Harlan Krueger

Fictional character biography

Harlan Krueger was born in Los Angeles, California

Los Angeles, California

Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...

. He was a fanatical moviegoer who idolized movie stars of the past (such as John Wayne

John Wayne

Marion Mitchell Morrison , better known by his stage name John Wayne, was an American film actor, director and producer. He epitomized rugged masculinity and became an enduring American icon. He is famous for his distinctive calm voice, walk, and height...

, Humphrey Bogart

Humphrey Bogart

Humphrey DeForest Bogart was an American actor. He is widely regarded as a cultural icon.The American Film Institute ranked Bogart as the greatest male star in the history of American cinema....

, and Alan Ladd

Alan Ladd

-Early life:Ladd was born in Hot Springs, Arkansas. He was the only child of Ina Raleigh Ladd and Alan Ladd, Sr. He was of English ancestry. His father died when he was four, and his mother relocated to Oklahoma City where she married Jim Beavers, a housepainter...

). He identified with these heroic figures, developing a simplistic view of good and evil in real life, deciding that evildoers should pay for their crimes with their lives.

After being court-martialed from the army for torturing prisoners of war, Krueger resolved to take the law into his own hands and became the masked vigilante the Hangman. His modus operandi involved executing male criminals while leaving female ones alive but imprisoned to 'protect them' from corruption (many died of starvation while in captivity). After years of stalking criminals with a noose and scythe, he came into conflict with the Werewolf by Night

Werewolf by Night

Werewolf by Night is a fictional character, an antiheroic werewolf in the Marvel Comics universe. The Werewolf by Night first appeared in Marvel Spotlight vol...

. He later battled the Werewolf again and Deprave. Hangman then allied with Doctor Glitternight

Doctor Glitternight

Doctor Glitternight is a fictional character in the Marvel Universe.-Publication history:Doctor Glitternight first appeared in Werewolf by Night #27 , and was created by Doug Moench and Don Perlin....

 and 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...

 against the Werewolf.

Hangman also battled the Spider-Woman

Spider-Woman (Jessica Drew)

Spider-Woman is a fictional character, a superheroine in the Marvel Comics Universe. The character first appeared in Marvel Spotlight #32 , and 50 issues of an ongoing series titled Spider-Woman followed...

. He was later one of the criminals captured by the Locksmith

Locksmith (comics)

Locksmith is a fictional character in the Marvel Universe.-Publication history:The Locksmith appeared in Spider-Woman #50 , and was created by Ann Nocenti and Brian Postman.-Fictional character biography:...

.

While attending a Hollywood costume party held for the premiere of a horror movie to 'purge' yet more 'unworthy souls' (in other words, target members of the film industry for execution), the Hangman killed a disguised woman, thus inadvertently violating his own moral code. As he knelt over the corpse in remorse, he was apparently fatally stabbed in the back by film reviewer Matthew O'Brien, who had been trying to stop the Hangman from his latest killing spree, impaling the Hangman on his own scythe.

Powers and abilities

Harlan Krueger was an athletic man with no superhuman powers. He carried a 30 feet (9.1 m) length of half-inch hemp rope, terminating in a hangman's noose. He also used a harvesting scythe with an eight foot wooden handle and curved four-foot single-edged steel blade. He received Army hand-to-hand combat training.

Krueger had extensive knowledge of American cinema, particularly the films of the 30s, 40s, and 50s.

Jason Roland

Fictional character biography

Jason Roland was an aspiring actor who made a deal with a demon

Demons (Marvel Comics)

The Marvel Comics universe hosts a number of demons, many of whom are at times at conflict with gods and angels. All possess varying degrees of mystical power, feed upon souls for self-sustenance, and are inclined towards dark or “black” magic - evil....

 (later revealed to be Satannish

Satannish

Satannish is a fictional character appearing in the Marvel Comics universe.-Fictional character biography:Satannish is a very powerful extra-dimensional demon who has clashed with Doctor Strange. Satannish is known for granting mortals mystical power in exchange for their souls...

) to make his career successful. He was trapped in a monstrous form and hid out for years. He eventually encountered the Night Shift

Night Shift (comics)

The Night Shift is a fictional group of criminals in the Marvel Comics universe that first appeared in Captain America #330 .-Publication history:...

 and convinced them to deal with Satannish to increase their powers. They were defeated by the Avengers West Coast

West Coast Avengers

The West Coast Avengers is a fictional group of superheroes that appear in publications published by Marvel Comics. The team first appear in The West Coast Avengers #1 and was created by Roger Stern and Bob Hall.- Publication history :...

.

Satannish later used the Hangman as part of his Lethal Legion

Lethal Legion

The Lethal Legion is the name of five teams of fictional characters that appear in comic books published by Marvel Comics.The first version of the Legion appears in The Avengers #78 ; the second version in Avengers #164 ; the third version in West Coast Avengers vol. 2, #1 ; the fourth Avengers...

, made up of some of the most notorious figures in history given superhuman powers; for example Stalin transformed into the superstrong giant Coldsteel. Mephisto

Mephisto (comics)

Mephisto is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appears in Silver Surfer #3 and was created by Stan Lee and John Buscema, loosely modeled on Mephistopheles - a character from the Faust legend.Debuting in the Silver Age of comic books,...

 aided the Avengers West Coast in defeating Satannish and his minions.

Powers and abilities

As Hangman, Roland possessed magically enhanced strength, durability, etc. He was strong enough to go head-to-head with Wonder Man

Wonder Man

Wonder Man is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby, he first appeared in The Avengers #9 .-Publication history:Wonder Man debuted in the superhero-team title The Avengers #9 Wonder...

. His rope was also magically enhanced, making it virtually indestructible. He could also levitate his rope and climb it without it being attached to anything. He was in almost constant communication with Satannish

Satannish

Satannish is a fictional character appearing in the Marvel Comics universe.-Fictional character biography:Satannish is a very powerful extra-dimensional demon who has clashed with Doctor Strange. Satannish is known for granting mortals mystical power in exchange for their souls...

, who could enhance his powers as needed.