Baron Von Blitzschlag
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| Baron Von Blitzschlag | |
 Baron Werner Von Blitzschlag. Art by Stefano Caselli. |
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| Publication information | |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | Avengers: The Initiative # 1 (April 2007) |
| Created by | Dan Slott Stefano Caselli |
| In story information | |
| Alter ego | Werner Von Blitzschlag |
| Team affiliations | The Initiative Nazi Party Commission on Superhuman Activities |
| Abilities | Genius level intellect and an ability to generate and control electricity |
Baron Werner Von Blitzschlag is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics Universe, created by writer Dan Slott and artist Stefano Caselli. The Baron's last name is German for "Lightning-Strike."
[edit] 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]
[edit] Fictional character biography
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.
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. After Pym laments the fact that he has to work with a former supervillain and Nazi, Von Blitzschlag points out Pym's role in a number of "villainous" acts including the creation of Ultron and the Thor Clone/Cyborg from Civil War, finishing by saying "Don't hate me Herr Pym, for I am your greatest fan!".
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. However, he was unable produce more than an electric glow around his hand, indicating that his powers are extremely weakened.
It is later revealed that Von Blitzschlag used MVP's body to clone several duplicates, three of which are currently serving as the Scarlet Spiders who treat Blitzschlag as a father figure.
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.
Wounded during the mission, he's left wheelchair bound and relying on a life-supporting apparatus powered by his own bioelectricity. He asks for a Purple Heart medal for being wounded in service, but he's refused by Nighthawk, due to his past as a Nazi.
