- Reaper (Gunther Strauss)
Infobox comics character
imagesize=200px
converted=
caption=Panel from "Captain America Comics" #22 (Jan 1943). Pencils byAl Avison , inks byAl Gabriele .
character_name=Reaper
real_name=Gunther Strauss
species=
publisher=Marvel Comics
debut="Captain America Comics" #22 (Jan 1943)
creators=Stan Lee andAl Avison
alliances=Nazis ,Adolf Hitler
aliases=The Man the Law Could Not Touch
powers=None.|The Reaper, the alias of Gunther Strauss, is a supervillain in thefiction al shared universe ofMarvel Comics , and an enemy ofCaptain America andBucky . [Comic book reference | writer=Hoskin, Michael, et al | penciller=Brown, Eliot | inker=Brown, Eliot | story= | title= Marvel Atlas| volume=1 | issue=1 | date=November, 2007 | publisher=Marvel Comics | page= | panel= ] He first appeared in "Captain America Comics" #22 (Jan 1943), and his origin and first appearance were reprinted in full in "The Invaders" vol. 1 #10 (November, 1976).Fictional character biography
Gunther Strauss, a Nazi agent, was ordered by
Adolf Hitler to cause a popular uprising in the United States. Acting as "the Reaper", Strauss traveled toManhattan and claimed to be a religiousprophet who had received an oracular vision. He promised to reveal the contents of this vision at a rally inMadison Square Garden , to which a huge crowd of both the faithful and simple curiosity-seekers gathered. The Reaper exhorted the crowd to abandon morality and to attack the trappings of society, to tear down the legal system and, ultimately, the federal government itself.cite book | last = Sanderson | first = Peter | authorlink = | coauthors = | title = The Marvel Comics Guide to New York City | publisher =Pocket Books | date = 2007 | location = New York City | pages = 74-75 | url = | doi = | id = | isbn = 1-14653-141-6]After the rally, the Reaper continued his ranting speeches in New York City, and more and more people were swayed by his
demagoguery . There was a surge in popular unrest in the city, rioting broke out, and a few people even attempted to attack federal buildings.Captain America andBucky intervened, but were told by the Reaper that he was legally untouchable, as he had broken no laws, his free speech being protected by theFirst Amendment to the United States Constitution . Turning the tables, the Reaper actually filed a police complaint against them, forbreaking and entering , which caused the police to issue a warrant for their arrest.Comic book reference | writer=Lee, Stan | penciller=Avison, Al | inker=Gabriele, Al | story=The Reaper | title=Captain America Comics | volume=1 | issue=22 | date=January, 1943 | publisher=Marvel Comics | page= | panel= ]Regardless,
Captain America appeared at the Reaper's next rally, to publicly challenge the ideas he was putting forth. The Reaper exhorted the frenzied crowd to attack Captain America, and a large portion of it moved to do so. In the scuffle, Captain America was knocked unconscious by the Reaper, who then personally led the crowd to attackNew York City Hall . While this was happening,Bucky had acquired documentation that definitively proved the Reaper was an "agent provocateur " working for theNazi s, and not an American citizen. Bucky and a revived Captain America pursued the Reaper into theNew York City Subway , where he was disarmed by Captain America. The Reaper attempted to flee into a subway tunnel, but fell on the electrifiedthird rail and was killed.Powers
The Reaper does not appear to possess superhuman powers. He is however, an experienced orator and
demagogue , capable of whipping an audience of listeners into a frenzy. He carries a large, ordinaryscythe , which he can use as a weapon. He also has a number of agents of theNazi Party at his disposal.External links
* [http://www.marvunapp.com/Appendix/reaperna.htm The Reaper (World War II)] at the Appendix to the Handbook of the Marvel Universe.
References
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