Don of the Dead

Don of the Dead
The Don of the Dead in Power Man and Iron Fist vol. 2 #1 (2011). Art by Wellinton Alves and Nelson Pereira
Publication information
Publisher	Marvel Comics
First appearance	Taskmaster vol. 2 #2 (August 2010)
Created by	Fred Van Lente Jefte Palo
In-story information
Alter ego
Team affiliations	S.H.I.E.L.D. Los Narcocorridoes
Notable aliases	El Don De Los Muertos
Abilities	Skilled marksman and swordsman

The Don of the Dead is a fictional character, a supervillain in the Marvel Comics universe. His first appearance was in Taskmaster vol. 2 #2 (2010) and was created by Fred Van Lente and Jeffe Palo. The character's name is a pun of George A. Romero's 1978 zombie horror film, Dawn of the Dead.

Publication history

The preview of Taskmaster vol. 2 #2, written by Fred Van Lente and penciled by Jefte Palo, acted as a teasing introduction to a new Marvel Comics character called the Don of the Dead.

“

Everyone's favorite anti-hero [Taskmaster] continues the quest for his secret origin (so secret he himself doesn't even know it) to drug war-torn Mexico, where even the billion-dollar bounty hunters of The Org, the mysterious super villain underground, fear to tread. But instead, he discovers an even more formidable threat: the newest murderous Marvel sensation, the bad guy you'll be talking about for years, or possibly minutes. Are you prepared for the senses-shattering debut of...THE DON OF THE DEAD? (Hint: No. You're not.)[1]

”

Speaking about the conception of the character, writer Fred Van Lente said "I believe the idea for the character came when I was looking at some Mexican Day of the Dead figurines and it just occurred to me that it would be awesome to have a super villain who dressed up in that outfit. Somehow the pun of Don of the Dead came to me and I laughed like Beavis and/or Butthead. Thus a character was born; a character with the worst Mexican accent in the history of comics. And as it turns out he isn't even Mexican at all."^[2]

The Don of the Dead has appeared in Taskmaster vol. 2 #2 (2010) and Power Man and Iron Fist vol. 2 #1 (2011).

Fictional character biography

The Don of the Dead was originally a US citizen and ex-S.H.I.E.L.D. intelligence operative who had fled to Mexico. He, along with the Taskmaster, re-trained former Mexican Special Forces members to take over the operations of a drug cartel. The group became known as Los Narcocorridoes, and the former S.H.I.E.L.D. agent (donning a skull mask and feigning a Mexican accent) became their leader, known as the Don of the Dead.^[3]

The Don of the Dead also formed a band with various members of his criminal gang to record music "immortalizing" their exploits.^[4]

When a bounty was placed on Taskmaster's head, he followed his instincts and travelled to Mexico. He was met by the Don of the Dead who welcomed him with open arms. Taskmaster did not trust the Don of the Dead and later tried to escape in a stolen school bus. He was pursued by the Don and his Los Narcocorridoes. During the resulting pursuit, the Don of the Dead is knocked from the roof of the bus and off of a cliff.^[5]

The Don of the Dead makes his next appearance in Power Man and Iron Fist vol. 2 #1, also written by Fred Van Lente.^[6]

Powers and abilities

The Don of the Dead is a skilled gunslinger, marksman and swordsman. An ex-S.H.I.E.L.D. operative, he displays excellent hand to hand combat skills and a keen tactical mind.

References

1. ^ [1], Marvel.com
2. ^ [2], Comic Book Resources
3. ^ Taskmaster vol. 2 #2
4. ^ Taskmaster vol. 2 #2
5. ^ Taskmaster vol. 2 #2
6. ^ Power Man & Iron Fist vol. 2 #2

External list

• Don of the Dead at the Marvel Universe
• Don of the Dead at Comic Vine