Deathurge
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Deathurge is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics universe. He is a wraith-like superhuman entity who served as the herald and agent of Oblivion. He first appeared in Marvel Two-In-One #71.
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[edit] Character biography
[edit] Origins
Deathurge's origins are not known. He may or may not be a supernatural being such as a demon or ghost. He may or may not be a physical being granted new life in a quasiphysical form such as the Eternal Kronos or Drax the Destroyer. He may or may not be an abstract entity like Oblivion, Master Order, Lord Chaos, or the In-Betweener. On multiple occasions he has claimed to embody the impulse for self-destruction that resides within all sentient life, which implies that he is an abstract entity. However, Deathurge has demonstrated nothing if not a penchant for obfuscation, so this may be an exaggeration or outright lie.
[edit] History
He was first observed in the employ of the villain Maelstrom. Deathurge was dispatched to slay the clonal bodies of Maelstrom's three prime minions and twice was commanded to slay clonal bodies of Maelstrom himself. Although Maelstrom sometimes treated Deathurge as if he were a lackey, Deathurge served only at Oblivion's behest, for Oblivion perceived within Maelstrom the potential to drastically tip the scales between existence and non-existence in his favor.
For a time at least, Deathurge harbored great animus towards Quasar and opposed him repeatedly in the course of the latter's self-titled series. With Quasar assuming the mantle of Protector of the Universe, Oblivion saw him as a threat to his agenda and set Deathurge against him, both before and after Quasar thwarted Maelstrom's plot to collapse the universe into a gargantuan black hole. Deathurge was determined to exploit the streak of fatalism he sensed within the hero's personality. As Deathurge saw it, Quasar was a despicable hypocrite for pledging to champion all life while denying his feelings of futility and angst regarding his own existence. In the course of one of their battles, Deathurge summed himself up succinctly with the following remark:
You claim you are Protector of the Universe, Quasar, but you fail to see that life itself is an aberration. A random mixture of chemicals and electricity with delusions of grandeur! Oblivion is the universe's preferred state. You are so vain as to think that because you are alive, that's what the universe desires. Fah! I am Protector of the Universe too, Quasar--I protect the universe from the chaotic blight of that aberration called life.
Deathurge was also responsible for compelling Patsy Walker to commit suicide.
Deathurge has since become involved in the affairs of Mr. Immortal and his team, the Great Lakes Avengers, a team of heroes with a knack for self-destruction. Deathurge regularly visited Craig Hollis since his birth inwhere his mother died during labour. Deathurge could only be seen by Craig and the dead souls he was sent to collect. Because of this he was thought to be merely an immaginary friend and later a mental breakdown to Craig. Deathurge constantly attempted to get Craig killed as a child in order to show him his power. Not only this but Deathurge also responsible for collecting the souls of several people in close to Craig, which made him blame deathurge for their deaths. Deathurge finally revealed to him that he was destined to be the last living being in existence in order to receive the final secret of the universe. This meant a long. lonely and tramatic life for him and Deathurge, who showed he had genuine feelings for him, wanted to prepare him for his fate. He supplied the GLA with information crucial to foiling another of Maelstrom's plans for universal destruction. Having lost his job to Doorman for failing to lead the soul of Monkey Joe to the afterlife, Oblivion has apparently cursed him to remain in the squirrel form he was in when trying to lead Monkey Joe into the afterlife. Oblivion gave Deathurge one last chance to regain his job, if he could kill Squirrel Girl's new sidekick, Tippy Toe. Thanks to the intervention of Mr Immortal and a cuckoo clock, however, his attempts failed, and when he was last seen he seemed to be falling for Tippy Toe.
[edit] Powers and abilities
Deathurge can fly at great speeds, become intangible at will, and draw forth from his non-reflective ebony body a variety of simple weaponry such as swords, spears, axes, bows, and arrows. These weapons, also non-reflective black, appear to be made of the same unknown substance as Deathurge's body. These weapons do not inflict physical wounds, but are imbued with life-annihilating properties that can kill even powerful superhuman entities.
In general, a person's will to live plays a large part in how effective his weapons are. When Deathurge attacks, he is typically seeking to slay a specific target--usually someone who at least to some degree craves death and oblivion. If one of his weapons scores a direct hit on his target, the result is fatal, with a blackness spreading from the spot where the weapon bloodlessly struck and passed through the target's body.
If the weapon only strikes a glancing blow, or it happens to pass through someone other than Deathurge's target, then that person will feel the sensation of numbing coldness but will not blacken or die. If a target does not wish to die, or can at the brink of death find a strong will to live, Deathurge's powers have a diminished or even negligible effect.
[edit] Trivia
- In GLA: Missassembled, Deathurge is shown escorting a soul to the afterlife whilst wearing a pair of skis. This may be a reference to the Jack Kirby created Fourth World New God, the Black Racer.
