Colonel ROSS WHITTAKER

Real Name: Colonel Ross Whittaker

Identity/Class: Human, conventional weapons user

Occupation: CEO of Global Security, INC;
    former pilot for United States Navy;
    former agent of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA);   
former boxer

Group Membership: Head of Global Security, INC (including Buchanan & Swain)

Affiliations: Affiliated with the Korean CIA;
    Colonel Kim, Mr. Soon, Reverend Moon Teck-Yo

Enemies: Mr. Hooks, Senator Orrin Kelsey, Flaco and Juanita Moldinaro, Pulowki family, Punisher (Frank Castle)

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: Global Security, INC, within a mesa somewhere in the American desert

First Appearance: Marvel Graphic Novel: Punisher: Intruder (1989)

Powers/Abilities: Whittaker is highly skilled in various forms of hand-to-hand combat, as well as being an extremely talented fighter pilot.

    He led a paramilitary organization outfitted with various forms of conventional artillery and aircraft, specializing in assassination.

    Whittaker was more than willing to sell drugs appropriated from his victims in order to help finance his operations, a fact which he was forced to keep concealed from his allies in the Korean CIA. In addition, it bothered him not in the least to pursue the assassination of the first major African-American candidate for attorney general. He saw himself as a patriot first and had no ties to any color.

History: (Marvel Graphic Novel: Punisher: Intruder (fb) - BTS) - Whittaker served in the Navy after graduating from the Top Gun school in Miramar, and he was based aboard the USS Coral Sea. He was the Korean heavy weight full-contact champion two years running. The following year he was recruited by CIA, and he maintained close contact with the Koreans ever since. Whittaker appropriated $200 million from the CIA under Naval Weapons Research, and then left to head the private think tank Global Security, INC, with ties to the Korean CIA. In this position, Whittaker functioned as an opponent of Communism, specializing in assassination.

(Marvel Graphic Novel: Punisher: Intruder) - Whittaker's organization was commissioned by agents of Korean Colonel Kim to take out the drug dealers Flaco + Juanita Moldinaro, who were living in Vaporville, Illinois, under the aliases Mr. + Mrs. Lorenzo DiPatt. However, despite having the location provided by Kim's agents, due to some clerical mix-up, Whittaker's troops instead assaulted the house next door. This attack killed the innocent Greg and Mrs. Pulowski, unwittingly leaving behind their seven year old daughter, Maggie. The Punisher, who was preparing to take out the Moldinaro's himself, witnessed the attacks and rushed into the Pulowski house and rushed off with Maggie to keep her protected from further assault. The Moldinaro's, however, escaped into the night.
    Whittaker's men discovered tCastle's surveillance equipment, indicating that an unknown party had observed the incident and may have absconded with the Pulowski girl.

    Whittaker met with Colonel Kim to discuss the recent incident, and easily battered Kim unconscious when he challenged him in combat. He then met with Reverend Teck-Yo to discuss the matter, and proved his prowess by having one of his Air Force contacts arrange an accidental plane crash into the Romida O'Hare in Chicago, killing Senator Orrin Kelsey, a likely choice for the office of attorney general, whom they saw as having communist tendencies. At the same time, a drug shipment, taken from the Moldinaro's house, arrived at the Global Security, INC headquarters, and Whittaker had his right hand man, Swain, keep it concealed from his Korean allies. He next prepared to assassinate Mr. Hook, another candidate for attorney general with even stronger communist ties.

    Castle infiltrated Global Security, INC, but was captured by Whittaker's men, who had prepared for the potential arrival of the man who had gotten involved with the Pulowski assassination. Knowing that the Punisher may be aware of his cocaine deals, Whittaker beat the bound Castle into unconsciousness. He sent Teck-Yo's torturer, Mr. Soon, to interrogate the Punisher to learn his identity, while at the same time telling Swain to kill Soon if the Punisher revealed the cocaine deals. Castle did reveal the coke deals, but then killed Soon himself.

    Castle had planted several bombs throughout the facility and when they went off, Whittaker took off in one of his jets. Castle, who had been preparing on one of Microchip's Flight-Simulators, fought his way to a jet and went after him. Whittaker tried to recruit Castle into his organization over the radio, but then engaged him in an airfight after Castle refused. However, Castle managed to draw Whittaker in, allow him to lock onto his jet, then slammed on the "brakes", causing Whittaker to shoot past him, and blew him up with a targeting missile.

Comments: Created by Mike Baron and Bill Reinhold.

Just like the Punisher, reference to activity in the 1970s for Whittaker is to be considered topical. The date of 1974 (his first year as boxing champion) shown simply refers to 15 years prior to this story.

Mike Baron in Punisher Anniversary Magazine notes that part of the inspiration for this story was a Dick Tracy strip featuring a gang of "highly evolved thieves" with a hideout on top of a chimney butte in the desert of Utah. The redoubtable policeman had to parachute in. I'll ask Max Allan Collins if he recalls which story this was.
--Per Degaton

I believe that TRACY story was from the early '60s and was about a gang called the 52's. They wore full face black masks and were designated by playing cards, if memory serves.
--Max Allan Collins

CLARIFICATIONS:
No known connection to:

Global Security, INC has no known connection to:

Kim has no known connection to:

Swain has no known connection to:

Reverend Moon Teck-Yo has no known connection to:

 

    Colonel Kim, Mr. Soon, & Reverend Moon Teck-Yo were all agents of the Korean CIA, who worked with Whittaker and Global Security INC in fighting communism in the USA, but regarded as equally important the war against the international drug trade. They were unaware of Whittaker's drug deals to fund Global Security INC.

Colonel Kim

Apparent military leader of the organization, he informed Whittaker of the location of Moldinaro and was furious when his organization hit the wrong house. He challenged Whittaker to combat and was easily battered senseless.

 

--Marvel Graphic Novel: Punisher: Intruder

 

Mr. Soon

    A subordinate to both Kim and Teck-Yo, he was also a skilled interrogator. He was sent to learn the Punisher's true origins and motivations. He put a plastic bag over the Punisher's head, used a rubber band to hold it tight to his neck, and injected a pool of urine into the bag. He allowed Castle to nearly asphyxiate on noxious fumes several times before Castle seemingly caved. Castle revealed Whittaker's drug deals and tricked Soon into releasing him when he claimed to be a member of the DEA. As soon as he was freed, Castle broke Soon's neck.

 

--Marvel Graphic Novel: Punisher: Intruder

 

Reverend Moon Teck-Yo

 

Possible leader of the whole organization, he discussed the long-term plans of the organization with Whittaker

 

--Marvel Graphic Novel: Punisher: Intruder

 

 

 

pictures: story page#12, panel 1, or page 17, panel 3

Last updated: 08/10/03

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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