THE MAN WITHOUT A FACE

Real Name: Rufus Watkins

Identity/Class: Magically cursed human (Post-World War II era) (see comments)

Occupation: Owner of Watkin's Grocery

Group Membership: Black-Hooded Hooligans

Affiliations: None

Enemies: gypsies, Mayor of Goosepan

Known Relatives: unnamed father (deceased)

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: Goosepan;   
    Post-World War II era

Powers/Abilities: Rufus was a persuasive and relentless orator when he had the right audience. He was under a gypsy curse; every time he tried to take the black hood he wore off his head he found a new hood underneath. 

History: (Strange Tales I#71/5) - Rufus was a happy resident of Goosepan until a band of gypsies set up camp at the outskirts of town. Rufus was highly intolerant of strangers, and he complained to anyone that would listen that gypsies were low-class people who would drive down real estate prices and ruin Goosepan. When Rufus found a group of like-minded thugs they went to the gypsy camp to harass them. Rufus got into an altercation with a gypsy and got knocked out. That night Rufus and his friends put on black hoods and chased the gypsies out of town by blaring horns and bells. As the gypsies fled, one of them put a curse on Rufus. Rufus discovered that every time he tried to take off his hood there was another one underneath. If the police came looking for him there was no way he could deny being the leader of the Black-Hooded Hooligans. Rufus locked himself up in his house and spent weeks removing black hoods from his head, and he vowed that if the curse were ever lifted he would be more tolerant of others.

Comments: Created by an unnamed writer and Joe Sinnott.

As with many 1950's and 1960's Marvel monster stories, this story is not confirmed as part of Earth-616 continuity, but there's nothing to exclude it either.
    --Leave it in unless something rules it out!--Snood.

The hoods Rufus' hate group wore look somewhat similar to those worn by the KKK. Rufus inherited the hoods from his father, so my guess is his pappy was a member of either the Klan or the Dragon Circle. 

This story ("I Am the Man Without a Face!") was reprinted in Where Creatures Roam#2.

PROFILE BY FUTURE

CLARIFICATIONS:
The Man Without a Face has no known connection to:

• Faceless Man,  former member of board of directors of American Chemron Industries, thrown into toxic waste by other members when threatened to go public with their illicit disposal of toxic waste, face and identity removed, stole features from faces of other board members, dissolved and died after avenging himself on them, @ Tomb of Dracula I#46
• Faceless One, Kt'kn, would-be conqueror of Earth, formerly allied with Prince Rudolpho, sought to use Doomsman to take over Latveria, later sought to take over the space station Drydock, @ Astonishing Tales#2
• Faceless Ones, savage cannibalistic aquatic race, diverged from Homo mermani, besieged Atlantis @ 5900bc (30 years after the death of Kamuu ii), driven off by Old Ones, @ Tales to Astonish I#72
• FACELESS PRIESTS, Microverse, resurrected Shaitan, @ Micronauts I#21/2
• MAN WITH NO FACE, @ Captain America Comics#77
• Man Without A Face (Lucien Lorant) @ Kent Blake of the Secret Service#2
• Any other characters named "Man".

Black-Hooded Hooligans

(Luke, Rufus Watkins, others unnamed) The gang Rufus rounded up to run the gypsies out of Goosepan. The mayor had them arrested when they started bragging about what they had done.

--Strange Tales I#71/5

Mayor of Goosepan

Rufus pleaded with him to make the gypsies leave town, but the mayor paid him no mind. When he heard about the Black-Hooded Hooligans' attack on the gypsies he had them arrested.

--Strange Tales I#71/5

images:
Strange Tales I#71/5, p5, pan5;
(Rufus before being cursed) Strange Tales I#71/5, p1, pan3;
(Black-Hooded Hooligans) Strange Tales I#71/5, p4, pan4;
(Mayor of Goosepan) Strange Tales I#71/5, p2, pan1

Where Creatures Roam#2 (September, 1970)

First Posted: 12/16/2004
Last updated: 12/16/2004

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