CHARNEL

Real Name: Baron Strucker the Fifth

Identity/Class: Extradimensional (Earth-8410), magic user and cybernetic mutate

Occupation: Necromancer

Affiliations: None

Enemies: A.I.M, A.I.M. 2020, Avengers of Earth-9939, Death's Head, Dr. Evelyn Necker, Requiem Sharks, Spratt, Tuck

Known Relatives: Baron Wolfgang von Strucker (Great Grandfather), Andrea, Andreas, Werner von Strucker (One is presumably Charnel's Grandmother or Grandfather, the others his Great Aunt or Uncle)

Aliases: The Beast that has Ravaged the Earth, Death, the Monster that has slaughtered billions, the necromantic arch-fiend of destruction;
    Kite, "Koot", Minion

Base of Operations: mobile, time traveler;
                                  initially on Earth-8410, then the modern era of Earth-616;
                                  his component selves were present on Earth-616 from prehistory to the modern era (Kite) and from the 30th to 100th Centuries in some unglimpsed future ("Koot")

First Appearance: As Baron Strucker: Death's Head II#2 (April 1992); as Charnel: Death's Head II#3 (May 1992)

Powers/Abilities: As Baron Strucker he had master level necromancy and was adept at cybernetics.

    As Charnel he merged his body with that of the Death's Head mechanoid gaining it's superhuman strength (class 10-25), durability and futuristic weaponry. He can use his necromancy for various effects. He could increase his strength (potentially to class 100 and incalculable levels, dependant on the amount of energy at his disposal), durability and size, and regenerate virtually any wound. He could wield necromantic blasts and absorb magic, energy and powers to increase his own abilities.

    Using the Scarlet Witch's powers he could reshape reality in his image, even killing people with just a thought, and his other abilities increase to incalculable levels (it is in that form that an alternate Charnel would go on to bring about Earth-Charnel). He lost Scarlet Witch's power when his body was torn in two by the time belts.

    After Charnels two halves were merged together again, he had the superhuman strength (class 100), durability and abilities of the Minion cyborg that had been surgically bonded to Kite.

Height: Unrevealed (approximately 0'0")
Weight: Unrevealed (approximately 0lbs.)
Eyes:
Hair:

History:

(Death's Head II#3 (fb)) - In an alternate future 2020, A.I.M. had turned their corporate back upon the Strucker family. Baron Strucker V decided to get his revenge.

(Death's Head II#2-4) - Strucker was called by Spratt to Death's Head's former headquarters to repair the Death's Head mechanoid (Freelance Peacekeeping Agent) after it's fight with Minion.

(Death's Head II II#11) - Kite, having been given the body of a minion cyborg by Dr Necker, used an A.I.M. time machine to find his future counterpart and transport him from the future. The two reconnected and once again became Charnel.

(Death's Head II II#12) - Death's Head, Tuck, and the Requiem Sharks attacked him, but even their combined firepower wasn't enough to kill him. Charnel blasted Smart, rendering him unconscious. Smart and Dr Necker got him clear of the battle, which soon attracted the attention of A.I.M.'s security troops. Charnel made short work of them, and killed Switchblade too. While he fought Death's Head, Dr Necker activated a synapse disrupter in his brain-stem. This had the effect of divorcing his mental functions from his physiological receptors. While Charnel was dysfunctional, they attempted to stop him with a temporal warp. Charnel attempted to absorb the temporal energies but Death's Head shot him and made him overload.

Comments: Created by Dan Abnett and Liam Sharp for Marvel UK.

Now when Charnel is split in two by the time belts, Death's Head quite clearly states one is set for prehistory and the other for the thirtieth century. When Kite brings his future counterpart (whom we shall refer to as "Koot") back in time the computer shows the year as 9786 AD, which is not the thirtieth century (but rather then 100^th Century). This may seem like a mistake. But my simple theory is that, like Kite, the future self has the power of longevity/immortality too. The future self's first words after the time transference are "Took your time". For whatever reasons Kite couldn't get to his future self prior to the year 9786. One particular thought springs to mind: perhaps they need for their bodies to be similarly aged for them to merge to maximum potential? (Kite survived from prehistory to the modern era).

Kite's is referred to as a mutant by Dr Necker. This may be because he had his powers from the moment of creation, even though he was never "born". As Kite seemed to have an approximation of the physical powers of Charnel, I would assume "Koot" retained the more intellectual power of necromancy, and possibly other mental abilities. He too was presumably a mutant like Kite as he was created in the same fashion. In Death's Head III#2, Dr. Necker's agents reported that Kite was a mutant born in 1965. Either their info was bad or it was just a later idea to turn him into a component of Charnel.

Charnel refers to a cemetery or other place where bones and bodies are deposited, as opposed to it's homophone carnal, which refers to the flesh or body, such as Carnal Knowledge, for which you might have unlawfully.

In Guardians of the Galaxy II#23 (February, 2010), Magus says of Phyla-Vell, newly appointed Avatar of Death: "You're filling shoes previously worn by Charnel, by the Phoenix Force, by Sundersuns, by Thanos." Since Dan Abnett both wrote this story and created a character named Charnel, could those two Charnels be one and the same?
-- Ronald Byrd

Profile by Changeling

CLARIFICATIONS:
Charnel has no known connections to

• Charnel/Minion, the Charnel of an alternate reality where Minion did not assimilate the instincts of Death's Head and instead was absorbed into Baron Strucker--What If...? II#54
• Charnel, vampire, leader of Undead MC--Blaze II#10
• Carnal Serpent a sexual power item used by Priapus--Terror INC#11
• or any other "Charnel" characters

---

Kite

  Kite was the splinter of Charnel that got sent into prehistory. Dr Necker's research traced him back as far as 1831, since when he had been roaming middle America. Kite--like many superhumans--was drawn to energies of the Sapphire Lotus in Paxton, Oregon, in the modern era, which led him into conflict with Death's Head and Tuck. It was only after a fierce struggle that Death's Head defeated him. After the Lotus was transported to Chicago, he set out after it on foot. He was tracked by Dr Necker (creator fo the Minion series cyborgs) and her agents. When the Lotus was transported back to Phaedra's realm, Kite continued on to Illinois, where he engaged in a brawl with some truckers in Illinois. As Dr. Necker observed she noted that it fit with recorded history, in that the struggle was non-fatal--for Kite at least.

    She continued to follow him with her assistants, Wadlow and Serene, and monitor as he ended up in yet another brawl/slaughter at a Shell gas station. Necker approached him in Henry's 24 hour Diner, New York and claimed she had a "business proposition" to make him. When she asked him to accompany her, Kite resisted. However he was taken to Pacific Vista Lab, California, and imprisoned in a holding tank. After being held just over 39 hours, he managed to escape. However, Dr Necker had implanted a synaptic disrupter in his brain-stem and stunned him. Necker turned him into a Minion Cyborg, patterned after after the one that had become Death's Head. Necker put him in stasis after the surgery, but he escaped and used A.I.M.'s time travel technology to locate and reconnect to his future self, becoming Charnel once again.

    Kite was a mutant see comments with vast superhuman strength (class 75 approx.), durability and stamina (capable of keeping his pulse and adrenal levels constant for at least 39 hours). His right hand was missing, and in its place was a retractable blade weapon. He was nearly indestructible, and apparently possessed immortality or longevity. Kite was had a link (possibly empathic in nature) to his future counterpart, "Koot", that allowed him to track him down with the A.I.M. time machine. He briefly possessed the powers of a minion cyborg prior to becoming Charnel again.

-- Death's Head II I#1 (2,3,5,6,7,10,11->Charnel) and in#8 we get the first glimpse of the minion cyborg body that Kite is to be grafted to

"Koot"

  The unnamed future counterpart of Kite. He appeared only to fuse with Kite and become Charnel again. As such he didn't display any powers or abilities, beyond the empathic link with Kite and either immortality or longevity, but it is assumed he was a mutant like Kite. See comments.

--Death's Head III#11

Images: (without ads)
Death's Head II II#11, p22, pan3 (arrival of Charnel)
Death's Head II II#11, p2, pan5 (Kite)
Death's Head II II#11, p20, pan3 (Kite/minion)
Death's Head II II#11, p20, pan3 ("Koot")

Appearances:
Death's Head II I#2 (February, 1992) - Dan Abnett (writer), Liam Sharp (pencils), Andy Lanning (inks), John Freeman (editor)
Death's Head II I#3 (March, 1992) - Dan Abnett (writer), Liam Sharp (pencils), Andy Lanning (inks), John Freeman (editor)
Death's Head II I#4 (April, 1992) - Dan Abnett (writer), Liam Sharp (pencils), Andy Lanning, Liam Sharp (inkers), John Freeman (editor)
Death's Head II II#11 (October, 1993) - Dan Abnett (writer), Simon Coleby (pencils), Simon Coleby (inks)
Death's Head II II#12 (November, 1993) - Dan Abnett (writer), Salvador Larroca (pencils), Andy Lanning (inks)

First Posted: 07/17/2003
Last Updated: 05/09/2022

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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