QUENTIN HARDERMAN
Real Name: Quentin Harderman
Identity/Class: Human
Occupation: Advertising man, leader of Committee to Regain America's Principles, owner of Quentin Co.
Group Membership: Committee To Regain America's Principles (Moonstone/Lloyd Bloch, Viper/Jordan Dixon)
Affiliations: Secret Empire, Serpent Squad
Enemies: Captain America
Known Relatives: None
Aliases: "Station Wagon-I", "Quent"
Base of Operations: Madison Avenue, New York City
First Appearance: (Mentioned) Captain America I#163 (July, 1973); (seen) Captain America I#169 (January, 1974)
Powers/Abilities: Quentin Harderman has a clever, manipulating, persuasive personality and is an expert at handling the media.
History: (Captain America I#163 - BTS) - Viper called Quentin on the phone to make him start an ad campaign for him called "The Un-selling of Captain America" to discredit Captain America in the eyes of the public.
(Captain America I#170 (fb) ) - Moonstone met with Harderman and Viper. Moonstone wanted to join the Committee To Regain America's Principles, saying that he could be a distinct asset to them. Viper and Harderman agreed, and Moonstone joined the operation.
(Captain America I#170 (fb) ) - Harderman told Moonstone that Viper had been captured by Captain America, and now a smear-ad campaign to ruin Captain America's image was to take place, and a murder frame-up was also part of the plan.
(Captain America I#169 - BTS/Captain America I#174 (fb) - BTS) - Captain America watched on a tv screen an ad campaign by the Commitee To Regain America's Principles, where Captain America was being miscredited. He saw Harderman running the campaign, and decided to pay him a visit.
(Captain America I#169 - BTS) - Captain America came to the office of the Commitee To Regain America's Principles at Madison Avenue. Harderman's secretary told Captain America that Harderman wouldn't see anyone that day, but Captain America told her that he insisted.
(Captain America I#169) - Captain America came into Harderman's office, and learnt that Harderman was the man in the ad campaign. Harderman told him that he felt it appropriate, and that The Committee was primarily a personal statement by himself personally. Harderman told Captain America that if he wanted to prove him wrong, he could come to a charity boxing match. Captain America told him that it was a deal and left. Harderman then called the Tumbler to tell him that the plan was operational.
Later at the Exhibit Hall where the charity boxing match was to take place, Harderman introduced the man Captain America was about to fight as John Robert Keane. Captain America realized that the man was the Tumbler and Tumbler became scarred, and tried to run away. Suddenly Tumbler dropped dead, and Harderman thought to himself "Just as planned! That sucker didn't know he was being set up all along."
(Captain America I#170/Captain America I#171 (fb)/Captain America I#174 (fb)) - Harderman cried out "All of you saw this blatant reactionary assault -- This murder of an innocent man -- A man killed by Captain America!" Captain America realized that Harderman had set him up, cried at him, and was about to hit him, but cops came to stop him, and Captain America escaped, only to be caught and defeated by Moonstone. Harderman arrived, and announced to the city that their new hero was Moonstone.
(Captain America I#170 - BTS) - Moonstone and Harderman took Captain America to jail.
(Captain America I#170) - Captain America woke up in his cell, and heard Harderman and Moonstone talking with the press. One of the reporters asked Moonstone about his past, and he began to tell him a tale about him being a janitor at a small midwest university where he found the Moonstone, a story made up by Harderman because Moonstone was never a janitor. After Moonstone's tale, Harderman told the press that he thought they got enough, and thanked them for coming.
(Captain America I#171 - BTS) - Outside Quentin Co, at 1701 Penn Street, Captain America put two and two together-- Quentin as in Quentin Harderman. Suddenly Falcon arrived as well, and the two of them began to talk about the recent events. Suddenly Moonstone appeared and he managed to defeat both of the heroes.
(Captain America I#172) - Just before Moonstone could kill Falcon and Captain America, Harderman came and stopped him. He told him that the plan was to ruin their reputation, not making them martyrs. He ordered him to call the media, and go ahead with the plan.
(Captain America I#173 - BTS) - Professor X revealed to Captain America that the Secret Empire had used the advertising or propaganga, produced by their agents on Madison Avenue. One of them was Quentin Harderman himself.
(Captain America I#174) - Harderman watched from backstage while Moonstone was on a tv talk-show. He thought to himself that the audience was lapping it all up, and felt good about himself.
(Captain America I#175 - BTS) - Moonstone was the star of a congressional hearing. Harderman attended and overheard Moonstone's testimony.
(Captain America I#175)- Moonstone came out of the door, telling Harderman that he couldn't believe he was the star at a congressional hearing, and Harderman answered "Yes, it went smoothly." Suddenly an aircraft landed outside, and Harderman told Moonstone that their allies-- the Secret Empire-- had arrived. After Captain America had defeated Moonstone, Harderman came rushing trying to save himself by claiming that he had just learned the truth, that the real enemy was Moonstone. Moonstone, feeling betrayed by Harderman, told the truth to all the cameras around, that it was all a set-up to frame Captain America. Harderman was sent to jail.
Comments: Created by Steve Englehart, Mike Friedrich,
Sal Buscema and F. McLaughlin.
Harderman's name was presumably a parody of Nixon's Chief
of Staff, H.R. Haldeman, who appears on the "smoking gun" Watergate tapes.
--Continental Op
by The Beetle
CLARIFICATIONS:
Moonstone shouldn't be confused with:
Tumbler was the brother of:
But shouldn't be confused with:
The Secret Empire which assisted Harderman should not be confused with:
"The Secretary"
(name unrevealed). The secretary worked for Quentin Harderman.
She met Captain America once, and told him that Harderman was busy, but Captain
America insisted on seeing him. She sent him to see Harderman. Her fate after
Harderman was sent to jail remains unknown.
--Captain America I#169
Appearances:
Captain America I#163 (July, 1973) - Steve Englehart (writer), Sal Buscema (pencils), John Verpoorten & Tony Mortellaro (inks), Roy Thomas (editor)
Captain America I#169 (January, 1974) - Steve Englehart & Mike Friedrich (writers), Sal Buscema (pencils), Frank McLaughlin (inks), Roy Thomas (editor)
Captain America I#170 (February, 1974) - Steve Englehart & Mike Friedrich (writers), Sal Buscema (pencils), Vince Colletta (inks), Roy Thomas (editor)
Captain America I#171 (March, 1974) - Steve Englehart & Mike Friedrich (writers), Sal Buscema (pencils), Vince Colletta (inks), Roy Thomas (editor)
Captain America I#172 (April, 1974) - Steve Englehart & Mike Friedrich (writers), Sal Buscema (pencils), Vince Colletta (inks), Roy Thomas (editor)
Captain America I#174 (June, 1974) - Steve Englehart (writer), Sal Buscema (pencils), Vince Colletta (inks), Roy Thomas (editor)
Captain America I#175 (July, 1974) - Steve Englehart (writer), Sal Buscema (pencils), Vince Colletta (inks), Roy Thomas (editor)
Last updated: 12/29/04
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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