STRELGOV
STRELGOV
Real Name: Strelgov (see comments; first name unrevealed)
Identity/Class: Human espionage agent; conventional weapons user
Israeli citizen
Occupation: Espionage agent
Group Membership: The Mossad
Affiliations: American Anti-Terrorist Task Force (Mr. Brent), Benjamin Abramov, Marlene Alraune, Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), Jean-Paul "Frenchie" DuChamp, Eban, Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI), Moon Knight (Marc Spector), President of the United States (POTUS)
Enemies: Third World Army (see comments; Nimrod Strange and his personal bodyguards (Assigi, Jeesala, Sheena, Sonia, Yumi, presumably many others), Master Sniper, Slayers Elite (Jou-Jouka, Kareesh-Bek, Sumaro), others)
Known Relatives: None
Aliases: Streglov (see comments)
Base of Operations: Presumably Israel;
Lausanne, Switzerland
First Appearance: Moon Knight I#17 (March, 1982)
Powers/Abilities: Strelgov was an experienced espionage with high standing in the Mossad. He was experienced with firearms and running military operations. He may have been an experienced cryptologist, or he may have just employed people who were.
Height: Unrevealed; perhaps 5'9" (I couldn't find any good examples of him standing near anyone of known height)
Weight: Unrevealed,; perhaps 190 lbs.
Eyes: Blue
Hair: Gray-white (presumably darker in youth) with gray-white
beard; in most pictures, he was clearly bald on the top of his; while
meeting with the anti-terrorism task force, he had a much more full
head of hair; he may have worn a toupe.
History: 
(Moon
Knight I#17 (fb) - BTS) - Strelgov worked with Mossad agent Benjamin
Abramov to uncover information to stop the terrorist Nimrod Strange and
his Third World Army (see comments).
(Moon Knight I#17 - BTS) - Abramov asked his old friend Marc Spector (secretly Moon Knight, then using the alias Steven Grant) to deliver a coded message to Strelgov, in Lausanne, Switzerland; he further noted that the information was too sensitive to reveal, and the message would be meaningless. Trying to put his mercenary/espionage days behind him, Spector declined, at which point Strange's Master Sniper agent then fatally shot Abramov in the back through a window.
Dying, Abramov referenced his third rib over his heart before perishing. Marlene discovered only what appeared to be a mole in the spot he had identified.
(Moon Knight I#17 - BTS) <At some point in the ensuing three weeks> - Marlene discovered that the mole was false and that it concealed a microdot, which revealed a code, although neither she nor Spector could decipher it.
(Moon Knight I#17 - BTS) - Spector -- along with his girlfriend, Marlene Alraune; and long-time mercenary ally Jean-Paul "Frenchie" DuChamp -- arrived via plane in Switzerland. With no listing for Strelgov in the directory, Spector visited the Swiss News Service Associated Press and sneaked into their "morgue," where he found a file on Strelgov in their old file cabinets, which described him as an Israeli cultural attache. Via that information, Spector phoned Strelgov; whoever answered told Spector that it was late and that Strelgov was a busy man. When Spector asked that Strelgov be told he had a message from Benjamin Abramov, Strelgov came to the phone and arranged a meeting for the following day at the Radescu Ski Lodge.
The next day, Spector had Marlene and DuChamp wait at the lodge and guard the microdot slides.
(Moon Knight I#17) - At the main lodge, Spector asked a man at the desk unsuccessfully about Strelgov, after which Strelgov and two of his men confronted Spector at gunpoint, identifying themselves only as concerned men, and took Spector via a car ride to mountainpeak. With Spector's mercenary past, Strelgov was concerned that Spector might actually be a Third World Army/Slayer agent and had slain Abramov. When Strelgov announced a planned "skiing accident," Spector disarmed the trio and forced them to listen to him at gunpoint. Correctly identifying Strelgov, Spector told him of his long friendship with Abramov and witnessing Abramov's murder by the Master Sniper. Despite this, due to the extent of Nimrod Strange's organization, Strelgov refused to trust or share information with Spector, telling him to kill them if he must.
No sooner did Spector tell Strelgov of the microdot, than the Master Sniper struck, taking out one of Strelgov's men. As they ducked behind Strelgov's car, Spector threw the gun back to Strelgov and went after the Master Sniper as Moon Knight.
After the Master Sniper's defeat (and apparent subsequent death), Spector gave the Microdot slides to Strelgov. After Strelgov noted that decoding would take some time but hopefully reveal the location of Strange's training base, Spector told him he could reach him in Jerusalem, with Abramov's widow, Anna.
(Moon Knight I#18 (fb) - BTS) - Strelgov and his men decoded Benjamin's microdot message, which indeed contained Strange's base's location. He and his men began preparing an assault, and had a cable sent to tell Anna Abramov and Spector to expect company.
(Moon Knight I#18) - Strelgov and a traveling companion arrived at the Abramov house, revealing what they had learned. When he asked if Spector wished to participate, Spector happily agreed to do so.
(Moon
Knight I#19 (fb) - BTS) - Strelgov and Spector made plans for Spector,
DuChamp, and Marlene to infiltrate Strange's base; Spector instructed
Strelgov that he would send out an obvious signal when Strelgov and his
allies should invade the island. Spector assured Stelgov that both
Marlene and DuChamp were both capable and competent.
(Moon Knight I#19 (fb) - BTS) - Meanwhile, Strelgov (see comments) and allies Eban and others traveled aboard an armed ship to a safe distance from the island, 20 minutes from where they might be spotted by routine patrols. Eban frustratedly wondered if they were waiting for his civilians James Bonds -- "one of them a woman, no less!" -- to get themselves killed. When Strelgov told Eban Spector had assured him Spector had vouched for the woman. Already knowing this, Eban further wondered just who this "Marc Spector" was, anyway; reviewing Spector's mercenary past, he wondered if Spector might be an agent for Nimrod Strange. Strelgov reminded Eban that his men had run an exhaustive check on Spector, as had Eban's branch in the Mossad and that Spector was clean/good. When Strelgov further added that Spector was a friend of Benjamin Abramov (crushing his own cup of coffee in his hand when mentioning Abramov's assassination), Eban worried that while "they" had not told him everything, they did teach him a lesson he had learned well, "emotion has no place in an operation of this kind." Eban added, "Let us hope the friendship between Abramov and Spector was not too close..."
Later, Eban grew impatient, arguing that things were taking too long and they should move on the island now. Strelgov reminded Eban that Spector had said there would be a signal about which there would be no doubt, and that he refused to endanger Spector and his allies' lives by acting prematurely. "We wait for their signal -- and that's final!" Eban accepted this, but noted that his opposition was on record, and that more than one man had buried his future under a single decision like Strelgov's.
(Moon Knight I#19 - BTS) - Not long after, DuChamp detonated the bombs he and Spector had implanted on the three of the the four Third World Army planes.
(Moon Knight I#19 (fb) - BTS) - Eban heard these three explosions, but Strelgov either did not or nonetheless advised waiting for the definitive signal.
(Moon Knight I#19 - BTS) - Moon Knight crashed their final plane into the island's weapons' armory. The explosives contained within generated a massive explosion.
(Moon Knight I#19) - Strelgov recognized this as Spector's signal. Noting having heard the early explosions, Eban ordered his men to move on Strange's island, full speed ahead.
(Moon Knight I#19 (fb) - BTS) - Though Strange escaped with Marlene after having stunned Moon Knight, the elite Mossad agents arrived soon after and gathered and captured the weaponless terrorists. Spector apparently removed his Moon Knight costume before their arrival.
(Moon Knight I#19) - Noting that Eban had feated Spector was too emotionally involved to succeed, Strelgov told Spector he was glad to see his confidence in him had been appropriate. Spector noted that he had failed, as Strange had gotten away, but he showed Strelgov and his men what he had discovered of Strange's specific plans involving an assault on Manhattan after cutting off access to its bridges and tunnels.
(Moon Knight I#20 (fb) - BTS) - Based on his knowledge of Strange's operations, Strelgov was asked by the CIA, FBI, and even the President of the United States (POTUS) to preside over the US anti-terrorism task force meeting.
(Moon Knight I#20 (fb) - BTS) - Spector informed Strelgov he would be sending his "associate" Moon Knight to work with them, and that Strelgov could trust. They agreed that a smaller infiltration of Strange's operation might had the best chance of success, while a larger operation could lead to Strange detonating the tankers before being stopped.
(Moon Knight I#20 (fb) - BTS) - Strelgov's men observed the four captured oil tankers that Strange's people were using to target Manhattan's exit bridges and tunnels. They were sure which one Strange was on.
(Moon
Knight I#20) - Back in New York City, Strelgov met with Moon Knight,
expressing frustration about not knowing the details of Spector's and
Moon Knight's plans. Despite Moon Knight's assurances, Strelgov
remained uneasy (especially about Marlene's involvement) and reminded
Moon Knight that emotion had no place in an operation like this. After
Strelgov identified the tanker on which Strange was based, Moon Knight
headed for the tanker, with DuChamp in the helicopter awaiting his
signal. As Strelgov prepared for the most difficult part, telling the
American anti-terrorist task force what he had just done, Moon Knight
assured Strelgov he had a tough hide that would survive a few hours of
being nailed to the wall.
Not long after, Strelgov arrived at the anti-terrorist command post in lower Manhattan, where Mr. Brent informed him that they had just heard from Arsenal who had started venting oil from the tankers. Strelgov and Eban then told the assembled group how they had crushed Strange's island base and captured most of his crew; they reviewed the Third World Army's long-term goals, and how those off island had captured the four oil tankers in New York.
After Brent shared that the tankers' crews had been released as "insignificant hostages," Strelgov noted how Arsenal held the entire island of Manhattan hostage; at Brent's request, Strelgov explained the specifics of Arsenal's plans, adding that Arsenal's plot was based on a hypothetical situation conceived by several members of the anti-terrorist task force to allow them to plan counter-measures. When others expressed frustration at how dangerous and hard to deal with the situation was, Strelgov reminded them that they had not taken Strange seriously in the past, allowing him to evolve to his current threat. Strelgov then noted how he had taken it upon himself to act, placing a man aboard Arsenal's tanker; this led to an outraged response from Brent, who told Strelgov this decision would end his career. Reminding Brent that the POTUS did not control Israeli intelligence, Strelgov nonetheless agreed that he would be expelled from the Mossad and perhaps from Israel hersel...should his plan fail. Strelgov advised everyone to pray that his agent succeeded, as the fate of Manhattan (in which the task force was based) rested solely on him.
Shortly thereafter, Brent informed Strelgov that the POTUS had just instructed him that they would send in a commando team in 15 minutes if Moon Knight had not succeeded. Having expected this, Strelgov reminded him that commando teams were doomed to failure as long as Arsenal could still give the signal to the other three tankers; however, he agreed that he had no alternatives to offer, as everything continued to hinge on Moon Knight.
(Moon Knight I#20 - BTS) - After defeating Arsenal, Moon Knight had DuChamp recover himself and Marlene from Arsenal's tanker and call Strelgov to meet them at the bridge where they had started.
(Moon Knight I#20) - Alongside Brent, Strelgov met with Moon Knight, telling him he was right that Moon Knight was the only man for the job. When Strelgov added that he trusted Spector had pulled through equally well, Moon Knight realized Strelgov suspected his secret identity. Figuring that Arsenal would reveal Moon Knight's true identity upon being taken into custody, Spector prepared to admit the truth to Strelgov; however, when Arsenal blew us his tanker (from which the gas had already been vented), killing himself and his agents aboard, Moon Knight instead told Strelgov that Spector did the undercover work while Moon Knight was the visible one up front. Nodding knowingly, Strelgov teased Brent about not having arrested Moon Knight, as it would have been embarassing for the POTUS having to go into prison to pin a medal on him.
Comments: Created by Doug Moench, Bill Sienkiewicz, and Steve Mitchell.
It was Strelgov consistently in Moon Knight I#17-18, and Streglov consistently in #19-20. I don't know why it changed, but I'd go with the precedent on this one.
In Moon Knight I#17, Strange's army was consistently referred to as the "Third World Slayers." In #18-20, they were consistently referred to as the "Third World Army." While the general policy is to follow the precedent, it seems to me that since the writer (Doug Moench) was consistent throughout the whole arc, the latter name was a correction of an earlier error...perhaps confusing the names of his "Slayers Elite" and the "Third World Army," or perhaps Third World Army and Third World Slayers are two names for the same group?
Strelgov referred to his own men and then to "Eban's branch in the
Mossad." That could mean Strelgov was NOT in the Mossad or just in
another branch...
Eban subsequently described
Benjamin Abramov as "our agent who was assassinated in New York..." The
"our" could refer to his and Strelgov's, or just to Eban's (the
collective Mossad)...
The ship on which Eban and
Strelgov awaited Spector's signal from "Island Strange" was described
in the narrative as "the Mossad gunboat."
Further, after Strelgov and Eban arrived on "Island Strange," the
narrative says, "After the elite Mossad agents have gathered the
weaponless terrorists..."
And then, in #20, Strelgov finally notes how he could be expelled from the Mossad.
Profile by Snood.
CLARIFICATIONS:
Strelgov should be distinguished from:
images: (without ads)
Moon Knight I#19, pg. 8, panel 3 (full; partially obscurred oblique);
#20, pg. 2, panel 1 (face)
pg. 8, panel 1 (arms flexed in frustation);
panel 2 (mostly full; straigt-on)
Appearances:
Moon Knight I#17-20 (March-June, 1982) - Doug Moench (writer), Bill Sienkiewicz
(penciler), Steve Mitchell (inker), Denny O'Neil (editor)
Last updated: 02/26/15
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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