FAT MAN

Real Name: Lee Portman

Identity/Class: Human, pre-modern (late 19th Century), boomerang user; Australian citizen

Occupation: Owlhoot

Group Membership: The Circus of Crime (Bennington Brown, Dr. Danger, Iron Mask)
Iron Mask's bank of Old West "super-villains"

Affiliations: Dr. Danger, Hurricane, Iron Mask , Living Totem, the Rattler, Red Raven

Enemies: Kid Colt, West Coast Avengers (Hawkeye, Iron Man (Tony Stark), Mockingbird, Tigra, Wonder Man)

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: America midwest (@ late 1800s); formerly Australia

First Appearance: Kid Colt, Outlaw#117 (July, 1964)

Powers: The Fat Man was very skilled with the boomerang. His apparent obesity caused most people to be caught off guard by his speed and strength, as well as his fighting and throwing skill. Almost without fail, he'd throw a boomerang past someone, who'd laugh at his obvious miss. They'd continue to laugh until the boomerang came whizzing up behind them and either knocked them out, or knocked the guns out of their hands.
In addition, he weighs 300 pounds, but he isn't all fat. Much like the Kingpin, he's a large mass of muscle, with a nice layer of fat on top for decorative purposes. He's much stronger than the average sized man, and he can throw and take a punch with the best of them. He liked to take people off guard by running, doing a summersalt, and taking them out, just like a bowling ball and the pin(s). (I'm dead serious on that one!)

History: The Fat Man declared war against the dogs of the world after a dingo ate his baby...mmm, not really.

-The Fat Man was born in Australia, where he mastered the boomerang and grew to be quite huge.

(KidColt, Outlaw#117 (fb))-The Fat Man arrived in San Francisco, and soon made in his way across the USA. In Abeline, a group of men made fun of his weight, until he smacked them around a little. They pulled their guns, but he disarmed them with his trusty boomerang. After learning how easy it was to overpower others, he turned to crime--robbing, pillaging, and looting. And no one was able to stop him!

(Kid Colt, Outlaw#117)-The governor of a stereotypical western town offered Kid Colt a pardon and a large reward if he could bring down the Fat Man. Kid Colt tracked him down, but was quickly disarmed. The Fatman knocked the gun out of his right hand, and then nailed him in the left shoulder, so he couldn't draw his left gun. Kid Colt was helpless before the beefy might of 'ol Fatty Boomballatty. Kid Colt called on his trusty horse Steel for help, but had to call him off, for fear that the Fat Man would injure him with that darn boomerang. Fortunately, Kid Colt figured out how to dodge the returning boomerang, as well as how to draw his left gun with his right hand. Colt shot the boomerang out of the air, and the Fat Man, without his boomerang, fell to the ground and begged for mercy. Colt screwed up his chance for a pardon when he let another man claim the reward, so the man could support his wife and kids.

(Kid Colt, Outlaw#127)- In a bar, somewhere in the west, Dr. Danger and the Fat Man attempted to walk through the same door simultaneously, and Dr. Danger lost his hat. The Fat Man bellowed, "You were LUCKY this time, stranger! The next time you get in the way of the FAT MAN, you'll lose your HEAD as well!" Dr. Danger challenged him to a draw, but the Fat Man didn't use guns-- instead, he hurled his boomerang! Fortunately for Dr. Danger, his magnet lifted up a tray and deflected the boomerang, sending it over to another man's table, spilling his drink. The third man, Bennington Brown, rose up and challenged the two of them, calling them "loathsome creatures". They didn't take kindly to that, and leapt at him...only to discover he never left his chair, he fooled them with hypnosis!

While they recovered from butting their heads together, the man who gathered these three men by telegram appeared-- Iron Mask! He revealed nothing about his plan, but instead led them out the door, promising them "the greatest robbery ever planned!!"

They then re-appared as a circus in Phoenix, Arizona, where Kid Colt just happened to be passing through. Colt was surprised to see his old enemies, the Fat Man, Dr. Danger and Bennington Brown performing on stage with a clown! Dr. Danger wowed the audience by using his magnet to take a man's watch! When the man came on stage, Bennington used the watch to hypnotize him, and go to sleep in mid-air with an apple on his head! For the crowning touch, the Fat Man sliced the apple in two with his boomerang!

Colt was certain they were up to something, but couldn't afford to stand around. Unfortunately, as he turned to leave, the Fat Man recognized him, and knocked him unconscious with his boomerang! The circus men turned him over to the sheriff, and won a personal invitation to the big dance that evening to celebrate the governor's appointment-- which is just what Iron Mask, disguised as the clown, was hoping for!

At the party, Iron Mask the clown wowed the audience with his juggling (I'm surprised he has any hand co-ordination with a clown suit on overtop an iron outfit), and Bennington hypnotized the sheriff, ordering him to give the clown his gun. Now armed, Iron Mask removed his clown mask revealing his iron mask! (Too many masks)

The Circus of Crime went to work! The Fat Man snatched necklaces with his boomerang and Dr. Danger attracted watches and wallets with his magnet...but just then, Kid Colt leapt into the room, catching Fat Man's boomerang mid-air! He dropped Fat Man with a single punch, then turned to Dr. Danger, disarming him by hurtling Fat Man's boomerang at the magnet! Before long, Brown and Iron Mask were defeated as well, and turned over to the authorities.

(West Coast Avengers II#18)-Later, @ 1876, the Fat Man was recruited by Iron Mask to join a group of "super-villains," consisting of himself, Dr. Danger, Hurricane, Rattler, and Red Raven. Utilizing a number of conventional criminals, they set about on a number of larger scales crimes. The union of the criminals drew the attention of three of the Old West's costumed cowboys, the Phantom Rider (Lincoln Slade), the Rawhide Kid, and the Two-Gun Kid. These three joined together to oppose the criminals, but were also joined by the West Coast Avengers, who were sent back in time by their enemy, Dominus. The Fat Man disarmed Hawkeye, but Rawhide then shattered his boomerang. Dr. Danger used his magnet to pull one of Hawkeye's arrow to him, but it was a blast arrow, and the explosion knocked both Danger and Fatty out.

Comments: Created by Stan (Trail Boss) Lee and Jack (Mule Skinner) Keller; lettered by Artie (Old Wrangler) Simek.

The ole boomerang trick wasn't as widely known back in the Wild West. "A boomerang?? What in Sam Hill is that??"

He even had a theme song:
"He was Big...
And he was Fat...
They called him Big, Fat...Big Fat Man!"
ok...just kidding again. Sorry, my brain's mushy from too much studying.

Surprisingly Fat Man's real name was revealed in Red Raven's profile in OHOTMU A-Z HC#9 and it was not Fattius McMann.

 

 

 


by Snood and Prime Eternal

CLARIFICATIONS:
The Fat Man has no known connection to:

Iron Mask's Circus of Crime is obviously distinct from:

Appearances:
Kid Colt, Outlaw#117 (July, 1964) - Stan Lee (writer/editor), Jack Keller (artist)
Kid Colt, Outlaw#127 (March, 1966) - Steve Skeates & Roy Thomas (writers), Jack Keller (artist), Stan Lee (editor)
West Coast Avengers II#18 (March, 1987) - Steve Englehart (writer), Al Milgrom (pencils), Joe Sinnott (inks), Mark Gruenwald (editor)

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

Last updated: 11/19/02

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