WARHAWKS

Membership: Ares, Dogs of War, Minotaur, Helene Panayiotou, Rakoloski, Satyrs, others;
formerly Kyknos, Rhea

Purpose: To usher in chaos and spread war across the globe

Affiliations: Hecate, Alex DePaul

Enemies: Avengers, Basilisk, Griffin, Hercules, Man-Bull, Rhea, S.H.I.E.L.D., Wo Tong

Base of Operations: Mobile, including New York, South America, and the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier.

First Appearance: Avengers I#98 (April, 1972)

Powers/Abilities: Typical members of the Warhawks possessed commando training, and wielded high-tech automatic weapons. They also had access to more primitive weapons such as swords. Special agents were equipped with Mandroid armor and dubbed "Dogs of War" by Ares. Each Warhawk carried a cyanide capsule in a hollowed-out tooth to prevent them from being interrogated.

History: (Avengers I#98 (fb) - BTS) - Using three satyrs as his agents, Ares (under the guise of "Mr. Tallon") had them place men in New York under their spell so that they would become his lackeys, and christianed them his "Warhawks," garbing them with hats and armbands bearing the symbol of a hawk's talons.

(Avengers I#98) - The Warhawks were gathered by Ares to fan the flames of war by demonstrating outside of the Midtown Hotel in New York where Wo Tong, a delegate to the United Nations from a communist country was staying. Ares incited his Warhawks to storm the hotel to assault Wo Tong, and this attracted the attention of Captain America, Quicksilver, Rick Jones and the Scarlet Witch of the Avengers, who tried to reason with the crowd, but instead fell under the spell of Ares' satyrs.

Warhawks were also dispatched to Stark Industries with one of the satyrs, and they managed to control Iron Man, and forced him to help design new weapons for Ares. The Vision came to Stark Industries to stop the Warhawks, and battled Iron Man. In the course of their battle, Iron Man blasted Vision in the face with his repulsor rays and struck him so hard that he fell back into the satyr, crushing him to death. With the satyr dead, Iron Man and the Warhawks regained their senses.

The Vision, Iron Man and Thor rallied against the Warhawks and their fellow Avengers, but Iron Man fell under the satyrs' spell again as soon as he heard their music. The Scarlet Witch managed to separate Mjolnir from Thor using a hex-sphere, but the timely arrival of Hawkeye set Mjolnir free and Thor's fiery display of power began to shock some of the Warhawks back to their senses. The Vision used this moment to strike, and knocked both of the satyrs unconscious. Ares fled the scene.

(Hercules and the Heart of Chaos#1) - Years later, having rebuilt his Warhawks into a terrorist organization who were loyal to him even without the influence of the satyrs, Ares had them strike at Anstice Castle, where the International World Peace Referendum was being held. The Warhawks slew all of the delegates within 17 minutes of their arrival, but Ares was displeased when one of his leaders, Rakoloski, was tardy at reporting in. Back at their base in South America, Ares dressed down Roakoloski because his team had routinely made the fewest kills. He ordered Rakoloski to kill himself, and when he balked, Ares stabbed Rakoloski through the chest in order to maintain discipline and his own sense of "honor" among the Warhawks.

Using information given to him by S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Alex DePaul, Ares and two of his Dogs of War invaded the Museum of Greek Antiquity to steal the Heart of Athena. While the Dogs of War engaged Hercules in battle, Ares slew the museuem owner Tharamus, and made off with the Heart.

(Hercules and the Heart of Chaos#2) - As Hercules joined a S.H.I.E.L.D. team in raiding the Warhawks' South American base, the Warhawks pulled out, leaving behind only the Minotaur to engage Hercules in battle, and Hercules slew the creature. Ares led the Warhawks to the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier, which they quickly conquered. When Hercules and Alex DePaul returned to the Helicarrier, Ares had them shot from the sky.

(Hercules and the Heart of Chaos#3) - Ares had the Warhawks fashion his "Gabriel Horn" from the Heart of Athena, a weapon which could destroy all the technology on Earth -- except for what was aboard the Helicarrier, thus granting the Warhawks a great advantage over the rest of humanity. Hercules brought DePaul to safety aboard the Helicarrier, but he revealed his true colors as Ares' informant. DePaul was killed by S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Karen Lynn Palamas. Hercules managed to battle his way through the Warhawks, and ultimately Ares was seemingly slain by his own Gabriel Horn, bringing a halt to the Warhawks' activities. activities.

(Herc#1-2 (fb) - BTS) - Kyknos became the High Priest of Ares and founded a Warhawks sect in Brooklyn. They moved each day to a new location to avoid their enemies. Hercules' worshippers were kidnapped by them and prayed to Hercules for his aid.

(Herc#1) - Rhea joined the Warhawks.

(Herc#1) - Warhawks took over a train in Brooklyn. They threatened a woman, but Hercules defeated them by petrifying them with the Shield of Perseus.

   After a wild night Rhea led Hercules to the Kings Yards construction site, the Warhawks' current meeting place, but they were not there because Helene Panayiotou, the restaurant's owner, who Hercules was working for, had warned them.

(Herc#2) - Helene Panayiotou met the Warhawks' high priest Kyknos on Coney Island. She joined the Warhawks to destroy Hercules with them.

(Herc#3) - Led by Kyknos the Warhawks shot down Griffin, who had just robbed a bank at Cadman Plaza, and was trying to escape Hercules. Hercules and Man-Bull saved Griffin from their leader Kyknos. While the Warhawks incited the crowd's hate towards Hercules, who was now aiding the criminals, Helene shot at Hercules with a machine gun. He knocked her out with the Shield of Perseus and then retreated with Man-Bull and Griffin into the bank to escape the Warhawks, Kyknos and the crowd, driven mad by fear.

(Herc#4) - The Warhawks kept going after Hercules, but he was saved by Griffin. Helene's shot missed them. Helene and two Warhawks later waited for Rhea in her apartment. They kidnapped Rhea.

(Herc#5) - Helene brought Rhea to a wooden statue of Ares so Rhea could join Hercules' worshippers and burn with them as sacrifice to Ares.

(Herc#6) - Rhea tried to talk some sense into Helene, but failed. When Kyknos asked Helene to slay her own father she couldn't do it. At that moment Hercules' petrification ended and he took away her sword. The Warhawks watched Hercules battle Kyknos, who Helene shot in the head with a shotgun when he cried for help. With Kyknos gone Hecate ended her magic spell and freed Brooklyn. Comments: Created by Roy Thomas, Barry Windsor-Smith and Sal Buscema.

I'm not certain that the Minotaur seen in Hercules and the Heart of Chaos#2 is the same creature of legend, but there's nothing to support or refute it, either--Snood.

by Prime Eternal

CLARIFICATIONS:
The Warhawks should not be confused with:

• Warhawk, Kree robot @ Ms. Marvel I#12
• Warhawk, Mitchell Tanner, assassin, @ Marvel Premiere#23
• Warhawk, Tom Nakadai, of the Harriers, @ Uncanny X-Men#261

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