King Faraday
Encyclopedia
King Faraday is a fictional secret agent
featured in DC Comics
. Faraday first appeared in Danger Trail (1st series) #1 (July 1950), and was created by Robert Kanigher
and Carmine Infantino
.
An ex-soldier, he took a position as a counter-espionage agent for the U.S. government and engaged in a variety of standard spy-type capers. Some of his Danger Trail adventures were reprinted in Showcase
#50 (May–June 1964) under the title "I-Spy". Faraday has since been incorporated full-bore into the DC Universe
as a member of the Central Bureau of Intelligence. At one point, he was Nightshade's
mentor. In fact, he had a hand in both her and Bronze Tiger
being recruited into Task Force X
. He has also teamed up with Batman
a few times. On two of the occasions he has helped Batman in the capture of Two-Face
.
One Year Later
, he is a member of Checkmate
, serving as the Bishop for White Queen Amanda Waller
.
. He leads an effort to contain and corral the large amount of super-powered entities appearing. He uses various illegal methods, such as laying a trap for Barry Allen, even though he has not committed any crimes. Despite all this, he forms a friendship with the Martian Manhunter
. He is killed in the last issue of the series while defending his friend from a psychic attack.
abilities but was a trained espionage agent and an expert hand-to-hand fighter and marksman.
Secret Agent
Secret Agent is a British film directed by Alfred Hitchcock, loosely based on two stories in Ashenden: Or the British Agent by W. Somerset Maugham. The film starred John Gielgud, Peter Lorre, Madeleine Carroll, and Robert Young...
featured in 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...
. Faraday first appeared in Danger Trail (1st series) #1 (July 1950), and was created by Robert Kanigher
Robert Kanigher
Robert Kanigher was a prolific comic book writer and editor whose career spanned five decades. He was involved with the Wonder Woman franchise for over twenty years, taking over the scripting from creator William Moulton Marston. In addition, Kanigher spent many years in charge of DC Comics' war...
and Carmine Infantino
Carmine Infantino
Carmine Infantino Carmine Infantino Carmine Infantino (born May 24, 1925, in Brooklyn, New York is an American comic book artist and editor who was a major force in the Silver Age of Comic Books...
.
Fictional character biography
He was named "King" by his father as a joke, a play on the phrase "King For A Day."An ex-soldier, he took a position as a counter-espionage agent for the U.S. government and engaged in a variety of standard spy-type capers. Some of his Danger Trail adventures were reprinted in Showcase
Showcase (comics)
Showcase has been the title of several comic anthology series published by DC Comics. The general theme of these series has been to feature new and minor characters as a way to gauge reader interest in them, without the difficulty and risk of featuring "untested" characters in their own ongoing...
#50 (May–June 1964) under the title "I-Spy". Faraday has since been incorporated full-bore into the 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...
as a member of the Central Bureau of Intelligence. At one point, he was Nightshade's
Nightshade (comics)
Nightshade is a fictional character, a comic book superheroine published by DC Comics. Created by Joe Gill and Steve Ditko, the character first appeared in Captain Atom v2 #82 originally published by Charlton Comics.-Charlton Comics:...
mentor. In fact, he had a hand in both her and Bronze Tiger
Bronze Tiger
Bronze Tiger is a fictional character, a superhero in the DC Universe. He is a martial artist who first appeared in Dragon's Fists, a novel by Dennis O'Neil and Jim Berry, starring Richard Dragon. His first DC Comics appearance was in Richard Dragon, Kung Fu Fighter.-Early years:Ben Turner comes...
being recruited into Task Force X
Suicide Squad
The Suicide Squad, also known as Task Force X , is a name for two fictional organizations in the DC Comics Universe. The first version debuted in The Brave and the Bold #25 , and the second in Legends #3...
. He has also teamed up with 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...
a few times. On two of the occasions he has helped Batman in the capture of Two-Face
Two-Face
Two-Face is a fictional comic book supervillain who appears in comic books published by DC Comics. and is an enemy of Batman. The character first appeared in Detective Comics #66 , and was created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger....
.
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...
, he is a member of Checkmate
Checkmate (comics)
Checkmate, a division of Task Force X, is a fictional covert operations agency within the DC Comics universe. It first appeared in Action Comics #598 and proceeded to have its own ongoing title in Checkmate!...
, serving as the Bishop for White Queen Amanda Waller
Amanda Waller
Dr. Amanda Blake Waller is a character published by DC Comics. She first appeared in Legends #1 in 1986, and was created by John Ostrander, Len Wein, and John Byrne...
.
New Frontier
Faraday plays a prominent role in the alternate universe series DC: The New FrontierDC: The New Frontier
DC: The New Frontier is an Eisner, Harvey, and Shuster Award-winning six-issue comic book limited series written and drawn by Darwyn Cooke, published by DC Comics in 2003-2004. It was then collected into two trade paperback volumes from 2004–2005 and then an Absolute Edition in 2006...
. He leads an effort to contain and corral the large amount of super-powered entities appearing. He uses various illegal methods, such as laying a trap for Barry Allen, even though he has not committed any crimes. Despite all this, he forms a friendship with the Martian Manhunter
Martian Manhunter
The Martian Manhunter is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in publications published by DC Comics. Created by writer Joseph Samachson and artist Joe Certa, the character first appeared in Detective Comics #225...
. He is killed in the last issue of the series while defending his friend from a psychic attack.
Skills and abilities
Faraday possessed no superhumanSuperhuman
Superhuman can mean an improved human, for example, by genetic modification, cybernetic implants, or as what humans might evolve into, in the near or distant future...
abilities but was a trained espionage agent and an expert hand-to-hand fighter and marksman.
Television
- King Faraday appears in 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...
, voiced by Scott PattersonScott Patterson (actor)Scott Gordon Patterson is an American actor. He is known for his role as Luke Danes in Gilmore Girls and Agent Strahm in Saw IV, Saw V and Saw VI...
. His first appearance was in the episode "Double Date", in which he was a federal agent assigned to guard Steven Mandragora, but he escaped. It was established in the 3rd season opener "I Am Legion" that he was appointed as the Justice League's official liaison with the U.S. government. In the episode "To Another Shore", he and a group of government agents wearing jet packs appear in a scene, helping Wonder WomanWonder WomanWonder 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 a fight against members of the Secret SocietySecret Society of Super VillainsThe Secret Society of Super Villains is a group of comic book supervillains that exist in the DC Universe...
. One point of interest in the scene is when he refers to his fellow agents as "goldbrickin' yahoos", a catchphrase more associated with Nick FuryNick FuryColonel Nicholas Joseph "Nick" Fury is a fictional World War II army hero and present-day super-spy in the Marvel Comics universe. Created by artist Jack Kirby and writer Stan Lee, Fury first appeared in Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos #1 , a World War II combat series that portrayed the...
, a Marvel Comics character Faraday preceded.
Film
- Actor Phil Morris voices King Faraday in the direct-to-video adaptation of Darwyn Cooke's Justice League: The New Frontier. In the film version, Faraday dies the same death a character named Johnny CloudThe Losers (comics)The Losers is the name of a war comic book feature published by DC Comics. The name was later given to a reimagined comic book series for DC's Vertigo imprint.The first Losers comic was a war comics feature set during World War II...
did in the comic version by igniting grenadeGrenadeA grenade is a small explosive device that is projected a safe distance away by its user. Soldiers called grenadiers specialize in the use of grenades. The term hand grenade refers any grenade designed to be hand thrown. Grenade Launchers are firearms designed to fire explosive projectile grenades...
s as he is being devoured by a dinosaurDinosaurDinosaurs are a diverse group of animals of the clade and superorder Dinosauria. They were the dominant terrestrial vertebrates for over 160 million years, from the late Triassic period until the end of the Cretaceous , when the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event led to the extinction of...
.