Origin
Born to Baron Strucker, Andreas Strucker, and his twin sister Andrea, were treated with nothing but apathy and disappointment by their father. Surrounded by Nazis, terrorists and other war criminals, the twins grew up with a rather twisted view on the world. Later, discovering they were both mutants with the ability to fire bio-electric blasts when they were in contact with each other, the twins became costumed supervillains collectively called Fenris.
Creation
Andreas was created by Chris Claremont and John Romita Jr. and first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #194 and first appeared as Fenris in #200 (also by Claremont and Romita Jr.). Andreas was brought to prominence much later as the costumed adventurer Swordsman in New Thunderbolts #2 by Fabian Nicieza and Tom Grummett.
Character Evolution
Originally as Fenris, Andreas and his sister were minor pests and nuisances to various superheroes namely the X-Men and their members Gambit, Storm and Wolverine. After the death of Andrea, Andreas underwent drastic changes and began to pursue a new life as a slightly more altrustic hero with the Thunderbolts. While Andreas wasn’t driven by any desire to be an actual hero, he was simply determined to be the opposite of everything he had been before hand.
Major Story Arcs
Secret Wars II
During the Beyonder’s visit to Earth, a depowered Storm was exploring Kenya where she first encountered the Strucker twins. After an altercation with Andreas over his treatment of a local, Storm was shot by Andrea in response to berating her brother. Storm survived and retreated into the jungles of Kenya.
Now clad in costumes and calling themselves Fenris, the twins launched an attack in Paris at the trial of Magneto. Aiming to kill the mutant terrorist, Fenris wound up battling against the X-Men and ultimately retreated from the scuffle.
Acts of Vengeance
Fenris were recruited to join the Assembly of Evil, a team formed by Doctor Doom to attack the Avengers during his and several other masterminds attempt to destroy certain heroes once and for all. With the Assembly of Evil, Andreas and his sister kidnapped Cloak and Dagger and forced them to join the team and the twins began an anti-Avengers rally. Captain America, Iron Man and She-Hulk defeated Fenris and the rest of the Assembly of Evil.
Dead Man’s Hand
After several more run-ins with the X-Men, the twins attempted to secure the remains of the Kingpin’s criminal empire after his incarceration. Their bid for the empire was opposed by their half-brother, Werner, and his bodyguard who unbeknownst to them was actually their father. When Werner tried to blackmail his father by threatening to expose him to the twins, Baron Strucker killed him.
Before the twins could make more of a claim to the Kingpin’s empire, the meeting of criminal masterminds was broken up by Daredevil, Nomad and the Punisher.
Younghunt
Andreas and his sister next joined The Upstarts and entered Gamesmaster’s competition to capture members of the New Mutants and New Warriors. The twins successfully captured Magma and attempted to capture Empath and Wolfsbane but were defeated by X-Factor.
Becoming a hero
After more skirmishes with the X-Men and defeats at the hands of the Acolytes, Generation X and Quicksilver, the twins went to Paris to retrieve some data for AIM. Andrea was confronted by Citizen V and upon discovering that he was actually Helmut Zemo, Andrea was stabbed and killed by the villain to protect his identity.
Following the death of Andrea, Zemo joined forces with the Purple Man and took advantange of Andreas and molded him into the Swordsman to use in a gambit to destroy the Thunderbolts. As the Swordsman, Andreas was trained and forced by Purple Man and Zemo to become an expert combatant and swordsman, he also wrapped the hilt of his sword in the skin of his dead sister, allowing him to still use his mutant power when in contact with the dead skin.
Enemy of the State
In his first outing as Swordsman, Andreas sought revenge on his father and attacked him at HYDRA headquarters. Andreas’ attempted assassination of his father was interuptted by a likewise vengeance hungry Wolverine who had been brainwashed into becoming an assassin by HYDRA. Andreas and Wolverine clashed over who would get to kill the Baron and ultimately neither succeeded.
Abandoning his thirst for his father’s blood, Andreas instead saved Wolverine from plummeting to his death which allowed the Baron to escape. The two would-be assassins parted ways, both deciding to take their vengeance with the Baron later. Andreas reported back to Purple Man who then forced the new hero into licking his boots.
City of Heroes
Later when HYDRA launched an attack on New York City, Andreas fought alongside Captain America, Ms. Marvel, Spider-Man and the Thunderbolts against legions of HYDRA soldiers.
Purple Reign
The Purple Man continued on his quest to destroy the Thunderbolts and attempted to gain control of Songbird. Andreas intervened and saved Songbird from the Purple Man, only for the two to have to fight off Purple Man-controlled crowds. After the rest of the Thunderbolts arrived, Andreas and Songbird wound up also fighting them in confusion as to whether they were being controlled by Purple Man.
When things settled down, it was revealed Andreas was still under Purple Man’s control as he stabbed MACH-IV in the back and slit Photon’s throat. Purple Man was eventually defeated by the Thunderbolts and the two injured Thunderbolts survived, but Andreas escaped and was free to pursue his own quest for vengeance on his father – now away from Purple Man’s influence.
Right of Power
Again attempting to assassinate his father, Andreas attacked a HYDRA facility and found his father resting. Before he could kill him, Andreas was restrained by Zemo who Andreas recognized as the murderer of his sister. As the two fought, Andreas learnt of Zemo’s involvement in Andreas re-invention and Zemo’s plans and worries about Photon destroying the universe. Managing to defeat Zemo, Andreas was ready to kill Zemo only to be stopped by his father who then subsequently beat his son and joined forces with Zemo, leaving Andreas even more angry at his father.
Andreas began spying on Zemo, hoping to kill both Zemo and his father, and began to discover more of Zemo’s plan – which included forming his own team of Thunderbolts to kill Photon. Andreas was accosted by a Zemo-controlled Moonstone and fled to warn the real Thunderbolts of Zemo and his plan.
Arriving just in time to warn the team, Andreas found himself thrown into battle with the Thunderbolts against Zemo’s team. Following a fight with Fixer, Andreas managed to tell the Thunderbolts of what he knew of Zemo’s plan and that Zemo is genuinely frightened of Photon and sincerely believes the hero will destroy the universe. Andreas and the Thunderbolts helplessly watched as Zemo destroyed Photon from existence.
Guardian Protocols
Andreas decided to remain with the Thunderbolts, even though Zemo also had rejoined claiming he had reformed. The Thunderbolts were tasked with apprehending villains who were in defiance of the Superhuman Registration Act such as Quicksand and Mongoose. Their captives were enlisted into Zemo’s private army and trained alongside Andreas for an upcoming conflict Zemo had foresen with the Grandmaster.
When both Zemo and Grandmaster made a play for the Wellspring of Power, Andreas and the Thunderbolts opposed them. Andreas wound up battling against the Thunderbolt Joystick who had turned traitor and sought to use the Wellspring for her self. Andreas defeated her and the rest of the Thunderbolts managed to stop Zemo and Grandmaster but the result was many of the team were injured or their outfits were badly damaged leaving the team under-manned.
Faith in Monsters
Alongside Songbird and Radioactive Man, Andreas was one of the few Thunderbolts who remained with the team as they became a Government-sanctioned superhero team for Colorado. The team were now staffed with murderers such as Bullseye and Venom and were commanded by the tycoon and former Green Goblin, Norman Osborn. Andreas resented Osborn and the idea of taking orders from him but Osborn blackmailed Andreas by promising that he would clone his dead sister in exchange for him following orders.
While in a battle with Jack Flag, Andreas was beaten and his sword was destroyed by the young outlaw. After Flag was captured following Bullseye stabbing him in his spine, an angry Andreas beat the barely conscious Jack Flag badly in retaliation for destroying his sword.
Later, after an argument with Osborn, Andreas was approached by Moonstone who was selfishly trying to gain control over the Thunderbolts instead of Osborn or Songbird. Moonstone attempted to manipulate Andreas into killing Songbird in the field in exchange for Moonstone ensuring his sister is cloned if she becomes the replacement director of the Thunderbolts when Osborn has a mental breakdown which she has somewhat orchestrated. Andreas ultimately refused Moonstone’s offer.
International Incident
After serving with the Thunderbolts and arresting various outlaws with the team, Andreas became impatient and no longer believed Osborn had any intention of honoring his deal to clone his sister. While the team were dispatched to Germany to apprehend Arnim Zola, Andreas confronted the war criminal by himself and promised to allow him to escape if Zola would clone his sister. Zola agreed but the entire thing had been seen by Radioactive Man who intervened and attempted to stop Zola from escaping. Instead, Andreas convinced him to allow Zola to go and Radioactive Man kept his silence on the matter.
Caged Angels
After the Thunderbolts had captured a quartet of mind-controllers and imprisoned them in their headquarters, Andreas was victim to their mental manipulation as were most of his team-mates. Using his dislike for Osborn as a basis, Andreas was convinced to begin calling himself Baron Strucker and lead a mutiny to overthrow Osborn. Shaving his head and recruiting several guards, Andreas and his men began an attack by setting off a bomb in the hangar and attacking Osborn’s men.
Andreas was confronted by Venom who had likewise being mentally co-erced and reverted to an almost brainless monster driven only by desire to eat. The two fought and Andreas bested the villain by impaling him on his sword and then firing a bio-electric blast through the blade straight into his body. Venom was critically injured as Andreas continued on his siege only to next encounter Norman, who had been driven back to madness by the prisoners and re-assumed his Green Goblin guise. The utterly insane Osborn beat Andreas within an inch of his life and then attempted to crucify him. Before he bled out, Andreas was saved by Songbird and Radioactive Man and the prisoners who had caused the entire thing were executed on a whim by Bullseye.
Secret Invasion
After recovering from his injuries, Andreas returned to duty with the team but harbored an even greater hatred for Osborn. When Armin Zola’s clone of Andrea arrived at the team’s headquarters, Osborn is likewise infuriated to learn he has lost any hold he had over Andreas. The tension between the two is interupted by the Skrulls invading Earth, as Captain Marvel attacks the Thunderbolts. Andreas attempts to fight the confused hero despite overwhelming odds and is beaten but refuses to surrender. Confused and unable to take a life, Captain Marvel leaves the Thunderbolts behind as Norman rounds the group up to go into action against the rest of the Skrulls.
As the team battle against the invading aliens, Osborn and Moonstone begin to suspect that Andrea may be a Skrull imposter and Osborn orders Moonstone kill Andrea the first chance she gets. As Moonstone and Andrea attack a Skrull fleet, Moonstone – believing Andrea is a Skrull – proposes betraying the entire planet and helping the Skrulls in exchange for her own survival. Learning Andrea isn’t a Skrull, the two fight only for Bullseye to intervene and murder Andrea and attempt to murder Moonstone.
With Andrea dead, Osborn lies and tricks Andreas into believing that it was the Skrulls who had murdered his sister and not Bullseye, hoping to inspire him in battle against the Skrulls leading to Andreas destroying an entire Skrull ship single-handedly. As the Thunderbolts battle on, Osborn continues manipulating all around him to further his own agenda of looking like an American patriot and hero.
Dark Reign
After the climax of the Secret Invasion, Norman Osborn is appointed to a position of great power in the country in response for his and the Thunderbolts’ actions in fighting against the invasion. Andreas buries his sister at the base of Thunderbolts Mountain – her funeral only attended by himself and Songbird. Andreas swears to Songbird that once he has finished his contract with the team, he will personally kill Norman Osborn.
Osborn begins dismantling the Thunderbolts by having Radioactive Man deported and Penance institutionalized and promoting Bullseye, Moonstone and Venom to his new team of government-sanctioned Avengers. Bullseye and Venom are ordered to kill Songbird who barely survives a fight with the two until Andreas arrives and saves Songbird from her would-be killers. Andreas lets Songbird escape and makes it look as if Songbird died in an explosion to help her go into hiding as Andreas realizes that a “Dark reign is upon them”.
Realizing that he, like Songbird, has no place within Osborn’s plan, Andreas decides to confront Osborn. Unable to kill Osborn because of his new seat of power, Andreas instead attempts to blackmail Osborn by threatening to reveal to the world that he ordered the murder of Songbird. Osborn reacts by grabbing Andreas’ sword from him and impaling him on it. Osborn then hurled Andreas’ body out the window and down the side of Thunderbolts Mountain.
Powers and Abilities
When in contact with the skin of his sister, Andreas can fire bio-electric blasts from his hands. Andreas was also an expert acrobat, combatant and swordsman. Andreas also carried several trick blades and smaller daggers.
Alternate Realities
Earth-1610
In the Ultimate Universe, Andreas and Andrea compose the terrorist group Fenris who the X-Men oppose. In this reality, the relationship between the twins is depicted as far more incestuous.
Earth-11080
Andreas briefly appears fighting Luke Cage in the world where all of humanity is infected with a rage-inducing virus.
Earth-21993
In the reality where Professor Xavier was killed by Cable and Magneto took over the United States of America, Fenris led an assault on the X-Mansion which resulted in many deaths at their hands, notably Beast.
Earth-58163
In the House of M reality, Andreas and Andrea are both members of the Thunderbolts (who are led by their father). Alongside Flashback, Radioactive Man and their father, they battle against Captain Marvel and a battalion of Kree soldiers (including Genis-Vell). When the rest of the Thunderbolts or defeated and subdued, Andreas and Andrea attempt to make a last stand together but are both abruptly shot in the head by Erik Josten.
Other Media
X2: X-Men United
Andreas’ name is listed in William Stryker’s files on Lady Deathstrike’s computer.