GREEN-FACED MAN

Real Name: Rolf Reibel

Identity/Class: Human mutate (WWII Era)

Occupation: Spy

Group Membership: Unrevealed, possibly Fifth Column or German Army or Nazi party

Affiliations: Fritz

Enemies: The Patriot (Jeff Mace), the District Attorney, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S.A.

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: New York (unrevealed, likely)

First Appearance: Marvel Mystery Comics#28/4 (February, 1942)

Powers/Abilities: Rolf Reibel's physiology changed from the accident involving poison gas. His body became immune to gas.

    His body also became green, and his mouth gained two teeth quite longer than the average.

    He showed the ability to tumble in mid-air while running, as Olympic athletes can do, with a strength and dexterity above average, presumably deriving from his mutation.

Height: 5'9" (approximately)
Weight: Approximately 190 lbs.
Eyes: Black
Hair: Thin central strip of black over otherwise bald head

History:
(Marvel Mystery Comics#28/5 (fb) - BTS) - Reibel was a normal human until he inhaled a poison gas during an experiment. His skin color changed to green and he became immune to the gaseous form of that poison.

    Reibel was also involved in espionage activities against the USA, in favor of the German forces.
    The F.B.I. collected evidences about his crimes, some of them were filmed with sound. The spy was arrested.

(Marvel Mystery Comics#28/5) - When Reibel underwent trial for his espionage crimes, the newspapers dubbed him "Green-Faced Man".

    Before the trial, Reibel was helped. Someone informed him of the evasion during the trial, and that day someone passed him a gas bomb, a hand grenade, which he could hide in his clothes.

    The day of the trial at the Federal Courthouse, the jury was supposed to watch the movies demonstrating the Green-Faced Man's spying activities. But the movie operator was an accomplice of Reibel, and had modified the movie machine, which expelled a poisonous gas instead of the film. Protected by a filtering mask, the accomplice filled the room with the thick gas, killing many of the men. Prepared to react, when the guardian officer fell, poisoned, Reibel seized the handcuffs keys and freed himself.

    Reibel and his accomplice escaped the court room but were seen by Jeff Mace. So, shortly thereafter, the Patriot reached them on the stairs. The Green-Faced Man was hit by his accomplices' body, who was hurled at him by the Patriot. Reibel tumbled down in mid-air, landing on his feet in the lobby only to be charged by a platoon of cops. He took an elevator and reached the roof, but after some seconds the Patriot grabbed him.

    Desperate, the Green-Faced Man jumped down the roof, landing on the Statue of Justice, on one of the scales of the great statue. Reibel hurled the gas bomb at the Patriot, missing him, but the Patriot's fist didn't miss. The blow pushed the spy beyond the edge of the scale. The street was several hundreds feet below, but the Green-Faced Man succeeded in clutching the minute hands of the big courthouse clock! So did the Patriot with the hour hand, and his swing led him to push the spy away to fall to his death below.

Comments: Created by Al Fagaly.

    Reibel called his accomplice "Fritz," but "Fritz" was also a nickname used by Americans (during WWII) to call German soldiers and even non-German Nazi sympathizers. It is a little unlikely that Reibel used Fritz' real name while fleeing, with many witnesses that could hear him. Nonetheless, Rolf Reibel seems a German name, so it could be that they were both German spies and that Rolf used Fritz' real name to call him.

Profile by Spidermay.

CLARIFICATIONS:

• Green Skull - environmental terrorist, Captain America foe--Captain America VII#1
• Green Death - Baron Krugg, Nazi saboteur and spy, turned green by radium, able to kill via radioactive touch--Young Allies#14
• "Rebel" O'Reilly of Franklin Richards' Counter Earth - assisted in stopping Young Allies threat to release toxic gas on Earth-616--Iron Man II#1
• The Man in the Mystery Mask - Nick Fury, which green costume, with a green mask, could release a smoke-screen--Fantastic Four I#154
  
• or any other "Green" or "Face" character with a similar name.

Fritz

    Fritz was a normal human, probably a spy, with some skills in disguising and deception.
    His physical performance seemed quite around the average.

    Fritz set up the false modified movie machine which blew out the deadly gas in the Court Room. It is unrevealed if he was the one that passed the gas bomb to Reibel.

    He donned a gas mask during the gangway, which did not help him to escape from the Patriot. He was knocked out when he was used to hit the Green-Faced Man.

--Marvel Mystery Comics#28/5

Images:
Marvel Mystery Comics#28/5, p3, pan2 (the Green-Faced Man runs free)
Marvel Mystery Comics#28/5, p5, pan2 (head shot)
Marvel Mystery Comics#28/5, p2, pan8 (Fritz killing people in the courtroom)

Appearances:
Marvel Mystery Comics#28/5 (February, 1942) - Al Fagaly (artist)

First posted: 04/26/2024
Last updated: 04/26/2024

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