The Confessor (Maverick foe)

CONFESSOR

Real Name: Yuri Medvedev

Identity/Class: Human, Citizen of Russia

Occupation: Assassin, Mercenary; (former) KGB agent, interrogator

Affiliations: Hired Mercenary/Assassin for Ivan the Terrible, formerly KGB, Soviet Union

Enemies: Maverick; (former) East German Underground (Cell Six)

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: Russia, Germany, Canada; apparently worldwide; formerly the Soviet Union

First Appearance: Maverick II#2 (October, 1997)

Powers: The Confessor is a highly skilled mercenary/assassin whose weapons generally have a religious (Russian Orthodox) theme, so designed to create a psychological advantage against foes (Russian ones, anyway). These include exploding rosary beads and cross-handled daggers. In addition to the standard mercenary weapons, being guns, knifes, crossbows, and bombs, he employs spiked bolas with mutant-power inhibitors in them and spear-shooting ski poles. He is apparently not superhumanly powerful, but is a very dangerous individual, nonetheless.

History: The origin of the Confessor is unknown, except in "sketchy rumors and conjecture." It is known that he was groomed since birth to be an assassin for the KGB.

(Maverick II#2 (fb)) - During the Cold War, the Confessor assassinated a Communist defector in Venice, Italy. When Maverick attacked him, the Confessor broke his arm and knocked him from a church tower with exploding rosary beads claiming "I will absolve you of all your sins...!"

(Maverick II#8) - In the present day, the Confessor was hired by Ivan the Terrible to break his hitman, Sickle, out of the Ice Box, the Canadian government's maximum security prison located in the Northwest Territories. The Confessor arrived at the instalation by snowmobile, killing guards and gaining entry. After creating a diversion using some of his exploding beads, the Russian made his way through the air ducts to the cell Sickle was being held in. The Confessor led Sickle on a hasty exit from the compound, killing more guards on their way out. After delivering Sickle to Ivan the Terrible in Moscow, the Confessor was given a new assignment by the Russian crimelord: apprehend Maverick!

(Maverick II#9) - While Maverick was visiting an old acquaintance, Jean Luc Vivant, in Paris, the Confessor left a card in Maverick's hotel room, beckoning him to meet at the remains of the Berlin Wall at St. Augustine's Church in Berlin. There, the Confessor attacked Maverick, hitting him with a poisoned crossbow bolt and wrapping him up with bolas containing mutant power inhibitors. Maverick was able to escape and go on the offensive, before the poison spread through his system, and the Confessor defeated him. As the Russian assassin was knocking the mutant unconscious, he dropped hints about Maverick's past, claiming that Maverick's parents were part of the Nazi party and that they were killed for this after World War II.

(Maverick II#10 - BTS) - The Confessor delivered Maverick to Ivan the Terrible and, contract completed, departed.

(Dark Reign Files) - Quasimodo researched the Confessor for Norman Osborn.

Comments: Created by Jorge Gonzalez and Jimmy Cheung.

In one of the Wizard X-Men specials, Jorge Gonzalez mentioned that, in addition to the (obvious) loose threads from the Maverick series, he had more tales from Maverick's past involving the Confessor to tell. The chances are next to zero that we'll see any of them now, though.

A brief discourse b/t Nick/Squid and Greg O:
Greg O: Most communist agents were deliberately desensitized to religion since it was seen as a competitor for loyalty to the State. So it could very easily be the Confessor was not Orthodox and was decorated in religious trappings in order to blame his activities upon religious extremists or otherwise discredit the church.
Nick: My understanding of religion in the Soviet Union is that while it was publically decried, many still practiced it privately. The Confessor being a "church figure" would seem to show the Russians that even God was on the State's side and that if the State didn't catch them for their crimes, then God would on behalf of the State.

The Confessor is still out there. I'd personally like to see him, Bengal, and Splice take on Deadpool.

Kurt Busiek also created a character for his book, Astro City, called the Confessor, who is a complete 180 degrees turn from Marvel's.

His real name was revealed in his Dark Reign Files profile.

by The Squid

Clarifications: The Ice Box should not be confused with:
Ice Box Bob, opponent of John Blaze, @ Blaze#1

The Ice Box, is essentially Canada's answer to the Vault, a "inescapable," maximum security prison. Located in the frigid Northwest Territory, its sheer distance from anything prevents breakout attempts as the inmates would have nowhere to run. It is unclear whether it holds superhuman criminals or "merely" the very worst prisoners. The Confessor was apparently the first person to ever attempt a breakout. (And succeed no less!) -Maverick II#8

Appearances:
Maverick II#2 (October, 1997) - Jorge Gonzales (writer), Jim Cheung (pencils), Andrew Pepoy (inks), Kelly Corvese (editor)
Maverick II#8 (April, 1998) - Jorge Gonzales (writer), Jim Cheung & Leo Fernandez (pencils), Andrew Pepoy (inks), Frank Pittarese (editor)
Maverick II#9 (May, 1998) - Jorge Gonzales (writer), Jim Cheung (pencils), Andrew Pepoy (inks), Frank Pittarese (editor)
Maverick II#10 (June, 1998) - Jorge Gonzales (writer), Leo Fernandez (pencils), Andrew Pepoy (inks), Frank Pittarese (editor)
Dark Reign Files (February, 2009) - Michael Hoskin & various others (writer), Jeff Youngquist (editor)

Last updated: 08/02/02

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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