Desert Sword was originally formed to be the superhuman arm of the Iraqi military. Led by Sirocco, a mutant able to generate wind funnels for flight or to trap others, the other original members of the team were Aminedi (also called the Invisible One), named after the cutting wind of the Iraqi deserts who could transform into invisible and intangible air particles which allowed him to move at super-speed and cut with razor sharpness; the Veil, who could secrete chemicals from her skin that combined with air to form a thick fog which she controlled for various effects; and Black Raazer, the earth-bound spirit of the ancient Persian sorcerer Razer, who wields the life-sapping Black Blade of Baghdad. Black Raazer was formerly imprisoned within the body of the Canadian adventurer codenamed Puck for decades before ultimately being freed after Puck fell into a well of powerful magic. The team was boosted by the addition of Saudi Arabian superhero the Arabian Knight, possessed of a flying carpet, enchanted sash, and a magic scimitar. The Iraqi regime believed they had pressed the Arabian Knight into their service by keeping his wives and children hostage; however, he was secretly an agent of the Pantheon who had been in deep cover ever since their disastrous incursion into the nation of Trans-Sabal, and his captured family members were actually fellow Pantheon agents.
Desert Sword’s first recorded mission took them to Iraqi-occupied Kuwait to prevent the U.S. government’s own superhuman team, Freedom Force, from liberating trapped German scientist Reinhold Kurtzmann. Desert Sword located Kurtzmann first, then ambushed Freedom Force. In the ensuing clash, Aminedi beheaded Super Sabre and severed the Crimson Commando’s right arm before Freedom Force recovered Kurtzmann and retreated. Desert Sword followed and recaptured Kurtzmann, forcing Pyro to kill him to prevent the Iraqis from using his knowledge of nuclear physics to further their weapons development program. The situation escalated when the Crimson Commando and Avalanche were caught in a minefield, leaving Commando critically injured. The Veil was subsequently killed by Pyro, and the Blob was stabbed by both Black Raazer and the Arabian Knight before turning the tables on his attackers, severely injuring the Arabian Knight with his own sword. Avalanche carried the Crimson Commando to their designated extraction point, leaving the Blob and Pyro to be captured by Desert Sword.
Held as prisoners, the Blob and Pyro were forced to serve as bodyguards to the Iraqi military commander until their freedom was ultimately secured by the Toad, who was seeking recruits for a new Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. Later, Aminedi was reported to have died from an infection of the mutant-killing Legacy Virus. The Arabian Knight went on to battle the chemically-altered U.S. soldier Sandstorm, and subsequently argued with his fellow Pantheon agents Achilles and Ajax over the fate of a secret buildup of Muslim troops to help oppose Serbian ethnic cleansing in Bosnia. Eventually, the Arabian Knight was one of many apparently killed at random by the powerful mutant Humus Sapien. With only Sirocco and Black Raazer remaining active, the future of Desert Sword is uncertain.
