Place of Birth: Unrevealed
Aliases: None
First Appearance: Avengers Vol. 1 #19 (1965)
Becomes an Avenger: Avengers Vol. 1 #100 (1972)
Best Moment: Sacrificing himself to save Mantis in Avengers Vol. 1 #129 (1974) and Giant-Size Avengers #2 (1974)
Worst Moment: Unsuccessfully trying to join the team solely for the benefits associated with an Avenger ID in Avengers Vol. 1 #19 (1965)
Background: Jacques Duquesne was raised as a wealthy youth in an Asian country ruled by the French. Using his skills as a sword fighter and acrobat, Duquesne armed himself as the Swordsman, a swashbuckling adventurer who helped liberate the down-trodden community.
After learning of his father’s death at the hands of his fellow rebels, Duquesne left the country of Sin-Cong and joined the Carson Carnival of Traveling Wonders, where he met future Avenger Clint Barton aka Hawkeye. Duquesne trained Barton archery and the two bonded closely. However, the friendship turned sour when Barton discovered Duquesne stealing from the circus in Solo Avengers #2 (1988).
Duquesne then went on to a life of crime, battling the Avengers with the likes of Black Widow, Power Man and the Mandarin. After many battles with the team, including one in which he faked joining them to get closer; Duquesne secretly fell in love with team member Mantis, causing him to finally give up his life of crime and officially join the team in Avengers Vol. 1 #114 (1973).
In his final mission with his fellow Avengers, Duquesne valiantly fought against Kang, who wished to abduct Mantis during the Celestial Madonna saga. After rescuing the entire team, Duquesne met his end. A defeated Kang fired a blast at Mantis, realizing that if he couldn’t have her, no one would. Duquesne bravely stepped in front of the projectile; saving his love and listening to her confess her own feelings before drifting off.
Swordsman has made appearances since his heroic sacrifice, particularly in the recent Chaos War: Dead Avengers mini-series (2010), where he was eventually brought back to life.
Analysis: The Swordsman is a classic and often overlooked member of the team. His role as both the teacher of Hawkeye (who went on to become one of the team’s greatest members), as well as his noble efforts to thwart Kang make him a very important part of Avengers history.
Willie’s Avenger Rating: 8 out of 10