TATTERDEMALION

Real Name: Arnold Paffenroth

Identity/Class: Human;
    citizen of the United States of America with a criminal record

Occupation: Professional criminal;
    formerly professional tap-dancer, actor, casino owner

Group Membership: Night Shift (Dansen Macabre, Digger/Roderick Krupp, Misfit, Needle/Josef Saint, Tick-Tock; formerly Brothers Grimm (Percy and Barton Grimes), Hangman (Jason Rolands), Gypsy Moth (Sybil Dvorak), Shroud (Maximillian Coleridge), Werewolf (Jack Russell));
    formerly Diamond Cowgirl Casino (owner), Thunderbolts army (Ajaxis, Aqueduct, Batroc the Leaper/Georges Batroc, Beetles (3 in new armor), Blacklash/Marc Slayton, Bloodstrike/Eric Conroy, Boomerang/Fred Myers, Bushmaster, Coronary/James Sharp, Dr. Octopus/Otto Octavius, Ironclad/Michael Steel, Killer Shrike/Simon Maddicks, King-Cobra/Klaus Voorhees, Mongoose, Over-Mind, Ox/Ronald Bloch, Porcupine, Pretty Persuasions/Heidi P. Franklin, Quicksand, Rattler, Red Ronin, Slyde, Smiling Tiger/Conrad Mack, Texas Twister, Unicorn/Milos Masaryk, Vermin/Edward Whelan), Sidney Sarnak's Army of Fear (various unidentified members)

Affiliations: Black Talon (Samuel Barone), Captain America (Steve Rogers), the Hood and his "villain army" (Centurius, Crossfire and others), Moon Knight (Marc Spector), Stilt Man (Wilbur Day), Taskmaster (Tony Masters), Wild Boys;
     formerly the Committee, Sidney Sarnak, Satannish, Julia Walker (former dance partner)

Enemies: Avengers (Hawkeye/Clint Barton, Iron Man/Tony Stark, Living Lightning/Miguel de Santos, Mockingbird/Bobbie Morse-Barton, Moon Knight/Marc Spector, Scarlet Witch/Wanda Maximoff, Spider-Woman/Julia Carpenter, Tigra/Greer Nelson, USAgent/John Walker, Vision/Victor Shade, Wonder Man/Simon Williams), Blazing Skull (Jim Scully), Cat (Edward Lavender), Count Nefaria (Luchino Nefaria), Dazzler (Alison Blaire),  Dr. Strange (Stephen Strange), Echo (Maya Lopez), Ghostrider (Johnny Blaze), Locksmith,  Dr. Karl Malus, the Midnight Sons (Daimon Hellstrom, Jennifer Kale, Man-Thing, Michael Morbius, Werewolf/Jack Russell), Mouse (Angeline Morrow), Spider-Man (Peter Parker), Power Broker (Curtiss Jackson), Satannish;
    formerly Tick-Tock

Known Relatives: Unidentified ex-wife

Aliases: Michael Wyatt
    "Stinky" (nickname used by Spider-Man), "Tats" (nickname used by the Werewolf), "Rag-man" (nickname used by Wonder Man)

Base of Operations: Unrevealed;
    formerly 50 State Initiative facility, Desert Flats, New Mexico;
    formerly the Tower of Shadows, Los Angeles, California;
    formerly the sewers of Los Angeles;
    formerly Las Vegas, Nevada;
    formerly Hollywood, California 
                               

First Appearance: (Unidentified agent of Sarnak) Werewolf by Night I#9 (September, 1973); (identified) Marvel Team-Up I#93 (May, 1980)

Powers/Abilities: Tatterdemalion possessed no known superhuman powers.

    An expert, trained tap dancer and performer, he was extremely agile and coordinated, allowing him to slip past most people; his strength stamina, and reflexes remained at the athletic level of a professional dancer, and he was a good hand-to-hand combatant.
    Paffenroth was mentally disturbed and obsessed with stamping out greed and excess, often targeting the rich and using his solvent to destroy their money and fancy clothing.
    Due to his lack of personal hygiene, Tatterdemalion emitted a harsh, offensive odor at all times.

    Tatterdemalion wore specially designed gloves treated with an unknown, apparently self replicating solvent formula capable of dissolving materials like paper and fabric. His own clothes were impervious to this solvent. Tatterdemalion's outfit and scarf were coated with a special, greasy substance that made him very slippery and hard to hold on to. He wore numerous layers of clothing, as well as a concealed layer of kevlar that allowed him to resist small-caliber gun fire. On occasion, he wore a cloak outfitted with chloroform capsules he could activate manually. His main weapon was a long scarf with lead weights sewn into the ends.

    When he was temporarily empowered by Satannish, his scarf did considerably more damage (it was strong enough to choke Wonder Man) and his "rotting" touch was able to affect organic, inorganic and even energy forms (he could even pain the highly durable Wonder Man). His physical abilities were temporarilyt enhanced to peak human levels.

History:

(Dazzler I#36 (fb) - BTS) - Approximately 40 years ago, Paffenroth, using the stage name Michael Wyatt, partnered with his lover, Julia Walker, and starred in a number of small, but well regarded movies all through the next few years (see comments). Unsatisfied with his modest living and dreaming of wealth and fame, Paffenroth grew frustrated with Hollywood when he kept getting turned down for bigger roles. Still wanting to make his mark on the world of the rich and powerful, he broke up with Walker and moved to Las Vegas where he became the owner of the Diamond Cowgirl Casino. However, this business venture went nowhere, and he ended up penniless and out on the streets, seething with rage and hatred towards the upper class.

(Werewolf by Night I#9 (fb) - BTS) - Homeless and down on his luck, Paffenroth became one of the many vagrants influenced by Sidney Sarnak who used sonic mind control technology to form them into his Army of Fear. Paffenroth became one of Sarnak's chief operatives, though even he still believed that Sarnak was actually a demonic deity to be obeyed without question.

(Werewolf by Night I#9) - Paffenroth, dressed in his signature outfit, was sent by Sarnak to retrieve the Werewolf (Sarnak was actually ordered by the Committee to do so). Stalking the werebeast through the sewers in a downpour, he managed to get the drop on the creature and even fought him to a standstill until Sarnak's sonic signals forced him stop fighting and report back. He didn't notice that the ultrasonic message had a devastating effect on the Werewolf's sensitive hearing, causing it to hallucinate and even pass out. Later that same day, at dusk, Paffenroth led a contingent of Sarnak's "Army of Fear" to capture Jack Russell in his home. However, right before the youth could be taken, he transformed into the Werewolf and fought a valiant struggle. In the end, Paffenroth and the others brought him back to Sarnak in the sewers. There, the Werewolf was exposed to sonic bombardments to make him loyal to Sarnak's Committee appointed cause: To cause as much mayhem and destruction as possible in order to boost the local economy.

(Werewolf by Night I#10) - Led by the mind-controlled Werewolf, the equally manipulated Paffenroth and the other members of the Army of Fear joined Sarnak in his quest to cause as much chaos in LA as possible, per order of the Committee. Paffenroth even was on hand to prevent Jack Russell from escaping the sewers after the army returned following their nightly raid and his werewolf form vanished. In the end, Russell shattered Sarnak's sonic control flute, freeing the vagrants who made up his army. They all turned on him, leaving Sarnak for dead in the sewer.

(Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe I#13) - Following Sarnak's defeat, the Committee reached out to Paffenroth and supplied him with his trademark fabric and tissue dissolving gloves, as well as a coating agent that made his outfit exceptionally slippery. Now calling himself Tatterdemalion, Paffenroth dedicated himself to taking down the wealthy.

(Marvel Team-Up I#93) - Tatterdemalion interrupted the gala opening of the Cat's Jazz Club in Los Angeles, with Spider-Man and the Werewolf attending in their civilian identities. Erupting from the ground and reeking so badly some guests fainted, he announced to the wealthy he'd be taking his revenge. As he worked the room, he used his gloves to dissolve both fancy clothes and money alike, announcing he wasn't here to rob them, rather his goal was to prevent them from having their wealth. Tatterdemalion then spotted his old foe Jack Russell in the crowd and rushed to attack him. Peter Parker came to Jack's aid, but was quickly brushed aside. Before Tatterdemalion's touch could burn Peter's clothes, the newly arrived Shroud (secretly the owner of the club) used his powers to covertly shroud the room in darkness, allowing Peter and Jack to assume their heroic identities. Tatterdemalion used his stench, clothes and chloroform-doused cape to beat back Spider-Man long enough to escape into the sewers, with the stunned Werewolf as his captive. Even though Spider-Man gave chase, Tatterdemalion was able to gain enough of a head start to chain the Werewolf up in his safe house, when he picked up the approach of Spider-Man. Leaving the creature to be guarded by a group of homeless people loyal to him, Tatterdemalion went into the sewers to meet Spider-Man. Despite his best efforts, he couldn't prevent the wall crawler from finding the Werewolf who by then had gnawed his way to freedom. Teaming up, the heroes finally managed to beat Tatterdemalion, but Spider-Man left to chase another mysterious, seemingly invisible person (actually Dansen Macabre) before Paffenroth could be apprehended.

(Ghost Rider I#55) - Continuing his crusade against the rich and powerful, Tatterdemalion traveled to Las Vegas where he attacked the visitors of the Diamond Cowgirl Casino for their wealth. He was opposed by Jack Russell (who'd received a tip his old enemy would be there) who turned into the Werewolf and attacked him only to lose control and instead attack the newly arrived Ghost Rider instead (his rage issues were a result of a device designed by Karl Malus). Not too long after that, Tatterdemalion showed up at a race track where a million dollar racing car was to be demonstrated. Figuring that destroying such a shameless symbol of excess would fit his mission, Tatterdemalion hijacked the vehicle and took off after briefly fighting off the Werewolf again. He was chased by the Ghost Rider, who forced him off a cliff. The demon biker watched from a distance as the wreckage burned. Satisfied the villain had perished, he didn't stick around long enough to see Tatterdemalion crawl away from the fiery wreckage.

(Dazzler I#36) - After learning his old dance partner Julia Walker was now forced to earn a meager living as an accompanist at Reilly's Ace of Clubs, Tatterdemalion took it upon himself to make sure his co-star returned to the limelight. He did so by chasing off all the lady singers Walker was to accompany on piano though he had become so deranged he considered them all the same girl. Paffenroth observed how Alison Blaire (working under the alias Dolores Rudolph) was hired as the club's latest performer and decided to take care of her well before she could take the stage by secretly rotting away her car's rear tires. As soon as she hit the brakes, the tires gave out and the car crashed. Surviving unscathed, Dazzler was then assaulted and kidnapped by Tatterdemalion while her friend Julia had wandered off to call the AAA. In the sewers, Tatterdemalion once again repeated his threats in an attempt to convince "the girl singer" to leave the club. Terrified, Dazzler still succeeded in blinding the villain with her light beams and ran off. Unperturbed, Dazzler took the stage later that night and was ready when the Tatterdemalion disrupted the performance, burning precious minks and other fancy attire of audience members as he made his way to the stage. After a brief fight, Dazzler succeeded in knocking him out and unmasking him. Stunned to see her old partner and lover in such dire straits, Julia Walker vowed to help Paffenroth who tearfully reunited with her.

(Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe I#13) - Paffenroth's mental instability eventually proved too much for Walker to deal with. She left him, and Paffenroth quickly degenerated back to his existence as the Tatterdemalion.

(Spider-Woman I#50 (fb) - BTS) - Tatterdemalion was captured and imprisoned by Locksmith along with other Los Angeles based super-powered beings like Tigra, Werewolf, Daddy Longlegs and the Shroud.

(Spider-Woman I#50) - Locksmith and his associate Tick-Tock abducted Spider-Woman and locked her up along with Tatterdemalion and the others. However, she was able to escape her cell and, with some help from Gypsy Moth, Tigra and Shroud, defeated their wardens. After freeing her friends and associates like Mickey Silk, the Werewolf and Daddy Longlegs, Spider-Woman informed the police where they could find the still locked up Tatterdemalion and the other villains.

(Captain America I#330 (fb) - BTS) - The Shroud recruited Tatterdemalion into his newly formed Night Shift. Serving with other villains like the Brothers Grimm, Dansen Macabre, Needle, Digger and Tick-Tock, Paffenroth bought the Shroud's lie that the team would be preying on other villains strictly for personal gain. The team was housed in the Tower of Shadows, but used the LA sewer system, which Tatterdemalion regarded as his home, as their underground transportation way. At some point, the Power Broker (Curtiss Jackson) began to use the sewers to rid himself of his failed power-augmented subjects. The mentally deranged brutes began to roam around in packs, a threat to the general public. Shroud had Tatterdemalion and the Night Shift take down as many mutates as they could.

(Captain America I#330) - Captain America, in LA to look for his friend D-Man, entered the sewers and found himself surrounded by several of the Power Broker's failed mutates. Tatterdemalion and some of the Night Shift came to his aid. After the fight, Captain America ran into the fully assembled Night Shift, but the Shroud quickly used his powers to inform the Avenger of his true motives and asked him to play along. Tatterdemalion and the others fell for the diversion and had no problem with Captain America joining them in an attack on the estate of the Power Broker. Driving up in three hearses, the Night Shift made their way on to the premises where they fought the Broker's enhanced guards while Cap went forth to confront the man himself.

(Captain America I#331 - BTS) - After the Power Broker's defeat, Shroud ordered Tatterdemalion and the other Night Shift members to collect the 29 or so mutates they had previously captured and bring them in to be cured.

(Solo Avengers#3/2) - Tatterdemalion and the other Night Shift members watched as Moon Knight (Marc Spector) tried to make his way into the hazardous Tower of Shadows. Unbeknownst to the hero, who merely wanted information on criminal Cornelius van Lunt, Shroud considered the Fist of Khonshu as the team's potential new leader. After surviving the lethal traps and a fight with the Shroud, Moon Knight declined the team's offer and departed.

(West Coast Avengers II#40 (fb) (fb) - BTS) - At some point, one of the Power Broker's failed mutations joined the team, taking the name Misfit.

(West Coast Avengers II#40 - BTS) - Mockingbird came across Digger who was right in the middle of burying the three criminal Calamari brothers in the street, and attacked him. She quickly defeated Krupp and turned him over to the local authorities. 

(West Coast Avengers II#40) - Unaware Mockingbird was no longer a member of the Avengers, Tatterdemalion became infuriated with the Avengers for trying to muscle in on their turf. This convinced the others (minus Shroud, who was out of town on business) to retaliate by attacking the Avengers in their compound. Despite their best efforts, the Night Shift proved no match for the more powerful Avengers Vision and Wonder Man. Even though they were overpowered quickly, the Shroud arrived to rescue them.

(Avengers West Coast II#76 (fb) - BTS) - The Hangman (Jason Rolands) arrived at the Tower of Shadows where he revealed the true, heroic nature of both Shroud and the Werewolf. After getting rid of those two, he took over as team leader.

(Avengers West Coast II#76 - BTS) - Upset that his movie The Demon That Devoured Hollywood was being reshot, the Hangman led some of the Night Shift in an attack on the set. They were opposed by several Avengers who happened to visit the set because Wonder Man was working on the film as a stunt man. Still unable to stand up against the heroes, the Night Shift returned to the Tower of Shadows.

(Avengers West Coast II#76) - Hangman tempted Tatterdemalion and the others with promises of power and stardom. Using his noose to open a dimensional portal, he roped them into entering the realm of Satannish where they all traded their souls for enhanced powers. As the Avengers investigated not only the Night Shift but missing actor Jason Rolands (unaware he was Hangman), the Night Shift attacked again, this time defeating Hawkeye, Spider-Woman and USAgent. The captured Avengers were then placed on a sacrificial disc while the Night Shift chanted to Satannish. A portal opened, and Satannish's hand reached out towards the Avengers.

(Avengers West Coast II#77 - BTS) - To track down the Night Shift and their ever elusive base, Iron Man allowed Digger to escape from prison, hoping he would lead the Avengers to their captured teammates inside the Tower of Shadows which he did.

(Avengers West Coast II#77) - Iron Man and Living Lightning arrived at the Tower in time to free their comrades and attacked the demon, but Satannish departed, as did the Night Shift using Dansen Macabre's new teleportation powers. Hangman sent Ticktock, Tatterdemalion, Macabre and Misfit to the Devoured set, where they kidnapped Wonder Man, who had resumed acting duties on the film. Hangman revealed to Wonder Man that he was Rolands. Wonder Man opted to play along, offering to star in Rolands' version of the movie.

(Avengers West Coast II#78) - Night Shift and Wonder Man began shooting their "opus" with a kidnapped film crew, as the hero waited for the right time to stop them. To lure Hangman and his team out of hiding, the Avengers convinced the real crew of Devoured to replace the missing Wonder Man with USAgent. In the meantime, Iron Man visited Dr. Strange for help regarding Satannish. The Night Shift attacked the Devoured set again, and captured USAgent.

(Avengers West Coast II#79) - The hostage crew members attempted to fight back against the Night Shift, and were almost killed before the Avengers arrived and rescued them, releasing their comrades Wonder Man and USAgent in the process. Tatterdemalion took on Iron Man with his scarf that had become extra durable thanks to Satannish's magic and Gypsy Moth's enhancements. The piece of cloth clung to Iron Man's helmet and proved resistant to the hero's repulsor blasts. Hangman then conjured Satannish, who began to manifest in this dimension, actively empowering the Night Shift members who grew even more powerful. However, Scarlet Witch was able to summon Dr. Strange who quickly deduced the Night Shift's souls were stolen. He used his spells to return their souls, upon which Tatterdemalion and the others joined the Avengers in opposing Satannish who was eventually cast out. In the aftermath, Tatterdemalion and the other Night Shift members were apprehended by the Avengers.

(Daredevil I#317 (fb) - BTS) - Somehow escaping jail, Tatterdemalion traveled to New York City where he decided to lay low.