GOTTESKRIEGER
Real Name: Axl Nacht
Identity/Class: Human mutate;
citizen of Austria
Occupation: Terrorist; former CEO of Nacht Corporation, secret leader of neo-Nazi political organization
Group Membership: Axis Mundi (Baroness Blood/Lily Cromwell, Jonas Wilhelm Eckhardt, U-Man/Meranno, Warrior Woman/Julia Koenig, Pterorists)
Affiliations: Hydra (Baron Strucker/Wolfgang von Strucker, others), Dauod Rafiq, Dr. Friedrich Krause, Mueller, Red Skull (Johann Shmidt), Warrior Woman (Julia Koenig);
formerly Master Man (Wilhelm Lohmer)
Enemies: Atlanteans, British Army, Captain America (Steve Rogers), Human Torch (Jim Hammond), Invaders (Blazing Skull/Mark Todd, Jim Hammond, Spitfire/Jaqueline Falsworth, Sub-Mariner/Namor McKenzie, Tara, Thin Man/Bruce Dickson, Union Jack/Joey Chapman, U.S.Agent/John Walker), Master Man (Wilhelm Lohmer), Mazikhandarian Liberty Legion (Colonel Mutasim Zai'id, others), Namorita (Nita Prentiss), Nia Noble, Ann Raymond, Spitfire (Jacqueline Falsworth), Sub-Mariner (Namor McKenzie), Sulumor, Union Jack (Joe Chapman), U.S. Army
Known Relatives: Adelmo Nacht (father)
Aliases: Master Man
Base of Operations: Nacht Corporation HQ in Berlin, Germany;
formerly somewhere outside Vienna, Austria (place of birth)
First Appearance: (BTS) Namor, the Sub-Mariner I#6 (September, 1990); (seen) Namor, the Sub-Mariner I#11 (February, 1991); (as Master Man) Namor, the Sub-Mariner I#12 (March, 1991); (as Gotteskrieger) New Invaders#2 (November, 2004)
Powers/Abilities: Empowered by a variation of Abraham Erskine's Super-Soldier Serum Axl Nacht possesses superhuman strength (lifting 50 tons), speed, stamina, durability, agility and reflexes. He is a good hand-to-hand combatant as he was trained in unarmed combat by personal instructors. He is a brilliant business and political strategist with a Ph. D. in economics.
As Gotteskrieger he wore full body armor and used a metal staff as weapon.
Height: 6'5"
Weight: 285 lbs.
Eyes: Blue
Hair: Platinum blond
History:
(Namor, the Sub-Mariner I#12 (fb) - BTS) - When his son Axl was still a child Adelmo proudly showed photographs of Master Man and Warrior Woman to him. The photographs made Axl fall in love with Warrior Woman.
Years later Adelmo revealed to Axl that Baron Strucker had put Master Man and Warrior Woman in suspended animation at the end of the war so they could be revived at a later date.
When Axl became an adult he ordered Doctor Krause to recreate the Super-Soldier serum variant that had originally given Wilhelm Lohmer his superhuman abilities. He took it ever since to prepare himself to one day claim Warrior Woman as his bride. At the same time Axl made Krause alter the formula in Master Man's blood so he would eventually revert to his weak state because he couldn't be in his way.
(Namor, the Sub-Mariner I#11 (fb) - BTS) - Over the years Doctor Krause had told young Axl many things about Warrior Woman and Master Man left out of the history books.
Eventually Axl Nacht became the CEO of the Nacht Corporation. He continued financing the suspended animation program that kept Warrior Woman and Master Man alive and started to form a plan to start a new Reich.
(Namor, the Sub-Mariner I#9 (fb) - BTS) - At some point Nacht became the secret leader of a neo-Nazi organization.
(Namor, the Sub-Mariner I#6 (fb) - BTS) - Nacht had Master Man awakened after 45 years.
After the fall of the Berlin Wall Doctor Krause with Master Man at his side went to the abandoned warehouse in East Berlin were Warrior Woman was kept in suspended animation in a hidden underground lab.
(Namor, the Sub-Mariner I#9 - BTS) - Nacht sent Master Man and his neo-Nazis to kidnap the Human Torch for Doctor Krause in case he needed the Torch's blood to revive Warrior Woman. They also kidnapped Toro's widow Ann Raymond.
(Namor, the Sub-Mariner I#10 - BTS) - Krause revived Warrior Woman on Nacht's orders, but learned that the systems had malfunctioned during her suspended animation and as a result she probably suffered from brain damage. Krause still revived her with Human Torch's blood because Master Man forced him to despite a fight that broke out between Master Man and Namor, who had found their lab.
(Namor, the Sub-Mariner#11) - At the skyscraper headquarter of the Nacht Corporation in Berlin Doctor Krause introduced Master Man and Warrior Woman to Axl Nacht, the son of Adelmo Nacht, who had saved Krause's life in 1961 and revealed that he provided the financial funds needed to continue the preservation of the two Nazi operatives after the money left by Baron Strucker had run out. Axl was impressed by Julia's beauty and let the doctor explain how Axl got involved with the preservation of Nazi superhumans. Axl asked Krause if the apparatus keeping him alive was still working properly because of the smell, but Krause assured him that far worse things would happen to him if it didn't. Axl then gave them a quick update on the struggles of Germany since World War II and that he planned to become the leader of a new Reich with their help. When an alarm in the lab was triggered Axl believed the Sub-Mariner had probably escaped his death trap and sent Master Man to deal with him. Warrior Woman didn't join him because Krause was under the impression that she had not yet fully recovered. Master Man realized that Axl planned to take away his wife from him and was ready to prove him wrong.
(Namor, the Sub-Mariner#12) - Axl made his moves on Warrior Woman in Master Man's absence. She considered it improper but Axl knew she had been married to Master Man against her will. He revealed that he had a crush on her since childhood and could still remember the day his father revealed to him that she was still alive in suspended animation. Axl kissed her and she felt overwhelmed. He then revealed that he had Doctor Krause recreate the formula that transformed Willie Lohmer into Master Man and had taken it since he became an adult. Axl showed off his tremendous physique to Julia, but she struggled to respond the way he expected. Krause blamed her possible brain damage on her lacking enthusiasm. Krause then reminded Axl that Master Man's mission was a suicide mission and they needed to prepare for their plan to work.
A short time later, mere moments after Master Man reverted back to weak Wilhelm Lohmer, Axl Nacht appeared as the new Master Man at the lab with Warrior Woman at his side. Nacht revealed that it was the plan all along because there was only room for one Master Man. He pushed Namorita aside and let Warrior Woman handle her, then attacked Namor with his superhuman strength. Namor hurled him against the equipment at the lab, but the new Master Man fought back, nearly knocking out Namor with a single punch to the face. Captain America arrived to come to Namor's aid against Master Man, who was then knocked out by Namor. Realizing he had lost his wife to the new Master Man Lohmer caused an explosion at the lab. The new Master Man was at the center of it and seemingly perished along with Lohmer and Warrior Woman while Captain America, Namor, Union Jack and Namorita worked together to save Nacht's neo-Nazi operatives.
(New Invaders#2 (fb) - BTS) - Nacht survived the explosion.
(New Invaders#6 (fb) - BTS) - Out of deference to Axl's father Adelmo Nacht Baron Strucker agreed to finance the Axis Mundi with Hydra's money and funded the production of over 10,000 Pterorists.
(New Invaders#2) - While an army of Pterorists, following the beacon of a captured Pterorist (it was all part of a plan), attacked the Infiltrator Gotteskrieger teleported in with the rest of the Axis Mundi. Gotteskrieger impaled Blazing Skull with his staff and then decapitated him. He then declared that the Infiltrator now belonged to the Axis Mundi.
(New Invaders#3) - When Jim Hammond came to the android Tara's aid against the Axis Mundi, Gotteskrieger was shocked at first, but then attacked him ruthlessly. He revealed that he was Axl Nacht and then mocked Hammond for sacrificing most of his power to restore the aging cow Spitfire. He was sure Hammond was no threat to him with his diminished powers. Spitfire then appeared with Union Jack, U.S.Agent and Namor at her side. A battle between the Axis Mundi and the Invaders ensued. Gotteskrieger soon had Hammond at his mercy, but was then kicked in the head by Blazing Skull, who was mad that he had to regenerate his skull. Blazing Skull blocked a hit by Gotteskrieger's staff and then began to choke him to death. Fortunately for Gotteskrieger he was saved when Thin Man had hacked the captured Pterorist to teleport all Pterorists and the Axis Mundi back to where they came from, taking away their ability to find the Infiltrator again at the same time.
(New Invaders#6) - Gotteskrieger and Warrior Woman met with Baron Strucker, who was displeased that the Axis Mundi had lost control over Mazikhandar. Gotteskrieger told Strucker that they needed to extract Professor Eckhardt from Mazikhandar to save the Pterorist Program, but Strucker wanted to hear none of it. Rather than save Eckhardt he had already sent in Wolverine to assassinate him to make sure Eckhardt's secrets wouldn't fall into enemy hands. Gotteskrieger was shocked because there was no way to continue the Pterorist Program without Eckhardt. Strucker kept the identity of the assassin secret from Gotteskrieger.
Comments: Created by Marc McLaurin (writer), Dwayne Turner (pencils) & Chris Ivy (inks).
Axl appeared in Marvel Comics Presents I#123 (1993) alongside Warrior Woman and their baby...but it was only a dream by the heavily burnt and dying Master Man (Wilhelm Lohmer), who actually survived and died later in an issue of Cable.
He looks like such a pompous doofus in the main image and it is fitting. Nacht is a delusional, misogynistic, cowardly rich kid, who looks like he spends too much time on a tanning bed, and on top of that he is an outspoken racist. He probably named all the buildings he owned after himself. He sounds like a true POS and naturally was born in my own home country. I wouldn't vote for him!
--Markus Raymond
Master Man (Axl Nacht) never received his own handbook profile, but he kind of had one along with Lohmer in Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Master Edition#21 (1992). In this profile the first name of Axl's father was revealed as well as his physical stats, powers and other information.
Profile by Markus Raymond.
CLARIFICATIONS:
Gotteskrieger (Axl Nacht) aka. Master Man should not be confused with:
(Namor, the Sub-Mariner I#8 (fb) ) <1961> - In an abandoned warehouse in East Berlin shortly before the Berlin Wall was put up Adelmo Nacht was present when Doctor Krause made sure Warrior Woman would survive in her life-support system for many years because he wouldn't be able to look after her as soon as the wall went up. Adelmo and his partner then rushed Krause to their car, knowing that barriers would soon go up. When they were confronted by the authorities in the street they tried to run and Krause was shot in the back. Knowing that Krause was needed to revive Warrior Woman and Master Man because he was the only one who understood Strucker's machines Adelmo ran through the gunfire to save Krause and bring him to their car. They crashed through the barrier heading to West Berlin and were confronted by a guard. Adelmo claimed they were peaceful citizens escaping to the west and needed to get their wounded friend to a hospital, but before the guard could help them Adelmo shot him dead.
(Namor, the Sub-Mariner I#11 (fb) - BTS) - When his son Axl was still a child Adelmo proudly showed photographs of Master Man and Warrior Woman to him.
Years later Adelmo revealed to Axl that Baron Strucker had put Master Man and Warrior Woman in suspended animation at the end of the war so they could be revived at a later date.
--Namor, the Sub-Mariner I#8 (8 (fb), [11 (fb)]
images (without ads)
New Invaders#6, p3, pan1 (main)
Namor, the Sub-Mariner#11, p11, pan1 (Axl Nacht)
Namor, the Sub-Mariner#12, p24, pan2 (Master Man)
New Invaders#2, p22 (Gotteskrieger triumphs)
Namor, the Sub-Mariner#8, p2, pan4 (Adelmo Nacht)
Appearances:
Namor, the Sub-Mariner#6 (September, 1990) - John Byrne (writer/artist), Terry Kavanagh (editor)
Namor, the Sub-Mariner#8 (November, 1990) - John Byrne (writer/artist), Terry Kavanagh (editor)
Namor, the Sub-Mariner#10 (January, 1991) - John Byrne (writer/artist), Terry Kavanagh (editor)
Namor, the Sub-Mariner#11-12 (February-March, 1991) - John Byrne (writer/artist), Terry Kavanagh (editor)
Marvel Comics Presents I#123 (February, 1993) - Scott Kolins (writer/artist), Terry Kavanagh (editor)
New Invaders#2 (November, 2004) - Allan Jacobsen (writer), C.P. Smith (artist), Tom Brevoort (editor)
New Invaders#3 (December, 2004) - Allan Jacobsen (writer), C.P. Smith (artist), Andy Schmidt (editor)
New Invaders#6 (March, 2005) - Allan Jacobsen (writer), Jorge Lucas (artist), Andy Schmidt (editor)
First Posted: 06/05/2020
Last updated: 06/05/2020
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
Non-Marvel Copyright info
All other characters mentioned or pictured are ™ and
© 1941-2099 Marvel Characters, Inc. All Rights Reserved. If you
like this stuff, you should check out the real thing!
Please visit The Marvel Official Site at: http://www.marvel.com
Special Thanks to www.g-mart.com for hosting the Appendix, Master List, etc.!