Paladin is a Marvel Comics character, a mercenary. He first appeared in Daredevil v1 #150 (January 1978). While he claims that Paladin is his real name, he often goes by the name Paul Denning (an obvious play on his nom de guerre). Though not precisely a supervillain, his mercenary activities often bring him into conflict with superheroes.

An unabashed womanizer, Paladin will often flirt with any woman who catches his eye. He briefly dated the Wasp at a time when she was separated from Hank Pym.

Paladin's strength, speed, stamina and reflexes are all slightly superhuman; he can lift up to one ton of weight unaided. He is also a highly skilled hand-to-hand combatant, marksman, actor, espionage agent, bodyguard and detective.

Paladin has a certain amount of honor. For example, he was once hired by a corrupt government to assist rebels as part of a sting operation. He aided the rebels in a bombing-laying operation at a government facility. When the rebels were caught, his government handler remarked how lucky they were that the bomb had not gone off. Paladin replied, "I'm sorry, that would have been extra," and activated the bomb by remote control while driving away.(Amazing Fantasy, Vol 2, #16)

While he has been written using lethal force, his preferred weapon is his stun gun, which disrupts the nervous system sufficiently to render most people unconscious.

He is set to be a main character in the new Heroes for Hire series.

Daredevil villains | Fictional mercenaries

Paladin (comics)