DEMPSEY

Real Name: None

Identity/Class: Terrestrial animal (Dalmatian) mutate (early 1930s)

Occupation: Pet, lab experiment

Group Membership: None

Affiliations: Herbert Edgar Wyndham (owner)

Enemies: A trio of hunters (including Rolly and Nigel)

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: "A freak o' nature" (as called by Rolly)

Base of Operations: Mobile throughout England

First Appearance: (Depicted) Thor I#135 (December, 1966); (named) Punisher Annual#1/3 (1988)

Powers/Abilities: Dempsey was an ordinary Dalmatian dog whose DNA had been altered and he was mutated into a human-like body by Wyndam's genetic accelerator machine. His intelligence, however, seemed to remain at dog level.

History: (X-Factor Annual#3/3 (fb) - BTS) - On September 1st, 1928, Herbert Edgar Wyndham was testing an early version of his genetic accelerator on a lab rat, to alter its DNA structure. He met with limited success and the rat later died, but examining a tissue sample from the test animal showed Wyndham that cellular mutation had taken place and that he was definitely on the right track if he could only figure out what it was about the acceleration process that was so traumatic to the test subjects.

(X-Factor Annual#3/3 (fb) - BTS) - One month later, Wyndham attended an international conference on genetics in Geneva, Switzerland, and became acquainted with such luminaries in the field as Professor Wladyslav Shinski and Jonathon Drew. Wyndham was later given invaluable information on breaking the genetic code by the disguised Inhuman geneticist, Phaeder.

(Punisher Annual#1/3 (fb) - BTS) - The information from Phaeder had increased Wyndham's knowledge of genetic structure to such a degree that he was now confident that the acceleration process would no longer prove fatal.

(Quicksilver#9 (fb) - BTS) - Wyndham created Isotope A and the genetic accelerator.

(Punisher Annual#1/3 (fb) ) - On July 8th, 1930, Wyndham tested the genetic accelerator (and the isotope as seen in Quicksilver#9) on his Dalmation, Dempsey. What resulted was the most radical mutation he had yet induced -- the dog's body took on human-like characteristics. Wyndham released the transformed canine from the machine, but the confused manimal bolted and escaped the laboratory.

(Thor I#135 (fb)/Punisher Annual#1/3 (fb) ) - Dempsey ran off into the woods with Wyndham in pursuit. The transformed dog was then shot and killed by three hunters who mistook him for a deer.

At that point, Wyndham decided he needed to set up his work in a secluded location.

Comments: Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.

Herbert Edgar Wyndham later went on to become the High Evolutionary.

Dempsey was Wyndham's first successful experiment -- the first of his "New Men" and the one that started it all.

Given the era in which the story took place (1928 - 1930), Dempsey the dog was probably named after professional boxer William Harrison "Jack" Dempsey, who held the world heavyweight title between 1919 and 1926 and is widely regarded as one of the greatest heavyweight champions of all time -- true, it would have made more sense if the dog were a boxer rather than a Dalmation ...

Dempsey only had a very brief one panel appearance in Thor I#135 (as the High Evolutionary was reviewing his origin in flashback), but he was named and the story of his creation was fleshed out in Punisher Annual#1, which was Part 2 of the origin of the High Evolutionary that was running in back-up stories in "The Evolutionary Wars" storyline of that summer's annuals.

Dempsey's origin and death was retold in Thor I#406.
--Per Degaton

I apologize for the poor quality of the scans, but there just weren't any clear views of Dempsey available.

It appears in the novel Wolverine: Nature of the Beast on page 181-182. This novel also features Electro. The novel takes place during the break in Wolverine II#76-77.
--Per Degaton

Profile by John Kaminski

CLARIFICATIONS:
Dempsey/"A freak o' nature" has no known connections to:

Genetic Accelerator

A device built by Herbert Wyndham, it could emit radiation that would cause cellular mutation to an organism's genetic structure. An earlier version tested on lab rats killed them but mutated their DNA. With the knowledge Wyndham later obtained from Phaeder, he was able to successfully mutate Dempsey.

--X-Factor Annual#3/3 (fb) (X-Factor Annual#3/3 (fb)/Thor I#406 (fb), Punisher Annual#1/3 (fb)

 

 

 

 

 

images:
Punisher Annual#1, p61, p4 (main image)

p61, pan5 (head shot)
Thor I#135, p14, pan6 (Dempsey's demise)
Punisher Annual#1, p60, pan2 (Genetic Accelerator)

Appearances:
Thor I#135 (December, 1966) - Stan Lee (writer/editor), Jack Kirby (pencils), Vince Colletta (inks)
X-Factor Annual#3 (1988) - Mark Gruenwald (writer), Paris Cullins (pencils), Tony DeZuniga (inks), Ralph Macchio (editor)
Punisher Annual#1 (August, 1988) - Mark Gruenwald (writer), Paris Cullins (pencils), Tony DeZuniga (inks), Ralph Macchio (editor)
Thor I#406 (August, 1989) - Ron Frenz & Tom DeFalco (writers), Ron Frenz (pencils), Joe Sinnott (inks), Ralph Macchio (editor)
Quicksilver#9 (July, 1998) - John Ostrander & Joe Edkin (writers), Ivan Reis (pencils), Randy Emberlin (inks), Mark Bernardo (editor)
Wolverine: Nature of the Beast (May, 2008) - Dave Stern (writer)

Last updated: 10/28/06

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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