EXECUTIONER
Real Name: Santiago Chavez y Rivera
Identity/Class: Human, military/government
Occupation: Dictator of San Diablo
Affiliations: Communist Army of San Diablo; Thor enemy
Known Relatives: Every other generic evil communist dictator?
Aliases: Comrade Executioner
Base of Operations: San Diablo, South America
Appearances: Journey into Mystery I#84 (September, 1962)
Powers: Aside from an extra-thick helping of evil, The Executioner had no superhuman powers. He controlled the armed forces of the communist forces of San Diablo, and ruled through intimidation. He was named for his propensity to punish others via the firing squad.
History: While Don Blake was in Europe, vacationing and getting merged with the norse god Thor, a revolution broke out in San Diablo, between two factions, one democratic and one pro-communist. Because of the fighting, there was a shortage of medical help in San Diablo, and several American doctors, including Dr. Donald Blake (with his trusty sidekick, nurse Jane Foster), agreed to go there to help out. However, the evil Executioner, leader of the communist faction, did not want the peasants to be treated. He wanted them to remain ill, so that they would be too weak to oppose the communists. He thus sent five fighter planes to blow up the ship carrying the doctors and medical supplies from America. Blake turned into Thor and destroyed the planes, which prompted the Executioner to send the commander of the pilots to the firing squad.
The Executioner then sent his armed forces to
hunt down and kill the doctors. Thor fought off all attackers,
but then the soldiers captured Jane Foster (surprise!), forcing
Thor to back off. The communists fawned over Jane, until Blake
arrived demanding her release. Angered over Blake's commands, The
Executioner stole his walking stick and ordered Blake in front of
the firing squad. However, Blake goaded the Executioner into
fighting him man to man, snatched back his stick and transformed
into Thor. As Thor fought off the attacking communists, the army
of the Democratic Faction arrived, causing those cowardly commies
to flee. Realizing his defeat was imminent, the Executioner stole
the gold from the treasury and attempted to flee. The other
communists recognized him as a traitor and placed him in front of
their own firing squad. they then realized that the Americans
were their friends all along, and every was happy. Blake then
treated and cured all of the sick peasants, and of course, no one
suspected any connection between he and Thor (although Jane
wished Don could be more brave and adventurous like Thor).
Comments: Created by Stan Lee, Larry Lieber, and Jack Kirby, enemies of Communists everywhere.
A classic Red Scare, Cold War anti-communist propaganda story. I think they wrote this way to show the opponents of comic books that they were true, red-blooded Americans.
His real name was revealed in Jane Foster's profile in Thor: Asgard's Avenger (2011).
Clarifications: No known connection to:
Executioner, Skurge of Asgard, first in
Journey into Mystery#103
Executioner of the 19th Century
@ Rawhide Kid I#69
Executioner, Lupa Lupoff, a Russian
spy, @ Young Men Comics#25/2
Executioner, of the Crazy Gang of the
Crooked World, @ Marvel Super-Heroes (UK)#377
Executioner, of the Crazy Gang of
Earth-prime, first in Mighty World of Marvel#11
Executioner, "Brute"
Bennhurst, briefly given the axe of Executioner I by the
Enchantress, @ Thor I#402-404
Executioner, another guy, same deal as
Bennhurst, @ Dr. Strange III#12
Executioner, later known as Bloodaxe, @
Thor I#449, 450
Executioner, Feron, when
he was briefly allied with the Crazy Gang and took the form of
their former member,
@ Excalibur I#123
Executioner, a demon in the form of
Skurge, who temporarily possessed Dr. Keith Kincaid, @ Thor
II#35, 43
Appearances:
Journey into Mystery I#84 (September, 1962) - Stan Lee (plot/editor), Larry Lieber (script), Jack Kirby (pencils), Dick Ayers (inks)
Last updated: 01/01/12
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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