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| Paladin | |
|---|---|
 Paladin. Art byLeinil Francis Yu. | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | Daredevil #150 (January 1978) |
| Created by | Jim Shooter (writer) Carmine Infantino (artist) |
| In-story information | |
| Species | Human |
| Team affiliations | Heroes for Hire The Intruders Thunderbolts Defenders Wild Pack |
| Notable aliases | Paul Denning Paul Dennis Paladin |
| Abilities |
|
Paladin is a character appearing inAmerican comic books published byMarvel Comics. Created by writerJim Shooter and artistCarmine Infantino, the character first appeared inDaredevil #150 (January 1978).[1] His real name is unknown, though he often uses the alias ofPaul Denning.[2] Although not asupervillain, his mercenary activities often bring him into conflict withsuperheroes,[3] facing characters likeDaredevil and thePunisher.[4] He has notably worked for theWild Pack, theThunderbolts, and theSerpent Society.[5]
The character is set to make his live-action debut in theMarvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) miniseriesVisionQuest (2026), portrayed byTodd Stashwick.
The character was inspired by the 1950s Western television seriesHave Gun – Will Travel,[6] whose main character, Paladin, an investigator/gunfighter, travels around the Old West working as a mercenary for people who hire him to solve their problems.[7]
Paladin debuted inDaredevil #150 (January 1978), with follow-up appearances in #152 (May 1978) and #154 (September 1978) as part of the samestory arc.[8] The character had a one-shot story published inMarvel Premiere #43 (August 1978),[9] and was a billed guest star in the Spider-Man team-up titleMarvel Team-Up #108 (August 1981).[10] From there on, Paladin has mostly appeared as a guest star across the Marvel Universe,[11] with occasional forays as a superteam member, inSilver Sable and the Wild Pack,Heroes for Hire,[12] andThunderbolts, and occasional feature appearances in theMarvel Comics Presents anthology.
Paladin is a mercenary and private investigator, whose past is largely unrevealed. When first seen, he soughtDaredevil while engaged in an assignment to track down thePurple Man, and battled Daredevil. He clashed with Daredevil a second time after the crime fighter inadvertently interfered with Paladin's search for the Purple Man. Paladin allied with Daredevil in battle against theCobra, theJester, andMister Hyde, who were under control of the Purple Man.[13]
Paladin next battled theGhost.[14] Paladin aided theWasp againstBaron Brimstone, acquired a modified uniform, and began a romance with the Wasp.[15] Paladin aided theAvengers in battle against theMasters of Evil.[16] Paladin allied withSpider-Man and the Wasp against mobsters; despite respecting Spider-Man's abilities, Paladin is incredulous that Spider-Man offers his heroic services without charge (Paladin literally laughs in Spider-Man's face upon learning this[17]), while Spider-Man in turn is disgusted by Paladin's mercenary ways.[18] Paladin also considers Spider-Man's incessant battle banter "unprofessional".[19]
Paladin was later employed bySilver Sable to investigate a conspiracy which threatened her native country ofSymkaria, and he allied with Spider-Man.[20] Paladin was then hired byDiamondback to raidSerpent Society headquarters. He was captured, but freed byCaptain America.[21] Paladin accompanied Captain America in his search for Diamondback, theAsp, andBlack Mamba. With his new allies, Paladin battledSuperia'sFemizons.[22]
An unabashed womanizer, Paladin often flirted with whoever woman caught his eye. He briefly dated the Wasp at a time when she was separated fromHank Pym, much to theBlack Knight's jealousy, who was also attracted to her.[23] For a time, he also enlistedGeneration X into helping him retrieve a sword forAdrienne Frost. During this periodJubilee was attracted to Paladin, but that affection disappeared when Generation X and Paladin later went their separate ways.[24] He has also been a longtime ally to Silver Sable and her Wild Pack organization, working for pay, of course. He once helped them protect a scientist from a kidnapping attempt by theHeroes for Hire, a group he would later join.[25] His main opponent wasMisty Knight, who seemed to be an equal match.[volume & issue needed]
Paladin had exhibited a certain amount of honor in some cases. For example, he was once hired by a corrupt government to assist rebels as part of a sting operation. He aided the rebels in a bomb-laying operation at a government facility. When the rebels were caught, his government handler remarked how lucky they were that the bomb had not gone off. Paladin replied, "I'm sorry, that would have been extra," and activated the bomb by remote control while driving away.[26]
In the 1990 one-shotThe Punisher: No Escape, he was offered 10 million dollars by mobster Vincent Mangano to kill thePunisher.[27] Paladin agreed to this arrangement, but did not succeed, and in the ensuing fight both of his legs were broken by theU.S. Agent.
Paladin once took downDaredevil with a sniper rifle from a helicopter at a great distance. He did so for the FBI, in exchange for getting his record expunged. The hit, while serious, was not fatal; Paladin's sniper attack led to Daredevil's arrest.[28]
Paladin was a main character inHeroes for Hire, although as Misty Knight said he was just there for the money. As it turns out, he was a traitor to the group, only using the Heroes as a means to hunt down Captain America forS.H.I.E.L.D. as part ofCivil War.[volume & issue needed]
He single-handedly defeated Captain America and the entire Heroes for Hire team, with the exceptions ofTarantula andOrka, who were not present when the fight took place, with a special gas weapon that affected the nervous system.[volume & issue needed] He then radioed S.H.I.E.L.D. and told them he had Captain America in custody.[29] However, he did not account forShang-Chi's ability to hold his breath over an extended period (thanks to his martial arts training) and was overpowered by him.[volume & issue needed] Shang-Chi then aided Captain America, who afterwards switched his costume with Paladin, causing S.H.I.E.L.D. to take Paladin instead into custody.[30]
InDark Reign, Paladin joins theThunderbolts,Norman Osborn's personal black ops team.[31][volume & issue needed] Hired to assassinateElektra for 82 million dollars, Paladin broke into H.A.M.M.E.R. headquarters. However, Elektra overpowered him by choking him with one of her teeth that was loosened when Paladin punched her. Begging for his life, Paladin gave Elektra the key to escape her prison.[32]
During theSiege of Asgard, Paladin and the other Thunderbolts were sent to Asgard with the mission of stealing theSpear of Odin for Osborn. After fighting through a contingent ofAsgardians, they managed to find the Spear of Odin.[volume & issue needed] Paladin, finally having had enough of serving a madman like Osborn, turned on his teammates and tried to take back the object. After being attacked by fellow Thunderbolt Grizzly, Paladin was saved byAnt-Man. Grizzly then lost the Spear of Odin to Mr. X who in turn was easily defeated by Quicksilver. Ant-Man recovered the Spear of Odin and gave it to Paladin who decided to take the object to keep Osborn from using its power for his own ends. Paladin then departed from Asgard after saying goodbye to Ant-Man.[33]
During the "Shadowland" storyline, Paladin is paired withSilver Sable,Misty Knight, andShroud when Daredevil'sHand ninjas end up targeting members of the mafia.[34] Following this, Misty Knight reopens Heroes for Hire under the influence of Puppet Master; Paladin joins the team and soon realizes this and frees Misty from Puppet Master's control with the help from Iron Fist. After the defeat of Puppet Master, Paladin convinces Misty to keep the operation open, but under their terms.[35]
In "Venom War", Paladin,Solo, and their fellow mercenaries battleEddie Brock,Bedlam, Tyro, and Wilde when they crash a wrestling match in Grand Garden Arena. They are defeated and deposited outside for EMTs to deal with. It is then revealed that the mercenaries were hired byAlchemax due to a lack of in-house talent.[36]
Paladin possesses superhuman strength, stamina, speed, and reaction time.[37] He is also a highly skilled hand-to-hand combatant, with knowledge ofBoxing,[38]Judo,[38]Savate,[39] andTaekwondo.[38] In addition, Paladin is a skilled marksman, actor, espionage agent, bodyguard and detective.
While he has been known to use lethal force, his preferred weapon is his stun gun, firing a beam which scrambles the signals within the target's nervous system sufficiently to render most people unconscious. The range and effectiveness are unknown. The gun is equipped so that only Paladin may operate it.
Paladin wears a bodysuit of synthetic stretch fabric, and his boots, gloves, helmet, torso, and knee and elbow guards are made of bulletproof composite materials. Paladin's helmet is equipped with a belt-activated faceplate which slides down to make the helmet airtight; the sealed helmet has a one-hour air supply. The lenses in Paladin's helmet can be adjusted for infrared vision.
Matthew Aguilar ofComicBook.com stated Paladin became a fan favorite since his time with the Thunderbolts and Heroes for Hire.[40]
TheUltimate Marvel version ofMarc Spector used the Paladin name for a period of time while working for theRoxxon Corporation.[41][42]
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