Crusader

First Appearance: Thor #330
Origin Issue: Thor #330

Real Name: Arthur Charles Blackwood

Aliases: None

Height: 6' 2"

Weight: 225 lbs

Eyes: Blue

Hair: Light brown

Distinguishing Features: none

Occupation: Prisoner, (former) Seminary student, crusader against paganism

Citizenship: United States of America

Place of Creation/Birth: Decatur, Illinois

Known Relatives: Harold Blackwood (father, deceased), Mrs Blackwood (wife), Jennifer Blackwood (step-daughter), various unnamed ancestors dating back to the 12th Century

Known Allies: (former) Mr Polowski (Peleus, squire)

Known Enemies: Thor, Black Knight 3

Fighting Skills: Master swordsman and jouster

Special Skills/Abilities: None known

Superhuman physical powers: None

Superhuman Mental Powers: none

Special Limitations: (as Blackwood) Near-sighted, wears corrective lenses; (as Crusader) His physical prowess diminishes proportionately as his faith falters, by an as yet unexplained mystical link

Source of Superhuman Powers: A religious vision in which he was seemingly bequeathed the combined power of his ancestors who had served God

Personal Weaponry: A sword and shield of unspecified composition, endowed with mystical properties, strong enough to withstand repeated blow by Thor's hammer before shattering.

History
Arthur Charles Blackwood studied the Crusades from childhood; obsessed with his ancestry, which could be traced back to the 12th century, Arthur became an expert swordsman as a teen. Arthur's great-grandfather had founded Chicago's Blackwood Seminary; that family money got him admitted as a divinity student, but Arthur's unforgiving, eye-for-an-eye vision of Christianity got him expelled after assaulting one Father William. Visiting the family crypt in Mundelin Cemetery, he experienced a vision of his ancestors commanding him to take up arms against non-believers. The cemetery groundskeeper, Stanislaus Polowski, became caught up in it, as Blackwood named him Peleus and demanded he become Blackwood's squire; Polowski reported the Crusader's sword, shield, and armor all appeared in a flash that night. As the Crusader, Blackwood attacked Thor in Chicago and ultimately ran Thor through with his sword, at which point Thor's then-girlfriend Sif rescued him. Returning the following morning, fully healed and his faith restored by Odin, Thor shattered the Crusader's sword and defeated him. Blackwood fled, and the Chicago police eventually dropped the case. Apparently putting his religious life behind him, Blackwood married Eleanor Blackwood, adopting her daughter, Jenny. Over time, though, Blackwood again became obsessed with the Crusader, attempting to reforge his shattered sword. When Ghulistan's Emir announced a visit to the United States, Blackwood readopted the Crusader's identity and came to Washington D.C. to kill the man. On the night before the Emir's arrival, the Crusader killed two petty thugs who were robbing a church. The following day, the Crusader attacked the Emir (calling him the "Saracen"), but the Black Knight (Dane Whitman) intervened. The Crusader had the upper hand until his step-daughter Jenny intervened, shocking Blackwood to his senses. He shattered his own sword and shield, and voluntarily surrendered.

Imprisonment apparently damaged Blackwood's fragile psyche, and he escaped confinement to reappear in Chicago's Canindelein Cemetery, where he slew three vandals. Seemingly more unbalanced than ever, the unshaven Crusader rode a motorcycle into downtown Chicago, violently attempting to force a local newspaper, the Chicago Spectator, to promote his brand of faith. He was opposed by Luke Cage, who once again shattered the Crusader's sword. Captured again, Blackwood escaped and retreated to an Irish monastery where he lived in seclusion, trying to avoid all modern life. Seeing a newspaper article billing mutant faith healer Nate Grey (X-Man) as "the second coming," Blackwood became the Crusader again. He confronted Grey in downtown London, nearly killing him until Grey saved a bystander who reminded Blackwood of his stepdaughter Jenny; Arthur came to his senses and surrendered. While the monks Blackwood had stayed with requested custody, Blackwood was instead turned over to SHIELD. Imprisoned in the Raft, Crusader escaped during Electro's mass breakout, attacking Spider-Man on his way out; however, Blackwood's subsequent assault on "pagan" sorcerer Doctor Strange saw the Crusader swiftly defeated and recaptured.