PALE HORSEMAN

Real Name: None

Identity/Class: Magically-mutated demon

Occupation: Avatar of Agamotto; warrior

Group Membership: None;
    Cadaver was a member of the Secret Defenders (Luke Cage/Carl Lucas, Dagger (Tandy Bowen), Deadpool/Jack/"Wade Wilson," Deathlok (Michael Collins), Doctor Druid/Anthony Ludgate, Drax the Destroyer (Arthur Douglas), Shadowoman/Jillian Woods)

Affiliations: Agamotto, Oshtur;
    Cody Fleischer became the host to / incarnation of the Pale Horseman as Cadaver
    Cadaver's affiliations included Archangel (Warren Worthington), Cognoscenti (Joshua Pryce & "Al"/Sidrat-Al-Muntah), Giant-Man (Henry Pym), Hulk (Bruce Banner), Iceman (Robert Drake), Iron Fist (Daniel Rand-K'ai), R.G. Mathieson, Namor the Sub-Mariner, Shadowoman, Silver Surfer (Norrin Radd), Spider-Woman (Julia Carpenter), U.S. Agent (Johnny Walker/Jack Daniels), Vishanti (Agamotto, Hoggoth, Oshtur);
    formerly Doctor Druid (Anthony Ludgate);
    as a previously malevolent demon, he presumably had alliances to darker forces (perhaps Chthon and/or Set), but these were never specified.

Enemies: Korahn, Malachi;
    Cadaver's enemies included Doctor Druid (Anthony Ludgate), Malachi, Slaymaker, Slorioth, Swarm (Fritz von Meyer);
       he briefly opposed, then later allied with Hulk (Bruce Banner), Namor the Sub-Mariner, and Silver Surfer (Norrin Radd);
    upon merging with Cody's form, the Pale Horseman initially attacked Luke Cage/Carl Lucas and Deadpool/Jack/"Wade Wilson,"
    as a previously malevolent demon, he presumably opposed the more benevolent forces, such as Gaea and Oshtur, but these were never specified.

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: Agamotto's Agent, Agamotto's Guardian, Agamotto's Sentinel, Fist of Agamotto, Guardian of the Moebius Stone, Pale Rider;
    Cadaver is the identity of one incarnation of the Pale Horseman, associated with the mind/body of Cody Fleischer

Base of Operations: Unrevealed;
    formerly the Temple of Agamotto (location unrevealed)

First Appearance: Secret Defenders#16 (June, 1994)

Powers/Abilities: As a magically-transformed demon, the Pale Horseman is presumably immune to aging, conventional disease, and may or may not require oxygen.

    The Pale Horseman can project powerful mystical blasts, sufficent to shatter the Moebius Stone (a mystic item created by Agamotto).

    Under unspecified circumstances, recently deceased mortals (perhaps especially those slain wrongfully and/or by evil magical forces) can be reincarnated with the form and power of the Pale Horseman.

    Cadaver, at least, retained his own memories and personality, although he was sometimes overwhelmed by the Pale Horseman's persona.

    Cadaver, at least, was superhumanly strong (lifting perhaps 2 tons) and durable. His body was comprised of a mystical blue flame, which can heal his wounds almost instantly.

    By drawing one of his ribcage bones out of his chest, Cadaver can transform it into his Sword of Bone, a mystical weapon covered with blue flame that can harm mystical beings and even superhumans as powerful as the Hulk.

Height: Cadaver is 6' 2", and it is likely that most Pale Horseman incarnations are approximately that height
Weight: Cadaver weighs 200 lbs., and it is likely that most Pale Horseman incarnations are approximately that height
Eyes: Cadaver has black eyes with white pupils
Hair: Cadaver has gray skin

History:
(Marvel Tarot (fb) - BTS / Avengers: Roll Call#1: Agamotto entry) <Circa 10,000 BC> - Seeking to balance her brother Chthon's corruption of the Asura, the Elder Goddess Oshtur coaxed her son Agamotto back to Earth so he could help her convert  four of the most malevolent demons into the service of justice. 

(Marvel Tarot (fb) - BTS / Avengers: Roll Call#1: Agamotto entry) - Creating the mystic Sword of Bone, which would become one of the powerful Cornerstones of Creation, Oshtur and Agamotto fused one of these demons with the sword, turning that demon into the Pale Horseman/Rider, aka the Fist of Agamotto.

(Secret Defenders#15 (fb) - BTS / Secret Defenders#16 (fb) - BTS) - "Eons ago," Korahn and his disciple and lover, Malachi, sought to prolong their lives via the Moebius Stone of Agamotto. They braved the sacred Temple of Agamotto, bested the guards and attendants, and secured their prize. But before they could incant the rune that would render them immortal, Agamotto's guardian, the Pale Horseman (see comments), was upon them. Agamotto's wrath at their trespass led his guardian to shatter the Moebius Stone, scattering the fragments to Earth's corners. Standing before the brunt of the attack, Korahn fell, shielding Malachi.

    The Pale Horseman departed, failing to detect the single Moebius Stone fragment Korahn had concealed on himself. Korahn subsequently bequeathed the fragment to Malachi, allowing her to live throughout the ages.

(Secret Defenders#16) - The Pale Horseman tore out one of his own ribs, which transformed into the Sword of Bone, and he sought out Malachi. However, as he confronted her, Cody's memories and personality reasserted themselves, causing him to lose focus and the advantage of surprise. As a result, Malachi reunited the final fragment with the Moebius Stone.

(Secret Defenders#17) - Dominated by Cody's memories and personality, the Pale Horseman remained conflicted (and, at least visually, lacking the Sword of Bone), and he fell before the forces unleashed by Malachi via the Moebius Stone. After Malachi struck down Shadowoman, the Pale Horseman's persona reasserted itself and, again wielding the Sword of Bone, he charged Malachi, intending to set the Moebius Stone set asunder; nonetheless, he was again blasted away by the Moebius Stone's power. Ultimately, Deadpool slew Malachi.

    Strange, a mystical construct embodying Dr. Stephen Strange's mystic power, then appeared and prepared to claim the Moebius Stone. Though the Pale Horseman sliced through Strange with the Sword of Bone, Strange was minimally affected and instead blasted the Horseman back and considered claiming the Sword of Bone as well. However, the Sword rebelled at Strange's touch, releasing mystic flames that drove Strange back. The Pale Horseman attacked again, battering and distracting Strange long enough for Cage to throw the Moebius Stone to Druid, who used its own power to destroy it; unable to claim either mystic item, Strange departed.

(Secret Defenders#18) - Traveling alongside Druid and Shadowoman to the Rand-Meachum supercollider in Houston, Texas to oppose the threat of Swarm, the Pale Horseman again summoned the Sword of Bone. The Horseman then used the sword to rend a massive hole in the ground below which Druid had sensed a disturbance. The Horseman continued to tunnel through the ground with the sword until they encountered millions of bees, against which the Sword of Bone was ill-equipped. When the cavern crumbled in, the Horseman was separated from the Sword before being bound to a wall and confronted by Swarm.

    Recovering from the cave-in and finding the Sword of Bone in the tunnel, Shadowoman -- unable to pick up the Sword -- departed to find the Pale Horseman so she could bring him back to the Sword.

(Secret Defenders#19) - Druid mentally located the Sword of Bones in the heart of Swarm's catacombs, and he used psychokinesis to restore it to the hands of "Cadaver," who then used it to attack Swarm and his hive, destroying the latter and carving a tunnel through the ground via which he, Druid, and Shadowoman escaped to the surface. 

(Secret Defenders#20 - BTS) - The Pale Horseman persona was submerged beneath Cody's persona.

(Secret Defenders#21 - BTS) - Despite Cody's persona maintaining dominance, Cadaver drew the Sword of Bones.

(Secret Defenders#23 - BTS) - Joined by Deathlok, Dagger and Drax, the Cody-controlled Cadaver accompanied Dr. Druid to the Gates of Perdition, where he was to confront the demon Slorioth. However, as Dr. Druid departed, time-traveling past Defenders-- Silver Surfer, Hulk and Sub-Mariner-- appeared to oppose the Secret Defenders.

(Secret Defenders#24 - BTS) - The Cody-controlled Cadaver summoned the Sword of Bone. Pressured by Druid to act, Cadaver reluctantly engaged the Hulk, slashing his back and paining him, but the Hulk then punched through Cadaver's side, incapacitating him.

    Healed via blue flames like those surrounding and empowering the Sword of Bones, Cadaver slashed Namor's back with his sword, paining but not incapacitating him.

(Secret Defenders#25 - BTS) - With Slorioth having emerged from the ground below them, Cadaver used the Sword of Bone to slash at the behemoth, but found for each tentacle he severed, fifty more erupted.

    Sepulcre and Cadaver were taken aside by Joshua Pryce to face the real threat: Dr. Druid, corrupted by his dark side. As the Horseman drew the Sword of Bone and charged Dr. Druid, however, Druid assaulted Cadaver through the weak spot from which he had drawn the Sword, destroying him.

    Joshua took up the Sword of Bone -- which most beings, including Druid, could not bear to touch -- and stabbed Druid, but the Slorioth-empowered Druid easily withstood this.

(Civil War: Battle Damage Report) - Tony Stark considered Cadaver as a potential Initiative recruit.

(Marvel Tarot#1 - BTS) - The First Tarot showed Ian McNee Cadaver as the Judgement card. McNee noted that Cadaver's portrayal looked a lot like Ghost Rider and wondered if there was connection between the two.

Comments: Created by Tom Brevoort, Mike Kanterovich, Bill Wylie and Tony Dezuniga.

    I'm currently working on updating the Cadaver profile, but the Pale Horseman is the demon mutated into becoming Agamotto's agent by Agamotto in Oshtur, while Cadaver is specifically the Pale Horseman combination that merged with Cody Fleischer's corpse, empowering and transforming it, and eventually becoming known as Cadaver. The Pale Horseman dominated the form initially, with Cody occasionally taking over, but Cody was consistently in control after the first few issues. Maybe their person merged somewhat over time.

    The War of the Seven Spheres wound up being resolved mostly off-panel (in Sensational Spider-Man#22). What does this mean for Cadaver? Beats me.

    Cadaver (not that he ever called himself that as far as I saw) had two personalities. The Pale Horseman was his "Fist of Agamotto" persona, and Cody was his mortal personality. In the history, I've generally tried to refer to those names based on whatever he was doing, but it was generally the Pale Horseman using the Sword of Bone.

    As the creation of the Sword of Bone and Pale Horseman occured between the end end of Samhat Saraswati's and Ayesha's reigns as Sorcerer Supreme, it should be around 10,000 BC.

    When did the conflict between the Pale Horseman and Korahn and Malachi occur? "
    Eons ago"
    An eon is specifically used in geologic time to represent one billion years; however, it is commonly used to mean "an immeasurably or indefinitely long time period."
    The handbook profile on Cadaver noted that
    So, all we know is that it was sometime between 10,000 BC and the modern time period. I would think it was some time in the post-Hyborian BC era (8000 BC to 1 BC), but we don't know the truth.

    Did the Pale Horseman who encountered Korahn and Malachi have a human host? And if so, who was it? The world may never know.

    Cadaver profile-writer Prime Eternal wondered if there was a connection between Cadaver's blue flame and that of the Blue Blaze, the 1940's hero?

Comments: Created by Tom Brevoort, Mike Kanterovich, Bill Wylie and Tony Dezuniga.

Profile by Snood.

CLARIFICATIONS:
The Pale Horseman should be distinguished from:

• PALE FLOWER (Shiru Hana) - daughter of Dai-Kumo, mutant, sought revenge on Wolverine, later allied with him against the Hand--Wolverine II#107
  
• PALE HORSEMEN of Earth-295 (Damask(d), Dead Man Wade/Deadpool(d), Moonstar(d)) - "Age of Apocalypse"--X-Calibre#1
• PALE LITTLE SPIDER - see BLACK WIDOW (Yelena Belova)--Black Widow: Pale Little Spider#1
  

images: (without ads)
Secret Defenders#16 cover (Cadaver) - as refurbished for Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z (hardcover) Vol. 7: Cadaver entry (or from Mystic Arcana before that)
Secret Defenders#16, pg. 8, panel 3 (Pale Horseman striking down Korahn);
          panel 4 (shadow)

Appearances:
Secret Defenders#16 (June, 1994) - Tom Brevoort and Mike Kanterovich (writers), Bill Wylie (penciler), Tony DeZuniga (inker), Lynair Brust (assisant editor), Craig Anderson (editor)
Secret Defenders#17 (July, 1994) - Tom Brevoort & Mike Kanterovich (writers), Jerry Decaire (pencils), Tony DeZuniga (inker), Lynair Brust (assisant editor), Craig Anderson (editor)
Secret Defenders#18 (August, 1994) - Tom Brevoort & Mike Kanterovich (writer), Bill Wylie (penciler), Tony DeZuniga & Donald C. Hudson (inkers), Lynair Brust (assisant editor), Craig Anderson (editor)
Secret Defenders#19-23 (September, 1994 - January, 1995) - Tom Brevoort & Mike Kanterovich (writer), Bill Wylie (penciler), Tony DeZuniga (inker), Lynair Brust (assisant editor), Craig Anderson (editor)
Secret Defenders#24 (September, 1994 - February, 1995) - Tom Brevoort & Mike Kanterovich (writer), Bill Wylie (penciler), Tony DeZuniga (inker), Craig Anderson (editor)
Secret Defenders#25 (March, 1995) - Tom Brevoort & Mike Kanterovich (writer), Bill Wylie (penciler), Tony DeZuniga (inker), Tom Rolston (assisant editor), Craig Anderson (editor)
Civil War: Battle Damage Report: Appendix (2007) - Ronald Byrd (writer), Anthony Flamini, Jeff Youngquist (editor)
Marvel Tarot (2007) - David Sexton (writer/designer), Doug Sexton (technical consultant), Jeff Christiansen (continuity consultant), Michael Short & Cory Levine (assistant editors), Mark D. Beazley & Jennifer Grunwald (associate editors), Jeff Youngquist (editor)
Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z (hardcover) Vol. 7 (2009): Appendix: Magic (from the journals of Ian McNee) - David Sexton (writer), Jeff Christiansen (head writer/coordinator), Madison Carter, Mike Fichera & Stuart Vandal (coordination assistants), Jeff Youngquist & Jennifer Grunwald (editors)

First posted: 02/13/2020
Last updated: 02/13/2020

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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