DEATHWATCHER
Real Name: Samson Scythe
Identity/Class: Human
Occupation: Independently wealth; former soldier
Group Membership: None
Affiliations: Fur-Person, Kenneth Hanson
Enemies: Captain America, Constrictor, Carlo Ferrini, Sean Gamble
Known Relatives: None
Aliases: None
Base of Operations: The Scythe estate, Edgewood, New York
First Appearance: Captain America Annual#5 (1981)
Powers/Abilities: Samson Scythe surrounded himself at all times with video feeds of his grounds, and the locales where Kenneth Hanson set up cameras for him. Scythe confined himself to a wheelchair with an IV bag, finding movement and feeding too tedious for him to engage in.
History: (Captain America Annual#5 (fb))- Samson Scythe was born into a wealthy family who provided everything he could desire, but by the time he was a teenager, he felt as though he had done and experienced it all. Wanting new experiences, he joined the army, which was at first unfulfilling-- until he was sent on a tour of duty to Southeast Asia. In combat, he found that he was truly alive by causing the deaths of others. Scythe enjoyed his time in action, but was then deprived of the only joy in his life when peace was declared.
Scythe drew further and further from life, finding even sleeping and eating to be too boring for him, requiring him to take on a wheelchair and IV bag. Finally, Kenneth Hanson, a friend of his from the army, came to serve as his butler. Hanson proposed a solution to Scythe's problem, and hired a mugger to shoot a man while he videotaped it for Scythe. Scythe was fascinated by the experience, and had Hanson begin to set up similiar situations across the city.
(Captain America Annual#5)- When the Constrictor threatened to shell New York unless he was paid $10,000,000, Scythe had Hanson arrange to halt his plans by planting a mine on the Constrictor's ship and taping the results. Scythe did not find the results as fascinating as he hoped, as the infra-red camera they used was lacking in detail.
Next, Hanson arranged the death of crime boss Carlo Ferrini at the Hearth Club by placing a battery into a roast turkey that electrocuted him. Scythe was pleased. Their next target was Ferrini's rival Sean Gamble, and they arranged a false bottom in his elevator car so that he would fall into spikes at the bottom of the elevator shaft, but Gamble was saved by Captain America.
Scythe was inspired by Captain America's intervention, and had Hanson stage a robbery at one of Scythe's own banks in the hopes of bringing Captain America to them. When Captain America intervened, Scythe had some of his men capture him, then confronted the Captain, telling him his background. Scythe then told Captain America that he was fascinated by the idea of watching a hero die, and that unless he came alone to his estate in Edgewood, several policemen would be killed.
Captain America came to the estate and was beset by mechanical dogs, a room that filled with gold dust in an attempt to suffocate him, and sonic tuning forks. Captain America survived all of these attempts on his life, and came after Scythe and Hanson. Hanson tried to kill him with a flame thrower, but instead set the room on fire. Scythe went to get a fire extinguisher, but became so fascinated by watching a video feed of himself dying that he simply lay on the floor to watch his own death.
Comments: Created by David Michelinie, Gene Colan and Dave Simons.
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CLARIFICATIONS: "Fur-Person" was the beloved pet cat of Samson Scythe, and would devour live mice in front of him for his amusement. Fur-Person may have died when Kenneth Hanson accidentally set fire to Scythe's mansion.
--Captain America Annual#5 Kenneth Hanson was a former mercenary and soldier in Southeast Asia. While in Southeast Asia he met Samson Scythe. After the war ended, Hanson was able to reinvigorate Scythe by commiting murders which Scythe could watch from home, beginning by having a mugger shoot a man dead. Hanson became Scythe's butler and cared for his pet cat Fur-Person when he wasn't out setting up death traps and hidden cameras. When Captain America invaded Scythe's mansion, Hanson assaulted him with a flame thrower, only to set the entire mansion ablaze. Captain America pulled Hanson to safety, and turned him over to the police.
--Captain America Annual#5 (fb), 5 Sean Gamble was a crime boss in New York, and rival of Carlo Ferrini. His dealings had led to him crossing Captain America on some occasions. After Carlo Ferrini was killed by the Deathwatcher, Gamble turned to the police and Captain America for assistance. Gamble agreed to serve as bait for the Deathwatcher, while Captain America monitored his activities. Gamble nearly fell into the Deathwatcher's trap-- a false bottom elevator car with spikes laid across the bottom of the shaft-- but Captain America saved him from falling in.
--Captain America Annual#5 Carlo Ferrini was a crime boss in New York, and rival of Sean Gamble. Ferrini was used a victim of the Deathwatcher, who had a battery placed inside of a roast turkey he was to carve. When Ferrini carved into it, he was electrocuted and died. His men assumed that Gamble was responsible.
--Captain America Annual#5 Mechanical dogs were used by Scythe to guard the grounds of his mansion. Four of them engaged Captain America when he invaded the mansion, but he easily destroyed them with his shield.
--Captain America Annual#5 Images taken from: Last updated: 07/24/04
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
Non-Marvel Copyright info
Deathwatcher should not be confused with:
Captain America Annual#5, page 24, panel 2
Captain America Annual#5, page 25, panel 2
Captain America Annual#5, page 11, panel 3
Captain America Annual#5, page 8, panel 5
Captain America Annual#5, page 15, panel 3
Captain America Annual#5, page 13, panel 3
Captain America Annual#5, page 30, panel 1
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