BRIGAND
Real Name: Unrevealed
Identity/Class: Normal human
Occupation: Thief for hire, mercenary
Group Membership: None
Affiliations: Nicodemus West
Enemies: Doctor Strange, Night Nurse, Wong
Known Relatives: None
Aliases: None
Base of Operations: New York City
First Appearance: Doctor Strange: The Oath#1 (December, 2006)
Powers/Abilities: Brigand was an accomplished thief-for-hire who retained a low profile despite his robberies from high profile people (and crimson outfit). He had heightened athletic abilities, including acrobatic skills and mental blocks to thwart psychic attacks. He planned his jobs very carefully and researched his victims' histories, being sure to bring along items that could counter their powers, such as the negatively enchanted handgun of Hitler. Although himself overconfident, he also seemed to rely on being underestimated by his opponents. Brigand also had a safe house hidden in a fold of reality protected with mystical and robotic defenses.
History:
(Doctor Strange: The Oath#1 (fb) - BTS) - Across the years, Brigand completed various thefts from super-powered individuals, including breaking into the Fantastic Four's Baxter Building and stealing Hitler's handgun (itself imbued with negative energy) from a "warlock type" person, as well many security robots.
Nicodemus West hired Brigand to steal from Doctor Strange the elixir that could cure cancer (which Strange had originally taken from the extradimensional god Otkid to save the ill Wong). As a precaution, he magically restrained Brigand from revealing his employer to anyone, implanting false memories of past foes of Strange.
(Doctor Strange: The Oath#2 (fb)) - Brigand broke into Doctor Strange's Sanctum, introduced himself to the sorcerer and demanded the elixir. Brigand successfully and acrobatically evaded Strange's magical blasts before shooting Strange with Hitler's handgun, the silver bullet breaking through Strange's shield. Brigand stole the elixir.
(Doctor Strange: The Oath#1) - Brigand presented Nicodemus West with the elixir, his employer incredulous at Brigand's claim that he had killed Doctor Strange.
(Doctor Strange: The Oath#2 (fb) - BTS) - Brigand next tracked down the elixir sample that Strange had sent for further examination, killing Strange's old friend, Dr. Jonas Hilt, with the enchanted handgun in order to retrieve it, his tracks mystically covered up by Nicodemus.
(Doctor Strange: The Oath#2) - Strange, accompanied by Wong and Night Nurse, was still able to follow Brigand's tracks to a safe house hidden in a fold of reality and protected by a security sigil. The three overcame several deadly security robots but stopped when Brigand appeared holding Hitler's handgun to Night Nurse's head.
(Doctor Strange: The Oath#3) - At a seeming stalemate with Strange unable to act against the negatively enchanted weapon, Night Nurse recognized that Brigand's nose had been broken before and head-butted him there while Wong disarmed the thief. Strange then magically shackled Brigand, sending him to sleep as he mystically entered the thief's mind to identify who had hired him. Inside Brigand's mind, the thief acrobatically leapt away while Strange was slowed down by several roadblocks, including (false) memory constructs of Nightmare and Dormammu. Quickly able to see past the ruse, Brigand then unleashed more mental constructs of Strange's past enemies, including Tazza, Tiboro, Dark-Crawler, Dr. Doom, Loki, D'Spayre, Umar, a Mindless One, and various others. Strange easily blasted them away and threatened to wipe Brigand's real memories like walking and talking. Brigand quickly backed down, revealing an image of Nicodemus West. Strange then emerged back out of Brigand's mind, then cast the thief into his own mind to serve as an eternal prison.
Comments: Created by Brian K. Vaughan (writer), Marcos Martin (pencils) and Alvaro Lopez (inks).
I'd like to see more of this character and his well-planned assaults; there's certainly enough scope for his retrieval from obscurity.
At one point, Brigand said that he had not heard of Baron Mordo, yet later generated many of Strange's past enemies. Presumably he was lying about not knowing who Mordo was.
Thanks to John Holstein for pointing out Hitler's gun was seen in What If I#4 (August, 1977), which led into the story of Adam-II. It was also seen in the pages of Saga of the Original Human Torch#3 (it depicted Hitler's death again at the hands of the Human Torch). It is likely Hitler's gun appeared in a few other appearances made by Hitler.
Profile by Grendel Prime.
CLARIFICATIONS
:
Brigand has no known connections to:
Brigand used the handgun, a Walther P-38, allegedly used by Adolf Hitler to commit suicide and so was imbued with negative mystical energy. The gun was then acquired by a magician until it was stolen by Brigand. Loaded with a silver bullet, its dark power was able to pierce Doctor Strange's magical shield and Strange had no power to counter it. After Brigand was disarmed, Doctor Strange briefly took possession of it, later using it against the deadly Marrakant Hellguard after which he magically dissolved it into flying insects.
--What If..? I#4 (What If..? I#4/Saga of the Original Human Torch#3, Doctor Strange: The Oath#1-4
images:
(without ads)
Doctor Strange: The Oath trade paperback collection, inside back page
(main image)
Doctor Strange: The Oath#2, p22 (headshot with Hitler's handgun)
Doctor Strange: The Oath#3, p9, pan2 (acrobat)
Doctor Strange: The Oath#1, p7, pan3 (Hitler's handgun)
Appearances:
Doctor Strange: The Oath#1 (December, 2006) - Brian K. Vaughan
(writer),
Marcos Martin (pencils), Alvaro Lopez (inks), Tom Brevoort (editor)
Doctor Strange: The Oath#2-3 (January-February, 2007) - Brian K.
Vaughan (writer), Marcos Martin (pencils & inks), Tom Brevoort
(editor)
First Posted: 12/28/2010
Last updated: 09/19/2018
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
Non-Marvel Copyright info
All other characters mentioned or pictured are ™
and © 1941-2099 Marvel Characters, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
If you like this stuff, you should check out the real thing!
Please visit The Marvel Official Site at: http://www.marvel.com
Special Thanks to www.g-mart.com for hosting the Appendix, Master List, etc.!