stitched wound on Gore's forehead with his fingers. Gore released Black Panther because of the pain, and the blood ran down his face. The fight continued in the pool and next to it. Gore missed Black Panther with his knife, and the Panther gave his arm a push. Gore stabbed himself into the throat. He pulled out the knife and the blood rushed out of his wound. Gore fell to the ground and died.

 

Comments: Created by Don McGregor and Gene Colan

In the Flashback in issue 15 it came across as if Gore wasn't the real name of Elmer therefore only two question marks are behind his first name.

In issue 19 Gore probably informed Anton Pretorius about the Panther being there and Pretorius used his power to send troops there.

by Markus Raymond

CLARIFICATIONS:
Elmer Gore should not be confused with:


Gore's Band of Mercenaries

The mercenaries were with him when they attacked Black Panther for the first time. They got kicked around by Black Panther and weren't allowed to use their machine guns. They took some clubs to kill Black Panther when Gore ordered them to do so, but they failed to kill the Panther. They waited with Gore for Black Panther to return to Slade's store again and attacked the store together with Gore when Panther and Slade met their again. Some of them met the Panther again and were injured or even killed. Strike was injured in Johannesburg, Moshigo died near the mansion of Pretorius, and two others were injured while patrolling the area of the mansion.

Two members of the team have their own profiles: Strike, Miyo Moshigo

There were at least 3 other mercenaries that were not named (two of them pictured on the right)

--Marvel Comics Presents#14/2, (15/2, 19/2, 26/2-32/2, 35/2-36/2

 


images:

Elmer Gore body: Marvel Comics Presents#36, p21, pan2

Elmer Gore face: Marvel Comics Presents#37, p16, pan3

2 other mercenaries: Marvel Comics Presents#19, p13, pan4


Last updated: 05/07/04

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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