This Elf Is Packing

 

For a little over a year during the mid-1970s, readers of The Defenders were introduced to an ongoing, head-scratching sub-plot involving a character which appeared to have nothing to do with the principal characters of the book, or, for that matter, anything or anyone else. Created by writer Steve Gerber and artist Sal Buscema, the Elf with a gun, as it came to be known, received a brief profile in the PPC eight years ago which dealt with its baffling modus operandi and mission; yet it seems negligent not to have also included each of his unfortunate victims, none of whom would appear to be relevant or of particular importance to any Marvel story except as unknowing, unsuspecting targets.

Four victims in all--the last of which didn't even merit a name, and, for what it's worth, the only one who even indirectly crosses paths with one of the Defenders. I could find no direct quote in which Gerber expresses his thoughts on the whys and wherefores of his homicidal creation, though reportedly he remarked words to the effect of the Elf being "a backhanded metaphor for the chaotic and inexplicable nature of everyday existence," which, if accurate, begs the question of just what he had in mind for bringing this character to fruition in The Defenders. Of course, it all became moot following Gerber's departure, when, in 1977, the character was unceremoniously and summarily dealt out of the book by writers Roger Slifer and David Kraft (while, appropriately, being completely unrelated to the main story).

The reaction from readers, as you might expect, ran the gamut.

In a later series of stories, however (published well after Gerber had left the book), writer J.M. DeMatteis provided the diminutive assassin with a backstory that explained its actions and purpose as an agent of the mysterious group known as the Tribunal, whose goal was to pinpoint the cause of Earth's future destruction. Unfortunately for the Defenders, that would mean a few more casualties in the crosshairs of this Elf with a gun.

Yet it turns out that there were no casualties to speak of at all--only displacement, as a member of the Tribunal elaborates on during the group's confrontation of the core Defenders. Coincidentally or not, the issue in which we learn the answer to the mystery of the Elf is published seven years to the month after Gerber's last scripted appearance of the character.

We see that even the Tribunal can get its facts wrong, since it omits two people from its listing of "victims" while giving the name of another ("Richard Kessler") whom our Elf never paid a visit to.

A curious footnote to this story arrives nearly thirteen years later in 1996, when Gerber returns to Marvel for an assignment on Spider-Man Team-Up--a story that involves Peter Parker, Ben Reilly (as Spider-Man), Maynard Tiboldt (better known as the Ringmaster), the Circus of Crime... and an Elf with a gun, the nephew of the elf who was mowed down while getting a bead on our paper boy Greg.

This being the mid-1990s, Gerber's tale is as chaotic as Marvel itself was during those years, so I'll leave it to you to sift through the full story. You might as well know beforehand, though, that this new elf's story is left unresolved--which you'll probably agree is par for the course.

Just Call "Him"... Paragon!

 

After the failure of the group that would later be named the Enclave to create a perfect, powerful human specimen to aid in their goal of world conquest, it stood to reason that these men would make another such attempt--assuming they survived the retribution delivered by the one named Him, who viewed them as evil and acted accordingly. Survive it, they did--and make it, they did, once they brought in a specialist to help make sure that this new creation didn't turn on them like the last. But what they didn't count on was that one very angry johnny-come-lately would turn out to be their specialist's backup!

It's the 1977 Incredible Hulk Annual, where a new form of life has again emerged within the sinister complex known as the Beehive. And, once again, we're left to ask: Is it friend, or foe?

(It's probably not feeling too friendly after being attacked by everybody.)

 

Demolished!

When you take into consideration the fact that the story of the character known as Deathlok--the cyborg assassin/military operative tracking his targets in a not-too-distant post-apocalyptic future--took place not in his own series, but as a mid-1970s feature in the Astonishing Tales title, you would have to consider him something of a success story at the time, having managed to establish a steady readership even on a bi-monthly publication schedule that would delay each story installment for an interminable sixty days. Reader loyalty appeared far from the mind of Editor Marv Wolfman, however, when the final Deathlok story hit the stands in 1976*, without warning or acknowledgment of its cessation--its cover giving every indication of continuation for the series.

*As it happened, the last issue also coincided with the end of the Astonishing Tales book itself.

Certainly not the first issue to end a publication run abruptly and leave a big question mark hanging over its place on the spinner rack as to the resolution of its current storyline. (Silver Surfer #18 being one such example that comes to mind.)

Yet Deathlok's sudden disappearance following his encounter with the mysterious individual called Godwulf would be followed up with several spotty appearances that would have him interacting with individuals and timelines which existed nearly a decade before his own dismal future--appearances taking place in three separate titles in a span of over six years, though given that length of time it perhaps comes as no surprise that there seemed to be no story plot in effect that would tie these instances together coherently. Still, thanks in part to the covers being produced for those appearances, it's to Deathlok's credit that his character was still capable of attracting reader interest.

In essence, each story would make use of Deathlok as both a deadly threat and a victim of the circumstances he'd found himself in, as seen through the eyes of the respective books' writers at the time: David Kraft, Marv Wolfman, Mark Gruenwald (with Ralph Macchio), and J.M. DeMatteis. It was DeMatteis who would finally break the cycle of Deathlok "guest-starring" in Marvel continuity and make an effort to resolve his situation in his own timeline--but stringing together his prior appearances in the past to get to that point would take some doing.

Who Killed Scorpio?

In the conclusion to the story of Scorpio which took place in the Defenders' 50th issue, Scorpio met his end in a scene that played out off-panel but which left no doubt that Scorpio's threat was ended.

But... take another look at the scene.

There are two things here that aren't adding up. Can you spot them?

All Signs Point To... Death!

While the villain known as Scorpio prepares to unleash a new grouping of Zodiac to the world, the Defenders have moved to invade his New Jersey headquarters in an effort to save two of their own as well as put an end to his plans. But one angry Defender has been carefully (and, to say the least, recklessly) herded to arrive ahead of them--a behemoth who has clashed with Scorpio before, and who wishes to express very specific sentiments on how the score between them will be settled:

It's the bludgeoning, beer-popping conclusion to the classic 1977 tale featuring the Defenders vs. the new Zodiac--and just in time for the group's knockout fiftieth issue!

The Defenders face the power of the Zodiac key, plus 4 to 1 odds against them--or do they?

Who Remembers Scorpio?

There seems to be little argument that the three-part 1977 story from The Defenders, "Who Remembers Scorpio?", is a fan favorite, spotlighting as it does this arachnid member of Zodiac and the exploration of his character in depth by writer David Kraft. Scorpio--whose identity is again that of Jake Fury, the brother of the director of S.H.I.E.L.D., Nick Fury--is a mixture of introspection and cynicism, critical of the world's social ills and pressures and mired in depression over his solitude. Yet he has the Zodiac key, as well as the means to alleviate his loneliness--while his ruthlessness and resources drive him to sweep aside the societal constraints that he regards as dangerous and self-defeating and establish his own supremacy.

In this tale, Kraft writes Scorpio as if the character were delivering the lines in a one-man show, with the Defenders waiting in the wings while he moves ahead with his plans. His headquarters, a building in Belleville, New Jersey, almost comes across as a carefully lit set, with its dimness and many shadows only sparsely broken up by pieces of equipment and recessed lighting. One could easily make the case that the environment matches his contemplative mood; yet it's that mood that drives him to act to alleviate his state of frustration, and he is no less the "super-villain" because of it. There are many villains who wish to alter their circumstances through the use of force--people such as Magneto, or Doom, or Loki--but instead of using their broad brush, Scorpio seeks to strike back at the core of society, rejecting its dictates while becoming his own ideal. To do that, he'll need some sort of positive reinforcement in place that provides him with affirmation and support, which will come to him from two sources--each of which will be something of a surprise in terms of what form they take. (And as the story's events fall into place, we'll see just how literal that description should be regarded.)

In a prior issue, a prelude to Scorpio's involvement with the Defenders (as well as the introduction to this arc's title) has already taken place, when he made an incursion at the heroes' riding academy H.Q. in an apparent effort to kidnap Kyle Richmond. When his plan failed, he was forced to adopt a contingency plan and set his sights on Jack Norriss, who had been married to the Valkyrie's human host, Barbara, and who has remained in the Defenders' orbit only to be frustrated by his inability to reach Barbara on any level. Norriss has consequently become embedded with the Defenders to a certain extent, and his activities in a recent power play by the Headmen have brought him to the attention of SHIELD, interrogated but subsequently released by Fury.

But Norriss soon found that Fury was after him again, and this time he wasn't asking for Norriss' cooperation. Yet Fury's heavy-handed treatment of Norriss draws the attention of the adventurer known as Moon Night, who manages to drive off Fury and his agents and then informally becomes Norriss' protector in order to get to the bottom of the mystery.

(Selected scenes from issue #47)

It's a splendid introduction of Moon Knight to the book--and there's no denying the impact he makes on the story, since taking on Fury and his agents is nothing short of impressive, buoyed by the fact that Moon Knight operates on the strength of his convictions and his loyalties are to whomever he's trying to help. After an altercation between the Defenders and Wonder Man, one of the Avengers, it comes as something of a surprise when Fury changes his approach vis-à-vis Norriss, deciding to substitute diplomacy for the use of force.

Norriss' instinct proves to be correct, since the Defenders are convinced that Fury wouldn't circumvent the law and that no harm will come to Norriss.

Unfortunately, in the opening of Kraft's follow-up story that will bring Scorpio's plans front and center, we're not so sure anymore that the Defenders made the right call--and even less sure of Fury's good intentions.

You might want to pop open a Schlitz and relax while you can--Scorpio's melancholy won't last.

It's Raining Defenders!

In a three-part story from 1978, the dynamic Defenders were forced to part with their anonymity as an under-the-radar informal super-group when they became the subjects of a broadcast documentary that not only outed them to the world and detailed their exploits, but also extended an open invitation for membership to any interested parties--acts taken without the knowledge of the Defenders themselves and, needless to say, entirely unauthorized. How do you think the Defenders reacted to this turn of events? Well, judging by the cover of the initial issue, the state of Nighthawk will probably give you an idea of how smoothly things went down.

Our aspiring filmmaker on the cover's corner is known as Dollar Bill, a film student at Empire State University who probably reads a little too much Variety and whose work as a filmmaker is likely destined to remain in the amateur category. Bill met the Valkyrie while she was taking a stab at attending college, and through her became aware of the Defenders while dealing with a brutal menace on campus known as Lunatik. Bill has a habit of pursuing his art without giving any thought to the possible consequences--and when he became further involved with the Defenders and their adventures, he must have thought he'd hit the mother lode as far as film-worthy subject material.

And so, on a day the Defenders aren't likely to ever forget, Bill makes a surprise announcement to the group of the completion of his documentary project, just as it's about to air as a television special. "Surprise" is without a doubt the word that applies here--but Nighthawk has a few other words for this budding nemesis who's wedged his foot in the Defenders' door.

As Nighthawk says, there's little to do now but watch the film and hope for the best. Dollar Bill of course is stoked that his art is receiving such attention, and his self-confidence is (as usual) off the charts, which gives Nighthawk and the others a cautious sense of anticipation. Do we dare tune in with them to watch this potential disaster?

Without confirming or denying the Hulk's misgivings as to the quality of Dollar Bill's documentary, let's just say that there might be a number of people in the room who want to "smash picture-box" by the time this little presentation is over.

This One You Dare Not Miss!

A fight between the Hulk and the Sub-Mariner tends to play out like any fight scene from "Buffy, the Vampire Slayer"--lots of punches and sound effects indicating a savage fight, but none of it amounting to the slightest injury. You almost feel like paraphrasing that old tree-falls-in-a-forest saying: If one hell of a fight happens, but no one needs so much as a Band-Aid when it's over, did it really happen? Spider-Man seems to be the only Marvel character who takes a beating and has the bruises to show for it. Reed Richards or Johnny Storm looked like they'd been through a brawl occasionally, at least when Jack Kirby was drawing them.

I suppose it's understandable that the Hulk always walks (or leaps) away from a fight unscathed. But Namor? In all those battles on land, never so much as a sore fist? He once walked away from a knock-down drag-out with Iron Man as if the entire fight had only inconveniently delayed him. As weak as he grows the longer he's out of contact with water, I didn't think that translated to invulnerability.

Namor returns to the pages of The Defenders after an absence of almost forty issues (over three years, our time) in what would lead to a conflict on Russian soil with "the Presence"; but before that kicks off, writer David Kraft takes the opportunity to orchestrate another battle between Namor and the Hulk. The fight between these two has all the back-and-forth between them that you'd expect, in terms of both dialog and blows, so it's standard Hulk/Namor fare throughout. But it does have the distinction of being pencilled by Keith Giffen, which you may find interesting. And Giffen certainly gives Namor quite the entrance:

Consider: Namor is on his way to the Fantastic Four to make an urgent plea for help in dealing with a crisis in Atlantis. Yet the situation apparently isn't so urgent that Namor can't take the time to walk his way to the Baxter Building, consequently being deterred by law enforcement and certainly by crowds. But "orchestrating" a fight means putting improbable elements into play, and you'll have to admit it doesn't get more improbable than this:

Go on. Take three guesses how the Hulk will react to being shoved...

...and then guess how long it will take before Namor escalates matters.

In fact, just go ahead and imagine the rest. You'll likely be right.