murderous_lion-bo9s-full MURDEROUS LIONmurderous_lion-bo9s-vslong

Real Name: Unrevealed

Identity/Class: Human (possibly magically- or otherwise superhumanly-enhanced);
    active circa 1935 A.D. (and presumably at least two decades prior to that);
    presumably Asian

Occupation: Warrior

Group Membership: None known

Affiliations: None known;
    he sought to marry the Bride of Nine Spiders, but she wanted nothing to do with him

Enemies: Bride of Nine Spiders (predecessor of modern incarnation; see comments)

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: Unrevealed

First Appearance: Immortal Weapons#2 (October, 2009)

murderous_lion-bo9s-vsfinal   

   

   

Powers/Abilities: Murderous Lion was a highly skilled and deadly martial artist, allegedly able to slay a thousand other martial artists.

    He presumably had some level of superhuman power and/or mastery of chi to be able to challenge the Bride of Nine Spiders.

    His fingernails were like talons, able to rend flesh, and he had a long pony tail wrapped like a whip and ending in a sharp set of prongs; this also served as a flail-like weapon.

    His canine teeth were somewhat elongated and sharp.

   
Height: Unrevealed (approximately 6')
Weight: Unrevealed (approximately 190 lbs.)
Eyes: Unrevealed (he either had small irides/irises that were very dark (brown or black), or he had no visible irises)
Hair: Black
   
   
   

History:
(Immortal Weapons#2 (fb) - BTS) - <1935 A.D.> - At the Valley of the Gates, Murderous Lion allegedly faced and slew a thousand enemies.

(Immortal Weapons#2 (fb)) - Murderous Lion announced his victory to the Bride of Nine Spiders, telling her he did it all so he could stand beside her, having proven himself worthy. He further proclaimed that he stood above all others as her most exquisite match.

    Unimpressed, the Bride asked if she was to be treated as a trophy in the childish games of mortal wretches, and she told him that he was either a madman or a fool, as only a madman would profane such a sacred place with this mockery of honorable combat, and that only a fool would believe defeating such lowly adversaries would cast him as pleasing in her eyes.

murderous_lion-bo9s-post    Enraged, Murderous Lion told her that he had lain tribute of torn flesh, broken bone and spilled blood at her feet but that she had still found cause to insult him, and that such audacity warranted punishment.

    As he kicked at her, the Bride blocked, advising Lion to have a care to whom he spoke of punishments, as long before he had been born, she had been devising tortures the likes of which he could never conceive. murderous_lion-bo9s-heart

    After his claw strike scratched her face, she indignantly hurled her spider "children" at him, paining him and causing him to curse her as a treacherous witch.

    As he crushed spiders in his hands, Murderous Lion asked why she prolonged this courtship as surely there was none other more suited as her mate.

    The Bride defiantly retorted that while there were kings upon serpents, she did not lower herself to crawl on her belly with the snakes; "This is no courtship...but an execution!"

    As she dodged the whip-like flay of his ponytail and then caught it in her hand, pulled it down, smashed her palm into his chin and kicked him back, the Bride advised him that too long had he delayed her from her errands and that -- assuming his "ridiculous contest" had proven him worthy of anything more than her contempt -- surely he knew that the deadliest of spiders kill and devour their mate.

    Murderous Lion and the Bride of Nine Spiders then leapt at each other, each delivering a deep wound, her with the "Widow's Bountiful Feast" strike, and him with "Five Brutal Torments."

    Although Lion's strike wounded and separated one of her spiders from the Bride as well as rending the side of her thorax, hers had claimed his heart.

    Holding herself up from the ground, the Bride proclaimed that no mortal would end her time, and Murderous Lion fell to the ground as she held up and instructed her spider children to feast upon her enemy's heart.

    Meanwhile, others of her spiders feasted on Murderous Lion's corpse.
   
   
(Immortal Weapons#2 (fb) - BTS) - When the gate opened to her realm, the Bride summoned her children to accompany her on the pathway home, apparently unaware that the wounded spider was left behind.murderous_lion-bo9s-corpse
   
   

Comments: Created by Cullen Bunn and Dan Brereton.

    We don't know anything about the past of Murderous Lion other than the Bride of Nine Spiders referring to him as a mortal.

    The wounded spider left behind became the treasure known as the Singing Spider, but that's a story for another day...

    Immortal Iron Fist#16 has Iron Fist (Daniel Rand) telling the modern Bride of Nine Spiders about her predecessor employing the Lightning Lords of Nepal. That encounter took place in 1928 A.D. and featured a Bride of Nine Spiders identical to the one who fought the Murderous Lion in 1935. She is much more colorful than the more goth modern Bride of Nine Spiders, who resembles the Bride seen in the latter part of this issue.
    The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe profile of the Bride of Nine Spiders in Avengers Roll Call confirmed the 1935 Bride to be the predecessor to the current incarnation.
    Regardless, it would be great to get some real names or other means of clarifications for the Brides, as there have been others in the past, and there will be more in the future.

    Murderous Lion survived his encounter even without a heart because who needs a heart to survive?
He later appeared again in Wolverine I#314-317 (part of it is flashbacks) and in a flashback story as part of the Covenant in Captain America & Namor#635.1
--Markus Raymond
    Bad Snood! I apparently failed to check the Marvel Database , Marvel Chronology Project, etc. and just assumed that he died and never appeared again. I'll update the profile after the event is over.
    --Snood

    This profile was completed 08/02/2026, but its publication was delayed as it was intended for the Appendix 25th anniversary 's celebratory event to represent the Bride of Nine Spiders' stories and characters.

Profile by Snood.

CLARIFICATIONS:
Murderous Lion should be distinguished from:

images: (without ads)
Immortal Weapons#2, story pg. 1, panel 3 (fullish);
       pg. 2, panel 4 (vs. Bride of Nine Spiders, long panel);
       pg. 4, panel 1 (vs. Bride, final strikes);
          panel 3 (posterior view, full);
          panel 4 (Bride with heart);
       pg. 5, panel 1 (corpse with spiders)
Appearances:
Immortal Weapons#2 (October, 2009) - Cullen Bunn (writer), Dan Brereton (penciler), Tom Palmer, Stefano Gaudiano & Mark Pennington (inkers), Alejandro Arbona (assistant editor), Warren Simons (editor)

Avengers Roll Call (June, 2012) - Jeff Christiansen, Mike O'Sullivan & Stuart Vandal (head writers/coordinators), Markus Raymond & Mike Fichera (assistant coordinators), Rob London, Markus Raymond, Patrick Duke, Roger Ott, Patrick D. Ryall, Madison Carter, Ronald Byrd, Anthony Cotilletta  & Kevin Garcia (writers), Daloibor Talajic with Ive Scorcina, Gus Vasquez with Tom Chu (select character artwork; penciler with inker), Theodore W. Kutt (copy editor), Alex Starbuck & Nelson Ribeiro (assistant editors), Jennifer Grunwald & Mark D. Beazley (editors, special projects), Jeff Youngquist (editor)

First posted: 09/26/2026
Last updated: 09/27/2026

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

Non-Marvel Copyright info
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