Real Name: Franco
Fibbri
SLIVER
Real Name: Franco
Fibbri
Identity/Class: Human mutate;
Italian citizen
Occupation: Adventurer;
former footballer
(soccer)
Group Membership: Euroforce (Baby Killer/Mikhail Zamorska, Black Knight/Dane Whitman, Swordswoman/Marjorie, Tiger/Hughes Aït-Kaci, Tumult)
Affiliations: Avengers (Hawkeye/Clint Barton, Nightmask/Adam, Spider-Woman/Jessica Drew, Star Brand/Kevin Connor), Sebastian Druid, Champions of Europe (Ares, Captain Britain/Brian Braddock, Guillotine/Jeannine Sauvage, Outlaw/Nigel Higgins, Peregrine/Alain Racine), U.S. Avengers (Enigma/Aikku Jokinen, Squirrel Girl/Doreen Green)
Enemies: Hydra, Morgan Le Fay
Known Relatives: Unidentified children
Aliases: None
Base of Operations: Mobile throughout Europe;
formerly Italy
First Appearance: Avengers World#8 (August 2014)
Powers/Abilities: Sliver's body is covered with, and apparently consists entirely off, an artificial compound created from an alien substance. Though normally humanoid in shape, it appears to be fluid, with small amounts leaking off him much of the time. He can reshape part, and perhaps all, of his body, most commonly to extrude sharp spikes and blades. He can also dispense small amounts of his form to seal over wounds, stopping bleeding to help keep the injured party alive. He is agile, presumably a legacy of his years as a professional sportsman.
Height: 6'1" (by approximation)
Weight: 190 lbs. (by approximation)
Eyes: Solid white; (former color unrevealed)
Hair: None; formerly brown
History: (Avengers World#12 (fb)) - Franco Fibbri was famous for being the world's highest paid football (soccer) player, and had played for his national team, Italy.
(Avengers World#12 (fb)) - He had several children, presumably from multiple short term relationships (see comments).
(Avengers World#12 (fb)) - Tired of paying child support, at the
height of his career he retired and spent his fortune paying for a dangerous
experiment to give himself super-powers by imbuing him with the properties
of a newly discovered alien substance. Cameras were present during at least
part of the experiment to record events. Against the odds, it succeeded,
transforming him so that his body was replaced with a fluid yellow metal.
Taking the codename Sliver, he joined the recommissioned Euroforce. Still
enjoying being in the limelight, he appeared on Italian television show Mattino
7 (Morning 7) to discuss his transformation and new career. Asked why he
had taken the risk, he admitted he had done it "for the children," then taunted
them to try getting money from him now.
(Avengers World#1 - BTS / Avengers World#8 (fb) - BTS) - Some time later, Morgan Le Fay took control of a City of the Dead beneath the Italian town Velletri. One of several underground spirit trap constructed in Europe by Yagzan's followers, the Cult of Entropy, back in the 15th and 16th centuries, the City held countless tormented lost souls unable to move on. Either as a deliberate act or a side-effect of seizing control, Morgan's action caused everyone within the city limits of the Italian town Velletri to simultaneously vanish.
With the Black Knight serving as their temporary leader, the new Euroforce - Baby Killer, Sliver, Swordswoman, Tiger and Tumult) - were sent to investigate, reaching Velletri four hours after the mass disappearance. They soon found their way to the City and learned of Morgan's plot, but were trapped and unable to communicate their discoveries to the outside world.
Eight hours later S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Maria Hill dispatched a squad of Avengers - Hawkeye, Nightmask, Spider-Woman and Starbrand - to the scene. They also found their way into the City.
(Avengers World#8) - Not recognizing them
as Avengers, Swordswoman impetuously attacked the Avengers before Black Knight
called her off. He introduced his new teammates to the Avengers, then noticed
that Hawkeye was wounded and ordered Sliver to help him. Hawkeye was wary
of Sliver, noting that he didn't look like a doctor, and Sliver jokingly
asked him if he had something against people made out of artificial compounds.
Hawkeye returned the banter, apologizing and saying it was the close-minded
American in him, and Sliver gave him credit for at least admitting his prejudice.
Taking a more serious tone, he informed Hawkeye that if he didn't help him,
the archer would bleed out, and that he could seal the wound, but it would
hurt a lot. Before Hawkeye could finish his response, Sliver projected some
of his metal body into the wound, closing it. As Hawkeye cried out in pain
and surprise, Sliver smirked and told him he would be all right. Hawkeye
still chided him for not giving him a little more warning, or at least trying
to distract him by telling him to "look over there"...and then Hawkeye's voice
tailed off as he and Sliver looked out to the lower ground below their raised
vantage point, ground that was now swarming with demonic creatures. Black
Knight called the two teams to action, but while the teams fought the demons,
Morgan used the power of the tormented souls to unleash armies of the dead
from all the Cities of the Dead, sending them to assault Europe's
capitals.
(Avengers World#10 - BTS) - The Avengers and
Euroforce continued to battle the City's monstrous defenders while Morgan's
armies rampaged. As they fought, the Avengers and Black Knight relayed the
news of Morgan's involvement in events back to Maria Hill and
S.H.I.E.L.D.
(Avengers World#12) - The battle continued with no apparent end in sight to the demons. The City produced a giant spider to attack them, which grabbed Sliver in its mandibles when he got to close, but as it tried to swallow him he extended huge spikes which burst out through multiple points in its skull. slaying it. Covered in slime, Sliver emerged unhurt, cockily noting that his win had been easy.
However, more monsters kept coming, until Sebastian Druid teleported in, his magic disrupting the creatures. He explained that Morgan was nearly invincible in her current empowered state, but he had figured out a way to beat her; before he could expand on this, he was impaled from behind by a spear wielded by a giant spectral image of Morgan herself. Druid collapsed to the ground, seemingly slain, and Morgan demanded that the other heroes bow to her.
(Avengers World#14) - Ignoring this demand, the two teams continued to battle as the City's monstrous creations again attacked them. However, Druid's spirit emerged from his downed body, now able to fully access the City's death magic, and forcibly returned all her ghostly armies to the void, painfully depowering Morgan back to normal strength. Druid, Spider-Woman and Black Knight then swiftly and simultaneously struck, finishing her off.
Sliver and his teammates and allies stood around, catching their breaths and taking stock of their sudden victory.
(Captain America: Steve Rogers#18) - Euroforce battled Hydra forces next to the Eiffel Tower in Paris. When a woman fell from the Eiffel Tower's observation deck, Swordswoman swung up on an energy rope and caught her, then deposited her safely back atop the tower. Swordswoman then surprised the woman with a passionate kiss before swinging off again to rejoin the fight. Leading the team, Key shouted to his compatriots to bring the terrorists down, an order Sliver, Tumult, Tiger and Baby Killer were happy to comply with.
(Secret Empire#9 - BTS) - As Earth's superhumans went to war with Hydra in Washington, D.C. to reclaim the United States, Euroforce (Tiger, Baby Killer and Tumult visible) teleported to join the fight.
Comments: Created by Nick Spencer (writer), Marco Checchetto (pencils, inks).
Given the mention of multiple children who were due child support payments, and no similar mention of alimony payments, I assume that Sliver fathered his children in one night stands and other short term relationships, rather than being married and divorced.
Profile by Loki.
CLARIFICATIONS:
Character name has no known connections to
images: (without ads)
Avengers World I#8, p8, pan1 (main image)
Avengers World I#12, p16, pan2 (pre-transformation headshot, wearing Italian
national team football strip)
Avengers World I#12, p16, pan3 (undergoing experiment)
Avengers World I#12 cover (extruding claws and spikes)
Avengers World I#8, p13, pan1 (leaking fluid, preparing to treat Hawkeye's
wound)
Appearances:
Avengers World#8 (August, 2014) - Nick Spencer (writer), Marco Checchetto
(pencils, inks), Will Moss (editor)
Avengers World#12 (November, 2014) - Nick Spencer (writer), Marco Checchetto
(pencils, inks), Will Moss (editor)
Avengers World#14 (December, 2014) - Nick Spencer (writer), Marco Checchetto
(pencils, inks), Will Moss (editor)
Captain America: Steve Rogers#18 (August, 2017) - Nick Spencer & Donny Cates (writers), Javier Pina (pencils), Andres Guinaldo (inks), Tom Brevoort (editor)
Secret Empire#9 (October, 2017) - Nick Spencer (writer), Leinil Francis Yu, Joe Bennett & Rod Reis (pencils), Gerry Alanguilan, Leinil Francis Yu, Joe Pimentel & Rod Reis (inks), Tom Brevoort (editor)
First Posted: 04/10/2016
Last updated: 10/21/17
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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