Dirk Anger
Encyclopedia
Dirk Anger is a satiric Marvel Comics character appearing in the book Nextwave
. He was created by Warren Ellis
and Stuart Immonen
.
Anger is a thinly veiled, over-the-top parody of Nick Fury
. Ellis originally intended to use Fury, but when that character was unavailable, he created Dirk Anger.
Despite the appearance of Nextwave characters in other Marvel titles, in 2006 Editor-in-Chief Joe Quesada
stated that Nextwave's setting was in a universe separate from the main Marvel continuity. However, recent issues of Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe
, as well as Civil War: Battle Damage Report, consistently place Nextwave's activities in mainstream continuity.
), and apparently oversees all operations aboard the Aeromarine (a reference to the S.H.I.E.L.D.
Helicarrier
- but while the Helicarrier is essentially a flying aircraft carrier
, the Aeromarine appears to consist of several submarine
s, bolted together, with rocket engines). Anger is fully aware that The Beyond Corporation©
, which funds H.A.T.E., is the newest version of terrorist cell S.I.L.E.N.T. However, he simply doesn't care.
Anger is over ninety years old, but has, through chemical means ("H.A.T.E. has the best drugs"), an extended lifespan. It has been hinted that Anger has been married at least once, and that he has met Winston Churchill
and bested him in a hula hoop
contest.
Anger has a multitude of psychological issues, including misogyny
, bulimia
, alcoholism
, nicotine addiction
, depression
, sadism, and a fixation on a flowery house dress that may have belonged to his mother (in a scene reminiscent of Norman Bates
). It is implied that his mother is in fact Andrea Dworkin
, although this was made during an off-the-cuff comment. At one point, he was fed chopped-up baby chick
s through an intravenous tube
; it is unknown whether this is a regular treatment. He has also revealed (in Nextwave #6) that his wife, upon turning forty, refused to give in any longer to a fetish
of his involving a wig, a chicken, and a bathful of acid; she then apparently took all his money, painted everything pink, had him adopt 'a million screaming little snot-factory children', and went under the belief that her womb
would fall out should he touch her.
Dirk has been seen playing a bizarre form of Russian Roulette
with a pistol larger than a semi-truck. The barrel curves back around to point at Dirk's seat atop the gun. He also attempted to kill himself by taking an overdose of pills in a bowl of ice cream. Shortly after he began to eat however, he got word that NextWave was in a death situation and he was free to watch them. Given a new will to live, he asks for "eight loose women and a stomach pump!", which is how he apparently survives the poisoning.
Dirk Anger accidentally (and finally) committed suicide by hanging during his pursuit of the Nextwave squad. However, the Beyond Corporation© had installed a "Zombie Switch" in his brain, preventing him from dying, yet leaving him craving human brains. He apparently was completely destroyed when he ordered his aeromarine to ram Nextwave's ship into Beyond's floating city, claiming to the aeromarine crew that he "reinvented suicide as a group activity. Go me."
His final words are "My Name's Dirk Anger and I say ☠☠☠☠ all of you."
Nextwave
Nextwave is a comic book series by Warren Ellis and Stuart Immonen, published by Marvel Comics between 2006 and 2007.-Concept:The series was written exclusively in two-issue story arcs, a choice deliberately bucking the trend in modern American comics toward decompression...
. He was created by Warren Ellis
Warren Ellis
Warren Girard Ellis is an English author of comics, novels, and television, who is well-known for sociocultural commentary, both through his online presence and through his writing, which covers transhumanist themes...
and Stuart Immonen
Stuart Immonen
Stuart Immonen is a Canadian comic book artist. He is best known for his work on Nextwave, Ultimate X-Men, The New Avengers and Ultimate Spider-Man...
.
Anger is a thinly veiled, over-the-top parody of Nick Fury
Nick Fury
Colonel Nicholas Joseph "Nick" Fury is a fictional World War II army hero and present-day super-spy in the Marvel Comics universe. Created by artist Jack Kirby and writer Stan Lee, Fury first appeared in Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos #1 , a World War II combat series that portrayed the...
. Ellis originally intended to use Fury, but when that character was unavailable, he created Dirk Anger.
Despite the appearance of Nextwave characters in other Marvel titles, in 2006 Editor-in-Chief Joe Quesada
Joe Quesada
Joseph "Joe" Quesada is an American comic book editor, writer and artist. He became known in the 1990s for his work on various Valiant Comics books, such as Ninjak and Solar, Man of the Atom...
stated that Nextwave's setting was in a universe separate from the main Marvel continuity. However, recent issues of Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe
Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe
The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe is an encyclopedic guide which details the fictional universe featured in Marvel Comics publications...
, as well as Civil War: Battle Damage Report, consistently place Nextwave's activities in mainstream continuity.
Fictional character biography
Dirk Anger is the Director of the Highest Anti Terrorist Effort (H.A.T.E.H.A.T.E.
The Highest Anti-Terrorism Effort, better known by its acronym H.A.T.E., is one of two antagonistic organizations in Marvel Comics' Nextwave: Agents of H.A.T.E., a series created by Warren Ellis....
), and apparently oversees all operations aboard the Aeromarine (a reference to the S.H.I.E.L.D.
S.H.I.E.L.D.
S.H.I.E.L.D. is a fictional espionage and a secret military law-enforcement agency in the Marvel Comics Universe. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in Strange Tales #135 , it often deals with superhuman threats....
Helicarrier
Helicarrier
The Helicarrier is a fictional flying aircraft carrier specifically designed to be capable of independent powered flight in addition to the conventional functions of aircraft carriers...
- but while the Helicarrier is essentially a flying aircraft carrier
Aircraft carrier
An aircraft carrier is a warship designed with a primary mission of deploying and recovering aircraft, acting as a seagoing airbase. Aircraft carriers thus allow a naval force to project air power worldwide without having to depend on local bases for staging aircraft operations...
, the Aeromarine appears to consist of several submarine
Submarine
A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...
s, bolted together, with rocket engines). Anger is fully aware that The Beyond Corporation©
Beyond Corporation©
The Beyond Corporation© is a fictional multinational corporation that appears in the comic books published by Marvel Comics. The corporation acts as a recurring antagonist in the Nextwave: Agents of H.A.T.E. series, appearing in every story arc....
, which funds H.A.T.E., is the newest version of terrorist cell S.I.L.E.N.T. However, he simply doesn't care.
Anger is over ninety years old, but has, through chemical means ("H.A.T.E. has the best drugs"), an extended lifespan. It has been hinted that Anger has been married at least once, and that he has met Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
and bested him in a hula hoop
Hula hoop
A hula hoop is a toy hoop that is twirled around the waist, limbs or neck.Although the exact origins of hula hoops are unknown, children and adults around the world have played with hoops, twirling, rolling and throwing them throughout history...
contest.
Anger has a multitude of psychological issues, including misogyny
Misogyny
Misogyny is the hatred or dislike of women or girls. Philogyny, meaning fondness, love or admiration towards women, is the antonym of misogyny. The term misandry is the term for men that is parallel to misogyny...
, bulimia
Bulimia nervosa
Bulimia nervosa is an eating disorder characterized by binge eating and purging or consuming a large amount of food in a short amount of time, followed by an attempt to rid oneself of the food consumed, usually by purging and/or by laxative, diuretics or excessive exercise. Bulimia nervosa is...
, alcoholism
Alcoholism
Alcoholism is a broad term for problems with alcohol, and is generally used to mean compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, usually to the detriment of the drinker's health, personal relationships, and social standing...
, nicotine addiction
Tobacco smoking
Tobacco smoking is the practice where tobacco is burned and the resulting smoke is inhaled. The practice may have begun as early as 5000–3000 BCE. Tobacco was introduced to Eurasia in the late 16th century where it followed common trade routes...
, depression
Clinical depression
Major depressive disorder is a mental disorder characterized by an all-encompassing low mood accompanied by low self-esteem, and by loss of interest or pleasure in normally enjoyable activities...
, sadism, and a fixation on a flowery house dress that may have belonged to his mother (in a scene reminiscent of Norman Bates
Norman Bates
Norman Bates is a fictional character created by writer Robert Bloch as the central character in his novel Psycho, and portrayed by Anthony Perkins as the main antagonist of the 1960 film of the same name directed by Alfred Hitchcock...
). It is implied that his mother is in fact Andrea Dworkin
Andrea Dworkin
Andrea Rita Dworkin was an American radical feminist and writer best known for her criticism of pornography, which she argued was linked to rape and other forms of violence against women....
, although this was made during an off-the-cuff comment. At one point, he was fed chopped-up baby chick
Chicken
The chicken is a domesticated fowl, a subspecies of the Red Junglefowl. As one of the most common and widespread domestic animals, and with a population of more than 24 billion in 2003, there are more chickens in the world than any other species of bird...
s through an intravenous tube
Intravenous therapy
Intravenous therapy or IV therapy is the infusion of liquid substances directly into a vein. The word intravenous simply means "within a vein". Therapies administered intravenously are often called specialty pharmaceuticals...
; it is unknown whether this is a regular treatment. He has also revealed (in Nextwave #6) that his wife, upon turning forty, refused to give in any longer to a fetish
Sexual fetishism
Sexual fetishism, or erotic fetishism, is the sexual arousal a person receives from a physical object, or from a specific situation. The object or situation of interest is called the fetish, the person a fetishist who has a fetish for that object/situation. Sexual fetishism may be regarded, e.g...
of his involving a wig, a chicken, and a bathful of acid; she then apparently took all his money, painted everything pink, had him adopt 'a million screaming little snot-factory children', and went under the belief that her womb
Uterus
The uterus or womb is a major female hormone-responsive reproductive sex organ of most mammals including humans. One end, the cervix, opens into the vagina, while the other is connected to one or both fallopian tubes, depending on the species...
would fall out should he touch her.
Dirk has been seen playing a bizarre form of Russian Roulette
Russian roulette
Russian roulette is a potentially lethal game of chance in which participants place a single round in a revolver, spin the cylinder, place the muzzle against their head and pull the trigger...
with a pistol larger than a semi-truck. The barrel curves back around to point at Dirk's seat atop the gun. He also attempted to kill himself by taking an overdose of pills in a bowl of ice cream. Shortly after he began to eat however, he got word that NextWave was in a death situation and he was free to watch them. Given a new will to live, he asks for "eight loose women and a stomach pump!", which is how he apparently survives the poisoning.
Dirk Anger accidentally (and finally) committed suicide by hanging during his pursuit of the Nextwave squad. However, the Beyond Corporation© had installed a "Zombie Switch" in his brain, preventing him from dying, yet leaving him craving human brains. He apparently was completely destroyed when he ordered his aeromarine to ram Nextwave's ship into Beyond's floating city, claiming to the aeromarine crew that he "reinvented suicide as a group activity. Go me."
His final words are "My Name's Dirk Anger and I say ☠☠☠☠ all of you."
Awards
- Dirk Anger won the "Favorite Comics Villain" Eagle Award in 2007.