Phillip Sterling (Earth-616)

Death-Stalker
Name	Phillip Wallace Sterling
Current Alias	Death-Stalker
Aliases	The Exterminator, Death's Head II, Dr. Thatcher
Affiliation and Relationships
Affiliation	The Unholy Three
Relatives	Elizabeth Dawes Sterling (mother, deceased)
Marital Status	Single
Physical Characteristics
Gender	Male
Height	6′ (1.83 m)
Weight	185 lbs (83.91 kg)
Eyes	Irises: Blue Red and glowing sometimes
Hair	Grey
Skin	White
Unusual Features	Oversized eyes, disfigured face with dried skin
Origin and Living Status
Living Status	Deceased
Reality	Earth-616
Place of Birth	Riverdale, New York
Personal Information
Identity	Secret
Citizenship	American
Creators and Appearances
Creators	Stan Lee, Gene Colan
First	Daredevil #39 (February, 1968)
First	Daredevil #39 (February, 1968)
Death	Daredevil #158 (January, 1979)
Death	Daredevil #158 (January, 1979)

History

The real name of the professional criminal who became best known by the alias of "Death-Stalker" was Phillip Wallace Sterling. He was a member of an old, wealthy, and prestigious family that had lived in America for centuries. It is unknown why Sterling turned to crime.

Phillip Sterling as the Exterminator

He conducted his first known criminal activities under the alias of the Exterminator. In this role, Sterling was the costumed mastermind behind a series of crimes committed by the original criminal team known as the Unholy Three (Ape-Man, Bird-Man, and Cat-Man). During a clash with the costumed crimefighter Daredevil, Ape-Man succeeded in exiling Daredevil to the void with his t-ray gun. Daredevil was able to use his powers and skills to escape through a dimension warp, and he tracked the Exterminator and the Unholy Three to their lair. After defeating the four, Daredevil intentionally triggered the explosion of the Exterminator's main displacement machine; he (Daredevil) had temporarily tired of being a costumed crusading adventurer at the time, and he was hoping to end his career as one by feigning his own death with the explosion.

But unbeknownst to Daredevil, the same explosion irradiated the Exterminator with an extraordinary amount of the radiation, which permanently trapped the villain in the interdimensional realm. Soon, Sterling learned how to manifest himself in the Earth dimension, although he would invariably be drawn back into his Limbo-state. Realizing its potential for crime, he adopted a new alias, that of "Death-Stalker". He stole blueprints from the scientific criminal organization A.I.M. and used them to create his "touch of death" machines in his gloves. At the same time, he began to steal the components necessary to build a t-ray machine that would allow him to return to Earth permanently; however, Sterling was repeatedly thwarted in this endeavor by Daredevil.

Death-Stalker disguised as Death's Head II

Searching the scientific research of Paxton Page, Death-Stalker disguised himself as the second Death's Head (Page had been the first until his death) and forced the Stuntmaster to kidnap Paxton's daughter Karen, which brought him into conflict with both Daredevil and the Ghost Rider. He was banished to the T-dimension by the Ghost Rider's hellfire. He also faced off against a number of other heroes, including Nighthawk and Dr. Strange, but he lost to all of them.

Blaming Daredevil for his condition, Death-Stalker spied on Daredevil, whose real name he learned to be Matt Murdock, and he hired and outfitted a new Unholy Three, sending them to capture Daredevil while he was in his secret identity. Ape-Man II and Cat-Man II succeeded, and Death-Stalker promptly killed them for their trouble. Revealing his real name to Daredevil, Sterling demanded a final battle; but at the height of said battle, he miscalculated his attack and re-materialized in the Earth dimension too soon in the course of a leap that he made at Daredevil in an irrational rage, solidifying while passing through a tombstone. The direct result was that Death-Stalker was instantly killed by being actually, physically sliced in half.

Seeking to avenge her son's death, Sterling's mother, Elizabeth Dawes Sterling, used her fortune to construct a series of death-traps within her enormous mansion. She had a large number of identical robots, all in the form of a little girl, built to lure Daredevil into the house. Mrs. Sterling died before Daredevil was induced into the mansion, but her plan continued posthumously with a video recording of herself that was presented to Daredevil when he fell into her trap. Nevertheless, Daredevil just barely managed to escape from it.

After his death, a past version of Death-Stalker was brought to the future through his interdimensional powers. Learning of his and his mother's deaths, Sterling went on a killing spree as well as kidnapping a handful of people in order to draw out Daredevil. He was defeated by the combined efforts of Daredevil and Captain America and forcibly sent back to his own time.

Attributes

Power Grid

Powers

As Death-Stalker, Sterling ordinarily existed in an interdimensional realm lying close to Earth's dimension. From this dimension, he could observe Earth without being seen. He could also temporarily materialize on Earth, either as an intangible "phantom" or as a solid figure. He could materialize on Earth for up to five hours, but he had to rest in his interdimensional realm for at least that much time before returning. Sterling could also "teleport" by moving quickly through his interdimensional realm, then reappearing on Earth an equal distance away. The accident that left him with this ability also radically altered his appearance, giving him chalk-white skin, gray hair and oversized eyes.

Paraphernalia

Equipment

As the Exterminator, Sterling used his own invention, a weapon he called a "time displacer ray," or "t-ray," which could project its victim into a Limbo-like interdimensional void (Sterling initially believed that he was banishing his victims to another "time continuum"). Overall, Sterling would give the impression that his weapon had actually disintegrated his victims, although they would normally return after a specified number of hours.

Weapons

Sterling also designed a pair of cybernetic death-grip devices which he wore underneath his gloves. He needed to be in solid form and touch his victim in order to bombard the victim with microwaves, effectively killing the victim within seconds.

Notes

• A second, female Death-Stalker has appeared only once since Sterling's death. Her real name is unknown. She shares the powers that Sterling had and employs the M.O. that he used, but as yet, it is unknown whether the two of them are connected.

See Also

• 20 appearance(s) of Phillip Sterling (Earth-616)
• 8 appearance(s) in handbook(s) of Phillip Sterling (Earth-616)
• 3 minor appearance(s) of Phillip Sterling (Earth-616)
• 7 mention(s) of Phillip Sterling (Earth-616)
• 3 mention(s) in handbook(s) of Phillip Sterling (Earth-616)
• 13 image(s) of Phillip Sterling (Earth-616)
• 6 quotation(s) by or about Phillip Sterling (Earth-616)
• 3 victim(s) killed by Phillip Sterling (Earth-616)

Links and References

• Death-Stalker at the Appendix to the Handbook of the Marvel Universe