PHALANX

Real Name: Cord Mather

Identity/Class: human; technology user

Occupation: former vigilante;
    former garage mechanic
    former armor designer

Affiliations: Punisher (Castle), Punisher (Carlos Cruz)

Enemies: Dr. Blanchard, Bullseye, Rosalie Carbone and her men, Vaducci crime family, Manuel Llosa and various international criminals

Known Relatives: Ellen (wife), Brad (son)

Aliases: Dick Johnson? (see comments)

Base of Operations: formerly Atlantic City, New Jersey

First Appearance: Punisher War Zone Annual#1 (1993)

 

Powers/Abilities: Johnson designed a suit of armor able to absorb impacts and shrug off most forms of gunfire. A blow from a .50 calibre is sufficient to knock him off his feet, though it still doesn't penetrate the armor. Wearing his armor, he was 6'6" tall and weighed 350# (according to his card).
    An outer layer of hive-guard spreads the force of the projectile, while an inner body suit conforms to the wearer's body. The suit apparently does not have a means of diffusing body heat (or perhaps Bullseye just didn't know how to use it).
    He also uses conventional firearms, especially automatic weapons.

Height: 5' 10" (6' 6" in armored form) Weight: 170 lbs. (350 lbs. in armormed form)

 

 

History:
(Punisher War Zone Annual#1) - Cord Mather designed the Phalanx armor to have various life-saving applications in law enforcement, fire, rescue, etc. However, he was unaware that his funders were actually mobsters, who sought the armor as a weapon. When his promoter, Dr. Blanchard, tried to auction the armor to various international criminals, Mather realized his mistake. However, Blanchard threatened to have his wife and son killed if he didn't cooperate. Mather pretended to play along, but then killed Blanchard during the demonstration. About the same time, the Punisher, who had staked out the auction, burst into, shooting the criminals. Mather picked up a gun and joined the fight, until he and Castle had taken out every criminal present.

    Castle then demanded the armor for himself, and used his .50 calibre gun to knock Phalanx down, but Mather refused to give it up and told him it was custom fit for his body anyway. Castle agreed to let him keep the armor, but told him that there would now be trained guns on him wherever he went. As a result, in order to keep his family distant from him, Cord called his wife and told her that he was leaving her for another woman.

(Punisher II#101, 102) - Working as a garage mechanic outside of Las Vegas, Mather hooked up with Carlos Cruz on a mission to take down the Carbone and Vaducci families. They fought their way into the ranch in which the two families were meeting, and they ran into Bullseye, whom Rosalie Carbone had hired to take down the Punisher and Vito Vaducci.

(Punisher II#103) - Mather and Cruz fired at Bullseye, who countered by hurling a stiletto through Mather's visor and into his eye. Mather tried to collect himself, but Rosalie's men were on him in seconds. When one of them hurled a grenade at the two vigilantes, Mather held it against his chest and was killed in the resultant explosion, though he did save Cruz's life.
    His armor was found and stolen by Carbone's men.

(Punisher War Journal#79, Punisher War Zone#41, Punisher I#104, Punisher War Journal#80 - all BTS) - Rosalie Carbone gave Bullseye the Phalanx armor to use against Castle. The armor protected the assassin from Castle's gunfire so that Bullseye could get the drop on him, but he was smashed off of the dock and into the water by Stone Cold, armed with a .50 caliber gun.

Comments: Created by Chuck Dixon and John Buscema.

Phalanx refers to a military formation, but it is also the medical term (of Latin derivation) for the bones in your fingers. It is the singular form of phalanges.

Phalanx was yet another of the characters who premiered as part of the 1993 Annuals feature. Unlike the majority of these folk, he made a repeat appearance. That card also named him as Dick Johnson, while everyone in PWZ Annual#1 called him Cord. In Punisher II#102, he introduced himself to Carlos Cruz as Cord Mather.

CLARIFICATIONS:
No known connection to:

 

 

Last updated: 05/03/04

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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