WARHEAD'S
MALKUTH TROOP
Membership: Currently "Molcher," "Severina,"
and others (see comments);
formerly Boot,
Byrne, Che, Leigh, Jackson, O'Connell, Smolenski
Purpose: Acquiring advanced technology and/or magical
equipment via traveling through Wormholes;
the Warheads are mercenaries, who
receive a cut of the profit generated by Mys-Tech based on the materials they
recover.
Affiliations: Mr. Grant, Master Key (Malkuth Troop), Mys-Tech, Brendan Rathcoole, Warheads
Enemies: Colonel Liger's Kether Troop;
formerly Cable, Vorin
(see comments)
Base of Operations: Mys-Tech Central, London Docklands
First Appearance: (Mentioned) Warheads#2 (July, 1992);
(seen) Shadow Riders#1/2 (June, 1993)
History: (Warheads#2/2 (fb) - BTS) - Malkuth Troop was a team of Mys-Tech's Warheads.
(Tree of Life document) - Che was troop leader of Malkuth. Byrne was psi-scout. Boot was a technician and computer expert. O'Connell and Jackson were both retrievers, and Leigh was troop medic. Smolenski's role was unclear (see comments).
(Shadow Riders#1/2 (fb) - BTS) - Che and Boot worked together long enough for Che to become familiar with Boot's "devil may care" attitude.
(Shadow Riders#1/2 (fb) - BTS) - Malkuth Troop was sent to Egypt under cover of an archeological expedition in the desert. Supplies dropped their equipment in a dune. Most of it was full of sand.
(Overkill#7 (fb) - BTS) - The wormhole site was in Sekkara.
(Shadow Riders#1/2 (fb) - BTS) - By the time they arrived, two of the team still hadn't suited up, and the required safety checks hadn't been completed.
(Shadow Riders#1 (fb)) - They arrived just as the wormhole was due to open. Their Master Key hurried them through the wormhole. Master Key's staff predicted a clean jump with an estimated echo time of ten minutes forty seconds. However, while the troop was in the wormhole, the Shadow Rider's leader Vorin arrived, killing Master Key and his staff. Meanwhile, the troop began to arrive at a futuristic fortress. They were immediately challenged by a security robot. Two of the troop were shot by the robot, who then summoned its owner, the mutant called Cable (Nathan Summers). Further robots arrived, and identified the troop as Warheads. Cable also appeared, shooting one of the Warheads. Another troop member was shot, prompting Che to order the remaining troops back to the wormhole. Boot started to argue, but Che was insistent. However, another blast from Cable took out Boot and another Warhead. Boot's body was sent flying back through the wormhole, after which it was recovered by Vorin, who took it away to be revived and transformed into a Shadow Rider. As Vorin left, he blew up the Warheads archeological cover site. Cable, holding Che captive, took a look through the wormhole at the burning remains of the site.
(Shadow Riders#1/2 (fb) - BTS) - The troops recorders failed during this mission.
(Shadow Riders#2 (fb) - BTS) - Che was recruited by Cable as his man inside Mys-Tech.
(Shadow Riders#1/2 (fb) - BTS) - Three days later, Mr. Grant reported to Rathcoole.
(Warheads#2/1/Shadow Riders#1/2 (fb) - BTS) - Mr. Grant told Rathcoole about Malkuth Troop having been panned. Che's story couldn't be checked due to the recorder failure. They were doubtful Che was telling the truth, but unable to prove him wrong.
(Overkill#7) <1st June, 1992> - The loss of Malkuth Troop prompted Mr. Grant to send out a reminder of the Wormhole Exit Procedure to all Warheads.
(Warheads#5 - BTS) - Che was transferred to Kether Troop.
(Warheads#6) - Che was asked to explain the loss of Malkuth troop by a Warhead called Desmond during a training exercise. Che wasn't forthcoming with any answers, and Liger told Desmond to shut up.
(Overkill#22 (fb) - BTS) - Malkuth Troop was re-manned. They were re-deployed into active service.
(Shadow Riders#3 (fb) - BTS) - Che later became a trainer for future Warheads.
(Shadow Riders#2) - Che was surprised to learn that Boot was alive when the Shadow Riders infiltrated Mys-Tech Central.
(Shadow Riders#4) - Che's cover was ultimately blown, and he was killed while fighting alongside Cable and the Shadow Riders. However, Che was resurrected and joined the Shadow Riders working alongside Boot once more.
(Revolutionary War: Warheads#1(fb) - BTS) - Malkuth troop took
part in a genocide on Lionheart, along with Gevurah and Omega troops. They then
proceeded to Mephisto's Hell to oppose Colonel Liger's rogue Kether troop.
(Revolutionary War: Warheads#1) - Malkuth, Gevurah and Omega troops were detected by Misha as they approached. Misha and Leona pushed Liger back through their wormhole to Earth, while Kether troop held the other troops at bay.
(Revolutionary War: Warheads#1(fb) - BTS) - Malkuth and the other troops were trapped in Hell.
(Revolutionary War: Warheads#1(fb) - BTS) - The surviving members of those troops loyal to Mys-Tech sided with Killpower, who had also been trapped in Hell and corrupted by Mephisto.
(Revolutionary War: Warheads#1) - Much later, when Killpower returned to Earth seeking revenge on his former allies, he led many warriors from Hell into battle. Malkuth troop appeared to be part of that number (see comments).
Comments: Malkuth Troop created by Nick Vince and John Freeman. Later fleshed out by John Freeman, Brian Williamson, Ross Dearsley and Euan Peters.
John Freeman supplied a Tree of Life PDF some time back with information on Malkuth Troop that never appeared in the comics. The names of all but Boot and Che, and their roles within the troop, are from that PDF. Smolenski presumably had the role of "Hit Man" or "Troop Defense," as those are the only roles not taken by the others. The "Troop Defense" member of a Warheads team often (though not always) wore a "Tank Shell" armored suit like that of Stacy Arnheim's (check out her image further down in the comments section), but there was no such armored member of Malkuth from what we saw.
Other information came from Overkill magazine, which published a Wormhole Exit Procedure document (the location of Malkuth's last mission) and a quick guide to Warheads Speak (confirmed that there had been a new Malkuth Troop). There are scans of those on the full Warheads profile. The Warheads Speak guide in Overkill is more detailed than the text version in Warheads#7, which doesn't mention Malkuth Troop (amongst other things).
I've included some history on Che and Boot from after they were in Malkuth just to explain how they both moved on to other things but came to work alongside each other again. For more information on those two individuals, please see their own profiles.
Malkuth Troop's Master Key shouldn't be confused with Kether Troops Master Key, Alfred J. Swinburne. They wore very similar clothes, and both carried a similar staff with a crescent shape at one end. Kether Troop's Master Key appears to be older, with a monocle and tie, while this one has no monocle or glasses of any kind and a bow tie (bow ties are cool). I mention this because if you weren't to pick up on the fact that the Shadow Riders story is a flashback, you might think that this is Kether Troop's Master Key AFTER Kether Troop had defected. Malkuth Troop's demise is referenced as early as Warheads#2, and Kether Troop's Master Key appears again after that. Each of the ten main Warheads troops apparently had their own Master Key, such is the implication of the Wormhole Exit Procedure document.
To clarify that last statement, there were ten Warheads troops listed in the Wormhole Exit Procedure document. They were Kether, Kockmar, Bina, Cesad, Gebu, Tifaret, Net, Hod, Hesod and (last but not least) Malkuth. Those ten were all named after the ten sephiroth from the Tree of Life (there is more information and discussion on this over at the main Warheads profile). The Warheads Speak guide clarifies that the term "New Troops" wasn't a reference to trainees forming part of one of the ten regular Warheads troops. Instead the term referred to several new troops being trained for Warheads duty. Although not directly stated as such, Ubu troop (which doesn't fit the Tree of Life naming convention) may have been one of these "New Troops." There were presumably at least eight other Master Key's, with at least one for each of the ten regular troops and possibly more for Ubu and any other troops. One other troop was Virago, the all female troop from Loose Cannons that sadly never saw print (though one troop member appeared in Revolutionary War). By Dan Abnett and Mark Harrison, Loose Cannons is available online:
http://www.2000ad.org/markus/loosecannons/
As Warheads, the troop members were kitted out with mystically
enhanced body armor as seen being worn by Kether Troop. Although not seen, they
would presumably have had personal force fields similar to Kether's. They
probably used the same advanced weaponry as Kether Troop (rail guns, energy
weapons, etc). They may have been trained to use the "Septagram
Position," a rarely used maneuver employing the runic "majicks" carved into
their battle armor. When seven Warheads combine power sources, the armor
generates a psychic energy blast wiping out nearby opposition. However, if the
opposition is mentally stronger than the Warheads combined, this may cause
highly dangerous feedback, which could kill the troop using the maneuver.
There were plans afoot for a Alan Cowsill and Dan Abnett story detailing the recruitment of a new Malkuth Troop, something that likely would've appeared in Overkill. Although this never saw the light of day, Alan Cowsill and Andy Lanning reused Malkuth Troop in Revolutionary War: Warheads, with none other than Gary Erskine designing and drawing the new troop. Amazing. Go read it! Yesterday! Gary also supplied me with art from Revolutionary War, including the lovely Stacy image I've included as a bonus.
The appearance of Malkuth troop towards the end of the Revolutionary War issue as Killpower returns from Hell leads into Revolutionary War: Omega, at which point Malkuth are nowhere to be seen. As the new Psycho-Wraiths have shape-shifting abilities it could be that it wasn't the real Malkuth troop. As such, they might not have survived their battle with Kether troop. I know, I know, Kether troop were heavily outnumbered, but as most of them had already come back from worse by that point (and they are the stars of the show) my money is on them! As Mys-Tech isn't currently an ongoing concern in the Marvel universe (as far as we know), there probably won't have been a new Malkuth troop deployed to replace the Revolutionary War line up.
I've listed Cable and Vorin as former enemies now, as the current Malkuth troop aren't known to have encountered them. However, both Cable and Vorin would still be opposed to any Warheads troops loyal to Mys-Tech.
Thanks to Grendel Prime for the images from Shadow Riders. Many thanks to Gary Erskine himself for the Revolutionary War images!
Profile by Changeling.
CLARIFICATIONS:
Malkuth Troop has no known connections to
Malkuth Troop's Master Key has no known connections to
Byrne was the original troops Psi-Scout. She presumably had powers similar to Misha. As a Warhead she would've had extensive combat training and been in athletic condition. Byrne wasn't named in the issue, but as this character appears to be the Psi-Scout (though isn't explicitly named as such) it's likely she was intended to be the same character as mentioned in the Tree of Life PDF.
--Shadow Riders#1/2
Malkuth Troop's Master Key would open wormholes in space and time and guide the Warheads through them on their journeys. Prior to one such mission he waited for the arrival of the troop with two Mys-Tech staff members, under cover of an archeological expedition in Sekkara in Egypt. When they arrived, the wormhole was about to open. Spotting that two of the Warheads had yet to suit up, Master Key had words with Che. The troop went through, and Master Key's associates predicted a clean jump with an estimated echo time of ten minutes and forty seconds. Master Key was disappointed that the Warheads would be back so soon, as he had hoped for a lie down. He admitted that he found the heat debilitating. His associates reminded him that he was needed on hand in case they had to close the wormhole immediately. He retorted that he had indeed read the technical manual. Just then, Vorin arrived and shot the three men down. When Boot's body came back through the wormhole, Vorin took it away. He set up an explosion to remove evidence of his being there, and Master Key's body was presumably caught in the blast.
This Master Key presumably had limited psychic abilities similar to the Master Key (Alfred J. Swinburne) in Kether Troop.
--Shadow Riders#1/2
"Molcher"
Molcher was a member of Malkuth Troop around the time of the battle of London Bridge, though he was not a part of that battle. Malkuth, Gevurah and Omega troops took part in the genocide on Lionheart before traveling to Mephisto's Hell to oppose the rogue Kether troop led by Colonel Liger. It is unrevealed if he survived that mission, but if he did he was likely trapped in Hell along with many other Warheads.
As a Warhead he would've had extensive combat training and been in athletic condition. He wears mystically enhanced armor, likely complete with personal force field and anti gravs. Unlike most Warheads, who use advanced weapons from the future, he uses antiquated firearms. Those and his helmet are consistent with the look of a soldier during the English Civil War. His role within the troop is unknown.
Molcher wasn't named in the issue, but Gary Erskine named him thus in his character sketches. Molcher is based upon Michael Molcher. In the real world, Michael is PR coordinator at Rebellion, the company that publishes 2000AD. He is a freelance writer who has contributed a lot of features in 2000AD. 2000AD is, of course, the British title responsible for such characters as Judge Dredd, Rogue Trooper, and Strontium Dog. Molcher's profile on the 2000AD website says he enjoys pretending to be a Leveller, presumably the reason for the Warhead Molcher having Civil War era weapons and helmet.
--Revolutionary War: Warheads#1
"Severina"
Severina was a member of Malkuth Troop around the time of the battle of London Bridge, though she was not a part of that battle. Malkuth, Gevurah and Omega troops took part in the genocide on Lionheart before traveling to Mephisto's Hell to oppose the rogue Kether troop led by Colonel Liger. It is unknown if she survived that mission, but if she did she was likely trapped in Hell along with many other Warheads.
As a Warhead she would've had extensive combat training and been in athletic condition. She wears mystically enhanced armor, though it doesn't cover her upper torso. She may have used a personal force field and anti gravs. She wields swords. Her role within the troop is unknown.
Severina wasn't named in the issue, but Gary Erskine named her thus in his character sketches.
--Revolutionary War: Warheads#1
images: (without ads)
Shadow Riders #1, p19, pan4 (Main image)
Shadow Riders #1, p17, pan4 (Malkuth Troop with Master Key)
Revolutionary War: Warheads #1, p7, pan2 (Malkuth Troop, Revolutionary War, Gary
Erskine's unlettered art)
Gary Erskine character sketch from Revolutionary War: Warheads #1 (Stacy)
Shadow Riders #1, p19, pan3 (Byrne)
Shadow Riders #1, p18, pan2 (Master Key)
Gary Erskine character sketch from Revolutionary War: Warheads #1 (Molcher)
Gary Erskine character sketch from Revolutionary War: Warheads #1 (Severina)
Appearances:
Warheads#2 (July, 1992) - Nick Vince (story), Lee Sullivan (art), Steve White (color),
John Freeman (editor), Paul Neary (editor-in-chief)
Overkill#7 (17th July, 1992) - John Freeman (overkill editor), Gary Russell
(assistant editor), Paul Neary (editor-in-chief)
Warheads#5 (October, 1992) - Nick Vince (writer), Stuart Jennett (artist), David
Leach (colorist), John Freeman (editor), Paul Neary (editor-in-chief)
Warheads#6 (November, 1992) - Nick Vince (story), Simon Coleby (art), David
Leach (colorist), John Freeman (editor), Paul Neary (editor-in-chief)
Overkill#22 (12th February, 1993) - John Freeman (overkill editor), Tim Quinn (assistant editor),
Paul Neary (editor-in-chief)
Shadow Riders#1 (June, 1993) - John
Freeman & Brian Williamson (story), Ross Dearsley (art), Euan Peters
(colors), Stuart Bartlett (editor), Paul Neary
(editor-in-chief)
Revolutionary War: Warheads #1 (May, 2014) - Andy Lanning & Alan Cowsill
(writers), Gary Erskine (artist), Yel Zamor (color artist), Devin Lewis &
Stephen Wacker (editors), Axel Alonso (editor-in-chief)
Last updated: 06/04/14.
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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