Deathwatch is a
fictional characterA character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
. He is a demonic
supervillainA supervillain or supervillainess is a variant of the villain character type, commonly found in comic books, action movies and science fiction in various media.They are sometimes used as foils to superheroes and other fictional heroes...
in the
Marvel UniverseThe Marvel Universe is the shared fictional universe where most comic book titles and other media published by Marvel Entertainment take place, including those featuring Marvel's most familiar characters, such as Spider-Man, the Hulk, the X-Men, and the Avengers.The Marvel Universe is further...
, most notably as an enemy of Ghost Rider.
Fictional character biography
Deathwatch is a Translord from an unknown demonic dimension. Posing as a
crime bossA crime boss or boss is a person in charge of a criminal organization. A boss typically has absolute or near-absolute control over his subordinates, is greatly feared by his subordinates for his ruthlessness and willingness to take lives in order to exert his influence, and profits come from the...
in the real world as Stephen Lords, Deathwatch plotted to destroy
New YorkNew York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
through a poisonous
toxinA toxin is a poisonous substance produced within living cells or organisms; man-made substances created by artificial processes are thus excluded...
. After a youth gang called the Cypress Hill Jokers unwittingly stole the canisters containing the biotoxin, Deathwatch contested with the
KingpinThe Kingpin is a fictional character, a supervillain in the . Kingpin is one of the most feared and powerful crime lords in the Marvel Universe. The character is a major adversary of Daredevil, the Punisher, and Spider-Man...
for the canisters, and set Blackout against the new Ghost Rider. Deathwatch and Blackout attacked the 75th Precinct police station and stole the biotoxin canisters. They also abducted Paulie Stratton and her fellow Cypress Hill Jokers, battling the Kingpin's men. He instigated a conflict between Ghost Rider and
SnowblindSnowblind is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics universe, making his debut appearance in Ghost Rider vol. 2 #13.-Fictional character biography:...
, and was revealed as having set Linda Wei and HEART against Ghost Rider. He dispatched ninjas to lure Ghost Rider into a trap, and destroyed an office building in an attempt to kill Ghost Rider. Alongside
Hag and TrollHag and Troll are two fictional characters, demonic super villains in the Marvel Comics Universe. They were employed by Deathwatch, and were especially antagonistical with Ghost Rider.-Fictional character biography:...
, Deathwatch murdered Snowblind, and battled Ghost Rider, who killed Deathwatch in battle.
In the course of becoming a personal enemy to the hero, Deathwatch employed several assassins, including countless Deathspawn, all of whom were from the demon world. After meeting his demise at the hands of Ghost Rider for the first time, he was reanimated by the Deathspawn, Hag, and Troll. However, he was captured with Hag and Troll by Ghost Rider,
Johnny BlazeGhost Rider is a fictional character, an antihero in the Marvel Comics Universe. He is the second Marvel character to use the name Ghost Rider, following the Western hero later known as the Phantom Rider, and preceding Daniel Ketch.Johnny Blaze was portrayed both in the 2007 film Ghost Rider and...
, and
Spider-ManSpider-Man is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and writer-artist Steve Ditko. He first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15...
. With Hag and Troll, he was captured by Steel Wind and Steel Vengeance, and the three villains were turned over to
CenturiousCenturious is a fictional character in the Marvel Universe.Centurious was a servant of Mephisto and an enemy of Zarathos. In combating Zarathos, he became a regular foe of the first Ghost Rider.-Fictional character biography:...
.
Centurious fully resurrected Deathwatch to help in an attempt to steal Ghost Rider's chain. During his battle with Ghost Rider, Deathwatch revealed that his original (retconned) intent during the events involving the poisonous canisters was to obtain Ghost Rider's medallion of power. He was easily defeated by the combined power of Ghost Rider and
Johnny BlazeGhost Rider is a fictional character, an antihero in the Marvel Comics Universe. He is the second Marvel character to use the name Ghost Rider, following the Western hero later known as the Phantom Rider, and preceding Daniel Ketch.Johnny Blaze was portrayed both in the 2007 film Ghost Rider and...
.
Deathwatch later appeared, alive and well, as a prisoner in
The RaftThe Raft is a fictional island prison facility in New York City for psychopathic superhuman criminals appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics...
.
The
HoodThe Hood is a fictional character, a supervillain, and a crime boss in the . Created by writer Brian K. Vaughan and artists Kyle Hotz and Eric Powell, the character first appeared in The Hood #1 .-Publication history:...
has hired him as part of his criminal organization to take advantage of the
split in the superhero communityCivil War is a 2006-2007 Marvel Comics crossover storyline built around a self-titled seven-issue limited series written by Mark Millar and penciled by Steve McNiven, which ran through various other titles published by Marvel at the time...
caused by the Superhuman Registration Act. He helps them fight the New Avengers, but is taken down by
Doctor StrangeDoctor Stephen Strange is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was co-created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, and first appeared in Strange Tales #110 ....
. In
Secret Invasion"Secret Invasion" is a comic book crossover storyline that ran through a self-titled eight issue limited series and several tie-in books published by Marvel Comics from April through December 2008....
, he is among the many supervillains who rejoined the Hood's crime syndicate and attacked an invading
SkrullThe Skrulls are a fictional race of extraterrestrial shapeshifters that appear in publications by Marvel Comics.-Publication history:The Skrulls first appeared in Fantastic Four #2 and were created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby....
force. He was later seen, during an attack on the New Avengers.
Deathwatch was seen during the
SiegeSiege is a fictional character, owned by Marvel Comics, who exists in the Marvel Universe.-Creative origins:John Kelly was initially created by Dwayne McDuffie and Gregory Wright as a pseudo-preview of their then-upcoming relaunch of Deathlok as well as to provide existing in-continuity backstory...
of
AsgardAsgard is a fictional realm within the Marvel Comics universe based on the Asgard of Norse mythology and is home to the Asgardians and other beings of Norse mythology...
as part of the Hood crime syndicate.
During the
Fear Itself"Fear Itself" is a 2011 crossover comic book storyline published by Marvel Comics, consisting of a seven-issue, eponymous miniseries written by Matt Fraction and illustrated by Stuart Immonen, Wade Von Grawbadger, and Laura Martin, a prologue book by writer Ed Brubaker and artist Scott Eaton, and...
storyline, Deathwatch and
BlackoutBlackout is the name of two fictional characters, both supervillains, in the Marvel Comics universe.-Marcus Daniels:-Fictional character biography:...
II assist Sin (in the form of Skadi) in attacking Dayton, Ohio. Since Johnny Blaze is no longer Ghost Rider, a man named Adam performs a ritual in a pyramid in Nicaragua in which one of his followers, a woman named Alejandra, becomes the new female Ghost Rider who is able to defeat Deathwatch and Blackout II.
Powers and abilities
Deathwatch is a native of an alien demonic dimension and so derived at least some of his superhuman powers from his non-human heritage. Deathwatch has the ability to absorb life from another creature that is experiencing pain or death and enhance his own health, strength, stamina, agility, and reflexes. He has the ability to physically penetrate a victim's body and disrupt internal organs without creating a surface wound. He also has the ability to absorb and access a victim's short-term memories by penetrating the victim's brain physically with his fingers, and has the ability to derive surges of physical and emotional pleasure from the proximity of death.
Deathwatch is a skilled
ninjaA or was a covert agent or mercenary of feudal Japan specializing in unorthodox arts of war. The functions of the ninja included espionage, sabotage, infiltration, and assassination, as well as open combat in certain situations...
, and highly proficient in acrobatic hand-to-hand combat, and is an experienced strangler. He is a master planner and strategist, and a skilled acrobat. He employs a wide range of warriors, including being the head of his own criminal combine and a group of ninja warriors. He usually wears a costume of synthetic stretch fabric lined with Kevlar.
Video games
- Deathwatch appears in the Ghost Rider
Ghost Rider is a third-person game based around the movie of the same name. The game's storyline is a sequel to the movie, and was penned by Marvel writers Garth Ennis and Jimmy Palmiotti. Players can play as Ghost Rider both on foot, or on the Hellcycle. The villains are both from the movie and...
video game voiced by Lex LangWalter Alexis "Lex" Lang is a two-time Emmy Award–winning American voice actor, producer and entrepreneur. He is the cofounder of The Love Planet Foundation, a non-profit organization which creates educational materials for children on the importance of recycling, world water awareness, and the...
.