Marvel Comics’ deadliest assassins. He’s been a thorn in the side of Marvel’s superhuman community for a long time and once revealed why exactly he is to be feared as much as he is.
In 2007's Thunderbolts #117 by Warren Ellis and Mike Deodato Jr, Bullseye sits chained up in his cell waiting for his next deployment into the field as a member of Norman Osborn’s Thunderbolts team. With Osborn having nothing to say to the assassin, Bullseye monologues about the reasoning behind his desire to kill. He explains that doesn’t simply enjoy fighting superheroes or killing innocents, but that he does so because he believes he gets stronger with every life he takes. Every time Bullseye kills, he claims that he becomes “stronger, [and] faster” and “more like God.” He further equates himself with God saying, “Maybe killing as fast he creates makes me God’s only friend.” Bullseye’s high body count already made him scary, but his deranged notion that with every kill he gets closer to divinity is downright terrifying.
Bullseye Is Marvel's Most Insane Killer
Of course Bullseye’s most infamous victims were Elektra Natchios and Karen Page, who were targeted partly because of his obsession with tormenting Daredevil. His number of kills eventually gets so high that Osborn keeps him in a cell despite allowing his villainous Thunderbolts teammates to roam their headquarters freely. His most recent act of villainy occurs in 2019’s Daredevil series, where Bullseye goes on a mass killing spree in Manhattan in an effort to cement himself as the world’s greatest assassin. This actually is yet another instance in which his religiously motivated murders are explored in a twisted hallucination he has of an angel.
Many of Marvel’s villains have fascinated readers because of their tragic backstories, redeemable qualities, raw power, or even their ambitious plans e.g., Norman Osborn’s abusive upbringing, Magneto’s crusade for mutantkind, Thanos’ cosmic physiology, or Kingpin’s rise from crime lord to mayor. But part of what makes Bullseye stand out as the most frightening among them is that he is not tied to any other goal beyond killing. Often the only thing characters can use to bargain with him is the promise that he'll be able to kill indiscriminately. This contrasts with the likes of Doctor Doom or Kang the Conqueror, who don't often commit evil acts without a higher purpose in mind. Additionally, Bullseye is mostly just a regular human whose body count is on par with villains who far sur his abilities, making him all the more disturbing.
Bullseye Scares Everybody
Bullseye may not be a world-ending threat on his own, but his unhinged mind and near superhuman marksmanship strikes fear in his fellow villain competitors like Kingpin, several street-level defenders such as Moon Knight, and the occasional Avenger. And while he can’t fare well against someone as powerful as Thor or Iron Man, his blood-curling demeanor and sadism arguably makes him just as frightening as the Joker or Carnage. Wherever readers stand on Daredevil’s enemy, they can be certain that Bullseye will return eventually to try and top his previous outing.
