Clansman (Punisher character)

CLANSMAN

Real Name: Detective Sergeant Duncan Ferguson

Identity/Class: Human, possessed by the spirit of another

Occupation: Police officer in the narcotics squad

Affiliations: Possessed by spirit of "Red" Ian Og of Clan MacDonald;
ally of the Punisher (Frank Castle), Chick (and other Scottish police)

Enemies: Hans-Dieter Flurgen, Christophe Marat, Angus & Mingus Strathcoe, "Moscow" Eddie Yarkov & Ivan, Bruno Zanussi
(Ian Og): Clan Campbell

Known Relatives: none;
(Ian Og): Clan MacDonald

Aliases: "Mighty" Ian Og

Base of Operations: (Duncan Ferguson) Edinburgh, Scotland;
(Clansman ghost) Glen Coe ("Glen of Weeping"), Scotland;
(Ian Og's remains) Ailean Munde, Loch Leven, Scotland @ 1692

First Appearance: Marvel Graphic Novel: Punisher: Blood on the Moors (December, 1991)

Powers/Abilities: The Clansman is a fierce and savage fighter, possessing great strength at a peak human level (allowing him to lift/press up to 800 pounds). He may or may not possess certain mystical abilities which protect him from harm, though being pumped full of bullets at close range was sufficient to kill his human host.

The Clansman carries the Sword of Scotia, a six foot claymore (a large, two-edged broadsword) which he wields with deadly skill and force, and is sufficient enough to deflect bullets. The sword must only be used against those who deserve its dire justice, and never against the innocent.

Detective Ferguson was trained in armed and unarmed combat and a skilled detective. He occasionally misled his fellow police so that he could slaughter the criminals as the Clansman.

Originally, Ian Og was a mighty warrior, skilled with the use of the claymore.

Height: (Clansman): 6'4" Weight: (Clansman) 250 lbs.

History:
(Marvel Graphic Novel: Punisher: Blood on the Moors [fb]) - In the year 1692, the Clan MacDonald who lived in Glencoe were a rebellious lot, and not great friends of the king. As a lesson to the others of a like mind, the king ordered them put to death. In the wee hours of the morning, men of the cursed Clan Campbell fell upon them without warning...and the blood ran red on the snow. They cut them down--men and women and babes in arms...The MacDonald Clansman, the mighty warrior Ian Og tore into the attackers, but was cut down from a distance by a bullet, then killed by a trio of the Campbells. As he died, Ian Og put a curse on their kith and kin.

    Ian Og and the rest of Clan MacDonald were laid to rest in Ailean Munde, a tiny island in Loch Leven. Ian Og's sword was laid atop his tomb, and his spirit was preserved via magic:
So cruelly slain by traitor's thrust,
    Red Ian's spirit can never rest!
    Grant it refuge within this fabled blade!
    To rise again, when Scotland needs his aid!

BTS - The Clansman has been reputed to have come to Scotland's aid in times of aid over the centuries.

BTS - In the modern era, Detective Sergeant Ferguson discovered the secret of the Sword of Scotia and took up the blade whenever needed to defend the people of Scotland as the Clansman, possessed and transformed by the spirit of Ian Og. Ferguson, as the Clansman, began waging a one-man war on drug-dealers.

(Marvel Graphic Novel: Punisher: Blood on the Moors) - The Clansman attacked New York drug dealer Bruno Zanussi when he came to Edinburgh on business. He easily cut through Zanussi's men, but before he could kill Zanussi himself, he was knocked aside by the Punisher, who wanted to keep Zanussi alive so he could learn his plans and take out his would-be partners as well. Though the Clansman quickly disarmed Castle, the American vigilante held his own until the Scottish police showed up. Unwilling to use his sword against the innocent, the Clansman left out a castle window, vanishing into the mists.

Detective Ferguson and his team investigated the activity of Zanussi, the Clansman, and the Punisher. They confronted the Punisher, but he escaped from them. His squad then learned of the gathering of international drug lords in the Scottish Highlands.

The Punisher tracked the drug lords to their meeting place there, in Castle Coe. However, he was captured by the criminals and forced to consume their cocaine filled whiskey--the means by which they planned to smuggle large amounts of cocaine into countries across the world. The drug lords dumped the Punisher into the moors to die, but he was instead found by the Clansman, who took him in and used some ancient herbs to cure him. The Clansman then infiltrated the castle and confronted the drug lords. He fought off their attacks and killed Flurgen and Marat, but the innocent Angus Strathcoe stepped into the way, forcing him to pull back his sword. Angus' son, the criminal Mingus then shot the Clansman full of holes with his uzi. Before collapsing, the Clansman hurled the Sword of Scotia through Mingus' chest, killing him.

The Punisher finished off the remaining criminals and returned to the Clansman, who asked him to take the Sword of Scotia to Ailean Munde, and then died, turning back into Ferguson as he did so.

Comments: Clansman was created by Alan Grant (writer) and John Wagner (artist).

I'd like to see the Clansman show up again. I'd think that only the physical host--Ferguson--was slain, and that the Clansman could possess another someday.

I'm not sure if Angus was in the military, but if he was, I'm sure he would have been a Colonel.

Ferguson's height, weight, and first name were first revealed in the Marvel Knights Encyclopedia (2004). The latter was provided by Kyle Sims; it was done as a reference/homage to the main character of the Highlander television series Duncan McCloud, an immortal that, like the Clansman, hailed from the Scottish Highlands and wielded a sword.

The Glen of Weeping is a nickname for a real place, Glen Coe. The massacre mentioned in the comic was a real event, the Massacre of Glencoe.
It is remembered to this day because Clan Campbell accepted the hospitality of Clan MacDonald, then massacred them. It was Highland custom to not turn someone away, even sworn enemies, if they needed shelter in the inhospitable winter, and for that to work required that those receiving such help did not abuse their hosts. The Campbells ate the food the MacDonalds provided them (no small gift in times of scarcity), took shelter under the MacDonalds' roofs, and then slaughtered them.
Ailean Munde and Loch Leven are also real locations, though the island's name is spelled Eilean Munde on Google Maps at least.
--Loki

Marat's first name was revealed in Marvel Atlas#1.

Profile updated/edited by Kyle Sims

CLARIFICATIONS:
The name Clansman refers to the Scottish Clans, and has nothing to do with the Ku Klux Klan or other Clans, including:

CLAN CHOSEN of Earth-Cable (Boak, Cable, Dawnsilk, Eleven, Hope, Tetherblood) - allies of Cable against New Canaanites
--Cable II #1
CLAN CYORSE of Earth-Guardians (Adzo, Gui Askran(d), Beringa, Bernardo, Mailliw, Murrab(d), Sevachala)
- aboard Sol III, worshipped Thanos robot
--Cyberspace3000 #1
CLAN DESTINE, the super-powered members of the Destine family, @ Marvel Comics Presents #158
CLAN HELLFIRE of Earth-Chronomancer (Sammara Shaw, Fold, Trickster) -
--Bishop: Last X-Man #5
CLAN REBELLION of Earth-Cable (Prior Turran, Skerrit, Siddard, Gyak, Redd, Slym)
--Adventures of Cyclops & Phoenix #3

Ivan has no known connection to:

IVAN ?? - Russian hunchback of enormous strength, former servant of Vincent Frankenstein, shot and seemingly killed by him @ 100 years ago, returned in recent times as a servant of Dr. Walston Kraft, neck broken by Frankenstein monster
--Frankenstein Monster #10
IVAN ?? - former agent of Psycho-Man and partner of Shellshock + Livewire, fought Fantastic Four, defeated by Black Panther
--Fantastic Four I Annual #5

and for that matter, none of the characters in this profile have any known connection to any other similarly named characters

Murdoch

A Scottish crimelord, he was one Bruno Zanussi's connection in Scotland. The Punisher learned of him while trying to track down Zanussi, and confronted him at a football (soccer to those in the USA) game. He fled, but ended up falling into the scoreboard and was electrocuted.