Darth Maul head
Deluxe movie Sabretooth figure
Destro Lower Legs


TO: DIRECTOR ROGERS
FROM: COL. WATERS
RE: MEDUSA ASSASSINS

Sir, we've been trying to help SHIELD supplement its files on MEDUSA, in part by extracting whatever information we can from the EXCAL operatives we have been on assignment with. The Paladin Knights here are mostly tight-lipped, as to be expected, but some of our team members (bet you can't guess which ones) have been able to pull some information out. Gung Ho, for example, has been able to get quite a bit of information from his former comrades from the old Joe unit. And Jestyr has been doing what she does best in extracting information the old fashioned way, at least when not on duty, as it were.

Anyway, we have a general understanding that the Assassins are to MEDUSA what the Paladins are to EXCAL: the premier individual warriors, promoted internally from the ranks of crimson elites and emerald shock troops (and less often the blue shirted naval troopers). As with the knights, Assassins have a very strong focus on individual combat skills, focused largely on martial arts and even more specifically bladed weapons. Historically, if the Paladins were created to combat the threat of MEDUSA overall, then the Assassins were created to nullify the Paladins. Given the head start that the Paladin Knight Program had, the EXCAL knights are simply better than the Assassins, at least so far. And the upper hand that MEDUSA maintains is one of numbers more than anything else.

The margin is narrowing though. We've gained some specific intel on one of the Assassins recently wreaking havoc in the Mediterranean theater. We know him only by his codename: Mauler. I will update you as more detail becomes available. I am attaching the few file pics we were able to obtain.

As to my opinion on the Avengers which you requested, I'd have to respectfully rank them as a unit just a touch behind both the Paladins and the Assassins. I know many of you have been fighting this fight longer than anyone really knows about, but just in terms of organization and depth, the Paladins really are at the top of their game. And since SHIELD is only now making its presence known, EXCAL has had the pick of the litter for a few years now in terms of recruitment. I strongly suggest finding some way to curtail defections if you want to see the general level of talent available increase any time soon.

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