STERLINGSTERLING
Real Name: Sterling (first name unrevealed)
Identity/Class: Human
Occupation: International industrial espionage
Group Membership: None identified
Affiliations: Mr. Pound;
formerly his foreign clients and their government
Enemies: Black Widow (Natasha Romanoff), SHIELD (Supreme Headquarters International Espionage Law-enforcement Division; see comments), his foreign clients and their government, US Department of Defense
Known Relatives: None
Aliases: None
Base of Operations: Unrevealed;
last seen (and apparently died) aboard the yacht Mergers & Acquisition at the Manhattan West Side Marina on the Hudson River
formerly Manhattan, New York
First Appearance: Black Widow: The Coldest War (1990)
Powers/Abilities:
Pound did not demonstrate any particular talents. He had whatever
skills were required to be employed his company, which developed
unspecified technology, including information of interest to the US
Department of Defense.
He had access to record his company's technological information, and he was willing to steal their secrets and sell them to someone else, even though he knew they were of value to the US Department of Defense. He was, at least, disturbed to find out they were being sold to an enemy foreign power.
Height: Unrevealed (perhaps 5'8"; he looked about the same height as the Black Widow when she was threatening him)
Weight: Unrevealed (perhaps 160 lbs.)
Eyes: Blue
Hair: Blond
History:
(Black
Widow: The Coldest War (fb) - BTS) - Apparently regularly working in
industrial espionage, Sterling was employed by agents of an unspecified
foreign government to obtain technological information being developed
by an unspecified company for the US Department of Defense.
(Black Widow: The Coldest War (fb) - BTS) - Sterling arranged to pay Pound -- an employee of the above company -- $100,000 for a disk containing the desired information.
(Black
Widow: The Coldest War (fb) - BTS) - SHIELD commander Nick Fury asked
the Black Widow (Natasha Romanoff) to retrieve the disk for SHIELD as
it was a case of industrial espionage.
(Black Widow: The Coldest War) <February 3; see comments> - Aboard the yacht Mergers & Acquisition (presumably Sterling's yacht) at the Manhattan West Side Marina on the Hudson River, Sterling met with Pound.
When
Pound expressed his discomfort with the transaction, Sterling
assured him the choice to sell it was his, as it was a free country,
and a free market; although if Pound reneged, he would find someone
else willing to take the money. Noting that Sterling knew he had gone
too far to back out now, Pound asked to see the money, and Sterling
agreed to each show their trade at the same time. The Widow then leapt
down the deck, surprising both men, claimed the disk from Pound, and
then prepared to depart. Sitting back in his chair, Sterling told her
he had no objection, but his clients may have a different view: At this
point, his clients, wearing ski masks and holding automatic
weapons, made their presence known.
Reminding Sterling how he believed in a market-driven economy, the Widow kicked over the table, leapt behind Sterling, and told him that she would use her Widow's bite to cut off the SUPPLY of blood to his brain unless he met her DEMAND for safe passage off the yacht.
Sterling turned to his clients, casually asking, "Gentleman, what can I say?" They surprised him by responding, "Say goodbye, Sterling..." as they considered death merely regrettable in order to get the disk for their government. As they mowed down Pound, Sterling went from denial to acceptance of their intent, and he couldn't finish "Oh dead G--" before they mowed him down as well.
The above encounter was observed by the Russian agents Katrinka and Zamatev, who were monitoring the Black Widow in action.
Comments: Created by Gerry Conway and George Freeman.
The Black Widow subsequently told Ivan Petrovich that the encounter with Pound and Sterling felt like a set-up. I don't think that was ever clarified, but it may mean that Sterling's clients were somehow associated with Katrinka and Zamatev. Or not.
At the time this was written, the main part of the story took place in
1987; the scene with Pound and Sterling says 1988, but every other reference in the following events says 1987
However, the sliding timescale renders
all of that topical
However, it is still relevent that Fury was involved with SHIELD
(Supreme Headquarters International Espionage Law-enforcement Division)
in the main story, but that the epilogue was taking place after that
incarnation's dissolution.
Though it lacked the name in the title, this book was a Marvel Graphic Novel
Per Wikipedia: The pound sterling, commonly known as the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, Jersey, Guernsey, the Isle of Man, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, the British Antarctic Territory, and Tristan da Cunha.
Profile by Snood.
CLARIFICATIONS:
Sterling should be distinguished from:
(Black Widow: The Coldest War (fb) - BTS) - Agents of an unspecified foreign government employed Sterling to obtain technological information being developed by an unspecified company for the US Department of Defense.
(Black Widow: The Coldest War (fb) - BTS) - Sterling arranged to pay Pound -- an employee of the above company -- $100,000 for a disk containing the desired information.
(Black Widow: The Coldest War (fb) - BTS) - SHIELD commander Nick Fury asked the Black Widow (Natasha Romanoff) to retrieve the disk for SHIELD as it was a case of industrial espionage.
(Black Widow: The Coldest War - BTS) <February 3; see comments> - Aboard the yacht Mergers & Acquisition (presumably Sterling's yacht) at the Manhattan West Side Marina on the Hudson River, Sterling met with Pound.
When the Black Widow arrived and took the disk, the foreign agents (who had perhaps been hiding under the deck or on a nearby boat?), wearing ski masks and holding automatic weapons, made their presence known.
The Black Widow threatened Sterling with her Widow's bite, trying to force him to have his associates grant her safe passage off the yacht.
Instead, one of the foreign agents said,"Say goodbye, Sterling. Our government want that disk, and if we must kill to get it, that is simply regrettable." They then opened fire, killing Pound and then Sterling; however, the Widow dove overboard with the disk. They watched as she surfaced and opened fire on her again, but she dove down to the river's floor and held her breath until she reached a distant shore, where she reunited with Ivan Petrovitch Bezukhov and escaped
--Black Widow: The Coldest War
Note: The above encounter was observed by the Russian agents Katrinka and Zamatev, who were monitoring the Black Widow in action.
The Black Widow subsequently told Ivan that the
encounter with Pound and Sterling felt like a set-up. I don't think
that was ever clarified, but it may mean that Sterling's clients were
somehow associated with Katrinka and Zamatev. Or not.
There's really nothing to support it one way or the other.
(Black Widow: The Coldest War - BTS) <February 3; see comments> - To exchange technological secrets on a disk for $100,000, Pound and Sterling met aboard the yacht Mergers & Acquisition (presumably Sterling's yacht) at the Manhattan West Side Marina on the Hudson River
When the Black Widow arrived and took the disk, the foreign agents (who had perhaps been hiding under the deck or on a nearby boat?), wearing ski masks and holding automatic weapons, made their presence known.
The foreign agents then opened fire, killing Pound and then Sterling; however, the Widow dove overboard with the disk. They watched as she surfaced and opened fire on her again, but she dove down to the river's floor and held her breath until she reached a distant shore.
--Black Widow: The Coldest Warimages: (without ads)
Black Widow:
The Coldest War, story pg. 1, panel 1 (Merger and Acquistion - shoreline view);
panel 5 (face, with drink);
pg. 2, panel 5 (M & A; water level)
panel 6 (sitting back);
panel 7 (foreign clients)
pg. 3, panel 8 (pre-death);
panel 9 (shot)
Appearances:
Black Widow:
The Coldest War (1990) - Gerry Conway (writer), George Freeman
(penciler), Ernie Colon, Mark Farmer, George Freeman, Mike Harris, Val
Mayerik, Joe Rubinstein (inkers), Kelly P. Corverse (assistant editor),
Terry Kavanaugh (editor)
First Posted: 11/17/2017
Last updated: 11/17/2017
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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