Real Name: Timothy
Karlskin
Identity/Class: Normal human
Occupation: Assassin
Group Membership: None; formerly Hammer's Hammers (Beetle/Abner Jenkins, Blizzard/Donald Gill, Constrictor/Frank Payne, Discus/Timothy Stuart, Leap-Frog/Vincent Patilio, Man-Killer/Katrina van Horne, Melter, Porcupine/Roger Gocking, Spymaster, Stiletto/Thomas Stuart, Taskmaster/Tony Masters, Water Wizard/Peter Van Zante, Whiplash/Mark Scarlotti)
Affiliations: Blood Spider, Crime-Master,
Humbug (Buck Mitty), Jagged Bow,
Lord Ogre;
former student of Taskmaster
Enemies:
Constrictor (Frank Payne), Daredevil (Matt Murdock), Deadpool ("Wade Wilson"), FistiCuss (Gabby Kinney), Lord Deathstrike, Slapstick (Steve Harmon), Solo (James Bourne), Spider-Man (Peter Parker), Venom (Eddie Brock), Venom
(Flash Thompson)
Known Relatives: None
Aliases: None
Base Of Operations: Mobile in the USA, notably
New York City, Alexandria (VA), Philadelphia
First Appearence: Amazing Spider-Man I#367
(October,
1992)
Powers/Abilities: Death-Shield was a big dude and fairly strong. He also had a big shield made of an unidentified
material (it deflected Solo's bullets, so possibly a Vibranium
alloy) and very proficient in using it as a weapon.
History:
(Amazing Spider-Man I#367 (fb) - BTS) - Death-Shield was one of Taskmaster's students who had been trained to mimic Captain America.
(Venom: Lethal Protector II#1 (fb) - BTS) - Death-Shield, Jagged Bow and Blood Spider tried to collect a bounty on Venom (revealed to be put up by Justin Hammer in #4). Venom spotted them following him and he lured them into a parking garage.
(Venom: Lethal Protector II#1) - Venom took the fight to the trio. Death-Shield and Blood Spider fled after Jagged Bow got killed by Venom.
While hiding out in a warehouse at the Hudson River Docks Death-Shield, who looked in the paper for a job, and Blood Spider were visited by Humbug, who had found them with the help of cockroaches. He offered to join their team but they only laughed at him.
After they read in the newspaper that Humbug had actually defeated Venom they decided to use Humbug to their advantage.
(Venom: Lethal Protector II#2 (fb) - BTS) - Death-Shield and Blood Spider looked up where Buck Mitty lived.
(Venom: Lethal Protector II#2) - They found Humbug on his roof and offered him to lead their team while actually planning to use him as distraction for Venom so Blood Spider could burn him.
Venom found Humbug on his roof and the plan seemingly worked. Death-Shield urged Blood Spider to hurry as long as Venom was distracted, but Venom's symbiote noticed the danger from behind and clogged Blood Spider's flame thrower with net. It blew up and Blood Spider was burned alive. Death-Shield fled.
(Venom: Lethal Protector II#3) - Back at the warehouse Death Shield looked for a job in the internet. He found an offer to join an army and liked the idea enough to apply for the job.
(Venom: Lethal Protector II#4 (fb) - BTS) - Death Shield traveled to a Caribbean island where he joined Hammer's Hammers to battle the army of the small island and conquer it for Justin Hammer.
(Venom: Lethal Protector II#4) - Taskmaster watched Stiletto train with Death Shield.
(Venom: Lethal Protector II#5 (fb)) - Justin Hammer sent his army against Venom, who had come to the island because Hammer had put out a bounty on his head. Death Shield was too scared to fight the killer of his former teammates and stayed in the background. He was accidentally decapitated by one of Discus' discs.
BTS - He got better or somebody else took over the costumed identity.
(Amazing Spider-Man I#367) - Solo and Spider-Man stumbled upon an estate which was supposed to be the site of "some mysterious project". When they entered, Taskmaster greeted them and introduced his students. Solo said he had his own name for the group... "Dead men" and opened fire. Spider-Man basically saved their lives by pushing Solo's guns away. Death-Shield charged Spider-Man and sandwiched him against a wall, but Spider-Man just wrapped him up with his webbing and turned his attention to Blood Spider. He was later seen tied up with Jagged Bow, courtesy of Solo.
(Venom II#37) - The crimelord Lord Ogre placed a bounty to kill Venom (Flash Thompson). Many mercenaries and assassins responded. Alongside Blood-Spider and Jagged Bow, Death-Shield cornered Venom in an old warehouse. Death-Shield threw his shield at Venom, stunning him. Soon after, Venom hurled Death-Shield at Jagged Bow, knocking him over. Lord Deathstrike and Constrictor entered the fight, also seeking the bounty, and they fiercely battled each other during which Venom was able to escape.
SECRET WARS III HAPPENED
(Deadpool & the Mercs for Money I#2) - Learning that Deadpool and his Mercs for Money had acquired a Rigellian Recorder capable of predicting the future, the Crime-Master hired Blood Spider, Death-Shield, and Jagged Bow to extract its location from Deadpool. He arranged a meet at a warehouse, and ambushed Deadpool and Slapstick. Crime-Master insisted that his minions leave them alive long enough to extract the information, but the two mercenaries soon turned the tables on their foes. Deadpool painfully pinned the Crime-Master's arm behind his back until the crimelord agreed to just bid on the Recorder.
(Daredevil V#15) - Blood Spider, Death-Shield and Jagged Bow set out to collect a bounty on Daredevil and were easily defeated by him. They were not aware that it was Daredevil himself under an alias that had put out the bounty.
(New Mutants: Lethal Legion#2) - Death-Shield participated in a tryout for a spot on Count Nefaria's newest iteration of the Lethal Legion, but got his butt handed to him by FistiCuss (Scout/Gabby Kinney in disguise).
Comments: Created by David Michelinie and Jerry Bingham.
He received a real name in Taskmaster's entry in OHOTMU A-Z HC#11.
These guys were pretty weak, considering they survived Taskmaster's training (Read all about it in Agent X).
He certainly upgraded his skills
level by Venom II#37 as Venom commented that all three "almost
outclassed me."
---Grendel Prime
In regard to the trio's deaths in the Venom: The Lethal Protector II series. The series clearly took place after Amazing Spider-Man I#333 (June, 1990), which was referenced and due to events in that and later stories pretty much can't take place after Amazing Spider-Man I#347 (May, 1991) (most likely between #345 and 346). It is definitely before the trio's first appearance in #367. Their deaths would be a problem either way because they returned in recent years though they could be replacements, but with the mini-series predating their first appearance it is a much bigger problem. It almost seems like the Lethal Protector crew are the ones from the cover of #367 and Taskmaster noticed too late that they were actually dead and had to put someone else in the costumes to face Spider-Man and Solo.
--Markus Raymond
Profile by: Zerostar. Updated by Grendel Prime, Minor Irritant and Markus Raymond.
Clarifications:
Death-Shield is not to be confused with:
images: (without ads)
Amazing Spider-Man I#367, Cover (main image)
Venom: Lethal Protector II#3, p10, pan4 (head shot)
Venom: Lethal Protector II#2, p10, pan5 (from behind)
Amazing Spider-Man I#367, p, pan (main image)
Venom II#37, p10, pan1 (smashing shield)
Appearances:
Amazing Spider-Man I#367 (October, 1992) - David Michelinie (writer),
Jerry Bingham (pencils), Randy Emberlin (inks), Danny Fingeroth (editor)
Venom II#37 (September, 2013) - Cullen Bunn (writer), Kim Jacinto
(art), Sana Amanat (editor)
Deadpool & the Mercs for Money I#2 (May, 2016) - Cullen Bunn (writer), Salva Espin (artist), Jordan D. White (editor)
Daredevil V#15 (March, 2017) - Charles Soule (writer), Coran Sudžuka (artist), Mark Paniccia (editor)
Venom: Lethal Protector II#1-2 (May-June, 2022) - David Michelinie (writer), Ivan Fiorelli (artist), Devin Lewis (editor)
Venom: Lethal Protector II#3 (August, 2022) - David Michelinie (writer), Ivan Fiorelli (artist), Devin Lewis (editor)
Venom: Lethal Protector II#4 (September, 2022) - David Michelinie (writer), Ivan Fiorelli (artist), Devin Lewis & Tom Groneman (editors)
Venom: Lethal Protector II#5 (October, 2022) - David Michelinie (writer), Ivan Fiorelli (artist), Tom Groneman (editor)
New Mutants: Lethal Legion#2 (June, 2023) - Charlie Jane Anders (writer), Enid Balám (pencils), Elisabetta D'Amico (inks), Sarah Brunstad (editor)
First Posted: 09/08/2002
Last updated: 09/26/2023
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know
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