History
The Reaper was a propaganda expert that worked for the Nazis during World War II. In January of 1943, Adolf Hitler personally ordered the Reaper to go to the United States in order to cause the public to turn against authority figures. They hoped that they could convince the public to turn against the American war effort and defeat the United States through rabble rousing.
Having arrive in the United States with false citizenship papers, the Reaper then began making public appearances at Madison Square Garden and other New York venues telling those gathered that what was bad was good and what was good was bad and that they should reject authority figures because they were wrong. Surprisingly, this method worked on many Americans and soon there were regular riots on the streets as average citizens turned against authority figures. When the authorities attempted to arrest or silence the Reaper's speeches, he found protection under the First Amendment of the United States Constitution and was unable to be touched.
When Captain America and Bucky confronted the Reaper and his men, it led to a fight. Because the Reaper was not guilty of any crimes, he had his men phone the police and pressed trespassing and assault charges on Captain America, making the star-spangled hero a fugitive when he fled the scene.
Not discouraged, Captain America then went to confront the Reaper at his next public appearance at Columbus Circle while he sent Bucky to check out the FBI's file on the Reaper. There, Captain America (in disguise) listened as the Reaper told the crowd that Hitler was right and that the war was wrong and that they should turn against the war effort. Captain America then revealed himself and battled the Reaper but was briefly knocked out. The Reaper then led the mob to go and capture city hall.
Bucky soon arrived with documents that proved Captain America's hunch: That the Reaper was not really an American citizen but a Nazi spy. He then confronted the Reaper again, forcing the crook to flee into the subway. As Captain America chased after him, the Reaper stumbled onto the third rail of the tracks and was electrocuted to death. Bucky meanwhile showed the crowd the evidence he gathered on the Reaper, making the mob realize the errors of their ways.Attributes
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See Also
- 2 appearance(s) of Gunther Strauss (Earth-616)
- 1 mention(s) in handbook(s) of Gunther Strauss (Earth-616)
- 1 image(s) of Gunther Strauss (Earth-616)