TUMBLERTUMBLER
Real Name: John Robert Keane
Identity/Class: Human
Occupation: Criminal
Group Membership: None
Affiliations:
Quentin
Harderman;
unwittingly pawn of the
Committee To Regain
America's Principles (CRAP), part of the Secret Empire
formerly an unnamed gang of criminals
Enemies: Captain America, Committee to Regain America's Principles, Guardian Life Insurance Company, Moonstone (Lloyd Bloch), Secret Empire, Super-Adaptoid
Known Relatives: Michael Kenneth Keane (Tumbler, brother), unnamed mother
Aliases: None
Base of Operations: Mobile, possibly New York City
First Appearance: Tales of Suspense I#83 (November, 1966)
Powers/Abilities: Tumbler is highly trained at athlete level or close to peak human, with exceptional acrobatic skills, and a good hand-to-hand combat skill.
Height: 5' 10"
Weight: 180 lbs.
Eyes: Blue
Hair: Brown
History:
(Tales of Suspense I#83 (fb)) - After high school, John Robert
Keane, had no family or friends. He became a minor criminal. Once a gang
refused to let him join, and the criminals walloped him. Angered, he sought revenge and
decided to become as
strong as Captain America.
Over the following years he started to train hard, eventually entering a circus and learning the art of the trapeze from one of the best acrobats of the world. Then he became stronger than the circus Strong-man, and he heightened his speed and agility by dodging the jugglers' ninepins.
(Tales of Suspense I#83 (fb) - BTS) - The gang that refused Keane was arrested by the Police, so he chose to measure himself with Captain America. Keane wore a costume and became the Tumbler.
(Captain America I#291 (fb)) - While his brother Michael was in the army, John used the ill-gotten gains he had reaped as the Tumbler to pay not only for his own living, but also for their mother's, and their home.
(Captain America I#291 (fb) - BTS) - At some point, John took out a one million dollar policy with the Guardian Life Insurance Company, who was aware of his Tumbler identity and activities.
(Tales of Suspense I#83)
- The Tumbler invaded Avenger's mansion and attacked Captain America. He easily
hit Captain America many times and also managed to take his shield. After a
second struggle he defeated the Blue, Red and White fighter, not knowing that it
actually was the Super-Adaptoid who had shape-shifted as Captain America but
lacked his fighting will or talent.
The real Captain America freed himself from the Super-Adaptoid's bonds and attacked Tumbler. This time although Tumbler used all his abilities in the fight he didn't last very long and eventually was knocked down by the Avenger.
(Tales of Suspense I#83 - BTS) - The Police took Tumbler in care.
(Captain America I#169 - BTS) - Tumbler was hired by Quentin Harderman to discredit Captain America.
(Captain America I#169) - Informed by of Captain America's whereabouts by Harderman, the Tumbler robbed a shop in Madison Avenue near Harderman's Agency, wounding the owner just as Captain America left the Agency. The Avenger pursued the Tumbler and almost won the fight, but the Tumbler escaped.
The
day after, in civilian garb, the Tumbler was lured by Harderman into meeting
Captain America for a charity boxing match between the two athletes. Cap
recognized Keane's name ,and the Tumbler, realizing that something wasn't right, ran away. He was immediately tripped by Cap's shield;
he retaliated, but was blocked by the shield. The civilian clothes slowed him
down, and Captain America succeeded in grabbing his ankle and smashing him to the
ground. Meanwhile from the roof just above the fight, Moonstone (Lloyd Bloch)
was hiding waiting for the right moment, following Harderman's orders. When he
saw Keane being hit by Captain America, he shot a laser ray so thin that nobody
could see it, which killed the Tumbler. Keane's death seemed to have been
caused by Captain America's blows.
(Captain America I#170) - Harderman and many other people around the dead body of John Robert Keane accused Captain America of murder.
(Captain America I#174 - BTS) - Captain America remembered Keane's murder as a part of the Secret Empire plan to discredit him.
(Captain America I#291 (fb) - BTS) - Guardian Life Insurance refused to pay on his account, since he had been killed while engaged in an illegal act.
(Captain America I#291 - BTS) - Captain America helped Michael Keane, the new Tumbler, expose Guardian Life Insurance's practice of insuring super-villains and then refusing to pay on the policies.
Comments: Created by
Stan Lee, Jack Kirby and Frank Giacoia.
Killed by Steve Englehart/Mike
Friedrich, Sal Buscema and Frank Mc Laughlin.
This version of the Tumbler has an entry in Marvel Legacy: The 1960s Handbook.
One of the Tumbler's was pulled forward in time to fight in JLA/Avengers#4 for Krona, but it is unknown which one it was.
Clarifications:
Tumbler is connected to but is different from
and has no known connections to
Images:
Captain America I#169, page 12,
panel 1 (Tumbler)
Tales of Suspense I#83, page 4, panel 2 (young Keane)
Tales of Suspense I#83, page 3, panel 6 (Tumbler with the shield)
Captain America I#169, page 18, panel 1 (Keane)
Appearances:
Tales of Suspense I#83 (November, 1966) - Stan Lee (writer/editor), Gene Colan (pencils), Jack Abel (inks)
Captain America I#169 (January, 1974) - Steve Englehart & Mike Friedrich (writers), Sal Buscema (pencils), Frank McLaughlin (inks), Roy Thomas (editor)
Captain America I#170 (February, 1974) - Steve Englehart & Mike Friedrich (writers), Sal Buscema (pencils), Vince Colletta (inks), Roy Thomas (editor)
Captain America I#174 (February, 1974) - Steve Englehart (writers), Sal Buscema (pencils), Vince Colletta (inks), Roy Thomas (editor)
Last updated: 04/28/05
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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