Jakob Eisenhardt

Real Name

Jakob Eisenhardt

Occupation
Watchmaker

Citizenship
German

Place of Birth
Germany (assumed)

Known Relative
Edie Eisenhardt (wife, deceased); Erich Eisenhardt (brother, deceased); Ruth Eisenhardt (daughter, deceased); Erik Lehnsherr (Magneto) (son); Magda Lehnsherr (daughter-in-law, presumed deceased); Anya Lehnsherr (granddaughter, deceased); Wanda Maximoff (Scarlet Witch) (granddaughter); Pietro Maximoff (Quicksilver) (grandson); Lorna Dane (Polaris) (granddaughter); Zala Dane (Zaladane) (alleged granddaughter, presumably deceased); The Vision (former grandson-in-law); Crystalia Amaquelin Maximoff (Crystal) (former granddaughter-in-law); Luna Maximoff (great-granddaughter); Thomas Maximoff (great-grandson, deceased); William Maximoff (great-grandson, deceased); Thomas Shepherd (Speed) (reincarnation of great-grandson); William Kaplan (Wiccan) (reincarnation of great-grandson); Joseph (Magnus) (son's clone, deceased)

Group Affiliation
Former member of the German Army

Education

Unrevealed

Height
Unrevealed

Weight
Unrevealed

Eyes
Unrevealed

Hair
Unrevealed

Powers
None

Abilities
None

Other Info
During World War I, Jakob fought with the German Sixth Army at Ypres in October of 1914 in a battle know as "Der Kindermord Bei Ypern" ("The Massacre of the Innocents"). After being blinded by mustard gas, Eisenhardt spent five days in a field hospital. At night, Jakob would load the dead soldiers in mass unmarked graves.

Later, in the summer of 1916, Jakob pulled a Bavarian Major--Jurgen Scharf--to the safety of a nearby trench under heavy enemy fire. For this heroic action, Jakob received a commendation for bravery and the undying gratitude of this superiors. Months later, Major Scharf even pinned the Iron Cross to Jakob's lapel and he was proclaimed a proud son of Germany.

Jakob Eisenhardt was very kind to his family. He would try to encourage them in order to maintain hope during difficult times. Often, Jakob would made jokes to relieve the tension.

After WWI, Jakob married a woman by the name of Edie. He soon after obtained a job working for the government. In addition, Jakob and his wife had a daughter and a son: Ruth and Max. (To learn more about Magneto, click on the highlighted name above.)

After Jakob's brother, Erich Eisenhardt, was beaten and forced to wear a sign saying that he had shamed a German woman, Jakob's family recommended leaving Nurnberg, Germany. However, Jakob went to Major Scharf, hoping to get immunity. But, after being left waiting for Scharf, Jakob saw him as he was leaving and a troupe of Nazis beat Jakob for "making such a trouble" in Scharf's office and resisting arrest. After a long beating, Major Scharf threw Jakob out of his office, stating that they could have killed him and that they were now "even." (Click on the highlighted name above to learn about the Nazis.)

Eventually, the Jewish Jakob lost his job and his family was forced to flee Germany to Poland. After the Nazis invaded Poland in September of 1941, Jakob and his family fled again--this time to Warsaw, Poland. Once there, Eisenhardt and his family were placed in a concentration camp. At each stage of these tragic happenings, Jakob submitted quietly. He was faithful that the Germany he had served would eventually turn back from this tide of bigotry. However, each time he was disappointed and further beaten down. As things worsened in Germany, Jakob taught his family that if they fought back, "they'll stomp in your head." So, he insisted that they stay and learn to figure out the rules.

In the end, Jakob and his family were captured and executed while trying to escape Warsaw. However, his son (aka future Magneto) lived.

There is nothing there, but here is link to the bio of Jakob Eisenhardt on Marvel.com, http://marvel.com/universe/Jakob_Eisenhardt.

Tattoo

Real Name

Tudo Sokuto

Occupation
Yakuza drug runner (previously)

Citizenship
Japanese

Place of Birth
Hiroshima, Japan (assumed)

Known Relative
Hiro Sokuto (aka Base, brother); Unnamed father

Group Affiliation
Tektos; Yakuza

Education

Unrevealed

Height
Unrevealed

Weight
Unrevealed

Eyes
Unrevealed

Hair
Black

Powers
Tattoo is covered with tattoos, which he can transform into three dimensional, solid forms, and then animate them. He often creates snakes and bladed weapons, but he also has skulls, birds, insects, and other forms from which to choose as spies or allies in a fight.

Abilities
None

Other Info
Tudo and his brother Hiro were sold as children to the Japanese Yakuza when their mutant abilities first surfaced. The Yakuza used the boys as drug runners. However, they were eventually captured by the Mutagenic Search Squad. This Squad was run by Dr. Oonagh Mullarky. Both Tudo and Hiro were eventually experimented on by's Dr. Mullarky. Tattoo's animation powers were enhanced to new levels. In addition, he was engineered with two extra arms. (Base was able to control one of the four elements--water, earth, air, and fire--at a time.) (To learn about the above highlighted group and/or character, just click on their names above.)

Eventually, the two boys were separated. Tudo (now "Tattoo") became a villain and became a member of a group of other enhanced mutants known as Tektos. And Hiro (now "Base") had joined the team Genetix. (Click on the highlighted name above to learn about the Genetix team.)

Later on, Tektos and Genetix actually went head-to-head in battle. During the battle, Tattoo ended up being buried alive by an avalanche created by his brother Base.

Currently, it is unknown whether or not Tattoo managed to survive the avalanche.

There is nothing there, but here is link to the bio of Tattoo on Marvel.com, http://marvel.com/universe/Tattoo.

Tattoo was portrayed in the Elektra movie. In the movie, Tattoo had the same powers as he had in the comics; however, he did not have any extra arms. In the comics, Tattoo has no connection to Elektra or the Hand; therefore, his inclusion in the film was just a creative decision from those involved with the film. (To learn about the Hand, click on the highlighted name above.)

Blackout

Real Name
Unrevealed

Occupation
Henchman

Citizenship
Lilin

Place of Birth
Unrevealed

Known Relatives
Lilith (great grandmother)

Group Affiliation
Lilin; formerly agent of Deathwatch

Education
Unrevealed

Height
6'3"

Weight
230 lbs.

Eyes
Red

Hair
White

Powers
Blackout possesses the mutant ability to cloak himself in darkness, creating an effective camouflage to attack his unsuspecting victims. In his original life, he had steel fangs implanted into his mouth. After his rebirth by Lilth, he possessed true demon fangs and his facial scars were healed. Blackout also possesses superhuman strength and agility, he is impervious to most weapons, and is able to heal at an accelerated rate. However, he appeared to be very weak against hellfire, and Blackout's skin is extremely sensitive to light. Exposure to direct sunlight causes his skin to burn rapidly. Blackout did die when stabbed through the heart by Blade.

Abilities
He is a highly experienced hand-to-hand combatant, a superior acrobat, and wrestler.

Other Info
Little is known about Blackout's past. However, he was initially employed by the demonic crime lord Deathwatch as an enforcer and assassin. Soon afterward, he encountered the Ghost Rider (Daniel Ketch). He later even battled the Kingpin's men while on a mission; however, his mission was foiled by the Ghost Rider again. This time, Blackout attempted to bite the Ghost Rider on the neck, but his face became disfigured by the burst of hellfire that came from the bite wounds. (To learn about the above highlighted characters, just click on their highlighted names above.)

Disgruntled and disappointed by his failures, Blackout became obsessed with obtaining revenge on the Ghost Rider. Over time, though, he eventually learned the Ghost Rider's true identity which led him to murder his sister, Barbara Ketch. (To learn about Barbara Ketch, click on her name above.)

Later on, the Morlocks had been in conflict over a plan to change babies into mutated forms. Ghost Rider's incorrect belief that Blackout was behind the vanishing babies brought the attention of the actual Blackout. Though the children were rescued safely, with the assistance of X-Factor, Blackout did kill the Morlock Pixie before he escaped. (Click on the highlighted names above to learn about the team and/or character.)

Blackout later reemerge with his great grandmother, Lilith, and the Lilin children. Alongside Lilth and the Lilin, Blackout battled Ghost Rider, Johnny Blaze, Dr. Michael Morbius, the Nightstalkers, and the Darkhold Redeemers in Greenland. During the battle, Blade stabbed Blackout in the heart, killing him. (Click on the highlighted names above to learn about the characters and/or group. Note: Beware of the revealing outfit on the Lilith and the Lilin bio pages.)

Later, Blackout was reborn along with the rest of his fallen brethren, thanks to Lilith. Being reborn, Blackout was now a full-breed demon with real fangs and claws. In addition, his scarred face was healed.

Much later, Blackout would meet his fate again. This time he would be beaten by Ghost Rider and chained to the World Trade Center until the sun came out to burn him alive. However, it was later revealed to he managed to escape before he died.

During the mutant Civil War caused by the Superhuman Registration Act, Blackout was hired by the Hood and fought against the the New Avengers. However, Blackout was taken down by Doctor Strange. (To learn about the even, characters, and/or team, click on the highlighted names above.)

Later on, Blackout was called on by Zadkiel to put together a group of individuals to kill both Ketch and Blaze Ghost Riders. The Deacon was working side-by-side with him, and they rounded out their team by recruiting Madcap, Big Wheel, Trull, Scarecrow and the new Vengeance. While Big Wheel and Trull kept Blaze and Ketch busy, Blackout attacked a church where the Gun Nuns were. Blackout thought they would be easy pickings, but bullets from the nuns were dipped in holy water and Blackout was forced to make a hasty retreat screaming in pain into the night. (Click on the highlighted names above to learn about the different characters and/or team. Note: Beware of the revealing outfits worn by some on the Gun Nuns bio page.)

To learn a little bit more about Blackout, click on the following link, http://marvel.com/universe/Blackout_%28Lilin%29.

The creators of the Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance movie stated that the "Blackout" character does not follow the Marvel mythology of the character and admitted that they based his characterization on the look of the comic book character alone.

Battle Royal 13 Results

And the winner of the Battle Royal 13 is...HAWKEYE!

Hawkeye came in with 5 votes, followed by Banshee with 3 votes. Also, Destroyer, Detective Soap, and Crimson Dynamo all picked up a vote a piece.

As always Marvel Maniacs, thanks for all of your votes!

Phantom Rider

Real Name
Carter Slade

Occupation
Crimefighter, school teacher

Citizenship
U.S.A.

Place of Birth
Ohio, USA

Known Relatives
Phantom Rider (Lincoln Slade) (brother, deceased), Jamie Jacobs (foster son, deceased), Phantom Rider (Hamilton Slade) (great-great-grandnephew), Phantom Rider (Jamie Slade) (great-great-great-grandniece)

Group Affiliation
None

Education
Unknown

Height

6' 1"

Weight
200 lbs.

Eyes

Blue

Hair
Blond

Powers
After dying and truly becoming a spirit, Carter Slade gained the ability to become intangible, to shoot ethereal energy from his spirit guns, and other ghostly powers, which he grants to his descendant Hamilton when he enters his body.

Abilities

In life, Carter Slade was a skilled horseman, a champion boxer in college and became an excellent marksman with his revolvers. Additionally, he was fairly skilled in jumping and other acrobatics necessary to both fighting crime and pulling off his ghostly deception.

Other Info
Carter Slade was born and raised in Ohio in the mid-1800s, along with his brother Lincoln Slade. In college, Carter was a boxing champion. After some time, Carter decided to move out West to the new territories, in order to become a schoolteacher at the new settlement of Bison Bend, in Montana. (To learn about Lincoln Slade, click on the the highlighted name above.)

When Slade had nearly arrived, he came upon a group of Indians slaughtering helpless homesteaders. Though he was untrained in using a gun, Carter rode into the fray and discovered that the attackers were not Indians, but rather white men dressed up to appear as Indians. He tried to fight off the attackers; however, he was eventually shot multiple times and was left to for dead. After lying there for a minute, Jamie Jacobs (the teenage son of the settlers who had been murdered) emerged from his hiding place and found Slade. Jamie managed to get Carter onto a horse and set out to find help. However, after traveling many hours in the wrong direction he too collapsed to the ground. Fortunately, a group of friendly Indians had been watching and took Jacobs and Slade to their medicine man, Flaming Star. (Many years earlier, Flaming Star had seen a shooting star fall from the sky, bringing with it a bounty of phosphorescent dust. He took it as a sign from the Great Spirit, and learned that a champion would one day be sent to him, to fight injustice using the glowing dust and a special cape he had prepared.) For three days, Flaming Star prayed, chanted, and prepared potions and herbs. He was about to give up on Carter when suddenly Carter's fever broke and he awoke, seemingly fully restored to health. It was then that Flaming Star realized Carter Slade was the champion sent to him to fight injustice. Therefore, Flaming Star gave Carter the cloak he had fashioned (it was reversible and had a pitch black lining to complement the bright, white outer side). He also gave Carter all of the phosphorescent dust and led him to an untameable white horse that Carter managed to secure, and which he named "Banshee" for its distinctive neigh. (To learn about Flaming Star and/or Jamie Jacobs, just click on his highlighted names above.)

After this, Carter created an entire costume to complement the cloak and horse, and called himself the "Ghost Rider," though later others began calling him other names, such as "Night Rider" and "Phantom Rider."

Slade's first act as the Rider was to bring the men responsible for killing Jamie Jacobs' parents to justice--a group of cattle herders led by a man named Jason Bartholomew. He then set about helping the folk of Bison Bend build a schoolhouse and took Jamie under his wing as his ward/adopted son.

In the years that followed, Carter Slade rode the West fighting evil with Bison Bend as his base of operations, fighting and defeating a number of would-be criminals, including the Sting-Ray. (Click on the highlighted name above to learn about Sting-Ray.)

After some time, Slade began to fall in love with a young woman named of Natalie Brooks, sister of the sheriff, Ben Brooks. However, any relationship between them was complicated by the fact that Ben irrationally believed the Phantom Rider to be evil and was trying take over the territory. Also, Natalie was engaged to be married to a man named Clay Riley (whom Slade would eventually find out was the criminal known as the "Tarantula"). (To learn about Tarantula, click on his highlighted name above.)

Multiple times the Phantom Rider and the Tarantula would clash--eventually leading to a confrontation that would change Carter's life forever. Carter had decided to visit Ben Brooks in the form of the Phantom Rider to try and convince him Ben that he was wrong in believing the Rider to be evil. However, at the same time, the Tarantula set fire to several local buildings, and in the chaos Natalie ran into her brother's home to warn him of what had happened. Ben used the distraction as a chance to shoot and kill the Rider; however, Natalie (whose life had been saved several times by the Phantom Rider) jumped in-between the two men and took the bullet instead--severing her spinal cord. Natalie was not killed, but unless she received emergency surgery in Denver it was determined that she would never walk again. Therefore, Sheriff Brooks and Clay Riley set to Denver, with Natalie in tow--unknowingly, Carter Slade followed.

Along the way, the four ended up being kidnapped by a crazy old man. However, Slade was finally able to get Natalie away and continue his way on to Denver. However, he was stopped again--this time by the Hurricane (an outlaw possessing super-speed granted to him by an Indian's special potion). Hurricane ended up discovering Slade's secret identity and was poised to kill both him and Natalie. Hurricane had bound Carter and thrown off a cliff; however, the rope snagged a cliff ledge on the way down and Carter was able to make his way back up--this time as the Phantom Rider. He then was able to defeat the Hurricane by using his special lantern projector to project an image of himself out in empty air to give the illusion of being a real ghost. Hurricane ended up charging to apparition and fell headlong off the cliff. (To learn about Hurricane, click on the highlighted name above.)

Finally, Slade made it to Denver, and Natalie was able to receive her surgery where was regained her ability to walk. While there; however, Riley again donned the garb of the Tarantula in order to to commit more crimes to help pay for the surgery and the trip when he was stopped by the Phantom Rider. The two fought, eventually tumbling over a cliff side into a body of water below. The Rider had unmasked the Tarantula earlier, and was planning on bringing Riley to justice; however, the fall ended up injuring both men, including amnesia for Riley. Ben Brooks found them both and shot the Rider in the shoulder, but Slade managed to escape when Brooks went to check on Riley.

Some time later, the Phantom Rider helped stop bandits from robbing a train. During this, Slade used his "lariat of the night" (a rope painted black so as to be invisible at night which would give it the illusion of levitation) to suspend the ringleader in mid-air when he attempted to escape his own execution for the crime. However, the sheer fright of the Rider's spook act caused the bandit's heart to fail and he died. Those watching, mistakenly thought the Rider had actually hung him--Slade had thought so too. Therefore, Slade decided to end his career as the Phantom Rider.

Later, Sheriff Ben Brooks had become suspicious of the similarities between Slade's appearances in certain places at the same time the Phantom Rider was known to be around. The Sheriff was on the verge of discovering this when Jamie Jacobs and a boy saved from the train robbery used trickery and lantern projection to make three different Phantom Riders appear in the presence of both Brooks and Slade. Afterward, Jacobs told Carter that it wasn't his fault the criminal had died on the train. So, Slade decided that he would become the Phantom Rider once again.

Around this same time, Slade--who also had archaeological interests--traveled to Mexico to investigate the so-called "Temple of Quetzlcoatl." He was assisted by cousins, Paco Montoya (aka El Aquila) and Enrique Montoya, and a band of mercenaries led by a man named El Cojo. On the trip, the mercenaries turned on Slade and the cousins and attempted to kill them; however, they accidentally set of booby traps within the temple and triggered a volcanic eruption. The Phantom Rider and El Aguila fought together against the mercenaries who met their end when the temple was buried. (To learn about El Aquila, click on the highlighted name above.)

After returning to Montana, Slade discovered a bounty had been placed on the Phantom Rider's head by Sheriff Brooks, and the bounty hunter known as Gunhawk--whom the Rider had previously saved from being killed by a no-name outlaw--had come to town to claim the bounty. Eventually, the two fought against one another; however, Gunhawk and the Rider actually ended up fighting together against a group of would-be bank robbers. In fact, the Rider saved Gunhawk's life again by shooting a robber Gunhawk had dangerously turned his back on. Afterwards, Gunhawk left town telling Sheriff Brooks that the Phantom Rider was clearly being unfairly accused by Brooks. (Click on the highlighted name above to learn about Gunhawk.)

One day, the people in town began disappearing. Carter Slade's brother, U.S. Marshal Lincoln Slade, came to town to investigate. Lincoln ended up discovering that the new preacher, Reverend Reaper, was actually the leader of the gang that had kidnapped to townsfolk. Lincoln ended up following the Reverend his hideout where all the townsfolk were being held. The Phantom Rider had actually followed Lincoln there, and when Lincoln began fighter the Reaper's gang, he joined in the fight. They managed to free Sheriff Brooks and the others and had defeated all of the gang except for the Reverend himself. In a last-ditch attempt to save himself, Reverend Reaper shot out a wooden crossbeam that was holding the cave ceiling up, causing tons of rock and earth to begin sliding towards Lincoln Slade. The Phantom Rider hurled himself at his brother to save him, succeeding in doing so; however, Carter ended up being crushed by the avalanche himself. Lincoln heard a voice coming from the rubble and pulled the Rider free. When the Rider asked him to remove his mask, he saw it was his own brother, Carter. Carter was able to say goodbye before he died. Lincoln took his brother's body (without the Phantom Rider costume) and returned it to Bison Bend, where Carter was buried. (To learn about the Reverend Reaper, just click on the highlighted name above.)

After this, Jamie Jacobs attempted to take over as the Phantom Rider; however, he was killed in his first outing. After that, Lincoln Slade was hesitant, but in the end decided to don the costume as the new Phantom Rider.

Over time, however, Lincoln slowly began going crazy. When the West Coast Avengers time-traveled back to the Old West, he ended up kidnapping the Avenger Mockingbird--wife of Hawkeye. Mockingbird eventually was able to break free and ended up battling Lincoln Slade at the top of a mountain. The battle ended with Mockingbird allowing Lincoln Slade to fall to his death. This series of events eventually wound up affecting Carter Slade, even in death. (Click on the names above to learn about the highlighted characters. Note: Beware of the revealing/form-fitting outfit on Mockingbird's bio page.)

After some time, Lincoln's spirit took over his great-great-grandson Hamilton's body on occasions when evil loomed near. However, his spirit was still crazed and when he became aware of Mockingbird's presence in the present he began using Hamilton to harass her. After nearly being beaten to death, Mockingbird discovered that Hamilton wasn't to blame (Hamilton had no recollection of anything Lincoln did using his body). (To learn about Hamilton Slade, click on the highlighted name above.)

When Carter Slade's spirit became aware of what Lincoln had been doing to Hamilton--who was Carter's great-great-nephew--his spirit also took residence within Hamilton to try and drive off Lincoln's negative influence. Eventually, the demonologist Damian Hellstrom used his powers to drive both spirits from Hamilton's body. Carter's spirit subdued Lincoln's, and Hellstrom was about to banish both to a nether-dimension for eternity when Hamilton interceded on behalf of his great-great-uncle and willed Carter to enter his body just before the moment of banishment. Thus, transforming Hamilton into the Phantom Rider. However, Carter's spirit, being benevolent, did not use or control Hamilton; instead, Carter merely granted Hamilton the powers of the Phantom Rider and guides/assists him in the present-day. (To learn about Hellstrom, click on the highlighted name above.)

There is nothing there, but here is the link to the Marvel.com bio of the Carter Slade Phantom Rider, http://marvel.com/universe/Phantom_Rider_%28Carter_Slade%29.

In the movie Ghost Rider, actor Sam Elliott plays Carter Slade. However, in the credits he is named as the Caretaker. So basically, for the movie, Marvel merged two characters together--Caretaker and Carter Slade. In the movie, however, Carter Slade doesn't have the traditional Phantom Rider outfit. He looks more like a Western-version of the Ghost Rider (Johnny Blaze) and has a fire-breathing skeleton horse instead of a white horse.

Battle Royal 13

Imagine if thirteen Marvel characters were to be in a huge battle where there could only be ONE victor! Putting 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 thirteen Marvel characters in the poll.

Who will be the victor? Only YOU can decide!

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.

The thirteen characters that are involved in the Battle Royal 13 are the last thirteen characters that have been highlighted on the Marvel Madness blog:

Crimson Dynamo, Brian Banner, Doctor Erskine, General Phillips, Detective Soap, Agent Sitwell, Destroyer, Peggy Carter, Arnim Zola, Heinz Kruger, Banshee, Gabe Jones, and Hawkeye. (If you have forgotten some of these characters' powers/abilities, go ahead and check out their bios right here on the Marvel Madness blog by clicking on the highlighted names above.)

Crimson Dynamo

Real Name
Anton Vanko

Occupation
Employee of Stark Enterprises; formerly weapon manufacturer of the Soviet Union

Citizenship
Soviet Union, Russia

Place of Birth
Russia

Known Relatives
Unknown

Group Affiliation
Formerly Communist Party (Soviet Union)

Education
Masters degree in electrical engineering

Height
6'0"

Weight
240 lbs. (presumed)

Eyes
Brown

Hair
Bald, Black

Powers
None

Abilities
A genius level intellect that allows him to create a range of sophisticated inventions, most notably his Crimson Dynamo armor.

Other Info
Anton Vanko was a reknowed scientist and the greatest expert on electricity of the east block. Due to his brilliance, Anton was funded by the state and had a few labs within the Soviet Union. It was there that he created the Jet Paralyzer technology, the costume for the Unicorn, and the Crimson Dynamo armor. (The Crimson Dynamo armor enhances the wearer's strength, and it can emit enough volts of electricity to short-circuit electronic devices--destroying and manipulating most machines.) With its red covering, Anton named his armor "Crimson Dynamo." (Click on the highlighted name above to learn about the Unicorn.)

Later, Vanko was sent on a mision to destroy the guardian of Stark Enterprises, Iron Man. He eventually even battled Iron Man. However, Tony Stark realized that brute force could not defeat Vanko and decided to fool him. Stark said Vanko's bosses wanted to kill Vanko after the first successful test of the armor. From this, Vanko decided to switch sides and escaped to America with Stark. (Neither one knew, but Iron Man's trick turned out to be true--the Soviet government planned to kill and replace Vanko). (To learn about Iron Man, click on the highlighted name above.)

Once in the United States, Vanko was immediately hired by Stark. He soon became a valued employee of Stark Enterprises and became a good friend of Tony Stark.

The Kremlin didn't take well to turn coats and sent Boris Turgenev and Black Widow to kill Vanko and retrieve the Crimson Dynamo armor. Boris was successful in subduing Vanko and stole his armor and began using it. However, Vanko used an experimental laser that he had been working on to battle Turgenev. Unfortunately, the weapon exploded and it ended up killing both Turgenov and Vanko. Anton Vanko died for the country he saw now as a home. (To learn about the characters above, just click on their highlighted names. Note: Beware of the Black Widow's bio page due to her form-fitting/revealing outfits.)

Vanko's legacy has continued for many years as about twelve others have taken on the name of the "Crimson Dynamo"--some good and some evil.

To learn just a bit more about the original Crimson Dynamo, click on the following link, http://marvel.com/universe/Crimson_Dynamo_%28Anton_Vanko%29.

In the movie, Iron Man 2, Anton Vanko is portrayed as the dying father of Ivan Vanko (aka Whiplash). Ivan's character is basically a mix of the Crimson Dynamo and Whiplash. The Vanko family 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 messed with the comic book story lines again. However, I thought they did an awesome job with the movie!

Brian Banner

Real Name
Dr. Brian Banner

Occupation

Former atomic physicist

Citizenship
U.S.A.

Place of Birth
Unknown

Known Relatives
Bruce Banner (father, presumed deceased), Unnamed mother (presumed deceased), Rebecca Banner (wife, deceased), Bruce Banner (son), Elaine Banner Walters (sister, deceased), Morris Walters (brother-in-law), Jennifer Walters (niece), Skaar and Hiro-Kala (grandsons), Lyra (granddaughter), Betty Ross-Banner (daughter-in-law)

Group Affiliation
None

Education
Ph.D. in physics

Height

6'2"

Weight
240 lbs.

Eyes

Brown

Hair
Black

Powers
When Brian Banner was resurrected during the "Chaos War," Brian Banner gained the ability to turn into a hybrid replica of the Guilt Hulk and the Devil Hulk. In addition, Brian became as powerful as Bruce perceived him as being. While feared by his son, Brian was easily able to overpower the Hulk family and he shot green fire blasts. However, once he was not feared anymore by Bruce, he was quickly defeated.

Abilities

Scientific genius

Other Info
As a child, Brian and his mother were physically and emotionally abused by his father. Regarding his father as a monster, and believing that he had inherited a "monster gene" from him, Brian promised himself that he would never have any children, for fear of bringing another Banner into the world.

In college, Brian met Rebecca, whom he fell in love with and later married. And after some time, Brian earned a PhD in physics and found a job in Los Alamos, New Mexico and worked for the U.S. government as a member of a project trying to develop a clean way to create nuclear energy.

Later, the stress of his job eventually led Brian to become an alcoholic and he began to develop anger problems. One day, while drunk on the job, Dr. Banner accidentally overloaded some machinery, causing an explosion that caused him to lose his job. Despite doctors saying that the explosion caused him no harm, Brian became convinced that the explosion in Los Alamos had affected him on the genetic level. Fearing it had altered his genetic structure, and due to his vow to never have children, Dr. Banner was horrified when he learned that Rebecca was pregnant with their son. Brian was convinced that his son, Bruce, would be some kind of a mutant. Instantly hating the baby Bruce (who he believed to be a monster created from both the radiation he was exposed to and the "monster gene"), Brian ignored him completely and attempted to keep Rebecca away from him as well. (To learn more about the Hulk, click on the highlighted name above.)

Early one Christmas morning, Brian woke up to Bruce having opened a present from his mother. The present was a complex model, which Bruce had easily put together despite his young age. This discovery convinced Brian that Bruce was definitely abnormal and different. So, he ended up beating up Bruce, and Rebecca when she came to her son's aid. Brian continued to be abusive for several years. Then one day, Rebecca attempted to escape with Bruce. When Brian found them packing up their belongings into their car, Brian again attacked Rebecca; however, this time, he accidentally killed her in his fit of rage while Bruce stood there and witnessed it all. Brian then threatened Bruce that if he testified against him in court that Bruce would be severely punished. Due to the Brian's threats, Bruce ended up lying in court and said that his father never abused him or his mother. Due to lack of evidence, Brian escaped conviction; however, he was later arrested when, after becoming drunk, boasted about how he beat the law by bullying his son. Brian was eventually convicted of manslaughter and put in a mental institution.

After fifteen years of confinement, the doctors believed that Brian was ready to rejoin society and he was released. Despite Bruce's reluctantly, Bruce eventually gave in and allowed his father to stay with him for a short amount of time. However, during this time, Brian began acting a bit strange. It was during this time that Brian also broke down and blurted out the fact that his father, Bruce's grandfather, had abused him too. Brian continued to act even stranger and stranger over time, and Bruce even mentioned that maybe he should check himself back in for more therapy.

One day, Brian and Bruce got into an argument. Bruce ended up calling him crazy and walked away. It being the anniversary of his mother's death, Bruce went to his mother's grave. Brian followed Bruce to Rebecca's grave and started harassing his son again and said how Bruce was an evil monster and how he was just trying to save mankind from a mutant and monster like Bruce. The two continued arguing until it led a physical confrontation. At one point in the scuffle, Bruce was on the ground and Brian was about to jump on him when Bruce pushed him back with his foot. This led to Brian stumbling backwards and cracking his neck on Rebecca's gravestone and dying.

After his death, Brian's ghost continued to haunt his son's alter-ego, the Hulk. Brian often appeared to taunt Bruce, stating that he was no better than him. Villains such as Mentallo, the Red Skull, the Devil Hulk, and the Guilt Hulk also used the image of Brian Banner against the Hulk, in an attempt to weaken him. (Click on the highlighted names above to learn about the different characters.)

Later, when Bruce Banner and the Hulk were fused back together after being separated on Counter-Earth, Bruce found himself in Hell, where he met his father. Brian terrorized the Hulk there. However, Bruce eventually had taken enough and stood up to Brian. Brian ended up getting beat up by Bruce, and then his son left him and returned to the normal world. (To learn about the Counter-Earth, click on the highlighted name above.)

Later, during the Chaos War, the Chaos King resurrected Brian and Rebecca Banner. In addition, he also gave the Brian Banner the ability to transform into a hybrid of the Guilt Hulk and the Devil Hulk. Now as this new "Hulk-like" monster, Brian fought against his son, Bruce. At one point, Brian tried to kill Rebecca again. When the Hulk saw this, he ended up fighting Brain alongside his son, Skaar. However, Brian fed on the Hulk's anger towards him and actually become stronger. But, it was only when the Hulk's lost love, Jarella, told him to remember his love for her that the tides of the battle turned against Brain. The Hulk instead started focusing on the positive emotions inspired by the rest of his allies and ended up defeating his "Hulk-like" monster father, Brian Banner. (To learn about the different characters above, just click on their highlighted names. Also, Brian Banner as the "Hulk-like" monster is shown in the fifth and sixth picture posted above.)

To learn a tiny bit more about Brian Banner, just click on the following link, http://marvel.com/universe/Banner,_Brian.

In the movie, Hulk, Brian Banner is renamed David Banner (a reference to the television series). However, in the credits, he is named "The Father." In addition, the film version of the Hulk's father attempted to replicate the Hulk's powers and eventually received Absorbing Man-like powers.

X-Men Movie Poll Results

Wow! This was a close poll! Every movie turned out to be just 1 vote behind/above the next movie in line.

So, without further ado...the people's choice of the best X-Men movie is...X-Men: First Class! It received 5 votes. The original X-Men movie took second place with 4 votes. X-Men Origins: Wolverine was third with 3 votes. X2: X-Men United had 2 votes. And, X-Men: The Last Stand received only 1 vote...my vote.

Thanks for all those that participated in the X-Men Movie Poll--we had a GREAT turn out!

Doctor Erskine

Real Name
Abraham Erskine

Occupation
Scientist

Citizenship
German

Place of Birth
Germany

Known Relatives
Anita Erskine (wife), Esme Erskine (daughter), Tyler Paxton (son-in-law), Jacob Paxton/Erskine (grandson, deceased), Brian van Patrick (grandson), Michael van Patrick (great-grandson, deceased)

Group Affiliation
U.S. Army during WWII

Education
Unknown

Height

5' 6"

Weight
160 lbs.

Eyes

Brown

Hair
Black (greying)

Powers
None

Abilities

None

Other Info
Abraham Erskine was a German biochemist and physicist who had spent much of his early life studying the human species. Horrified when he witnessed Adolf Hitler and Baron Zemo test a "death ray" on a human subject, he contacted the United States to get out of Nazi Germany. After the United States Army got him out of Germany (and faked his death), he takes up the alias "Joseph Reinstein." (To learn about the characters above, just click on their highlighted names.)

During his research, Erskine had developed a special diet and isometric exercise regime that he theorized would create a "super-soldier." However, the program was rejected by the U.S. government because it required a lifetime of adherence in order to produce the desired results. However, Abraham Erskine ended up becoming the first person to develop the "Super-Soldier Serum," as well as the Vita-Rays, designed to create an army of enhanced human beings for the United States' World War II efforts. This serum would eliminate the physical defects and limitations humans had.

Eventually, after the scrawny Steve Rogers was chosen to become a Super-Soldier, Dr. Erskine administered the Super-Soldier Serum which changed Rogers into the muscular Captain America. However, right after this, a Nazi agent named Heinz Kruger infiltrated the top-secret military base and assassinated Erskine; thus, eliminating the Super-Soldier Serum formula--Erskine had committed the formula to memory and had not not written it down anywhere. (To learn about the highlighted characters above, just click on their names.)

To date, nobody has ever been able to duplicate the Super Soldier Serum as successfully as Erskine was with Steve Rogers. Others have recreated powerful human transformation techniques similar to Erskine's (including Wilfred Nagel and William Burnside), but none have been as successful. (To learn about a different "Captain America," click on the highlighted name above.)

As mentioned earlier, Erskine had developed a special diet and isometric exercise regime that he theorized would create a super-soldier. And even though the U.S. government rejected the theory, Erskine passed the research on through his family. In fact, his grandson applied the theory and used it as the basis for both a successful organic food business and the physical development of his own son Michael van Patrick. Micheal's peak human physiology proved the accuracy of Erskine's theories. (To learn about MVP, click on his highlighted name above.)

There is nothing there, but here is the link to the Marvel.com bio of Doctor Erskine, http://marvel.com/universe/Erskine,_Abraham.

X-Men Movie Poll

Next year, The Wolverine is supposedly coming out and is supposed to be a sequel to X-Men Origins: Wolverine and still a prequel to the first X-Men movie. With the success of the X-Men movie franchise, I'm sure more will still come out.

However, I would like to know which of the five
X-Men movies that have come out so far is your favorite. Please vote in the X-Men Movie Poll. And if you have time, in the "Comment" section below, explain the reason why the movie you voted for was your favorite X-Men movie over all the others.

Here are the covers to the five X-Men movies that have come out so far:

X-MenX2: X-Men United
X-Men: The Last StandX-Men Origins: WolverineX-Men: First Class

General Phillips

Real Name
Chester Richards Phillips

Occupation

General

Citizenship
U.S.A.

Place of Birth
Unknown

Known Relatives
Unknown

Group Affiliation
U.S. Army

Education
Military

Height

5' 11"

Weight
175 lbs.

Eyes

Brown

Hair
Grey (formerly Brown)

Powers
None

Abilities

None

Other Info
General Chester Philips was an advisor to President Roosevelt during World War II

General Phillips was one of the many army officers overseeing subject selection for Project: Rebirth. He takes personal interest in an 4-F army reject named Steve Rogers and ends up choosing him to become a part of the project. In particular, he admired Rogers patriotic spirit. Soon after, Phillips was a part of picking Rogers as the eventual Super-Soldier "Captain America." He and Abraham Erskine refused to allow General Maxfield Saunders to have Clinton McIntyre received the first full treatment. General Phillips even oversaw Rogers' initial training as well as some of his early missions. (To learn more about the above highlighted project and/or characters, just click on their names.)

When Saunders steals the serum and apparently kills McIntyre, Phillips has the body shipped away and Saunders arrested.)

Prior to Rogers receiving the serum, Phillips was aware that Saunders had stolen the Super Soldier Serum and administered it to McIntyre (now known as "Protocide") anyway. However in doing so, Protocide was apparently killed. After this, General Phillips Phillips shipped away the body of McIntyre, and dealt severely with the perpetrators through military channels.

During this military career, Phillips was a hard nosed commander who did not tolerate errors from those he was in charge of. After a long career, Phillips eventually retired from the military and lived to an old age.

Much later in his life, while in a rest home in Kentucky, Phillips and Captain America were both attacked by Lemurian assassins. Both men battled off the assailants; unfortunately, General Chester Phillips was killed during the skirmish. (Click on the highlighted name above to learn about the Lemurians.)

There is nothing there, but here is the link to the Marvel.com bio of General Phillips, http://marvel.com/universe/General_phillips.

In the movie, Captain America: The First Avenger, Chester Phillips is a colonel rather than a general.