Foolkillers
Ross G. Everbest
First Appearance: Man-Thing #3 (March, 1974)
The first person to become the Foolkiller. He is a vigilante serial-killer on a mission to eliminate the amoral "fools" in society. There have been five people who have assumed the mantle.
- The Fundamentalist: Everbest believed that all criminals, sinners, and dissidents were fools that needed to be eliminated by an acting agent of God and that he had been chosen by God to be that agent.
Gregory P. Salinger
First Appearance: Omega the Unknown #9 (July, 1977)
Greg Salinger is the second and most well-known Foolkiller. He is a soldier and veteran of the Vietnam War. He was in excellent physical condition and a fairly decent hand-to-hand combatant though mostly self-trained. He was also an amateur poet and deemed "criminally insane" at one point. More recently, he joined Deadpool's Mercs for Money.
- A Pupil of Mine Until He Turned to Evil: After he was released from the mental institute, Greg game to regret helping Kurt become the third Foolkiller due to his more extreme (and deranged) brand of crimefighting.
- Beard of Sorrow: Greg Salinger in the 1990-91 Foolkiller limited series. Now he really does look like a poet.
- Confess to a Lesser Crime: In the 2016 series, Greg goes after his patients who instead of addressing their very serious malefic actions (such as, but not limited to, rape, assault, and murder), opt to talk about their more banal compulsions such as OCD, Chronic Bedwetting, and being a Furry.
- Goggles Do Nothing: Greg's second Foolkiller costume is equipped with an ever-present and seldom-used pair of goggles. The glasses he wears as a psychologist are also phony though they're meant to prop up his image as a respectable mental health care specialist.
- Heel Realization: During his battle with Spider-Man, Greg Salinger, the second Foolkiller, runs into a bum that tells him that only a fool would want to fight Spider-Man, as Spidey is a genuinely good person who puts himself into danger to protect innocents. As soon as he realizes this, Salinger tries to turn his purification gun on himself, but Spidey stops him.
- On the Next: So what exactly was "Greg's Secret Sorrow"? That's what was promised in the blurb at the end of issue 9 of Omega the Unknown (Salinger's first appearance). But we were left hanging due to the unexpected cancellation of the series with issue 10. That issue, instead was dedicated to trying to tie up all the loose ends with the title character Omega. Actually, they didn't manage to do even that.
- Psycho Psychologist: Greg is an interesting offshoot of one of these. If you're willing to change your ways and become a better person, you get an understanding and sincere psychologist. If you decide to stay a bad guy, well, you get the psycho.
- Shout-Out: In the Marvel NOW series, while musing on the history of his alter ego, Greg mentions the O. Henry short story, the Helen Eustis novel, and the Anthony Perkins film all as inspiration for his predecessor, Everbest's adoption of the Foolkiller identity.
Kurt Gerhardt
First Appearance: Foolkiller #1 (October, 1990)
Kurt Gerhardt is the third Foolkiller. He lived a pretty ordinary life... that was until his father was killed by muggers, he was made redundant from his job and his wife left him. Soon after, he became the Foolkiller after empathising with the second's view of the world.
- Accidental Hero: In the '90s mini-series, Kurt is seen as a hero by the public when he starts killing off criminals and other unsavory individuals in New York. Things however change when he goes after corrupt authority figures that hold an image of being benevolent, and the public begins to hate him and demand his capture.
- It's Not You, It's Me: This is exactly how Kurt breaks off his relationship with Linda.
- Strawman Political: Kurt Gerhardt's victims included exemplars on both sides of the political spectrum.
