Battle Royal 6 Results

The winner of the Battle Royal 6 is...War Machine with 8 votes! Mephisto came in second place with just 4 votes. Thank you to all those that voted!

After 13 more highlighted characters, there will be a Battle Royal 7! Keep up the Madness!

Justin Hammer

Real Name
Justin Hammer

Occupation
Industrialist, criminal financier

Citizenship
Citizen of Monaco with no criminal record

Place of Birth
Surrey, England

Known Relatives
Justine Hammer (Crimson Cowl, daughter)

Group Affiliation
Notable agents include, but are not limited to: Blizzard (Donald Gill), El Toro Negro, Force, Spymaster, and Whiplash

Education
MBA

Height
6’

Weight
170 lbs.

Eyes
Blue

Hair
Gray

Powers
None

Abilities
Justin Hammer is a brilliant and shrewd financier, businessman, and strategist.

Other Info
When Stark International finally abandoned the manufacture of weapons and arms technology, many of Tony Stark’s competitors were happy to take its place. None was so successful, however, as Hammer Industries, led by Justin Hammer. Hammer Industries then quickly became the world’s leading weapons supplier. (To learn about Iron Man, just click on the highlighted name above.)

For years, Justin Hammer successfully maintained a front as a reclusive billionaire overseeing various international business interests. Hammer headed dozens of international design and manufacturing firms around the world. However, despite his many illegal activities, he avoided any trouble with the authorities by diversifying his interests.

Justin Hammer and Tony Stark came into direct conflict when both competed to build an electronics plant in the small Communist country of Carnelia. To ensure his bid would be successful, Hammer had his engineers designed a device to override the Iron Man armor (not knowing that Iron Man was actually Tony Stark) and to kill the Carnelian U.N. ambassador. Stark allowed his armor to be impounded as malfunctioning and tracked Hammer to the Mediterranean, where he discovered scores of Hammer’s dubious business practices, including the financing of superhuman criminals. With a spare Iron Man suit, Stark defeated Hammer’s agents and forced Hammer to escape. Although Iron Man was cleared of any murder charge, Tony Stark was never able to expose Hammer’s illegal activities.

Over the years, Hammer supported, outfitted, and/or financed operations for many criminals, such as Aqueduct, Beetle, Blizzard, Boomerang, Cardinal, the Constrictor, Leapfrog, the Scorpion, Stiletto, and Whiplash. (To learn about any of the above characters, just click on their highlighted names.)

In recent months, Hammer learned he was dying, and he retired to a space station to spend the remainder of his days. He soon embarked on one last attempt on Tony Stark's life, hiring the villain Spymaster to inject Stark with nanite "rogue cells." (The cells altered Stark's hormonal balance, making him incredibly irritable and dangerous.) Stark was released from the cells by his friends Jocasta and James Rhodes, and Iron Man confronted Hammer aboard his space station. The battle ended when Hammer was injured as the space station exploded, freezing him in a block of ice, within which his body currently orbits the earth. (Click on the highlighted names to learn about those characters. Note: Beware of the skin-tight outfit on Jocasta's bio page.)

Even though Justin Hammer's body is frozen in a block of ice orbiting the earth, his legacy lives on in his daughter Justine, the Crimson Cowl. (To learn about Hammer's daughter, just click on her name above. Note: Beware of the revealing outfit on the Crimson Cowl's bio page.)

To learn more about Justin Hammer, click on the following link, http://marvel.com/universe/Hammer%2C_Justin.

As you can tell, Justin Hammer, in the comics, is much older than the one portrayed in the movie, Iron Man 2. Once again, Marvel Entertainment messed with the characters a bit when it came to creating movies, but I think they did a great job of fitting them all together to create an awesome movie!

Battle Royal 6

That's right...it's time for Battle Royal 6! Imagine if twelve Marvel characters were to be in a huge battle where there could only be ONE victor. Put the good and evil notion to the side. It's EVERYONE vs. EVERYONE. No alliances! Only ONE can be left standing. Please choose who you think would win among the twelve Marvel characters in the poll.

Also, if you have time, please leave the reason why you think the character you chose would win in the "comment" section below. This way, we can all see your reasoning in choosing your winner. Who will be the victor? Only YOU can decide!

The twelve characters that are involved in the battle are the last twelve characters that have been highlighted on the Marvel Madness blog: Whiplash, Black Widow, Nick Fury, Leader, War Machine, Bolt, Mephisto, Jarvis, Harry Osborn, Moira MacTaggert, General Ross, and Alicia Masters. (If you have forgotten some of these characters' powers/abilities, go ahead and check out their bios right here on the Marvel Madness blog.)

Whiplash

Real Name
Mark Scarlotti

Occupation
Former agent of Trevor Donohue, Justin Hammer, weapons designer and agent of the Maggia, head of research for Stark International Cincinnati

Citizenship
U.S.A.

Place of Birth
Cleveland, Ohio

Known Relatives
Anthony Scarlotti (father), Barbara Scarlotti (mother), Trudi Scarlotti (wife, deceased), unidentified son (in foster care)

Group Affiliation
Formerly worked for the Maggia, Death Squad, Justin Hammer’s B-Team

Education
College degree in engineering

Height
6’1”

Weight
215 lbs.

Eyes
Blue

Hair
Blond

Powers
None

Abilities
Mark Scarlotti was a brilliant engineer and weapons designer that had expert fighting skills with a whip and nunchucks. He was also a moderate hand-to-hand combatant.

Other Info
Mark Scarlotti was a brilliant young man who graduated with top honors from college. He also had a promising job at Stark International; However, when he became friends with the wrong people, things went downhill fast. He made some bad deals with hopes of a big payoff.

Eventually, Mark worked developing weapons, first for the Maggia, then for himself. He took a more active role in their activities and became the costumed criminal known as Whiplash. Whiplash designed two cybernetically controlled whips that could be converted into nunchucks or vaulting poles. The whips could be spun so fast that they could even blow Spider-Man’s webbing away from Scarlotti preventing him from being ensnared. Whiplash used a necro-lash which could be electrically charged by his gauntlets, released from its handle to deliver a concussion charge, or he could turn up the electric charge to its maximum which caused anything it hit, including Iron Man’s armor, to become brittle. Scarlotti also wore a costume made of steel mesh that could absorb a bullet’s impact or the force from a punch from Iron Man. (Click on the highlighted names above to learn about the group and/or character. Also, the third picture posted is of Whiplash's first costume.)

Whiplash's first real test put him up against Iron Man; however, Whiplash could not eliminate him. Suffering defeat after defeat at the hands of his armored foe, Scarlotti upgraded his weaponry and took a new alias. He remerged on the crime scene with a new attitude and called himself Blacklash. (Click on the highlighted name above to learn more about Iron Man. Also, the first picture posted is of Scarlotti in his Backlash costume.)

As Backlash, his appearance changed, but his track record did not. After a huge defeat from Iron Man, Mark Scarlotti decided to return back to his home town with thoughts of giving up his criminal career and making a new life for himself.

Back in his hometown, Scarlotti attended an Electronics and Engineering Convention in Cleveland, Ohio. He was hoping to make some contacts or land a legitimate job, but his publicly known criminal identity prevented that from happening. Angered that he couldn’t catch a break, he went to visit his parents at their bakery, but his father disowned him and his mother had to turn her back on him. Even at the local hang out, Mark was nothing but a big joke. His only friend was his high school buddy, Rusty, who became a police officer. The locals didn’t want him, his parents were ashamed of him, and his criminal record would never have allowed for a life he would accept. Therefore, it was no surprise that Mark made a deal with the Maggia once again when they were in need of his services. Scarlotti's assignment was to assassinate a scientist at the convention. However, with the timely arrival of Jim Rhodes (as Iron Man) and Spider-Man the target was able to escape. (To learn about Jim Rhodes--aka War Machine--just click on his name above.)

Unfortunately, Mark soon became an operative for Justin Hammer, another rival of Tony Stark. Hammer called on Scarlotti for various reasons, even if he had to turn him against other Hammer employees. In one of these situations, Backlash and the Rhino were sent after the Scorpion who had double-crossed Hammer. However, this led to a confrontation with Spider-Man, and in the end, Rhino and Blacklash were able to fulfill their mission by retrieving the upgraded costume that Scorpion had kept from Hammer; they left Scorpion and Spider-Man behind. (To learn about the different highlighted characters above, just click on their names.)

Much later, when an ancient being called the Architect was looking for an assassin to kill him, he called upon Blacklash and many others to converge on New York to compete against one another. However, by this time Scarlotti was back in Ohio and was married and had a son. But, he continued to have a difficult time accepting the life he was forced to live. Still looking for a way to make some real money, Scarlotti decided to take one last job and traveled to New York for the competition. Upon his arrival in a run down hotel, he was ambushed by the assassin called Bullet and had to be hospitalized. Mark called his wife, Trudi, and confessed that he was up to his old ways, and asked her to come to New York so that he could do this one last job and put his life of crime behind them. Trudi did as he said and went to the hospital he was in. Mark asked her to go to his hotel and pick up his Blacklash costume because he didn’t want to be ambushed again. She hesitantly agreed. However, once inside Mark’s hotel room, Trudi was surprised by an assassin called Shatter-head. Mark went back to his hotel, worried sick why Trudi hadn’t returned to the hospital yet, and found her dead body along with a taunting Bullet who described what Shatter-head had done. Enraged with his wife's death, Scarlotti destroyed Bullet. Meanwhile, Shatter-head found himself another target: Elektra. However, before Shatter-head could do anything, Blacklash attacked him from behind, killing Shatter-head. Now face-to face with Elektra, Scarlotti broke down in tears as he grieved for his wife. Elektra let him live and Scarlotti left New York. (To learn about the Architect and/or the assassins above, just click on their highlighted names.)

Later, Mark Scarlotti returned with a new costume, new weapons, but with his old alias: Whiplash. (Whiplash returned with upgraded armaments with a kinetic whip and a cat-o-nine-tails. Whiplash also used a flying platform and jet discs for both transportation and mid-air combat.) This time, he was more ruthless and was determined to bury his past as Blacklash forever. Later on, during a fireworks display, Whiplash attacked an unsuspecting Iron Man. The two fought and Whiplash had the advantage until one of his whips got struck by lightning, and the resulting explosion knocked both of them unconscious. (Whiplash in his new costume is shown above in the forth picture posted.)

However, sometime later, Iron Man’s armor became sentient and was faster and more efficient than before. When Whiplash and Iron Man battled again, Whiplash couldn’t even lay a hand on him. The armor remembered Scarlotti’s last assault on them and proceeded to viciously beat Whiplash despite the protests of the Tony Stark inside the armor. Whiplash tried to tell his foe that he was only doing this to get his son back since he was taken away from him. Whiplash did everything he could to stop the thrashing even to the extent of telling Iron Man who it was that hired him. However, against Tony and Mark's wishes, the armor continued to pound Whiplash until he was no longer moving. Iron Man’s armor unintentionally killed Mark Scarlotti, but didn’t show any remorse once it realized what it had done. The armor left the area dropping Whiplash into the river below.

To learn more about Whiplash, click on the following link, http://marvel.com/universe/Whiplash_%28Mark_Scarlotti%29.

Mickey Rourke plays Ivan Vanko in Iron Man 2. This Whiplash in the movie is basically a mix of the Crimson Dynamo and Whiplash from the comics. The Vanko name is connected with being the Crimson Dynamo, and the armor worn by Ivan in the movie is similar to the Crimson Dynamo armor. However, the electric whips are Whiplash's signature weapons. So, basically, Marvel Entertainment totally messed with the comic book story line of Whiplash. But, I thought they did a great job because the movie was AWESOME! (The most recent portrayal of Whiplash in the comics is shown in the fifth picture posted above.)

Black Widow

Real Name
Natalia "Natasha" Alianovna Romanova

Occupation
Adventurer, intelligence operative, former ballerina

Citizenship
Former citizen of the U.S.S.R., resident in United States of America under extended visa authorized by S.H.I.E.L.D.

Place of Birth
Stalingrad, former U.S.S.R.

Known Relatives
Unnamed parents (presumed deceased); Alexi Shostakov (Red Guardian, husband, deceased); Vindiktor (alleged brother, deceased)

Group Affiliation
Thunderbolts, Lady Liberators; formerly S.H.I.E.L.D., Avengers, Queen's Vengeance, Daredevil's Unnamed Super-Hero Team, Champions of Los Angeles, and K.G.B.

Education
Unrevealed; intensive espionage training through Red Room Academy, others

Height
5'7"

Weight
131 lbs.

Eyes
Blue

Hair
Red-auburn (formerly dyed black)

Powers
The Black Widow has received a variant of the Super-Soldier Serum which has enabled her to remain in peak physical condition for the past several decades, as well as slowing her aging process to some degree.

Other Info
Natalia Romanova, known to most as Natasha Romanoff, is rumored to be a relative of the famous Romanoffs (the last ruling czars of Russia). However, nothing else is known of her family.

During World War II, a Nazi assault upon Stalingrad set the building she was in on fire. A woman (possibly her mother) threw her into the arms of a Russian soldier named Ivan Petrovich before being consumed by the flames. (To learn more about the above character and group, just click on their names.)

Ivan brought Natasha under his protection and soon had to defend her from her many enemies. In 1941, Natasha was sought by the Nazi Baron Strucker, who presented her to the Hand to become their master assassin. She was saved from Strucker and the Hand by Ivan, Captain America, and Logan (aka future Wolverine). (Click on the highlighted names above to learn more about those characters).

Under Ivan's care, Natasha grew to pursue her goal of becoming a ballet dancer and studied under Oksana Bolishinko (a famous Bolshoi instructor). When she grew up, she fell in love with a Soviet test pilot named Alexi Shostakov, but was grief-stricken when he apparently died testing an experimental rocket. Natasha decided that she would honor Alexi's memory by becoming an intelligence operative (not realizing that this was what the K.G.B. had hoped would happen when they informed her of Alexi’s death). She was instructed by the K.G.B. in their infamous Red Room Academy and under their training, she became their most skilled operative, a superb fighter and information-gatherer. The K.G.B. gave her the code name "Black Widow," and quickly sent her into the field. (To learn more about the above place and/or person, just click on their names. The third picture posted is of the Black Widow's first costume.)

The Black Widow's first encounter with Iron Man came when she was directed to slay Anton Vanko (the creator of the Soviet Crimson Dynamo armor), who had fled to America. Natasha attempted to distract Tony Stark while her partner Boris Turgenov used the Crimson Dynamo to destroy Stark's plants. However, Turgenov and Vanko wound up perishing in battle, and Natasha remained in America to find some way of regaining the K.G.B.'s favor. (Click on the the characters' highlighted names to learn more about them.)

During this time, since Tony Stark was still unaware that she was a K.G.B. operative, she continued to romance Stark so that she could steal a new anti-gravity device he had created. She managed to use the device to commit various acts of sabotage, but Iron Man nullified the device and she barely escaped capture, now unable to trick Stark into lowering his guard.

Later, Natasha ran into the new costumed crime fighter, Hawkeye. Hawkeye was so taken with Natasha that she was able to entice him into an attempt at stealing plans from Tony Stark. Hawkeye fought Iron Man while Natasha watched from a distance. But, when Iron Man deflected one of Hawkeye's explosive arrows, the force of the impact struck Natasha down, knocking her unconscious. Hawkeye fled the scene to help Natasha recover. (To learn about Hawkeye, just click on his name above.)

After Natasha recovered, her superiors instructed her to avoid Stark Industries for a time and directed her instead to target Williams Innovations. She tricked Hawkeye into assaulting that firm as well, but Spider-Man intervened and Hawkeye turned back as he had begun to suspect his lover's true motivations. Natasha later sent Hawkeye out on a second attempt to steal Stark's plans; however, while Hawkeye was gone, she was kidnapped by the K.G.B. and returned to Russia. (Click on the companies and/or character name above to learn more about them.)

In Russia, the K.G.B. designed a new costume for Natasha and equipped her with her "widow's bite" and "widow's line." (The "widow's line" fires a cable, and the "widow's bite" releases electric bolts to stun her opponents with a charge of up to 30,000 volts. Also, her gloves and boots are equipped with miniature suction cups which enable her to cling to surfaces. In addition, her belt contains plastic explosives.) With these new weapons Natasha joined Hawkeye in battle against Iron Man in an attempt to destroy him. But, when Iron Man shocked Natasha with an electrical blast Hawkeye disobeyed her orders to save her life once again. The K.G.B. then returned and stole Natasha away from Hawkeye. (Black Widow's new costume is shown in the first picture posted above.)

This time the K.G.B. brainwashed Natasha to ensure her loyalty. In her next mission, she found herself allied against Hawkeye, who had become a member of the Avengers. Her love for Hawkeye allowed her to resist the brainwashing, and she finally turned against the K.G.B. (To learn about the Avengers, just click on their name above.)

After this, Natasha returned to America. Here, she divided her time between freelance work for Nick Fury of S.H.I.E.L.D., and assisting the Avengers. When assisting the Avengers, she helped them against the Sons of the Serpent, and proved to be very instrumental in defeating the alien Ultroids who were certain the Avengers would not kill their leader Ixar because of their oath against killing; however, Natasha forced Ixar to surrender because she mentioned that she was not an Avenger and therefore was not bound by their oaths. (Click on the teams, races, and/or character above to learn more about them.)

While on a future assignment for S.H.I.E.L.D., Natasha discovered that Alexi Shostakov was still alive (he had been transformed by the K.G.B. into the costumed hero, the Red Guardian). She and the Avengers opposed the Red Guardian and his masters, and Alexi died in the battle. Afterward, Natasha abandoned her identity as the Black Widow, just as the Avengers were about to make her an official member.

Natasha finally decided to resume the Black Widow identity, but soon broke off her relationship with Hawkeye so that she could pursue a solo career. She became a vigilante, battling street gangs and organized crime in New York. Ivan had come to America by then, and he served as her chauffeur and confidant. Her new methods of operation brought her into contact with Daredevil, and she soon developed both a professional and personal relationship with him. (To learn about Daredevil, just click on his highlighted name above.)

Matt broke up with his long-time love, Karen Page, so that he could be with Natasha, and the two of them moved to San Francisco to start a new life together. They fought against menaces such as Man-Bull, Blue Talon, Dark Messiah, Angar the Screamer, Ramrod, Terrex, Kraven the Hunter, Death-Stalker, Owl, el Jaguar, and HYDRA. (Click on the highlighted names to learn about the many characters and/or team above. Note: Beware of the low-cut outfit on Karen Page's bio page.)

Natasha wanted to find a new career for herself beyond the day-to-day adventures she and Daredevil enjoyed. Therefore, she attempted to become a fashion designer, but her career never took off, and her relationship with Matt became strained. Natasha and Matt reconciled for awhile, but after a lengthy romance, Natasha finally broke up with Matt because she felt he did not treat her as an equal in battle.

During this time, Natasha accepted an offer to join the Avengers after aiding them against Magneto. However, soon after she left the team after determining that she did not fit into a team environment. (To learn about Magneto, click on his name above.)

Still on the West Coast, Natasha joined forces with Ghost Rider (John Blaze), Angel, and Iceman when the gods Hercules and Venus were captured by the armies of Pluto and Ares. After having saved Hercules from a forced marriage, he joined the four heroes to found a new super-hero team, the Champions. Based in Los Angeles (and bankrolled by the Angel), the team enjoyed modest success in their adventures. During this time, Natasha became romantically involved with Hercules, but his perspective as an immortal made a long-term relationship seem unimportant and they ended their relationship. The Champions finally disbanded due to bankruptcy. (To learn about the above characters and/or team, just click on their highlighted names.)

Later, Black Widow attempted to prevent the Hand from stealing the body of their master warrior, Kirigi, from the morgue. The Hand struck Natasha down with poisons that killed her. However, Stone of the Chaste restored her to life. Later, she joined forces with Daredevil and Stone against the Hand when the Hand attempted to revive Elektra. Natasha guessed at the time that Elektra had been successfully revived, but kept this from Matt for his own good. (Click on the characters' names above to learn more about them. Note: Beware of Elektra's revealing/tight-fitting outfits.)

Later, Russian agents created a Life Model Decoy (LMD) of Alexi Shostakov, which they used to trick Natasha into believing her husband was still alive. With threats of terminating Alexi, they coerced Natasha into performing acts of espionage for Russia against the U.S. Upon gaining the desired technology, the Russians revealed the truth and tried to kill the Black Widow; however, with the aid of Ivan, she defeated them and destroyed the LMD.(To learn more about LMDs, just click on the highlighted name above.)

Natasha eventually returned to the Avengers and assumed the mantle of leadership, usually managing the team's operations from Avengers Mansion while allowing the Black Knight to lead in the field. Her tenure as the Avengers' leader came to an end when most of the team was apparently slain battling Onslaught. Unable to rebuild the Avengers roster herself, and threatened with legal action from the Maria Stark Foundation, the Black Widow allowed the Avengers to dissolve. (To learn about the above place, characters, and company, just click on their names above.)

Considering herself to be the last Avenger, Natasha embarked upon a personal mission to bring down all of the Avengers' former enemies, including the Grey Gargoyle and Masters of Evil. (Click on the highlighted names above to learn about the character and/or team. Note: Beware of a revealing outfit wore by one character in their picture on the Masters of Evil bio page.)

After some time, the Avengers finally returned and resumed their operations, but the Black Widow has only occasionally assisted them on missions (still feeling responsible for the team's disbanding). Instead, she has focused on her espionage work. Natasha has accepted several more assignments from S.H.I.E.L.D.

Natasha came close to learning some truths about her past when she was led into a trap by a man named Vindiktor, who claimed to have a copy of Natasha's mother's diary. This turned out to be false, but as Natasha fought him, he claimed that he was her brother. Unfortunately, Vindiktor died during their battle before Natasha could find out if he was telling the truth or not. (To learn about Vindiktor, just click his name above.)

Recently, Natasha became aware of the presence of another Black Widow, a younger woman named Yelena Belova (she too had been trained at the Red Room). The two Black Widows first encountered each other while attempting to retrieve the Endless Fury bio weapon. Natasha later had herself and Yelena trade appearances through plastic surgery to help teach Yelena that her superiors considered her expendable. (To learn about this other Black Widow, just click on her highlighted name. Note: Beware of her revealing/tight-fitting outfits on her bio page.)

Natasha Romanoff remains one of the world's most accomplished hand-to-hand combatants, and is quite possibly the most skilled espionage agent alive, still in high demand with S.H.I.E.L.D.

To learn more about Black Widow, click on the following link, http://marvel.com/universe/Black_Widow_%28Natasha_Romanova%29. (Note: Beware of her tight-fitting outfits on her bio page.)

In Iron Man 2, Black Widow goes by the name Natalie Rushman. I don't know if this is a cover-up, but she does have a America accent in the movie. So, either she is covering up her Russian background, or they have changed the Black Widow's background history to make her American for the movies. We'll just have to wait and see.

Battle Royal 5 Results

WOW! I can't believe I forgot to post the results from Battle Royal 5 from a long time ago! Anyway...

The winner by a landslide was...GALACTUS with 12 votes! The next closest person behind Galactus was Emma Frost with only 2 votes! I don't know what else to say...he creamed to competition!

Battle Royal 6 is coming in a few weeks, so stay tuned!

Nick Fury

Real Name
Nicholas Joseph Fury

Occupation
Former S.H.I.E.L.D. director; former S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, intelligence agent, soldier and commando leader, parachuting instructor, stunt flier

Citizenship
U.S.A.

Place of Birth
New York City

Known Relatives
Jack Fury (father, deceased), Katherine Fury (mother, presumed deceased), Jacob "Jake" Fury (Scorpio, brother), Dawn Fury (sister), Mikel Fury (Scorpio, son), Rex Fury (alleged ancestor, deceased)

Group Affiliation
Formerly Secret Avengers, S.H.I.E.L.D., Team Valkyrie, C.I.A., liaison to MI-5, O.S.S., Howling Commandos, U.S. Army

Education
High school, possibly unfinished; extensive military and intelligence training

Height
6'1"

Weight
221 lbs.

Eyes
Brown

Hair
Brown, white at temples

Powers
Slowed aging process, provided by the Infinity Formula.

Abilities
Nick Fury has trained as a paratrooper, Ranger, demolitions expert and vehicle specialist. He holds an unlimited-tonnage, all-seas license as a commander of ocean-going vessels. Fury has completed Green and Black Beret Special Forces training, and has been an agent of the O.S.S. (Office of Special Services) and a liaison of the MI-5 (British Secret Intelligence). He is a seasoned unarmed- and armed-combat expert, was a heavyweight boxer in the Army, and holds a black belt in Tae Kwan Do and a brown belt in Jiu Jitsu. Fury has honed his fighting skills sparring with Captain America, perhaps the world's finest unarmed-combat expert. Fury ingests the Infinity Formula annually, slowing the process of aging in his body. In his youth, Fury learned to fly planes and wing walking.

Other Info
Nick Fury is the son of noted World War I pilot Jack Fury. He is also an alleged descendant of one of the men who wore the Phantom Rider mask in the late nineteenth century. Nick was born in New York City's Hell's Kitchen neighborhood in the late 1910s. (Click on the Phantom Rider's name to learn more about it.)

Following high school, Fury and his longtime friend Red Hargrove joined Finley's Flying Circus (a traveling air show). They both became excellent pilots and stuntmen. When Finley's Flying Circus came to England in 1940, Fury and Hargrove gave parachuting instructions to Lt. Sam Sawyer, an American soldier attached to the British Army. Weeks later, Sawyer was assigned to rescue a British spy in Holland, and he persuaded Fury and Hargrove to accompany him. Their plane was downed in Holland, where they met circus strongman Timothy "Dum-Dum" Dugan, who joined their rescue mission. In the end, all five safely returned to England. Inspired by the adventure, Dugan joined the British Army, and in early 1941 Fury and Hargrove returned to America to enlist in the U.S. Army. (To learn about Dum Dum Dugan, just click on his name above. The third picture posted is of Fury is his military outfit.)

Fury and Hargrove were soon stationed at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, where Fury rapidly rose to sergeant. On December 7, 1941, Pearl Harbor was attacked by the Japanese and Hargrove was killed. When America declared war on the Axis, Sawyer (now a captain) was reassigned to the U.S. Rangers and instructed to form the First Attack Squad (a special squad of rangers trained in military precision, but using individually developed combat techniques). Given the power to handpick Squad members, Sawyer appointed Nick Fury as field commander. The Squad members were made honorary commandos in the British army and codenamed "the Howling Commandos," or "Howlers."

For nearly four years Fury led the Howlers on combat and intelligence missions in virtually every recognized theater of war. During a mission, Fury's left eye was injured by an enemy grenade; Fury received a Purple Heart, but did not leave military service. Fury eventually regained sight in that eye. The Howlers clashed with many high-ranking German officers, most notably Baron Wolfgang Von Strucker. The Howlers proved so successful that Strucker was ordered to form a similar unit, the Blitzkrieg Squad, but the Howlers always triumphed over them. Occasional allies of the Howlers included other Sawyer-commanded units, the Marines of Captain Simon Savage's Leatherneck Raiders, and the costumed adventurers Captain America and Bucky. At some point, Fury befriended a Canadian soldier named Logan (aka future Wolverine). (To learn about the characters above, just click on their highlighted names.)

Early in the war, separated from the Howlers during a mission in France, Fury was gravely injured by a land mine. Discovered by French partisans, he was taken to a nearby doctor, Professor Berthold Sternberg. Unknown to Fury, Sternberg not only treated Fury's injuries, but also surgically altered Fury so he could withstand inoculation with Sternberg's so-called "Infinity Formula," intended to slow or even halt the human aging process. (Later, unknowingly to Fury, other Howlers who were exposed to his blood, their aging too was slowed down.)

At one point, the Howlers ventured into Romania and met the infamous vampire Dracula; Dracula disliked the Nazis as much as the Howlers did. (Click on Dracula's name to learn more about him.)

In mid-1942, while stationed in London, Fury fell in love with Lady Pamela Hawley (a British noblewoman serving in a London ambulance unit). Then by 1943, Fury had decided to propose to Lady Hawley; however, she was tragically killed during a London air raid by the raid's final bomb as she was helping the wounded.

Months later, when Fury was home on leave, his brother Jake, jealous of Nick's fame, was abducted by the Nazi Colonel Klaue. Nick freed Jake but was captured himself. But, then Jake helped the Howlers rescue Nick. Following these events, Jake enlisted in the army; he soon regretted his choice, and his resentment of Nick grew. (Click on Jake's name to learn more about Nick Fury's brother.)

Many times Fury and the Howlers fought alongside Captain America and Bucky against the Nazi mastermind, Red Skull. (To learn more about Red Skull, just click on his name.)

The Howlers were also among the Allied forces who halted German advances in the Battle of the Bulge in the last days of 1944. When the war finally ended in August 1945, Fury led the Howlers on European "mop-up" missions against remaining Axis operatives. It was during this period that the Howlers shut down the death camp laboratories of Nathaniel Essex (aka Mister Sinister). Fury was then reassigned to Okinawa, Japan to shut down remnants there, while the other Howlers returned to civilian life. (Click on the highlighted name to learn more about Mister Sinister.)

Fury was soon recruited by the Office of Strategic Service (O.S.S.) full-time. Working with agents of the British MI-5, he was sent after Colonel Ishii, a renegade Japanese scientist with a cache of bio-weapons; Fury captured Ishii, but was the mission's only survivor.

In 1946, Fury aged sixty years in minutes due to long-term effects of Sternberg's Infinity Formula. However, Sternberg had anticipated this, and had mailed Fury a mutated version of the formula, and Fury immediately inoculated himself with it: restoring his youth. However, the effect lasted only one year, and Sternberg began extorting money from Fury in exchange for a yearly supply of the formula. Unable to locate Sternberg, Fury gave in and bought doses from him for the next several decades.

After serving time in the O.S.S., Fury was reassigned to Army Intelligence and eventually saw action in the Korean War. At some point, Fury re-formed the Howling Commandos, who re-enlisted for a special mission to blow up a missile base behind enemy lines. At the successful close of this mission, Fury was promoted to second lieutenant.

Soon afterward, Fury was transferred to the Central Intelligence Agency (C.I.A.). In this capacity, he led a unit known as Team Valkyrie until the war's end in 1953. (To learn about Team Valkyrie, just click on their highlighted name above.)

By 1967, Fury was active in the Vietnam War, where he again re-formed the Howling Commandos as volunteers on special assignment.

A year later, Fury underwent training in the Green Beret Special Forces, which he followed up with Black Beret training in 1973. Little else is known of Fury's C.I.A. activities, but during this period he frequently worked with his wartime comrade Logan (now a Canadian intelligence operative).

In the early 1980s, Fury was recommended for "Project S.H.I.E.L.D." (a government operation still many years from completion). Later, Fury went undercover in Macao to investigate Amber D'Alexis (who ran an espionage and weapons smuggling ring out of her casino). Fury romanced D'Alexis to win her confidence, only to learn that she was romantically involved with his brother Jake, now a biophysics researcher. Nick ultimately took D'Alexis into custody, and Jake's resentment for Nick turned into hatred.

A few years later, Fury re-formed the Howling Commandos at least once more, for a mission with pilot Ben Grimm (aka future Thing). During the same time frame, Fury worked with two brilliant scientists, Reed Richards and Tony Stark (aka future Iron Man). (Unknown to Fury, both scientists were involved in Project S.H.I.E.L.D., and Jake Fury soon became a Stark employee). (To learn more about the above characters, just click on their names.)

In recent years, Nick Fury aided the Fantastic Four against the Hate-Monger. Following this mission, Fury was assigned to investigate a spy at Stark International, unaware that Stark himself was involved in the new international espionage unit known as S.H.I.E.L.D. (Supreme Headquarters International Espionage Law-enforcement Division), the finalized version of Project: S.H.I.E.L.D., whose director, Colonel Rick Stoner, had recently been slain by the high-tech terrorists Hydra. Fury was dismayed to discover that the spy was his brother Jake, who had defected to Hydra. Confronting his brother, Fury was shot in the left eye, reinjuring his old war wound. Though his operations were exposed, Jake escaped, and Nick, his left eye now almost totally useless, began wearing an eyepatch. (Click on the names above to learn about the characters, team, and groups.)

Returning to America, Fury was, at Tony Stark's recommendation, recruited to head S.H.I.E.L.D., which was facing renewed attacks from Hydra. Fury accepted the role and soon recruited Dum-Dum Dugan, who became his second-in-command, some other Howlers. Fury led S.H.I.E.L.D. against Hydra, A.I.M., the Druid, and other terrorists; never one to risk subordinates' lives on jobs he could do himself, Fury continued to act as a field agent. During his early clashes with Hydra, Fury fell in love with Laura Brown (daughter of the organization's supposed leader, the Imperial Hydra). However, when that relationship ended, Fury began romancing fellow agent Contessa Valentina de Fontaine. Later, Fury found out that Hydra was actually secretly led by none other than his old nemesis, Baron Strucker. (To learn about the above teams and character, just click on their highlighted names.)

Later on, Professor Sternberg was slain by the criminal, Steel Harris. Harris attempted to up the extortion on Fury's supply of the Infinity Formula; however, with the help of de la Fontaine, Fury defeated Steel and obtained the secrets of the Infinity Formula for himself.

As S.H.I.E.L.D. director, Fury fought various superhuman foes alongside New York's super heroes, many of whom he befriended. (As director of S.H.I.E.L.D., Nick Fury has access to some of the most advanced technology on Earth; he often wears a bulletproof, fireproof uniform of Kevlar and Beta Cloth, and always carries some sort of firearm.) Despite his respect for super heroes, Fury recognized them as potential loose cannons, and S.H.I.E.L.D. formed more than one contingency plan against them. S.H.I.E.L.D. also created an airborne base known as the Helicarrier. (To learn about S.H.I.E.L.D.'s airbase and/or the Beta Cloth, just click on their highlighted names above.)

A few years later, Fury was stunned to meet a new Scorpio named Mikel Fury who claimed to be Jake Fury's son by Amber D'Alexis (the old "Scorpio" was his brother, Jake). Working alongside Wolverine, Fury shut down D'Alexis's latest criminal operation, but D'Alexis herself held Fury at gunpoint and revealed that Nick, not Jake, was Mikel's father. D'Alexis was defeated by Wolverine shortly afterward, and Fury took Mikel into S.H.I.E.L.D. custody, although Mikel soon escaped. (To learn more about Nick Fury's son, just click on his highlighted name above.)

Soon afterward, Fury learned that S.H.I.E.L.D. had been infiltrated by artificial life-forms called Deltites, who deceived most of Fury's agents, including de la Fontaine, into turning against him. Fury and a handful of loyal agents eventually defeated the Deltites, but not before almost all remaining S.H.I.E.L.D. agents were seemingly slain. Unknown to Fury, the Deltites had been directed by Baron Strucker who kept the supposedly dead agents in stasis. S.H.I.E.L.D. was formally disbanded, and Fury traveled the world to close S.H.I.E.L.D.'s bases and destroy its most dangerous technology. Physically and emotionally exhausted, Fury briefly retired and became romantically involved with Kate Neville. (To learn about Kate Neville, click on her highlighted name.)

Soon afterward, a new S.H.I.E.L.D. (Strategic Hazard Intervention Espionage Logistics Directorate), was formed, and Fury became its director. Under Fury, the new S.H.I.E.L.D. renewed ties with the superhuman community.

Despite the new S.H.I.E.L.D.'s early successes, tragedy again struck when Hydra massacred hundreds of new S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. However, Hydra inadvertently provided replacements when Fury discovered the comatose agents believed slain by the Deltites. Learning of Strucker's involvement, Fury again confronted his nemesis and defeated him. Unfortunately, Strucker once again escaped. Reunited with his longtime agents and friends, Fury set about expanding the new S.H.I.E.L.D.; Fury even made peace with his son Mikel, whom he recruited as an agent to help him when internal strife in Hydra fueled subversive activity in his home neighborhood of Hell's Kitchen.

During a time, Fury briefly stepped down from S.H.I.E.L.D. directorship. However, he soon returned, driving himself harder than ever. One of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s most serious setbacks came when the Helicarrier was hijacked by the Red Skull, who joined forces with the Hate-Monger in an effort to spread hatred across the world. But, the villains were defeated by Fury, Captain America, and their fellow wartime veteran, Namor the Sub-Mariner. (To learn about Namor, just click on his name above.)

Ultimately, despite Fury's best efforts, the second incarnation of S.H.I.E.L.D. has proven no more immune to corruption than the first, and Fury has grown uncertain of some of the agency's more inhumane operations, such as the so-called Deathlok project. Fury even briefly lost command of S.H.I.E.L.D., being demoted to a desk job. Fury had to struggle to regain his position. In addtion, as superhuman incidents become more widespread and devastating, Fury, despite his efforts to steer government attention away from such allies as Spider-Man and Daredevil, has found himself at odds with the Fantastic Four, the X-Men, and even his old friends Captain America and Wolverine, whom he has been reduced to manipulating on more than one mission. One of these missions included a trip to Latveria that left hard feelings all around and resulted in Fury losing directorship of S.H.I.E.L.D. and going into hiding. (Click on the highlighted characters and/or team to learn more about them.)

Fury is now working underground. It remains to be seen how long Fury can tread the line between conflicting loyalties.

To learn more about Nick Fury, click on the following link, http://marvel.com/universe/Fury,_Nick.

As you can tell, for the Marvel movies, Nick Fury has been changed from Caucasian to African-American. On occasions, Marvel seems to change skin color or even genders of their characters.