FRITZ KROTZE
FRITZ KROTZE
Real Name: Fritz Krotze
Identity/Class: Extradimensional (Earth-New Universe) human
Occupation: Former C.E.O. of Krotze International, a research and development firm dealing with the Department of Defense, as well as with a number of foreign military organizations, coalitions, etc.
Group Membership: Krotze International
Affiliations: Professor Richard Francis, Faylen
Formerly Mick Bronson, the Club, Davis (his butler)
Enemies: The Club, Spitfire, Steel Hawk, Karl Swenson, Troubleshooters
Known Relatives: None
Aliases: None
Base of Operations: Krotze International, twenty
miles outside Boston, Massachusetts, Earth-New Universe
His own house, "Fort Krotze, out on the turnpike"
First Appearance: Spitfire and the Troubleshooters#1 (October, 1986)
Powers/Abilities: Krotze had no special powers or talents. He was wealthy and had access to advanced technology, such as the M.A.X. Armor.
History:
(Spitfire and the Troubleshooters#3 (fb) - BTS) - After earning his first
million dollar defense department contract, Krotze bought a house in Beacon Hill
as a retreat from life's pressures.
(Spitfire and the Troubleshooters#2 (fb) - BTS) - Six months later, Krotze was contacted by and became involved with the international terror cartel known as the Club.
(Spitfire and the Troubleshooters #1 (fb) - BTS) - Fritz Krotze hired Professor Karl Swensen as part of his research and development firm. Swensen's home was built on Krotze's property.
(Spitfire and the Troubleshooters#2 (fb) - BTS) - Krotze employed Faylen, whom he was able to manipulate via knowledge of his affair with an underage girl.
(Spitfire and the Troubleshooters #1 (fb) - BTS) - Swensen often spoke with his daughter about Krotze, never referring to him as a friend.
(Spitfire and the Troubleshooters #1 (fb) - BTS) - While working at Krotze International, Karl Swensen designed the MAX model I armor, which he intended to be used to perform peaceful construction and other labor. Correctly suspecting that Fritz Krotze intended to sell the armor to weapons dealers, Swensen kept secret the development of a superior second model.
(Spitfire and the Troubleshooters#3 (fb) - BTS) - Krotze International accepted a government contract to develop a laser as part of the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI).
(Spitfire#9 (fb) - BTS) - Krotze sold MAX model I armor (or the blueprints thereof) to the Russian army.
(Spitfire and the Troubleshooters#2 (fb) - BTS) - Krotze promised the MAX model II armor to the Club.
(Spitfire and the Troubleshooters#1 (fb) - BTS) - Seeking to usurp the MAX technology, Krotze employed Mick Bronson to don the model I armor and force Karl Swensen to reveal the secrets and/or surrender the blueprints of his more advanced armor.
(Spitfire and the Troubleshooters #1 - BTS) <August 5, 1986 (nearly fifteen years after buying his Beacon Hill house>- Bronson, in the model I armor, attempted to force Swensen to reveal the designs and/or location of the model II armor, and slew him when he refused.
(Spitfire and the Troubleshooters #1 - BTS) - Krotze's assistant, Faylen, proved able to overcome most of the engineering problems with the MAX model I armor, adding a few refinements as well.
(Spitfire and the Troubleshooters#1) - Krotze attended Karl
Swenson's funeral, where he introduced himself to Karl's daughter, Jenny,
telling her she had 24 hours to remove any of Karl's personal property from his
lab. She was forced to leave before getting everything she wanted, specifically
a password-protected message for her, warning her about Krotze and telling her
not to let him steal the MAX technology. She later returned (with the aid of her
MIT students, the Troubleshooters), discovered the MAX model II armor, and
escaped with it, as well as with her father's entire lab, which had been
re-designed to be contained within a trio of semi-trucks.
Receiving reports of the theft from Professor Swensen's lab,
Krotze dispatched Bronson in the MAX model I armor to locate and stop the
thieves. As Krotze and Faylen watched from a distance, Jenny climbed into the
MAX model II armor and succeeded in incapacitating Bronson's armor. She then
tore the roof off of Krotze's car, threatening his life. Ultimately, however,
she was unable to use her father's creation for murder, and so she let Krotze,
promising she'd find proof that he'd killed her father.
(Spitfire and the Troubleshooters#3 (fb) - BTS) - Krotze reported the stolen lab and blueprints to the police, suggesting that they talk with Jenny Swensen.
(Spitfire and the Troubleshooters#2) <August 23, 1986> -
Krotze and Faylen observed a report of some men who had apparently encountered
the MAX armor near a Federal Reserve. He forced Faylen to deploy Behemoth, a
tank his company was developing for the defense department, in order to retrieve
the armor. However, Jenny Swensen, now calling herself Spitfire, managed to use
the MAX armor to destroy the tank.
In addition, the Club began to pressure Krotze for the MAX
armor.
(Spitfire and the Troubleshooters#3) <September 12, 1986> -
Krotze spoke with Bronson, reminding him that he had not asked him to kill
Professor Swensen. Nonetheless, Bronsen tried to blackmail him for a hundred
thousand dollar, at which point Krotze slew him with the SDI laser. Later that
afternoon, he met with the Pentagon's Major Benton, who grilled him over the
loss of Behemoth. Krotze showed him photos of the MAX armor destroying the tank,
and Benton told him to have the photos ready for a Department of Defense
courier. Krotze received another intimidating phone call from the Club, and he
promised them the armor within 72 hours.
When Spitfire showed up at Krotze International seeking
evidence on her father's death, Krotze turned the laser on her. It did not
pierce the armor, but instead super-heated it, leaving her alive, but
immobilized with shock and pain. Tim Ferris, a.k.a. Fastball of the
Troubleshooters, rushed in and closed a protective door in front of the laser,
blocking its path, and Spitfire then destroyed the laser, leaving the astonished
Krotze behind.
(Spitfire and the Troubleshooters#3 (fb) <September 13?, 1986> - BTS) - Krotze spent several hours answering questions by the state police regarding the recent action at Krotze International, after which he retreated to his Beacon Hill house.
(Spitfire and the Troubleshooters#3) - Arriving at his Beacon Hill house, he found the Club's agent, Steel Hawk, waiting for him. Hawk told him that Davis was indisposed, that the Club was not happy with him, that they had sent him to clean up Krotze's mess and to clean up Krotze himself, and that they would not be remaining at Krotze's house.
(Spitfire and the Troubleshooters#4 (fb) - BTS) - Steel Hawk kept Krotze a prisoner in the basement of the terrorist's house, torturing and tormenting him for weeks.
(Spitfire and the Troubleshooters#4) <October 10, 1986> - After Jenny Swensen publicly revealed herself to be the pilot of the Spitfire armor, she discussed her suspicions about Krotze and made vague threats towards Krotze. Realizing the best use for Krotze, Steel Hawk beat him to death with a steel pipe and threw his body in a river.
(Spitfire and the Troubleshooters#4) <October 12, 1986> - Just as Steel Hawk had intended, Krotze's body soon surfaced, and that the injuries Krotze had received implicate Spitfire as his attacker. Jenny Swensen was taken to prison.
Comments: Created by Gerry Conway, Jack Morelli, Eliot R. Brown, Herb Trimpe and Joe Sinnott.
Profile by Snood.
CLARIFICATIONS:
No known connection to:
none really
images: (page numbers)
Spitfire and the Troubleshooters#1, p 23, panel 2 (face)
#2, p8, panel 5 (torso + face)
Spitfire and the Troubleshooters#2-3 (November-December, 1986)
Spitfire and the Troubleshooters#4 (January, 1987)
Last updated: 05/03/05
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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