Slaymaster
Encyclopedia
Slaymaster is a fictional comic book
character from Marvel Comics
's Captain Britain
series.
#243 (October 1977), a weekly Marvel UK
title which featured a mix of reprint and original material.
He was created by Jim Lawrence, Larry Lieber
, and Ron Wilson but the character was later adapted by Alan Moore
and Alan Davis
in The Daredevils
#3.
Slaymaster first encounters Captain Britain while carrying out an assassination, managing to defeat the Captain.
Later, a more skillful and refined Slaymaster has been hired by Vixen (a British villain and old enemy of Captain Britain) to kill all of the members of S.T.R.I.K.E.
's psi-division, including Captain Britain's sister, before her planned infiltration of the intelligences facility. Slaymaster manages to kill most of the psi-division, bar Alison Double, Tom Lennox and Betsy Braddock
(Captain Britain's sister and Lennox's lover), keeping the division away long enough for Vixen to take control. Captain Britain's intervention on behalf of his sister results in a rematch between himself and Slaymaster, a tightly run affair in which Slaymaster proves his intelligence, weapons and martial skill would be enough to defeat the more powerful Captain again. However, thanks to a distraction by Betsy, Captain Britain is able to overwhelm Slaymaster and beat him into unconsciousness.
Still in the employ of Vixen, Slaymaster was to bring Captain Britain to her. Slaymaster manages to capture the Captain and in the course of the story steals his costume which is thought to be the source of Captain Britain's powers. Captain Britain is still able to control the suit and telekinetically rams Slaymster into a wall, knocking him out.
In their final meeting, Braddock's sister Betsy (Soon to be Psylocke of the X-Men) had assumed the mantle of Captain Britain (Brian had 'retired'). Wearing a derived version of Captain Britain's costume supplied by Vixen, Slaymaster ambushes and quickly defeats Betsy Braddock, sadistically gouging out her eyes. Betsy manages to telepathically summon her brother who flies to her rescue. Slaymaster soon discovers that the costume that Captain Britain wears is little more than a regulatory device. Braddocks's powers are intact, abiet unfocused. Enraged, Captain Britian kills Slaymaster by smashing his head and chest in with a large boulder.
Later, in Deadpool Team-up #893, a mercenary named Jasper Bateman takes on the role of the new Slaymaster. It is revealed that Bateman has obsessed over the original Slaymaster his entire adult life, and has made it his goal to take up his mantle and defeat Captain Britain. He spends years hunting down the security designer for Slaymaster's lair and acquires the necessary clearance codes to safely enter and obtain all of the equipment and weapons of his predecessor. He his eventually defeated by the combined efforts of Deadpool and Captain Britain and taken into custody.
He has demonstrated unknown defenses to both telepathy and telekinesis.
His preferred weapons are specialized high tech needles with which he can shower a deadly barrage upon opponents. He has also used swords, armor, laser cannons, and an inter-dimensional teleportation device.
Slaymaster has been depicted as gaining strength and speed at a superhuman level by killing his alternate-reality analogues and absorbing their essence.
that has been almost completely taken over by HYDRA
, headed in this reality by Susan Storm
. This Slaymaster escapes his reality along with Susan Storm and begins hunting down alternate-reality versions of Psylocke, killing them and taking their eyes, much like his 616 counterpart did to Betsy Braddock.
Earth 616's Psylocke is somehow able to sense each time Slaymaster kills one of her counterparts. She is initially afraid to face him, but finally chooses to face her fear. She tracks him to Earth 616, engages him in combat and finally kills him.
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 from 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...
's Captain Britain
Captain Britain
Captain Britain , briefly known as Britannic, is a fictional character, a superhero appearing in the comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Chris Claremont and Herb Trimpe, he first appeared in Captain Britain Weekly, #1...
series.
Publication history
The Slaymaster's first appearance was in Super Spider-Man and Captain BritainCaptain Britain
Captain Britain , briefly known as Britannic, is a fictional character, a superhero appearing in the comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Chris Claremont and Herb Trimpe, he first appeared in Captain Britain Weekly, #1...
#243 (October 1977), a weekly Marvel UK
Marvel UK
Marvel UK was an imprint of Marvel Comics formed in 1972 to reprint US produced stories for the British weekly comic market, though it later did produce original material by British creators such as Alan Moore, John Wagner, Dave Gibbons, Steve Dillon and Grant Morrison.Panini Comics obtained the...
title which featured a mix of reprint and original material.
He was created by Jim Lawrence, Larry Lieber
Larry Lieber
Lawrence D. "Larry" Lieber is an American comic book artist and writer, and the younger brother of Marvel Comics' writer, editor and publisher Stan Lee....
, and Ron Wilson but the character was later adapted by Alan Moore
Alan Moore
Alan Oswald Moore is an English writer primarily known for his work in comic books, a medium where he has produced a number of critically acclaimed and popular series, including Watchmen, V for Vendetta, and From Hell...
and Alan Davis
Alan Davis
Alan Davis is an English writer and artist of comic books, known for his work on titles such as Captain Britain, The Uncanny X-Men, ClanDestine, Excalibur, JLA: The Nail and JLA: Another Nail.-UK work:...
in The Daredevils
The Daredevils
The Daredevils was a comics magazine and anthology published by Marvel UK in 1983.Aimed for a more sophisticated audience than typical light superhero adventures, The Daredevils featured Captain Britain stories by Alan Moore and Alan Davis, as well as new Night Raven text stories, and reprints of...
#3.
Fictional character biography
Slaymaster remains one of few Muslim characters depicted in the Marvel universe. He is shown refusing alcohol because of his religion.Slaymaster first encounters Captain Britain while carrying out an assassination, managing to defeat the Captain.
Later, a more skillful and refined Slaymaster has been hired by Vixen (a British villain and old enemy of Captain Britain) to kill all of the members of S.T.R.I.K.E.
S.T.R.I.K.E.
S.T.R.I.K.E. is a fictional, comic book counter-terrorism and intelligence agency in the . The organization, that often deals with superhuman threats, was introduced in Captain Britain Weekly #17, as the United Kingdom's version of the United Nations' S.H.I.E.L.D.The acronym stands for Special...
's psi-division, including Captain Britain's sister, before her planned infiltration of the intelligences facility. Slaymaster manages to kill most of the psi-division, bar Alison Double, Tom Lennox and Betsy Braddock
Psylocke
Psylocke is a fictional character depicted in comic books published by Marvel Comics, most notably those comics featuring the superhero team the X-Men. The character has also appeared in licensed adaptations. Created by writer Chris Claremont and artist Herb Trimpe, she first appeared in the UK...
(Captain Britain's sister and Lennox's lover), keeping the division away long enough for Vixen to take control. Captain Britain's intervention on behalf of his sister results in a rematch between himself and Slaymaster, a tightly run affair in which Slaymaster proves his intelligence, weapons and martial skill would be enough to defeat the more powerful Captain again. However, thanks to a distraction by Betsy, Captain Britain is able to overwhelm Slaymaster and beat him into unconsciousness.
Still in the employ of Vixen, Slaymaster was to bring Captain Britain to her. Slaymaster manages to capture the Captain and in the course of the story steals his costume which is thought to be the source of Captain Britain's powers. Captain Britain is still able to control the suit and telekinetically rams Slaymster into a wall, knocking him out.
In their final meeting, Braddock's sister Betsy (Soon to be Psylocke of the X-Men) had assumed the mantle of Captain Britain (Brian had 'retired'). Wearing a derived version of Captain Britain's costume supplied by Vixen, Slaymaster ambushes and quickly defeats Betsy Braddock, sadistically gouging out her eyes. Betsy manages to telepathically summon her brother who flies to her rescue. Slaymaster soon discovers that the costume that Captain Britain wears is little more than a regulatory device. Braddocks's powers are intact, abiet unfocused. Enraged, Captain Britian kills Slaymaster by smashing his head and chest in with a large boulder.
Later, in Deadpool Team-up #893, a mercenary named Jasper Bateman takes on the role of the new Slaymaster. It is revealed that Bateman has obsessed over the original Slaymaster his entire adult life, and has made it his goal to take up his mantle and defeat Captain Britain. He spends years hunting down the security designer for Slaymaster's lair and acquires the necessary clearance codes to safely enter and obtain all of the equipment and weapons of his predecessor. He his eventually defeated by the combined efforts of Deadpool and Captain Britain and taken into custody.
Powers and abilities
Slaymaster is a master hand-to-hand combatant and a world class assassin, on various occasions he is depicted as having more than normal balance and reflexes.He has demonstrated unknown defenses to both telepathy and telekinesis.
His preferred weapons are specialized high tech needles with which he can shower a deadly barrage upon opponents. He has also used swords, armor, laser cannons, and an inter-dimensional teleportation device.
Slaymaster has been depicted as gaining strength and speed at a superhuman level by killing his alternate-reality analogues and absorbing their essence.
Other versions
An alternate version of Slaymaster appears in a parallel universe visited by the ExilesExiles (Marvel Comics)
The Exiles are a group of fictional characters that feature in three Marvel Comics series, Exiles, New Exiles, and Exiles vol. 2. The Exiles consists of characters from different dimensions, or realities, which have been removed from time and space in order to correct problems in various alternate...
that has been almost completely taken over by 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...
, headed in this reality by Susan Storm
Invisible Woman
Susan "Sue" Storm Richards is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics superheroine created by writer Stan Lee and artist/co-writer Jack Kirby. The character first appeared in Fantastic Four #1 in November 1961, and was the first female superhero created by Marvel in the Silver Age of Comics...
. This Slaymaster escapes his reality along with Susan Storm and begins hunting down alternate-reality versions of Psylocke, killing them and taking their eyes, much like his 616 counterpart did to Betsy Braddock.
Earth 616's Psylocke is somehow able to sense each time Slaymaster kills one of her counterparts. She is initially afraid to face him, but finally chooses to face her fear. She tracks him to Earth 616, engages him in combat and finally kills him.