Desert Sword

Desert Sword
Publication information
Publisher	Marvel Comics
First appearance	New Mutants vol. 1 Annual #7
In-story information
Member(s)	Aminedi Arabian Knight Black Raazer Sirocco Veil

The Desert Sword is a fictional human/mutant team in the Marvel Comics Universe. Their first appearance was in New Mutants Annual #7.

Fictional biography

Desert Sword was designed to be Iraq's personal superhuman military team, led by Sirocco. The original team's roster included Sirocco, Aminedi, the Veil, and Black Raazer, until Iraq forced Arabian Knight onto the team. Arabian Knight however was a double agent working with the Pantheon. Desert Sword's first recorded mission was to prevent the U.S. sanctioned super team Freedom Force from liberating a German scientist named Reinhold Kurtzmann in Kuwait. They arrived before Freedom Force and managed to secure Kurtzmann. Achieving their goal they waited for Freedom Force and ambushed them. In the battle that followed Aminedi managed to decapitate Super Sabre and cut off Crimson Commando's right arm before Freedom Force managed to capture Kurtzmann and retreating. Desert Sword managed to recapture the German scientist, but Pyro killed him before he could give the Iraqis nuclear weapon capability. Enraged at their mission's failure the team pressed the assault against the American heroes causing Avalanche and the Commando to become trapped in a minefield. During the skirmish Pyro managed to kill the Veil and Blob was stabbed several times by the Arabian Knight and Black Raazer. Desperate and hurt Blob turned the tide of the battle and managed to wound Arabian Knight with his own sword. As Avalanche and Crimson Commando lay in the minefield it became apparent that the Commando's condition was getting worse. Finally making a decision Avalanche managed to take the Commando to their designated extraction point and get him to safety, leaving both Blob and Pyro who were later captured by Desert Sword.^[1]

Held as prisoners, Blob and Pyro were forced to serve as bodyguards for Iraq's military elite until Toad came and freed them in order to have them join the new Brotherhood of Evil Mutants.^{[volume & issue needed]} It was later revealed that Aminedi was killed by the Legacy Virus.^{[volume & issue needed]} The Arabian Knight's wounds healed and he went on to battle the U.S. chemically altered soldier codenamed Sandstorm,^{[volume & issue needed]} and opposed fellow Pantheon members over an issue of ethnic cleansing in Bosnia.^{[volume & issue needed]} Arabian Knight was indirectly killed by a powerful mutant named Humus Sapien.^[2] Black Raazer and Sirocco are the only active members left.

Membership

• Aminedi: mutant, transform his physical body into a mass of sentient air particles making him invisible and intangible while moving at superhuman speeds and striking as a razor cutting wind, slicing through solid materials.
• Arabian Knight: golden scimitar fires concussive energy discharges, belt-sash is capable of stretching and reforming to his will, magic carpet can levitate through the air with him and his passengers.
• Black Raazer: immortal entity, intangibility, enhanced strength, levitation, sorcery, enchanted blade can steal the life energy and size of others
• Sirocco: mutant, warp nearby weather patterns to create swirling air funnels that can strike with concussive impact or lift him into the air.
• Veil: mutant, release a chemical agent from her skin that reacts with the atmosphere to create a thick, billowing fog that masks her movements.

References

1. ^ New Mutants Annual #7; Uncanny X-Men Annual #15; X-Factor Annual #6
2. ^ Thunderbolts Volume #1 #55