Alright let's back to some traditional Z-List comic book characters! Characters who have been forgotten and unnoticed and for good reasons. Today we'll be looking at a classic, one of the earliest superheroes in Marvel Comic's history. Today's Z-Lister is The Whizzer.
Robert Frank/Whizzer was created by artist Al Avison in 1941 in "USA Comics #1". It should be mentioned that the writer of this story was never credited and to this day has not been identified. Additionally, Whizzer was created one year after DC Comic's first version of The Flash, Jay Garrick. Whether or not Marvel (or Timely as they were known as back then) wanted to bank of the speedster concept is up to interpretation. His original backstory tells us that Robert was on a trip with his father Professor Emil Frank in Africa, during the trip Robert was bitten and poisoned by a cobra. In order to save his life, Emil infused mongoose blood into Robert. The mongoose blood counteracted the cobra's poison and also gave Robert the power of super speed.
Through extensive research online, in libraries, and through various biologists and zoologists across the nation I have deduced that while mongoose are biologically immune to snake venom, they do not posses super speed. Also, since when does a blood transfusion-oh, forget it. I mean if we really want to analyze this Peter Parker got the strength, speed and agility proportionate to a spider through a bite. Spider-Man can lift 10 tons just as a spider can lift...whatever would weight ten tons in comparison to a spider's size. I don't know! But what I'm saying is, since mongoose are really fast because they're small maybe Robert received that boost in speed too? Maybe. Then again, the spider that bit Peter was radioactive. At least Robert's poison proof.
Anyway, Robert used his powers to fight crime as Whizzer and eventually joined teams like The Liberty Legion to save Captain America and The Invaders, The Invaders shortly after saving them, and finally The All-Winners Squad which was just a combination of the two teams. Awful name, by the way. Sets up too high of an expectation. "All-Decently Scored Squad" is more like it. Writer Roy Thomas would revitalize Whizzer in 1974 and writer Gerry Conway would "fix" his origin in 1976 by stating the mongoose blood infusion kickstarted a latent mutant gene that was dormant in Robert. This implies Robert was a mutant who's powers never manifested until the mongoose blood infusion. Hold on to this idea. Whizzer would later join The Avengers to stop his own son Nuklo who's radioactive powers caused him to run amok. This fight causes Whizzer's first heart attack. At the end of the adventure Whizzer privately believes he is the father of Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver. Again, hold on to that.
After a fight against the Living Laser, Whizzer had his second heart attack and finally dies of a third heart attack while fighting Isbisa. Nuklo's powers had gone away while helping Whizzer battle Isbisa so the day Nuklo earned a normal life was the day his father died too. Whizzer is regarded as one of The Avenger's oldest and respectable members for his years of heroism. Now, the Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch thing. At that time in comics Wanda and Pietro were both considered mutants and Magneto was their father so Whizzer's belief was solely based on him learning he was a mutant and Quicksilver's similar powers. In 2015-because of movie rights-it was revealed Wanda and Pietro are not mutants, but humans experimented on by The High Evolutionary and that Magneto is not their birth father. Was Gerry Conway trying to distance Magneto from the twins even as early as the 1980's? Is this new non-mutant status for the twins a chance to change Whizzer's origin again and establish him as their father? If that was the case it would be in Marvel Studios favor as Whizzer didn't begin as a mutant and most likely falls under Marvel Studios' rights. Just something to think about.
The Whizzer looks silly, his origin is silly, but since he was a character of 1941 I feel he can't be judged for anything. You can't tease comic book characters from The Golden Age because there was no comparison, there was no serious counterpoint to ruin a character. People only tease Golden Age heroes now because movies like "The Dark Knight" exist. It was a simpler time and I think we should all accept that. Whizzer is a staple of classic Marvel history and while his design may be out of this world he at least stands as one of Marvel's first rival characters to DC Comics. He even had three successors! What a coincidence!
Thanks for reading.
Who do you think is the father of Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver? Comment below!
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