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Foreigner (comics)
Encyclopedia
The Foreigner is a fictional comic book
supervillain
in the Marvel Comics
universe. He was created by writer Peter David
, and first appeared in Web of Spider-Man #15 (June 1986)
The Foreigner is a mercenary and assassin. Although he has no superhuman abilities, he has trained his body to be in absolute peak physical condition, is among the greatest martial arts practitioners in the Marvel Universe, and as a professional assassin, who has evaded detection by various international law enforcement agencies, is highly intelligent. He is often depicted as being exceedingly competent.
The Foreigner was formerly married to Silver Sable
.
created the Foreigner as a master assassin character to be a nemesis for Spider-Man. According to David, the character was designed to bear a strong resemblance to Patrick McGoohan. The character's voice was first heard on a telephone in a scene in Web of Spider-Man #15 (June 1986), which was written by David Michelinie
, but did not make a full, visual appearance until later that year in The Spectacular Spider-Man
#116 (July 1986).
That year, at a meeting spearheaded by editor Jim Owsley in which the writers on the various Spider-Man titles discussed the upcoming revelation of the identity of the Hobgoblin
, another Spider-Man villain, and who the unmasked villain would be. Although the consensus was that it would be supporting character Ned Leeds
, and the various clues planted in The Amazing Spider-Man
by Tom DeFalco
went in that direction, DeFalco's acrimonious departure from that book, and the fact that many readers had correctly guessed Leeds as the Hobgoblin's alter ego provoked reservations on the part of the writers, who considered changing the revelation of his identity. Owsley suggested the Foreigner, but David was opposed to this, arguing that the Foreigner's signature identity was that he was "low profile" and that he did not engage in easily seen crimes while wearing gaudy, conspicuous costumes. David also pointed out that the Foreigner first appeared after Hobgoblin, and that attempting to establish that they were one and the same would "cheat" the reader. Owsley relented, and it was eventually decided that Hobgoblin would be Ned Leeds, and that he would be assasinated by agents of the Foreigner. (This would later be rectonned in the 1997 miniseries Spider-Man: Hobgoblin Lives, in which Roderick Kingsley was revealed as the true original Hobogoblin.)
when he made a wager with another villain, Chance, that the latter could not defeat and kill Spider-Man. The Foreigner won this wager. In an attempt to impress the Foreigner, the assassin Sabretooth
volunteered to kill the thief known as the Black Cat
, who had stolen a solid gold notebook from the Foreigner's office. However, Spider-Man intervened and defeated Sabretooth. Eventually, he defeated the Black Cat himself and then decided, instead of executing her, to start a romantic relationship with her and use her under the pretense of forming an alliance in order to destroy Spider-Man (all the while the true ulterior motive being to enlist the membership of Spider-Man as an assassin in his 1400 Club). Spider-Man turned him down and Foreigner was forced to abandon that identity.
The Foreigner hired an assassin to assume the identity of Blaze to fire-bomb the Black Cat's apartment. Disguised as Lieutenant Kris Keating, the Foreigner killed Blaze and framed Spider-Man for the job. As Keating, the Foreigner escaped an assassination attempt by the Rose
. He finally battled Spider-Man for the first time, and was betrayed by the Black Cat. The Foreigner hired the Hobgoblin
to steal an incriminating ledger from the Kingpin. The Foreigner was defeated by Silver Sable
in a fencing duel. Blood Rose hired the Foreigner, who in turn hired the Hunters and the New Enforcers
to bring down the remnants of the Kingpin's empire.
In the past he has started a club of assassins called the 1400 Club. The CIA, FBI, and most government agencies throughout the world are not aware of the Foreigner's existence or that of his organization. As a master of disguise, he has literally hundreds of identities all over the world. These identities are used not only by him, but by other members of his organization who are also masters of disguise and assassination.
He was formerly married to Silver Sable
, and was romantically involved for a short time with the Black Cat. He is a friend of Wilson Fisk
and it is rumored that the two became friends when the Foreigner was hired to kill Fisk by one of his enemies but the Foreigner discovered they had the same birthday and capriciously decided to kill his employer instead. Later, he met Fisk and initiated their friendship/business relationship.
The Foreigner was once hired to kill the Hobgoblin
by the mercenary
Jason Macendale (who later himself became the Hobgoblin). He carried out the execution of the third man to take the Hobgoblin persona, Ned Leeds
. The Foreigner's men made quick work of him and slit his throat thus ending his life.
It was later revealed that Ned Leeds was actually a puppet of the original Hobgoblin who had abandoned the persona to avoid such an assassination. Later he hired Whisper, Pulse, Swift, and Warfare to kill Betty Brant Leeds
, who was seeking to expose the Foreigner's role in her husband's death. He revealed to Betty that Ned Leeds was supposedly the original Hobgoblin.
At some time in the past the Foreigner trained the superhuman mutant known as Sabretooth. He has since distanced himself from his former novice. It seems the Foreigner shuns Sabretooth's murderous nature, at least in so much that Sabretooth even kills people when it is not profitable, which the Foreigner considers bad business practice.
He has been hired by many different characters carry out various assassinations. He has never been incarcerated or positively identified by authorities. The few cases in which he did not carry out his objectives tended to be due to his personal whimsy and not his inability. The Foreigner's real name and origin have yet to be revealed and although he speaks with a British accent, he may not be British.
At one point, machinations by Justin Hammer
turned the 1400 Club against him and the organization was destroyed; the Foreigner did not seem to intend to rebuild it, as he realized the whole thing was too unwieldy and bloated for his tastes.
and Wolverine
. His skills are such that even without superhuman abilities, he is able to pull off seemingly inhuman feats of strength through intense concentration, and has even battled Spider-Man to a stand still.
He possesses a near-mystic ability to place an opponent in a 10-second hypnotic trance through eye-contact, which makes the opponent believe the Foreigner can move faster than the eye can see. He has hypnotized Spider-Man in this fashion, which left Spider-Man disoriented or in a light trance for a few seconds while the Foreigner ran away at what seemed to be nearly superhuman speed; from Spider-Man's perspective it appeared that the Foreigner had teleported away.
He is a master of disguise and has assumed various identities all over the world, meaning that he probably speaks many different languages fluently. He is a brilliant strategist, tactician, and intelligence gatherer. His ability to escape detection from all government agencies and his remarkable intelligence gathering skills would require a great intellect.
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
supervillain
Supervillain
A 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 Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
universe. He was created by writer Peter David
Peter David
Peter Allen David , often abbreviated PAD, is an American writer of comic books, novels, television, movies and video games...
, and first appeared in Web of Spider-Man #15 (June 1986)
The Foreigner is a mercenary and assassin. Although he has no superhuman abilities, he has trained his body to be in absolute peak physical condition, is among the greatest martial arts practitioners in the Marvel Universe, and as a professional assassin, who has evaded detection by various international law enforcement agencies, is highly intelligent. He is often depicted as being exceedingly competent.
The Foreigner was formerly married to Silver Sable
Silver Sable
Silver Sable is a fictional character from Marvel Comics, a female mercenary, hunter of war criminals, the leader of the Wild Pack, and CEO of Silver Sable International...
.
Publication history
Writer Peter DavidPeter David
Peter Allen David , often abbreviated PAD, is an American writer of comic books, novels, television, movies and video games...
created the Foreigner as a master assassin character to be a nemesis for Spider-Man. According to David, the character was designed to bear a strong resemblance to Patrick McGoohan. The character's voice was first heard on a telephone in a scene in Web of Spider-Man #15 (June 1986), which was written by David Michelinie
David Michelinie
-Biography:Some of his earliest work is for DC Comics's House of Secrets and a run on Swamp Thing , following Len Wein and preceding Gerry Conway, illustrated by Nestor Redondo. Michelinie did a run on Aquaman in Adventure Comics which led to the revival of the Sea King's own title in 1977...
, but did not make a full, visual appearance until later that year in The Spectacular Spider-Man
The Spectacular Spider-Man
The Spectacular Spider-Man is the name of several comic books and one magazine series starring Marvel Comics' Spider-Man.The character's main series, The Amazing Spider-Man, was extremely successful, and Marvel felt the character could support more than one title. This led the company in 1968 to...
#116 (July 1986).
That year, at a meeting spearheaded by editor Jim Owsley in which the writers on the various Spider-Man titles discussed the upcoming revelation of the identity of the Hobgoblin
Hobgoblin (comics)
The Hobgoblin is the alias of several fictional characters that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The first and best-known Hobgoblin is Roderick Kingsley. He first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #238, and was created by Roger Stern and John Romita, Sr...
, another Spider-Man villain, and who the unmasked villain would be. Although the consensus was that it would be supporting character Ned Leeds
Ned Leeds
Ned Leeds is a comic book character in the Marvel Comics universe, part of the supporting cast of Spider-Man, first introduced in 1964 in The Amazing Spider-Man #18, by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko...
, and the various clues planted in The Amazing Spider-Man
The Amazing Spider-Man
The Amazing Spider-Man is an American comic book series published by Marvel Comics, featuring the adventures of the fictional superhero Spider-Man. Being the mainstream continuity of the franchise, it began publication in 1963 as a monthly periodical and was published continuously until it was...
by Tom DeFalco
Tom DeFalco
Tom DeFalco is an American comics writer and editor, well known for his association with Marvel Comics and in particular for his work with Spider-Man.-Career:...
went in that direction, DeFalco's acrimonious departure from that book, and the fact that many readers had correctly guessed Leeds as the Hobgoblin's alter ego provoked reservations on the part of the writers, who considered changing the revelation of his identity. Owsley suggested the Foreigner, but David was opposed to this, arguing that the Foreigner's signature identity was that he was "low profile" and that he did not engage in easily seen crimes while wearing gaudy, conspicuous costumes. David also pointed out that the Foreigner first appeared after Hobgoblin, and that attempting to establish that they were one and the same would "cheat" the reader. Owsley relented, and it was eventually decided that Hobgoblin would be Ned Leeds, and that he would be assasinated by agents of the Foreigner. (This would later be rectonned in the 1997 miniseries Spider-Man: Hobgoblin Lives, in which Roderick Kingsley was revealed as the true original Hobogoblin.)
Fictional character biography
The Foreigner first appeared as a foe of Spider-ManSpider-Man
Spider-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...
when he made a wager with another villain, Chance, that the latter could not defeat and kill Spider-Man. The Foreigner won this wager. In an attempt to impress the Foreigner, the assassin Sabretooth
Sabretooth (comics)
Sabretooth is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics supervillain created by writer Chris Claremont and artist/co-writer John Byrne. The character first appeared in Iron Fist #14...
volunteered to kill the thief known as the Black Cat
Black Cat (comics)
The Black Cat is a fictional character, a superheroine in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Marv Wolfman and artist Keith Pollard, she first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #194 ....
, who had stolen a solid gold notebook from the Foreigner's office. However, Spider-Man intervened and defeated Sabretooth. Eventually, he defeated the Black Cat himself and then decided, instead of executing her, to start a romantic relationship with her and use her under the pretense of forming an alliance in order to destroy Spider-Man (all the while the true ulterior motive being to enlist the membership of Spider-Man as an assassin in his 1400 Club). Spider-Man turned him down and Foreigner was forced to abandon that identity.
The Foreigner hired an assassin to assume the identity of Blaze to fire-bomb the Black Cat's apartment. Disguised as Lieutenant Kris Keating, the Foreigner killed Blaze and framed Spider-Man for the job. As Keating, the Foreigner escaped an assassination attempt by the Rose
Richard Fisk
Richard Fisk is a fictional character, a criminal in the , featured in the comic books published by Marvel Comics. He is the son of the Kingpin and his wife Vanessa Fisk...
. He finally battled Spider-Man for the first time, and was betrayed by the Black Cat. The Foreigner hired the Hobgoblin
Jason Macendale
Jason Philip Macendale, Jr. is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appears in Machine Man #19 , and was created by writer Tom DeFalco and artist Steve Ditko....
to steal an incriminating ledger from the Kingpin. The Foreigner was defeated by Silver Sable
Silver Sable
Silver Sable is a fictional character from Marvel Comics, a female mercenary, hunter of war criminals, the leader of the Wild Pack, and CEO of Silver Sable International...
in a fencing duel. Blood Rose hired the Foreigner, who in turn hired the Hunters and the New Enforcers
New Enforcers
The New Enforcers is a supervillain team in Marvel Comics.-Fictional team biography:After the fall of the Kingpin, the New Enforcers were one of the groups contesting for control of the remains of his empire. Their main adversary was Spider-Man, but they also contended with Blood Rose, a.k.a....
to bring down the remnants of the Kingpin's empire.
In the past he has started a club of assassins called the 1400 Club. The CIA, FBI, and most government agencies throughout the world are not aware of the Foreigner's existence or that of his organization. As a master of disguise, he has literally hundreds of identities all over the world. These identities are used not only by him, but by other members of his organization who are also masters of disguise and assassination.
He was formerly married to Silver Sable
Silver Sable
Silver Sable is a fictional character from Marvel Comics, a female mercenary, hunter of war criminals, the leader of the Wild Pack, and CEO of Silver Sable International...
, and was romantically involved for a short time with the Black Cat. He is a friend of Wilson Fisk
Kingpin (comics)
The 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...
and it is rumored that the two became friends when the Foreigner was hired to kill Fisk by one of his enemies but the Foreigner discovered they had the same birthday and capriciously decided to kill his employer instead. Later, he met Fisk and initiated their friendship/business relationship.
The Foreigner was once hired to kill the Hobgoblin
Hobgoblin (comics)
The Hobgoblin is the alias of several fictional characters that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The first and best-known Hobgoblin is Roderick Kingsley. He first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #238, and was created by Roger Stern and John Romita, Sr...
by the mercenary
Mercenary
A mercenary, is a person who takes part in an armed conflict based on the promise of material compensation rather than having a direct interest in, or a legal obligation to, the conflict itself. A non-conscript professional member of a regular army is not considered to be a mercenary although he...
Jason Macendale (who later himself became the Hobgoblin). He carried out the execution of the third man to take the Hobgoblin persona, Ned Leeds
Ned Leeds
Ned Leeds is a comic book character in the Marvel Comics universe, part of the supporting cast of Spider-Man, first introduced in 1964 in The Amazing Spider-Man #18, by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko...
. The Foreigner's men made quick work of him and slit his throat thus ending his life.
It was later revealed that Ned Leeds was actually a puppet of the original Hobgoblin who had abandoned the persona to avoid such an assassination. Later he hired Whisper, Pulse, Swift, and Warfare to kill Betty Brant Leeds
Betty Brant
Elizabeth "Betty" Brant is a supporting character in Marvel Comics’s Spider-Man series. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, she first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #4 .-Fictional character biography:...
, who was seeking to expose the Foreigner's role in her husband's death. He revealed to Betty that Ned Leeds was supposedly the original Hobgoblin.
At some time in the past the Foreigner trained the superhuman mutant known as Sabretooth. He has since distanced himself from his former novice. It seems the Foreigner shuns Sabretooth's murderous nature, at least in so much that Sabretooth even kills people when it is not profitable, which the Foreigner considers bad business practice.
He has been hired by many different characters carry out various assassinations. He has never been incarcerated or positively identified by authorities. The few cases in which he did not carry out his objectives tended to be due to his personal whimsy and not his inability. The Foreigner's real name and origin have yet to be revealed and although he speaks with a British accent, he may not be British.
At one point, machinations by Justin Hammer
Justin Hammer
Justin Hammer is a fictional character that has appeared in various comic book series published by Marvel Comics. As a frequent adversary of the superhero Iron Man, Justin Hammer exists in Marvel's main shared universe, known as the Marvel Universe...
turned the 1400 Club against him and the organization was destroyed; the Foreigner did not seem to intend to rebuild it, as he realized the whole thing was too unwieldy and bloated for his tastes.
Powers and abilities
The Foreigner has no superhuman abilities. However, he has trained his body to be in absolute peak physical condition. He is stronger, faster, more agile, and has better reaction time than any Olympic athlete. He is adept in all known forms of martial arts, and most forms of conventional hand weaponry. He is among the greatest pugilists in the Marvel Universe, similar in ability to Captain AmericaCaptain America
Captain America is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Captain America Comics #1 , from Marvel Comics' 1940s predecessor, Timely Comics, and was created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby...
and Wolverine
Wolverine (comics)
Wolverine is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Born as James Howlett and commonly known as Logan, Wolverine is a mutant, possessing animal-keen senses, enhanced physical capabilities, three retracting bone claws on each hand and a healing...
. His skills are such that even without superhuman abilities, he is able to pull off seemingly inhuman feats of strength through intense concentration, and has even battled Spider-Man to a stand still.
He possesses a near-mystic ability to place an opponent in a 10-second hypnotic trance through eye-contact, which makes the opponent believe the Foreigner can move faster than the eye can see. He has hypnotized Spider-Man in this fashion, which left Spider-Man disoriented or in a light trance for a few seconds while the Foreigner ran away at what seemed to be nearly superhuman speed; from Spider-Man's perspective it appeared that the Foreigner had teleported away.
He is a master of disguise and has assumed various identities all over the world, meaning that he probably speaks many different languages fluently. He is a brilliant strategist, tactician, and intelligence gatherer. His ability to escape detection from all government agencies and his remarkable intelligence gathering skills would require a great intellect.