Zaran
Encyclopedia
Zaran is a Marvel Comics
super-villain, and is a codename carried by two characters related to another.
. Early in his life, he was an agent of the British Secret Service: MI-6, but soon chose to become a mercenary and assassin. Training himself thoroughly in martial arts and the use of various kinds of weapons, he became known as a super-villain as well. He was first employed by Sarsfield and then Fah Lo Suee, and his first battle against a super-hero was against Shang-Chi
, the Master of Kung-Fu, who easily defeated him. He later battled and defeated Shang-Chi. Zaran then joined Batroc
's Brigade, and was employed by Obadiah Stane
to steal Captain America
's shield
.
In his next attempt to defeat super-heroes, Zaran joined forces with Razorfist II
and Shockwave
and fought the West Coast Avengers
Hawkeye
, Mockingbird
, and Iron Man
. He battled Hawkeye again alongside Batroc's Brigade.
During the legendary Bloodstone Hunt storyline, Zaran became good friends with fellow mercenary Batroc. Batroc's Brigade was employed by Baron Zemo to acquire the fragments of the Bloodstone, and Zaran fought Captain America and Diamondback
but lost once more. From then on Zaran was mostly seen alongside Batroc, fighting heroes such as Nomad
.
At one point in his life, Zaran also trained another fellow assassin and allowed him to use his codename in battle. He later participated in the hunt for the X-Men
thief known as Gambit
, where he was apprehended by local police officers.
, Black Widow, Daredevil
and Shang-Chi
. He is initially employed by the Shadow-Hand to steal a chemical elixir from A.I.M.
for Shang-Chi's father, a super-villain sometimes known as Fu Manchu
. He is then ordered to kill Shang-Chi himself.
, Zaran was forced to join said super-hero group during the Civil War
event.
Zaran has been identified as one of the 142 registered superheroes who are part of the Initiative program
.
's Dragons criminal organization, alongside, Mantis
, Swordsman
and Machete
. Zaran is killed by Bullseye after the Dragons are ambushed by the Kingpin's assassins.
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...
super-villain, and is a codename carried by two characters related to another.
Maximillian Zaran
Fictional character biography
Maximillian Zaran was born in Great BritainGreat Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
. Early in his life, he was an agent of the British Secret Service: MI-6, but soon chose to become a mercenary and assassin. Training himself thoroughly in martial arts and the use of various kinds of weapons, he became known as a super-villain as well. He was first employed by Sarsfield and then Fah Lo Suee, and his first battle against a super-hero was against Shang-Chi
Shang-Chi
Shang-Chi is a Marvel Comics character, often called the "Master of Kung Fu". He was created by writer Steve Englehart and artist Jim Starlin....
, the Master of Kung-Fu, who easily defeated him. He later battled and defeated Shang-Chi. Zaran then joined Batroc
Batroc the Leaper
Batroc the Leaper is a fictional villain from Marvel Comics. His first appearance was in Tales of Suspense #75, 1966...
's Brigade, and was employed by Obadiah Stane
Obadiah Stane
Obadiah Stane is a fictional supervillain from comic books published by Marvel Comics. He first appeared in Iron Man #163 , and was created by Dennis O'Neil and Luke McDonnell....
to steal Captain America
Captain 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...
's shield
Captain America's shield
Captain America's shield is a fictional item, the primary defensive and offensive piece of equipment used by the Marvel Comics superhero Captain America; he is seldom seen without it. Over the years, Captain America has had the use of several different shields of varying composition and design...
.
In his next attempt to defeat super-heroes, Zaran joined forces with Razorfist II
Razor Fist
Razor Fist is a Marvel Comics supervillain. There have actually been 3 characters, all virtually identical in appearance and ability, to go by this title. The original Razor Fist was killed off in the comic books many years ago. The next two characters to take the title were brothers...
and Shockwave
Shockwave (comics)
Shockwave is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics Universe whose first appearance was in Master of Kung Fu vol. 1 #42.-Fictional character biography:...
and fought the West Coast Avengers
West Coast Avengers
The West Coast Avengers is a fictional group of superheroes that appear in publications published by Marvel Comics. The team first appear in The West Coast Avengers #1 and was created by Roger Stern and Bob Hall.- Publication history :...
Hawkeye
Hawkeye (comics)
Hawkeye , also known as Goliath and Ronin, is a fictional character that appears in the comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Tales of Suspense #57 and was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Don Heck. Hawkeye joined the Avengers in Avengers Vol. 1 #16 Hawkeye...
, Mockingbird
Mockingbird (Marvel Comics)
Mockingbird is a fictional character, a superhero in the who first appears in the Ka-Zar story in Astonishing Tales #6 written by Gerry Conway and pencilled by Barry Smith...
, and Iron Man
Iron Man
Iron Man is a fictional character, a superhero in the . The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby, first appearing in Tales of Suspense #39 .A billionaire playboy, industrialist and ingenious engineer,...
. He battled Hawkeye again alongside Batroc's Brigade.
During the legendary Bloodstone Hunt storyline, Zaran became good friends with fellow mercenary Batroc. Batroc's Brigade was employed by Baron Zemo to acquire the fragments of the Bloodstone, and Zaran fought Captain America and Diamondback
Diamondback (comics)
Diamondback is the name of four fictional characters appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics.-Publication history:Diamondback first appeared in Captain America #310 , written by Mark Gruenwald and illustrated by Paul Neary.-Willis Stryker:The first Diamondback was a foe of Luke Cage...
but lost once more. From then on Zaran was mostly seen alongside Batroc, fighting heroes such as Nomad
Nomad (comics)
Nomad is the name of a number of superhero characters who have appeared in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The Nomad name and costume was created by writer Steve Englehart and artist Sal Buscema as an alternate identity for the original Captain America, Steve Rogers, in Captain America #180...
.
At one point in his life, Zaran also trained another fellow assassin and allowed him to use his codename in battle. He later participated in the hunt for the X-Men
X-Men
The X-Men are a superhero team in the . They were created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, and first appeared in The X-Men #1...
thief known as Gambit
Gambit (comics)
Gambit is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics superhero that has been a member of the X-Men. Created by writer Chris Claremont and artist Jim Lee, the character first appeared briefly in Uncanny X-Men Annual #14 , weeks before a more comprehensive appearance in Uncanny X-Men #266...
, where he was apprehended by local police officers.
Marvel Knights
Zaran would return to battle a loose collection of superheroes involving DaggerCloak and Dagger (comics)
Cloak and Dagger are a fictional comic book superhero duo in the . They were created by writer William "Bill" Mantlo and designed by artist Edward Hannigan.-Publication history:...
, Black Widow, Daredevil
Daredevil (Marvel Comics)
Daredevil is a fictional character, a superhero in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Bill Everett, with an unspecified amount of input from Jack Kirby, and first appeared in Daredevil #1 .Living in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood...
and Shang-Chi
Shang-Chi
Shang-Chi is a Marvel Comics character, often called the "Master of Kung Fu". He was created by writer Steve Englehart and artist Jim Starlin....
. He is initially employed by the Shadow-Hand to steal a chemical elixir from A.I.M.
Advanced Idea Mechanics
A.I.M. is a fictional terrorist organization in the . The organization first appeared in Strange Tales #146 and was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.-Publication history:...
for Shang-Chi's father, a super-villain sometimes known as Fu Manchu
Fu Manchu
Dr. Fu Manchu is a fictional character introduced in a series of novels by British author Sax Rohmer during the first half of the 20th century...
. He is then ordered to kill Shang-Chi himself.
Civil War/The Initiative
Escaping jail and facing the ThunderboltsThunderbolts (comics)
The Thunderbolts are a Marvel Comics superhero team, which consists mostly of former supervillains. The group first appeared in The Incredible Hulk #449 , and was created by Kurt Busiek and Mark Bagley.-Publication history:...
, Zaran was forced to join said super-hero group during the Civil War
Civil War (comics)
Civil 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...
event.
Zaran has been identified as one of the 142 registered superheroes who are part of the Initiative program
Avengers: The Initiative
Avengers: The Initiative was a comic book series from Marvel Comics. Written by Dan Slott and Christos Gage with artwork initially by Stefano Caselli, Steve Uy and Harvey Tolibao, the series dealt with the aftermath of Marvel's Civil War crossover Avengers: The Initiative was a comic book series...
.
Powers and abilities
Zaran is an athletic man with no superhuman powers. He received British Secret Service training, and has knowledge of all forms of armed and unarmed combat, and extensive knowledge of ancient and modern weapons, including knives, bows, staffs, maces, spears, nunchakus, shuriken, and guns. He wears a leather outfitted with a variety of specialized clips, loops, and pockets for carrying weapons. He usually carries small sais (three pronged daggers) attached to his gauntlets, collar and codpiece, a bo staff/spear/blow gun, and a wide variety of weapons as needed.Shang-Chi villain
Fictional character biography
The identity of the second Zaran is unknown, but it has been revealed that he was trained by the original Zaran to become a mercenary. Like his master before him, the second Zaran sought out Shang-Chi in battle but was soon afterward defeated by him. Zaran hasn't been seen since.House of M
In this reality, Zaran is a member of Shang-ChiShang-Chi
Shang-Chi is a Marvel Comics character, often called the "Master of Kung Fu". He was created by writer Steve Englehart and artist Jim Starlin....
's Dragons criminal organization, alongside, Mantis
Mantis (Marvel Comics)
Mantis is a fictional character, a superhero in the Marvel Universe, and former member of the Avengers.-Publication history:Mantis first appeared in Avengers #112 , drawn by Don Heck...
, Swordsman
Swordsman (comics)
Swordsman is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics universe. His first appearance was in Avengers Vol.1 #19 and was created by Stan Lee and Don Heck. The Swordsman was introduced as an enemy of Hawkeye and the Avengers...
and Machete
Machete (comics)
- Machete :The first known Machete was Ferdinand Lopez, a member of Batroc's Brigade and Doom's Brigade. He was also a former revolutionary of San Diablo in South America. He became a mercenary to finance a revolution but was reportedly killed by Zeitgeist...
. Zaran is killed by Bullseye after the Dragons are ambushed by the Kingpin's assassins.