| Sniper | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | The Punisher War Journal #4 (March 1989) |
| Created by | Jim Lee Carl Potts |
| In-story information | |
| Full name | Rich von Burian |
| Species | Human |
| Place of origin | Earth-616 |
| Team affiliations | United States Marine Corps |
| Abilities | Excellent armed and unarmed combatant Expert marksman Skilled pilot and computer hacker Use of rifle and push dagger |
Sniper (Rich von Burian) is asupervillain appearing inAmerican comic books published byMarvel Comics. Created byCarl Potts andJim Lee, the character made his first appearance inThe Punisher War Journal #4 (March 1989) as an enemy of thePunisher.
Sniper debuted in a two-part storyline consisting ofThe Punisher War Journal #4-5, and reappeared inThe Punisher War Journal #10 and #21; the latter set-up the character's final appearance in the miniseriesWolverine and The Punisher: Damaging Evidence #1-3.
Sniper received a profile inMarvel Encyclopedia #5.
Another villainous assassin called Sniper previously appeared inCaptain America's segment ofTales of Suspense #96.[1]
Whiletouring in theVietnam War, Rich von Burian served in the same unit asFrank Castle. After onefirefight, Rich discovered that their commanding officerRay Schoonover was smuggling cocaine out of the country in body bags. Rich kept this a secret, and he became an enforcer for Schoonover after the war. When Schoonover entered the running for theUnited States Senate, Schooner sent Rich (now having taken on the codename Sniper) after their unit's surviving members in the off-chance that any member were aware of thesewar crimes. The member's deaths drew the Punisher's attention who Sniper would have killed had the Punisher not driven him off with the Battle Van. The Punisher subsequently forced Schoonover to confess these crimes and commit suicide, and in a later battle overpowered Sniper who escaped by taking a hostage.[2][3]
Sniper resurfaced inWest Germany, where he stole a valuableattack helicopter from amilitary exercise. The Punisher andMicrochip defeated Sniper who (while fleeing) crashed near theBerlin Wall. Sniper survived the crash but was disfigured.[4] Later, Sniper was hired onto theKingpin's roster of assassins by the Arranger.[5]
When the Punisher attacked one of the Kingpin's drug operations, Sniper ambushed but the Punisher escaped. Afterward, the Kingpin ordered Sniper to act as backup forDamage who had been instructed to eliminate the Punisher after framing the vigilante for a series of murders. Agitated over the prospect of Damage robbing him of the honor of killing the Punisher, Sniper abandoned Damage when he was attacked byWolverine, and tracked the Punisher down to a cemetery. After opening fire on a funeral, Sniper took a woman and a child hostage, and tried to force the Punisher to choose which one of them the Punisher should shoot. The Punisher instead got close enough to stab Sniper who bled to death in an open grave.[6][7][8]
A former member of theUnited States Marine Corps, Sniper was an expert marksman, excelled at armed and unarmed combat, and was a skilled pilot and computer hacker. His main weapons were a rifle, and apush dagger.
Sniper is a denizen of the Realm of the Dead, appearing alongside the Punisher's other deceased foes such asJigsaw,Bushwacker, the Kingpin, and theJackal.[9]
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