Markus Ettlinger (Earth-616)

Hauptmann Deutschland
Name	Markus Ettlinger
Current Alias	Hauptmann Deutschland
Aliases	Vormund, Captain Germany, Guardian, Freedom Fighter, "Captain America of Germany"
Affiliation and Relationships
Affiliation	Schutz Heiliggruppe
Physical Characteristics
Gender	Male
Height	6′1″ (1.85 m)
Weight	235 lbs (106.59 kg)
Eyes	Irises: Blue
Hair	Black
Origin and Living Status
Origin	Human mutate
Living Status	Alive
Reality	Earth-616
Personal Information
Identity	Secret
Citizenship	German
Occupation	Special operative for the German government
Creators and Appearances
Creators	Mark Gruenwald, Rik Levins
First	Captain America #387 (May, 1991)
First	Captain America #387 (May, 1991)

History

The Schutz Heiliggruppe pursued the Red Skull and his Skeleton Crew in an attempt to have him tried for war crimes. The group was stopped by Arnim Zola's duplicates of Thor, Iron Man, and Captain America who escorted the Skull and his allies to safety.

After realizing the deception, Vormund continued his pursuit, running into Captain America. The two worked together until learning that Schmidt had apparently been killed by Scourge, which was revealed to be a subterfuge by the still alive Skull to throw Vormund off his trail.

Vormund later was assigned to investigate the murder of several superheroes. His teammate Zeitgeist was eventually revealed to be the culprit known as the Everyman. Vormund used his powers to redirect Everyman's sword, killing him.

Attributes

Power Grid

Powers

• Kinetic Energy Absorption: Vormund possesses an aura that absorbs and redirects kinetic energy. He uses this to augment his strength and endurance.
  • Superhuman Durability: The aura that surrounds his body makes him bulletproof.
  • Superhuman Stamina: Vormund can use the energy he absorbs to enhance his stamina.
  • Peak Human Speed: Vormund can use the energy he absorbs to enhance his speed to peak human levels.
  • Superhuman Strength: Vormund can use the energy he absorbs to enhance his strength to the point where he can lift 1 ton.
  • Energy Redirection: Vormund can redirect the energy he absorbs by expanding his aura or releasing it at a single point with deadly force.

Abilities

Vormund is an experienced hand-to-hand combatant.

Paraphernalia

Weapons

Vormund uses a variety of weapons:

• Expandable nets
• Oiled ball bearings
• Cable gun

Notes

• The history of this character's name is somewhat complicated:
  • When he first appeared in Captain America (Vol. 1) #387-394, he went by the name "Hauptmann Deutschland", a literal translation of "Captain Germany".
  • However, that name was considered inappropriate for a German audience due to its militaristic undertone, so the German reprints of those issues changed his name to a more generic "Freiheitskämpfer" ("Freedom Fighter").
  • Writer Mark Gruenwald met Michael Nagula, the German translator of those stories, at Frankfurt Book Fair 1991. Nagula explained the problems with the characters' name, and Gruenwald asked him to provide him with the new name from the German reprint so he could use it for subsequent appearances.
  • However, even though his next appearance in Captain America (Vol. 1) #442 sees him operating under a different name, it's not the name from the German version of his previous appearances, but an entirely different name, "Vormund". This was meant to be a translation of "Guardian", but actually means "legal guardian", as in a person who acts as the legal representative of a minor or elderly person. (This story was never published in Germany due to coming out during a period when the German publisher of Marvel comics changed from Condor Verlag to Panini).
  • He was first given his civilian name, "Markus Ettlinger", in Marvel Atlas #1. Not quite coincidentally, "Markus Ettlinger" is the real name of a German fan who occasionally contributes to various official Marvel background publications under the pseudonym Markus Raymond.
  • He finally received a full profile in Captain America: America's Avenger #1. This profile not only presented "Vormund" as his then-present day name, but also confirmed his civilian name of "Markus Ettlinger" and even made his German name of "Freiheitskämpfer" from the German reprints of his previous appearances official for an English-speaking audience.
  • Despite this, with his next appearance in Mighty Avengers Vol 2 4.INH, he is inexplicably called "Hauptmann Deutschland" again (and also wears his original costume again).
  • The German reprint of Mighty Avengers Vol 2 4.INH by Panini Comics keeps the name "Hauptmann Deutschland" unchanged.

See Also

• 9 appearance(s) of Markus Ettlinger (Earth-616)
• 1 appearance(s) in handbook(s) of Markus Ettlinger (Earth-616)
• 1 mention(s) in handbook(s) of Markus Ettlinger (Earth-616)
• 3 image(s) of Markus Ettlinger (Earth-616)

Links and References

• Markus Ettlinger on Marvel.com