DEATHLESS FRENZY
Classification: Terrestrial biological weapon
Creators: Dr. Didier Ines
User/Possessors: Black Widow (Natasha Romanova), Captain Afzal, Colonel Khan, General, Dr. Didier Ines
Aliases: Formula Dix-Septième, Frénésie Immortel
First Appearance: Black Widow I#1 (June, 1999)
Powers/Abilities/Functions: The bio-toxin gave an infected specimen for two minutes superhuman strength, but this was the only positive effect. On the negative side it drove the infected specimen insane. An infected specimen attacked every other being around violently and could easily kill others with the added strength and ferocity. After two minutes the bio-toxin had dehydrated the infected specimen to a point were all bodily fluids were used up and it literally turned the specimen to dust.
History:
(Black Widow I#2 (fb) - BTS) - The bio-toxin Deathless Frenzy was at some point created by Dr. Didier Ines.
(Black Widow I#1 (fb) - BTS) - Ines found buyers for the bio-toxin in Rhapastan.
(Black Widow I#1) - Deathless Frenzy was injected to a soldier in Rhapastan to demonstrate its effects to a General. After two minutes the soldier was killed by the bio-toxin, but in the fight before his death he took out nearly a dozen other soldiers. Impressed by this the General ordered as much of the bio-toxin as Ines could produce.
A case with a sample of the bio-toxin was stolen by the Black Widow (Romanova) from a base in Rhapastan. Another Black Widow (Belova) tried to get the sample too, but after a fight against some soldiers Romanova got away with the case in a truck.
(Black Widow I#2) - Belova hid on the truck's roof and attacked Romanova, who jumped with the case into a river. Romanova took the rubber dinghy she had placed in the river, retrieved the case from the water and drove away.
At Dr. Ines' lab she confronted Ines and saw a canister with Deathless Frenzy. She wanted to know its effects and Ines injected a rat with Deathless Frenzy. The rat first killed another rat and then died. Romanova took Ines to another lab and asked him to create an antidote.
In Rhapastan the General gave Captain Afzal the order to transport the canisters with Deathless Frenzy to Colonel Khan.
(Black Widow I#3) - A convoy accompanied the truck with the canisters to Khan's camp. Romanova was part of the convoy and called Ines to ask for the antidote, but he was only able to create a vaccine for Deathless Frenzy. Romanova wanted it sent to Rhapastan and dictated a letter to Ines.
At night Belova attacked the convoy at Khan's camp. She blew up a truck and then tried to steal the truck with the Deathless Frenzy canisters, but she was surrounded by Khan's soldiers before she could get away with the truck. Khan revealed that he planned to use Deathless Frenzy on his own soldiers. He was aware that they would die.
That night Romanova, who arrived at the camp as a nurse, injected all soldiers with the vaccine for Deathless Frenzy.
The next morning the camp was surrounded by American and Russian troops. Romanova injected Belova, who was able to free herself, with the vaccine. Khan decided to use Deathless Frenzy now and tossed a grenade at the truck with the canisters. It detonated and released Deathless Frenzy, but nobody got infected because of the vaccine. Except for Khan, who never got the vaccine. The Black Widow fought him until he died. None of the bio-toxin was left!
Comments: Created by Devin Grayson (writer) and J.G. Jones (artist).
To clarify the name, the "Deathless"
part refers to the frenzy itself...it was relentless and unstoppable. The host
did indeed die.
--Snood
Between issues 2 and 3 Afzal gained a lot of weight. He looked more like the General from the previous issues, but Khan called him Afzal.
I'm not sure where Ines' lab was located, but it is possible that it was somewhere else in Switzerland (maybe even at Zurich's university) and not in France. I know that Didier is a French name, but French is one of the four spoken languages in Switzerland (besides Italian, German and Raetoroman) and if he was born in Switzerland's French part a name like Didier Ines is plausible.
Profile by Markus Raymond.
CLARIFICATIONS:
Deathless Frenzy has no known connections to
Captain Afzal has no known connection to:
General has no known connection to:
Dr. Didier Ines has no known connection to:
Colonel Khan has no known connection to:
(Black Widow I#1) - Afzal participated in the assault on both Black Widows and was responsible for shooting down Natasha's helicopter.
(Black Widow I#2 (fb) - BTS) - Afzal wrote a report of the incident for his General.
(Black Widow I#2) - Afzal played chess at military outpost four when the General came to him to talk about the report. Afzal didn't any plausible answers to the General's questions, who ordered Afzal to transport the bio-toxin to Colonel Khan and to expect interference by the Black Widow.
(Black Widow I#3 - BTS) - Afzal accompanied the bio-toxin to Colonel Khan. They were attacked by Belova, but other soldiers took care of her.
(Black Widow I#3) - Khan ordered Afzal to clear away space to pitch the new tents. At the same time Afzal reported to Khan that their HQ had sent a nurse. He was suspicious about her, but Khan wasn't because the Black Widow (Belova) got already caught by them.
(Black Widow I#3 - BTS) - Like everyone else at the camp Afzal was vaccinated with the vaccine for Deathless Frenzy by the mysterious nurse (Romanoff).
(Black Widow I#3) - Afzal told the soldiers to stay back when Khan, who was the only one Natasha didn't vaccinate, was infected by the bio-toxin.
--Black Widow I#1 (Black Widow I#1, 2 (fb) - BTS, 2, 3 - BTS, 3, 3 - BTS, 3
(Black Widow I#1) - The General watched a demonstration of the bio-toxin's effects on a soldier. Together with Dr. Ines he watched an infected soldier fighting ferociously against at least a dozen comrades. He beat or killed most of them and then crumbled to dust after two minutes. The General was impressed and asked Ines to give him as much as Ines could make of the bio-toxin.
(Black Widow I#1 - BTS) - Dr. Ines and the General discussed the transport of the bio-toxin.
(Black Widow I#2 (fb) - BTS) - The General read Afzal's report on the attack by the Black Widows.
(Black Widow I#2) - The General went to Afzal and asked him why they lost a sample of the bio-toxin to the Black Widow. Afzal told him that she was shot down with her helicopter, but the General was sure that she got away because no bodily remains were found and Afzal and his men weren't infected by the bio-toxin, which supposedly exploded above their heads. The General ordered Afzal to transport the bio-toxin to Khan and expect an attack by the Black Widow.
--Black Widow I#1 (Black Widow I#1, 1 - BTS, 2 (fb) - BTS, 2
(Black Widow I#2 (fb) - BTS) - At some point Dr. Didier Ines invented Formula Dix-Septième. In his nightmares he called it "Frénésie Immortel" or Deathless Frenzy.
(Black Widow I#1 (fb) - BTS) - When he decided to make money with it he found interested buyers in Rhapastan.
(Black Widow I#1) - Dr. Ines tested the bio-toxin in Rhapastan on a soldier. The General who watched the fighting soldier together with Ines was impressed and ordered as much of the bio-toxin as Ines could create.
(Black Widow I#1 - BTS) - Dr. Ines and the General discussed the transport of the bio-toxin.
(Black Widow I#2) - Romanova found Ines at his lab (see comments) and told him that she was sent by two governments to kill him, but she didn't tell him which governments. Ines showed the Black Widow the effects of the bio-toxin by infecting a rat. She watched as the infected rat tore apart the other rat and than died. After she saw how it worked she was disgusted and told Ines that Russians and Americans wanted him dead and that she didn't know how someone could create and sell a serum like this. She decided to let him live and took him blindfolded to a secret lab in Zurich. She told Ines that nobody would be looking for him there and asked him to create an antidote for Deathless Frenzy, then gave him a gun to protect himself and left.
(Black Widow I#3) - Romanova called Ines from Rhapastan to ask for the serum, but he told her that he was only able to create a vaccine. Romanova ordered him to send the vaccine to Rhapastan and then leave Switzerland. She even told him where he could go.
(Black Widow I#3 - BTS) - Ines followed her orders and the Black Widow was able to save everyone from the bio-toxin with the vaccine except for Colonel Khan.
--Black Widow I#1 (Black Widow I#2 (fb) - BTS, 1 (fb) - BTS, 1, 1 - BTS, 2-3, 3 - BTS
(Black Widow I#2 - BTS) - The General ordered to Captain Afzal to transport the bio-toxin to Colonel Khan.
(Black Widow I#3) - After Belova was captured by his soldiers Khan talked to her about his plans. He told her that he would use the bio-toxin on his own men. He was aware that they would die after two minutes, but he liked the idea of a super strong army and they were expendable to him. Later Khan ordered Afzal to make place for the new tents. In the same conversation Afzal reported the arrival of a nurse sent to them by their HQ. Khan wasn't afraid that it was a spy because they had already caught the Black Widow.
The next day when Khan's camp was surrounded by American and Russian soldiers he tossed a grenade at the jeep with the bio-toxin tanks to set it free. It infected only him because the nurse was in reality the Black Widow (Romanova), who vaccinated everyone in the camp except Khan. Soldiers shot Khan with machine guns, but he didn't care and attacked them. Then the Black Widow got Khan's attention and she fought Khan until he crumbled to dust.
--Black Widow I#3 (Black Widow I#2 - BTS, 3
images: (without ads)
Black Widow I#2, p9, pan3 (Deathless Frenzy)
Black Widow I#3, p9, pan2 (Deathless Frenzy in barrells)
Black Widow I#2, p15, pan4 (Captain Afzal)
Black Widow I#3, p10, pan4 (Colonel Khan head shot)
Appearances:
Black Widow I#1-3 (June - August, 1999) - Devin Grayson (writer), J.G. Jones (artist), Nanci Dakesian (editor)
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
First Posted: 01/29/2007
Last Updated: 09/13/2007
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