main image

SUPER SABRE

Real Name: Martin Fletcher

Identity/Class: Human mutant, citizen of the United States
           (World War II era to modern era)

Occupation: Adventurer; former soldier

Group Membership: Freedom Force (Avalanche/Dominikos Petrakis, Blob/Fred J. Dukes, Crimson Commando/Frank Bohannan, Destiny/Irene Adler, Forge, Mystique/Raven Darkhölme, Pyro/St. John Allerdyce, Spiral/Rita Wayword, Stonewall/Louis Hamilton)

Affiliations: Battlestar (Lemar Hoskins), Neal Conan, Valerie Cooper, Dr. Reinhold Kurtzmann, Madelyne Pryor, Manoli Wetherell, Yankee Clipper

Enemies: The Adversary, Desert Sword, Grey Gargoyle (Pierre Duvall), Hydro-Man (Morrie Bench), Ironclad (Michael Steel), Truman Marsh, Priscilla Morrison, New Mutants (Cable/Nathan Dayspring Summers, Cannonball/Sam Guthrie, Rusty Collins, Magik/Illyana Rasputin, Danielle Moonstar, Rictor/Julio Richter, Skids/Sally Blevins, Sunspot/Roberto DaCosta, Warlock, Wolfsbane/Rahne Sinclair), the Resistants (Crucible, Meteorite, Mist Mistress, Quill, Occult, Paralyzer, Rust, Think Tank), Tommy, X-Factor (Cyclops/Scott Summers, Marvel Girl/Jean Grey), X-Men (Colossus/Peter Rasputin, Dazzler/Allison Blaire, Havok/Alex Summers, Longshot, Psylocke/Betsy Braddock, Rogue/Anna Marie Raven, Storm/Ororo Munroe, Wolverine/James 'Logan' Howlett), X-Ray (James Darnell)

Known Relatives: Unidentified son

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: Necrosha;
                                  formerly Freedom Force headquarters, Georgetown, Washington D.C.;
                                  formerly Frank Bohannan's home in Upstate New York 

First Appearance: Uncanny X-Men I#215 (March, 1987)

Powers/Abilities: Super Sabre's mutant abilities allowed him to move at speeds faster than sound (over 761 miles per hour). Incorporating his speed in his fighting style, he is known for generating highly localized sonic booms he calls his 'Mach One Punch'. Sabre's physique has been adapted to function under and withstand the speeds he travels at. His bones and skin are far more durable though he could still be cut or injured. Sabre's speed was so great he could run across water and up vertical surfaces. The upper limits of his speed have not been revealed. Though the effects of age have slowed him down somewhat, he can still run a mile in four seconds. In combat, he sometimes carries two sabres of unknown make.

Height: 5'8"
Weight: 145 lbs.
Eyes: Blue 
Hair: White

History:

(Uncanny X-Men I#215 (fb) - BTS) -  Martin Fletcher grew up unaware he was a mutant until he joined the United States army at the start of World War II. During the war years, he ran across fellow mutant soldiers Frank Bohannan and Louis Hamilton. Deciding to become superheroes to fight the Nazis, Fletcher became known as Super Sabre while his compatriots adopted the names Stonewall and Crimson Commando.

(Uncanny X-Men I#215 (fb) - BTS) - After World War II, Fletcher and his two allies returned to the United States. Not ready to give up their costumed identities, they spent most of the 1940s active in their hometowns rooting out crooks, lowlifes and other undesirables.

(Uncanny X-Men I#215 (fb) - BTS) - Before they could turn their attention to the growing communist threat, Fletcher and the others were approached by government officials who asked them to stand down lest their clandestine actions spark a new global, possibly nuclear conflict. The fiercely patriotic Martin agreed to an early retirement.

(Uncanny X-Men I#226 (fb) - BTS) - Fletcher settled down and started a family. At least one of his sons went to fight in Vietnam, writing home to his dad and trying to explain the conditions there.

(Uncanny X-Men I#215 (fb) - BTS) - As the decades rolled by, Fletcher and his allies stood idly by as they watched society change. Lamenting the seeming loss of morality, standards and respect for tradition they decided to return to active duty and take matters in their own hands as vigilantes.

(Uncanny X-Men I#216 (fb) - BTS) - The trio specifically targeted killers, rapists, drug dealers and other 'scum' who managed to place themselves beyond the reach of the law.

(Uncanny X-Men I#215 (fb) - BTS) - Operating from the Crimson Commando's home in Upstate New York, they sought out and kidnapped people they perceived to be criminals. Keeping them locked up in Bohannan's basement, the trio would offer their prisoners a long shot at salvation: they were free to try and escape and even allowed a sizeable head start before the former heroes would come after them. These hunts always ended quickly, with none of their victims surviving. 

(Uncanny X-Men I#215 - BTS) - Martin and the others would frequently be on the lookout for evildoers. As a result, they captured Priscilla Morrison and her boyfriend Tommy, who were dealing drugs. When they came across Storm who was knocked out near Sara Grey's burned out home, they mistook her for a looter and took her prisoner too.

(Uncanny X-Men I#215 - BTS) - Super Sabre, Crimson Commando and Stonewall tracked down Tommy in the woods. The hunt ended with his death. The fact Tommy begged for his life at the end disappointed Fletcher who felt a man should face his fate with dignity.

(Uncanny X-Men I#215) - Returning from their death hunt, they were surprised to find Storm had managed to break free (using the lockpicks the trio had failed to find when they searched her). Storm managed to hold her own against Crimson Commando and Stonewall, but was no match for Super Sabre who subjected her to his trademark Mach One Punch and effortlessly knocked her out with a snap of his fingers that generated a microsonic boom. When Storm came to, Super Sabre and the others explained their origins to Storm and Priscilla before sending them off into the woods. They gave the pair until sunset to try and get out of the forest.

  (Uncanny X-Men I#216) - Super Sabre was searching the woods for Storm and Priscilla, unaware Ororo had spun a wire trap with some fishing line she found that would have cut his head off if she hadn't backed down at the last possible moment. Stonewall and the Commando found the trap a little later and realized how deadly it was. Sabre accidentally ran into it when he returned to his compatriots, but Stonewall stepped in. They briefly discussed their ways, with Stonewall and the Commando feeling Storm wasn't a criminal. But Sabre didn't back down, giving chase and reaching the edge of the forest where he planned to wait for Storm and Priscilla.

(Uncanny X-Men I#216) - Despite his enhanced reflexes, Sabre failed to notice Storm was lying in wait for him. She jumped the speedster, causing them both to fall off a nearby ridge. They were unable to dodge the avalanche Priscilla purposefully started and were buried under the rock.

(Uncanny X-Men I#216 - BTS) - Storm survived the rockslide that separated her from Super Sabre. Arriving at the scene, only his bloodied helmet and Storm's jacket were left for Crimson Commando and Stonewall to find. Believing them both dead, they were caught unawares by Storm who managed to trap Stonewall in quicksand. Following the arrival of Wolverine, she fought the Commando to a standstill. In the aftermath, the two heroes agreed to face justice and were escorted to the nearest police station by Storm and Wolverine.

(Uncanny X-Men I#223 (fb) - BTS) - Laying low after learning Crimson Commando and Stonewall had turned themselves in, Super Sabre traveled to Washington D.C. when he received word his compatriots had agreed to join Freedom Force. Sabre decided to check out the situation, ready to break out his friends or possibly even join them.

(Uncanny X-Men I#223) - Just as Stonewall and the Commando were being introduced by Valerie Cooper to the other members of Freedom Force, Super Sabre sped onto the premises only to be sensed and caught by Spiral who was ready to kill the intruder. The Commando explained who he was, which caused Spiral to stand down.

(Uncanny X-Men I#225) - Now a member of Freedom Force, Super Sabre joined his teammates on a mission to Dallas to apprehend the X-Men at night. When the mutants resisted arrest, Sabre attacked Dazzler, knocking her out with one of his minisonic booms. He then tried to grab Psylocke, but he was fooled by telepathic illusions that sent him crashing into his teammates Blob, Stonewall and Avalanche. The fight ended when the X-Men took Mystique hostage inside Eagle Plaza. This prompted Destiny to have a vision: anyone inside Eagle Plaza when dawn breaks would die. Moments later, the sky opened and sunlight poured out over the Dallas skyscraper.

(Uncanny X-Men I#226) - Sabre and the others stood by, watching over the captured X-Men Dazzler, Psylocke and Rogue who tried to make their escape. During the fight, the city of Dallas fell into chaos due to reality shifts (caused by the Adversary). Agreeing to a truce, the X-Men and Freedom Force worked together to keep innocent people safe. Super Sabre was seen rescuing police officers from an attacking barbarian horde. Later, after it became clear Eagle Plaza resident Forge was crucial to the situation, Super Sabre marveled at the fact the skyscraper lobby had shifted into a Vietnam jungle. He was unable to interfere in the rise of the Adversary and the subsequent sacrifice of the X-Men before Eagle Plaza exploded.

(Uncanny X-Men I#227) - Super Sabre, along with the other members of Freedom Force and millions of people worldwide, watched Neal Conan's report on the X-Men's final stand against the Adversary. The mutants seemingly sacrificed their lives to offer Forge the energy of their souls which he used to beat back the ancient demon. When Forge returned with Neal Conan, he was cursed out by Mystique for killing her daughter Rogue.

(New Mutants I#65) Warned by Destiny of their imminent arrival, Freedom Force was ready to deal with Magik and the New Mutants who teleported to Dallas to have their revenge on Forge for killing Colossus and the other X-Men. Super Sabre eventually knocked out Magik herself with one of his sonic booms. Acting on Destiny's counsel, Freedom Force didn't kill or arrest the New Mutants for their actions, because it would hasten the impending invasion of S'ym and limbo's techno-organic demons.

(X-Factor I#30) - Having witnessed the events in Dallas that claimed the life of Madelyne Pryor, X-Factor members Cyclops and Jean Grey rushed out to Dallas to find Freedom Force. They were the last people to have seen Madelyne alive and hoped they might have heard where her missing son baby Nathan could be. Freedom Force was prepared for them thanks to Destiny who warned them of  Cyclops' violent intent. However, Cyclops and Jean were quickly overpowered and placed under arrest for not obeying the mutant registration act.

(X-Factor I#31) - Breaking free, Cyclops and Jean Grey once again fought Freedom Force. Super Sabre was taken out of the fight when Jean telekinetically dumped Stonewall on top of him. Angered by the team's continued refusal to reveal anything about his son, Cyclops used his eyebeams to pierce the Blob's skin. As Fred Dukes cried out in pain, Destiny stepped in and revealed as much as she could ascertain about the boy's situation. Assuring them the child was indeed alive, Destiny told the two heroes to look for baby Nathan in New York.

(Captain American I#346) - Freedom Force and Battlestar were ordered to go after the mutant terrorists known as the Resistants. Planning to lure the team to them by holding a mock trial for renowned mutant terrorist Quicksilver (Mystique in disguise), Freedom Force members acted as judge and jury. After the mock trial entered its fourth day, the Resistants finally showed up, but their newest member, the telepathic Think Tank (Marvin Flumm) picked up the deception before they made their presence known. Destiny's future-sight told her they'd been found out and she yelled in court, warning Super Sabre and the others of an approaching meteor hurled at the courtroom courtesy of Resistants member Meteorite. Thanks to Destiny's head's up, Freedom Force kept everyone safe while Captain America (John Walker) singlehandedly took on the Resistants.

(New Mutants I#78) - Ordered to bring in Rusty Collins after he nearly torched Manhattan, Freedom Force tracked him down along with the New Mutants over New York. Forcing a confrontation on Liberty Island, Super Sabre's initially succeeded in knocking out Collins. However, the mission turned into a bust when Danielle Moonstar's fire magic activated itself before she could be treated, forcing the unseen but present specter of Doctor Strange to immediately teleport the New Mutants to Asgard leaving behind a dumbstruck Freedom Force without explanation.

(Marvel Comics Presents I#86/2 - BTS) - Super Sabre and the other members of Freedom Force were unable to prevent Mystique from being captured by Firestar.

(Uncanny X-Men I#255 - BTS) - Super Sabre, Crimson Commando and Spiral were off on a separate mission when Mystique and the other members of Freedom Force were ordered to Muir Island to help defend against the attacking Reavers.

(New Mutants I#88) - Confronted by X-Factor who wanted Rusty Collins and Skids returned to them, Freedom Force was facing a dilemma. They decided they couldn't reveal the two mutants had been kidnapped by the Mutant Liberation Front, because that would reveal a weakness in their organization. Shortly thereafter Freedom Force tried to stop Cable from escaping their facility. Super Sabre almost killed himself running into a sharp wire Cable had spun across the road. With his throat bleeding, Fletcher heard his teammate Blob swear they'd take in Cable.

(New Mutants I#89) - Super Sabre and Freedom Force boarded a helicopter to chase the whirlybird Cable had stolen. Cable headed for X-Factor's Ship in New York and managed to shoot FF's craft down, causing them to crash in the East River. Surviving the crash, Freedom Force split up but failed to capture Cable before he accidentally ran into the New Mutants who were also looking for Rusty Collins. Joining forces, they managed to get Freedom Force to retreat.

(Marvel Illustrated Swimsuit Special I#1) - Super Sabre competed in the Super Olympics, a four day charity event held in the Savage Land by Stark Enterprises. He came in third after Quicksilver and Makkari in the 1000 meter dash.

(Avengers: Deathtrap - The Vault) - Following a break out situation at The Vault, the government sent in Freedom Force to restore order. Meeting up with Vault warden Truman Marsh, Super Sabre and the others were shown a utility shaft they could use to tunnel into the facility. Avalanche used his powers to lead the way with Super Sabre rapidly shoving the dirt aside. After a brief altercation with Hydroman, Grey Gargoyle and Ironclad and X-Ray, Freedom Force joined the newly arrived Avengers to put an end to the jailbreak and put a stop to the self destruct sequence set in motion by Marsh.

(Quasar I#17) - Super Sabre was among the many speedsters challenged by the Runner to compete in his Race To The Moon marathon. He was forced to give up the foot race after 67.0000 kilometers, beating out 'young whippersnappers' like Captain Marvel and Black Racer.

(New Mutants Annual I#7/2) - On January 14, Super Sabre was sent to Kuwait along with Avalanche, Blob, Pyro and Crimson Commando. Their mission was to locate German physicist Reinhold Kurtzmann and transfer him safely to the allied forces without the Iraqi army getting to him. Reaching Reinhold's safe house in Kuwait City, Super Sabre made a rapid reconnaissance run of the place only to fall prey to a trap by the Iraqi superteam Desert Sword who decapitated the aged speedster.

(X-Necrosha I#1 - BTS) - Super Sabre was among the many deceased friends, foes, allies and X-Men acquaintances who were revived by Selene and pressed into service as part of her Undead Army through a combination of magic and the transmode virus.

(X-Necrosha I#1) - Teleported in by Blink (Clarice Ferguson), Super Sabre and his recently resurrected old friend Stonewall joined forces to attack the X-Men. Even as Super Sabre and the others made their presence known, Bastion and Cameron Hodge picked up his lifesigns, realizing to their shock that hundreds if not millions deceased mutants were on the brink of returning.

(X-Force III#21) - Super Sabre and Stonewall were seen on Utopia fighting Colossus.

(X-Force III#22) - When Cannonball joined the fight, Super Sabre attacked him with a sword (see comments).

(New Mutants III#7) - Other members of the New Mutants arrived to help out Colossus and Cannonball. Sunspot managed to topple Stonewall, causing the incapacitated foe to fall and pin down Super Sabre.

Comments: Created by Chris Claremont, Alan Davis, Dan Green.

Is even Super Sabre quick enough to escape the effects of the sliding timescale?

Being active during World War II and having a son who saw action during the Vietnam war are both topical references. When he first showed up he looked like a man in his mid 60s, which was age appropriate for 1987 but hard to believe post 2020. Maybe his mutant abilities kept him active, but since his two compatriots are equally full of vim and vigor, it's possible they were exposed to an unrevealed phenomenon that retarded their aging process (even though the Crimson Commando was established to have a natural healing factor that slowed his aging considerably).

In his earliest appearances, Super Sabre was written as snarky and playful, someone who enjoyed to toy with his opponents. He was by no means as serious or dour as Stonewall and Crimson Commando, which is a nice change of pace. Most of that went away when he joined Freedom Force. Sabre and his two compatriots became little more than background filling and, eventually, cannon fodder. Which is a bit of a shame, an aging speedster with a sadistic streak has loads of potential. Super Sabre believes he's fighting the good fight, but real heroes don't kidnap and hunt down people for sport, do they?

Fletcher wore a leather mask with goggles to shield his eyes while running, but really... He should have looked into a neck guard instead. No less than three times did he face decapitation before Desert Sword finally managed to lob his head off in a rather unceremonious way.

Fletcher adopted the code name Super Sabre in the early 1940s, even though the name appears inspired by the first supersonic military jet the North American F-100 who was nicknamed the Super Sabre. That particular craft was first introduced in 1954.

While Fletcher sports an actual sabre on his costume, he is never seen with these weapons until after his brief techno-organic resurrection during the Necrosha storyline.

Super Sabre received Handbook profiles in the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Update '89 I#7 (December, 1989) and the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Master Edition I#14 (January, 1992). Thanks to Loki for providing Sabre's main image from the Gamer's Handbook of the Marvel Universe Volume 5 1989 Character Update.

Profile by Norvo.

CLARIFICATIONS:
Super Sabre should not be confused with:

images: (without ads)
Gamer's Handbook of the Marvel Universe Volume 5 1989 Character Update, p221 (main image)
Uncanny X-Men I#215, p18, pan4 (close up)
Uncanny X-Men I#215, p13, pans1&2 (Mach-1 punch)
Uncanny X-Men I#215, p13, pans 6,7,8 (faces Storm)
New Mutants I#65, p25, pan2 (knocks out Magik)
New Mutants I#88, p21, pan1&2 (nicked by Cable's cable)
New Mutants Annual I#7 p43, pans 2&3 (decapitated by Desert Sword)
X-Force III#22, p8, pan3 (facing Cannonball)
Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Update '89 I#7, p24, Super Sabre entry (OHotMU '89)
Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Master Edition I#14 , Super Sabre entry (OHotMU Master)

Appearances:
Uncanny X-Men I#215 (March, 1987) - Chris Claremont (writer), Alan Davis (pencils), Dan Green (inks), Ann Nocenti (editor)
Uncanny X-Men I#216 (April, 1987) - Chris Claremont (writer), Jackson Guice (pencils), Dan Green (inks), Ann Nocenti (editor)
Uncanny X-Men I#223 (November, 1987) - Chris Claremont (writer), Kerry Gammill (pencils), Dan Green (inks), Ann Nocenti (editor)
Uncanny X-Men I#225 (January, 1988) - Chris Claremont (writer), Marc Silvestri (pencils), Dan Green (inks), Ann Nocenti (editor)
Uncanny X-Men I#226 (February, 1988) - Chris Claremont (writer), Marc Silvestri (pencils), Dan Green (inks), Ann Nocenti (editor)
Uncanny X-Men I#227 (March, 1988) - Chris Claremont (writer), Marc Silvestri (pencils), Dan Green (inks), Ann Nocenti (editor)
New Mutants I#65 (July, 1988) - Louise Simonson (writer), Bret Blevins (pencils), Terry Austin (inks), Ann Nocenti (editor)
X-Factor I#30 (July, 1988) - Louise Simonson (writer), Walter Simonson (pencils), Bob Wiacek (inks), Bob Harras (editor)
X-Factor I#31 (August, 1988) - Louise Simonson (writer), Walter Simonson (pencils), Bob Wiacek (inks), Bob Harras (editor)
Captain America I#346 (October, 1988) - Mark Gruenwald (writer), Kieron Dwyer (pencils), Al Milgrom (inks), Ralph Macchio (editor)
New Mutants I#78 (August, 1989) - Louise Simonson (writer), Rick Leonardi (pencils), Al Williamson (inks), Bob Harras (editor)
Uncanny X-Men I#255 (Mid-December, 1989) - Chris Claremont (writer), Mark Silvestri (pencils), Dan Green (inks), Bob Harras (editor)
Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Update '89 I#7 (December, 1989) - Peter Sanderson (writer), Josef Rubinstein (inks), Mark Gruenwald, Gregory Wright, Sara Tuchinsky (editors)
New Mutants I#88 (April, 1990) - Louise Simonson (writer), Rob Liefeld (pencils), Hilary Barta (inks), Bob Harras (editor)
New Mutants I#89 (May 1990) - Louise Simonson (writer), Rob Liefeld (pencils), Hilary Barta (inks), Bob Harras (editor)
Marvel Illustrated Swimsuit Edition I#1 (January, 1991) - Gary Barnum (writer)
New Mutants Annual I#7 (August, 1991) - Fabian Nicieza (writer), Kirk Jarvinin (pencils), Joe Rubinstein (inks), Bob Harras (editor)
Avengers: Death Trap The Vault (September, 1991) - Danny Fingeroth (writer), Ron Lim (pencils), Jim Sanders (inks), Kelly Corvese (editor)
Quasar I#17 (December, 1990) - Mark Gruenwald (writer), Mike Manley (pencils & inks), Howard Mackie (editor)
Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Master Edition I#14 (January, 1992) - Len Kaminski, Peter Sanderson, Glenn Herdling, Murray Ward (writers), Keith Pollard (pencils), Josef Rubinstein (inks), Mark Gruenwald (editor)
X-Necrosha I#1 (December, 2009) - Craig Kylie, Chris Yost (writers), Clayton Crain (pencils & inks), Jeanine Schaefer, Nick Lowe (editors)
X-Force III#21 (January, 2010) - Craig Kylie, Chris Yost (writers), Clayton Crain (pencils, inks), Jeanine Schaefer (editor)
New Mutants III#7 (January, 2010) - Zeb Wells (writer), Diogenes Neves (pencils), Ed Tadeo (inks), Nick Lowe (editor)
X-Force III#22 (February, 2010) - Craig Kylie, Chris Yost (writers), Clayton Crain (pencils, inks), Jeanine Schaefer (editor)

First Posted: 10/23/2021
Last updated: 10/24/2021

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

Non-Marvel Copyright info
All other characters mentioned or pictured are ™ and © 1941-2099 Marvel Characters, Inc. All Rights Reserved. If you like this stuff, you should check out the real thing!
Please visit The Marvel Official Site at: http://www.marvel.com

Special Thanks to www.g-mart.com for hosting the Appendix, Master List, etc.!

Back to Characters