MANSLAUGHTER
Real Name: Unknown
Identity/Class: Human, mutant or mutateOccupation: Assassin-for-hire
Group Membership: The Assassin Nation (Contract, Kickback, Troubleshooter), Corporation;
formerly the (New) Defenders, the Dragon Circle
Affiliations: Coldfire, (New) Defenders (Andromeda, Angel, Beast, Gargoyle, Iceman, Interloper, Valkyrie), Doctor Strange, Dragon Circle (Andromeda/Genevieve Cross, Interloper/Will Fanshawe, Valkyrie/Sian Bowen, Dafydd ap Iowerth), Dr. Karl Malus, Mr. Ozu, the Vishanti
Enemies: the Agent, Luke Cage, Dolly Donahue, Dragon of the Moon, Erlik Khan, General Argyle Fist, James Lucas, Sheriff Garvin Macken, Nightmare, Dakota North, Sassafras, the Spirits of Air, Earth, and Water; (formerly) the (New) Defenders
Known Relatives: None known
Aliases: Roger Loomis
Base of Operations: Currently unknown;
Formerly the Borders of the Land of the Dead;
Formerly mobile
First Appearance: (New) Defenders I#133 (July, 1984)
Powers/Abilities: Manslaughter has limited telepathic powers that enable him to perceive the functions and current activity of the nervous systems of other people. He uses this ability to influence other’s peripheral vision and hearing, effectively making himself invisible unless looked at straight on. He has demonstrated the ability to transfer emotions and pain through psychic links. Manslaughter shares a form ("host body") with Roger Loomis, whose form he controls almost all the time. Manslaughter has demonstrated impressive skills with electronics, laying traps, with various types of weapons, and is also very agile. Oh, and he’s stark-raving mad, baby, yeah.
Height: 5' 7" Weight: 115 lbs. Eyes: Blue Hair: Red-blond
History: Little
is known about the early history of Manslaughter, including the source
of his powers and abilities. He may possibly
be a mutant.((New) Defenders I#151 (fb)) - Manslaughter grew up on the streets in poverty. At some point, he used his latent psychic abilities to track down the Eternal, Interloper, in the Siberian wilderness, and learned fighting skills from him.Interloper also trained Manslaughter in the use of his psychic abilities, but kept some things secret because he sensed that Manslaughter was potentially dangerous.Because Manslaughter was the only human to find Interloper in centuries of time, Interloper was willing to overlook Manslaughter’s madness.Eventually, Manslaughter left and decided to become an assassin-for-hire.
((New) Defenders I#135 (fb)) - Manslaughter gained a reputation as a deadly villain. He took his jobs seriously and used careful planning and execution, but he thrived on the joy he found in trapping and killing his victims rather than in the money. Though caught several times, he reportedly had broken out of prisons "from San Quentin to Dannemora."
((New) Defenders I#133) - After the Defenders helped expose Mr. Ozu’s drug-running business, Ozu hired Manslaughter to kill the Defenders. Manslaughter agreed, feeling that killing some superheroes might be fun.
((New) Defenders I#134 (fb)) - After carefully studying and planning the demise of each Defender, Manslaughter left several messages at Defenders Mansion over a three-day period taunting them with death.He arrived at the Mansion and began setting elaborate traps for individual members of the team that would shake their confidence.He slipped a lei of flowers around Cloud’s neck while she relaxed by the pool, and stuffed the lei with garter snakes and a threatening note.He taped another such note to Angel’s back while Angel flew through the house. When Iceman was working out on the chest press, a trap was sprung that branded the words "The Heat is On" on his chest.Valkyrie’s sword, Dragonfang, was stolen and replaced with another threatening note.
((New) Defenders I#134) - As the Defenders related to the Beast the pranks that had been played, Manslaughter finally revealed himself, holding Dragonfang.Valkyrie threw a blade at Manslaughter, but he caught it in air.After he confessed he was after them only for the fun of it, a preset bomb exploded on the TV when Manslaughter snapped his fingers, then he used his powers to ‘vanish’ before their eyes.Later in the evening, the Defenders were all huddled together, determined not to give Manslaughter the chance to catch them alone, but eventually Cloud went to use the restroom.Manslaughter jumped out at her and slit her throat.The rest of the Defenders split up to search the house. Manslaughter attacked Iceman and broke his neck; he shot Angel with a laser gun and with a deadly nerve gas, and left the Angel to fall to his death; he sliced Valkyrie’s leg with Dragonfang, which he had soaked in a deadly poison which worked with the sword’s magic to defeat Valkyrie.When Manslaughter boasted of his telepathic powers to Moondragon, she hit him with a telepathic blast that unwittingly linked their minds.Manslaughter purposefully sliced his own hand so that Moondragon would feel the pain through the link.Cloud hit Manslaughter with a lightning bolt, then Iceman froze him in an ice-block.The Beast revealed that the Defenders had laid a trap for Manslaughter (Cloud’s neck had been vapor and couldn’t be slit, and the dead Iceman had been a vaporous Cloud in an ice-shell).They had rescued the wounded Angel and Valkyrie.Beast promised to turn over Manslaughter to the authorities.
((New) Defenders I#135) - Beast held Manslaughter in a kitchen overnight while Angel and Valkyrie got medical attention.He was released into the custody of Sheriff Garvin Macken, who would later turn him over to General Argyle Fist.
((New) Defenders
I#150/2) -
Months later, Manslaughter returned to Defenders Mansion and shut off their security
system.He picked up Sassafras (the
Beast’s dog) and waited for the team to return.((New) Defenders I#151 (fb)) - When Candy Southern returned to the Mansion, Manslaughter dressed her in a costume, gave her a codename of Southern Belle, and tied her on the bed.He set up several traps for the Defenders’ return.
((New) Defenders I#151) - Manslaughter greeted the team disguised as a hologram of Candy Southern. He kissed the Angel and knocked the Angel unconscious before revealing himself, stating that he was so impressed with the team that he wanted to join them.He used hologram covers to get away, then attacked the team individually, like before.Iceman and Candy Southern got folded up in a bed; desiccant tape on Andromeda’s mouth inhibited her breathing; Gargoyle got stuck to the wall with Andromeda’s trident. Manslaughter laid a trap he was particularly proud of by planting empty chicken buckets and potato chip bags (from places nowhere conveniently near) full of deadly spiders. As the Beast fought the spiders, Manslaughter parried with Valkyrie and fled again after the team surrounded him. He set fire to the mansion and threatened to let the Angel burn unless they granted him membership, and was appalled when they refused. Interloper arrived and put out the flames. He told them of Manslaughter’s origins, and stated that Manslaughter must join the team despite his madness. Then the Dragon of the Moon attacked.
((New) Defenders I#152) - The Dragon of the Moon (an alien entity possessing Moondragon) was pleased to be able to kill Manslaughter and the Defenders together, as Moondragon hated them both.As Interloper battled the Dragon, Manslaughter fed Gargoyle’s demon blasts and his own madness into his still present psychic link with Moondragon, causing her to lose control and shift into reptilian form. Manslaughter kissed her and Moondragon fled, fearing his madness. Manslaughter sensed the Dragon returning, and watched as the Gargoyle’s body was possessed by the Dragon as well. In the final battle, Interloper and Valkyrie used Manslaughter and Andromeda as mortal foci for their immortal powers, to beat the Dragon of the Moon once and for all. They gave up their lives willingly and defeated the Dragon of the Moon in a mighty blast of power.The surviving Defenders later saw the carbonized forms of the presumed deceased members, including Manslaughter.
(Doctor Strange III#3 (fb)) - Manslaughter, with Andromeda, Interloper, Valkyrie, and the Dragon of the Moon, did not die, but entered a dimension of spirits called the Borders of the Land of the Dead. The Dragon of the Moon quickly gained sway over the spirits, and the four Defenders spent a long period of time battling against the spirits and the Dragon.
(Strange Tales III#5-7) - The souls of the four deceased Defenders were summoned by Doctor Strange to help battle Erlik Khan They also helped Strange battle Nightmare before returning to the spirit dimension.
(Doctor Strange III#3) - In the final battle in the spirit dimension, the team was able to vanquish the last of the corrupted spirits when the Dragon of the Moon found a way to reenter Earth.As a reward, the Vishanti asked them what they wanted, and Manslaughter claimed he wanted to live as there were no good burritos in the spirit dimension.Granting their wish, Manslaughter manifested as a sly fox and took over the form of Roger Loomis.Roger and Manslaughter would now share the forms, taking it over at different times. With the other resurrected members, ap Iowerth, and Doctor Strange, Manslaughter battled the Spirits of Air, Earth, and Water.
(Doctor Strange III#4) - The group tracked the Dragon of the Moon spoor to Manchester, England, which had been corrupted and ruined.They fought against men powered by the Dragon until ap Iowerth drove the Dragon influence out of the men.They used the radio in Manslaughter/Loomis’ pocket and heard of further damage, leading them to a nuclear plant where the Dragon had corrupted other humans.Ap Iowerth drew the Dragon of the Moon out in the open and the heroes finally physically attacked. Doctor Strange had the 5 heroes join hands and then cast a spell that granted them the power of a previously destroyed talisman that kept the Dragon off of Earth.The heroes, now known as the Dragon Circle, watched as ap Iowerth crushed the Dragon’s remaining essence between his fingers.
(Cage I#13 (fb) - Manslaughter, apparently in control of Loomis’ form, was recruited by Karl Malus and the Corporation to become part of their covert group, the Assassin Nation.As the Corporation’s private army, Manslaughter and agents Troubleshooter, Kickback, and Contract were very successful.The Assassin Nation " achieved a 92.7% termination success rate" in their assignments.
(Cage I#13-15) - Malus tried recruiting new agents for the Corporation, including Coldfire and the Agent, and kidnapped James Lucas (Coldfire and Luke Cage’s father) to use as fodder.During a training session, Manslaughter decapitated one possible new agent. Later, Luke Cage and Dakota North broke in and battled the Assassin Nation, leading to Coldfire turning against them. After the battle was over, Coldfire returned to destroy the Corporation headquarters.
Comments: Created by Peter B. Gillis, Don Perlin, and Kim DeMulder.
Manslaughter sits in one of the stranger corners of Marvel
obscurity. He's crazy (but there's crazier), he's ruthless (but
there's, er, ruthlesser), and he's obscure (but there's others more
obscure). His powers are bizarre, but he has a striking track record
against powerful characters like the Valkyrie. And he's been on three
teams, though he really doesn't have much to show for it. Consider the
Roger Loomis side of him ancient history, likely, even if Manslaughter
ever does show up again.
Manslaughter MAY have another appearance:
However, since this appearance of his carbonized form took place after his resurrection, it may be nothing more than a demonic ploy.
Profile
by Chadman.
Clarifications:
This character has no known
connections to
- Manslaughter Marsdale, enforcer for Madame Fang, @Amazing Spider-Man I#271
- any other "man" or "slaughter" characters