BUCK FRANKLIN
Real Name: Buck Franklin
Identity/Class: Human
Occupation: Hunter, plunderer
Group Membership: None
Affiliations: Loki (as his pawn)
Enemies: Thor
Known Relatives: None
Aliases: The Destroyer, "the hunter" (see comments)
Base of Operations: The jungles of Indochina
First Appearance: Journey into Mystery I#118/1 (July, 1965)
Powers/Abilities: As a human, Buck Franklin was a skilled hunter. When his life-essence animated the indestructible Destroyer armor, he had all of the powers and abilities associated with it, including strength that was a match with Thor, and the ability to project disintegration beams.
History: (Journey into Mystery I#118/1) - Hunter Buck Franklin was on safari in the jungles of Indochina when he spotted Thor (who had been in the area searching for the Norn Stones) before him. Franklin fired an anesthetic shell at the thunder god, rendering him unconscious. Initially planning to ransom the Asgardian to crime lords, super-powered foes, and heads of enemy states, Franklin was manipulated behind the scenes by Loki, who wanted to use Franklin to get revenge on Thor. Loki planted ancient Viking treasures in the area and further attracted the attention of the greedy hunter.
While Thor was unconscious and restrained, Franklin went in search of more treasure and found the Temple of Darkness, which Odin had built centuries earlier to house the Destroyer. He entered, and as he stood before the Destroyer armor, Franklin's life-force left his body and animated it.
Back at Franklin's camp, Thor revived and freed himself, then entered the temple. He found the rigid body of Buck Franklin standing there, and he was struck by the Destroyer. The thunder god and the Destroyer battled, resulting in Thor's hammer being sliced in two by a disintegration beam fired by the Destroyer, who next trapped Thor by liquefying the floor, then solidifying it, trapping Thor half-submerged within. The Destroyer paused to check on his motionless mortal form -- when his mission of destruction was complete, he intended to return to it.
The Destroyer resumed his attack on the entrapped Thor, blasting a bolt of elemental destructive force from his hands...
(Journey into Mystery I#119/1) - As the Destroyer's beam drew closer, Loki (fearing Odin's wrath if Thor were to be killed) helped out Thor from afar by making him immaterial. Thor passed through the floor to safety, then became solid once more as the Destroyer hurled a bolt of molten force, which turned the corridors of the temple into a river of lava.
When Franklin was about to unleash the full force of the Destroyer's disintegration beam, Thor returned to Franklin's body and held it before him as a shield, telling the Destroyer that if he destroyed his mortal form, he would be trapped in the body of the Destroyer for all eternity. Falling for the thunder god's bluff (for Thor had pledged never to harm a mortal), Buck Franklin returned to his own body.
Franklin tried to enter the Destroyer's body again -- this time he would have it protect his mortal form before Thor could reach it -- but Thor struck the temple's wall, making the entire structure collapse and bury the Destroyer armor. Thor carried Buck Franklin to safety and let him go free, telling him he was only a pawn buffeted about by forces he could never comprehend.
Comments: Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.
A full profile on the Destroyer can be found here.
Thor would repair his battle-damaged hammer in Journey into Mystery I#120, at a steel mill that later spawned Inferno.
Throughout the entire story, Buck Franklin was referred to only as "the hunter," and it was not until the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe I#13 (February, 1984), in the profile of the Destroyer, that he was actually named as Buck Franklin.
Buck Franklin's name is obviously derived from real-life hunter/adventurer Frank Buck.
Profile by John Kaminski
CLARIFICATIONS:
Buck Franklin/"the hunter" has no known connections to:
images:
Journey into Mystery I#118, p16, pan1 (main image)
Appearances:
Journey into Mystery I#118 (July, 1965) - Stan Lee (writer/editor), Jack Kirby (pencils), Vince Colletta (inks)
Last updated: 10/28/06
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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