Chord’s origin dates back to the Siancong War, a fictional conflict in Southeast Asia in the 1960s. During this war, an American recon patrol in Cambodia stumbled upon an ancient temple of a cult called the Dragon’s Breath, which had been hidden for centuries. The temple was built upon the Well of All Things, a wellspring of raw, primal energy that could grant incredible powers to those who could harness it. The cult members, aided by prophecy, decided to breed a superior race that would one day unite with the ways of the West. They believed this union would produce children capable of tapping into the power of the Well. The members of the recon patrol were to be the fathers of these children, including Andrew Chord.
Chord fathered two children with Miyami, the daughter of Tai, the leader of the cult. The children were named Aaron and Janelle, but they later adopted Midnight’s Fire and Silhouette codenames. Chord was unaware of his children’s existence until many years later when he encountered them as vigilantes in New York City. Chord had become the guardian of Dwayne Taylor, a young billionaire who lost his parents in a mysterious attack. Chord trained Dwayne to become Night Thrasher, a skilled martial artist and crime fighter who founded the New Warriors, a team of teenage superheroes.
Chord’s children had a complicated relationship with him and Night Thrasher. Midnight’s Fire blamed Night Thrasher for Silhouette’s paralysis, which occurred during a sting operation gone wrong. He became a cop killer and a drug lord, hoping to lure Night Thrasher into a deadly confrontation. On the other hand, Silhouette reunited with Night Thrasher and joined the New Warriors as his love interest. She also revealed her father’s identity and confronted him about his past.
Chord’s past came back to haunt him when Diego Casseas, another member of the recon patrol who called himself the Left Hand, stole the power of the Well from his comatose child and gathered the other children of the pact into a group called the Folding Circle. The Circle attempted to take control of the Well away from Tai, who had been secretly manipulating Chord and Night Thrasher for years. The New Warriors intervened and managed to defeat Tai and seal the Well, but Casseas and Tai were killed, and the surviving members of the Circle escaped.
Chord continued acting as Night Thrasher’s mentor and ally, even after discovering that Tai was responsible for killing Dwayne’s parents. He also became the guardian of Rage, another member of the New Warriors who was a 13-year-old boy with super strength and durability. Chord helped Rage cope with his situation and enrolled him in school.
Chord has not appeared much in recent years. Still, he made a cameo appearance in Avengers: The Initiative #18 (2008), where he attended Night Thrasher’s funeral after he died during the superhero Civil War. He has also appeared in some video games based on Marvel comics, such as Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2 (2009) and Marvel Avengers Academy (2016). He has not appeared in any animated shows or movies so far.
