Andreas von Strucker
Encyclopedia
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.
, 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 supervillain
s 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 incest
uous 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.
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. 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. 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.
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.
Andrea accompanies Andreas and the Thunderbolts to battle the Skrull
s during the Secret Invasion
. As Andrea confronts a group of Skrulls abord their ship, Moonstone appears from behind and immobilizes him. Bullseye
then kills Andrea while she attacks Moonstone. Osborn later convinces Andreas that the Skrulls killed his sister.
The Swordsman saves Songbird's life when Bullseye attempts to kill her. 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.
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 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
. 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."
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
character
Character (arts)
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
in Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
' main shared
Shared universe
A shared universe is a fictional universe to which more than one writer contributes. Work set in a shared universe share characters and other elements with varying degrees of consistency. Shared universes are contrasted with collaborative writing, in which multiple authors work on a single story....
universe
Marvel Universe
The Marvel Universe is the shared fictional universe where most comic book titles and other media published by Marvel Entertainment take place, including those featuring Marvel's most familiar characters, such as Spider-Man, the Hulk, the X-Men, and the Avengers.The Marvel Universe is further...
. The character was created by Chris Claremont
Chris Claremont
Chris Claremont is an award-winning American comic book writer and novelist, known for his 17-year stint on Uncanny X-Men, far longer than any other writer, during which he is credited with developing strong female characters, and with introducing complex literary themes into superhero...
and John Romita Jr. Andreas and his twin sister Andrea were known together as Fenris
Fenris (comics)
Fenris are two fictional characters from the Marvel Comics universe, namely German twins Andrea and Andreas von Strucker. They are the children of supervillain Baron Wolfgang von Strucker of HYDRA and the half-brother of Werner von Strucker. Andrea is female, Andreas is male...
; after she was killed, he became the new Swordsman
Swordsman (comics)
Swordsman is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics universe. His first appearance was in Avengers Vol.1 #19 and was created by Stan Lee and Don Heck. The Swordsman was introduced as an enemy of Hawkeye and the Avengers...
. Andreas first appeared in Uncanny X-Men
Uncanny X-Men
Uncanny X-Men, first published as The X-Men, is the flagship Marvel Comics comic book series for the X-Men franchise. It is the mainstream continuity featuring the adventures of the eponymous group of mutant superheroes...
#194, although his powers and codename were not revealed until #200. His first appearance as the Swordsman was in New Thunderbolts
Thunderbolts (comics)
The Thunderbolts are a Marvel Comics superhero team, which consists mostly of former supervillains. The group first appeared in The Incredible Hulk #449 , and was created by Kurt Busiek and Mark Bagley.-Publication history:...
#2, but he was not revealed to be the Swordsman until issue #17.
Fictional character biography
Andreas and his twin sister Andrea are the children of Baron Wolfgang von StruckerBaron Strucker
Baron Wolfgang von Strucker is a fictional character created for Marvel Comics by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, first appearing in Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos #5...
, the leader of the Nazi
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
terrorist organization HYDRA
HYDRA
HYDRA is a fictional terrorist organization in the Marvel Universe.Despite the name's capitalization per Marvel's official spelling, the name is not an acronym but rather a reference to the mythical Lernaean 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
White supremacy
White supremacy is the belief, and promotion of the belief, that white people are superior to people of other racial backgrounds. The term is sometimes used specifically to describe a political ideology that advocates the social and political dominance by whites.White supremacy, as with racial...
, Nazism, and the Fourth Reich
Fourth Reich
The Fourth Reich is a term used to describe a theoretical future successor of the Third Reich.-Neo-Nazism:In terms of neo-Nazism, the Fourth Reich is envisioned as featuring Aryan supremacy, anti-Semitism, Lebensraum, aggressive militarism and totalitarianism...
. In adulthood, the twins became the supervillain
Supervillain
A supervillain or supervillainess is a variant of the villain character type, commonly found in comic books, action movies and science fiction in various media.They are sometimes used as foils to superheroes and other fictional heroes...
s known as Fenris
Fenris (comics)
Fenris are two fictional characters from the Marvel Comics universe, namely German twins Andrea and Andreas von Strucker. They are the children of supervillain Baron Wolfgang von Strucker of HYDRA and the half-brother of Werner von Strucker. Andrea is female, Andreas is male...
, 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-Men
The X-Men are a superhero team in the . They were created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, and first appeared in The X-Men #1...
, X-Factor
X-Factor (comics)
X-Factor is an American comic book series published by Marvel Comics. It is a spin-off of the popular X-Men franchise, featuring characters from X-Men stories. The series has been relaunched several times with different team rosters, most recently as X-Factor Investigations.X-Factor launched in...
, and Magneto
Magneto (comics)
Magneto is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. He is the central villain of the X-Men comic, as well as the TV show and the films. The character first appears in X-Men #1 , and was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby...
. However, when Andrea discovers that Citizen V
Citizen V
Citizen V, is the codename of several fictional superheroes in the Marvel Comics universe. The original Citizen V was an obscure hero from the Golden Age of Comic Books, but the character's identity was revived in the modern day in the pages of Thunderbolts. The various incarnations of the...
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
Purple Man
The Purple Man is a Marvel Comics supervillain. Originally a foe of Daredevil, he was introduced in Daredevil vol. 1 #4...
brainwash Andreas into becoming the new Swordsman
Swordsman (comics)
Swordsman is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics universe. His first appearance was in Avengers Vol.1 #19 and was created by Stan Lee and Don Heck. The Swordsman was introduced as an enemy of Hawkeye and the Avengers...
. 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
Thunderbolts (comics)
The Thunderbolts are a Marvel Comics superhero team, which consists mostly of former supervillains. The group first appeared in The Incredible Hulk #449 , and was created by Kurt Busiek and Mark Bagley.-Publication history:...
.
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
Green Goblin
The Green Goblin is a fictional character, a supervillain who appears in the comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, and first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #14 ....
, his superior, notes that Andreas loved his sister in "many ways", implying an incest
Incest
Incest is sexual intercourse between close relatives that is usually illegal in the jurisdiction where it takes place and/or is conventionally considered a taboo. The term may apply to sexual activities between: individuals of close "blood relationship"; members of the same household; step...
uous aspect to their relationship. Fellow teammate and current field leader Moonstone
Moonstone (comics)
Moonstone is a fictional character, both a supervillain and superheroine in Marvel Comics' Marvel Universe.-Publication history:...
has approached Andreas with a reassurance. If he helps her kill Songbird
Songbird (comics)
Songbird , formerly known as Screaming Mimi, is a fictional character, a superheroine and former supervillainess in the Marvel Comics Universe.-Publication history:...
, 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
Jack Flag
Jack Flag is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics universe. He first appeared in Captain America #434 , and was created by Mark Gruenwald and Dave Hoover.- Fictional character biography :...
hit him with the flat of his own sword, and second when Steel Spider
Steel Spider
The Steel Spider is a fictional character who appears in the comic books published by Marvel Comics, primarily in the various Spider-Man titles.-Origin:...
threw him through a window and a flat-screen television using a metal limb.
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. 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. 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
Crucifixion
Crucifixion is an ancient method of painful execution in which the condemned person is tied or nailed to a large wooden cross and left to hang until dead...
him to a wall with small goblin-daggers.
Not long afterward, it is discovered that Andreas used Arnim Zola
Arnim Zola
Arnim Zola is a fictional character a supervillain appearing in the Marvel Comics universe. He is a master of biochemistry, and frequent foe of Captain America and the Avengers.-Publication history:...
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.
Andrea accompanies Andreas and the Thunderbolts to battle the Skrull
Skrull
The Skrulls are a fictional race of extraterrestrial shapeshifters that appear in publications by Marvel Comics.-Publication history:The Skrulls first appeared in Fantastic Four #2 and were created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby....
s during the Secret Invasion
Secret Invasion
"Secret Invasion" is a comic book crossover storyline that ran through a self-titled eight issue limited series and several tie-in books published by Marvel Comics from April through December 2008....
. As Andrea confronts a group of Skrulls abord their ship, Moonstone appears from behind and immobilizes him. Bullseye
Bullseye (comics)
Bullseye is a fictional character, a supervillain in the Marvel Comics universe.A psychopathic assassin, Bullseye uses the opportunities afforded by his line of work to exercise his homicidal tendencies and to work out his own personal vendetta against Daredevil.Although he possesses no...
then kills Andrea while she attacks Moonstone. Osborn later convinces Andreas that the Skrulls killed his sister.
The Swordsman saves Songbird's life when Bullseye attempts to kill her. When Swordsman confronts Norman Osborn
Green Goblin
The Green Goblin is a fictional character, a supervillain who appears in the comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, and first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #14 ....
over the dissolving of the Thunderbolts
Thunderbolts (comics)
The Thunderbolts are a Marvel Comics superhero team, which consists mostly of former supervillains. The group first appeared in The Incredible Hulk #449 , and was created by Kurt Busiek and Mark Bagley.-Publication history:...
, 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.
Powers and abilities
As a result of in uteroIn utero
In utero is a Latin term literally meaning "in the womb". In biology, the phrase describes the state of an embryo or fetus. In legal contexts, the phrase is used to refer to unborn children. Under common law, unborn children are still considered to exist for property transfer purposes.-See also:*...
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
Grappling hook
A grappling hook is an anchor with multiple hooks , attached to a rope; it is thrown, dropped, sunk, projected, or fastened directly by hand to where at least one hook may catch and hold. Generally, grappling hooks are used to temporarily secure one end of a rope. They may also be used to dredge...
-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.
Ultimate
In the Ultimate Universe Andrea and Andreas Von Strucker appear in the "Cry Wolf" arc Ultimate X-MenUltimate X-Men
Ultimate X-Men is a superhero comic book series that was published by Marvel Comics from 2001 to 2009. The series is a modernized re-imagining of Marvel's long-running X-Men comic book franchise as part of its Ultimate Marvel imprint...
. 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
Empire State Building
The Empire State Building is a 102-story landmark skyscraper and American cultural icon in New York City at the intersection of Fifth Avenue and West 34th Street. It has a roof height of 1,250 feet , and with its antenna spire included, it stands a total of 1,454 ft high. Its name is derived...
. 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."
Video Games
- The Andreas Strucker version of Swordsman appears in the PSPPlayStation PortableThe is a handheld game console manufactured and marketed by Sony Corporation Development of the console was announced during E3 2003, and it was unveiled on , 2004, at a Sony press conference before E3 2004...
version of Marvel: Ultimate AllianceMarvel: Ultimate AllianceMarvel: Ultimate Alliance is an action role-playing game developed for PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Xbox and Xbox 360 by Raven Software and published by Activision. The game was simultaneously ported to the PlayStation Portable and Wii by Vicarious Visions, and to Microsoft Windows by Beenox...
. He is seen in the exclusive simulator disc boss for HawkeyeHawkeye (comics)Hawkeye , also known as Goliath and Ronin, is a fictional character that appears in the comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Tales of Suspense #57 and was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Don Heck. Hawkeye joined the Avengers in Avengers Vol. 1 #16 Hawkeye...
.