Foolkiller
| Foolkiller | |
|---|---|
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | (I) Man-Thing #3 (March 1974) (II) Omega the Unknown #8 (cameo), #9 (full appearance) (1976) (III) Foolkiller (limited series) #1 (1990) (IV) MAX (October 2007) |
| Created by | (I-III) Steve Gerber (I) Val Mayerik (II) Jim Mooney (II) Max Bemis (III) J.J. Birch (IV) Gregg Hurwitz |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | (I) Ross G. Everbest (II) Greg Salinger (III) Kurt Gerhardt (IV) Mike Trace |
| Team affiliations | Mercs for Money |
| Notable aliases | (II) Ian Byrd (III)Miles Fish Gregory Ross Curtis |
| Abilities | Wields "purification gun" capable of firing a disintegrating ray |
The Foolkiller is the name of four different fictional characters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.
The original Foolkiller was introduced in Man-Thing #3 and killed in the next issue where he was created by Steve Gerber and Val Mayeric. In his brief Man-Thing appearance, the Foolkiller attempted to kill two major characters in the series: F.A. Schist, a real estate developer whose projects threatened the ecology of the Florida Everglades, and Richard Rory, a disc jockey who had denounced the Foolkiller's activities. His real name was not given until a later flashback in The Amazing Spider-Man #225, which stated that it was Ross G. Everbest (a variant of Gerber's Reg Everbest pseudonym with his middle name attached to it).
Gerber and Jim Mooney created the second version of the character in Omega the Unknown #9 (plus a one-panel cameo in #8, which was written by Roger Stern).
Gerber's Foolkiller miniseries, illustrated by J.J. Birch, was published from October 1990 to October 1991. It focused on a new character, Kurt Gerhardt.
A new Foolkiller, Mike Trace, has appeared in two five-issue MAX series, Foolkiller (vol. 2) (2007) and Foolkiller: White Angels (2009).
In 2016, Marvel announced Foolkiller's return in his own series, penned by Max Bemis, picking up the story of Greg Salinger as personal therapist and Foolkiller.
The original Foolkiller was more of a reactionary crusader than subsequent versions of the character. Upset by anti-Vietnam War protests and counterculture movements, he decided that sinners, dissidents, and criminals alike were "fools" who must be eliminated, and that he had been chosen by God to do so. He was inspired by a faith healer, Reverend Mike Pike, who cured his childhood paralysis. As a result, he became an evangelist with Reverend Mike as his mentor and soon became as popular as the Reverend. After catching Reverend Mike in a drunken orgy, he killed his former hero, preserved the corpse in formaldehyde, and used the preacher's money to fund his vigilante activities. He donned a flamboyant Zorro-like costume and acquired (by unknown means) his "purification gun", a raygun which disintegrated people instantly. Some of his victims were given a 24-hour warning in the form of a calling card: "Foolkiller / e pluribus unum / You have 24 hours to live. Use them to repent or be forever damned to the pits of hell where goeth all fools. Today is the last day of the rest of your life. Use it wisely or die a fool."
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Wikipedia