VERNICHTUNGS KOMMANDOS
Membership: Blitzkrieg, Säurespritze, Zahnmörder
Purpose: Obtain information on Project: Rebirth
Affiliations: Agent X (Cynthia Glass), Master Interrogator, Nazis, Red Skull (Johann Shmidt)
Enemies: Bucky (James Barnes), Captain America (Steve Rogers), Project: Rebirth (Dr. Murray Anderson, Colonel James Fletcher, Dr. Benjamin Keller, General Chester Phillips, Dr. Gregory Weissmann, others)
Aliases: Death Squad (name listed in recap), Killing Squad (English translation)
Base of Operations: An abandoned meatpacking plant outside Indianhead, Maryland;
formerly unrevealed location in Germany
First Appearance: Adventures of Captain America#1 (September, 1991)
History:
(She-Hulk III#10 (fb)/Adventures of Captain America#1 (fb) - BTS) - The Vernichtungs Kommandos were founded as a powerful unit of deranged Nazi operatives.
(Adventures of Captain America#1 (fb) - BTS) - German Project: Rebirth infiltrator Cynthia Glass, aka Agent X, called Red Skull to inform him that she had put the Vernichtungs Kommandos in place to obtain all the information needed from the late Abraham Erskine's assistants to recreate Operation: Rebirth.
(Adventures of Captain America#1) - Säurespritze assaulted Erskine's top assistant Dr. Anderson in a safehouse in Washington DC with acid. Anderson seemingly died in the attack.
(Adventures of Captain America#1 - BTS) - After Anderson's seeming death Säurespritze stole hi lab reports.
(Adventures of Captain America#1) - After the attack on Dr. Anderson the military tried to protect the other Project: Rebirth scientists and the information on the Super-Soldier Serum. Blitzkrieg attacked the car containing Dr. Keller, electrocuting Keller and his guards, and stealing the info they had on the serum.
>p> Weeks later Agent X met with the Vernichtungs Kommando at their secret HQ at an abandoned meatpacking plant outside Indianhead, Maryland. Agent X chewed up Säurespritze and Blitzkrieg for not obtaining enough information on Project: Rebirth to enable Germany to create super soldiers instead of mistakes like the Vernichtungs Kommandos. She sent Zahnmörder after Dr. Weissmann, the last remaining assistant of Dr. Erskine.(Adventures of Captain America#1 - BTS) - Zahnmörder slew Weissmann after torturing him for a long time to gain the information on Project: Rebirth he needed, but he still didn't get any intel on the Vita-Rays. General Phillips, Colonel Fletcher and Lt. Glass came too late to safe him, but Fletcher assured the others that the Nazis had not gotten the hands on the Vita-Rays info (indicating that he had them and therefore telling infiltrator Glass who the Vernichtungs Kommandos had to go after next).
(Adventures of Captain America#2) - Three months later the Vernichtungs Kommandos, informed Glass about the route, attacked the convoy transporting Colonel Fletcher, who knew the secret of the Vita-Rays. They slew his guards and abducted Fletcher.
They transported Fletcher and Glass to their HQ and threatened to hurt Glass if Fletcher didn't tell them the secret of the Vita-Rays. Though Fletcher was unaware that Glass was working with the Nazis, he didn't give up the info they needed. Zahnmörder knocked Fletcher out and then ordered to untie Glass. As Agent X Glass oversaw the torture of Fletcher at the hands of Blitzkrieg. Glass pretended to be tortured as well in another room and screamed to convince Fletcher to give in to the Vernichtungs Kommandos' demands, but instead he broke free and knocked out Blitzkrieg. On his way to free Glass Fletcher got into a fight with Säurespritze, who got accidentally blinded by gas when Blitzkrieg damaged a nearby gas pipe. Fletcher tackled Blitzkrieg through a window and tried to escape in a car, but Blitzkrieg hit the car's tank and using his electrical powers, blew it up. Fletcher escaped the explosion, followed by Blitzkrieg and Zahnmörder. From a phone booth at a nearby diner Fletcher called for help, but Säurespritze found him...
(Adventures of Captain America#3) - ...and destroyed the phone line with acid. The Vernichtungs Kommandos killed everyone at the diner to get rid of the witnesses and to lure Captain America to them.
(Adventures of Captain America#3 - BTS) - When Captain America arrived the Vernichtungs Kommandos and Fletcher were gone. He found Glass at the nearby meatpacking plant and freed her. Meanwhile the Vernichtungs Kommandos took Fletcher to Paris. Glass told Captain America about their plan to lure Cap into their trap.
(Adventures of Captain America#3) - In a hotel somewhere in Paris Blitzkrieg introduced Fletcher to Hitler's personal information specialist the Master Interrogator. The Vernichtungs Kommandos watched the Master Interroator torturing Fletcher. He eventually relied on a mind-altering drug to get the Vita-Rays info from Fletcher, but he still wouldn't talk, and after breaking free of his bonds once again, jumped through a window to his death. Fletcher died in Captain America's arms, who then battled the Vernichtungs Kommandos and Nazi soldiers at the hotel, apparently killing Blitzkrieg and Särespritze. Zahnmörder kept going after Captain America up to the Eiffel Tower. Cap tossed Zahnmörder over the edge, but Zahnmörder hung on to him. Red Skull arrived and shot...
(Adventures of Captain America#4) - ...Zahnmörder in the head because Zahnmörder had failed to defeat Captain America on his own. Red Skull then saved Captain America to fight him later for propaganda purposes in front of a live crowd including Adolf Hitler himself.
Comments: Created by Fabian Nicieza (writer), Kevin Maguire (pencils) & Joe Rubinstein (inks).
Adventures of Captain America has a few continuity issues and is often considered non-canon, but considering various characters only seen in this title before did appear in other stories it should be considered that at least similar events did occur on Earth-616. Rogers' fellow test subjects appeared in New Warriors I#4 (1990), even preceding their Adventures of Captain America appearance, Säurespritze appeared as recently as 2014 in She-Hulk III#8-10 and Ed Brubaker did mention Cynthia Glass a few times in Captain America: Super Soldier. The fleshed out origin events of Captain America from this mini series were also recounted in the Operation: Rebirth profile in Captain America: America's Avenger (2011).
Dr. Anderson survived the attack by Säurespritze and was later kidnapped by Nazis, who forced him to participate in the creation of their own super-soldier Master Man (Wilhelm Lohmer).
Profile by Markus Raymond.
CLARIFICATIONS:
The Vernichtungs Kommandos have no known connection to:
Blitzkrieg has no known connection to:
Master Interrogator has no known connection to:
Säurespritze has no known connection to:
Zahnmörder has no known connection to:
Blitzkrieg used a powerful battery-pack connected to two cable-guns mounted on his forearms with spears at the end (like Mortal Kombat's Scorpion's kunai spear). He could use this weapon to elecrocute others by directing the battery's electricity through the cables as soon as one of the spears hit a target. His isolated body suit protected him from the fatal effects of the current and rendered him grounded at all time.
(She-Hulk III#10 (fb)/Adventures of Captain America#1 (fb) - BTS) - Blitzkrieg became a member of the Vernichtungs Kommandos.
(Adventures of Captain America#1 (fb) - BTS) - Cynthia Glass, aka Agent X, sent the Vernichtungs Kommandos out to obtain the secrets of Project: Rebirth from the late Abraham Erskine's assistants. She sent Blitzkrieg after Dr. Keller.
(Adventures of Captain America#1) - Blitzkrieg attacked the car that was supposed to bring Dr. Keller and the information he had on Project: Rebirth to a new safehouse. He hit the car with his spear and electrocuted everyone inside the car (ignoring the Faraday cage effect of a car...Blitzkrieg spits on the rules of physics and Amerikaner Abschaum!).
The Vernichtungs Kommandos met with the supervisor Agent X, who was displeased with them because they didn't bring her information on Vita-Rays, which Germany still needed to successfully recreate Project: Rebirth and not more of the mistakes like the Kommandos. Blitzkrieg's ego was hurt by her comments.
(Adventures of Captain America#2) - The Vernichtungs Kommandos attacked the convoy transporting Fletcher and Glass. Blitzkrieg electrocuted one of the guards before taking Glass to the car.
At their secret HQ Blitzkrieg threatened to hurt Glass if Fletcher didn't talk. When that didn't work at first Fletcher got knocked out by Zahnmörder and was forced to listen to Glass seemingly being tortured in another room when he woke up while Blitzkrieg beat him up. Fletcher broke free of his restraints and knocked Blitzkrieg to the ground. While running away Fletcher encountered Säurespritze, who got accidentally blinded by Blitzkrieg's spear when it hit a nearby gas pipe, which blew gas into Säurespritze's face. Fletcher then tackled Blitzkrieg through a window and tried to escape with a car, but Blitzkrieg hit the car's fuel tank and blew it up, but Fletcher had already jumped out of the car and fled to a nearby diner, following by the Vernichtungs Kommandos.
(Adventures of Captain America#3) - Zahnmörder and Blitzkrieg arrived at the diner and murdered everyone inside to get rid of witnesses and to lure in Captain America.
Upon arriving with Fletcher in a hotel in Paris Blitzkrieg introduced Fletcher to Adolf Hitler's Master Interrogator. The Vernichtungs Kommandos watched the Master Interrogator take out his torture devices.
Blitzkrieg held down Fletcher when Master Interrogator injected him with a mind-altering drug. When Fletcher broke free again Blitzkrieg failed to stop Fletcher from jumping through a window to his death to prevent himself from telling the secret of the Vita-Rays. Fletcher died in Captain America's arms, who then went after the Vernichtungs Kommandos. When Blitzkrieg's spear hit Cap's triangular shield he pulled Blitzkrieg over a railing. Coming back up the stairs Blitzkrieg got Zahnmörder tossed at him by Cap. Blitzkrieg kept hitting Cap with everything he had along with Zahnmörder. When Cap fled to the Eiffel Tower Blitzkrieg and Zahnmörder followed him, but on his way up Cap kicked Blitzkrieg down the stairs, who apparently died when he accidentally electrocuted himself (supposedly his suit got damaged during the battle).
--Adventures of Captain America#1 (She-Hulk III#10 (fb)/[Adventures of Captain America#1 (fb)], [Adventures of Captain America#1 (fb)], 1-3
The Master Interrogator used variety of torture devices including the drilling bore, the digitary cutaneous extractor, the intra-mandibular plaque grinder and the testicular perforator (nothing fun in those). He also used a self-devised mind-altering drug. He wore a swastika bow-tie!
(Adventures of Captain America#3 (fb) - BTS) - The Master Interrogator became at some point Adolf Hitler's personal information specialist.
(Adventures of Captain America#3) - Master Interrogator arrived at a hotel in Paris to use his torture devices on Colonel Fletcher, who had the information Nazi Germany needed to recreate Project: Rebirth. When the devices didn't work he told some soldiers to hold down Fletcher to use a mind-altering drug on him. In the end Blitzkrieg held down Fletcher for the Master Interrogator, who kept interrogating Fletcher after he got injected with the drug. Fletcher ultimately broke free and jumped through a window to his death before he revealed the secret of the Vita-Rays. Master Interrogator was unable to stop him. After a hard fight between Captain America and the Vernichtungs Kommandos Master Interrogator ordered a group of Nazi soldiers to not shoot Captain America, but capture him alive for Hitler.
--Adventures of Captain America#3 ([Adventures of Captain America#3 (fb)], 3
Säurespritze used an acidic gas-filled tank connected to wrist cannons. The green-hued acidic gas corroded glass, plastic and skin on contact within seconds (it was possibly a derivative of fluoric acid). His face was heavily scarred and he never talked as member of the Vernichtungs Kommandos. (Blitzkrieg called him Sauressprutz for some reason...Säurespritze was a bit of the loner of the group...maybe he stank)
(She-Hulk III#9-10 (fb) ) - In Los Angeles early 1940 Nazi agent Säurespritze became the leader of an American Bundists group. Some of his men were just poor locals, who were willing to join his cause even though they didn't believe in his ideology. Among his followers was Harold Vogler, a kid from Brooklyn, whose brother Harold was friends with Steve Rogers, the future Captain America. They traveled to Los Angeles to search for Harold and ultimately found him as part of Säurespritze's Bundists. When Harold stepped out during a meeting with Säurespritze his brother and Rogers approached him to tell him to come back home to NYC, but one of the Bundists caught them and brought them inside the warehouse. Considering the operation endangered Säurespritze blamed Harold Vogler because his brother and Steve Rogers had come to Los Angeles to search for Harold. Though Säurespritze ordered all three to be executed and then to move to the alternate location because the warehouse was compromised, he gave Harold a chance to prove his loyalty by killing his brother and Rogers. The latter showed no fear in face of death and got in Säurespritze's face. Feeling provoked the Nazi promised to kill someone, though he decided it should not be the weakling Rogers, but the strong Sam Vogler. Säurespritze shot Harold Vogler in the head to Sam Vogler's shock.
(She-Hulk III#8, 10 (fb) ) - Säurespritze had Harold Vogler at the throat and ordered his henchmen to find Steve Rogers, who was hiding with Sam Vogler's corpse behind a crate.
(She-Hulk III#10 (fb) ) - The FBI attacked Säurespritze and his henchmen, saving the lifes of Steve Rogers and Harold Vogler.
(She-Hulk III#10 (fb)/Adventures of Captain America#1 (fb) - BTS) - Later that year Säurespritze was released from custody and joined the Vernichtungs Kommandos.
(Adventures of Captain America#1 (fb) - BTS) - Cynthia Glass, aka Agent X, sent the Vernichtungs Kommandos out to obtain the secrets of Project: Rebirth from the late Abraham Erskine's assistants. She sent Säurespritze after Dr. Anderson.
(Adventures of Captain America#1) - Säurespritze attacked Anderson at a safehouse in Washington DC while Anderson was under the shower.
(Adventures of Captain America#1 - BTS) - After the attack Säurespritze stole Anderson's Project: Rebirth lab reports.
(Adventures of Captain America#1) - The Vernichtungs Kommandos met with their supervisor Agent X, who was displeased with them because they had not yet acquired information on Vita-Rays, which Germany needed to recreate Project: Rebirth.
(Adventures of Captain America#2) - The Vernichtungs Kommandos attacked the convoy transporting Fletcher and Glass. Säurespritze slew one of the guards with an acid blast to the face before taking Fletcher to the car.
Säurespritze was holding Fletcher while Blitzkrieg threatened to hurt Glass if Fletcher didn't talk. When the threats didn't work Zahnmörder knocked out Fletcher, who woke up again and was beaten up by Blitzkrieg, while Glass was supposedly tortured in another room. Fletcher escaped his restraints, knocked Blitzkrieg to the ground and encountered Säurespritze on his way out, but before the silent Kommando could shoot Fletcher with acid, Blitzkrieg accidentally blinded Säurespritze when his spear damaged a nearby gas pipe.
After Fletcher had escaped Blitzkrieg and Zahnmörder Säurespritze was the first to catch up to him at a nearby diner.
(Adventures of Captain America#3) - While Fletcher called General Phillips for back-up Säurespritze shot the phone both and destroyed the phone line.
Upon arriving with Fletcher in a hotel in Paris the Vernichtungs Kommandos watched Adolf Hitler's Master Interrogator take out his torture devices.
When Captain America attacked after Fletcher had jumped to his death Säurespritze grabbed Cap from behind after Cap had temporarily taken Blitzkrieg and Zahnmörder out of the fight. Though Säurespritze was strangling him Cap had enough strength to push them both through a railing. The fall damaged Säurespritze's tank and he was apparently killed by his own acidic gas.
--Adventures of Captain America#1 (She-Hulk III#9-10 (fb), #8, 10 (fb), She-Hulk III#10 (fb)/[Adventures of Captain America#1 (fb)], 1 [1], 1-3
Zahnmörder used wrist-mounted weapons filled with three retractable, motorized tools on each hand, including a drill, scalpel, a syringe, possibly filled with poison, and others. He also had at least one retractable, motorized drill in one of his boots. He was a sadistic torturer with some immunity to pain.
(She-Hulk III#10 (fb)/Adventures of Captain America#1 (fb) - BTS) - Zahnmörder became a member of the Vernichtungs Kommandos.
(Adventures of Captain America#1) - The Vernichtungs Kommandos met with their supervisor Agent X (Cynthia Glass), who was displeased with Blitzkrieg and Säurespritze because they had not gotten their hands on Vita-Ray information, which Germany needed to recreate Project: Rebirth. She sent Zahnmörder after Erskine's final assistant Dr. Weissmann.
(Adventures of Captain America#1 - BTS) - Zahnmörder tortured and killed Weissmann and gained more information on Project: Rebirth, but not the vital information they needed on Vita-Rays.
(Adventures of Captain America#2) - The Vernichtungs Kommandos attacked the convoy transporting Fletcher and Glass. Zahnmörder got shot in the left shoulder and removed the bullet himself before brutally murdering the guard, who shot him. He then ordered the other Kommandos to take Fletcher and Glass with them.
At their secret HQ Zahnmörder soon realized that threatening Glass' life in front of Fletcher was not enough to make him talk. Zahnmörder knocked him unconscious and when Fletcher woke up again he heard Glass' screams coming from another room where she was allegedly tortured. When Fletcher escaped Blitzkrieg's custody Zahnmörder and Blitzkrieg followed him.
(Adventures of Captain America#3) - Zahnmörder and Blitzkrieg arrived at the diner and murdered everyone inside to get rid of witnesses and to lure in Captain America.
Upon arriving with Fletcher in a hotel in Paris the Vernichtungs Kommandos watched Adolf Hitler's Master Interrogator take out his torture devices.
When Captain America's fight with Nazi soldiers caused an explosion at the riverfront Zahnmörder sent more soldiers to investigate. He then watched Master Interrogator use mind-altering drugs on Fletcher.
After Fletcher had jumped to his death Captain America attacked the Vernichtungs Kommandos and Zahnmörder jumped right at him and was punched right in the nose. Zahnmörder kept fighting and was kicked down the stairs, accidentally taking Blitzkrieg with him on the way down. Zahnmörder was shocked when Säurespritze died during the battle and went at Cap with all his ferocity, but Cap kept fighting back. Zahnmörder and Blitzkrieg then combined their efforts to take down Cap, but after they both got knocked down Cap fled to the Eiffel Tower. They followed him and after Blitzkrieg had accidentally electrocuted himself Zahnmörder was the last Nazi standing against Cap. He jumped at the American hero once again and after taking a few punches injured Cap's ankle with the hidden drill in his boot. Zahnmörder saw a shot at killing Cap, but the American pushed him through a railing. They both fell over the edge and Zahnmörder slowly slipped down though he kept holding on to Cap's ankle. Red Skull arrived and shot...
(Adventures of Captain America#4) - ...Zahnmörder in the head because Zahnmörder had failed to defeat Captain America on his own.
--Adventures of Captain America#1 (She-Hulk III#10 (fb)/[Adventures of Captain America#1 (fb)], Adventures of Captain America#1, [1], 2-4
images: (without ads)
Adventures of Captain America#2, p30, pan1 (main image)
Adventures of Captain America#3, p16, pan3 (Blitzkrieg head shot)
Adventures of Captain America#1, p35, pan6 (Blitzkrieg attack)
Adventures of Captain America#3, p26, pan 8 (Master Interrogator)
She-Hulk III#8, p4 (1940 in LA)
Adventures of Captain America#3, p1, pan1 (Säurespritze attack)
Adventures of Captain America#2, p31, pan6 (Zahnmörder head shot)
Appearances:
Adventures of Captain America#1 (September, 1991) - Fabian Nicieza (writer), Kevin Maguire (pencils), Joe Rubinstein (inks), Mike Rockwitz (editor)
Adventures of Captain America#2 (November, 1991) - Fabian Nicieza (writer), Kevin Maguire (pencils), Terry Austin (inks), Mike Rockwitz (editor)
Adventures of Captain America#3 (December, 1991) - Fabian Nicieza (writer), Kevin Maguire & Kevin West (pencils), Terry Austin (inks), Mike Rockwitz (editor)
Adventures of Captain America#4 (January, 1992) - Fabian Nicieza (writer), Steve Carr & Kevin West (pencils), Terry Austin (inks), Mike Rockwitz (editor)
She-Hulk III#8-10 (November, 2014 - January, 2015) - Charles Soule (writer), Javier Pulido (artist), Jeanine Schaefer (editor)
First Posted: 05/24/2015
Last updated: 05/24/2015
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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