True Believers
The True Believers are a clan of ninjas that feature in Marvel Comics.
Contents |
History
The True Believers were a brutal cult of ninja martial artists that were whispered to be an offshoot of the dreaded Hand. (Amazing Spider-Man v1 #421)
At some point, the came under the employ of the crime lord known as the Black Tarantula. Meiko Yin and her former lover Karsano both sought the position of Dragonfly within the cult with the two looking to kill one another to attain the title. (Amazing Spider-Man v1 #421) The Black Tarantula later tasked the True Believers to increase their pressure against his North American rivals and to assassinate Robbie Robertson whilst placing the blame on the Rose. (Amazing Spider-Man v1 #422) Meiko Yin who was to be the new Dragonfly was sent for the task with her joined by a number of True Believer assassins when they were attacked by the newly re-powered Electro. He killed the other ninjas and shocked Meiko who was only saved by Robbie Robertson with honour necessitating that she thus spare him from death. (Amazing Spider-Man v1 #423) The failure angered Madame Qwa who believed that they had incurred the displeasure of their employer the Black Tarantula and that it was being disseminated through the Daily Bugle which disgraced them. Meiko was sent to kill her cousin as atonement for her failure but she ended up refusing with a number of ninjas sent to kill her if she failed. The Dragonfly was saved by the intervention of Spider-Man and Elektra who together defeated the assassins there. Around this time, the Hand had come to New York City to wage their war against their blood enemies in the True Believers. The result of these setbacks led to the Black Tarantula having the True Believers return to their home rather than fund their continued war with the Hand as he regrouped his forces as he sought to make his move his operations into the New York City crime scene. (Amazing Spider-Man v1 #424)
Overview
In appearance, the True Believers were a sacred brotherhood that consisted of green-garbed ninjas. (Amazing Spider-Man v1 #421) Their assassins were trained in the ancient ways of the cult. (Amazing Spider-Man v1 #422)
They believed beyond the physical limitations of mortal flesh with neither pain nor death claiming them. (Amazing Spider-Man v1 #421)
Acts of loyalty were expected to be proven by the disciple killing their loved ones. Under their code of honor, the supplicant could only make three attempts in proving their loyalty after which they were expected to die rather than face further dishonor. When defeated or killed, their bodies disintegrated into dust leaving nothing behind. (Amazing Spider-Man v1 #421) Death was considered the only reward for acts of failure. Disgrace was said to be cleansed through blood with people including loved ones of their assassins being sacrificed to restore the honour of their clan. (Amazing Spider-Man v1 #424)
Members
- Madame Qwa : elderly female sensei who was employed by the Black Tarantula. (Amazing Spider-Man v1 #421)
- Yano : an older male warrior with his black hair tied back as a pony tail and had an eye patch on his left eye. (Amazing Spider-Man v1 #424)
- Karsano : a male who became obsessed with gaining power and becoming the Dragonfly leading to him joining the cult where he was tasked with killing his former love Meiko Yin only to fail whereupon he killed himself. (Amazing Spider-Man v1 #421)
- Meiko Yin : female dark haired Korean who fell in love with Karsano when he joined the True Believers seeking to become the Dragonfly with Meiko also seeking the title. (Amazing Spider-Man v1 #421)
Notes
- The True Believers were created by Tom DeFalco and Steve Skroce where they made their first appearance in Amazing Spider-Man v1 #421 (March, 1997).
- In the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Daredevil 2004 v1 #1 (2004), the True Believers were mentioned in the Hand's entry in the handbook where it was said that they splintered over a belief issue with the parent organization.
Appearances
- Amazing Spider-Man v1: #421 (March, 1997)
External Link
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