| Swordsman | |
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Andreas von Strucker as the Swordsman. Art by Mike Deodato. |
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| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | Uncanny X-Men #194 (as Andreas Strucker, June, 1985) Uncanny X-Men #200 (as Fenris, December, 1985) New Thunderbolts #2 (as Swordsman) |
| Created by | Chris Claremont John Romita, Jr. |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Andreas von Strucker |
| Species | Human (empowered) |
| Team affiliations | Fenris Thunderbolts |
| Notable aliases | Swordsman, Fenris, Baron Strucker |
| Abilities | (as Fenris) force blasts and flight while in physical contact with sister Andrea (as Swordsman) his sword is bound with Andrea's tanned skin, which gives him his superhuman abilities |
Andreas von Strucker is a comic book character in Marvel Comics' main shared universe. The character was created by Chris Claremont and John Romita Jr. Andreas and his twin sister Andrea were known together as Fenris; after she was killed, he became the new Swordsman. Andreas first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #194, although his powers and codename were not revealed until #200. His first appearance as the Swordsman was in New Thunderbolts #2, but he was not revealed to be the Swordsman until issue #17.
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Andreas and his twin sister Andrea are the children of Baron Wolfgang von Strucker, the leader of the Nazi terrorist organization HYDRA. While the two were still in their mother's uterus they were genetically modified, giving them bio-energy powers which they can use when in physical contact with one another (usually when holding hands). Baron Strucker indoctrinated his children in the beliefs of white supremacy, Nazism, and the Fourth Reich. In adulthood, the twins became the supervillains known as Fenris, and led a terrorist organization which shares their codename.
As Fenris, Andreas and Andrea seek to continue their father's legacy and fight against the X-Men, X-Factor, and Magneto. However, when Andrea discovers that Citizen V is secretly Baron Helmut Zemo, he kills her to prevent her from telling anyone the truth.
Following Andrea's death, Baron Zemo has the Purple Man brainwash Andreas into becoming the new Swordsman. The Purple Man has Andreas flay the skin from her corpse, tan it, and incorporate the resulting leather into the hilt of his sword. This allows him to channel the powers they shared through his sword. Andreas breaks free of the Purple Man's control and joins the Thunderbolts.
Andreas continues to be a member of the Thunderbolts under its new leadership. As a term of his continued participation, his sister is being cloned using cells taken from the skin wrapping his sword hilt. Norman Osborn, his superior, notes that Andreas loved his sister in "many ways", implying an incestuous aspect to their relationship. Fellow teammate and current field leader Moonstone has approached Andreas with a reassurance. If he helps her kill Songbird, Moonstone would be able to make a move to usurp the mentally fragile Osborn as the New Thunderbolt director. Thus two factions seem to be forming amongst the Thunderbolts with Swordsman and Moonstone on one side while Songbird and Dr. Chen stand on the other.
Despite his considerable skill, he has been defeated twice; first, when Jack Flag hit him with the flat of his own sword, and second when Steel Spider threw him through a window and a flat-screen television using a metal limb.[1]
Under the control of four imprisoned telepaths, the Swordsman has taken over his father's hereditary title of "Baron" Strucker, and shaved his head in his honor. He has gained the loyalty of several guards by paying them well, and ordered them to set off a bomb in the Thunderbolts' carrier, the Zeus, to initiate a lockdown. He declares to one of his guards that Norman Osborn will bring him back his sister or he will kill everyone in Thunderbolts Mountain.[2] After a detachment of guards kill most of his loyal guards, Strucker kills off the remaining attacking guards. He then encounters Venom, who declares that he is going to eat Strucker. The two fight, and Strucker runs Venom through with his sword, activating his energy powers while the sword is in Mac Gargan's body.[3] Soon afterwards, Norman Osborn snaps from the pressures of running the Thunderbolts, he reclaims the mantle of the Green Goblin and brutally attacks the Swordsman, crucifying him to a wall with small goblin-daggers.[4]
Not long afterward, it is discovered that Andreas used Arnim Zola to clone Andrea. Although Andreas has his sister back, he decides to complete his contract with the Thunderbolts, leaving the group as a free man. In order to protect his sister while he is on missions, Andreas skins his arm, giving the flesh to Andrea to hold, allowing her to use their shared powers.[5]
Andrea accompanies Andreas and the Thunderbolts to battle the Skrulls during the Secret Invasion. As Andrea confronts a group of Skrulls abord their ship, Moonstone appears from behind and immobilizes him.[6] Bullseye then kills Andrea while she attacks Moonstone. Osborn later convinces Andreas that the Skrulls killed his sister.[7]
The Swordsman saves Songbird's life when Bullseye attempts to kill her.[8] When Swordsman confronts Norman Osborn over the dissolving of the Thunderbolts, Norman loses his sanity momentarily and stabs Andreas through the chest, apparently killing him with his own sword, and throws him out over the mountain.[9]
As a result of in utero genetic engineering, Andreas and his twin sister Andrea were able to fly and generate energy blasts, but only when they were holding hands. When holding hands, Andreas could generate concussive force blasts, while Andrea could generate disintegration beams.
His Swordsman costume houses various hidden blades; his primary sword blade is sheathed in an adamantium alloy and can shoot a grappling hook-like projectile. His sword's hilt is wrapped with his late twin sister's skin and with the help of his sword's hilt he can release powerful bioelectric blasts of concussive force.
Andreas is a phenomenal acrobat and hand-to-hand combatant, skilled in the use of all bladed weapons. He is fluent in German, albeit out of practice.
In the Ultimate Universe Andrea and Andreas Von Strucker appear in the "Cry Wolf" arc Ultimate X-Men. In this version the twins are mutants that can generate heat blasts when they touch each other, and they own an organization called Fenris which they use to "end the economic domination of homo sapiens." The organization masquerades as investment banking firm Fenris International, with offices in the Empire State Building.[10] They employed Gambit to capture Rogue, both of whom they planned to use as covert business spies. However, Rogue turned down their offer and (with ensuing help from the X-Men) succeeded in defeating the twins.
It was also noted that they shared a possibly incestuous relationship when Angel told his teammates that no one "knew if they were siblings... or married", and when Andreas tells his sister that touching him is "a privilege reserved only for you."
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