ScavengerScavenger
Real Name: Bob Kramer
Identity/Class: Normal human
Occupation: Assassin;
former soldier
Group Membership: Formerly U.S. Army
Affiliations: Lester Haskell, Maxwell W. Grimes
Enemies: Crossfire, Preston Pollard
Known Relatives: None
Aliases: Hubert Dreyfuss, Sloane
Base of Operations: California
First Appearance: Crossfire#1 (Eclipse,
May 1984)
Powers/Abilities: Good fighter and trained killer, especially with rifles and pistols.
Height: 6' (by estimation)
Weight: 220 lbs.
Eyes: Unrevealed
Hair: Red-brown
History: His entire life Bob Kramer was obsessed with winning at all costs. In 1968 he eagerly volunteered to go to Vietnam where he initially excelled as a soldier. One day however his unit was instructed to capture a heavily guarded but strategically important hill; during the assault updated orders came through revealing that a typo had caused them to attack the wrong site, but despite knowing that the current location was unimportant Kramer refusal to "lose" saw him continue to attack, ultimately seizing the site at cost of eight American soldiers' lives. Only then did Kramer take his depleted forces to capture the correct hill. The next day he was both awarded a Medal of Honor and court-martialed, informed that the people back home were starting to think the war was unwinnable in part thanks to stunts like his. Ultimately given an "honorable" discharge against his will Kramer returned to the States; unable to accept personal responsibility, he blamed the war reporters for undermining morale.
In civilian life Kramer reinvented himself as Scavenger, an implacable hitman who never failed to complete a job, at least until he crossed paths with the hero Crossfire while working for Lester Haskell, the President of the DBS television network. Not only did Crossfire manage to save some of Scavenger's targets, but he also caused the hitman to finally get arrested. Tied to over thirty assassinations, Scavenger was sent to prison. Some time later mobster Maxwell W. Grimes was sent to the same thanks to the evidence of reporter Preston Pollard. Grimes' men arranged a jailbreak for their boss, intending to have him swap nametags with another prisoner so that the authorities would not realise which convict had actually escaped, but a mix-up led to Kramer getting out in Grimes' place. To repay Grimes Scavenger agreed to eliminate Pollard, but was by chance one of Pollard's friends was Jay Endicott (Crossfire's real identity), and Scavenger's initial attempts only managed to wound his target. Pollard meanwhile had his own new obsession, proving the existence of the alleged dinosaur of the Congo, Mkele Mbembe, and took a flight to Africa. Even as Scavenger pursued Pollard to the Congo, Crossfire chased the assassin in turn, leading to a final confrontation in the jungle. Disarmed, Scavenger fled, only to learn that Pollard was right, as he ran straight into the dinosaur, which promptly devoured him.
Comments: Created by Mark Evanier and Dan Spiegle.
Appearance checklist (not including reprints):
(comics) Crossfire#1-2, 24-26
(tabletop rpg) Villains & Vigilantes' DNAgents
Sourcebook
CLARIFICATIONS:
Any Additions/Corrections? Please let me know.
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