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Karl Morgenthau (Earth-616)

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My mission is to stamp out the outmoded concept of patriotism!

—Flag-Smasher[source]

Karl Morgenthau, aka The Flag-Smasher, was an anti-nationalist extremist terrorist who perceived all nations as oppressive and the concept of patriotism as outmoded, and he desired to end both of them permanently.[3]

History

Early Life[]

Karl Morgenthau was the son of a wealthy Swiss banker-turned-diplomat. As a youth, he accompanied his father on his diplomatic missions to various countries, never living in the same place for more than a year. Although he learned to speak several foreign languages fluently, the constant readjustment to new environments hampered his social growth. Consequently, he felt like an outcast and became too introverted to form many friendships.

While living in Tokyo, Morgenthau began to study martial arts, and at fifteen earned his black belt in karate. At the age of nineteen, he followed his father, who had become a delegate to the United Nations, to America and enrolled in Columbia University. He intended to major in political science and follow in his father's footsteps by becoming a diplomat. But when his father was trampled to death in a riot outside the Latverian embassy, the young man's goals suddenly changed. Convinced that his father had pursued the goal of world peace and unity far too passively, Morgenthau resolved instead to spread that message using the only language he felt the world would respond to, the language of violence.

Karl Morgenthau becomes the first Flag-Smasher[]

Employing his vast inheritance to finance his mission, Morgenthau contracted certain unrevealed parties to supply him with an arsenal of experimental weaponry. He then fashioned for himself the costumed identity of "The Flag-Smasher," and returned to New York to begin a campaign of terrorist assaults on symbols of nations such as national flags and embassies. Through these random strikes, he sought to promote the idea that nationalism was an outmoded concept which tended to promote disunity among the family of man. Learning that the hero Captain America was going to make a public speech, the Flag-Smasher held the crowd of hundreds attending the press conference hostage, forcing them to listen to his anti-nationalistic rhetoric. When the confrontation turned physical, Captain America overpowered the Flag-Smasher.[3]

U.L.T.I.M.A.T.U.M.[]

Morgenthau was deported from the country, but he soon joined the subversive organization called "The U.L.T.I.M.A.T.U.M.," whose goals mirrored his own. He hijacked an airliner and held it hostage, demanding Captain America surrender to him. Cap tried to talk him down by agreeing with his vision of world peace, but disagreed with his methods. Cap was forced to take him down with the help of S.H.I.E.L.D..[4]

It was later revealed the U.L.T.I.M.A.T.U.M. organization was actually being funded by the Nazi criminal, the Red Skull. Morgenthau, now fleeing for his life and hunted by his own people, was forced to team up with the new Captain America (John Walker) along with Battlestar, the Captain (Steve Rogers) and Demolition Man. They thwarted their plot to set off a global EMP that would render all technology useless, though apparently at the cost of D-Man's life. He revealed that working with the Red Skull would destroy his integrity and ideals.[5]

Morgenthau again usurped the leadership of the U.L.T.I.M.A.T.U.M., and once he had, he attempted to supply weapons to subversives in the US, but was stopped by the vigilante called the Punisher and the Moon Knight.[6] He later tried to spread anarchy across the country by again supplying weapons to ne'er-do-wells, but this time, the Ghost Rider and the Punisher stopped him.[7]

Roxxon[]

Karl Morgenthau (Earth-616) from Captain America 1999 Vol 1 1 001

with grey skin

Morgenthau was captured and drugged by Calvin Halderman, the CEO of Roxxon who used him to secure the companies oil interests. The drugs mutated him into a monstrous gray creature who had no high brain functions and was forced to follow his master's orders. He was sent on a mission to assassinate a couple of reporters, who were investigating Roxxon. Captain America intervened and was forced to take down the mind-controlled creature.[2]

V-Battalion[]

The Flag-Smasher was installed as the ruler of Rumekistan by the V-Battalion as a compromise between powers.[8] It was later revealed that the Flag-Smasher had allegedly been assassinated by Domino as part of a series of events which installed Cable as leader of that nation.[9]

Attributes

Power Grid[13]
:Category:Power Grid/Fighting Skills/Master: Single Form of Combat:Category:Power Grid/Energy Projection/None:Category:Power Grid/Durability/Normal:Category:Power Grid/Speed/Normal:Category:Power Grid/Strength/Normal:Category:Power Grid/Intelligence/Normal

Abilities

  • Multilingualism: The Flag-Smasher is fluent in English, French, German, Russian, Italian, Japanese, and Esperanto.[10]
  • Martial Arts: The Flag-Smasher is a gifted martial artist trained in shotokan karate-do.[10]
  • Weapons Proficiency: The Flag-Smasher is skilled in the use of his spiked mace and various types of firearms.[10]
  • Aviation: The Flag-Smasher can pilot a helicopter.[11]

Paraphernalia

Equipment

The Flag-Smasher wears a highly resilient costume as body armor, which has special lenses in his mask that help him to resist blinding flashes of light. His principal weapon is a spiked mace, although he has also used, on occasion, a flame-thrower pistol and traditional machine handguns.

See Also

Links and References

References

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