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Paladin (comics)

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Paladin
Paladin.
Art by Leinil Francis Yu.
Publication information
PublisherMarvel Comics
First appearanceDaredevil #150
(January 1978)
Created byJim Shooter (writer)
Carmine Infantino (artist)
In-story information
SpeciesHuman
Team affiliationsHeroes for Hire
The Intruders
Thunderbolts
Defenders
Wild Pack
Notable aliasesPaul Denning
Paul Dennis
Paladin
Abilities
  • Slightly superhuman strength, speed, stamina, agility, reflexes, and durability
  • Skilled marksman, actor, espionage agent, bodyguard and detective
  • Highly skilled hand-to-hand combatant
  • Helmet with belt activated faceplate
  • Infrared vision via helmet's lenses
  • Wears bulletproof body suit
  • Use of stun gun

Paladin (often going by Paul Denning) is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Jim Shooter and artist Carmine Infantino, the character first appeared in Daredevil #150 (January 1978).[1] Paul Denning, whose real identity remains a mystery, is a mercenary known under the codename Paladin.[2] Although not a supervillain, his mercenary activities often bring him into conflict with superheroes,[3] facing characters like Daredevil and the Punisher.[4] He has notably worked for the Wild Pack, the Thunderbolts, and the Serpent Society.[5]

Development

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Concept and creation

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The character was inspired by the 1950s Western television series Have Gun – Will Travel,[6] in which the title character, Paladin, an investigator/gunfighter, travels around the Old West working as a mercenary for people who hire him to solve their problems.[7]

Publication history

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Paladin debuted in Daredevil #150 (January 1978), with follow-up appearances in #152 (May 1978) and #154 (September 1978) as part of the same story arc.[8] The character had a one-shot story published in Marvel Premiere #43 (August 1978),[9] and was a billed guest star in the Spider-Man team-up title Marvel Team-Up #108 (August 1981).[10] From there on, Paladin has mostly appeared as a guest star across the Marvel Universe,[11] with occasional forays as a superteam member, in Silver Sable and the Wild Pack, Heroes for Hire,[12] and Thunderbolts, and occasional feature appearances in the Marvel Comics Presents anthology.

Fictional character biography

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Paladin is a mercenary and private investigator, whose past is largely unrevealed. When first seen, he sought Daredevil while engaged in an assignment to track down the Purple Man, and battled Daredevil. He clashed with Daredevil a second time after the crime fighter inadvertently interfered with Paladin's search for the Purple Man. Paladin allied with Daredevil in battle against the Cobra, the Jester, and Mister Hyde, who were under control of the Purple Man.[13]

Paladin next battled the Ghost.[14] Paladin aided the Wasp against Baron Brimstone, acquired a modified uniform, and began a romance with the Wasp.[15] Paladin aided the Avengers in battle against the Masters of Evil.[16] Paladin allied with Spider-Man and the Wasp against mobsters; despite respecting Spider-Man's abilities, Paladin is incredulous that Spider-Man offers his heroic services without charge (Paladin literally laughs in Spider-Man's face upon learning this[17]), while Spider-Man in turn is disgusted by Paladin's mercenary ways.[18] Paladin also considers Spider-Man's incessant battle banter "unprofessional".[19]

Paladin was later employed by Silver Sable to investigate a conspiracy which threatened her native country of Symkaria, and he allied with Spider-Man.[20] Paladin was then hired by Diamondback to raid Serpent Society headquarters. He was captured, but freed by Captain America.[21] Paladin accompanied Captain America in his search for Diamondback, the Asp, and Black Mamba. With his new allies, Paladin battled Superia's horde of female superhumans.[22]

An unabashed womanizer, Paladin often flirted with whoever woman caught his eye. He briefly dated the Wasp at a time when she was separated from Hank Pym, much to the Black Knight's jealousy, who was also attracted to her.[23] For a time, he also enlisted Generation X into helping him retrieve a sword for Adrienne Frost, the sister of current X-Men member Emma Frost. During this period, the mutant known as Jubilee was strongly attracted to Paladin, but that affection disappeared when Generation X and Paladin later went their separate ways.[24] He has also been a longtime ally to Silver Sable and her Wild Pack organization, working for pay, of course. He once helped them protect a scientist from a kidnapping attempt by the Heroes for Hire, a group he would later join.[25] His main opponent was Misty Knight, who seemed to be an equal match.[volume & issue needed]

Paladin had exhibited a certain amount of honor in some cases. For example, he was once hired by a corrupt government to assist rebels as part of a sting operation. He aided the rebels in a bomb-laying operation at a government facility. When the rebels were caught, his government handler remarked how lucky they were that the bomb had not gone off. Paladin replied, "I'm sorry, that would have been extra," and activated the bomb by remote control while driving away.[26]

In the 1990 one-shot The Punisher: No Escape, he was offered 10 million dollars by mobster Vincent Mangano to kill the Punisher.[27] Paladin agreed to this arrangement, but did not succeed, and in the ensuing fight both of his legs were broken by the U.S. Agent.

Paladin once took down Daredevil with a sniper rifle from a helicopter at a great distance. He did so for the FBI, in exchange for getting his record expunged. The hit, while serious, was not fatal; Paladin's sniper attack led to Daredevil's arrest.[28]

Paladin was a main character in the 2006 Heroes for Hire series, although as Misty Knight said he was just there for the money. As it turns out, he was a traitor to the group, only using the Heroes as a means to hunt down Captain America for S.H.I.E.L.D. as part of the Civil War.[volume & issue needed]

He single-handedly defeated Captain America and the entire Heroes for Hire team, with the exceptions of Tarantula, and Orka, who weren't present when the fight took place, with a special gas weapon that affected the nervous system.[volume & issue needed] He then radioed S.H.I.E.L.D. and told them he had Captain America in custody.[29] However, he did not account for Shang-Chi's ability to hold his breath over an extended period (thanks to his martial arts training) and was overpowered by him.[volume & issue needed] Shang-Chi then aided Captain America, who afterwards switched his costume with Paladin, causing S.H.I.E.L.D. to take Paladin instead into custody.[30]

In the Dark Reign storyline, Paladin became a member of the post-Secret Invasion Thunderbolts, serving as Norman Osborn's personal black ops team.[31][volume & issue needed] Hired to assassinate Elektra for 82 million dollars, Paladin broke into H.A.M.M.E.R. headquarters. However, Elektra overpowered him by choking him with one of her teeth that was loosened when Paladin punched her. Begging for his life, Paladin gave Elektra the key to escape her prison.[32]

During the Siege of Asgard, Paladin and the other Thunderbolts were sent to Asgard with the mission of stealing the Spear of Odin for Osborn. After fighting through a contingent of Asgardians, they managed to find the Spear of Odin.[volume & issue needed] Paladin, finally having had enough of serving a madman like Osborn, turned on his teammates and tried to take back the object. After being attacked by fellow Thunderbolt Grizzly, Paladin was saved by Ant-Man. Grizzly then lost the Spear of Odin to Mr. X who in turn was easily defeated by Quicksilver. Ant-Man recovered the Spear of Odin and gave it to Paladin who decided to take the object in order to keep Osborn from using its power for his own ends. Paladin then departed from Asgard after saying goodbye to Ant-Man.[33]

During the "Shadowland" storyline, Paladin is paired with Silver Sable, Misty Knight, and Shroud when Daredevil's Hand ninjas end up targeting members of the mafia.[34] Following this, Misty Knight reopens Heroes for Hire under the influence of Puppet Master; Paladin joins the team and soon realizes this and frees Misty from Puppet Master's control with the help from Iron Fist. After the defeat of Puppet Master, Paladin convinces Misty to keep the operation open, but under their terms.[35]

During the "Venom War" storyline, Paladin, Solo, and their fellow mercenaries went up against Eddie Brock, Bedlam, Tyro, and Wilde when they crashed a wrestling match that was commentated by Crusher Hogan and Doc Sawbones in Grand Garden Arena. They are defeated and deposited outside for the EMTs to find. It was revealed that they were hired by someone in Alchemax due to a lack of in-house talent.[36]

Powers and abilities

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Paladin possesses superhuman strength, stamina, speed, and reaction time.[37] He is also a highly skilled hand-to-hand combatant, with knowledge of Boxing,[38] Judo,[38] Savate,[39] and Taekwondo.[38] In addition, Paladin is a skilled marksman, actor, espionage agent, bodyguard and detective.

While he has been known to use lethal force, his preferred weapon is his stun gun, firing a beam which scrambles the signals within the target's nervous system sufficiently to render most people unconscious. The range and effectiveness are unknown. The gun is equipped so that only Paladin may operate it.

Paladin wears a bodysuit of synthetic stretch fabric, and his boots, gloves, helmet, torso, and knee and elbow guards are made of bulletproof composite materials. Paladin's helmet is equipped with a belt-activated faceplate which slides down to make the helmet airtight; the sealed helmet has a one-hour air supply. The lenses in Paladin's helmet can be adjusted for infrared vision.

Reception

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Matthew Aguilar of ComicBook.com stated Paladin became a fan favorite since his time with the Thunderbolts and Heroes for Hire.[40]

Other versions

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Ultimate Marvel

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The Ultimate Marvel version of Marc Spector used the Paladin name for a period of time while working for the Roxxon Corporation.[41]

In other media

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Miscellaneous

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References

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  1. ^ Jalali, Jessica (August 26, 2023). "10 Best Marvel Antiheroes Who Should NEVER Join the Avengers". Screen Rant. Retrieved 2024-06-21.
  2. ^ Stevens, Tim (February 16, 2022). "Marvel Has Its Own Spin on The Mandalorian - Now's the Time to Give Him a Push". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved 2024-06-21.
  3. ^ Cowsill, Alan; Manning, Matthew K. (2012). Spider-Man Chronicle: Celebrating 50 Years of Web-Slinging. DK Publishing. p. 178. ISBN 978-0756692360.
  4. ^ Valentino, Alexander (October 1, 2023). "10 Powerful Marvel Villains The MCU Can Introduce in Thunderbolts". Screen Rant. Retrieved 2024-06-21.
  5. ^ Davidson, Chris (February 6, 2017). "The 15 Best Mercenaries In Comics (Or Your Money Back)". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved 2024-06-21.
  6. ^ Neely, Austin (July 22, 2023). "Marvel's Most Underrated Hero Is the 1 Person Immune to Captain America's Shield". Screen Rant. Retrieved 2024-06-21.
  7. ^ Kelly, Douglas R. (October 2022). Eury, Michael (ed.). "Bring on the Bad Guys: Paladin". Back Issue!. No. 139. Twomorrows Publishing. p. 66. ISSN 1932-6904.
  8. ^ DeFalco, Tom; Sanderson, Peter; Brevoort, Tom; Teitelbaum, Michael; Wallace, Daniel; Darling, Andrew; Forbeck, Matt; Cowsill, Alan; Bray, Adam (2019). The Marvel Encyclopedia. DK Publishing. p. 265. ISBN 978-1-4654-7890-0.
  9. ^ "GCD :: Issue :: Marvel Premiere #43". Comics.org. Retrieved 2011-02-06.
  10. ^ "GCD :: Issue :: Marvel Team-Up #108". Comics.org. Retrieved 2011-02-06.
  11. ^ "GCD :: Story Search Results". Archived from the original on 2012-10-12.
  12. ^ Brothers, David (November 13, 2010). "'Heroes For Hire' #1 Brings Marvel's Street Heroes Out to Play [Exclusive Preview]". ComicsAlliance. Retrieved 2024-06-21.
  13. ^ Daredevil #152, 154. Marvel Comics.
  14. ^ Marvel Premiere #43. Marvel Comics.
  15. ^ The Avengers #251. Marvel Comics.
  16. ^ The Avengers #271. Marvel Comics.
  17. ^ Marvel Team-Up #108
  18. ^ Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #105-106
  19. ^ Heroes for Hire #6. Marvel Comics.
  20. ^ The Amazing Spider-Man #320-321. Marvel Comics.
  21. ^ Captain America #381-382. Marvel Comics.
  22. ^ Captain America #386-392. Marvel Comics.
  23. ^ The Avengers #273. Marvel Comics.
  24. ^ Generation X #52-54
  25. ^ Heroes for Hire #10-11. Marvel Comics.
  26. ^ Amazing Fantasy vol. 2 #16. Marvel Comics.
  27. ^ "Vincent Mangano (Punisher foe)". Marvunapp.com. Retrieved 2011-02-06.
  28. ^ Daredevil vol. 2 #79 by Brian Michael Bendis on November 23, 2005
  29. ^ Heroes for Hire vol. 2 #2. Marvel Comics.
  30. ^ Heroes for Hire vol. 2 #3. Marvel Comics.
  31. ^ "The Osborn Supremacy: Thunderbolts". Comic Book Resources. Comicbookresources.com. 9 January 2009. Retrieved 2011-02-06.
  32. ^ Dark Reign: Elektra #1. Marvel Comics.
  33. ^ Thunderbolts #143. Marvel Comics.
  34. ^ Shadowland: Blood on the Streets #1. Marvel Comics.
  35. ^ Heroes for Hire vol. 3 #1-5. Marvel Comics.
  36. ^ Venom War #1. Marvel Comics.
  37. ^ Gruenwald, Mark; Sanderson, Peter (September 1986). The Official Handbook Of The Marvel Universe (Deluxe Edition: Vol. 2, No. 10 ed.). Marvel Comics Group. p. 1. ASIN B000FVFC1Q.
  38. ^ a b c The All-New Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Update #3 (September 2007)
  39. ^ Heroes for Hire vol. 3 #6 (July 2011)
  40. ^ Aguilar, Matthew (May 4, 2020). "Eight Marvel Cinematic Universe Characters WWE Superstar Becky Lynch Could Play". ComicBook.com. Retrieved 2024-06-21.
  41. ^ Ultimate Spider-Man #80. Marvel Comics.
  42. ^ "Take Two". Spider-Man. Season 2. Episode 27. June 18, 2018. Disney XD.
  43. ^ "Voice Of Paladin (Spider-Man) – Behind The Voice Actors". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved June 22, 2024.
  44. ^ "Paladin | Marvel: Avengers Alliance 2". Archived from the original on 2016-04-19. Retrieved 2016-04-05.
  45. ^ "Voice Of Paladin (Spider-Woman: Agent of S.W.O.R.D.) – Behind The Voice Actors". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved June 22, 2024.
  46. ^ Konrad, Jeremy (May 8, 2018). "We Take a Look at the Marvel Legends Deadpool Wave - Bleeding Cool". Bleeding Cool. Retrieved 2024-06-21.
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