Captain Nazi
Encyclopedia
Captain Nazi is a Fawcett Comics
and DC Comics
supervillain
, a rival of Captain Marvel
and Captain Marvel Jr.
He was created by William Woolfolk and Mac Raboy
.
and the Axis Powers
during World War II
. He is given superhuman strength and stamina, and a special flying gas allows him to fly. He is sent to battle American superheroes by the Nazis after his power is demonstrated to them by Hitler, and some of the heroes are shown. Nazi first appeared in Master Comics
#21 (December 1941), in opposition to both Captain Marvel and Bulletman. During the second half of his battle with Marvel in Whiz Comics #25 (published the same month), Nazi attacks two innocent bystanders who happened to be fishing near the scene of the battle, after they pull him out of the lake and escapes in their boat. One of them, an old man named Jacob Freeman, is killed, but the old man's teenage grandson, Freddy Freeman, is saved by Captain Marvel although he is crippled and his back broken with a hit from an oar while Nazi escapes in the boat, but due to Captain Marvel bestowing part of his power to him, Freddy becomes Captain Marvel, Jr. He is then sent to defeat Captain Nazi by Captain Marvel.
Junior, crippled in his Freddy Freeman form by the attack, continues to hold a vendetta against Nazi, and the two frequently battle one another. Nazi also serves as a member of Mister Mind's Monster Society of Evil, one of the most powerful organisations of villains in the world which included Adolf Hitler, and assists their first plan to steal magic fortune-telling pearls from a princess, leading Captain Marvel to their hideout, and revealing their existence, during the WWII years, before making his final Fawcett Comics appearance in Captain Marvel, Jr. #14 in 1944.
Captain Nazi appeared only sporadically in DC Comics
' 1970s/1980s revival of the Marvel Family
characters under the title Shazam!, save for reprints of the original Fawcett stories. Nazi's first appearance in a new DC Comics story was in Shazam! #34 (March- April 1978).
Following writer Roy Thomas
and artist Tom Mandrake's new interpretation of the Captain Marvel mythos in the 1987 four-issue miniseries Shazam: The New Beginning, Captain Nazi was re-introduced in a 1988 four-part story in Action Comics Weekly #s 623-626. Captain Nazi himself, however, only appeared in #s 624-626. The story was written by Thomas and his wife Dann Thomas
, with art by Rick Stasi and Rick Magyar. The new Captain Nazi is a young Neo-Nazi named Lester Abernathy. Abernathy is given his "Captain Nazi" powers, costume and codename by a Neo-Nazi organization called the Sons of Valhalla
and battles Captain Marvel. This version of the character made no further appearances and was subsequently retcon
ned out of existence by the 1994 The Power of Shazam! graphic novel, which again altered Captain Marvel's background and continuity.
Captain Nazi was introduced into the modern DC Universe
in Jerry Ordway
's The Power of Shazam! series in 1995. In the modern series, Nazi had been active during the 1940s, battling WWII-era heroes such as Bulletman, Minute-Man
, and Spy Smasher
, but placed himself in suspended animation
in a chamber so that he could emerge in modern society and revive the Third Reich. He believed Hitler's body to be held in a similar chamber. Nazi's brother, scientist Wolf Krieger, and his granddaughter, a super-powered villainess named Madame Libertine who possesses mind-controlling powers, carry on Nazi's legacy in the 1990s and resurrect their hero from his suspended animation chamber in Power of Shazam! #5.
Issues #6–8 of the Power of Shazam series retell the story of Nazi's murder of Freddy's grandfather by throwing him a great distance with his superhuman strength, his crippling of Freddy, and Freddy's emergence as Marvel, Jr. and attempted revenge on Nazi. His life was actually saved by Freddy who believed the figure who fell into the lake was Captain Marvel, who had just knocked him into the lake. After the Marvel Family captures and defeats Nazi, he is sent to Europe
to be tried for war crimes committed during World War II.
Captain Nazi eventually joins Lex Luthor's new Secret Society of Super Villains
as seen in the miniseries Villains United
, where he works with them to torture the Secret Six
. He is blinded during the escape of the Secret Six when Catman
plunges syringes into his eyes.
Captain Nazi meets his apparent end in Batman
#647 while fighting Batman and the Red Hood
. The Captain, now sporting cybernetic eyes following his injury in Villains United, has been lent out to the villain Black Mask
to assassinate the Red Hood alongside follow Society members Deathstroke
and the Hyena
. During the fight, the Red Hood apparently kills Captain Nazi by jamming a taser
-like weapon into his cybernetic eyes (the only vulnerable part of his body). In Villains United Special #1 however, it is revealed that Nazi has survived. At the behest of the Society, Nazi appeared in Kahndaq
to release all of the captives in its prisons and fights Khandaq's ruler and former Secret Society member, Black Adam
. During the battle, Black Adam confronts Nazi about how he seemingly survived being killed, at which time Captain Nazi cryptically proclaims that previous origins about him were wrong and that the villain is not even human; that he is the living avatar of National Socialism given physical form and that so long as there are Nazis in existence, he will exist. Despite this claim, Black Adam easily defeats Captain Nazi.
He has since appeared as leader of a Nazi-themed team in Justice Society of America
named "The Fourth Reich" after the "One Year Later
" jump, and is an opponent of Wonder Woman
in 'The Circle', sporting a generic black costume.
event, Captain Nazi is a member of the H.I.V.E.
council and represents Germany. He voted for using nuclear weapons to end the war in Western Europe between Aquaman and Wonder Woman. He appears much older here, possibly because he was not placed in suspended animation.
Fawcett Comics
Fawcett Comics, a division of Fawcett Publications, was one of several successful comic book publishers during the Golden Age of Comic Books in the 1940s...
and DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
supervillain
Supervillain
A supervillain or supervillainess is a variant of the villain character type, commonly found in comic books, action movies and science fiction in various media.They are sometimes used as foils to superheroes and other fictional heroes...
, a rival of Captain Marvel
Captain Marvel (DC Comics)
Captain Marvel is a fictional comic book superhero, originally published by Fawcett Comics and later by DC Comics. Created in 1939 by artist C. C. Beck and writer Bill Parker, the character first appeared in Whiz Comics #2...
and Captain Marvel Jr.
Captain Marvel Jr.
Captain Marvel Jr. is a fictional character, a superhero originally published by Fawcett Comics and currently in the . A member of the Marvel Family team of superheroes, he was created by Ed Herron and Mac Raboy, and first appeared in Whiz Comics #25 in December 1941.Captain Marvel Jr.'s...
He was created by William Woolfolk and Mac Raboy
Mac Raboy
Emmanuel "Mac" Raboy was an American cartoonist whose comic books and strips remain collectibles more than 40 years after his death. He was known for his work on Fawcett Comics' Captain Marvel Jr...
.
Fawcett Comics
The super-strong Captain Nazi was genetically altered by his scientist father, and developed into the "perfect specimen" in order to fight for Adolf HitlerAdolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
and the Axis Powers
Axis Powers
The Axis powers , also known as the Axis alliance, Axis nations, Axis countries, or just the Axis, was an alignment of great powers during the mid-20th century that fought World War II against the Allies. It began in 1936 with treaties of friendship between Germany and Italy and between Germany and...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. He is given superhuman strength and stamina, and a special flying gas allows him to fly. He is sent to battle American superheroes by the Nazis after his power is demonstrated to them by Hitler, and some of the heroes are shown. Nazi first appeared in Master Comics
Master Comics
Master Comics was a monthly ongoing comic book anthology series that began its 133-issue run during the 1930s and 1940s period known as the Golden Age of Comic Books...
#21 (December 1941), in opposition to both Captain Marvel and Bulletman. During the second half of his battle with Marvel in Whiz Comics #25 (published the same month), Nazi attacks two innocent bystanders who happened to be fishing near the scene of the battle, after they pull him out of the lake and escapes in their boat. One of them, an old man named Jacob Freeman, is killed, but the old man's teenage grandson, Freddy Freeman, is saved by Captain Marvel although he is crippled and his back broken with a hit from an oar while Nazi escapes in the boat, but due to Captain Marvel bestowing part of his power to him, Freddy becomes Captain Marvel, Jr. He is then sent to defeat Captain Nazi by Captain Marvel.
Junior, crippled in his Freddy Freeman form by the attack, continues to hold a vendetta against Nazi, and the two frequently battle one another. Nazi also serves as a member of Mister Mind's Monster Society of Evil, one of the most powerful organisations of villains in the world which included Adolf Hitler, and assists their first plan to steal magic fortune-telling pearls from a princess, leading Captain Marvel to their hideout, and revealing their existence, during the WWII years, before making his final Fawcett Comics appearance in Captain Marvel, Jr. #14 in 1944.
DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
' 1970s/1980s revival of the Marvel Family
Marvel Family
The Marvel Family is a group of fictional characters, a team of superheroes in the Fawcett Comics and DC Comics universes. Created in 1942 by writer Otto Binder and Fawcett artists C. C...
characters under the title Shazam!, save for reprints of the original Fawcett stories. Nazi's first appearance in a new DC Comics story was in Shazam! #34 (March- April 1978).
Following writer Roy Thomas
Roy Thomas
Roy William Thomas, Jr. is an American comic book writer and editor, and Stan Lee's first successor as editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics. He is possibly best known for introducing the pulp magazine hero Conan the Barbarian to American comics, with a series that added to the storyline of Robert E...
and artist Tom Mandrake's new interpretation of the Captain Marvel mythos in the 1987 four-issue miniseries Shazam: The New Beginning, Captain Nazi was re-introduced in a 1988 four-part story in Action Comics Weekly #s 623-626. Captain Nazi himself, however, only appeared in #s 624-626. The story was written by Thomas and his wife Dann Thomas
Dann Thomas
Danette "Dann" Thomas is a comic book writer, the wife of comic book writer and editor Roy Thomas. She has at times collaborated with Thomas on All-Star Squadron, Arak, Son of Thunder, the Crimson Avenger miniseries and Avengers West Coast.She married Roy Thomas in May 1981 and legally changed her...
, with art by Rick Stasi and Rick Magyar. The new Captain Nazi is a young Neo-Nazi named Lester Abernathy. Abernathy is given his "Captain Nazi" powers, costume and codename by a Neo-Nazi organization called the Sons of Valhalla
Valhalla
In Norse mythology, Valhalla is a majestic, enormous hall located in Asgard, ruled over by the god Odin. Chosen by Odin, half of those that die in combat travel to Valhalla upon death, led by valkyries, while the other half go to the goddess Freyja's field Fólkvangr...
and battles Captain Marvel. This version of the character made no further appearances and was subsequently retcon
Retcon
Retroactive continuity is the alteration of previously established facts in a fictional work. Retcons are done for many reasons, including the accommodation of sequels or further derivative works in a series, wherein newer authors or creators want to revise the in-story history to allow a course...
ned out of existence by the 1994 The Power of Shazam! graphic novel, which again altered Captain Marvel's background and continuity.
Captain Nazi was introduced into the modern DC Universe
DC Universe
The DC Universe is the shared universe where most of the comic stories published by DC Comics take place. The fictional characters Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman are well-known superheroes from this universe. Note that in context, "DC Universe" is usually used to refer to the main DC continuity...
in Jerry Ordway
Jerry Ordway
Jeremiah "Jerry" Ordway is an American writer, penciller, inker and painter of comic books.He is known for his inking work on a wide variety of DC Comics titles, including the continuity-redefining classic Crisis on Infinite Earths , his long run working on the Superman titles from 1986–1993, and...
's The Power of Shazam! series in 1995. In the modern series, Nazi had been active during the 1940s, battling WWII-era heroes such as Bulletman, Minute-Man
Minute-Man
Minute-Man is a fictional comic book superhero.-Publication history:Named after the minutemen of the American Revolution and sporting an American flag-inspired costume, he was originally published by Fawcett Comics...
, and Spy Smasher
Spy Smasher
Spy Smasher is the name of two fictional characters appearing in comics published by DC Comics. The first is a superhero that was formerly owned and published by Fawcett Comics...
, but placed himself in suspended animation
Suspended animation
Suspended animation is the slowing of life processes by external means without termination. Breathing, heartbeat, and other involuntary functions may still occur, but they can only be detected by artificial means. Extreme cold can be used to precipitate the slowing of an individual's functions; use...
in a chamber so that he could emerge in modern society and revive the Third Reich. He believed Hitler's body to be held in a similar chamber. Nazi's brother, scientist Wolf Krieger, and his granddaughter, a super-powered villainess named Madame Libertine who possesses mind-controlling powers, carry on Nazi's legacy in the 1990s and resurrect their hero from his suspended animation chamber in Power of Shazam! #5.
Issues #6–8 of the Power of Shazam series retell the story of Nazi's murder of Freddy's grandfather by throwing him a great distance with his superhuman strength, his crippling of Freddy, and Freddy's emergence as Marvel, Jr. and attempted revenge on Nazi. His life was actually saved by Freddy who believed the figure who fell into the lake was Captain Marvel, who had just knocked him into the lake. After the Marvel Family captures and defeats Nazi, he is sent to Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
to be tried for war crimes committed during World War II.
Captain Nazi eventually joins Lex Luthor's new Secret Society of Super Villains
Secret Society of Super Villains
The Secret Society of Super Villains is a group of comic book supervillains that exist in the DC Universe...
as seen in the miniseries Villains United
Villains United
Villains United is a six-issue comic book limited series, written by Gail Simone with art by Dale Eaglesham and Wade Von Grawbadger, published by DC Comics in 2005...
, where he works with them to torture the Secret Six
Secret Six (comics)
The Secret Six is the name of three different fictional comic book teams in the , plus an alternate universe's fourth team. Each team has had six members, led by a mysterious figure named Mockingbird, whom the characters assume to be one of the other five members.-Original Secret Six:The Secret Six...
. He is blinded during the escape of the Secret Six when Catman
Catman (comics)
Catman is a modern version of a fictional character in comic books published by DC Comics, initially a supervillain and foe of Batman, although in recent years has developed into a more capable and antiheroic figure. He first appeared in Detective Comics #311...
plunges syringes into his eyes.
Captain Nazi meets his apparent end in Batman
Batman
Batman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics...
#647 while fighting Batman and the Red Hood
Jason Todd
Jason Peter Todd is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. Jason first appeared in Batman #357 and became the second Robin, sidekick to the superhero Batman, when the previous Robin went on to star in The New Teen Titans under the moniker of Nightwing.Though...
. The Captain, now sporting cybernetic eyes following his injury in Villains United, has been lent out to the villain Black Mask
Black Mask (comics)
Black Mask is a fictional character in the DC Comics universe. An enemy of Batman, he first appeared in Batman #386 . Black Mask was created by Doug Moench and Tom Mandrake.-Dark beginning:...
to assassinate the Red Hood alongside follow Society members Deathstroke
Deathstroke
Deathstroke the Terminator , originally simply the Terminator, and known by the Teen Titans as Slade, is a fictional character, a supervillain and sometimes antihero in the DC Comics Universe. He is a mercenary and assassin who first appeared in The New Teen Titans #2...
and the Hyena
Hyena (comics)
Hyena is the name of two fictional supervillains published by DC Comics. The first Hyena debuted in Firestorm #4 , and was created by Gerry Conway and Al Milgrom...
. During the fight, the Red Hood apparently kills Captain Nazi by jamming a taser
Taser
A Taser is an electroshock weapon that uses electrical current to disrupt voluntary control of muscles. Its manufacturer, Taser International, calls the effects "neuromuscular incapacitation" and the devices' mechanism "Electro-Muscular Disruption technology"...
-like weapon into his cybernetic eyes (the only vulnerable part of his body). In Villains United Special #1 however, it is revealed that Nazi has survived. At the behest of the Society, Nazi appeared in Kahndaq
Kahndaq
Kahndaq is a fictional Middle Eastern country in the DC Comics Universe. Its real world location is on the continent of Africa, between Egypt and Israel...
to release all of the captives in its prisons and fights Khandaq's ruler and former Secret Society member, Black Adam
Black Adam
Black Adam is a fictional comic book character, created in 1945 by Otto Binder & C. C. Beck for Fawcett Comics. Originally created as a one-shot villain for Fawcett Comics' Marvel Family team of superheroes, Black Adam was revived as a recurring supervillain after DC Comics began publishing Captain...
. During the battle, Black Adam confronts Nazi about how he seemingly survived being killed, at which time Captain Nazi cryptically proclaims that previous origins about him were wrong and that the villain is not even human; that he is the living avatar of National Socialism given physical form and that so long as there are Nazis in existence, he will exist. Despite this claim, Black Adam easily defeats Captain Nazi.
He has since appeared as leader of a Nazi-themed team in Justice Society of America
Justice Society of America
The Justice Society of America, or JSA, is a DC Comics superhero group, the first team of superheroes in comic book history. Conceived by editor Sheldon Mayer and writer Gardner Fox, the JSA first appeared in All Star Comics #3 ....
named "The Fourth Reich" after the "One Year Later
One Year Later
"One Year Later" was a 2006 storyline event running through the DC Universe. As the title suggests, it involves a narrative jump exactly one year into the future of the DC Comics Universe following the events of the Infinite Crisis event, to explore major changes within the continuities of the many...
" jump, and is an opponent of Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman is a DC Comics superheroine created by William Moulton Marston. She first appeared in All Star Comics #8 . The Wonder Woman title has been published by DC Comics almost continuously except for a brief hiatus in 1986....
in 'The Circle', sporting a generic black costume.
Flashpoint
In the alternate timeline of the FlashpointFlashpoint (comics)
Flashpoint is an American comic book crossover story arc published by DC Comics. Consisting of an eponymous core limited series and a number of tie-in titles, the storyline premiered in May 2011...
event, Captain Nazi is a member of the H.I.V.E.
H.I.V.E.
The H.I.V.E., which stands for the Hierarchy of International Vengeance and Extermination, is a DC Comics supervillain organization.-1st Incarnation:...
council and represents Germany. He voted for using nuclear weapons to end the war in Western Europe between Aquaman and Wonder Woman. He appears much older here, possibly because he was not placed in suspended animation.
Television
- In an episode of the TV show Justice League UnlimitedJustice League UnlimitedJustice League Unlimited is an American animated television series that was produced by Warner Bros. Animation and aired on Cartoon Network. Featuring a wide array of superheroes from the DC Comics universe, and specifically based on the Justice League superhero team, it is a direct sequel to the...
, Captain Nazi made a round-about appearance. During a flashback sequence, a character who looks very similar to Captain Nazi is prevented from taking a super-soldier serum by Fawcett ComicsFawcett ComicsFawcett Comics, a division of Fawcett Publications, was one of several successful comic book publishers during the Golden Age of Comic Books in the 1940s...
hero Spy SmasherSpy SmasherSpy Smasher is the name of two fictional characters appearing in comics published by DC Comics. The first is a superhero that was formerly owned and published by Fawcett Comics...
. It is later revealed that the serum was created for "Project Captain Nazi." General Wade EilingGeneral Wade EilingGeneral Wade Eiling, sometimes known as The General, is a fictional character published by DC Comics. He first appeared in Captain Atom #1 , and was created by Cary Bates and Pat Broderick.-Captain Atom:...
broke into Cadmus LabsProject CadmusProject Cadmus is a fictional genetic engineering project in the DC Comics Universe. It was created by Jack Kirby as the DNA Project in Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #133 , and was run by the former Newsboy Legion...
and injected himself with the mutated serum. He then went on a rampage in MetropolisMetropolis (comics)Metropolis is a fictional city that appears in comic books published by DC Comics, and is the home of Superman. Metropolis first appeared by name in Action Comics #16 ....
. Seeking a battle with SupermanSupermanSuperman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...
, Eiling was instead confronted by seven members of the Justice LeagueJustice LeagueThe Justice League, also called the Justice League of America or JLA, is a fictional superhero team that appears in comic books published by DC Comics....
: Green ArrowGreen ArrowGreen Arrow is a fictional superhero that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Mort Weisinger and George Papp, he first appeared in More Fun Comics #73 in November 1941. His secret identity is Oliver Queen, billionaire and former mayor of fictional Star City...
, SpeedyRoy Harper (comics)Roy Harper is a fictional superhero in the DC Comics Universe. He was known for over fifty years as Green Arrow's teenage sidekick Speedy. He first appeared alongside his mentor in More Fun Comics #73...
, Stargirl, S.T.R.I.P.E., Shining KnightShining KnightShining Knight is the name of three comic book superheroes that have appeared in books published by DC Comics. The original Shining Knight, Sir Justin, was created by Creig Flessel and first appeared in Adventure Comics #66 .-Sir Justin:...
, Vigilante and the Crimson AvengerCrimson Avenger (Lee Travis)The Crimson Avenger is a masked crime fighter in the and the first to use the name "Crimson Avenger." He first appears in Detective Comics #20 and was created by Jim Chambers.-Fictional character biography:...
(The line-up was roughly equivalent to that of DC Comics' Golden AgeGolden Age of Comic BooksThe Golden Age of Comic Books was a period in the history of American comic books, generally thought of as lasting from the late 1930s until the late 1940s or early 1950s...
team, the Seven Soldiers of VictorySeven Soldiers of VictoryThe Seven Soldiers of Victory is a fictional team of comic book superheroes in the DC Comics universe...
).
External links
- Captain Nazi's "Who's Who" file at The Marvel Family Web.