Smuggler (comics)
Encyclopedia
Smuggler is a fictional character
in Marvel Comics
as a superhero
.
. Conrad's oldest brother Carl was killed by a loan shark soon after the Thunderbolts
were exposed as villains. Conrad's older sister Lindy was hit and killed by a drunk driver when she was 10 years old. Conrad's second oldest brother Erik became the super villain Power Man. Once news of Erik's arrest came out in the papers the Josten family could no longer do business in Madison and lost their farm. Conrad's parents took ill and died soon afterwards. Conrad ran away and changed his name and neither Erik or Carl stayed in contact with him. In the years to follow, Erik would take the villainous guises Smuggler and Goliath
and eventually pretended to be a superhero named Atlas. Conrad still held a grudge against Erik and showed no hint of sadness when he saw his brother's seeming destruction at the hands of Scourge.
At the request of the Commission on Superhuman Activities
, Conrad joined their Redeemer Program
to become the Smuggler. What the Commission offered Conrad and what they actually gave him is up to debate. The CSA gave Conrad a suit that allowed him to access the darkforce
dimension to melt into shadows. The Redeemers (led by Helmut Zemo
who had taken control of the body of John Watkins III, the true Citizen V
) eventually fought the Thunderbolts and they discovered his identity. After the battle was over the Thunderbolts were offered pardons (including Atlas, despite his apparent death) and disbanded. The Redeemers then began to operate out of the Thunderbolts' headquarters Mount Charteris in Burton Canyon, Colorado under the guidance of Captain America
working for the CSA and S.H.I.E.L.D.
In exchange they would have eventually been pardoned for their past crimes (there is some question as to if Conrad needed a pardon for himself or if needed one for Erik. Erik already got one from the CSA but Conrad might not have known that). The majority of the Redeemers were slaughtered by the villain Graviton
and Conrad was believed to have been killed when Graviton shunted him into the sun. It was later discovered that Conrad had escaped into the darkforce dimension but became trapped there.
Baron Zemo eventually discovered Conrad's fate and arranged to have Blackout brought back from the dead so he could tap into the darkforce dimension and free Conrad. Zemo offered Atlas a choice, side with him and let him kill Genis
(to save the universe) or he would leave Conrad in the darkforce dimension forever. Erik sided with Zemo and after Zemo killed Genis Erik was rewarded with Conrad's freedom. Conrad joined the Thunderbolts and seems to want to repair his relationship with his brother Erik.
As of the end of the current run of Thunderbolts Conrad's Darkforce suit has been destroyed by the Wellspring energies that Zemo released.
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...
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...
as a superhero
Superhero
A superhero is a type of stock character, possessing "extraordinary or superhuman powers", dedicated to protecting the public. Since the debut of the prototypical superhero Superman in 1938, stories of superheroes — ranging from brief episodic adventures to continuing years-long sagas —...
.
Fictional character biography
Conrad Josten is the youngest of the four Josten children born to farmers living outside Madison, WisconsinMadison, Wisconsin
Madison is the capital of the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Dane County. It is also home to the University of Wisconsin–Madison....
. Conrad's oldest brother Carl was killed by a loan shark soon after 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:...
were exposed as villains. Conrad's older sister Lindy was hit and killed by a drunk driver when she was 10 years old. Conrad's second oldest brother Erik became the super villain Power Man. Once news of Erik's arrest came out in the papers the Josten family could no longer do business in Madison and lost their farm. Conrad's parents took ill and died soon afterwards. Conrad ran away and changed his name and neither Erik or Carl stayed in contact with him. In the years to follow, Erik would take the villainous guises Smuggler and Goliath
Goliath (comics)
Goliath, in comics, may refer to:* Marvel Comics characters:** Henry Pym, was the first to adopt the name Goliath and has also gone by Giant-Man, Ant-Man, and Yellowjacket....
and eventually pretended to be a superhero named Atlas. Conrad still held a grudge against Erik and showed no hint of sadness when he saw his brother's seeming destruction at the hands of Scourge.
At the request of the Commission on Superhuman Activities
Commission on Superhuman Activities
The Commission on Superhuman Activities is a fictional government group from the Marvel Universe.-Publication history:...
, Conrad joined their Redeemer Program
Redeemers (comics)
The Redeemers were a team of supervillains in the Marvel Comics universe who, under government control, adopted the prior identities of several of the Thunderbolts in return for lighter sentences...
to become the Smuggler. What the Commission offered Conrad and what they actually gave him is up to debate. The CSA gave Conrad a suit that allowed him to access the darkforce
Darkforce
-Description:It is a powerful, extra-dimensional energy that can be manipulated in slightly different ways by a handful of beings that are attuned to it. There are slight yet inconclusive hints that it may be a corruptive influence of some kind and perhaps even sentient...
dimension to melt into shadows. The Redeemers (led by Helmut Zemo
Baron Zemo
Baron Zemo is the name of two fictional characters, both supervillains, in various Marvel Comics comic books, notably Captain America and the Avengers...
who had taken control of the body of John Watkins III, the true 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...
) eventually fought the Thunderbolts and they discovered his identity. After the battle was over the Thunderbolts were offered pardons (including Atlas, despite his apparent death) and disbanded. The Redeemers then began to operate out of the Thunderbolts' headquarters Mount Charteris in Burton Canyon, Colorado under the guidance 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...
working for the CSA 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....
In exchange they would have eventually been pardoned for their past crimes (there is some question as to if Conrad needed a pardon for himself or if needed one for Erik. Erik already got one from the CSA but Conrad might not have known that). The majority of the Redeemers were slaughtered by the villain Graviton
Graviton (comics)
Graviton is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appears in Avengers #158 and was created by Jim Shooter and Sal Buscema....
and Conrad was believed to have been killed when Graviton shunted him into the sun. It was later discovered that Conrad had escaped into the darkforce dimension but became trapped there.
Baron Zemo eventually discovered Conrad's fate and arranged to have Blackout brought back from the dead so he could tap into the darkforce dimension and free Conrad. Zemo offered Atlas a choice, side with him and let him kill Genis
Genis-Vell
Genis-Vell, also known as Legacy, Captain Marvel, and Photon, is a fictional superhero in the Marvel Comics universe. He is depicted as the son of Mar-Vell of the extraterrestrial Kree Empire, who was the first character to be known as Captain Marvel in the Marvel Universe...
(to save the universe) or he would leave Conrad in the darkforce dimension forever. Erik sided with Zemo and after Zemo killed Genis Erik was rewarded with Conrad's freedom. Conrad joined the Thunderbolts and seems to want to repair his relationship with his brother Erik.
As of the end of the current run of Thunderbolts Conrad's Darkforce suit has been destroyed by the Wellspring energies that Zemo released.
Powers and abilities
Smuggler wears a suit that allows him to create apertures into the Darkforce Dimension allowing him to teleport himself and others and to elongate his limbs and extremities. He can also access the Darkforce dimension to use the Darkforce as tendril-like grappling claws to grasp and hold opponents.External links
- Smuggler at Marvel.com