The Flag-Smasher is the name used by different anti-nationalist appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics: Karl Morgenthau and Guy Thierrault. The original version was most often a foe of Captain America while other adversaries include the Punisher, Moon Knight, Ghost Rider, the Runaways, the Liberteens and Deadpool.
A group called the Flag Smashers appeared in the Marvel Cinematic Universe / Disney+ series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (2021), led by a female version of the Karl Morgenthau incarnation renamed Karli Morgenthau (portrayed by Erin Kellyman).
Concept and creation
Mark Gruenwald created Flag-Smasher as a character in the tradition of the
Red Skull: a villain with a symbolic aspect that would make him a nemesis specifically intended for Captain America. Whereas the Red Skull symbolizes
Nazism, Flag-Smasher symbolizes
anti-patriotism.
The character first appeared in
Captain America #312 (Dec. 1985).
Fictional character biography
Karl Morgenthau
The first Flag-Smasher was born Karl Morgenthau,
[ The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A-Z Update #1. Marvel Comics.] the son of a wealthy
Switzerland banker-turned-
diplomat, in
Bern. He wanted to follow in his father's footsteps and become a diplomat until his father was trampled to death in a riot at a
embassy. He came to believe that humanity needed to do away with the concept of countries and nationalism that made people feel superior to those of different nationalities.
Jeff Rovin (1987). 081601356X, Facts on File. 081601356X
[1] The Flag-Smasher used terrorism to spread anti-nationalist sentiment. He conducted a one-man terrorist campaign in New York City against nationalist symbols, holding hundreds as hostages until the original
Captain America captured him.
[ Captain America #312. Marvel Comics.] Establishing a society he called ULTIMATUM, whose name was an acronym for "The Underground Liberated Totally Integrated Mobile Army To Unite Mankind," he made it an anti-nationalistic terrorist organization and made himself its Supreme Commander. With ULTIMATUM, he hijacked an American airliner, held its passengers hostage, and demanded the surrender of Captain America, who joined forces with S.H.I.E.L.D. to thwart his plot. For his part, when he confronts the supervillain, Captain America tries to persuade the Flag-Smasher that while his violent methods are unacceptable, his overall goal of world peace and cooperation is laudable and he should promote it by being a positive example, but the fanatic refuses to listen and has to be subdued by force.
[ Captain America #321–322. Marvel Comics.]
The Flag-Smasher later learns that the Red Skull had been funding ULTIMATUM. Surviving assassination attempts ULTIMATUM made upon him, he captured the most recent Captain America (John Walker). The Flag-Smasher then reluctantly teams up with Captain America, Battle Star, and Demolition-Man in thwarting an ULTIMATUM plot to set off a worldwide electromagnetic pulse that would have rendered all electrically operated machinery useless, feeling that completing such an operation using funding provided by a national symbol such as the Red Skull would have compromised his own integrity.[ Captain America #348–349. Marvel Comics.]
The Flag-Smasher again makes himself head of ULTIMATUM and attempts to supply armaments to American subversives, but he is thwarted by Moon Knight and the Punisher.[ Marc Spector, Moon Knight #8–9. Marvel Comics.] He then made a new attempt to create anarchy in the United States through distribution of arms to malcontents, but this time, the Punisher and the Ghost Rider thwarted his plot.[ Ghost Rider vol. 2 #5–6. Marvel Comics.]
The Flag-Smasher later captures an amnesiac Demolition-Man, but during a battle with U.S. Agent, he falls into the Arctic Ocean.[ Captain America #400. Marvel Comics.] Roxxon Oil turned him into a berserker with super-human strength.[ Captain America Annual 1999. Marvel Comics.] However, he later lost those powers.[ X-Men Unlimited #22. Marvel Comics.]
The Flag-Smasher is installed as the ruler of Rumekistan by the V-Battalion as a compromise between powers.[ Citizen V & the V-Battalion: The Everlasting #2. Marvel Comics.] It is later revealed that the Flag-Smasher had allegedly been assassinated by Domino as part of a series of events that installed Cable as leader of that nation.[ Cable & Deadpool #28. Marvel Comics.]
Guy Thierrault
Following the original Flag-Smasher's apparent assassination,
Canadians ULTIMATUM agent Guy Thierrault assumed the role to continue the spread of
anti-nationalism agenda.
[ Civil War Files one-shot][ The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Deluxe Edition vol. 2 #4. Marvel Comics.][ Deadpool Corps: Rank and Foul one-shot. Marvel Comics.] During the "Civil War" story arc, he attacked the Santa Monica Farmers' Market to show his opposition to the Super-Human Registration Act, but the Runaways defeated him.
[ Civil War: Young Avengers/Runaways #1. Marvel Comics.]
Later, a fight between the Flag-Smasher and Anya Corazon was described. The second Flag-Smasher struck Araña with his mace, but Spider-Man later defeated him.[ Doctor Strange: The Oath #1. Marvel Comics.] He was next shown being described as the new Flag-Smasher.[ Avengers: The Initiative Annual #1. Marvel Comics.]
After this he was seen fighting against Liberteens, but was defeated and imprisoned.[ Nomad: Girl Without a World #2. Marvel Comics.]
The Flag-Smasher later kidnapped a Middle Eastern banker, but was confronted by Flash Thompson, who then succumbed to the Venom symbiote's murderous tendencies. After killing the Flag-Smasher's cohorts, Venom bit off the Flag-Smasher's right arm.[ The Amazing Spider-Man #654.1. Marvel Comics.]
After an ULTIMATUM helicarrier was infiltrated and many of its members were slaughtered by Deadpool,[ Deadpool Vol. 5 #23. Marvel Comics.] the Flag-Smasher confronted, and was defeated by Deadpool, who ordered him and his followers to stay away from the Merc and his daughter Ellie Camacho.[ Deadpool Vol. 5 #33. Marvel Comics.]
The Flag-Smasher was later apparently murdered by another ULTIMATUM member named Carl, who then assumed the identity to achieve vengeance against Deadpool.[ Deadpool Vol. 5 #43. Marvel Comics.]
Eventually, this Flag-Smasher was apparently slaughtered, as were all of the ULTIMATUM forces, after they attacked Deadpool a final time, thus apparently ending both ULTIMATUM and the Flag-Smasher.[ Deadpool Vol. 5 #45]
LMD
A new version of Flag-Smasher and iteration of ULTIMATUM announce their presence to the world by crashing a gala being held in honor of Tom Herald, a conservative senator from Texas. Attaching time bombs to Herald and six others, Flag-Smasher attempts to coerce two versions of Captain America, Steve Rogers and Sam Wilson, into joining him, before arming both the explosives and "data bombs" that will leak the NSA's surveillance data, decrypt America's nuclear launch codes, and erase the country's electronic banking sanctions and its No Fly List. The digital bombs and three of the physical ones are disarmed by Rick Jones, but Flag-Smasher and his minions escape after Wilson fails to stop them from shooting Herald.
The attack is afterward revealed to have been secretly orchestrated by Rogers, who had come to believe that he was a Hydra agent due to his personal history being rewritten by Kobik. This Flag-Smasher is revealed to be a Life Model Decoy that Erik Selvig built to assassinate Senator Herald on Rogers's behalf.
Grant Rogers
After Grant Rogers' identity as
Captain Krakoa is exposed, he adopts the Flag-Smasher mantle for himself when he greets his supporters outside of the courthouse.
[ Uncanny Avengers vol. 4 #5. Marvel Comics]
Powers and abilities
The Flag-Smasher is an athletic man who is a gifted hand-to-hand combatant with great proficiency in the martial art of
Shotokan. He is also a brilliant terrorist strategist, and has fluency in English, French, German, Russian, Italian, Japanese, and
Esperanto.
ULTIMATUM personnel have supplied him with a number of weapons and other devices, including a flame-throwing pistol, a teargas gun, a spiked mace, a shield, jet-propelled skis used for flight, teleportation devices, submarines, and rocket-propelled hovercraft.
Other versions
An alternate universe variant of Karl Morgenthau from Earth-138 called
Captain Anarchy appears in
Spider-Geddon #1. This version is an ally of
Spider-Punk who sports an outfit similar to Captain America's, wields an unbreakable shield, and is empowered by a Super-Insurgent Serum.
[ Edge of Spider-Geddon #1. Marvel Comics.]
In other media
An anarchist group called the
Flag Smashers appears in
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier,
led by a younger, female version of Karl Morgenthau named
Karli Morgenthau, portrayed by
Erin Kellyman.
The group, whose members are empowered by a recreated Super Soldier Serum and possess superhuman strength, seek to restore the world to how it was during
the Blip, only to encounter Sam Wilson, Bucky Barnes, John Walker, Helmut Zemo, and the Power Broker. In the series finale "One World, One People", Morgenthau engages Walker and Wilson in battle before she is killed by Sharon Carter while the remaining Flag Smashers are apprehended by Barnes and Walker, and later killed by Zemo's butler Oeznik while en route to the Raft.
External links
