Crippler is a fictional character appearing in

American comic book An American comic book is a thin periodical literature originating in the United States, commonly between 24 and 64 pages, containing comics. While the form originated in 1933, American comic books first gained popularity after the 1938 publ ...

s published by

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...

. Crippler is a mercenary who was once a member of HYDRA, but later quit to become a vigilante and later member of

Silver Sable Silver Sable (Silvija Sablinova) is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Tom DeFalco and Ron Frenz, Silver Sable first appeared in ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' #265 (June 1985). She is usually depicte ...

's Wild Pack.

Fictional character biography

Carl Stricklan was once a U.S. Marine, but was dishonorably discharged. He became a New York police officer, but was dismissed for excessive brutality. As the Crippler, he became an agent in the employ of HYDRA, as a member of the Elite Bounty Division. He was sent on a mission by

Baron Strucker Baron Wolfgang von Strucker () is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. A former Nazi officer, he is one of the leaders of the Hydra terrorist organization, and the archenemy of Nick Fury and S.H.I.E.L.D. H ...

to retrieve Sathan. The Crippler battled Daredevil, Darius, and Sathan. He then quit Hydra to become a vigilante. He next battled the Wildboys. The Crippler soon became a mercenary, and joined the

's Wild Pack. On his first mission with them, he battled Gattling and The Watchdogs. Next, the Wild Pack were sent to rescue Silver Sable, and battled doppelgangers of the

Sandman The Sandman is a mythical character originating in Germanic and Scandinavian folklore who puts people to sleep and encourages and inspires beautiful dreams by sprinkling magical sand onto their eyes. Representation in traditional folklore The San ...

and

Doctor Doom Doctor Doom is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in '' The Fantastic Four'' #5 in April 1962, and has since endured as the arch ...

. They then met

Deathlok Deathlok (also referred to as Deathlok the Demolisher) is the name of several fictional characters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The first Deathlok, Luther Manning, appeared in '' Astonishing Tales'' #25 (Aug. 1974 ...

. The Wild Pack searched for Deathlok's human body, and battled the Cyberwarriors. The Wild Pack was then hired by

J. Jonah Jameson John Jonah Jameson Jr., known as J. Jonah Jameson, is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, most commonly in association with the superhero Spider-Man. The character was created by writer Stan Lee and artist St ...

to capture the

Human Torch The Human Torch (Jonathan Lowell Spencer "Johnny" Storm) is a fictional superhero character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is a founding member of the Fantastic Four. He is writer Stan Lee's and ar ...

. With the Wild Pack, the Crippler then battled

Venom Venom or zootoxin is a type of toxin produced by an animal that is actively delivered through a wound by means of a bite, sting, or similar action. The toxin is delivered through a specially evolved ''venom apparatus'', such as fangs or a sti ...

. The Wild Pack then battled the Genesis Coalition. The Wild Pack then teamed up with Next Wave,

Stingray Stingrays are a group of sea Batoidea, rays, a type of cartilaginous fish. They are classified in the suborder Myliobatoidei of the order Myliobatiformes and consist of eight families: Hexatrygonidae (sixgill stingray), Plesiobatidae (deepwate ...

, and

Siege A siege () . is a military blockade of a city, or fortress, with the intent of conquering by attrition, or by well-prepared assault. Siege warfare (also called siegecrafts or poliorcetics) is a form of constant, low-intensity conflict charact ...

to battle the Cyberwarriors and Genesis Coalition.''Silver Sable and the Wild Pack'' #11-12

The Initiative

Stricklan is being considered as a "potential recruit" for the

Initiative Popular initiative A popular initiative (also citizens' initiative) is a form of direct democracy by which a petition meeting certain hurdles can force a legal procedure on a proposition. In direct initiative, the proposition is put direct ...

program.

Powers and abilities

The Crippler is a normal man with an athletic build. He is an extraordinary street-fighter, and received further training in armed and unarmed combat from the U.S. Marines, NYPD, Hydra, and Silver Sable. He is an expert marksman, and an expert with knives, whips, staves, and most other hand weapons. He wears a Kevlar-lined costume provided by Silver Sable, and uses his Hydra-supplied cobtraton (a sectioned telescoping steel baton), and various knives, hand guns, rifles, and flamethrowers as needed. The Crippler has a deranged addiction to physical violence and enjoys both inflicting and experiencing physical pain.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Crippler (Comics) Comics characters introduced in 1991 Fictional mercenaries in comics Hydra (comics) agents Marvel Comics superheroes Marvel Comics supervillains