KEN  WIND

Real Name: Ken Wind

Identity/Class: Human, demon-possessed

Occupation: Currently unknown;
    former nihilist
    former politician (US presidential candidate)

Group Membership: The Hand;
    former member of the Democratic Political party

Affiliations: Arthur Perry, Chuck the Dwarf, Senator Bob Willing

Enemies: Elektra, John Garrett, Chastity McBryde, the president of the USA, unnamed general

Known Relatives: Margaret Wind (wife)

Aliases: The Beast

Base of Operations: Mobile throughout the USA

First Appearance: Elektra: Assassin#3 (October, 1986)

Powers/Abilities: Possessed by the Beast, Wind had unspecified superhuman abilities including telepathy and superhuman strength; it may be that his psychic powers granted him the illusion of strength. He gave off a nauseating odor of rotten mayonnaise.

    The Beast has vast magical powers, their level unclarified. It can possess or psychically assault others, empower agents to do its will, etc. By feeding others "milk" of the Beast, he could more easily assimilate them into its sway.

History:
(Elektra: Assassin#3) - An advertisement for Wind's presidential campaign ran on television, discussing his involvement in various grass roots events (all topical). Wind traveled to San Concepcion, South America for a banquet in his own benefit. There he met with ambassador Reich, who secretly transferred the Hand's demon, the Beast, into him. The Beast took control of Ken Wind, whom the Hand felt was destined to become the next president of the United States.
    Elektra assassinated Reich, but realized too late that the Beast was now within Wind.

(Elektra: Assassin#4) - Wind met with SHIELD agents Garrett, Honda, and Minelli, simultaneously pressuring Senator Bob Willing to oppose funding of SHIELD and making comments in support of Honda and Minelli's social status. Having been linked to Elektra, Garrett, was able to detect the nauseating mayonnaise smell emanating from Wind. When Garrett realized the threat Wind posed and considered assassinating him, Wind revealed that he could read Garrett's mind and then crushed his hand.

(Elektra: Assassin#5 (fb) - BTS) - Ken's wife, Margaret, collapsed into a stupor after spending her first night with Ken after he had been possessed by the Beast.

(Elektra: Assassin#5 - BTS) - Ken Wind achieved a commanding lead over the incumbent president in the polls, while Senator Willing him joined him in opposing SHIELD funding.

(Elektra: Assassin#6 (fb) - BTS) - Wind denounced SHIELD's ExTechOp division as "violating basic human rights of its employees" by "converting them into Frankenstein monsters." Wind also slammed the incumbent president for supporting SHIELD and ExTechOp.

(Elektra: Assassin#6) - Wind met with a US General, discussing his political agenda, and sharing a glass of the Beast's "milk" with him. The General then felt the Beast's direction to launch all of America's warheads. The General prepared to follow out the Beast's commands, but managed to resist and shot himself in the head.

(Elektra: Assassin#7 (fb) - BTS) - Wind's face became the most popular choice of mask for young trick-or-treaters.

(Elektra: Assassin#7) - Ken Wind and the Beast communed with the cyborg warrior Arthur Perry after he drank milk offered by Chuck the Dwarf. Wind revealed his plan of genocide via nuclear annihilation. Wind then won the election; Elektra and Garrett were present at his victory party, preparing to kill him.

(Elektra: Assassin#8 (fb) - BTS) - Upon learning of Wind's election, the former president attempted to launch a full scale nuclear attack on Russia. Former presidential aide Jeff Rictus and his associates had to pry the "box" (the device with which he could commit nuclear weaponry) from his fingers.

(Elektra: Assassin#8) - Garrett and Elektra's presence was discovered by SHIELD agent Chastity McBryde; she led a squadron of agents to engage the would-be assassins while Wind was spirited away in an escape shuttle. Elektra managed to directly assault the Beast itself, after which she and Garrett destroyed the helicopter carrying Wind's shuttle. Wind crashed in the Lincoln Memorial, where he was defended by Perry, who quickly dismantled Garrett when he approached Wind. Perry then battled Elektra, while Wind stepped on Garrett's throat to prevent him from telling Elektra how to kill Perry by destroying his brain. Elektra succeeded in slaying Perry, after which Wind knew he was defeated.

(Elektra: Assassin#8 / Daredevil I#319 (fb) - BTS / 321 (fb) - BTS) - Elektra actually just used her hypnotic abilities to make Garrett believe that he was Wind and living the life of the president. In reality, Garrett remained in his dismantled form, which was placed in a stasis tube in a SHIELD facility.

Comments: Created by Frank Miller and Bill Sienkiewicz.

"Not wind the watch...wind--like the air."

The events of Elektra: Assassin precede Daredevil I#168 by an unspecified length of time, possibly years. At the end of the series, Elektra apparently did a mind-swap, placing Garrett's mind in Wind's body, and Garrett was the next president of the USA. This was later revealed as an illusion, but Wind's real fate remains unknown (I'd have to think Elektra decapitated him).

    We can actually nail down when some of the events of Elektra: Assassin took place thanks to George Olshevksy's Avengers Index#3. In that issue, he discusses Avengers I#61, and notes that some freak weather conditions, such as the abnormally premature snowstorms seen in Elektra: Assassin, were caused by the battle between Ymir and Surtur in Avengers I#61, as well as by the events of Incredible Hulk I#109-110 (in which a large machine that affected the Earth's rotation existed in the Savage Land--this machine was the Planet-Destroyer, which was a weapon of the Sagittarians, used in the service of the Galaxy Master. It is seen in the profile for Umbu the Unliving).
    Thus, some of the events of Elektra: Assassin took place around the time of other stories with premature snowstorms, such as Amazing Spider-Man I#85, Incredible Hulk I#115, and Daredevil I#52-53. These premature snowstorms came ever now and then during a period of two or three months following the events of Avengers I#61.
    Further, Avengers I#61 took place towards the end of the third week of September of Peter Parker's sophomore year in college. So, we can nail things down ever further.
    --Per Degaton

Topical events Wind was supposed to have been involved with include Woodstock, Altamont, the Vietnam War (for which he burned his draft card), Kent State, etc.

Don't adjust those dials...that's how Wind was drawn.

    You may know this, but since you talk about Wind's appearance in the Comments section, it's worth mentioning that the two photos used to depict Wind were actually of artist Bill Sienkiewicz himself (see this interview: http://www.manwithoutfear.com/interviews/ddINTSienkiewicz.shtml). Cool, huh?
    --Danny Wind (no relation)

Profile by Snood.

CLARIFICATIONS:
No known connection to:

 

images:
Elektra: Assassin#4, p9, panel 2

Last updated: 06/27/04

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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Elektra: Assassin#4-8 (November 1986 - March 1987)