Characters : The Persuader
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Blue
His eyes glow when he uses his power.
Blonde
5'10"
170 lbs
Nothing other than his persuasion powers.
The Persuader's costume was designed to focus and augment his persuasion powers.
Picked on the Punisher right off the bat. (Oh, and his powers didn't work on anyone who was truly prepared for them.)
The mutant power of persuading people to do whatever he wanted them to do.
Normal human
United States of America
Dead
Known to Authorities
Unknown but at least an undergraduate degree
None, though the Arranger once accidentally referred to him as "Roland Raymond".
New York City, Dallas
Worked for the Kingpin
Wall Street Trader
After conversion: The Arranger, Andrew (one of the Kingpin's men)
Deceased
The Punisher, Tombstone, Spider-Man
Single
Never revealed
Roland Rayburn
Background
Roland Rayburn was a mutant with the power of persuading others to do whatever he suggested. Hardly aware of his abilities, Rayburn used them subconsciously to become a top-notch trader on Wall Street. Unfortunately, his abilities were noticed by the Kingpin who sent the hitman Tombstone to abduct him. He was taken to the Kingpin's assistant (known as the Arranger) and was there subjected to various drugs and intimidation until he was brainwashed into working for Fisk. He donned a costume and became the Persuader. Once he started using his power consciously, he learned that he very much enjoyed manipulating others to his will.
The Persuader's first job involved persuading the Punisher to join the Kingpin's war against the Lobo Brothers. Unfortunately for the Persuader, the Punisher became a particularly difficult subject to keep in his power. As soon as the Punisher broke free of the persuasion, he ruthlessly gunned down his captor, ending the short, ultimately unlucky career and life of the Persuader.
The Persuader is only a Spider-Man villain in that he solely appeared in Spectacular Spider-Man, but he never once used his power on the Web-Slinger. He may be more accurately termed a Punisher villain who didn't live long enough to appear anywhere else.
Appears In...
| Feb 1988 | App: Web of Spider-Man #35 |
| Appears, uses powers, no costume | |
| Feb 1988 | App: Web of Spider-Man #35 |
| Uses powers on cabbie | |
| Mar 1988 | App: Web of Spider-Man #36 |
| Uses powers on girl-friend | |
| May 1988 | App: Spectacular Spider-Man (Vol. 1) #138 |
| First full Roland Rayburn appearance | |
| Jun 1988 | App: Spectacular Spider-Man (Vol. 1) #139 |
| Origin issue | |
| Aug 1988 | App: Spectacular Spider-Man (Vol. 1) #141 |
| First appearance in costume | |
| Sep 1988 | App: Spectacular Spider-Man (Vol. 1) #142 |
| Apparently breaks the will of the Punisher | |
| Oct 1988 | App: Spectacular Spider-Man (Vol. 1) #143 |
| Killed by the Punisher |
The assistance of the Marvel Chronology Project is gratefully acknowledged.
Some of the above information is extracted from the various versions of the Official Handbook to the Marvel Universe and the more recent Marvel Encyclopaedias.
