KAGE
Real Name: Unrevealed
Identity/Class: Human mutate/mutant ("centuries ago" to modern era)
citizen of Japan
Occupation: Assassin
Group Membership: The Hand
Affiliations: The Hand
Enemies: Black Axe,
Counterforce, Sunfire (Shiro Yoshida), Kaori Tamayoshi
Known Relatives: None
Aliases: None (see comments)
Base of Operations: Mobile in Japan
First Appearance: Black Axe#2 (May, 1993)
Powers/Abilities: Long-lived, Kage is
superhumanly strong, potentially being able to lift up to 1 ton as he easily
pulped and decapitated a man with one blow. He has enhanced endurance
and durability. He is a master of martial arts and ninja skills with
enhanced reflexes, but operates mostly without weapons. Despite his
height, Kage is stealthy and silent. He can also alter the molecules of
his body at will to allow objects to pass through his body or to become
rock hard to shatter katana steel.
Height: 7'6"
(by approximation)
Weight: Unrevealed
Eyes: White
Hair: Unrevealed (possibly none)
History:
(Black Axe#2 (fb) - BTS) - The superhuman warrior
Kage was active several centuries ago in Japan with a well-deserved
reputation. He slumbered (or died) and was awakened (or resurrected) by
the Hand to serve as an assassin.
(Black Axe#2) - A jonin (high
captain) of the Hand put Kage through a test against six Hand ninjas; Kage easily overcame each foe with just one killing
stroke. The jonin then tasked Kage with retrieving the legendary
magical sword Kusanagi-No-Tsurguri (also known as Grasscutter). The jonin
provided backup with warriors in Mandroid
armor. At the Meji Shrine, the Hand forces confronted Kaori Tamayoshi,
who safeguarded the sword and refused the Hand's offers and later
threats. However, Tamayoshi was herself protected by the millennia-old
warrior Black Axe, coincidentally in Japan to refocus himself and his
skills. While Kage and the jonin held the girl, Black Axe eliminated
the Hand warriors. Kage then tackled Black Axe to a standstill until
the Hand Mandroids distracted them. Kage disappeared as the chaotic
melee expanded with the arrival of Sunfire (Shiro Yoshida) and Japan's
Counterforce strike team. The Hand warriors chose suicide over capture,
vanishing into ashen smoke. Kage's fate is unrevealed.
Comments:
Created by Simon Jowett, Edmund Perryman, Rod Ramos.
As Black Axe stated in-story, kage translates to "shadow" in
Japanese; that's 2 syllables ("kah-geh") with emphasis on the second
syllable.
This profile was completed 07/07/2021, but its publication was delayed as it was intended for the Appendix 20th anniversary 's celebratory event.
Profile
by Grendel
Prime.
CLARIFICATIONS
:
Kage (Shadow) has no known connections to:
- SHADOW
- leader of the Three, agents of the Hand, pursued Elektra @ Elektra
II#18
- or any other "Kage" or
"Shadow" characters
images:
(without ads)
Black Axe#2, p1, pan2 (main image)
p7, pan5 (headshot)
p11, pan4 (phasing)
Appearances:
Black Axe#2 (May, 1993) - Simon Jowett (writer), Edmund Perryman
(pencils), Rod Ramos (inks), Michael W. Bennent (editor)
First posted: 09/06/2021
Last updated:
09/04/2021
Any Additions/Corrections? please let
me know.
Non-Marvel Copyright info
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and © 1941-2099 Marvel Characters, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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