Silver Sable

Publication history

Created by Tom DeFalco and Ron Frenz, Silver Sable first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #265 (June 1985). The inspiration for the character comes from safari cards bought by Tom DeFalco. After her debut, she made occasional appearances in various Spider-Man titles, often (but not always) as an ally. Marvel Comics began to publish the series Silver Sable & The Wild Pack in June 1992, written by Gregory Wright and penciled by Steven Butler. This series lasted for 35 issues, until it was canceled along with many other Marvel series in 1995.

After the cancellation, Silver made occasional guest appearances in various comics until early 2006. At that point a limited series began featuring Silver Sable and Dominic Fortune titled Sable and Fortune. Originally solicited as a six issue series, Sable and Fortune was shortened to four issues after the release of issue one.

Fictional character biography

The operations of Wild Pack and Silver Sable International drive the national economy of the fictional small European state of Symkaria. The name Wild Pack had been used by the mercenary squad led by Cable for some time, until a legal notice forced them to change it to Six Pack.

The State of Symkaria is adjacent to Latveria, the nation that is ruled by Doctor Doom. Silver Sable and Victor Von Doom have an annual diplomatic dinner at Castle Doom, situated in Doomstadt. Apparently the friendship between these two states is deep-rooted and dates back to World War II.

The family of Silver Sable is composed of her father Ernst Sablinova, her uncle Morty, and the young cousin Anna (orphaned daughter of an unnamed uncle or aunt). Silver's mother was killed in front of her by enemies of her father, who ran a Nazi-hunting group. Due to this traumatic event and her Father's subsequent harsh training and treatment of her, Silver Sable has dedicated herself to being both as emotionless and as effective as possible in her professional life. Silver has been known only to let one emotion—rage—overcome her reason, almost uniformly when facing Nazi opponents or those who threaten her family. Other subsequent mistakes involving emotion have only added to her self-imposed need to control herself and affect an "ice queen" persona. Most notably, Silver fell in love with and was married to the Foreigner, an international assassin and the head of the 1400 Club, but they "divorced" when she discovered his real work. Their relation today varies between friendship, mere mutual tolerance, and attempts to kill each other.

Uncle Morty functions as Sable's assistant. Morty organizes the missions, keeps track of the accounting part, and many times tries to remind Sable to retain her focus and sense of judgment (as Silver's iron-clad emotional control and occasional fits of temper are often only softened by feelings for her family).

Silver supports Anna's boarding school education and seemingly nothing more. Her feelings were betrayed when HYDRA agents took over the school and killed Anna's best friend. Sable infiltrated the school, rescuing the survivors with the unwanted aid of Spider-Man and the aid of some of her troops, against orders. Silver once hunted the international criminal the Black Fox to recover valuable gems stolen by the thief, but was inadvertently thwarted by Spider-Man. She was hired by a South African republic to neutralize the international terrorist Jack O'Lantern. She enlisted Spider-Man's aid against the Sinister Syndicate, and first formed an alliance with the Sandman. Some time later, she joined forces with Spider-Man, Paladin, Solo, and Captain America to track down Sabretooth and the Red Skull, who masterminded a plot to put the United States against Symkaria. The group is hired to clear up a decade's old conspiracy resulting from a failed terrorist attack on New York City.

She later hired Spider-Man to steal incriminating documents from a Maggia money launderer, and then first encountered the Outlaws. An intelligence mission in Iraq resulted in the death of a Wild Pack member, and she denied compensation to the slain man's family due to his negligence. She devised an initiation test for the Prowler to join the Outlaws, and taught a lesson in humility. She hired the Outlaws to retrieve a Symkarian nuclear device in England. She hired the Outlaws to rescue the kidnapped daughter of a Canadian official. With the help of Spider-Man, Sandman, and the Wild Pack, she rescued her niece from a kidnapping by HYDRA. She then encountered a Doctor Doom doppelganger.

Silver has collaborated with various superheroes, including the aforementioned Spider-Man, the Punisher, Daredevil, Luke Cage, Venom, Captain America, Deadpool and many others. Sandman was a mercenary for Silver Sable International for a long time, heading the Intruders, the squad of superpowered mercenaries in the employ of Silver Sable International. Other heroes and reformed minor villains work for Silver Sable International on occasion.

Like her father, Sable's squad focuses on bringing Nazi war criminals to justice, though they have taken on many other types of missions. Her group often flagrantly disobeys orders if they believe it is for the greater good.

Sable's surprisingly cordial diplomatic relationship with Doctor Doom would prove almost-fatal as the annual dinner happened to fall on the time when Doctor Doom's castle had been overtaken by an alien impersonator during the Infinity War crisis. The double did look different, something Sable put down to Doom's desires to change his look. During the dinner, Sable's driver is killed by Doom's robots and a human butler is killed by the Doom double. Sable protests the brutality and is attacked herself, leading to a chase throughout the castle. Again defying her, her soldiers came to rescue her, despite Sandman himself also having been replaced.

Later, Sable was hired to protect Professor Wolfgang Von Hessler holed up in the Symkarian monastery of St. Eboars. Wolfgang knew of a powerful genetic weapon and, attacked by guilt, was working on a neutralizing agent to give to the world so the weapon would be useless.

Most of Sable's Wild Pack were out on assignments, so she hired a new team. The Cat, a martial artist, Paladin, and what she thought was Nomad but turned out to be Madcap. The group fought the Heroes for Hire, who had been hired to take the Professor. Sable's team had the upper hand until Deadpool freed his Heroes allies and Power Man turned traitor, sending the professor off to the villain Master of the World.

During the Shadowland storyline, Silver Sable ends up paired up with Misty Knight, Paladin, and Shroud when Daredevil's Hand Ninjas end up secretly targeting members of the mafia.

During the Ends of the Earth storyline involving one of Doctor Octopus' schemes, Silver Sable recovers Spider-Man and Black Widow after the Avengers are defeated by the Sinister Six—Spider-Man because of experience with the Six and Widow simply because of closest to Sable's cloaked plane. She joins them in an attack on a Sahara facility controlled by Doctor Octopus, with the three successfully defeating Sandman after Spider-Man's allies at Horizon Labs helped determine a means of identifying the one particle of sand containing Sandman's consciousness. She is apparently drowned by the Rhino in the final battle when Rhino pins her to the ground in a flooding corridor in Doctor Octopus' base, Rhino preferring to die after the loss of his own wife and knowing that Spider-Man will blame himself for the death even if Doctor Octopus' plan is stopped.

Madame Web later claims to Spider-Man that Silver Sable did not perish in the fight within Doctor Octopus' underwater base.

She is later seen with other dead people in a post-mortem experience by Peter Parker.

Powers, abilities, and equipment

Silver Sable is an athletic woman with no superhuman powers. She is a formidable hand-to-hand combatant, and skilled in various martial arts, and she is an expert markswoman, swordswoman, and gymnast. She also possesses strong leadership capabilities.

Silver Sable wears synthetic stretch fabric lined with Kevlar throughout the torso. She often carries a saber or rapier (dueling sword), chai (three-pronged half-moon throwing projectiles), a 9mm pistol and derringer. Silver Sable generally has the latest technology and equipment at her disposal, provided by Silver Sable International.

Spider-Verse

In the Spider-Verse storyline, a character resembling Silver Sable but called Sable appears as a member of the Hounds who work for Verna of the Inheritors. She and the other Hounds accompany Verna to Earth-1610 to hunt Miles Morales. She is killed by the Superior Spider-Man, and his allies Spider-Punk and Assassin Spider-Man.

Ultimate Marvel

The Ultimate Marvel iteration of Silver Sable is the mercenary leader of the Wild Pack. A mercenary from Symkaria, she had a troubled childhood, apparently ignored by her father and abused by her alcoholic mother. In reality, her father hunted Nazis and she forgave him at his deathbed and decided to follow in his footsteps. While an antagonist to Spider-Man, she is not actually a villain so much as a bounty hunter, and she holds no particular ill-will towards Spider-Man.

As the central villain in the "Sliver Sable" story arc, Silver Sable is hired by Donald Roxxon to capture Spider-Man for questioning. After weeks of tracking, Sable's mercenaries mistakenly capture Flash Thompson. As they discussed whether to murder Thompson to prevent from identifying them, Flash escaped. Sable's Wild Pack later captured and brought Spider-Man to Roxxon. Not believing Spider-Man's information of being there ironically, Sable and Roxxon do a background check using Spider-Man, however, this causes a high level S.H.I.E.L.D. alert. While listening to Roxxon's argument for protection, Sable's Wild Pack are attacked by the Vulture. After escaping the chaos, Sable threateningly demands Roxxon in paying the reward money and swears she will kill Roxxon if their names are told to the authorities.

During the "War of the Symbiotes" story arc, Silver Sable and her Wild Pack members are hired by Bolivar Trask to capture Eddie Brock Jr.. Sable and the Pack capture Venom after a fight with Spider-Man. However, Sable spared Spider-Man from being taken by the Wild Pack as a "bonus" and "thanks" for subduing Venom. After delivering Venom to Trask, Sable's Wild Pack provide security for Trask's experiment to remove the Venom symbiote. However, the Beetle breached the facility, paralyzing Sable with knockout gas. Sable's Wild Pack later fights with the Venom symbiote after organism abandoned Brock and possessed Spider-Man. Sable's Wild Pack tries to subdue Venom, but were unable to until the Ultimates arrive. Despite trying to escape and talk their way, the Ultimates take into custody the Wild Pack with Sable being tranquilized by the Wasp. Sable and the Pack were then imprisoned by S.H.I.E.L.D.

What If?

In the What If?? storyline What If Spider-man had married the Black Cat?, after Black Cat is accidentally killed by the Paladin, Silver Sable and Spider-Man enter into a romantic relationship due to their shared grief over the loss of their loved ones. Uatu the Watcher leaves it ambiguous whether this relationship will work out or not.

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