Sanction (NFL SuperPro foe)

SANCTION

Real Name: Marco Sanzionare

Identity/Class: Human technology user

Occupation: Crimelord

Group Membership: None

Affiliations: Crossbones, Edison, Instant Replay, Kent, Quick Kick, and other employees
(formerly) John Murtaugh

Enemies: Jane Dixon, Joe Gibbs, Los Tiburones, Ron Macedon, John Macaphee, Anthony Munoz, John Murtaugh, NFL SuperPro, Tim Pressman, Ken Reid, Spider-Man, Derrick Thomas

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: Mobile on Earth-616

First Appearance: NFL SuperPro#1 (October, 1991)

Powers/Abilities: Without armor Sanzionare wasn't much of a fighter, but he had money and good connections in the underworld to buy mercenaries and expensive weapons systems. He ran a successful business with gambling, drugs and weapons trade. He was able to use a gun, but wasn't a good marksman. He once unsuccessfully fought with a spear.

As Sanction he possessed the ability of flight, superhuman strength and durability. The armor's weapon systems were on his arms and included launchers for tear gas, concussion mortars, a hook and two small machine guns on each wrist. He was possibly able to shoot other ammo as well. The weapons system was supplied by a major network feed from the armor's shoulder couplings. The helmet's visor helped Sanction to aim at his targets. Although the armor was very expensive it didn't held together too well.

History:

(NFL SuperPro#1) - Crimelord Marco Sanzionare sent two assassins to kill John Murtaugh, who wanted to make a deal with the authorities after he was caught. One assassin succeeded and returned with a tape he stole from Murtaugh's corpse to Sanzionare's Beverly Hills estate. Sanzionare was pleased until he learned that Edison was nearly caught by a superhero named SuperPro. Sanzionare told Edison to be careful when he kills Pressman and then sent a guy named Kent to the library to find out everything he could about SuperPro. The assassination of Pressman was stopped by Spider-Man, who followed that night his spider-tracer's signal (he left one on Edison's car) to Sanzionare's mansion. He searched for evidence in Sanzionare's house, but found nothing. Meanwhile NFL SuperPro stopped a few others assassins from killing Pressman at his home in Malibu.

(NFL SuperPro#2 (fb) - BTS) - Los Tiburones stole a gun shipment from Sanzionare. He sent Quick Kick to retrieve it.

(NFL SuperPro#2) - On his boat off the Florida coastline Sanzionare learned that the gun shipment was lost after SuperPro had interfered again. Angered by this, Sanzionare told his skipper to contact Instant Replay.

(NFL SuperPro#3) - Sanzionare watched Instant Replay in a test fight against a NFL SuperPro-robot constructed for him by Stane Industries. Sanzionare was impressed with Replay's performance, but not surprised because only the best worked for him (sure). For SuperPro's interferences in Sanzionare's operations from L.A. to Miami he wanted him dead and Instant Replay was the man to do it. Sanzionare sent Instant Replay to Philadelphia because recent football centric events there would lead SuperPro to this town.

In his estate in the Swiss Alps Sanzionare learned of Replay's failure and disappearance. Sanzionare had enough and wanted to take matters into his own hands. After weeks of studying SuperPro he knew that he was the reporter Phil Grayfield. Equipped with his own armor Sanzionare wanted to fight SuperPro to the death.

(NFL SuperPro#4) - In Trenton, New Jersey Sanzionare appeared as Sanction and attacked organized protest against Governor Florio's tax plans. He shot tear gas at the protesters and then went after his real target, SuperPro's girlfriend Jane Dixon. The police tried to stop him, but Sanction just fired concussion mortars at them. Sanction flew away with Dixon in his arms.

A message was left on Jane's answering machine to lure SuperPro to Sanzionare, who had brought Jane to his apartment in Manhattan, New York.

After a glass of wine Sanzionare put his armor back on and showed Jane the playfield he had created for his fight with Phil Grayfield, who had beaten him so many times. Jane didn't know how Phil could've beaten Sanzionare until he told her that Phil was SuperPro. When Grayfield arrived in the building he was allowed to take the elevator to Sanzionare's penthouse. Sanction shot at the elevator when it arrived, but when the doors finally opened it was empty. Sanction found SuperPro on the next floor and shot at him again. This time it was only to bring SuperPro to the trap door that led to Sanction's playfield. There SuperPro attempted to free his girlfriend, but gas capsules nearly knocked him out. Sanction was now on the field too and attacked SuperPro. Ken Reid, who had put a camera into SuperPro's helmet, told SuperPro to go for the Sanction's shoulder couplings. SuperPro did like he was told and Sanction's armor short-circuited. Without weapons Sanction activated the playfield's goal line stand, which consisted of spikes, railguns, lasers and other weapons. SuperPro still got through and saved Jane Dixon. Together they left for the roof, but Sanction wasn't done with them yet. Sanction followed them to the roof and was attacked by SuperPro. Sanction intercepted a kick, held onto SuperPro's foot, lifted him into the air and threatened to throw him from the building. Sanction hit Jane when she attacked him. After telling SuperPro how many times he had interfered into Sanction's business he let him fall, but SuperPro turned around in mid-air and held onto Sanction's arm. Together they fell from the building, but Sanction wasn't ready to die and shot a hook from his left arm. SuperPro still held onto him until the weight became too much for the hook. The armor's left arm was ripped off and they fell again. SuperPro held onto a flagpole while Sanction crashed through a scaffold to the sidewalk. With the evidence from SuperPro's helmet cam the injured Sanzionare could be arrested.

(NFL SuperPro#8 (fb) - BTS) - After the fight with SuperPro Sanzionare was for weeks in hospital unable to move. Then he was sent to jail for months and waited for the day he got out again. (see comments)

(NFL SuperPro#8) - Sanzionare was still out for revenge against SuperPro. He had Crossbones escorted to him by a few of his men. Crossbones took them out and then Sanzionare explained to him his plan to make SuperPro suffer. Crossbones, who didn't even know SuperPro, thought that it would be easily earned money. First step in his plan was to frame SuperPro's friend Ron Macedon, whose anti-drug campaign with John Macaphee, Anthony Munoz, Joe Gibbs and Derrick Thomas hurt Sanzionare's business, with drug possession. Crossbones fought SuperPro after leaving drugs in Ron's locker and lost his expensive coat which led SuperPro directly to Sanzionare's Chicago estate. SuperPro dropped with a guard through a skylight and was welcomed by Sanzionare, who was still angry with Crossbones for leaving behind the clues that led SuperPro to him. Crossbones had it with Sanzionare and just wanted to kill SuperPro to get the money, but Sanzionare wanted to kill SuperPro on his own for all the things he had to go through. The stick Sanzionare carried around became a spear and he attacked SuperPro with it, but the hero just took it away from Sanzionare and hit him with the wooden stick. Sanzionare then ordered Crossbones to kill SuperPro, but he evaded Crossbones' darts and bullets. SuperPro shut the lights off to have an advantage with his night-vision glasses. Suddenly Sanzionare was directly behind SuperPro with his gun, but SuperPro was again able to evade the bullets. A second later Sanzionare and Crossbones were gone.

Comments: Created by Fabian Nicieza (writer), Jose Delbo (pencils), Mike DeCarlo (inks).

The time frame between issue 4 and 8 couldn't be months in Marvel time. There were maybe a few weeks in-between, but not more. Sanzionare just exaggerated.

Sanction's armor (designed by long-time Transformers artist Jose Delbo) is pretty obviously the torso and head, or a close approximation thereof, to Unicron, the planet-sized Transformer introduced in the 1986 Transformers movie. Curiously, Delbo never actually drew Unicron anywhere that I can think of offhand, but he certainly would have been supplied with the character model, and may not have even realized the character ever appeared in the comic once he was gone.
--LV

Profile by Markus Raymond.

CLARIFICATIONS:
Sanction aka. Marco Sanzionare has no known connection to:

Sanction, of the Rush Club @ War Machine#12