Shear (comics)

Shear was created by writer Peter B. Gillis and artist Brent Anderson and debuted in Strikeforce: Morituri #13 (December 1987). Shear remained in the regular cast of the book until his death in Strikeforce: Morituri #25.

Walther Feyzioglu was born in Germany, the son of Turkish immigrants. He grew to become an aggressive young man, partially because of the racism his family faced. In 2073, he was working in a factory in İzmir, Turkey, when he applied to participate in the Morituri program, a scientific program which grants superhuman abilities to its recipients, to be used as Earth's soldiers in its ongoing war against the invading alien race known as the Horde. However, the process also had a fatal side-effect: it inevitably claimed the lives of its recipients within a year, due to an unsolvable flaw.

Eager to fight the Horde, Feyzioglu applied for the process and was qualified as one of the few genetically eligible to undertake it. Thanks to the process, he developed the ability to disrupt molecular bonds from a meter away, for both inorganic and organic matter. Subsequently, he gained the codename "Shear" and became part of the third generation of Strikeforce: Morituri.[1]

Shear proved to be extremely aggressive and bloodthirsty in battle. To demonstrate he had no mercy for his enemies, he started wearing a costume based on that of 20th-century comic book character Punisher, drawing parallels between Punisher's lack of mercy towards enemies and his own.[2] He also proved undisciplined and often defied his superiors, the Paedia World Government, feeling that the Morituri were exploited and used as expendable pawns. He also felt the team was used less frequently in battles than they should. Later, when one of the team members, Radian, was perceived as having gone traitorous, Shear killed him in retaliation.[3]

Later, Yuri Pogorelich, Commander of the Morituri, decided to appoint Shear the new squad leader of Strikeforce: Morituri, a post he fiercely declined. Despite Shear's wishes to the contrary, Pogorelich forced him to his new position, although the task was later given to another team member, Brava.[4][5]