SPRATT
Real Name: Unrevealed
Identity/Class: Extratemporal (Earth-5555 circa 8162 AD) human
Occupation: Business partner of Death's Head, scavenger
Group Membership: None;
formerly Chain Gang
Affiliations: Bears of Goldilux, Death's Head (Freelance Peacekeeping Agent), Pyra, vulture;
formerly Chain Gang (Fox, Sabre)
Enemies: Big Shot, Charnel (Baron Strucker the Fifth), Collins, Death's Head (Minion), Freedom Fighters, Ogrus, Munchkyns of Goldilux, Photofit, Plaguedog, Short Fuse, Undertaker
Known Relatives: None
Aliases: None
Base of Operations: Los Angeles Resettlement, Earth-5555 circa 8162 AD;
formerly Greater Britain, Earth-5555 circa 8162 AD
First Appearance: Death's Head I#1 (December, 1988)
Powers/Abilities: Spratt has no known superhuman powers, born a child prodigy turned master computer hacker. From his time with the Chain Gang he became an agile and athletic scavenger, arming himself with a knife.
History:
(Incomplete Death's Head#3 - BTS) - Spratt was born in the Los Angeles Resettlement of Earth-5555 in the 82nd century. A child prodigy turned master computer hacker, he was tried and convicted for transferring 16 billion new dollars from businesses into his own private account. Irredeemably unrepentant (and in the words of Circuit Judge Newman "A royal pain in the butt."), Spratt eventually ended up becoming the youngest person to serve his term at the notorious Chaney Maximum Security Prison in Nevada. When the prison subsequently collapsed into a major fault line, he was listed as "missing presumed dead".
(Death's Head I#2 - BTS) - The surviving members of the Chaney prison collapse were unable to leave the ruins because their prolonged captivity had left them severely agoraphobic. Now calling themselves the Chain Gang, they forced newer inmates, who didn't have their fear of open spaces to go out and scavenge and steal for them.
(Death's Head I#1 - BTS) - Members of the Chain Gang found Death's Head's body in the ruins of Evil Dead's base and decided to rebuild it. This took weeks as Spratt equipped him with new legs, weapons, gadgets and a new set of clothes.
(Death's Head I#1) - Spratt finished his work on Death's Head. After the mechanoid bounty hunter recovered its internal thought processes, which led to a lengthy series of flashbacks, he awakened.
(Death's Head I#2 - BTS) - The Chain Gang hired Death's Head to retrieve Dragon's Claws member Scavenger, a former member of the Chain Gang, who managed to escape. Death's Head went out to find Scavenger and soon returned with their wayward member.
(Death's Head I#2) - Impressed by the mechanoid he had repaired, Spratt offered himself as Death's new partner, arguing that he could help the bounty hunter adjust to this new world he found himself in. Not giving Death's Head any choice, Spratt tagged along as he set out.
(Death's Head I#3 (fb)) - Death's Head and his unofficial partner Spratt set up business in the Los Angeles Resettlement. Still wanting to prove his worth to Death's Head, Spratt got the perfect opportunity when a bunch of Freedom Fighters appeared on their Atlantic travel. Spratt defeated all of them by himself, impressing Death's Head enough to give him a chance.
(Death's Head I#3) - Spratt was taken hostage by Collins, an accomplice of Ogrus, a wanted bankrobber Death's Head and Spratt were chasing down. Collins threatened to kill the young boy if he wasn't allowed to go free. Death's Head wasn't impressed and dared Collins to kill Spratt, promising he wanted to do that himself. Collins surrendered, released Spratt and offered information on the whereabouts of his boss. Spratt then proceeded to knock out Ogrus when they found him at the Stake Your Life bar.
(Death's Head I#4 - BTS) - Spratt and Death's Head bought an office in Los Angeles, they were not aware it belonged to the Undertaker, the leading crime boss in the Los Angeles Resettlement.
(Death's Head I#4) - The Undertaker planned to kill Death's Head and placed his killer pet Plaguedog in Death's Head's and Spratt's new office. Plaguedog was eventually discovered by Spratt, who was almost devoured by the creature. Narrowly managing to escape his initial attack, Spratt tried to get away in a flying car, with Plaguedog in hot pursuit. Spratt inadvertently managed to kill Plaguedog when he pushed the wrong button, putting the car in reverse and smashing Plaguedog against a wall. With the beast standing in the car's gasoline Spratt threw a burning matchstick in Plaguedog's direction and the beast burnt to death. When Death's Head returned to his offices, he came back to find the burnt, deceased form of Plaguedog waiting for him. Grieving for his loss, the Undertaker proceeded to hire mercenary Big Shot to avenge his big loss.
(Death's Head I#5 - BTS) - Death's Head acquired a vulture on an adventure with Keepsake. The animal taking a rather liking to the mechanoid.
(Death's Head I#6) - Spratt didn't exactly like Death's Head's vulture, and the two of them were constantly fighting. Later, Spratt answered a phone call from a mysterious woman who asked for 'her darling Death's Head'. Spratt was left wondering who this woman might be.
(Death's Head I#7 - BTS) - The shape-shifting criminal Photofit had a rather substantial bounty on his head that Death's Head and his partner Spratt were eager to collect. Using technology to see through the villain's assumed identities, Head and Spratt chased him down. Scared for his life, Photofit figured he needed to get out of the country and decided to enter a gameshow called "Run To Rio", unaware of the fact that Spratt had bugged his getaway car with a tracking device.
(Death's Head I#7) - Photofit arrived at the O.T.T. TV studios, carelessly killing one of the security guards and taking over his form to gain access to the Run To Rio studio. Unaware Death's Head and Spratt were closing in on him, Photofit discarded the guard's form and took over Amos Snucker, a contestant who had made it into the final round of the game. Just as Death's Head was ready to take him down, the mechanoid was ambushed backstage by bounty hunters Big Shot and Short Fuse, who were both hired to kill him. While Head dealt with this threat, Spratt jumped on the stage to deal with Photofit. As luck would have it, he was selected as the last finalist for the show. When Photofit started to lose to Spratt, he revealed his true identity and threatened to shoot him. The hostage situation was broken up when Death's Head's fight against Big Shot moved to the stage. Taking this opportunity to flee, Photofit decided the best way to escape was by transforming into Death's Head. Unfortunately he ran into Short Fuse, who tried to kill "Death's Head" (actually Photofit) with one of his bombs. When Photofit revealed his true identity, Short Fuse was so shocked he was unable to disarm his bomb on time and they both perished in the ensuing explosion. After the fight, Death's Head and Spratt looked through the debris for enough of Photofit's corpse to still collect the bounty.
(Dragon's Claws#6 (fb) - BTS) - Death's Head was hired by a bear-people family (momma bear, poppa bear, and toddler bear) to drive off invading Munchkyns. Spratt accompanied him on the mission.
(Dragon's Claws#6) - Death's Head and Spratt fulfilled their mission and were offered payment via Candycard.
(Death's Head I#9) - When Death's Head was teleported to another dimension by the Doctor, Spratt received another phone call from the mysterious woman, who claimed she was Death's Head's wife.
(Strip#14 - BTS) - Spratt kept getting calls by the mysterious woman, who claimed to be Death's Head's wife. Fascinated, he set up a meeting with her at the Los Angeles Resettlement Piers, telling her Death's Head would actually be there. Spratt planned to seduce the woman. What he didn't know was that the mysterious woman was actually Pyra, one of Death's Head's creators (his so-called mother).
(Strip#14) - Spratt waited at Pier 3 with a bunch of flowers, ready to meet Death's Head's mysterious caller at midnight. He began to doubt that the caller would show. He also began to think he was out of his mind and should leave.
(Strip#15) - Spratt was surprised and angry when the pet vulture swooped down on him, having followed him from the office. He swiped the flowers at the vulture. Just then, the mystery caller arrived asking where Death's Head was. Spratt said that Death's Head couldn't make it, and offered the lady, actually Pyra, the now rather tatty bunch of flowers. Unimpressed, Pyra used her magic to restrain Spratt and asked again where Death's Head was. Realising he really didn't know, however, she turned to walk away. She was stopped by a blast from the bounty hunter called Big Shot, who was also looking for Death's Head. Spratt crawled away in the confusion and used a remote to summon Death's Head's ship. As he was preparing to fly away, Spratt wondered aloud as to where Death's Head was. He mentioned the possibility that Death's Head had travelled through time. This inspired Pyra, as she hadn't considered that possibility. As the ship flew away, with Big Shot trying to board it, she located Death's Head. She opened a gateway, sending Spratt, the vulture, the ship, and Big Shot through time.
(Death's Head I#10 (flashforward)/Strip#16) - The ship crash-landed near Death's Head' location in New York on Earth-8140 @ 2020 AD. Spratt and the vulture moved to rejoin Death's Head, while Big Shot attacked.
(Strip#17) - Spratt shouted encouragements at Death's Head during his fight with Big Shot. He was momentarily worried as Big Shot's cannon arm exploded in Death's Head's face. Pyra arrived, however, and separated the two fighters. She claimed to want the thrill of killing Death's Head herself. However, Death's Head was teleported away by Lupex, the cyborg's other creator (his so-called father).
(Strip#20 (fb)) - Pyra trapped Spratt and the Vulture.
(Strip#20) - Pyra teleported Death's Head back and explained how she had set things up so he would kill Lupex. She then released Spratt and the vulture before leaving.
(Death's Head II#2 - BTS) - Death's Head was attacked by AIM's Minion cyborg, who wanted to absorb his abilities. Sensing Death's Head was in danger, Spratt used all his recourses to follow his homing beacon toward the AIM headquarters on Earth-8140 @ 2020 AD.
(Death's Head II#2) - Spratt discovered Death's Head had lost the fight against Minion and was broken up into pieces. Vowing to get him back on his feet as he had done so many years before, Spratt set up shop in New York on Earth-8140. However, he soon realized he was incapable of fixing the advanced mechanoid with the contemporary technology. Spratt sought out cybernetics expert Baron Strucker the Fifth. Strucker arrived at Spratt's workshop and knocked Spratt unconscious, hoping to use Death's Head's body as a means to revenge for the Strucker family, who had been turned on by AIM.
(Death's Head II#3) - Strucker used amulets, a bloodstone icon, tincture of chimera and a wolfsbane talisman to combine the forces of cybernetics and necromantics to forge himself an instrument of vengeance from Death's Head's lifeless shell. This ritual transformed him into Charnel. Afterwards, Strucker decided to kill Spratt to make sure there were no witnesses left.
(Incomplete Death's Head#12 - BTS) - When Death's Head (Minion) encountered the original Death's Head in cyberspace, the former Freelance Peacekeeping Agent admitted he would have rescued Spratt if he would have had the chance, admitting that after all those years of trying Spratt had actually conquered a special spot in his systems.
Comments: Created by Simon Furman, Lee Sullivan, Richard Starkings.
Incomplete Death's Head#3 provided a profile on Spratt that revealed his history prior to Death's Head I#1. The profile was written from the point of view of Hob, the robot villain in the framing sequences of the series. Thanks to Changeling for pointing this out and providing information on the Strip issues.
The issues from Marvel UK's anthology series Strip were reprinted in the Graphic Novel: Death's Head - Body in Question.
Profile by MarvellousLuke
CLARIFICATIONS:
Spratt has no known connections to
images: (without ads)
Death's Head I#3, p12, pan4 (main image)
Death's Head I#3, p12, pan5 (face)
Death's Head - Body in Question GN, p33, pan4 (with vulture)
Death's Head II#3, p20, pan1 (death)
Appearances:
Death's Head I#1 (December, 1988) - Simon Furman (writer), Bryan Hitch (pencils), Mark Farmer (inks), Richard Starkings (editor)
Dragon's Claws#6 (December, 1988) - Simon Furman (writer), Geoff Senior (artist), Richard Starkings (editor)
Death's Head I#2 (January, 1989) - Simon Furman (writer), Bryan Hitch (pencils), Dave Hine (inks), Richard Starkings (editor)
Death's Head I#3 (February, 1989) - Simon Furman (writer), Bryan Hitch (pencils), Dave Hine (inks), Richard Starkings (editor)
Death's Head I#4 (March, 1989) - Simon Furman (writer), Bryan Hitch (pencils), Dave Hine (inks), Richard Starkings (editor)
Death's Head I#5 (April, 1989) - Simon Furman (writer), John Higgins (art), Richard Starkings (editor)
Death's Head I#6 (May, 1989) - Simon Furman (writer), Liam Sharp (pencils), Paul Marshall (inks), Richard Starkings (editor)
Death's Head I#7 (June, 1989) - Simon Furman (writer), Bryan Hitch (pencils), Jeff Anderson (inks), Steve White (editor)
Death's Head I#9 (August, 1989) - Simon Furman (writer), Geogg Senior (pencils & inks), Steve White (editor)
Death's Head I#10 (June, 1989) - Simon Furman (writer), Bryan Hitch (pencils & inks), Jeff Anderson (inks), Jenny O'Connor (editors)
Strip#14 (18th August, 1990) - Simon Furman (writer), Geoff Senior (pencils), Helen Stone (inks), Steve White (editor)
Strip#15 (1st September, 1990) - Simon Furman (writer), Geoff Senior (pencils), Helen Stone (inks), Steve White (editor)
Strip#16 (15th September, 1990) - Simon Furman (writer), Geoff Senior (pencils), Helen Stone (inks), Steve White (editor)
Strip#17 (29th September, 1990) - Simon Furman (writer), Geoff Senior (pencils), Helen Stone (inks), Steve White (editor)
Strip#20 (10th November, 1990) - Simon Furman (writer), Geoff Senior (pencils), Helen Stone (inks), Steve White (editor)
Death's Head II#2 (April, 1992) - Dan Abnett (writer), Liam Sharp (pencils), Andy Lanning (inks), John Freeman (editor)
Death's Head II#3 (May, 1992) - Dan Abnett (writer), Liam Sharp (pencils), Andy Lanning (inks), John Freeman (editor)
Incomplete Death's Head#3 (March, 1993) - Dan Abnett (writer), Simon Coleby (artist), John Freeman (editor)
Incomplete Death's Head#12 (December, 1993) - Dan Abnett (writer), Simon Coleby (artist), John Freeman (editor)
Last updated: 01/07/14
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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