Grim Reaper
The Grim Reaper vs the Avengers, art by George Pérez
Publication information
Publisher	Marvel Comics
First appearance	The Avengers #52 (May 1968)
Created by	Roy Thomas (writer) John Buscema (artist)
In story information
Alter ego	Eric Williams
Team affiliations	Legion of the Unliving Maggia HYDRA Lethal Legion Sinister Six
Partnerships	Steelskulls (his lackeys) Saboteur former partner of the Space Phantom ally of Ultron, Nekra, Black Talon, Goliath, and Man-Ape
Abilities	Necromancy Teleportation Ability to summon demons Illusions casting Clairvoyance

Grim Reaper (Eric Williams) is a fictional character, a comic book supervillain in the Marvel Comics universe. He first appeared in The Avengers #52 May (1968), by Roy Thomas and John Buscema. Image File history File links Grimreapermu0. ... New Teen Titans #1. ... This article is about the comic book company. ... In comic books, first appearance refers to first comic book to feature a character. ... The Avengers is a superhero team that appear in the fictional Marvel Universe. ... Year 1968 (MCMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Roy Thomas (born November 22, 1940, Missouri, United States) is a comic book writer and editor, and Stan Lees first successor as editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics. ... John Buscema, true name Giovanni Natale Buscema (December 11, 1927–January 10, 2002) was an American comic book artist and one of the mainstays of Marvel Comics in its 1960s and 1970s heyday. ... The Legion of the Unliving is a name used by five fictional groups in the Marvel Comics universe. ... The Maggia is a fictional organization in the Marvel Comics universe. ... HYDRA is a fictional terrorist organization in the Marvel Universe. ... The Lethal Legion is a name used by four fictional supervillain teams in the Marvel Comics universe. ... -1... Space Phantom is a name given to a number of fictional characters in the Marvel Comics universe. ... For other uses, see Ultron (disambiguation). ... Nekra is a fictional mutant supervillain in the Marvel Comics universe. ... The Black Talon (left) appears on the cover of She-Hulk #35. ... This article is about the Marvel Comics character Atlas. ... Man-Ape is the name of a Marvel Comics supervillain and enemy of the Black Panther. ... This article is about the general subject of necromancy. ... Teleport redirects here. ... A fictional character is any person, persona, identity, or entity that is created from ones imagination or from an adaption of an existing entity. ... A comic book is a magazine or book containing the art form of comics. ... Doctor Doom, one of the most archetypal supervillains and his arch-enemies The Fantastic Four (in background). ... This article is about the comic book company. ... This article is about the shared universe setting used by many Marvel Comics titles. ... The Avengers is a superhero team that appear in the fictional Marvel Universe. ... Roy Thomas (born November 22, 1940, Missouri, United States) is a comic book writer and editor, and Stan Lees first successor as editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics. ... John Buscema, true name Giovanni Natale Buscema (December 11, 1927–January 10, 2002) was an American comic book artist and one of the mainstays of Marvel Comics in its 1960s and 1970s heyday. ...

Fictional character biography

Eric Williams, the brother of Simon Williams (also known as Wonder Man), was born in Paterson, New Jersey. Eric was always the black sheep of his family. His mother would tell him that he was 'born bad', while heaping affection on Simon. Eric's father was charged with disciplining him, but was abusive and uncaring. He even preferred to watch TV lazily, while Eric was torturing the family cat. At the same time, their mother Martha was loving and attentive to Simon, making Eric bitter and jealous. Wonder Man is a fictional character, a superhero and a long-time member of the Avengers that appears in the Marvel Universe. ... “Paterson” redirects here. ...

One day Eric was playing with chemicals in the garage, and caused a fire which burned down their house. Simon felt guilty for not stopping Eric, and resolved to be responsible for Eric from there on. As they grew older, Simon grew studious while Eric was an athlete. Eric also became more rebellious, and tried to get Simon to join him in his petty thefts. Eventually Eric became a gambler and joined the Maggia and moved to Las Vegas. Meanwhile, Simon took over the family business, Williams Innovations. The Maggia is a fictional organization in the Marvel Comics universe. ...

Partly due to competition with Stark Industries, Williams Innovations began to fail. Desperate, Simon turned to Eric and his mob ties for help. Simon embezzled money from the company to invest with Eric, but Simon was caught and jailed. Simon was freed from jail by Baron Zemo, induced by an offer of revenge on Tony Stark by defeating Iron Man and the Avengers. Simon was transformed into Wonder Man, in order to infiltrate the Avengers. Zemo's empowering process also poisoned Simon, ensuring his loyalty in exchange for the antidote. Simon's better nature won out though, and he 'died' saving the Avengers from Zemo's trap (though he had really only entered a coma due to his body adjusting to superpowers). Stark Industries- the home base for Tony Starks operations. ... Baron Zemo is the name of two fictional characters, both supervillains, in various Marvel Comics comic books, notably Captain America and the Avengers. ... The Avengers is a superhero team that appear in the fictional Marvel Universe. ...

Learning of Simon's death, Eric was inflamed with guilt and anger. Through his Maggia contacts, he contacted the Tinkerer who provided him with his scythe weapon, which was further enhanced by Ultron with coma-inducing abilities. Taking the name "Grim Reaper," he became a professional criminal and defeated the Avengers Hawkeye, Goliath, and the Wasp, but was beaten by the surprise appearance of the Black Panther.^[1] The Tinkerer (real name Phineas Mason) is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics universe with an almost superhuman gift of genius in engineering, able to invent sophisticated gadgets from nothing more than spare parts left over from ordinary household appliances. ... For other uses, see Ultron (disambiguation). ... Hawkeye (Clint Barton) is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero, a longtime member of the Avengers. ... Dr. Henry Hank Pym is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. ... The Wasp (Janet van Dyne) is a comic book superheroine in the Marvel Comics universe. ... The Black Panther (TChalla) is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics universe who is the first modern Black superhero. ...

In his next appearance, the Grim Reaper confronted the Avengers with his original Lethal Legion comprised of the Living Laser, Power Man, the Man-Ape, and the Swordsman. The Legion was defeated when the Grim Reaper found himself unable to strike down the Vision, having discovered that he possessed Simon's brainwave patterns.^[2] The Lethal Legion is a name used by four fictional supervillain teams in the Marvel Comics universe. ... The Living Laser (Arthur Parks) is a fictional character, a supervillain appearing in the Marvel Comics universe, and an enemy of the Avengers. ... This article is about the Marvel Comics character Atlas. ... Man-Ape is the name of a Marvel Comics supervillain and enemy of the Black Panther. ... The Swordsman is the name of several fictional characters in the Marvel Comics universe. ... The Vision is the name of three fictional characters that appear in the Marvel Universe. ...

The Grim Reaper later allied with the Space Phantom and HYDRA. He planned to transfer the Vision's mind to Captain America's body, thus "resurrecting" his brother. He battled the Avengers again and was defeated.^[3] Space Phantom is a name given to a number of fictional characters in the Marvel Comics universe. ... HYDRA is a fictional terrorist organization in the Marvel Universe. ... This article is about the original comic book character named Captain America. ...

Behind the scenes, the Grim Reaper later had Wonder Man resurrected as a zombie by the Black Talon to attack the Avengers. Wonder Man was restored to true life as a result.^[4] The Grim Reaper then captured the Avengers, and staged a trial to determine whether the Vision or Wonder Man was his true brother. He was defeated by Wonder Man.^[5] The Black Talon (left) appears on the cover of She-Hulk #35. ...

Later, the Grim Reaper attempted to kill both the Vision and Wonder Man, but was defeated by the Vision.^[6]

Later still, the Grim Reaper with Ultron, Nekra, and other allies, captured the Avengers. The Grim Reaper attempted a recreation of "Simon Williams" as a zombie. He was pursued by the Vision and Wonder Man in a cave, and died in a fall from the cave ledge.^[7] The Grim Reaper was then resurrected by Nekra as a zombie, but he believed himself to be alive. The zombie battled Wonder Man and Magneto, but when he realized he was actually dead, he "died" again as a result.^[8] For other uses, see Ultron (disambiguation). ... Nekra is a fictional mutant supervillain in the Marvel Comics universe. ... Magneto (Eric Magnus Lensherr) is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics universe. ...

Much later, the Grim Reaper was resurrected by Immortus as a member of his Legion of the Unliving. The Grim Reaper battled Wonder Man, and "died" again of a broken neck.^[9] He was then resurrected by Nekra as a zombie again, this time under the condition that he absorb a human life-force every 24 hours. He killed Nekra as his first victim, and then battled Wonder Man before escaping.^[10] He battled Wonder Man and the Mandrill, and escaped again.^[11] The scythe was fused to his arm by Ultron, and he formed an alliance with Ultron.^[12] Spoiler warning: Kang the Conqueror is a supervillain in Marvel Comics. ... The Legion of the Unliving is a name used by five fictional groups in the Marvel Comics universe. ... Mandrill is a fictional mutant supervillain in the Marvel Comics universe. ...

Civil War

The Grim Reaper was apparently one of the many villains that escaped from the Raft prison during New Avengers #1-3. Being at large for several months, the Grim Reaper was eventually tracked down by Captain America and Cable, who brought the Reaper down with the aid of their other friends. He was once again put into custody by S.H.I.E.L.D. The Raft is a fictional comic book prison, created to house super-villains and rogue super-heroes in the Marvel Universe. ... For the unrelated TV show, see The New Avengers. ... This article is about the original comic book character named Captain America. ... This article is about the Marvel Comics character Nathan Summers. ... S.H.I.E.L.D. is a fictional, comic-book counterterrorism and intelligence agency in the Marvel Comics universe. ...

Grim Reaper is next seen at the end of Heroes For Hire #6, teamed with Man-Ape & Saboteur; how he escaped S.H.I.E.L.D. is uncertain. Power Man and Iron Fist was a Marvel comic book featuring Power Man and Iron Fist. ... Man-Ape is the name of a Marvel Comics supervillain and enemy of the Black Panther. ...

Powers and abilities

Originally, the Grim Reaper was a purely technological-based villain with no innate superhuman abilities. The techno-scythe he used as his trademark weapon, which was designed by he Tinkerer, had the ability to make the blade spin at rapid speed, making the weapon usable as a high-speed propeller blade buzzsaw, missile shield, and an improvised helicopter. It could also fire energy blasts and anesthetic gas pellets, and dispense electric stun shocks on touch. The scythe was also equipped with a cerebral-frequency generator able to induce deep comas and revive victims from them as well. The Tinkerer (real name Phineas Mason) is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics universe with an almost superhuman gift of genius in engineering, able to invent sophisticated gadgets from nothing more than spare parts left over from ordinary household appliances. ... Invented in England in 1780, the circular saw (also known as the buzz saw in the USA) is a metal disc or blade with saw teeth on the edge as well as the machine that causes the disk to spin. ... For other uses, see Helicopter (disambiguation). ...

The Grim Reaper later gained some magic-related abilities: he could reanimate the souls and bodies of the dead, either through voodoo training received from Black Talon or powers bestowed upon him by Lloigoroth. The Grim Reaper has also performed various magically-based feats including but not limited to: teleporting himself and others, summoning demons, creating illusions, and clairvoyant viewing. The Black Talon (left) appears on the cover of She-Hulk #35. ... The Legion of the Unliving is a name used by five fictional groups in the Marvel Comics universe. ... Teleport redirects here. ... For other uses, see illusion (disambiguation). ... Clairvoyance (from 17th century French with clair meaning clear and voyance meaning visibility) is the purported ability to gain information about an object, location or physical event through means other than the known human senses,[1][2] a form of extra-sensory perception. ...

The Reaper's physical strength is supernaturally heightened slightly beyond the natural limitations of the human body. In addition, his right hand has been amputated and replaced with an apparently magical scythe. The scythe is magically sharp and is capable of energy blasts (much like the original), but has also been used to drain energy. The Sorceress by John William Waterhouse Magic, sometimes known as sorcery, is a conceptual system that asserts human ability to control the natural world (including events, objects, people, and physical phenomena) through mystical, paranormal or supernatural means. ... A traditional wooden scythe A scythe (IPA: , most likely from Old English siðe, sigði) is an agricultural hand tool for mowing and reaping grass or crops. ...

At one point, the Grim Reaper had died, and was restored to life by Nekra as a zombie. He suffered hair loss, and had sallow skin in various stages of decomposition. In this zombie state, he had the ability to absorb human life-forces to sustain his own, and was able to absorb human life-force through his scythe. He needed to absorb a human life-force once every 24 hours to remain "alive" as a zombie. Nekra is a fictional mutant supervillain in the Marvel Comics universe. ...

Other versions

Earth X

• An alternate version of Eric Williams appeared in Earth X. He was in the Realm of the Dead and only appeared in Universe X Special: 4

Earth X Hardcover (2005), written by Jim Krueger cover by Alex Ross This article is about the Marvel Comics miniseries Earth X and its sequels. ...

MC2

The Grim Reaper has not appeared in the MC2 Universe, but his scythe weapon was used by Kevin Masterson in Avengers Next #5. Characters from the MC2 universe. ... Thunderstrike is Kevin Masterson, a fictional character who appeared in Marvel Comics MC2 series A-Next. ...

In other media

Television

• A version of the Grim Reaper also appeared on the animated series The Avengers: United They Stand. His ties to Wonder Man, who also appeared on the show, remained intact, however his physical appearance was changed greatly. He wore full body armor and a helmet featuring a skull-like paint job.

Video Games

In Captain America and the Avengers, released as an arcade console and a Sega Genesis cartridge, the Grim Reaper is a boss character at the end of stage 2. Captain America and the Avengers is the title of a side-scrolling coin-op arcade game released by Data East in 1991 and based on the Marvel Comics series The Avengers. ... The Sega Mega Drive ) is a video game console released by Sega in Japan in 1988, North America in 1989, and the PAL region in 1990. ... Flag Ship from the video game Gorf A boss is an enemy-based challenge in video games that, once encountered, stops the games progression until the player is able either to surmount the enemy or is thwarted by it. ...

Other Grim Reapers in Marvel Comics

• In the Last Avengers Story, William Maximoff, the son of the Vision and Scarlet Witch, grew up to be known as the Grim Reaper. He allied with Kang and Ultron against the Avengers. He used magicks and had a scythe. He appeared in Last Avengers Story #1-2.

The Last Avengers Story is a one-shot publication from Marvel Comics. ... The Vision is the name of three fictional characters that appear in the Marvel Universe. ... The Scarlet Witch (Wanda Maximoff) is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics universe, a mutant who was introduced as a super-villainess before reforming and becoming a superheroine early in her history. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... For other uses, see Ultron (disambiguation). ... The Avengers is a superhero team that appear in the fictional Marvel Universe. ...

Bibliography

• Avengers vol. 1 #52, 78-79, 102, 106-108, 151-152, 160
• Avengers vol. 3 #0, 10-11, 19-22 31-33 *'
• Avengers West Coast #65 (resurrection #2), 66-68, 105, 352-354
• Avengers: Ultron Imperative
• Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Avengers 2005
• Secret War #3-5
• Vision & Scarlet Witch vol. 1 #3
• Vision & Scarlet Witch vol. 2 #1-2
• West Coast Avengers vol. 2 #1-2 (death), 12 (resurrected/death #2)
• Wonder Man vol. 1 #1

References

External links

• Marvel.com's Marvel Universe profile for the Grim Reaper
• Leader's Lair article on Grim Reaper (contains synopses on all appearances through Avengers vol. 3 #33)
• Grand Comics Database Project article on the Avengers #52 (1968)