Man-Killer
Man-Killer is a name used by two supervillains appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The second version Katrina Luisa Van Horn has been viewed by critics as a "caricature of feminists, who despised all men."
Publication history
The first version of Man-Killer first appeared in Captain America #111 and created by Stan Lee and Jim Steranko.Man-Killer first appeared in Marvel Team-Up volume 1 #8 and created by Gerry Conway and Jim Mooney. The character subsequently appeared in Daredevil vol. 1 #121, 123, Iron Man vol. 1 #126-127, and Marvel Team-Up vol. 1 #107, where she seemingly died. The character appeared several years later in Web of Spider-Man Annual #3, and made several appearances in Thunderbolts vol. 1, including issues #3, #18-20, 23-25, 27, 30, 34-35, 39-42, and in Deadline #2. After joining the Thunderbolts and taking the name Amazon, she appeared in Thunderbolts vol. 1 #64-65, 67, 69, 71 Marvel Universe: The End #5-6, Thunderbolts vol. 1 #73-75, 80-81, New Thunderbolts #18, and Thunderbolts vol. 2 #100. She received an entry in the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A-Z 2006 #7.
Fictional character biography
Robot
Man-Killer was a robotic assassin sent by Madame Hydra to kill Captain America, but the robot is defeated and destroyed.Katrina Luisa Van Horn
Katrina Luisa Van Horn was an Olympic skier and is a militant feminist. After engaging in an argument with anti-Women's Liberation skier Karl Lubbings, the two took their disagreement to the slopes. Katrina was an Olympic-level skier, but Lubbings cut her off and both skiers plunged off the mountain. Katrina was severely injured and disfigured. She was fitted with a powered exoskeleton and took the name Man-Killer. She has worked freelance and as an agent for Hydra.Man-Killer has been a member of Crimson Cowl's incarnation of the Masters of Evil. During an altercation with the Thunderbolts, Katrina told Songbird that she'd rather not fight her, as she had no problems with women, just with men. Some time later however, Erik Josten discovered Katrina working as a bartender in his team's adopted home of Burton Canyon, Colorado. When Josten became a regular at the bar Katrina was congenial towards him, pretending not to recognize him as Atlas. Whatever animosity Katrina may or may not bear towards men, she has proven herself capable of working alongside them with a minimum of personality conflicts.
As Amazon, she was briefly a member of the Thunderbolts under Hawkeye.
She had fought Spider-Man on some occasions.
Man-Killer is seen to be among the new recruits for Camp H.A.M.M.E.R.
Man-Killer later appears as part of Baron Helmut Zemo's third incarnation of the Masters of Evil where they attacked the Winter Soldier's incarnation of the Thunderbolts.
During the "Opening Salvo" part of the Secret Empire storyline, Man-Killer was involved in the Masters of Evil's next fight with the Thunderbolts which ends in her apparent death at the hands of Kobik.