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SUPER SOLDIER

Real Name: Percy Private

Identity/Class: Human mutate (early 1940s era)

Occupation: Soldier, US Army (private rank), adventurer

Group Membership: US Army

Affiliations: US Army

Enemies: Imperial Japanese military forces, Nazis, "sinister spy"

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: Camp Torture, near a small midwestern town (name unrevealed), USA

First Appearance: Krazy Komics I#15/4 (June, 1944)

Powers/Abilities: As Percy Private, he had below average strength and intelligence, and was easily pushed around. He's described as having "no blood" because his arms are too skinny, but this is more likely very poor blood circulation and/or hypotension. He has limited military training, much of which is focused on peeling onions. After being injected with Super Soldier serum (and when the serum was active in his bloodstream, as it acted only intermittently and randomly), he has peak human strength, above average intelligence and heightened intuition, plus sharper eye-hand coordination. He has bulletproof durability and can fly at about 40 mph. He has little fighting skills, relying instead on his advanced powers of strength and durability. However, this power set is at his novice level and may advance with training and use. His home-made costume appeared to include a Canadian mountie hat (which he soon lost).

Height: 110 lbs.
Weight: 4'10"
Eyes: Very dark brown
Hair: Black

History:

(Krazy Komics I#15/4 (fb) - BTS) - Percy Private lived in a small midwestern town. In the midst of the US war effort, the local military draft office had already recruited all the able-bodied men, including those deemed 4F (i.e., unfit for military service) as well women and dogs, but still Percy was denied due to his very weak body.

(Krazy Komics I#15/4) - Percy stood outside the recruitment office very unhappy, but was suddenly dragged inside, the army doctor desperate for another recruit, assessing Percy as a 10z [as a joke, the lowest of the low]. Bizarrely simplistic questions and an oversized uniforms saw Percy Private accepted into the army as Private Percy at nearby Camp Torture for training with drill instructor Sergeant Terror. Private Percy was passed down the command chain until a corporal found a job for the weakling to do: peeling a mountain of onions. This arduous job continued into the night when a sinister Nazi spy crept into camp to trial his death drug. The spy aimed at Percy but stabbed an onion instead, which rapidly withered away. The spy tried again, but confused the syringes he was carrying and mistakenly injected Percy with the Nazi-developed Super Soldier serum. The serum worked immediately and the now-confident Percy stuffed the spy into a cooking pot while he dutifully finished peeling the onions, also realizing the sinister nature of the man he'd captured. Percy dragged the sinister spy to the guardhouse and left him locked up.

(Krazy Komics I#15/4 (fb) - BTS) - Private Percy returned to his tent and crafted his masked identity of Super Soldier, including a colorful costume.

(Krazy Komics I#15/4) - In costume, Percy darted off, but the unreliable serum's effects were wearing off. Nevertheless, Super Soldier survived being hit by a cannon shell fired during practice and eventually fell off onto mushy wet ground. He looked to the sunset, unsure how to get back in time for roll call or if his powers would return, while the sinister spy crept stealthily toward him...

 

Comments: Created by Stan Lee & uncredited artist(s).

A bit of an odd comedy character for the era. It seems as if Stan Lee was parodying Captain America and wartime super heroes--perhaps the reason for the character's failure to return when the USA was in full wartime mode in 1944 (or it was intended as a one-off, or SS for an American soldier was not good form, given SS was the abbreviation for foe Hitler's Nazi elite!).

Despite being promised more Super Soldier in the following month's issue ("to battle Nazis, drive the whole U.S. Army crazy and get into a bit of horrible trouble altogether"), he never appeared again (to the best of my knowledge).

"Super Soldier" or the hyphenated "Super-Soldier"? There's no consistency in-story, but the story title is "Super Soldier", so I'm going with that.

The profile headshot of "Private Percy" is originally colored brown, the only time he has brown hair in the story. I've recolored it black for consistency.

Profile by Grendel Prime.

CLARIFICATIONS :
Super Soldier has no known connections to:

"Sinister Spy"

The lanky sinister Nazi spy did everything in a sinister manner and was also a sinister scientist. He carried two syringes with him, one containing Super Soldier serum intended for Nazi soldiers, and the other with a Death Drug, which he intended to trial on one American soldier first and (if successful) then inject the whole camp. He crept into Camp Torture, a training camp for new recruits, and randomly targeted weakling Private Percy. He missed stabbing Percy with the Death Drug and mistakenly injected Percy with the Super Soldier serum on the second try. Emboldened and now much stronger, Percy dragged the sinister spy to the guardhouse, but he later escaped. By chance, the sinister spy found Percy far from camp, the unreliable Super Soldier serum apparently not working at that point.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

--Krazy Komics I#15/4

images: (without ads)
Krazy Komics I#15/4, p6, pan3 (main image: Super Soldier, the first avenger...!)
   p1, pan1 (headshot as soldier)
   p1, pan2 (flying)
   p7, pan6 (sinister spy)

Appearances:
Krazy Komics I#15/4 (June, 1944) - Stan Lee (writer), uncredited artist(s), Jean Goodman (editor)

First posted: 11/07/2024
Last updated: 11/07/2024

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

Non-Marvel Copyright info
All other characters mentioned or pictured are ™  and © 1941-2099 Marvel Characters, Inc. All Rights Reserved. If you like this stuff, you should check out the real thing!
Please visit The Marvel Official Site at: http://www.marvel.com.

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