Foolkiller
Encyclopedia
The Foolkiller is a fictional character appearing in the Marvel Comics
universe
. He was created by writer Steve Gerber
and first appeared in the pages of 1974's Man-Thing
. He also had a ten-issue limited series that ran from 1990 to 1991, followed by another in 2007. There have been four different individuals to adopt the mantle of the Foolkiller. The character was inspired by a Southern
legend that was the basis for a short story by O. Henry
. This in turn was the inspiration for a later novel by Helen Eustis. The novel was made into a film featuring Anthony Perkins
. A character of the same name also appeared in L. Frank Baum
's The Enchanted Island of Yew
.
, a disc jockey
who had denounced the Foolkiller's activities.
His real name was not given until a later flashback in The Amazing Spider-Man
#225, which stated that it was Ross G. Everbest (a variant of Gerber's Reg Everbest pseudonym with his middle name attached to it).
Gerber created the second version of the character in Omega the Unknown #9 (plus a one-panel cameo in #8, which was written by Roger Stern
).
Gerber's Foolkiller miniseries, illustrated by JJ Birch, was published from October 1990 to October 1991. It focused on a new character, Kurt Gerhardt.
A new Foolkiller, Mike Trace, has appeared in two five-issue MAX series, Foolkiller (vol. 2) (2007) and Foolkiller: White Angels (2009).
crusader than subsequent versions of the character. Upset by anti-Vietnam War
protests and counterculture
movements, he decided that sinners, dissidents, and criminals alike were "fools" who must be eliminated, and that he had been chosen by God
to do so. He was inspired by a faith healer
, Reverend Mike Pike, who cured his childhood paralysis. As a result, he became an evangelist with Reverend Mike as his mentor and soon became as popular as the Reverend. But after catching Reverend Mike in a drunken orgy, he killed his former hero, preserved the corpse in formaldehyde
, and used the preacher's money to fund his vigilante activities. He donned a flamboyant Zorro
-like costume and acquired (by unknown means) his "purification gun", a raygun
which disintegrated people instantly. Some of his victims were given a 24-hour warning in the form of a calling card: "Foolkiller / e pluribus unum
/ You have 24 hours to live. Use them to repent or be forever damned to the pits of hell where goeth all fools. Today is the last day of the rest of your life. Use it wisely or die a fool."
The Foolkiller had sought to kill Ted Sallis (whom he knew to be Man-Thing based on connecting news reports), disc jockey
Richard Rory
, and businessman F.A. Schist. During a struggle with the monstrous Man-Thing in the Man-Thing's swamp, the Foolkiller died in a freak accident, impaled in the heart by a shard of glass from the tank containing Reverend Mike. Everbest's soul is apparently in Mephisto's hell battling others in the "Arena of Lost Souls".
, heard the story of the first Foolkiller from his cellmate, Richard Rory, incarcerated on a trumped-up kidnapping
charge. After being released, Salinger stole the Foolkiller's equipment and assumed his identity, using the "purification gun" to kill a number of people in New York including the supervillain
Blockbuster
. Unlike his religiously inspired predecessor, Salinger defined "fools" as those guilty of materialism
and mediocrity, or anyone who lacked "a poetic nature".
Rory, feeling responsible for Salinger's breakdown and crimes, tried to help the Defenders arrest Salinger, by persuading him that he could join them as a superhero
. However, Salinger had decided the Defenders were "fools" after their failure to capture another supervillain; he sought to kill Lunatik
, and burned down their headquarters and was captured by the Defenders, but escaped in a road accident. Salinger reappeared, studying at Empire State University
, where teaching assistant
Peter Parker (Spider-Man
) befriended him, then stopped him in the midst of another killing spree. When a homeless witness suggested that only a fool would fight Spider-Man, Salinger attempted to shoot himself, but was stopped, arrested, found criminally insane and institutionalized for good at the Central Indiana State Mental Institution
in Weldon Creek, Indiana. He appeared briefly as a mental patient, where he was questioned by Captain America concerning a possible connection with the vigilante known as Scourge of the Underworld
.
He also appeared as a seemingly much saner inmate, and was interviewed on the Runyan Moody TV show. He advised the third Foolkiller (Gerhardt) through a computer bulletin board, though their contact was finally discovered by psychiatrist Dr. Mears and the police.
), and being brutally robbed at his new job in a fast-food restaurant.
The first issue shows much of Salinger's life in the mental institution. He details nightmares and guilt to his doctor. He expresses a desire to write out his feelings, believing it will make him feel better. The doctor points out that the last time Salinger was given a pencil, he drove it into his own neck. Salinger promises it won't happen again. The therapist allows Salinger to use one of the institution's computers' word processors so that he can write letters. He decides to send his memoirs and thoughts to media and publication centers. No reply comes back.
Salinger is noted by popular talk show host, Runyan Moody, who browbeats his way into an interview with Salinger. Gerhardt sees this and via Salinger's secret use of the modem in his therapist's computer, they set up a correspondence via a computer bulletin board.
Salinger directs Gerhardt to an old confidant who provides him with the Foolkiller costume and "purification gun". He eventually abandoned the gaudy costume, substituting a bondage
-style leather mask and outfit (or appearing in a variety of disguises), and created a simpler calling card: "Foolkiller / e pluribus unum / Actions have consequences."
Initially, Gerhardt directed his vigilante campaign at violent criminals, garnering some praise from the public, but his anger at abuse and neglect in general led him to kill drug-addicted negligent mothers and even their (albeit violent) children in a series of escalating massacres. His ever broader definition of "fools" who deserved death broadened to include those guilty of what Gerhardt believed to be rank hypocrisy or stupidity.
At Burger Clown, Gerhardt develops a promising romantic relationship with a fellow coworker, Linda Klein. He becomes a popular man in his neighborhood. Acting heroically, even without the gun, Gerhardt saves an acquaintance from being run down by a drunk. Gerhardt, however, must be stopped from beating on the driver.
In a move celebrated by his friends at the restaurant, he gains a job at a credit agency. His work-neighbor is a crass, older man who enjoys using his power for thrills and cheap revenge. In a moment of weakness, Gerhardt even considers using his gun on this man, along with others who are guilty of only being annoying. This includes a younger man that he perceived as a possible competitor for Linda Klein's affections.
Gerhardt was especially frustrated at the public's thoughtless pursuit of instant or momentary gratification and this became the centralizing theme of his killing spree. Gerhardt abruptly broke off his relationship with Linda and sent a manifesto
to the Daily Bugle
newspaper. His ever-increasing kills become more violent, taking place in front of, and traumatizing, many innocent people. Once such incident is viewed by Linda who had recognized Kurt's voice though, for reasons unknown, she elected not to inform police. Gerhardt even goes after 'foolish' celebrities. His final major kill was an industrialist who was stripping Amazon rain forest land to raise cattle for beef and this turned the public hostile towards the Foolkiller. At the end of the series, after escaping the police (his online communications with Salinger discovered) and failing to kill his drug lord nemesis, Gerhardt had his face altered with the assistance of his predecessor's friend. She carefully uses acid to mar his face. He leaves New York
to assume a new identity in Arizona
. As pointed out on the Marvel Universe Appendix, Gerhardt's new identity resembles Richard Rory.
Gerhardt appeared in New Avengers as a Raft inmate, although the circumstances surrounding his capture have not been revealed. After Electro
organizes a massive breakout, he was seen attacking Spider-Man with many other villains, after which he escaped.
The Hood
hired him as part of his criminal organization to take advantage of the split in the superhero community caused by the Superhuman Registration Act. At some point he was captured and sent to Crossmore Prison for the Criminally Insane
where he came into conflict with fellow inmate Deadpool.
All of the Foolkillers have been athletic men with no superhuman powers, and all are criminally insane.
Everbest was a charismatic preacher, and skilled in several forms of hand-to-hand combat.
Salinger is an amateur poet, and is a self-trained fair hand-to-hand combatant.
Gerhardt was skilled in basic hand-to-hand combat and had developed a high tolerance for pain. He was also a good strategist and a master of disguise.
adult imprint
, in October 2007. In a 2007 Newsarama.com interview, Hurwitz declared:
Similarly, Axel Alonso
, on the same site, said:
The Foolkiller of the Marvel MAX title is Mike Trace, a man who treats his murders as works of art. Typically, he will leave the bodies at the scene along with ironic indications of why they were killed. In one case, he murders a corporate industrialist and leaves the body in a trashcan filled with toxic waste from the industrialist's own factories. The story of this Foolkiller, however, is told mostly through the eyes of Nate McBride, a former enforcer for a loansharking operation. When Nate steals money to pay for his daughter's much needed heart operation, his employers punish him by killing his wife and younger daughter and threatening to kill his invalid daughter in thirty days if the money isn't paid back. Nate, fearing for the safety of his hospitalized daughter, decides to enlist the help of the Foolkiller whom he had heard about from the news and from whispered rumors on the street. Although the Foolkiller initially berates Nate as a fool due to the life he leads, he takes an interest in their possible connection to a mob boss known as The Cheese. Nate acts as the Foolkiller's assistant, gathering information on the Cheese's henchmen and operations. As the Foolkiller begins to eliminate Cheese's enforcers, the Cheese calls in a diminutive assassin known as Sickle Moon due to the sickle shaped blade he employs. Foolkiller, concluding that Sickle Moon will abort his mission if his employer is killed, decides to go after Cheese directly with Nate acting as a diversion. While Foolkiller is successful in killing the Cheese, Nate is killed by Sickle Moon who, as expected, retreats after realizing that his employer is dead. Foolkiller carries Nate's body to the hospital and announces that Nate's heart should be suitable for a transplant for the daughter. It is not certain if the operation was carried out.
In the just-begun "Foolkiller: White Angels" arc, his latest target is a white supremacist gang called the White Angels, which lynched an ex-convict who'd become a white-collar worker and had evidently turned a new leaf/his life around. The Punisher will be appearing starting with the second issue, since he is also targeting the White Angels.
In keeping with the realism of the Marvel MAX line, Mike Trace does not dress in a costume or use a purification ray gun. He will employ whatever weapons are available but his favorite weapon is a sword cane. He leaves a tarot card of the fool
at all of his killings. The tarot card has handwritten on it "Are you?". Trace also appears to be the only Foolkiller in the MAX continuity. However, there are oblique references to the Foolkillers of the classic Marvel Universe such as the naming of a prison as Gerhardt Detention Facility. In the first issue of the MAX series, while discussing rumors about the mostly unseen Foolkiller, there was a reference in character dialogue to the purification ray gun and Zorro-like costume of the original Marvel version as well as the fact that one of them briefly worked at a Burger Clown restaurant. Since the Foolkiller's activities of the main Marvel universe were publicly known, it is likely that these were meant to be tongue in cheek.
of 2099 after he embarked on a mission to assassinate all former members of Xi'an Chi Xan
's original team, "The Lawless".
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
universe
Marvel Universe
The Marvel Universe is the shared fictional universe where most comic book titles and other media published by Marvel Entertainment take place, including those featuring Marvel's most familiar characters, such as Spider-Man, the Hulk, the X-Men, and the Avengers.The Marvel Universe is further...
. He was created by writer Steve Gerber
Steve Gerber
Stephen Ross "Steve" Gerber was an American comic book writer best known as co-creator of the satiric Marvel Comics character Howard the Duck....
and first appeared in the pages of 1974's Man-Thing
Man-Thing
The Man-Thing is a fictional character, a monster in publications from Marvel Comics. Created by writers Stan Lee, Roy Thomas, and Gerry Conway and artist Gray Morrow, the character first appeared in Savage Tales #1 , and went on to be featured in various titles and in his own series, including...
. He also had a ten-issue limited series that ran from 1990 to 1991, followed by another in 2007. There have been four different individuals to adopt the mantle of the Foolkiller. The character was inspired by a Southern
Southern United States
The Southern United States—commonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South—constitutes a large distinctive area in the southeastern and south-central United States...
legend that was the basis for a short story by O. Henry
O. Henry
O. Henry was the pen name of the American writer William Sydney Porter . O. Henry's short stories are well known for their wit, wordplay, warm characterization and clever twist endings.-Early life:...
. This in turn was the inspiration for a later novel by Helen Eustis. The novel was made into a film featuring Anthony Perkins
Anthony Perkins
Anthony Perkins was an American actor, best known for his Oscar-nominated role in Friendly Persuasion and as Norman Bates in Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho , and its three sequels.-Early life:...
. A character of the same name also appeared in L. Frank Baum
L. Frank Baum
Lyman Frank Baum was an American author of children's books, best known for writing The Wonderful Wizard of Oz...
's The Enchanted Island of Yew
The Enchanted Island of Yew
The Enchanted Island of Yew: Whereon Prince Marvel Encountered the High Ki of Twi and Other Surprising People is a children's fantasy novel written by L. Frank Baum, illustrated by Fanny Y...
.
Publication history
The original Foolkiller was introduced in Man-Thing #3 and killed in the next issue. In his brief Man-Thing appearance, the Foolkiller attempted to kill two major characters in the series: F.A. Schist, a real estate developer whose projects threatened the ecology of the Florida Everglades, and Richard RoryRichard Rory
Richard Rory is a fictional character in the Marvel Universe. He initially was a sort of author surrogate or alter ego for writer Steve Gerber, though Gerber is also shown to exist in the Marvel Universe. He was introduced in Man-Thing Volume 1, #2, a bit of a loner who rather easily befriended the...
, a disc jockey
Disc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
who had denounced the Foolkiller's activities.
His real name was not given until a later flashback in The Amazing Spider-Man
The Amazing Spider-Man
The Amazing Spider-Man is an American comic book series published by Marvel Comics, featuring the adventures of the fictional superhero Spider-Man. Being the mainstream continuity of the franchise, it began publication in 1963 as a monthly periodical and was published continuously until it was...
#225, which stated that it was Ross G. Everbest (a variant of Gerber's Reg Everbest pseudonym with his middle name attached to it).
Gerber created the second version of the character in Omega the Unknown #9 (plus a one-panel cameo in #8, which was written by Roger Stern
Roger Stern
Roger Stern is an American comic book author and novelist.-Early career:In the early 1970s, Stern and Bob Layton published the fanzine CPL , one of the first platforms for the work of John Byrne...
).
Gerber's Foolkiller miniseries, illustrated by JJ Birch, was published from October 1990 to October 1991. It focused on a new character, Kurt Gerhardt.
A new Foolkiller, Mike Trace, has appeared in two five-issue MAX series, Foolkiller (vol. 2) (2007) and Foolkiller: White Angels (2009).
Ross G. Everbest
The original Foolkiller was more of a reactionaryReactionary
The term reactionary refers to viewpoints that seek to return to a previous state in a society. The term is meant to describe one end of a political spectrum whose opposite pole is "radical". While it has not been generally considered a term of praise it has been adopted as a self-description by...
crusader than subsequent versions of the character. Upset by anti-Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
protests and counterculture
Counterculture
Counterculture is a sociological term used to describe the values and norms of behavior of a cultural group, or subculture, that run counter to those of the social mainstream of the day, the cultural equivalent of political opposition. Counterculture can also be described as a group whose behavior...
movements, he decided that sinners, dissidents, and criminals alike were "fools" who must be eliminated, and that he had been chosen by God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
to do so. He was inspired by a faith healer
Faith Healer
Faith Healer is a play by Brian Friel about the life of faith healer Francis Hardy as monologued through the shifting memories of Hardy, his wife, Grace, and stage manager, Teddy.-Synopsis:...
, Reverend Mike Pike, who cured his childhood paralysis. As a result, he became an evangelist with Reverend Mike as his mentor and soon became as popular as the Reverend. But after catching Reverend Mike in a drunken orgy, he killed his former hero, preserved the corpse in formaldehyde
Formaldehyde
Formaldehyde is an organic compound with the formula CH2O. It is the simplest aldehyde, hence its systematic name methanal.Formaldehyde is a colorless gas with a characteristic pungent odor. It is an important precursor to many other chemical compounds, especially for polymers...
, and used the preacher's money to fund his vigilante activities. He donned a flamboyant Zorro
Zorro
Zorro is a fictional character created in 1919 by New York-based pulp writer Johnston McCulley. The character has been featured in numerous books, films, television series, and other media....
-like costume and acquired (by unknown means) his "purification gun", a raygun
Raygun
Rayguns are a type of fictional directed-energy weapon. They have various alternate names: ray gun, death ray, beam gun, blaster, laser gun, phaser, etc. They are a well-known feature of science fiction; for such stories they typically have the general function of guns...
which disintegrated people instantly. Some of his victims were given a 24-hour warning in the form of a calling card: "Foolkiller / e pluribus unum
E pluribus unum
E pluribus unum , Latin for "Out of many, one", is a phrase on the Seal of the United States, along with Annuit cœptis and Novus ordo seclorum, and adopted by an Act of Congress in 1782...
/ You have 24 hours to live. Use them to repent or be forever damned to the pits of hell where goeth all fools. Today is the last day of the rest of your life. Use it wisely or die a fool."
The Foolkiller had sought to kill Ted Sallis (whom he knew to be Man-Thing based on connecting news reports), disc jockey
Disc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
Richard Rory
Richard Rory
Richard Rory is a fictional character in the Marvel Universe. He initially was a sort of author surrogate or alter ego for writer Steve Gerber, though Gerber is also shown to exist in the Marvel Universe. He was introduced in Man-Thing Volume 1, #2, a bit of a loner who rather easily befriended the...
, and businessman F.A. Schist. During a struggle with the monstrous Man-Thing in the Man-Thing's swamp, the Foolkiller died in a freak accident, impaled in the heart by a shard of glass from the tank containing Reverend Mike. Everbest's soul is apparently in Mephisto's hell battling others in the "Arena of Lost Souls".
Gregory P. Salinger
Greg Salinger, imprisoned for disorderly conductDisorderly conduct
Disorderly conduct is a criminal charge in most jurisdictions in the United States. Typically, disorderly conduct makes it a crime to be drunk in public, to "disturb the peace", or to loiter in certain areas. Many types of unruly conduct may fit the definition of disorderly conduct, as such...
, heard the story of the first Foolkiller from his cellmate, Richard Rory, incarcerated on a trumped-up kidnapping
Kidnapping
In criminal law, kidnapping is the taking away or transportation of a person against that person's will, usually to hold the person in false imprisonment, a confinement without legal authority...
charge. After being released, Salinger stole the Foolkiller's equipment and assumed his identity, using the "purification gun" to kill a number of people in New York including the supervillain
Supervillain
A supervillain or supervillainess is a variant of the villain character type, commonly found in comic books, action movies and science fiction in various media.They are sometimes used as foils to superheroes and other fictional heroes...
Blockbuster
Blockbuster (Man-Brute)
Blockbuster is a fictional character in the Marvel Universe.-Publication history:The Man-Brute first appeared in Captain America #121 , and was created by Stan Lee and Gene Colan....
. Unlike his religiously inspired predecessor, Salinger defined "fools" as those guilty of materialism
Materialism
In philosophy, the theory of materialism holds that the only thing that exists is matter; that all things are composed of material and all phenomena are the result of material interactions. In other words, matter is the only substance...
and mediocrity, or anyone who lacked "a poetic nature".
Rory, feeling responsible for Salinger's breakdown and crimes, tried to help the Defenders arrest Salinger, by persuading him that he could join them as a superhero
Superhero
A superhero is a type of stock character, possessing "extraordinary or superhuman powers", dedicated to protecting the public. Since the debut of the prototypical superhero Superman in 1938, stories of superheroes — ranging from brief episodic adventures to continuing years-long sagas —...
. However, Salinger had decided the Defenders were "fools" after their failure to capture another supervillain; he sought to kill Lunatik
Lunatik
Lunatik is a fictional character in the Marvel Universe.- Publication history :Lunatik first appeared in Creatures on the Loose #35-37 , and was created by David Anthony Kraft and George Pérez....
, and burned down their headquarters and was captured by the Defenders, but escaped in a road accident. Salinger reappeared, studying at Empire State University
Empire State University
Empire State University is a fictional university in the Marvel Comics Universe, a mixture of New York University and Columbia University . It is located somewhere in New York City, in Greenwich Village near the site of New York University...
, where teaching assistant
Teaching assistant
A teaching assistant is an individual who assists a professor or teacher with instructional responsibilities. TAs include graduate teaching assistants , who are graduate students; undergraduate teaching assistants , who are undergraduate students; secondary school TAs, who are either high school...
Peter Parker (Spider-Man
Spider-Man
Spider-Man is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and writer-artist Steve Ditko. He first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15...
) befriended him, then stopped him in the midst of another killing spree. When a homeless witness suggested that only a fool would fight Spider-Man, Salinger attempted to shoot himself, but was stopped, arrested, found criminally insane and institutionalized for good at the Central Indiana State Mental Institution
Central State Hospital (Indiana)
Central State Hospital, formally referred to as the Central Indiana Hospital for the Insane was a psychiatric treatment hospital in Indiana....
in Weldon Creek, Indiana. He appeared briefly as a mental patient, where he was questioned by Captain America concerning a possible connection with the vigilante known as Scourge of the Underworld
Scourge of the Underworld
The Scourge of the Underworld is the name of a series of fictional characters that have appeared in various series set in the Marvel Comics universe....
.
He also appeared as a seemingly much saner inmate, and was interviewed on the Runyan Moody TV show. He advised the third Foolkiller (Gerhardt) through a computer bulletin board, though their contact was finally discovered by psychiatrist Dr. Mears and the police.
Kurt Gerhardt
Kurt Gerhardt had reached a state of homicidal despair after the random murder of his father, a divorce, the loss of his bank job (part of the savings and loan crisisSavings and Loan crisis
The savings and loan crisis of the 1980s and 1990s was the failure of about 747 out of the 3,234 savings and loan associations in the United States...
), and being brutally robbed at his new job in a fast-food restaurant.
The first issue shows much of Salinger's life in the mental institution. He details nightmares and guilt to his doctor. He expresses a desire to write out his feelings, believing it will make him feel better. The doctor points out that the last time Salinger was given a pencil, he drove it into his own neck. Salinger promises it won't happen again. The therapist allows Salinger to use one of the institution's computers' word processors so that he can write letters. He decides to send his memoirs and thoughts to media and publication centers. No reply comes back.
Salinger is noted by popular talk show host, Runyan Moody, who browbeats his way into an interview with Salinger. Gerhardt sees this and via Salinger's secret use of the modem in his therapist's computer, they set up a correspondence via a computer bulletin board.
Salinger directs Gerhardt to an old confidant who provides him with the Foolkiller costume and "purification gun". He eventually abandoned the gaudy costume, substituting a bondage
Bondage (BDSM)
Bondage is the use of restraints for the sexual pleasure of the parties involved. It may be used in its own right, as in the case of rope bondage and breast bondage, or as part of sexual activity or BDSM activity.- Private bondage :...
-style leather mask and outfit (or appearing in a variety of disguises), and created a simpler calling card: "Foolkiller / e pluribus unum / Actions have consequences."
Initially, Gerhardt directed his vigilante campaign at violent criminals, garnering some praise from the public, but his anger at abuse and neglect in general led him to kill drug-addicted negligent mothers and even their (albeit violent) children in a series of escalating massacres. His ever broader definition of "fools" who deserved death broadened to include those guilty of what Gerhardt believed to be rank hypocrisy or stupidity.
At Burger Clown, Gerhardt develops a promising romantic relationship with a fellow coworker, Linda Klein. He becomes a popular man in his neighborhood. Acting heroically, even without the gun, Gerhardt saves an acquaintance from being run down by a drunk. Gerhardt, however, must be stopped from beating on the driver.
In a move celebrated by his friends at the restaurant, he gains a job at a credit agency. His work-neighbor is a crass, older man who enjoys using his power for thrills and cheap revenge. In a moment of weakness, Gerhardt even considers using his gun on this man, along with others who are guilty of only being annoying. This includes a younger man that he perceived as a possible competitor for Linda Klein's affections.
Gerhardt was especially frustrated at the public's thoughtless pursuit of instant or momentary gratification and this became the centralizing theme of his killing spree. Gerhardt abruptly broke off his relationship with Linda and sent a manifesto
Manifesto
A manifesto is a public declaration of principles and intentions, often political in nature. Manifestos relating to religious belief are generally referred to as creeds. Manifestos may also be life stance-related.-Etymology:...
to the Daily Bugle
Daily Bugle
The Daily Bugle is a fictional New York City newspaper that is a regular fixture in the Marvel Universe, most prominently in Spider-Man comic titles and their derivative media...
newspaper. His ever-increasing kills become more violent, taking place in front of, and traumatizing, many innocent people. Once such incident is viewed by Linda who had recognized Kurt's voice though, for reasons unknown, she elected not to inform police. Gerhardt even goes after 'foolish' celebrities. His final major kill was an industrialist who was stripping Amazon rain forest land to raise cattle for beef and this turned the public hostile towards the Foolkiller. At the end of the series, after escaping the police (his online communications with Salinger discovered) and failing to kill his drug lord nemesis, Gerhardt had his face altered with the assistance of his predecessor's friend. She carefully uses acid to mar his face. He leaves New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
to assume a new identity in Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
. As pointed out on the Marvel Universe Appendix, Gerhardt's new identity resembles Richard Rory.
Gerhardt appeared in New Avengers as a Raft inmate, although the circumstances surrounding his capture have not been revealed. After Electro
Electro (comics)
Electro is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. He is a supervillain and an enemy of Spider-Man who gained the ability to control electricity after being struck by lightning while working on a power line. Created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, he first...
organizes a massive breakout, he was seen attacking Spider-Man with many other villains, after which he escaped.
The Hood
Hood (comics)
The Hood is a fictional character, a supervillain, and a crime boss in the . Created by writer Brian K. Vaughan and artists Kyle Hotz and Eric Powell, the character first appeared in The Hood #1 .-Publication history:...
hired him as part of his criminal organization to take advantage of the split in the superhero community caused by the Superhuman Registration Act. At some point he was captured and sent to Crossmore Prison for the Criminally Insane
Crossmore
Her Majesty's Ultimate Security Prison Crossmore is a fictional British prison/psychiatric facility for super-human criminals in the Marvel Universe.- History :...
where he came into conflict with fellow inmate Deadpool.
Powers and abilities
Each version of the Foolkiller primarily used a "purification gun," a pistol capable of shooting a laser-like beam of energy capable of totally incinerating a human being within seconds. They also used mobile computer systems and surveillance systems to locate and track victims. The first two also employed an armored truck outfitted with similar systems which also acted as a mobile headquarters.All of the Foolkillers have been athletic men with no superhuman powers, and all are criminally insane.
Everbest was a charismatic preacher, and skilled in several forms of hand-to-hand combat.
Salinger is an amateur poet, and is a self-trained fair hand-to-hand combatant.
Gerhardt was skilled in basic hand-to-hand combat and had developed a high tolerance for pain. He was also a good strategist and a master of disguise.
MAX
A new Foolkiller limited series, written by Gregg Hurwitz, debuted under Marvel's MAXMAX (comics)
MAX is an imprint of Marvel Comics aimed at a niche 'adults only' audience, launched in 2001 after Marvel broke with the Comics Code Authority and established its own rating system...
adult imprint
Imprint
In the publishing industry, an imprint can mean several different things:* As a piece of bibliographic information about a book, it refers to the name and address of the book's publisher and its date of publication as given at the foot or on the verso of its title page.* It can mean a trade name...
, in October 2007. In a 2007 Newsarama.com interview, Hurwitz declared:
I’m a Punisher guy. What Garth Ennis has done with Frank Castle really is what made me realize what comic books could do. The Foolkiller is obviously different in a number of ways from the Punisher, but he’s also perhaps the closest thing the Marvel Universe has to him.
Similarly, Axel Alonso
Axel Alonso
Axel Alonso is American comic book creator, known primarily as an editor at DC Comics from 1994–2000, and at Marvel Comics from 2000 to the present. At DC, he edited a number of books published under their Vertigo line, such as Doom Patrol, Animal Man, Hellblazer, Preacher and 100 Bullets...
, on the same site, said:
He was interested in writing a crime thriller and Punisher was off the table.
The Foolkiller of the Marvel MAX title is Mike Trace, a man who treats his murders as works of art. Typically, he will leave the bodies at the scene along with ironic indications of why they were killed. In one case, he murders a corporate industrialist and leaves the body in a trashcan filled with toxic waste from the industrialist's own factories. The story of this Foolkiller, however, is told mostly through the eyes of Nate McBride, a former enforcer for a loansharking operation. When Nate steals money to pay for his daughter's much needed heart operation, his employers punish him by killing his wife and younger daughter and threatening to kill his invalid daughter in thirty days if the money isn't paid back. Nate, fearing for the safety of his hospitalized daughter, decides to enlist the help of the Foolkiller whom he had heard about from the news and from whispered rumors on the street. Although the Foolkiller initially berates Nate as a fool due to the life he leads, he takes an interest in their possible connection to a mob boss known as The Cheese. Nate acts as the Foolkiller's assistant, gathering information on the Cheese's henchmen and operations. As the Foolkiller begins to eliminate Cheese's enforcers, the Cheese calls in a diminutive assassin known as Sickle Moon due to the sickle shaped blade he employs. Foolkiller, concluding that Sickle Moon will abort his mission if his employer is killed, decides to go after Cheese directly with Nate acting as a diversion. While Foolkiller is successful in killing the Cheese, Nate is killed by Sickle Moon who, as expected, retreats after realizing that his employer is dead. Foolkiller carries Nate's body to the hospital and announces that Nate's heart should be suitable for a transplant for the daughter. It is not certain if the operation was carried out.
In the just-begun "Foolkiller: White Angels" arc, his latest target is a white supremacist gang called the White Angels, which lynched an ex-convict who'd become a white-collar worker and had evidently turned a new leaf/his life around. The Punisher will be appearing starting with the second issue, since he is also targeting the White Angels.
In keeping with the realism of the Marvel MAX line, Mike Trace does not dress in a costume or use a purification ray gun. He will employ whatever weapons are available but his favorite weapon is a sword cane. He leaves a tarot card of the fool
The Fool (Tarot card)
The Fool or The Jester is one of the 78 cards in a Tarot deck; one of the 22 Trump cards that make up the Major Arcana. The Fool is unnumbered...
at all of his killings. The tarot card has handwritten on it "Are you?". Trace also appears to be the only Foolkiller in the MAX continuity. However, there are oblique references to the Foolkillers of the classic Marvel Universe such as the naming of a prison as Gerhardt Detention Facility. In the first issue of the MAX series, while discussing rumors about the mostly unseen Foolkiller, there was a reference in character dialogue to the purification ray gun and Zorro-like costume of the original Marvel version as well as the fact that one of them briefly worked at a Burger Clown restaurant. Since the Foolkiller's activities of the main Marvel universe were publicly known, it is likely that these were meant to be tongue in cheek.
2099 continuity
A cabal of fundamentalist super soldiers modeled themselves after the Foolkillers of the 20th Century. One of their number was encountered by the X-MenX-Men 2099
X-Men 2099 was a comic book series published by Marvel Comics from 1993 to 1996 that chronicled the adventures of an X-Men team in the year 2099. It extends the Marvel 2099 imprint, which features other future versions of popular Marvel characters, such as Spider-Man 2099 and Hulk 2099...
of 2099 after he embarked on a mission to assassinate all former members of Xi'an Chi Xan
Xi'an (comics)
Xi'an is a fictional character created by Marvel Comics for their Marvel 2099 imprint. In the title X-Men 2099, he was the founder, leader, and enemy of the team of X-Men who was always haunted by his past....
's original team, "The Lawless".
Marvel Trading Card series
In 1990 Marvel released a Foolkiller (Kurt Gerhardt) card in their Marvel universe series as a rookie superhero.Bibliography
- Foolkiller I (Ross G. Everbest)
- Man-Thing #3-4, 11, 22
- Foolkiller II (Greg Salinger)
- Omega the Unknown #8-9
- Defenders #73-75
- Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man #58-60
- Amazing Spider-Man #225-226
- Captain America #319
- Foolkiller #1-10
- Marvel Comics Presents Vol. 1 #172
- Foolkiller III (Kurt Gerhardt)
- Foolkiller #1-10
- New Avengers #2, 35
- Foolkiller IV (Mike Trace)
- Foolkiller (vol. 2) #1-5 (2007)
- Foolkiller: White Angels #1-5 (2009)