History ComicBook / DeathsHead

* InsistentTerminology: "Freelance peacekeeping agent," yes? Not mistake any make twice if I can help it, right?

* InsistentTerminology: "Freelance peacekeeping agent," yes?

** This goes so far that when he was told he had to save his future self he ''refused'' at first because he doesn't do jobs for free.

* TimeyWimeyBall: The first incarnation has made numerous appearances after Death's Head II came into being, including the two meeting (and fighting) each other. To quote KieronGillen: "If you can't bring back a time-traveling dimension-skipper, who can you bring back?"

His appearances have included crossovers with the [[Franchise/TransformersGeneration1 G1 Transformers]] (in ''Comicbook/TheTransformers''), ''Series/DoctorWho'' (in the ''Magazine/DoctorWhoMagazine'' comic strips), the ComicBook/FantasticFour, SheHulk, and IronMan 2020. He starred in a ten-issue comic book series in 1988, along with a graphic novel (''Death's Head: The Body In Question''), assorted stories in ''Strip'' magazine, and several reprint compilations.

* LosingYourHead: In their first encounter, IronMan 2020 decapitates Death's Head in battle. Annoyed, Death's Head used his headless body to beat up Iron Man and work off his aggression.

* KeepCirculatingTheTapes: Many of the crossover stories cannot be reprinted due to licensing conflicts, most notably with ''{{Transformers}}'' (Those stories can be published by Creator/IDWPublishing, Hasbro's licencee, if permission is granted by Marvel). The various reprints usually explain these omitted stories as missing archival records.

To ensure the character rights would remain with Marvel instead of Hasbro, Death's Head's first published appearance was in the short backup story, "High Noon Tex" (1987). Death's Head first appeared canonically in ''Transformers UK'' #113 (May, 1987) when he was contracted by various Transformers to assassinate members of the opposing faction. During a battle between the Transformers and Unicron, Death's Head fell into a time portal and crashed into [[Series/DoctorWho the Doctor]]'s TARDIS. In defense, the Doctor (then in [[Creator/{{Sylvester McCoy}} his seventh incarnation]]) shrank him to human size and sent him off through time, leading to a confrontation with the Dragon's Claws, a futuristic militia group. Though nearly destroyed in battle, Death's Head was recovered and rebuilt by a [[MrFixit tinkerer]] named Spratt. After settling his score with the Dragon's Claws, Death's Head (with Spratt in tow) left to resume business as a [[BountyHunter Freelance Peacekeeping Agent]].

To ensure the character rights would remain with Marvel instead of Hasbro, Death's Head's first published appearance was in the short backup story, "High Noon Tex" (1987). Death's Head first appeared canonically in ''Transformers UK'' #113 (May, 1987) when he was contracted by various Transformers to assassinate members of the opposing faction. During a battle between the Transformers and Unicron, Death's Head fell into a time portal and crashed into [[Series/DoctorWho the Doctor]]'s TARDIS. In defense, the Doctor shrank him to human size and sent him off through time, leading to a confrontation with the Dragon's Claws, a futuristic militia group. Though nearly destroyed in battle, Death's Head was recovered and rebuilt by a [[MrFixit tinkerer]] named Spratt. After settling his score with the Dragon's Claws, Death's Head (with Spratt in tow) left to resume business as a [[BountyHunter Freelance Peacekeeping Agent]].

His appearances have included crossovers with the {{Transformers}} (in ''Comicbook/TheTransformers''), ''Series/DoctorWho'' (in the ''Magazine/DoctorWhoMagazine'' comic strips), the ComicBook/FantasticFour, SheHulk, and IronMan 2020. He starred in a ten-issue comic book series in 1988, along with a graphic novel (''Death's Head: The Body In Question''), assorted stories in ''Strip'' magazine, and several reprint compilations.

* KeepCirculatingTheTapes: Many of the crossover stories cannot be reprinted due to licensing conflicts, most notably with ''{{Transformers}}'' (Those stories can be published by {{IDW}}, Hasbro's licencee, if permission is granted by Marvel). The various reprints usually explain these omitted stories as missing archival records.

* SamaritanSyndrome: Averted '''hard;''' on the rare occasions when Death's Head acts altruistically, he either has an ulterior motive or {{Lampshade}}s himself for "being soft".

* BadassAutomaton

His appearances have included crossovers with the {{Transformers}} (in ''Comicbook/TheTransformers''), ''Series/DoctorWho'' (in the ''Magazine/DoctorWhoMagazine'' comic strips), the FantasticFour, SheHulk, and IronMan 2020. He starred in a ten-issue comic book series in 1988, along with a graphic novel (''Death's Head: The Body In Question''), assorted stories in ''Strip'' magazine, and several reprint compilations.

** Occurs again in ''FantasticFour'' #338, when Death's Head is hired to investigate a temporal anomaly and runs into the Fantastic Four, Iron Man, and Thor.

The original Death's Head was one such target; after assimilation, however, he overwhelmed Minion's programming before it could take out its final target, Reed Richards of the FantasticFour. Calling itself Death's Head II, the Minion cyborg proceeded to have various adventures as a traditionally heroic (and less amoral) figure.

* KeepCirculatingTheTapes: Many of the crossover stories cannot be reprinted due to licensing conflicts, most notably with ''{{Transformers}}''. The various reprints usually explain these omitted stories as missing archival records.

* InNameOnly: Most fans of the original Death's Head felt that Death's Head II was ''not'' the same character -- he was not written by the original writer, exhibited none of the mannerisms and personality quirks of the original, and ended up as a generic DarkerAndEdgier BoringInvincibleHero. The backlash was so great that the ''original'' creators of Death's Head, Simon Furman and Geoff Senior, wrote ''ComicBook/WhatIf'' #54 for Marvel just to show ''their'' take on what should've happened instead.

* KeepCirculatingTheTapes: Many of the crossover stories cannot be reprinted due to licensing conflicts, most notably with ''Series/DoctorWho'' and ''{{Transformers}}''. The various reprints usually explain these omitted stories as missing archival records.
** IDW Comics has recently reprinted the story where the Seventh Doctor crashes into Death's Head in ''Doctor Who Classics''.

* SharedUniverse: Going by the stories, Death's Head has encountered the {{Transformers}}, [[Series/DoctorWho the Seventh Doctor]], and the mainstream Marvel universe (both present and future). Best to just chalk it up to the multiverse...
-->'''Geoff Senior:''' "He really was the ultimate intergalactic, time and space hopping, hitch-hiker of the Marvel Universe playing a role kind of similar, in some respects, to {{Lobo}} in DCComics."

** This point is hammered home at the end of ''What If...'' #54, after [[spoiler:sacrificing the FantasticFour and several other Marvel heroes in a fight to the death against Minion/Charnal]]:

* WhatIf: To address the personality change of Death's Head II, Simon Furman and Geoff Senior wrote ''What If...'' #54, "What If Death's Head I Had Lived?" In it, [[spoiler:Death's Head survives Minion's attack with an emergency teleportation device. He rebuilds his body into a larger, more heavily-armed form, then recruits various Marvel heroes in a HeroicSacrifice against Minion's OneWingedAngel form before destroying him personally.]] Simon Furman has said that writing the story was "deeply satisfying and cathartic".

* InNameOnly: Most fans of the original Death's Head felt that Death's Head II was ''not'' the same character -- he was not written by the original writer, exhibited none of the mannerisms and personality quirks of the original, and ended up as a generic DarkerAndEdgier BoringInvincibleHero. The backlash was so great that the ''original'' creators of Death's Head, Simon Furman and Geoff Senior, wrote ''What If...'' #54 for Marvel just to show ''their'' take on what should've happened instead.

** You'll also be forgiven if you mistake Death's Head II for a {{Predator}} at first.

To ensure the character rights would remain with Marvel instead of Hasbro, Death's Head's first published appearance was in the short backup story, "High Noon Tex". Death's Head first appeared canonically when he was contracted by various Transformers to assassinate members of the opposing faction. During a battle between the Transformers and Unicron, Death's Head fell into a time portal and crashed into [[Series/DoctorWho the Doctor]]'s TARDIS. In defense, the Doctor shrank him to human size and sent him off through time, leading to a confrontation with the Dragon's Claws, a futuristic militia group. Though nearly destroyed in battle, Death's Head was recovered and rebuilt by a [[MrFixit tinkerer]] named Spratt. After settling his score with the Dragon's Claws, Death's Head (with Spratt in tow) left to resume business as a [[BountyHunter Freelance Peacekeeping Agent]].

* HeroicSociopath: As long as he's paid, anyway.

His appearances have included crossovers with the {{Transformers}} (in ''Comicbook/TheTransformers''), ''Series/DoctorWho'' (in the ''DoctorWhoMagazine'' comic strips), the FantasticFour, SheHulk, and IronMan 2020. He starred in a ten-issue comic book series in 1988, along with a graphic novel (''Death's Head: The Body In Question''), assorted stories in ''Strip'' magazine, and several reprint compilations.