MASTERMIND
Real Name: Don Bowers
Identity/Class: Human technology user;
Nationality unrevealed (American, Lakanian, or other)
Occupation: Former plant manager of Stark Industries' Lakani factory
Group Membership: None
Affiliations: Smashers (agents);
Major Hubert Ffoulkes, Kathy Ffoulkes;
formerly Kevin O'Brien
Enemies: Iron Man (Tony Stark), Kevin O'Brien
Known Relatives: None
Aliases: None
Base of Operations: Formerly the Pacific island of Lakani
First Appearance: Iron Man I#31 (November, 1970)
Powers/Abilities: Bowers had some degree of technological and/or business training, but displayed no paranormal abilities.
As Mastermind, he concealed his identity with a costume and mask; he used the Smashers as his field agents, and had access to various guns, bombs, and a helicopter.
Height: Unrevealed (5'8"; by approximation)
Weight: Unrevealed (160 lbs.; by approximation)
Eyes: Unrevealed
Hair: Gray
History:
(Iron Man I#31 (fb) - BTS) - Bowers was the plant manager for the Stark Industries factory located on the
Pacific island of Lakani; for months, he embezzled large amounts
of money from the company. When
Tony Stark learned of the loss of money, he went to Lakani to
investigate.
To cover up his crimes, Bowers tried to force the Stark Industries plant off the island--he began to drum up a false pollution crisis, and promoted riots and rebellion. Taking the masked identity of Mastermind (see comments), he hired a group known as the Smashers to pose as protesters.
(Iron Man I#31) - While Major Ffoulkes led a peaceful anti-pollution protest against Stark Industries, Mastermind sent the Smashers to escalate things into a riot. But the Smashers fled once Iron Man arrived to break things up--Iron Man was impressed by the assistance of SI-Lakani employee Kevin O'Brien in dealing with the rioters, and Stark himself was impressed with O'Brien's technological skills.
The Smashers fled back to their hideout, where Mastermind contacted them on a video screen--he chastised them for their failure to assault Tony Stark. Mastermind reiterated that their goal was to drive Stark from the island, so he planned to send the Smashers on a mission to commit an even greater act of destruction.
The next morning, Bowers took Stark on a tour of the factory and showed him the progress they were making on a new experimental atomic reactor. Stark questioned Bowers regarding the loss of money and his complaints of O'Brien, but Bowers repeatedly tried to sidestep the issues. Then Bowers took a phone call from the security guard at the front gate, alerting him that the protestors had returned; Stark went outside and tried to assure the group that his factory wasn't polluting the environment.
(Iron Man I#31 - BTS) - With Stark thus occupied, Bowers slipped away, put on his Mastermind disguise, and went aboard the Smashers' helicopter to enact his final plan.
(Iron Man I#31) - As per Mastermind's scheme, the Smashers invaded the factory and placed a bomb by the nuclear reactor; but the militants were spotted by O'Brien and Kathy Ffoulkes, so the Smashers took them hostage and dragged them aboard their helicopter.
Minutes later, the Smashers' helicopter flew over the protestors and began dropping thousands of leaflets on the crowd below, warning them that Stark's reactor was unsafe and could blow up at any time. Stark slipped away and put on his armor, then flew after the aircraft. Spotting O'Brien and Kathy, Iron Man crippled the chopper by smashing its tail rotor, forcing it to land.
Iron Man learned from O'Brien that the Smashers put a bomb on the reactor that would contaminate the whole island with radioactive dust when it exploded; grabbing both Mastermind and the Smashers leader "Bullwhip" Grogan, Iron Man flew them into the SI-Lakani factory and forced them to disable the bomb.
Afterward, Iron Man publicly unmasked Mastermind, revealing him to be Bowers. Iron Man explained to everyone that Bowers' propagation of the false pollution crisis, along with his last desperate attempt to destroy the factory, was all done to hide his crimes; he then turned Bowers and the Smashers over to the Lakani police.
Before he left, Iron Man agreed with the protestors that pollution needed to be dealt with, and he convinced them to listen to Stark's plans to keep the environment clean.
Comments: Created by Allyn Brodsky, Don Heck, and Chic Stone.
Bower's masked alter-ego was never identified by any particular name in this 20-page story--"Bullwhip" Grogan only referred to him as "the boss" a few times, but it wasn't until page 18 that Iron Man once called him "Mastermind".--Ron Fredricks
Mastermind's first name was revealed in the Guardsman (Kevin O'Brien) profile in Iron Manual Mark 3 (June, 2010). The name of the island--Lakani--was misspelled in the profile.
Profile by Snood. Expansion by Ron Fredricks.
CLARIFICATIONS: Mastermind (Don Bowers) should not be confused with:
"Bullwhip" Grogan should not be confused with:
The Smashers should not be confused with:
Major Hubert Ffoulkes, and Kathy Ffoulkes should not be confused with:
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Numbering at least five, they were a group of militant thugs on the Pacific island of Lakani; known members included leader "Bullwhip" Grogan, Luke, and Ratzo. They were armed with conventional weaponry and explosives, and used a helicopter. They were hired by Mastermind to stimulate violent protests against Stark Industries' Lakani factory--during an anti-pollution protest, they infiltrated the group of peaceful protestors and escalated the event into a riot. They attacked a statue of Iron Man, but quickly retreated when the real Iron Man showed up. Later, the Smashers invaded the factory, and Grogan planted a time-bomb by an experimental nuclear reactor. They took Kevin O'Brien and Kathy Ffoulkes hostage and dragged the two aboard their helicopter; but Iron Man crippled the chopper and forced it to land. Learning about the time-bomb from O'Brien, Iron Man grabbed Grogan and Mastermind, then flew them back into the factory; the terrified Grogan disarmed the bomb seconds before it exploded. Afterward, Iron Man turned Mastermind, Grogan, and the other Smashers over to the custody of the Lakani authorities. (Comment: The cover of this issue depicted at least 20 members of the group, and they were wearing green uniforms.) --Iron Man I#31 |
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The father of Kathy, he was a retired British Army officer who lived on the Pacific island of Lakani. He thought that machines were driving the world into chaos, and mankind into self-destruction; he believed humanity had to give up all but the most basic machines, and learn to live with nature. Concerned that the ecology of Lakani was being destroyed by the Stark Industries factory located there, Ffoulkes led several rallies against the factory, where he voiced his concerns of mutation being caused by pollution. He refused to listen to Tony Stark's plans to deal with pollution, preferring to just continue his arguments, and he was easily duped by Mastermind's plot. When Mastermind's destructive scheme was revealed, Iron Man advised Ffoulkes that although there was a pollution crisis in the world, it couldn't be solved by taking the first hysterical action; Ffoulkes seemed to take a more reasonable stance afterward. --Iron Man I#31 |
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A resident of the Pacific island of Lakani, she was the daughter to Hubert and the girlfriend of Kevin O'Brien. She sided with anti-pollution protesters outside Stark Industries' Lakani factory; she consistently criticized Kevin, such as when he broke up a violent attack by the Smashers. When Kevin considered taking a promotion to Stark Industries' Long Island plant, she accused him of taking a payoff ("I hope you're satisfied being Tony Stark's number one stooge!"). Later, both Kathy and Kevin were taken hostage by the Smashers, but they were eventually rescued by Iron Man. Kevin left Kathy shortly thereafter to take the job at Stark Industries in the U.S., and he did not appear to miss her. --Iron Man I#31 |
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images: (without ads)
Iron Man I#31, p20, pan1 (main image - Mastermind)
Iron Man I#31, p9, pan1 (headshot - Mastermind)
Iron Man I#31, p11, pan4 (Mr. Bowers, speaking to security guard)
Iron Man I#31, p20, pan3 (Mastermind unmasked as Mr. Bowers)
Iron Man I#31, p8, pan4 ("Bullwhip" Grogan and the Smashers)
Iron Man I#31, p5, pan3 (Smashers attack Iron Man statue)
Iron Man I#31, p3, pan6 (Major Hubert Ffoulkes at protest)
Iron Man I#31, p15, pan4 (Major Hubert Ffoulkes holding warning leaflet)
Iron Man I#31, p7, pan5 (Kathy Ffoulkes)
Iron Man I#31, p8, pan1 (Kathy Ffoulkes; Kevin O'Brien, Iron Man [background])
Appearances:
Iron Man I#31 (November, 1970) - Allyn Brodsky (writer), Don Heck (pencils), Chic Stone (inks), Jean Izzo (letters), Stan Lee (editor)
First posted: 08/12/2004
Last updated: 04/05/2024
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