FOOLKILLER
FOOLKILLER
"When the world begets too many fools, nature always provides a Foolkiller"
Real Name: Kurt Gerhardt
Identity/Class: Human, technology user
Occupation:
Patient at Crossmore Prison for the Criminally
Insane, vigilante;
formerly worked
in a data services at TRX;
formerly employee at Burger Clown, and
Loan Officer at Silver Eagle bank
Group Membership: None
Affiliations: Greg
Salinger (Foolkiller, former mentor), Jack
Serious, Merle
Singer (ally and confidante), Dr. Ella Whitby;
Bobby
(former manager at Burger Clown), and Linda (former co-worker and
lover (briefly);
loose affiliation with Electro and the other inmates at the Raft
Enemies: Fools
everywhere;
Avengers (Cage, Captain America, Iron
Man, Spider-Man, Spider-Woman), Backhand and Warren, Deadpool, Emilio
Mendosa,
Runyan Moody, Venom (Eugene "Flash" Thompson), Darren Waite;
Electro and the other inmates at the Raft
Known Relatives: Wilhelm R. Gerhardt (father, deceased), Eleanor (ex-wife, divorced)
Aliases: Gregory Ross Curtis, Miles Fish, J.D. Pierre
Base of Operations:
Crossmore Prison for the Criminally Insane, England, UK;
last seen in the Raft Prison sub-section
of Ryker's Island;
formerly Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA;
formerly Manhattan, New
York; Riverdale, New York, USA
First Appearance: Foolkiller I#1 (October, 1990)
Powers: Gerhardt is self-trained in combat. While not an exceptional combatant, he is in excellent condition and has developed a high tolerance for pain. As Foolkiller, he wore a bulletproof vest. His chief weapon was the Purification Gun, a potent laser able to disintegrate a person on contact, leaving only a pile of ashes. Complete disintegration was contingent on a central body hit. Striking a victim's extremity might only result in disintegration of that limb.
Height: 5'10"
Weight: 180 lbs.
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Green
History:
(Foolkiller#1)
-
Kurt had a wife and a good job as a loan officer at
Silver Eagle bank.--and then things went awry for him. His father,
who had refused his advice to move out of a bad neighborhood, was
mugged and killed by some street punks when they found he only at
six dollars on him. Within three months, Silver Eagle bank
was
declared insolvent and recovered by downsizing, leaving Kurt
without a job. After several months of failed job seeking, he
began to sink further into depression. His wife divorced him,
leaving him with his computer and his clothes--and nothing
else. Kurt took a job at Burger Clown in order to pay the
rent.
The
store was held up on his first day, and Kurt, feeling anger over
his father's death, attacked the thieves, who beat him up.
(Foolkiller#2-4) - Kurt had an epiphany after seeing Greg Salinger, the
former Foolkiller, appear on the Runyan Moody talk show.
Salinger, although still an inmate at the Central Indiana State Mental
Institution, had managed to make an appearance in a public forum as
part of his therapy. Gerhardt began writing to Salinger, who
saw in him a kindred spirit. Salinger arranged discrete,
private communications between the two of them by posting to a computer
bulletin board under Ian Byrd (Salinger) and Miles Fish
(Gerhardt). After several communications, Salinger instructed
Gerhardt on how to find his associate, Merle Singer, who held a copy of
Salinger's costume and Purification Gun. Using the alias J.D. Pierre,
Gerhardt picked up the materials. Minutes later, Gerhardt encountered
two skinheads beating a woman and tried the gun out on them.
It worked just fine.
Gerhardt was
physically ill after seeing the effects of the gun for the first
time, but he soon got over that. That same night he put on
the
costume and traveled the city, executing drug-dealers, muggers,
and rapists (oh my!). However, when he
went after
larger prey, the criminal enforcer Backhand, he was overpowered,
thrown out a window, and almost shot by Backhand's bodyguard,
Warren. Gerhardt narrowly escaped, and after recovering,
began a
rigorous exercise program. He threw away the old costume,
created his own, and made his own series of Foolkiller cards, to leave
behind as a warning to others.
(Foolkiller#5-8) - While he began to get the hang of his new calling, Gerhardt's personal life took a turn for the better. He got a job at TRX, and a romantic interest began to develop with Linda, his former co-worker at Burger Clown. All the while, Gerhardt maintained communications with Salinger, refining his definition of Fools. He sent this message to a local newspaper: "The sane must inherit the Earth: From this moment forward, the penalty for senseless violence, for unthinking greed, for wanton ambition, for reckless destruction in the pursuit or momentary gratification or profit will be death."
(Foolkiller#9, 10) - Gerhardt
set his sites on Darren Waite, a millionaire involved with
stripping the Rain Forest and building high society apartments,
while evicting many paying renters from their former homes.
Waite
also had employed Emilio Mendosa, through whom he had directed
Backhand and other drug-pushing criminals. Also through
Backhand and
others, he sold the drugs that had been harvested from the fields
in which he had destroyed Rain Forests. Gerhardt
successfully executed Waite, despite giving him 24 hours and a
warning card. Taking out such a public figure drew the
attention
of the media and the police, some of whom had previously
supported his actions. At the same time, Salinger's line of
communication with Gerhardt was discovered, and the police
tracked it to Gerhardt's apartment, discovering his identity.
Gerhardt decided to go out in style. Having already taken out
Backhand and Warren, he went after Mendosa, who had been
intending to continue Waite's previous plans. Gerhardt
managed to
infiltrate the building where Emilio Mendosa worked. He beat
Mendosa unconscious, notified the police of his whereabouts, and
then dressed Mendosa up in his Foolkiller costume. Gerhardt,
incognito, slipped out the back as the police burst in and blew
away the "Foolkiller."
Realizing the authorities would find him, he had Merle douse his
face in acid, severely scarring it. He had another of his
contacts establish a false identity and financial history, and
relocated to Albuquerque, New Mexico. There he went to a
reconstructive specialist, and gave him his new id, with a new
face to use as a goal.
(New Avengers I#2 (fb)) - Gerhardt was apparently discovered, arrested, and sent to the Raft prison.
([New Avengers I#1 - BTS], 2, [3 - BTS]/New Avengers: Most Wanted Files) - Gerhardt was freed from his cell and took part in a breakout attempt, battling the as yet unformed New Avengers when they arrived to quell the breakout. Gerhardt escaped from the Raft. Found in Gerhardt's cell written on the wall, hundreds of times, were the two phrases "When the world begets too many fools, nature always provides a Foolkiller" and "Actions Have Consequences".
(Deadpool
IV#42 (fb) - BTS) - Gerhardt was located and incarcerated in
Crossmore Prison for the Criminally Insane in England, falling under
the care of the eccentric psychologist, Dr. Ella Whitby.
He secretly fell in love with her.
(Deadpool IV#40) - No longer facially scarred, Gerhardt watched Deadpool's arrival as a patient at Crossmore, judged him a fool and was protective of Whitby when Deadpool became abusive. However, when Deadpool discovered he was free to wander around with the other inmates, he brutally attacked the other inmates, sending all ten involved to the hospital. Gerhardt was the worst affected, requiring reconstructive surgery.
(Deadpool IV#41) - His face still bandaged, Gerhardt was confined to his cell, Whitby deciding to keep him there until she was sure there would be no retaliation. Ten days later, Gerhardt received notice that his parole had finally been granted, although he secretly wished to stay to be with Whitby and to exact revenge on Deadpool. Due to miscommunication/belligerence, a prison guard released Gerhardt from solitary confinement and he made his way to Deadpool, who was asleep in the general mess area.
(Deadpool IV#42) - Gerhardt attacked Deadpool and another vicious fight broke out. Captive prison guards escalated the situation to riot status, and Crossmore's warden permitted lethal force to restore order. Meanwhile, Gerhardt began choking the masked Deadpool with a guard's truncheon. The warden paused any action, hoping Gerhardt would eliminate Deadpool, but Gerhardt had revealed his strong feelings for Whitby. Deadpool suggested that the bandaged Gerhardt exchange masks with him, so that Gerhardt could stay while Deadpool was released in his stead. The ruse worked and Gerhardt stayed in Crossmore, but in Deadpool's outfit, while Deadpool, decked out in Foolkiller's vest and pants (with bandaged face), walked free. However, Whitby left as well, as she had fallen in love with Deadpool.
(Venom II#38 - BTS) - Foolkiller fled and returned to the United States.
(Venom II#38) - Foolkiller got in a few shots against Venom and was presumably defeated by Venom.
Comments:
Created by Steve Gerber and J.
J. Birch (a pseudonym for Joe Brozowski--as pointed out by
Grant Rybicki, the
Continental Op)
Capsule summaries
do not do this character justice. This was an excellent story
involving the actions of a real world-type person. Gerber
wrote a
masterpiece. Go buy it. You can find it in the
$0.50 rack. It's
kind of like the Watchmen to me. It's so great that you'd
love
to see follow up on it, and yet the entire story has been told,
and there's really nothing more to say.
I'm
guessing not a whole lot of people read
this series (which is a shame). I'm guessing even fewer
people
got the little Gerber in-joke at the end of the series. Take
a
look at that ID, with his new target face. That's Richard
Rory!
Not only that, but it's a Las Vegas, Nevada driver's
license--where Gerber
lives.--Kyle
Gregory Curtis Ross--on the off chance you don't get it, it's an amalgam of the names of all three Foolkillers.
"J.D.Pierre" is an homage
to Pierre Salinger (dipolomat) and J.D. Salinger (the father of the
Menahem Golan produced Captain America star Matt Salinger and the
author of Catcher in the Rye).
--Per Degaton
Update by Markus Raymond: Venom.
Profile updated/edited by Kyle Sims & Grendel Prime (Deadpool stuff).
CLARIFICATIONS:
Kurt is the successor
the other known Foolkillers of the modern era:
Merle Singer's face was scarred by a former "lover" who threw acid in her face. Greg Salinger executed the man and gave her, as she had requested, the acid to keep as a reminder. She was eternally grateful, and she remained his sole confidante throughout his career. She kept his secret, and kept a spare costume and Purification Gun. When Salinger sent Gerhardt to her, she trusted Salinger's judgment implicitly and was instantly willing to assist Gerhardt in any way she could. In addition to listening to the thoughts he could tell no one else, she also acted as his assistant when there became too much heat for him to be out in public. His final request to her was to scar his face with her acid, so that he could no longer be recognized as Gerhardt, which she did for him.
--Foolkiller#2 (4, 10
Appearances:
Foolkiller#1-10 (October, 1990 - October, 1991) - Steve Gerber
(writer), J.J. Birch (pencils), Tony DeZuniga (#2-5) & Vince
Giarrano (#6-10) (inks), Craig Anderson (editor)
New Avengers I#2 (February, 2005) - Brian Michael Bendis (writer), David
Finch (pencils), Danny Miki & Mark Morales (inks), Tom Brevoort
(editor)
Deadpool IV#40-42 (September-October, 2011) - Daniel Way (writer),
Carlo Barberi (pencils), Walden Wong (inks), Jordan D. White (editor)
Venom II#38 (September, 2013) - Cullen Bunn (writer), Kim Jacinto (artist), Sana Amanat (editor)
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
First Posted: 01/10/2002
Last updated: 01/13/2015
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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