Flag-Smasher
Encyclopedia
The Flag-Smasher is the name used by two fictional
supervillain
s 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.
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 Latveria
n 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
.
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.
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.
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
. 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
.
The Flag-Smasher later captured an amnesiac Demolition-Man, but during a battle with USAgent he fell into the Arctic Ocean.
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. 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.
.
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.
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
.
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
. He is next seen being described as the new Flag-Smasher.
After this he was seen fighting against Liberteens, but was defeated and imprisoned. 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. .
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.
Fictional character
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...
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 appearing in the 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...
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 original was most often a foe of Captain America
Captain America
Captain America is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Captain America Comics #1 , from Marvel Comics' 1940s predecessor, Timely Comics, and was created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby...
while other adversaries of the Flag-Smasher include The Punisher
Punisher
The Punisher is a fictional character, an anti-hero appearing in comic books based in the . Created by writer Gerry Conway and artists John Romita, Sr., and Ross Andru, the character made its first appearance in The Amazing Spider-Man #129 .The Punisher is a vigilante who employs murder,...
, Moon Knight
Moon Knight
Moon Knight is a fictional character, a mercenary-turned-superhero appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character exists in the Marvel Universe and was created by Doug Moench and Don Perlin...
, Ghost Rider
Ghost Rider (comics)
Ghost Rider is the name of several fictional supernatural antiheroes appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Marvel had previously used the name for a Western character whose name was later changed to Night Rider and subsequently to Phantom Rider.The first supernatural Ghost Rider is...
, The Runaways
Runaways (comics)
Runaways is a comic book series published by Marvel Comics. The series features a group of teenagers who discover that their parents are part of an evil crime group called the Pride. Created by Brian K. Vaughan and Adrian Alphona, the series debuted in April of 2003 as part of Marvel Comics'...
, and The Liberteens.
Fictional character biography
The first Flag-Smasher was born Karl Morgenthau, the son of a wealthy SwissSwitzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
banker-turned-diplomat
Diplomat
A diplomat is a person appointed by a state to conduct diplomacy with another state or international organization. The main functions of diplomats revolve around the representation and protection of the interests and nationals of the sending state, as well as the promotion of information and...
, in Bern, Switzerland
Berne
The city of Bern or Berne is the Bundesstadt of Switzerland, and, with a population of , the fourth most populous city in Switzerland. The Bern agglomeration, which includes 43 municipalities, has a population of 349,000. The metropolitan area had a population of 660,000 in 2000...
. 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 Latveria
Latveria
Latveria is a nation in the . It is an isolated European country ruled by the supervillain Doctor Doom, supposedly located in the Banat region. It is surrounded by the Carpathian Mountains, and also borders the Symkaria to the south. Its capital is Doomstadt.-Publication history:Latveria first...
n 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
Terrorism
Terrorism is the systematic use of terror, especially as a means of coercion. In the international community, however, terrorism has no universally agreed, legally binding, criminal law definition...
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
Captain America
Captain America is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Captain America Comics #1 , from Marvel Comics' 1940s predecessor, Timely Comics, and was created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby...
.
He founded ULTIMATUM
Ultimatum (comics)
ULTIMATUM is a fictional terrorist organization in the Marvel Comics universe. It was founded by the Flag-Smasher in his attempts to destroy nationalism...
, 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.
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....
The Flag-Smasher later learned that the Red Skull
Red Skull
The Red Skull is a name shared by several fictional characters, all supervillains from the Marvel Comics universe. All incarnations of the character are enemies of Captain America, other superheroes, and the United States in general....
was funding ULTIMATUM. He survived assassination attempts by ULTIMATUM, and captured the current Captain America
U.S. Agent
U.S. Agent is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in books published by Marvel Comics, usually those starring Captain America and the Avengers. He was created by Mark Gruenwald and Paul Neary in Captain America vol...
, John Walker. The Flag-Smasher teamed with Captain America, Battle Star
Battlestar (comics)
Battlestar , who was also the fifth Bucky, is a fictional character, who is a superhero in the Marvel Comics universe. He was created by Mark Gruenwald and Paul Neary in Captain America #323 ....
, and Demolition-Man
Demolition Man (comics)
Demolition Man , also known as D-Man, is a fictional character in the .-Publication history:Dennis Dunphy first appeared in The Thing #28 , written by Mike Carlin and illustrated by Ron Wilson...
in thwarting an ULTIMATUM plot to set off a worldwide electromagnetic pulse that would render all electrically operated machinery useless.
The Flag-Smasher again became head of ULTIMATUM, and attempted to supply American subversives with arms, but was thwarted by Moon Knight
Moon Knight
Moon Knight is a fictional character, a mercenary-turned-superhero appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character exists in the Marvel Universe and was created by Doug Moench and Don Perlin...
and the Punisher
Punisher
The Punisher is a fictional character, an anti-hero appearing in comic books based in the . Created by writer Gerry Conway and artists John Romita, Sr., and Ross Andru, the character made its first appearance in The Amazing Spider-Man #129 .The Punisher is a vigilante who employs murder,...
. 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
Ghost Rider (Daniel Ketch)
Ghost Rider is a comic book character, a supernatural superhero in Marvel Comics' main shared universe. He is the third Marvel character to use the name Ghost Rider, following the Western hero later known as the Phantom Rider, and Johnny Blaze, the first supernatural Ghost Rider.-Publication...
.
The Flag-Smasher later captured an amnesiac Demolition-Man, but during a battle with USAgent he fell into the Arctic Ocean.
Roxxon Oil
Roxxon Oil
Roxxon Energy Corporation is the name of a fictional massive petroleum corporation owned by Aleksander Lukin and run by August D'Angelo. The company appears in comic book stories published by Marvel Comics and exists in that company's shared universe, known as the Marvel Universe...
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. It was later revealed that the Flag-Smasher was allegedly assassinated by Domino as part of a series of events which installed Cable
Cable (comics)
Cable is a fictional character appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared as an infant in Uncanny X-Men #201...
as leader of that nation.
Powers and abilities
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 EsperantoEsperanto
is the most widely spoken constructed international auxiliary language. Its name derives from Doktoro Esperanto , the pseudonym under which L. L. Zamenhof published the first book detailing Esperanto, the Unua Libro, in 1887...
.
ULTIMATUM
Ultimatum (comics)
ULTIMATUM is a fictional terrorist organization in the Marvel Comics universe. It was founded by the Flag-Smasher in his attempts to destroy nationalism...
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.
Flag-Smasher (Guy Thierrault)
Following the assassination of the original Flag-Smasher, Canadian ULTIMATUM agent Guy Thierrault assumed the role to continue the spread of anti-nationalism agenda. During the Civil WarCivil War (comics)
Civil War is a 2006-2007 Marvel Comics crossover storyline built around a self-titled seven-issue limited series written by Mark Millar and penciled by Steve McNiven, which ran through various other titles published by Marvel at the time...
story arc, he attacks the Santa Monica Farmers' Market
Third Street Promenade
The Third Street Promenade is a public entertainment venue in the downtown area of Santa Monica, California. It is considered a premier shopping and dining district on the Westside and draws crowds from all over Los Angeles County...
to show his opposition to the Super-Human Registration Act
Registration Acts (comics)
The Registration Acts—the Mutant Registration Act and Superhuman Registration Act —are fictional legislative bills that have been plot points used in various comic books published by Marvel Comics which, when passed into law, enforce the mandatory registration of superpowered individuals with...
, but is defeated by The Runaways
Runaways (comics)
Runaways is a comic book series published by Marvel Comics. The series features a group of teenagers who discover that their parents are part of an evil crime group called the Pride. Created by Brian K. Vaughan and Adrian Alphona, the series debuted in April of 2003 as part of Marvel Comics'...
.
Later, a fight is described between the Flag-Smasher and Araña
Anya Corazon
Anya Sofia Corazon is a fictional half Mexican and half Puerto Rican superheroine in the . She formerly went by the codename Araña, but is currently known as Spider-Girl.-Publication history:...
. Flag-Smasher strikes Araña with his mace, but is later defeated by Spider-Man
Spider-Man
Spider-Man is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and writer-artist Steve Ditko. He first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15...
. He is next seen being described as the new Flag-Smasher.
After this he was seen fighting against Liberteens, but was defeated and imprisoned. 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
Falcon (comics)
The Falcon is a fictional comic book superhero in comic books published by Marvel Comics.Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Gene Colan, and introduced in Captain America #117 , the character is mainstream comics' first African-American superhero...
and his "sidekick" Redwing helped Nomad defeat the Flag-Smasher, who was again arrested and jailed. .
Flag-Smasher later kidnapped a Middle Eastern banker, but was confronted by the new Venom
Venom (comics)
Eddie Brock is a fictional character created by David Michelinie and Todd McFarlane. A comic book supervillain, Brock's earliest appearance is a cameo in Web of Spider-Man #18 before making his first full appearance in The Amazing Spider-Man #299 as Venom...
, Flash Thompson
Flash Thompson
Eugene "Flash" Thompson is a supporting character in Marvel Comics’s Spider-Man series. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, he first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15 ....
. Venom then succumbed to his symbiote
Symbiote (comics)
In the Marvel Comics universe, The Symbiote is a specific parasitic species of extraterrestrial organism...
's murderous tendencies. After killing Flag-Smasher's cohorts, he then bit off Flag-Smasher's right arm.