MR. KRAMER
Real Name: Mr. Kramer (first name unrevealed)
Identity/Class: Human
Occupation: Executive director of Kay Cera Enterprises
Group Membership: Kay Cera Enterprises (Kay Cera, Georgio Minelli and others)
Affiliations: Anthea Dupres, Skyline Killer (see comments)
Enemies: Kay Cera (Jasmine Destine/Cuckoo)
Known Relatives: None
Aliases: None
Base of Operations: New York City, New York
First Appearance: ClanDestine I#6 (March, 1995)
Powers/Abilities: Mr. Kramer was a normal human without any superhuman abilities.
Height: Unrevealed (approximately 5'9")
Weight: Unrevealed (approximately 165lbs.)
Eyes: Blue
Hair: Blonde
History:
(ClanDestine I#6 - BTS) - Cutthroat businessman Mr. Kramer became one of the executive director's of Kay Cera Enterprises, the company for Cera's famed fashioned label. Unbeknownst to Kramer and others within the company Cera was the host body for the 800 year old Jasmine Destine also known as Cuckoo.
(ClanDestine I#6 (fb) - BTS) - Kramer struck a deal with Georgio Minelli, another executive director, to embezzle money. This went on for years on end.
(ClanDestine I#6 (fb) - BTS) - Planning to take over Kay Cera Enterprises for himself, Kramer hired an assassin to murder Cera who was in Barcelona at the time.
(ClanDestine I#1 - BTS) - Before Kramer's assassin could kill Cera, she was killed by Lenz's progeny looking to acquire the Gryphon. In reality, Cuckoo managed to take a new host body and planned to pose as her own daughter to inherit her own fortune and regain her position within Kay Cera Enterprises.
(ClanDestine I#6 - BTS) - Kramer planned to meet with Georgio Minelli at the docks of New York to discuss the ascension of the mysterious "daughter" of Kay Cera, fearing that "Kay Jr." would discover their embezzling. For in case the meeting wouldn't go as planned he ordered his hired assassin to join.
(ClanDestine I#6) - Kramer met with Minelli and revealed he planned to have her assassinated like he'd originally intended for Cera herself. Shocked by Kramer's ruthlessness, Minelli refused to be party to murder after which the assassin appeared and murdered the man, making it appear as if he was struck by lightning. Kramer was pleasantly surprised to learn his hired assassin had a twisted sense of humor after noting Minelli got the lead role victim.
(ClanDestine I#7 (fb) - BTS) - Kramer ordered the assassin to kill "Kay Jr.".
(ClanDestine I#7) - Two nights later, Kramer attended New York's Business Guild's Charity Ball accompanied by some arm candy. It was during the festivities he was approached by Daily Bugle reporter Anthea Dupres who put Kramer through the wringer regarding the unlucky spell for Kay Cera Enterprises with the deaths of both Cera, Minelli and the sudden appearance of "Kay Jr.", noting Kramer's future would be very uncertain. Feeling smug, Kramer replied he looked forward to serving "Kay Jr." as faithfully and efficiently as her mother after which he departed. Dupres and her photographer were certain Kramer had something to hide.
(ClanDestine I#7 - BTS) - The assassin, now dubbed the Skyline Killer by local authorities, successfully captured "Kay Jr." and her sister Samantha Destine but in doing so witnessed Cuckoo's psychic abilities. After fighting them and their rescuers the Crimson Crusader, Imp and Spider-Man, the Skyline Killer feared he was being set up and snatched Kramer from the charity ball. He brought the businessman to the roof of a building where he strung him up.
(ClanDestine I#7) - Kramer regained consciousness when he was slapped in the face by the Skyline Killer who revealed he'd kidnapped him from the charity ball. Truly believing Kramer had crossed him the Skyline Killer slashed his face/throat with a machete, most likely killing the businessman. The Skyline Killer in turn was then shot through the head by the Punisher who'd been on the lookout for the serial killer.
Comments: Created by Alan Davis and Mark Farmer.
Although unlikely, it's not unthinkable Kramer could've survived if the Punisher brought him to the E.R..
The Skyline Killer's real name and/or codename is still unrevealed, he was called the Skyline Killer by the police.
Donald Campbell had two observations:
First, as the storyline in ClanDestine I#6-7 is written, Rory and Pandora seem to run away to New York City immediately after Minelli was killed on the docks. However, the statement made by Anthea Dupres that Minelli had died "just two nights ago" indicates that more time must have elapsed than is apparent in the published work. The best solution would be for a two-day gap to be inserted within ClanDestine I#6, after Minelli was murdered on page 15 and before the twins ran away from Ravenscroft on page 16. The addition of this extra time would also account for how Kramer's assassin was able to commit three murders and have the NYPD identify them as the work of a serial killer before he attacked "Kay Cera, Jr." at the beginning of ClanDestine I#7.
Second, I believe that the fact that Cuckoo's statement about why it wasn't necessary for the heroes to track down the killer was repeated on the last page as the Punisher overlooked the two dead bodies is significant. I think that "The fate of those responsible for our suffering is already assured. They will be punished." was meant to indicate that Cuckoo herself had already arranged for the deaths of the two men. Remember, Cuckoo has powerful telepathic abilities and no guilt about abusing them. It would have been easy for her to tamper with the assassin's mind, transforming his suspicion of Kramer into a certainty, thereby ensuring Kramer's death. Similarly, those abilities would also have enabled her to guide (perhaps on a subconscious level) the Punisher to where and when he would find the "serial killer" with his latest victim. Perhaps she even delayed the Punisher so he wouldn't get there until after Kramer had been fatally injured.
Profile by MarvellousLuke
CLARIFICATIONS:
Mr. Kramer has no known connections to
Images: (without ads)
ClanDestine I#6, p14, pan6 (main image)
ClanDestine I#7, p15, pan3 (interviewed by Anthea Dupres)
ClanDestine I#7, p22, pan5 (murdered)
Appearances:
ClanDestine I#6 (March, 1995) - Alan Davis (writer, pencils), Mark Farmer (inks), Paul Neary (editor)
ClanDestine I#7 (April, 1995) - Alan Davis (writer, pencils), Mark Farmer (inks), Paul Neary (editor)
First Posted: 10/21/2021
Last Updated: 12/27/2021
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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