| Flag-Smasher | |
|---|---|
The Flag-Smasher explains his politics. |
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| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | Captain America #312 (December 1985) |
| Created by | Mark Gruenwald Paul Neary |
| In-story information | |
| Species | Human |
| Team affiliations | ULTIMATUM |
| Abilities | None |
The Flag-Smasher is the name used by two fictional supervillains appearing in the Marvel Comics universe. The original was most often a foe of Captain America while other adversaries of the Flag-Smasher include The Punisher, Moon Knight, Ghost Rider, The Runaways, and The Liberteens.
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The first Flag-Smasher was born Karl Morgenthau, [1] the son of a wealthy Swiss banker-turned-diplomat, in Bern, Switzerland. He wanted to follow in his father's footsteps and become a diplomat until his father was trampled to death in a riot at a Latverian embassy. He came to believe that humanity needed to do away with the concept of countries and nationalism that made people feel superior to those of different nationalities.
In modern times, the Flag-Smasher uses terrorism to spread anti-nationalist sentiment. He conducted a one-man terrorist campaign in New York City against nationalist symbols, and held hundreds as hostages until he was eventually captured by Captain America.[2]
He founded ULTIMATUM, the Underground Liberated Totally Integrated Mobile Army To Unite Mankind. He served as the Supreme Commander of the anti-nationalistic terrorist organization. With ULTIMATUM, he hijacked an American airliner and held its passengers hostage. He demanded the surrender of Captain America for execution in return for the hostages' freedom. His plot was thwarted by Captain America and S.H.I.E.L.D.[3]
The Flag-Smasher later learned that the Red Skull was funding ULTIMATUM. He survived assassination attempts by ULTIMATUM, and captured the current Captain America, John Walker. The Flag-Smasher teamed with Captain America, Battle Star, and Demolition-Man in thwarting an ULTIMATUM plot to set off a worldwide electromagnetic pulse that would render all electrically operated machinery useless.[4]
The Flag-Smasher again became head of ULTIMATUM, and attempted to supply American subversives with arms, but was thwarted by Moon Knight and the Punisher.[5] He made a new attempt to create anarchy in the United States through distribution of arms to malcontents, but was thwarted this time by the Punisher and Ghost Rider.[6]
The Flag-Smasher later captured an amnesiac Demolition-Man, but during a battle with USAgent he fell into the Arctic Ocean.[7]
Roxxon Oil turned him into a berserker with super-strength, but he later lost these powers.
The Flag-Smasher was installed as the ruler of Rumekistan by the V-Battalion as a compromise between powers.[8] It was later revealed that the Flag-Smasher was allegedly assassinated by Domino as part of a series of events which installed Cable as leader of that nation.[9][10]
The Flag-Smasher is an athletic man who is a gifted hand-to-hand combatant with great proficiency in the martial art of shotokan karate-do. He is also a brilliant terrorist strategist, and has fluency in English, French, German, Russian, Italian, Japanese, and Esperanto.
ULTIMATUM personnel have supplied him with a number of weapons and other devices, including a flame-throwing pistol, a tear-gas gun, a spiked mace, jet-propelled skis used for flight, teleportation devices, submarines, and rocket-propelled hovercrafts.
Following the assassination of the original Flag-Smasher, Canadian ULTIMATUM agent Guy Thierrault assumed the role to continue the spread of anti-nationalism agenda.[11][12][13] During the Civil War story arc, he attacks the Santa Monica Farmers' Market to show his opposition to the Super-Human Registration Act, but is defeated by The Runaways.[14]
Later, a fight is described between the Flag-Smasher and Araña. Flag-Smasher strikes Araña with his mace, but is later defeated by Spider-Man.[15] He is next seen being described as the new Flag-Smasher.[16]
After this he was seen fighting against Liberteens, but was defeated and imprisoned.[17] Flag-Smasher then returned and launched an attack on a New York diner, where Nomad (Rikki Barnes) was having a chat with her friend John. The explosion caused John to get hurt, and Rikki quickly put on her new Nomad uniform to fight the Flag-Smasher, who was now wearing a similar suit to the original Flag-Smasher. The Falcon and his "sidekick" Redwing helped Nomad defeat the Flag-Smasher, who was again arrested and jailed. .[18]
Flag-Smasher later kidnapped a Middle Eastern banker, but was confronted by the new Venom, Flash Thompson. Venom then succumbed to his symbiote's murderous tendencies. After killing Flag-Smasher's cohorts, he then bit off Flag-Smasher's right arm.[19]
Flag-Smasher (Guy Thierrault) at the Appendix to the Handbook of the Marvel Universe