Eric Barlow grew up with his younger brother Bennett and the older sibling always took out his frustrations on him. Eric would graduate from college with top honors but his life seem to fall apart afterwards. Eric would bounce from job to job while his brother Bennett would graduate from college with a physics degree and learn how to build a nuclear bomb. Years later, Eric took on the moniker of Damocles and steal a canister of synthetic cobalt from the Trinity General Hospital in New York. This led into conflict with Thor because he was present at the hospital as his alter ego- Donald Blake when the theft occurred. Damocles managed to escape when he unleashed his destruct-drone that blasted Thor in the sky. Bennett would come to Thor and tell him that Damocles was his older brother and brought him to a house where they used to room together. Damocles and his men attacked Thor with his massive cobalt cannon that unleashed devastating rays. Thor was taken down when he was struck from a wide focus blast. Bennett tried to plead with his brother but Eric laughed in his face and told him that he was able to construct the cannon from Bennett's  own research in college. Thor recovered and confronted Damocles and his men at the 47th Street Jewelry Exchange. Thor was preoccupied with Damocles' men when Bennett told his brother that the synthetic cobalt he was using was very unstable and it could destroy the city. The cannon began to glow and Thor told Damocles to surrender the cannon but he refused. Bennett grabbed a gun from the ground and was forced to kill his brother. Thor created a powerful vortex with his hammer and shot the cannon into space as it exploded. The city was saved and Thor thanked Bennett as he clutched his dead brother in his arms.

Creation

Damocles was created by Len Wein, Walt Simonson and Tony DeZuniga in 1977 and first appeared in Thor # 267.

Abilities

Damocles was a leader of a terrorist group that constructed a powerful cobalt cannon and he also carried a pistol.