Crossbones (character)

Young Brock Rumlow led the Savage Crims gang on New York City's Lower East Side.^[3] After he brutalized fifteen-year-old Rachel Leighton, two of her brothers assaulted Rumlow and he killed them. Rumlow fled, entering the Taskmaster's school for criminals, and within three years he became an instructor there under the name Bingo Brock.^[4]

As a mercenary, Rumlow enlisted with Albert Malik, the communist Red Skull, in Algeria, serving him as Frag until he was sent to invade Arnim Zola's Switzerland chateau. Ultimately the only team member to survive the assault, Rumlow met and impressed Johann Shmidt, the original Nazi Red Skull, who accepted Brock’s services and codenamed him "Crossbones".^[5]

The true Red Skull sent Crossbones to observe Baron Helmut Zemo's progress acquiring the Bloodstone fragments and to obtain them.^[6][7] He stowed aboard Captain America's flagship, and entered Zemo's ship to steal the Bloodstone fragments. He overpowered Leighton, now the hero Diamondback, and shot a crossbow bolt that coupled with Captain America's shield. Crossbones was forced to shatter the Bloodstone fragments when the alien entity known as the Hellfire Helix used it to take control of Baron Heinrich Zemo's body; the destruction of the Bloodstone discorporated the Hellfire Helix.^[8] Knowing that his employer would be infuriated by the Bloodstone's loss, Crossbones kidnapped Diamondback to Madripoor as bait for Captain America. He challenged Captain America to retrieve Diamondback, but the Captain defeated him, although Diamondback escaped, and the Red Skull ordered Crossbones to desist and return to headquarters.^[9] The Red Skull then ordered him to retrieve the Controller after the Controller's breakout from the Vault.^[10] With the Machinesmith, Crossbones investigated the Red Skull's disappearance.^[11]

Crossbones assembled the Skeleton Crew from the Red Skull's henchmen and led them on a search for the Red Skull, who had been missing since Magneto imprisoned him in an underground bunker.^[12] Alongside the Skeleton Crew, he battled the Schutzheilligruppe in an attempt to rescue the Red Skull but was captured.^[13] Crossbones was eventually fired for questioning the Red Skull's alliance with Viper.^[14]

Desperate to regain his position as leader of the Skeleton Crew, Crossbones kidnapped Diamondback, imprisoning her in an abandoned subway station and forced into a brutal regime of combat training.^[15] Crossbones believed that he had brainwashed Diamondback into betraying Captain America, but Diamondback was actually laying a trap for Crossbones.^{[volume & issue needed]} Diamondback stole samples of Captain America's blood from the Avengers' mansion, then accompanied Crossbones to the Red Skull's mountain fortress.^{[volume & issue needed]} The two were captured and imprisoned, and the Red Skull rehired Crossbones on a temporary basis.^{[volume & issue needed]}

After he escaped from prison, Crossbones became a mercenary and assassin for a number of organizations, until he was rehired by the Red Skull who was later apparently assassinated by the Winter Soldier.^{[volume & issue needed]} Crossbones and his new lover, Synthia Schmidt (the Red Skull's daughter), began hunting Aleksander Lukin, the Winter Soldier's commander.^{[volume & issue needed]}

Following the "Civil War" storyline, Captain America's Anti-Registration heroes surrender to Iron Man's Pro-Registration heroes.^{[volume & issue needed]} While being led from Federal Courthouse, Captain America is shot in the shoulder by Crossbones under the Red Skull's orders.^{[volume & issue needed]} Crossbones tries to escape in a helicopter, but is thwarted by Falcon and the Winter Soldier.^{[volume & issue needed]}

At the start of the "Heroic Age" event, Crossbones has become a member of the new Thunderbolts team formed in the aftermath of Norman Osborn's siege of Asgard.^[16] Government agents, working with Luke Cage, add Crossbones to the team knowing that he cannot be reformed, hoping that his extreme methods will alienate the other Thunderbolt members and push them towards rehabilitation.^[17] During the team's first mission, Crossbones was exposed to corrupted Terrigen Mists;^[18] during the events of Shadowland, Crossbones manifested the ability to fire a powerful, piercing beam of energy from his face, theorizing that this ability originates from his exposure to the Terrigen Mist. He uses this ability to murder a police officer.^[19] Fearing that the Thunderbolts are close to being disbanded following Cage's decision to leave, Crossbones attempted to escape alongside Ghost and Juggernaut. During the attempt, Crossbones used his new ability to fight the unsuspecting Steve Rogers. Crossbones was defeated and discharged from the Thunderbolts, after Ghost revealed his murder of the police officer.^[20] Crossbones is shown incarcerated in a padded cell wearing a straitjacket, apparently no longer able to use his energy beam.^[21]

During the "Fear Itself" storyline, Crossbones was constantly harassed while he was behind bars, because he was both a former Thunderbolt member and a Neo-Nazi. Shortly after when he was being beaten up by more thugs, Juggernaut unintentionally causes a break out at the Raft. Man Mountain Mario (the cousin of Man Mountain Marko) helps defend Crossbones from the thugs. While the two of them were trying to escape, Mario told Crossbones about his grandma who helps criminals leave the border. Crossbones manages to escape, killing Mario in the process.^[22]

Crossbones was among the villains who were contracted by the Assassins Guild to target Elektra's allies.^[23]

Crossbones later appears as a member of Hydra who are planning to spread poisonous blood extracted from an Inhuman boy named Lucas. He fights Sam Wilson as the new Captain America on Bagalia. Just as he was about to kill Wilson, he is defeated by Misty Knight who was undercover at that moment.^[24] He is later defeated by Wilson when he attacks a Hydra base located on Florida.^[25]

During the "Avengers: Standoff!" storyline, Crossbones was an inmate of Pleasant Hill, a gated community established by S.H.I.E.L.D. When Steve Rogers is at the Pleasant Hill Bowling Alley trying to reason with Kobik, Crossbones attacks Rogers. Before Crossbones can kill Rogers, Kobik's powers de-age Rogers to his physical prime, which allows him to defeat Crossbones.^[26] In the aftermath of the events at Pleasant Hill, Crossbones founds a new version of Hydra with the Red Skull and Sin.^[27]

During the "Devil's Reign" storyline, Crossbones appears as a member of Mayor Wilson Fisk's Thunderbolts.^[28]

An expert combatant trained in warfare, Crossbones is an accomplished military tactician, and is thus able to formulate strategies on the battlefield. He also has extensive training in martial arts, street-fighting, marksmanship, and various forms of hand-to-hand combat. He once served as a student at the Taskmaster's school for criminals before becoming an instructor there himself.^{[volume & issue needed]} Physically, Crossbones is tall and well built, but moves with an athletic grace uncommon for a man of his bulk. In addition, he is proficient in the use of various weapons, such as guns, bows, and throwing knives. One of Crossbones' primary weapons are spring-loaded stiletto blades housed in his gauntlets. He also has experience with torture and brainwashing, having effectively "reprogrammed" Sin,^{[volume & issue needed]} and nearly so with Diamondback.^{[volume & issue needed]}

As a member of the Thunderbolts, Crossbones was exposed to corrupted Terrigen Mists during a mission,^[18] and shortly after manifested the ability to generate a circle of energy in front of his face which could fire energy beams capable of piercing and burning his targets.^[19] The ability developed to the point where flames engulfed the entirety of his head while still allowing him to fire focused energy beams,^[20] though these flames could seemingly be doused in water. While his power is active, Crossbones does not appear to be entirely impervious to the flames he generates. After the flames died following his first usage, his mask appeared to have been burnt away and his face was heavily scarred.^[20]