CRIMSON DYNAMO

Real Name: Colonel-General Valentin Shatalov

Identity/Class: Human (Russian), Technology user

Occupation: KGB officer

Group Membership: GRU, Remont 4

Affiliations: Black Widow, Yelena Brement, Firefox, Fyodr Shelkov, Titanium Man (Boris Bullski), Unicorn, Alexi Vazhin

Enemies: Airstrike, Devastator, Freak Quincy, Iron Man, Titanium Man (Boris Bullski)

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: Krashni Denamit (translation)
    Impersonated Iron Man and Tony Stark

Base of Operations: Red Square, Moscow, Russia

First Appearance: Iron Man I#255 (April, 1990)

Powers/Abilities: Valentin Shatalov formerly possessed the Crimson Dynamo armor, which granted him superhuman strength (class 75) and flight and featured hand-blasters, gattling guns, missiles, a powerful fusioncaster and a radio transmitter and receiver. Shatalov wore matrix device upon his belt which would cause his armor to instantly appear upon him at the push of a button.

Height: 6'2" (without armor); (Dynamo Mark IV) 6' 10"; (Dynamo Mark V) 6' 5"
Weight: 210 lbs. (without armor); (Dynamo Mark IV) 420 lbs.; (Dynamo Mark V) 245 lbs.
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Brown

History: (Soviet Super Soldiers#1)- Valentin Shatalov oversaw the receipt of Darkstar, Vanguard and Ursa Major at a laboratory in Siberia, and was incensed when they eventually escaped the lab. He hired Firefox to hunt the three mutants down.

Shatalov greatly desired to possess the Crimson Dynamo armor so that he could become his nation's champion. To this end, he sent the then-current wielder of the armor, Dmitri Bukharin, on a mission to revive the Titanium Man, manipulating events so that Dmitri would be disgraced in public, causing a scandal. Dmitri was stripped of the armor, and Valentin took it for himself, fitting it with a matrix which could cause the armor to appear about him at the push of a button. Shatalov used his resources to fund Remont 4, a subversive organization seeking to restore Russia to its former glory days. He brought aboard the Titanium Man, Firefox and Unicorn as his first recruits.

(Iron Man I#255)- While engaging Devastator in combat to determine whether Remont 4 or the People's Protectorate were more deserving of the government's support, Devastator accidentally intercepted mental energy being transmitted by Freak Quincy in America, who was battling Iron Man. As a result, the Devastator's microwave blast at Shatalov caused him and Tony Stark to switch bodies. Finding himself in the Iron Man armor, Shatalov tested out the "pulse" function, blowing off both of Freak Quincy's arms. He claimed to bystanders that Quincy had taken control of his armor. Shatalov used the armor's systems to find Iron Man's home, and removed the armor, learning that Iron Man was Tony Stark. He decided to use this turn of events to his advantage.

Shatalov went to Stark's office and had Bambi Arbogast bring him every new contract to him so that he could learn America's military secrets. Just as he began to investigate the secrets of Stark's Iron Man armors, Shatalov was contacted by Stark from Russia. Stark proposed that they find a way to switch their bodies back, but Shatalov refused. When Stark threatened to harm Shatalov's lover Yelena Brement, he told Stark "She prefers armor attachment#442. Ask her about it." Shatalov hung up on Stark and continued his work, determined to learn all that he could before Stark forced him back to his own body.

However, Stark almost immediately made contact with Freak Quincy, and began to force them back into their own bodies. Shatalov donned the Iron Man armor and set off to kill Quincy before he could complete it, but Quincy's powers tapped into the armor's cybernetic neurosystem, just as Stark fought Devastator, releasing another microwave blast. As a result, Shatalov was forced back into his own body, where he was placed under arrest by Yelena, who had been struck down by Stark while he was in Shatalov's body.

(X-Men II#17)- Shatalov met with Alexi Vazhin and Fyodr Shelkov when the mutant Soul-Skinner threatened the town of Neftelensk. Shatalov informed the others that two members of the renegade Exiles had set out to confront the Soul-Skinner, but did not know or care who they were.

(Iron Man I#316 (fb, BTS))- After Boris Yeltsin thwarted an attempted coup by conservative elements in Russia, Shatalov was forced to accept the abolition of Remont 4. He also obtained a new suit of Crimson Dynamo armor.

(Iron Man I#316)- When the Titanium Man went on an angry rampage, disgusted by how he perceived Russia to have fallen, Shatalov was contacted by the military and asked to assist them. Shatalov fought alongside the Black Widow and Iron Man in opposing the Titanium Man, and Shatalov attempted to reason with the Titanium Man. However, the Titanium Man refused to trust Shatalov, blaming him for the failure of Remont 4 and for not restoring his humanity to him, and beat him savagely. Shatalov tried to explain that the Titanium Man's altered body chemistry made it impossible for him to leave his armor, but the Titanium Man flew away. Shatalov then collapsed, having broken one of his legs when the Titanium Man beat him. Iron Man planned to continue after the Titanium Man solo, but Shatalov insisted that for the sake of Russia's people, the defeat of the Titanium Man should be at the hands of one of her own heroes. Agreeing, Stark donned the Crimson Dynamo armor so that it would seem as though Shatalov were the one in battle.

(Iron Man I#317)- Shatalov and the Black Widow monitored Stark from the Moscow branch of Stark Enterprises, and Shatalov had to serve as Stark's "seatback driver," assisting him in the armor's operation from remote. He also spoke through the armor, so that he could still attempt to reason with the Titanium Man. The battle brought them to the Baikonur Launch Facility, where the Titanium Man unleashed a powerful blast. Running out of options, Shatalov decided to turn to his last resort; he activated his armor's fusioncaster and fired a powerful blast of energy at the Titanium Man which slew him.

Stark was furious with Shatalov for his actions, feeling responsible himself, but Shatalov informed Stark that even if he had known what he was going to do, he couldn't have overridden his control over the armor. Shatalov was left to accept the responsibility for what had happened, and the following day, was brought before the military, who informed him that they were taking away the Crimson Dynamo armor. Shatalov was left without the armor he had coveted so much, making all of his past sins seem to be in vain.

Comments: Created by Glenn Herdling, Fabian Nicieza and Herb Trimpe.

The Crimson Dynamo from Captain America III#42 is unidentified.

There's a major continuity error surrounding the Soviet Super Soldiers one-shot, and this is as appropriate place as any to explain it. Although the Soviet Super Soldiers one-shot depicted Shatalov obtaining the Crimson Dynamo armor and the Supreme Soviets becoming the People's Protectorate, Iron Man I#255-- published over two years earlier-- had already depicted Shatalov in the Crimson Dynamo armor, and made reference to the People's Protectorate.

The problem is, Bukharin continued to appear as the Crimson Dynamo! When the People's Protectorate were next seen in Avengers I#319-324 ("The Crossing Line"), Bukharin was amongst their ranks as the Dynamo instead of Airstrike; likewise with their appearance in Incredible Hulk II#393.

So...when you re-read "The Crossing Line" or Hulk II#393, my suggestion is that you either imagine Dmitri wearing the Airstrike armor, or assume that Shatalov loaned him the Crimson Dynamo armor for a couple of other missions.

Pity that Remont 4 never went anywhere. Nicieza talked it up a lot in Shatalov's appearances, only for it to die off-panel before anything could be made of it.

Shatalov possessed copies of Vanko and Nevsky's armors, seen briefly in Iron Man I#316.

A Crimson Dynamo wearing the Gremlin design appeared in JLA/Avengers#4, but since the characters were pulled from different points in time in this story it could've been another Dynamo wearing the same armor.

Shatalov received an entry in the OHotMU Master Edition and the All-New Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Update#2.