PEANUTS McCOY

Real Name: Luther McCoy

Identity/Class: Human, briefly human mutate (Post-World War II era)

Occupation: Thief & criminal

Group Membership: None

Affiliations: briefly Prof. Wemblem

Enemies: New York police, Sun Girl, Prof. Wemblem, Zarkonians

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: John Smith

Base of Operations: New York, USA

First Appearance: Sun Girl#3/2 (December, 1948)

Powers/Abilities: Peanuts McCoy was initially a normal human, but after exposure to an unknown type of radiation from Prof. Wemblem's counter gravity machine, had the ability to leap great heights and distances - although this was only temporarily for one month in duration. Presumably, his body also adjusted to the impact upon landing during this period. He was a capable safecracker and a career criminal. He also carried a gun and was fond of eating peanuts.

History:

(Sun Girl#3/2 - BTS) - Peanuts McCoy was wanted by the police after breaking into a safe and stealing $6,000 from inside it.

(Sun Girl#3/2) - While contemplating how to elude the police who were after him, he was approached by a scientist, Professor Wemblem, to take part in an experiment at his secluded lab in the country for a fee of $100. Thinking this to be a great way to get the police off his tail, he agreed and played along. He introduced himself as John Smith. Later at the professor's lab, he was bombarded by an unknown form of energy and, much to his surprise, was able to leap great distances. He then declared that with his newfound powers, no police officer would ever be able to catch him. He tied up Prof. Wemblem and overexposed him with his own machine, thereby launching the hapless professor into orbit. McCoy then proceeded to destroy the gravity machine and fled the lab.

Shortly after returning to the city, McCoy robbed a bank and escaped capture by the police, but was then pursued by Sun Girl who had earlier saved Prof. Wemblem from flying into orbit. He tossed peanuts into Sun Girl's eyes, briefly blinding her, and then leapt away. Spotting a possible blimp, he hid inside it as Sun Girl continued to follow him. Unaware that the blimp was a rocket ship, he (along with Sun Girl) was blasted off into orbit and outer space. During take off, the two were approached by an alien calling himself Zzzsk from a planet called Zarkon, who needed to bring back male and female specimens from Earth. Later, the Elder Council of Zarkon revealed that they were going to teach the people of Earth about Zarkonian culture and peace in order to bring back to Earth to end all war, strife and crime. Armed with his gun, Peanuts McCoy threatened to destroy their planet if he was not returned to Earth. However, he was then subdued by Sun Girl who took him over her knee and spanked him on the behind. Disgusted by their savage behavior, the Zarkonians sprayed Peanuts McCoy and Sun Girl with a sleep gas and returned them immediately to Earth.

Back on Earth, unaware that he had been gone for a month in space and that his gravity-defying powers were only temporary, he was apprehended by Sun Girl when he fell flat on his face trying to use this power to leap away. He was then taken to the local authorities and placed in jail.

Comments: Created by uncredited writer and artist, possibly Stan Lee (writer) & Pauline Loth (artist). Cover by Ken Bald.

This was quite a bizarre little story with a lot of characters and sub-plots happening in such a short piece of fiction. The Zarkonians were weird little blue guys that looked right out of Alice in Wonderland: Tweedledee and Tweedledum. It's kind of funny how if we are offered paradise we tend to screw it up. Maybe the Zarkonians were promising to give us paradise in the hope of enslaving the Earth. Just imagine what if this had happened in the story with the Zarkonians as our overlords. That would be rather funny, don’t you think?

McCoy received a first name in Sun Girl's entry in OHOTMU A-Z HC#11.

Profile by AvatarWarlord72.

CLARIFICATIONS :
Peanuts McCoy has no known connections to:

• Hank McCoy (Beast), agile mutant, founding member of the X-Men @ X-Men I#1
• Man-Mountain McCoy, wrestler drafted by USA into WWII, became member of Maulers @ Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos#83
• Peanut of the Warpies, peanut-shaped creature, uses spider-legged mechanical device for limbs, disrupt concentration of others @ Excalibur I#62
• "Peanut", small Madbomb able to affect the people in a room; one used by Mason Harding to escape the Royalists @ Captain America I#193
• or any other "Peanuts" or "McCoy" characters

• Professor, Weapon X project, directed bonding of Adamantium to Wolverine, later killed by Silverfox @ Marvel Comics Presents#72
• Professor Jack, former NASA scientist, attempted to control Earth’s satellites via magnets, defeated by Human Torch and Thing @ Strange Tales I#132
• Professor Phobos, Russian criminal, trained mutants, attempted to expand radioactive Forbidden Zone @ Incredible Hulk II#258
• Professor Whyte, AIM member @ ClanDestine#9
• Professor Charles F. Xavier (Professor X), mutant telepath, founded the X-Men @ X-Men I#1
• Professor Zaxton, genius and criminal scientist, created duplicating machine @ Journey into Mystery I#95
• or any other "Professor" or "Wemblem" characters

• Gravitron, Kronans' weapon, increased gravity, used against Thor @ Thor I#255
• Gravity Localizer, Reed Richards' design, created gravity/attraction on any surface, allowed Spider-Mobile to drive on walls @ Spider-Man/Human Torch#3
• or any other anti-gravity machines or radiation-producing items

• Zarko the Flying Squid, sought vengeance on Terry Kavanaugh for being excluded from the OHotMU Update '89 @ Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Update ‘89#8
• Zarkoff, terrorist, dealt with Madame Menace, sought to betray her but was defeated by her @ Machine Man I#17
• Zarkorr (Dave Bartlett), alternate future, posed as alien to prove his continued worth to the Space Patrol @ Tales of Suspense I#35
• Humpty-Dumpty, egg-like sentient being (extradimensional?), sat on a brick wall but fell and was irreparably fractured
• or any other "Zarko-" characters

Professor Wemblem

Professor Wemblem was a renowned scientist with many discoveries to his credit and was experimenting on new forms of energy that could alter the gravity on objects and animals. After successfully bombarding a cat and dog with his counter gravity wave machine, he needed a human test subject and set out in the city to hire someone. He approached Peanuts McCoy, who introduced himself as John Smith, and brought him back to his country lab. Not knowing he was a criminal, he bombarded McCoy with the radiation which gave him the ability to leap great distances. Peanuts McCoy then tied up the Professor and overexposed him to the experimental energy, launching Wemblem him into orbit. However, he was saved by the aid of Sun Girl and a helicopter. He later learnt his lab was destroyed by Peanuts McCoy along with the counter gravity machine.

--Sun Girl#3/2

Counter Gravity Machine

The counter gravity machine was created by Prof. Wemblem and resembled an X-ray machine. It bombarded a target with an unknown form of energy that allowed the pull of gravity to be decreased on an object, including living beings. The effects of gravity would diminish and enable animals and humans to leap great distances, although this effect would only last for up to a month in duration. The machine was destroyed by Peanuts McCoy but could probably have been rebuilt.

--Sun Girl#3/2

Zarkonians

Zzzsk and Brfsk were two aliens sent from their highly advanced world of Zarkon to the planet Earth to abduct a male and female human for study. When Peanuts McCoy and Sun Girl entered their rocket, they blasted off and brought them to the Elder Council on a cultural exchange. They wished to teach the people of Earth the ways of peace that would end all wars, strife and crime. Peanuts McCoy produced a gun and threatened to destroy their planet if he was not soon returned home. However, because the alien planet prevented him from using his newfound leaping skill, Sun Girl was able to catch him. Disgusted by the two humans' savage behaviour, the Zarkonians sprayed them with a gas that put the two humans to sleep. The Zarkonians returned them to Earth and vowed never to return.

Zzzsk wore purple pants while Brfsk had a moustache and wore red pants. Brfsk appeared to be the leader and may have been a member of the Elder Council.

--Sun Girl#3/2

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Sun Girl#3/2, p, panel (leaping with money bag)