(Marvel Year in Review '92 - Losers! article) - The Harlequin Hit Men were among the original patrons of the Springdale branch of the Bar With No Name run by Jolly Roger.

(New Warriors I#66 (fb) - BTS) - At least one of the duo was among many costumed criminals who were broken out of jail by Clyde.

(New Warriors I#66) - The Harlequin Hitman and many other criminals were employed by Clyde to find Dr. Benson's cat Niels, which had powers similar to Speedball that Clyde intended to steal. The Harlequin Hitman actually made the capture by shooting it so that it would bounce and become stuck in the Sticker. When Speedball showed up, he made short work of the group and the Hit Man went back to jail with all the others.

(Dark Reign Files) - Quasimodo researched Harlequin Hit Man for Norman Osborn.

SECRET WARS III HAPPENED

(Moon Knight IX#20 (fb) - BTS) - The Harlequin Hit Men were heavily brainwashed by a voice they only knew as the Ghost in the Telephone (secretly Sidney Sarnak). They went ordered to kill the former members of the Shadow Cabinet and followed the voice's plan to the letter.

(Moon Knight IX#19) - The Harlequin Hit Men sat at a table with explosives, bullets and the pictures of the former members of Moon Knight's Shadow Cabinet in front of them. One of them was loading his gun.

(Moon Knight IX#20 (fb) - BTS) - The Harlequin Hit Men successfully placed explosives in Sigmund (Plesko)'s apartment. They shot Mercy dead next.

(Moon Knight IX#20) - They got to Junior Birdman and told him that the Ghost in the Telephone demanded his death before shooting him dead.

(Moon Knight IX#20 - BTS) - Fingers and Sheriff got killed next by them.

(Moon Knight IX#20) - They made their way to Scout's home, but she was not there because she had been taken to the Midnight Mission by Tigra. They were instead confronted by Moon Knight, who had learned their identities from 8-Ball after sending a photo of them. Moon Knight was surprised that the Harlequin Hit Men, who were even considered a joke by 8-Ball, were killing his former allies and they told him that they were only following the orders of the mysterious Ghost in the Phone. Moon Knight easily defeated the assassins, took them to the Midnight Mission and chained them to chairs. He left them in the care of Dr. Andrea Sterman, who could almost immediately tell Moon Knight that they had been brainwashed. Sterman wouldn't tell him more before Moon Knight did not promise her to leave the Hit Men for the police. Moon Knight agreed to her terms and she told him that the Hit Men had not been drugged, but she needed more time to unravel the truth with therapy to actually learn how the Ghost in the Telephone had done it.

Comments: Created by Steve Ditko, Roger Stern and Bruce Patterson.

I don't entirely buy Clyde's claim to have been behind all the villains of Springdale. In the case of the Harlequin Hit Man, they were simply killers wearing costumes. Nothing for Clyde to be involved with.

There only appeared to be one of the two working for Clyde. I'd suspect that it was Herb because Sheila would've been sent to a women's prison, but Herb could've been broken out at the same time the others were.

My understanding is that the Speedball in the New Warriors issue wasn't really Speedball, but Darrion Grobe, who actually thought he was Speedball. That doesn't make much difference here though.

Their mask had a bit more color on the cover of Speedball#7. This look later made it to Moon Knight. (see right)

Profile by Patrick D Ryall. Update by Markus Raymond (Moon Knight).

CLARIFICATIONS:
The Harlequin Hit Man should not be confused with:

• Crooked Face (Eddie Magee) - another Speedball villain with multiple identities--Marvel Age Annual#4/2
• Hitman (Burt Kenyon) - assassin, Spider-Man/Punisher foe--Spectacular Spider-Man II#4
• Hitman (Jimmy Pierce) - a boxer who tried to become the next Punisher--Punisher II#86
• any other hitmen or hitwomen.