HEMLOCK

Real Name: Jonathon Hemlock

Identity/Class: Human technology user

Occupation: Mercenary/Assassin

Group Membership: Former agent of the Corporation

Affiliations: Employed several other mercenaries

Enemies: Jack of Hearts

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: a mansion in Ithaca, New York.

First Appearance: Marvel Premiere#44 (October, 1978)

Powers:Hemlock wore a light body armor which gave him some degree of protection from injury. He specialized in poisons, including gases, darts, etc. His mask was filtered, allowing him to breathe despite being surrounded by poison gas. He had a large sickle, and his glove could fire either stun blasts, or a fine laser. In addition, he had a... (are you ready for this?) ...a rocket-powered trowel, equipped with heat-sinking technology, as well as an explosive warhead.
He also used several other agents to assist him.
He was quite pathologically attached to his plants.

History: Not a whole heckuva lot is known about the origins of Hemlock, other than that he was an assassin of some renown. He had a trophy wall that, among other things, held the headpieces of an AIM and a HYDRA agent. He was hired by the Corporation to try to force the secret of the Zero Fluid from the Jack of Hearts.

(MarvPrem44) - Hemlock sent a message to Jack Hart's mansion, taunting him with knowledge of the men behind his father's death, and challenging him to meet him at Hemlock's mansion. Jack arrived soon after, and refused Hemlock's offer to have a glass of wine. Hemlock then released some poison gas to subdue Jack, which had little direct effect on Jack's mutated form, but did blind him enough for Hemlock to get in a few punches. During the scuffle, some of Hemlock's plants were damaged, making him forget the Corporation's wishes to merely subdue Jack. He sent out his rocket-powered-heat-seeking-exploding trowel, but Jack overheated its tracking mechanism, causing it to explode prematurely.
Hemlock was furious over the destruction of his prize orchids, and he pulled out his scythe to take his revenge. Jack had had about enough, and he disintegrated Hemlock's scythe, leaving him seemingly helpless. Jack knocked Hemlock around until he surrendered, but fell victim to a sucker-blast from Hemlock's glove. Hemlock then tried to cut Jack out of his armor with his laser, which caused a sudden explosive release of Jack's energies. Jack revived and left Hemlock for dead.

Comments: Created by Bill Mantlo and Keith Giffen.

Slim pickins in the images department. Everything's in shadow.

Clarifications: No connection to:

• Hemlock Shoals