Baron Von Blitzschlag

Baron Werner Von Blitzschlag is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Dan Slott and artist Stefano Caselli, the Baron's last name is German for "Lightning-Strike."

Publication history

Character creator Dan Slott describes^[1] Baron Von Blitzschlag as

A Nazi supervillain that you've never seen. He's someone who had off panel run-ins with guys like the Whizzer, Miss America, and Thin Man. But no one really remembers him. The way he works in this book is that he's one of the guys in Hank Pym's lab in the Initiative. You read stuff like 'Civil War' and you see that they're making heroes like the new Champions. And that's one of the places he comes in. The Baron is a Nazi geneticist who is helping out the Initiative in the same way Wernher von Braun was helping out the NASA space program. As much as we hate the Nazis and they were awful human beings, we used guys who worked on the V-2 rockets to help us put men on the moon and the Russians were using them too. There's something like that going on in the Initiative but I can't say any more about it.

Originally, Blitzschlag's role was going to be filled by the pre-existing character Arnim Zola, but this was changed due to Ed Brubaker's plans for the character in Captain America.^[2]

Fictional character biography

During World War II, Baron Werner Von Blitzschlag was a Nazi supervillain who fought superheroes such as Captain America, Isaiah Bradley, Whizzer, Miss America, and Thin Man.^[3]

Following the conclusion to Civil War, Baron Von Blitzschlag is recruited into The Initiative and works at Camp Hammond, seemingly taking the position as the head of scientific research. He sits in on training sessions and is particularly interested in the development of Trauma's abilities.^[4]

Following the death of MVP, Von Blitzschlag is asked to perform the autopsy. After discovering MVP's naturally formed peak human abilities, he argues with Hank Pym over whether exploiting MVP's genetic material in order to create more superheroes is ethical.

When the Vulturions (criminals using the flying technology created by the original Vulture) stole a briefcase containing classified research on gamma radiation from Von Blitzschlag, he attempted to stop them, and displayed a power to generate electricity.^[5]

Von Blitzschlag uses MVP's body to clone several duplicates, three of which serve as the Scarlet Spiders who treat Blitzschlag as a father figure.^[6] Blitzschlag became emotionally attached to his three 'sons'^[7] and showed distress when two of them were killed in combat,^[8] and was rejected by the surviving Scarlet Spider.^[8][9]

When a new clone of MVP interfaced with Armory's Tactigon weapon, he remembered the death of the original like it was his own. Subsequently, the clone went on a mad rampage, during which he threw a gurney at the Baron. Von Blitzschlag got up severely injured reactivating his powers to keep himself alive and able to send Cloud 9, Hardball, and Komodo on a mission to stop the mad clone, known as KIA.^[10]

Wounded during the mission, he is left in a wheelchair and relies on a life-supporting apparatus powered by his own bioelectricity. He asks for a Purple Heart medal for being wounded in service, but is refused by Nighthawk, due to his past as a Nazi.^[11]

When Jim Rhodes' life support is rendered unable to sustain his life functions due to a Skrull attack during the Secret Invasion, Von Blitzschlag is willing to share his energy to keep Rhodes alive until the crisis is resolved.^[3]

When the Thor-Clone unexpectedly reawakens, he threatens the Baron into retrieving his hammer and seemingly kills him right after.^[12] Instead, the electric discharges make Von Blitzschlag even more powerful and able to stand as electricity "is his blood". The Baron surprises Ragnarok (as the clone is now known) during his fight with both Initiative members and Counter Force and manages to drive him off by revealing his real origins.^[8] Von Blitzschlag also appears when Star-Lord and the Guardians of the Galaxy brief Gauntlet and Mister Fantastic about the conquest of Negative Zone's prison done by Blastaar.^[13]

When the Avengers Resistance invades Camp H.A.M.M.E.R., Hardball and Cloud 9 walk in on a depowered Komodo holding Baron Von Blitzschlag at gunpoint. They take her gun away but only so she doesn't shoot Hardball before he can inject her with something that inhibits the SPIN Tech in her bloodstream. Cloud 9 then gets Komodo to listen to Hardball explain his actions by mentioning how Hardball aided the Shadow Initiative. Before they talk, Baron Von Blitzschlag surrenders and offers to give the three heroes a flash-drive containing records of every illegal order Osborn gave at Camp H.A.M.M.E.R. in exchange for leniency.^[14]

In other media

Television

• Baron von Blitzschlag appears in The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes, in the episodes "The Red Skull Strikes!" and "If This Be Doomsday!" in a flashback, as lead scientist of Hydra during World War II.

References

External links

• Baron Von Blitzschlag at the Comic Book DB