Eric Koenig (Earth-616)

As a young man, Eric Koenig was a member of the Nazi Youth Group alongside his friend Wilhelm Hauser. When Adolf Hitler came to power in 1935 they both joined the Wehrmacht, but in the 1939 invasion of Poland Eric began to doubt Hitler's leadership. Wilhelm, however, was completely devoted to Hitler and the two men drifted apart.

Eric joined the Luftwaffe in Nazi Germany, but was transferred out of that service when he became an aide to Dr. Draus. Koenig came to resent how Draus treated him as a mere underling. Eric was attending Dr. Draus at an inn when Nick Fury was discovered in the inn and fought with German soldiers. Draus ordered Koenig to protect him but he was convinced by Fury to switch sides and come work for people who would appreciate his talents. Eric turned on Draus and he and Fury forced him to pilot a plane back to England where they placed Dr. Draus into custody and Koenig was introduced to Sam Sawyer. Eric then shared all of the intelligence he had with the Allies as part of his defection to their side.

Eric was then assigned to assist Sgt. Fury, Bull McGiveney and "Rickets" Johnson of the Maulers in rescuing the other Howling Commandos from Germany. Bull and Rickets didn't trust Eric and even got into a fight with him, but Eric remained adamant about his decision to fight for the allies. Eric piloted the team in a captured German plane, but later had to abandon it for fear that their cover had been blown. Eric took the team to his sister Ilsa who told them that the Howlers were going to be executed in Berlin by Hitler himself. They managed to sneak in and save the Howlers, though Dino Manelli was badly injured in the escape. Ilsa helped them get out of Germany, and they made their way back to England.

Sawyer named Koenig to be Manelli's replacement while he was injured and later placed on a special assignment. Later Koenig replaced Izzy Cohen when he was a prisoner of war. Upon Cohen's return, Koenig stayed as a member of the team. At one point, Koenig seemingly defected back to join the Nazi cause,^[2] but he secretly remained loyal to the allies, working as a spy and aiding the Howling commandos on several occasions. He was retrieved by the Commandos, together with his girlfriend Coral Liebowitz^[3] and put on trial, where he was cleared of all charges. he then rejoined the Howlers.^[4]

Koenig became a naturalized American citizen in 1946 and was recruited into the foreign service, becoming stationed in Hassenstadt, Latveria. In the late 1950s, he began working with Louise Mason, a government operative codenamed the Blonde Phantom, who was stationed in Latveria to discover and neutralize any Nazi war criminals who may have been hiding out there. Discovering what they believed to be a large Nazi plot, Koenig contacted his old friend Nick Fury and had him come to Latveria to follow up on the Blonde Phantom's lead. Koenig and Fury then spoke to the Wakandan diplomat in Hassenstadt, who informed them that their prince T'Chaka had been kidnapped, believing it to have been done by the same group that Fury was chasing.^[5] Once this group, known as ICON, was defeated by Fury's Avengers, the State Department was given the whereabouts of the Wakandan prince in exchange for their freedom. T'Chaka was being held in a castle in Hassenstadt, so Koenig and Dum-Dum Dugan were sent to rescue him.^[6]

He was one of the Howlers that joined Nick Fury in forming S.H.I.E.L.D..

When S.H.I.E.L.D. was dismantled and replaced by Norman Osborn's H.A.M.M.E.R., Koenig follow with many agents into the new organisation, as a mole for the Private military company "Howling Commandos".

He was eventually killed during a fight with forces of Hydra, shot in the head while fighting alongside longtime comrade Gabe Jones. Gabe died almost immediately afterwards, attempting to avenge Eric's death.^[7]

Attributes

Power Grid^[10]

Powers

Infinity Formula: He was given the Infinity Formula during World War II

Abilities

Eric Koenig was a skilled pilot, able to fly anything from one-man biplanes to passenger jets. He was trained as a Nazi, ranger, and S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, granting him extraordinary talents in combat and espionage.

Paraphernalia

Equipment

Standard military issue equipment. He wore a S.H.I.E.L.D. uniform made of 9-ply Kevlar.

Weapons

He usually wielded a machine gun, pistol and grenades during World War II. As a member of S.H.I.E.L.D., Koenig had access to a wide variety of equipment and weaponry designed by S.H.I.E.L.D. technicians.

Notes

A S.H.I.E.L.D. officer, the Captain Koenig, was seen acting in Italy before Thanos' attack on Earth.^[8] It is unknown if he is related to Eric Koenig or to his sister Ilsa.

Trivia

His name is sometimes misspelled "Koening".^[9]

Links and References

Eric Koenig at the Marvel Appendix

References

[Gamer's_Handbook_of_the_Marvel_Universe_Vol_1_6-,_Bloodstone's_entry-1] Gamer's Handbook of the Marvel Universe #6 , Bloodstone's entry

[Sgt_Fury_Vol_1_65-2] Sgt. Fury #65

[Sgt_Fury_Vol_1_78-3] Sgt. Fury #78

[Sgt_Fury_Vol_1_79-4] Sgt. Fury #79

[Avengers_1959_Vol_1_2-5] Avengers 1959 #2

[Avengers_1959_Vol_1_5-6] Avengers 1959 #5

[Secret_Warriors_#19-7] Secret Warriors #19

[Infinity_#1-8] Infinity #1

[Secret_Warriors_#28-9] Secret Warriors #28

[10] Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z Vol 1 6

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