PLANNER
Real Name: Unrevealed
Identity/Class: Human technology user
Occupation: Would-be criminal mastermind
Group Membership: Leader of a small gang
Affiliations: His gang
Enemies: Captain America (Steve Rogers)
Known Relatives: None
Aliases: The Peerless Planner, Master Planner (see comments);
impersonated Captain America
Base of Operations: An abandoned subway tunnel in New York City
First Appearance: Tales of Suspense I#87/2 (March, 1967)
Powers/Abilities: As his name indicated, the Planner was a criminal strategist of some skill. He apparently invented or had access to advanced technology, including a proton gun and a sub-car.
Although athletic and trained in some unspecified acrobatic fighting-style, the Planner's skills were far exceeded by Captain America's.
Height: Unrevealed (6' 2"; by approximation)
Weight: Unrevealed (240 lbs.; by approximation)
Eyes: Unrevealed (see comments)
Hair: Brown
History:
(Tales of Suspense I#87/1 (fb) - BTS) - The Planner's history is largely
unrevealed, but "months ago" he erroneously believed that Captain America was still using electronics
provided by Iron Man in his shield (see comments). He came up with an elaborate scheme to impersonate Captain
America to commit crimes, so he spent "many long hours" training himself
in acrobatics; at some point, he also invented his specialized
equipment, set up a base in an unused subway tunnel, and organized a
gang of henchmen.
(Tales of Suspense I#87/2) - Now an established crime boss, the Planner wore a Captain America costume and explained to his gang that he wanted to lure the hero out from Avengers Mansion, then he could face Cap on his battleground and on his terms, to claim the hero's shield as his own.
The disguised Planner and his gang robbed one of New York's most prosperous banks; he boldly stood before the bank's security camera, claimed that he was Captain America, and declared that he wanted payment for all his public service. After the robbery, the Planner and his men returned to their hideout and watched a news bulletin about "Captain America's" crime. The Planner explained to his men why he wanted Cap's shield -- his scheme was working perfectly, and with the shield's "scientific wizardry" added to his proton gun, he was certain he would become "the kingpin of crime".
Soon, police and reporters surrounded Avengers Mansion, seeking answers from Captain America. But it was the civilian Steve Rogers ("a very old friend" representing Cap) who went to Manhattan's central police headquarters and told them that Captain America was being framed. After he checked out police maps of the crime, Rogers told them that Cap would turn himself in if he hadn't caught the real criminal at the end of two hours.
Hoping to further the hysteria, the Planner and his men struck at a jewelry store, then made their getaway. But back at the mansion, the real Captain America decided that he knew where the Planner was hiding, so he headed for the subway (see comments).
A short time later, Captain America walked into the unused subway tunnel. After easily defeating the Planner's gang, Cap faced the Planner himself. But during their confrontation, the Planner learned that his "many long hours" of training were no match for the true Captain America's years of fighting experience. After Cap punched him once, the Planner fled along a secret route into an underground electric plant, and he began firing at Cap with his proton gun. But the unfazed Cap charged ahead and quickly beat the Planner.
As Captain America carried his restrained imitator to the authorities, the Planner ranted about how he would never have been defeated if he'd gotten hold of the hero's "gadget-laden shield"; Cap indignantly corrected him, saying that his shield was not gimmicked, and that a weapon is only as potent as its wielder.
Comments: Created by Stan Lee, Roy Thomas, and Jack Sparling.
Something of a fill-in issue, this story was odd in several respects. The villain is pretty weak, but for some reason he gets lots of screen time. Cap's only in the last 4 pages of the story, and when he does appear, he magically knows where the Planner is hiding!
Steve Rogers learned at the police station that the disguised Planner and his men disappeared down manholes in the street following their crimes -- I guess Cap just made a good guess and figured their hideout was in the subway.
The Planner squinted most of the time, but my guess is that his eye-color was blue, the same as Cap's; and his height and weight were also probably close to Cap's, to further add validity to his impersonation.
And with his tendency to conduct his crimes with split-second clockwork timing [e.g. "We have but twenty seconds more to spend here!"], maybe the Planner had some connection to the Mad Thinker. -- Ron Fredricks
Cap explains that his shield isn't gimmicked for "the final time" in this story. In early issues of Avengers and in his first few Tales of Suspense solo stories, Cap used a shield full of gimmicks provided by Tony Stark. The electronic shield contained magnets enabling it to return to Cap's arm, as well as a number of other devices. He eventually used his old shield again, by at least Tales of Suspense I#62. In that issue, a gang of convicts wanted Stark's magnetic gadgets, but like the Planner, learned that Cap had ditched them altogether. It's been ret-conned somewhere that in any Silver Age story where the shield appears damaged or destroyed (as in Avengers I#35), it's one of the Stark shields.
Throughout ToS#87, he's referred to as the Planner, or the Peerless Planner. In the Essential Captain America, which reprints the story (and which I used for the initial reference), the word "Peerless" is replaced by "Master." I'm guessing that this replacement took place in an early reprint of the story, which was in turn used as the source for the reprint in Essential. I'm not sure why this would have been done, given the fact that there was already another Master Planner (see Clarifications). I'm guessing confusion by the reprinter, or perhaps an attempt to make a more impressive name, but who knows? At any rate, I fell for the switcheroo job like a blind roofer. Caught the switch when I dug out the original for images.--Snood.
When this story was first reprinted in Marvel Double Feature#11 (August, 1975), it was re-lettered with him referring to himself as the Master Planner, so the source material for the Essential reprint was from a reprint itself. -- Ron Fredricks
Profile by Omar Karindu. Expansion by Ron Fredricks.
CLARIFICATIONS:
The Planner, aka Master Planner, is not to be confused with:
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Five unidentified henchmen, they were clad in zebra-striped uniforms; they were apparently unarmed with any type of weaponry, and mostly acted as the "hired muscle" to carry away the loot from the Planner's robberies. When Captain America found their hideout in a subway tunnel, he defeated all of them with a single ricocheting throw of his shield. --Tales of Suspense I#87/2 |
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Taped to the Planner's right forearm, this device fired a beam that could penetrate most materials. While he was disguised as Captain America, the Planner used it during his robberies -- it cut through the door of a bank vault; moments later, he was used it to melt a bank-guard's pistol. The proton gun was collapsible, and during his final confrontation with Captain America, the Planner had it concealed beneath the glove of his own Captain America costume. After he defeated the Planner, Cap dismantled the proton gun, then took it and its owner into custody. --Tales of Suspense I#87/2 |
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A 12-wheeled vehicle propelled by a jet-engine, it traveled on the tracks of New York City's subway system. Used by the Planner and his five henchmen, it transported them from their hideout in an unused subway tunnel to the scenes of their crimes. --Tales of Suspense I#87/2 |
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images: (without ads)
Tales of Suspense I#87/2, p1, pan1 (main Image - Planner)
Tales of Suspense I#87/2, p4, pan4 (headshot - Planner explains to his gang why he wants Captain America's shield)
Tales of Suspense I#87/2, p2, pan3 (Planner and his henchmen rob bank)
Tales of Suspense I#87/2, p8, pan6 (Planner gets punched by Captain America)
Marvel Double Feature#11/1, p1, pan1 (Master Planner in reprint)
Tales of Suspense I#87/2, p5, pan2 (Planner's gang)
Tales of Suspense I#87/2, p7, pan4 (Captain America defeats Planner's henchmen)
Tales of Suspense I#87/2, p5, pan2 (Planner's proton gun)
Tales of Suspense I#87/2, p10, pan2 (Planner fires proton gun)
Tales of Suspense I#87/2, p2, pan1 (sub-car (rear view))
Tales of Suspense I#87/2, p3, pan6 (sub-car (side view))
Appearances:
Tales of Suspense I#87/2 (March, 1967) - Roy Thomas (writer), Jack Sparling (pencils), Joe Sinnott (inks), Sam Rosen (letters), Stan Lee (editor)
First posted: 12/16/2001
Last updated: 07/25/2023
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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