Swordsman

Gallery

Real Name

Andreas von Strucker

Current Alias

Swordsman

Aliases

Fenris, Swordsman, Baron Strucker

Relatives

Wolfgang von Strucker (Baron Strucker, father), Elsbeth von Strucker (stepmother, deceased), Andrea Strucker (fraternal twin, deceased), Werner Strucker (half-brother; deceased), Jan (brother-in-law; deceased), Andrea von Strucker (clone of sister; deceased)

Affiliation

Thunderbolts, Initiative; Formerly Fenris, Upstarts, Strikeforce, Assembly of Evil, HYDRA

Status

Identity

Secret Identity

Citizenship

Madripoorian

Marital Status

Single

Occupation

Licensed super hero; former adventurer, terrorist leader

Characteristics

Gender

Male

Height

5' 9"

Weight

165 lbs (75 kg)

Eyes

Blue

Hair

Blond

Origin

Origin

Mutant; Andreas was distraught after his sister's death at the hands of Baron Zemo (Helmut Zemo). The Purple Man thought of him as an ideal weapon and trained him.

Universe

Earth-616

Created by

Chris Claremont, John Romita, Jr.

First appearance

Appearance of Death

Uncanny X-Men #194
(June, 1985)

Secret Invasion: Dark Reign #1
(February, 2009)

HistoryEdit

Fenris Twins

Andreas von Strucker and his twin sister Andrea were the children of Nazi supremacist Baron Strucker, who saw great potential in their future.^[1] While still in-utero, the children were bio-engineered to have superpowers, with each gaining the ability to fly and fire beams of concentrated plasma as long as they were in physical contact, usually accomplished by holding hands.

Now known as the Fenris Twins, the two came into conflict with the X-Men and their enemy Magneto numerous times, believing the latter to have been responsible for the death of their father.^[2] They would later join of group of mutant millionaire supervillains known as the Upstarts, led by the telepathic Gamesmaster, until they were defeated by X-Factor.^[3]

Resurfacing several years later, the two took on the Thunderbolts, secretly led by the villainous Baron Zemo disguised as "Citizen V". Zemo would kill Andrea, leaving Andreas both powerless and distraught. Seeing potential in his abilities and the opportunity to exploit his fractured mental state, Zemo employed Zebediah Killgrave, the Purple Man, to train him as the new Swordsman.

The Thunderbolts

While receiving his training from Killgrave, Andreas was given a leather strap made from his sister's skin which he used as the grip on his sword to harness his powers. Wanting to strike back at Zemo, he infiltrated his team of Thunderbolts under his new identity, even appearing to aid the team by Songbird from Killgrave's sick games. However, he showed his true alliances at last, stabbing both Atlas and Mach IV.

When the Purple Man was eventually defeated by the Thunderbolts, Andreas was confronted by Zemo, who revealed himself as the mastermind behind his training. Despite this revelation, Andreas stayed with the group. He would continue his activities with the team even after their transformation into a government-sanctioned organization during the Initiative.

Secret Invasion and Osborn

When Norman Osborn was made leader of the new Thunderbolts, he attempted to give the team a new image in the public eye as a legitimate hero organization despite having an all-villain lineup. While active on this squad, Andreas was seemingly re-united with his deceased sister Andrea, who claimed to have been resurrected by Arnim Zola's cloning process. The two began a physical relationship while Osborn became suspicious of how quickly Zola was able to create her. When it was later revealed that Andrea was in fact a Skrull shapeshifter attempting to infiltrate the team as part of its people's invasion, she was killed by Bullseye.^[4]

When the Skrulls launched a full-scale attack against Earth, the Thunderbolts were among the combatants present during the final push in Central Park, with Norman Osborn landing the killing blow against their queen, Veranke.^[5] After he is promoted as the new director of S.H.I.E.L.D., Osborn announces that he will dismantle the current Thunderbolts program. While overseeing the shutdown of Thunderbolts Mountain, an irate Swordsman confronted Norman, who seized his sword and murdered him in a psychotic tantrum.^[6]

Powers and AbilitiesEdit

Powers

Plasma Blasts: Andreas was genetically engineered by his father. He can generate plasma in the form of concussive blasts while in contact with any part of his sister Andrea. Since her death, he uses a leather strap made from her skin to accomplish this.

Self-Propelled Flight: Andreas has also demonstrated the ability to fly while in contact with Andrea, though the exact means remain unrevealed.

ParaphernaliaEdit

Weapons

Various bladed weapons; One sword is wire-detachable for use as a grappling hook. The strap is mounted onto the hilt of a blade for use of his power.

TriviaEdit

• Although Andreas is the fourth person from the mainstream Marvel universe to adopt the name Swordsman, he is the only one who is not a multiversal variant of Jacques Duquesne.

LinksEdit

• 95 Appearances of Andreas von Strucker (Earth-616)
• 25 Images featuring Andreas von Strucker (Earth-616)
• 3 Quotations by or about Andreas von Strucker (Earth-616)
• Character Gallery: Andreas von Strucker (Earth-616)
• Fan-Art Gallery: Andreas von Strucker (Earth-616)

Discover and Discuss

• Search this site for: Swordsman · Andreas von Strucker · Andreas von Strucker (Earth-616)
• Search the Forums for: Swordsman · Andreas von Strucker · Andreas von Strucker (Earth-616)
• Discuss this and other characters on the forums

Footnotes