"We are... only what we are, darling... I tried... to be worthy of you... of the Avengers... but... like Kang... I was doomed... from the beginning... I'm a failure... I'm just... one of those people... who doesn't count." With those final words, Jacques DuQuesne - the Swordsman, became the first Avenger to die in the line of duty (Giant-Size Avengers #2).
The Swordsman made his debut in Avengers #19 when he tried to join the Avengers for all the wrong reasons. While he may have been one of the most skilled weapons masters in the world, he carried a long list of crimes he had committed behind him. He reasoned that an Avengers' membership would provide him the perfect cover to hide his criminal lifestyle.
Hawkeye's Mentor
The heroes quickly saw through his story. Hawkeye told how the Swordsman had trained him when they were both part of a circus. Hawkeye told how Jaques left him for dead after running off with the circus's money. After fleeing the Avengers, Swordsman tricked Captain America into a battle and defeated him. He tried to barter Cap's life for membership in the group. The inexperienced Avengers quickly defeated him, only to see him vanish before their eyes.
Iron Man's longtime foe, the Mandarin was monitoring the Swordsman. As part of a plan to gain revenge on Iron Man, he teleported the Swordsman away to his lair. Here, he used alien Mukluan technology to enhance Jacques' blade. Buttons on the hilt allowed him to generate power blasts as well as project flame and gas from it. The very next issue he reappeared before the Avengers asking for a second chance (Avengers #20). They tricked the rather naive Avengers into allowing him to join with a faked recommendation from a holographic Iron Man projection. As per the Mandarin's plan, the Swordsman hid a bomb in their headquarters waiting for Iron Man to return to the group before detonating it. However, his short time with the heroes made him rethink his priorities. Ironically, he was discovered as he was disabling the explosive and was forced to battle his short-term teammates and flee again.
The blade master would go on to ally himself with the criminal Power Man, then Egghead, then Batroc's brigade. He was a member of the original Lethal Legion, battling the Avengers.
Once an Avenger, Always an Avenger
In the classic Avengers #100 (my all-time favorite Avengers comic - a "must-read" created by Roy Thomas and Barry Windsor-Smith), all former Avengers were summoned to battle Ares in Olympus. Surprising everyone, the Swordsman showed up, reminding them that he was an Avenger for a short time. After helping them defeat the mad god, he disappeared when they returned, perhaps fearing retribution for past mistakes.
In Avengers #112 the Swordsman would join the Avengers one more time. The mercenary wallowed in depression in Asia after his last appearance. The mysterious Mantis found him this way and helped motivate him to turn his life around and approach the Avengers again.
With reservations, the Avengers accepted him. The Swordsman took part in some of their most historic adventures including the Avengers/Defenders War, the Thanos War, and the Quest for the Celestial Madonna. It was during the time-traveling Kang's quest for the Celestial Madonna that Jacques met his fate. Considering him useless, Kang left him behind when capturing other Avengers. This oversight proved to be his undoing. The determined Swordsman discovered Kang's future persona, Rama-Tut, and with him freed the Avengers. Despite being rejected by Mantis, he sacrificed himself for her by shielding her from Kang's death ray with his own body.
A Future for the Luckless Avenger?
After Mantis was revealed as the Celestial Madonna, the Cotati, a plant-like race, reanimated Swordsman's body so it could become Mantis's mate. Even this would eventually go awry for the hapless Swordsman, as detailed in Marvel's big summer event happening now - Empyre.
Some might believe his presence in the Empyre saga makes his original appearances key collector issues. Perhaps he might also show up as Hawkeye's mentor in a future Disney series. However, looking ahead, I see Kang as a future nemesis for the MCU Avengers. If this happens, Marvel loves reworking their best stories for the big screen, and Kang's best story is the Celestial Madonna quest. As noted above, Swordsman plays a major role in this adventure. So who knows... perhaps the most luckless Avenger in their storied history could still become more than Almost Infamous...
