RUMORRUMOR
Real Name: Unrevealed
Identity/Class: Human mutate
(World War II and
pre-modern
eras);
identity known to authorities
Occupation: Anarchist;
former special operative
Group Membership: None;
formerly Nazi
party, Hitler's elite special operatives
Affiliations: Adolf
Hitler;
formerly Captain
Hip, T.Ruth MacRae (Gadfly, as a fetus), Sunshine,
Venus
(Aphrodite; see comments), and many others (mentally-controlled
by him)
Enemies: First
Line (Black
Fox/Robert William Paine, Effigy,
Frank
(see comments), Major Mercury/Makkari, Oxbow,
Pixie,
Rebound),
Odin Borson, Thor Odinson;
Captain Hip, T.Ruth MacRae, Sunshine, Venus (they'd
consider him an enemy due to his manipulating them and for his very
nature and goals--Snood)
Known Relatives: None
Aliases: "Old spook" (nickname used by Pixie)
Base of Operations: Unrevealed;
formerly Germany
First Appearance: Marvel: The Lost Generation#5 (October 2000)
Powers/Abilities: Rumor's vocal cords produced a subsonic pulse that allowed him to manipulate the minds of others by channeling his power through the voices of charismatic individuals. In his prime during the 1930s and '40s, he could control the whims of an entire army, but his power diminished over time. In later years, he could only affect the minds of the (eternally) young (see comments). Rumor's power even worked on unborn children, which further allowed him to manipulate pregnant women. Prolonged exposure to Rumor's pulse resulted in immunity to its effects, which forced him to only use his abilities sparingly. He could not influence the (partially) deaf. Anyone under his spell was instantly freed when either Rumor's vocal cords were damaged, or if they suffered a sudden shock to their system. Rumor was a smoker (see comments).
He apparently had some degree of combat training, presumably due to his association with the Nazi army.
Height: 5'9"
Weight: 148 lbs.
Eyes: Blue
Hair: Black, graying at temples
History:
(Marvel: The Lost Generation#5 (fb) - BTS) - Born around 1900, the man
calling himself Rumor discovered a use for his unique vocal abilities
when he became a part of Adolf Hitler's entourage. Rumor used his powers
to amplify Hitler's innate persuasive abilities to allow the fuehrer to
whip both his armies and the German people into a fevered frenzy. Rumor
preferred to operate behind the scenes, but he nevertheless became known
as one of Hitler's elite special operatives that the allied forces were
eager to take out.
(Marvel: The Lost Generation#5 (fb) ) - During World War II, the American spy Robert Paine infiltrated the castle Rumor was using as his base of operations. Rumor managed to prevent getting either captured or shot by distracting Paine and jumping out a window and into the castle's moat.
(Marvel: The Lost Generation#5 (fb) - BTS) - Surviving the fall and escaping to parts unknown, Rumor kept a low profile for much of the 1940s and 1950s.
(Marvel: The Lost Generation#5 (fb) - BTS) <During
the "Summer of Love" (1967)> - His powers waning, Rumor decided he
wanted to prove himself once more. A chance encounter with the mind-controlling
Venus led Rumor to put the eternally young goddess under his spell. With
her in tow, he planned a "children's crusade" by having America's youth
overturn its own government.
Organizing a pop festival hosted by Venus that drew
thousands of teens, Rumor worked behind the stage to subtly sway the
crowds to his cause. Unbeknownst to him, his scheme was picked up on by
the hippie crime-fighting team of Captain Hip and Sunshine, who alerted
the First Line. Asgard's ruler, Odin, also was aware of Rumor's imminent
"children's crusade" and he sent his disobedient son Thor to Earth to
stop Rumor, figuring it would prove to be a much needed lesson in
humility for the thunder god. While the First Line waited in a temporary
headquarters to monitor the developments, Effigy sneaked out to
investigate on his own, while Pixie accompanied Hip and Sunshine at the
festival to look for odd developments.
(Marvel: The Lost Generation#5) - Rumor and his men joined Venus on stage as she announced the next act, all the while gently amplifying her natural mesmerizing powers to make sure he controlled the crowd, including Sunshine (who was being influenced through her unborn child), much to the shock of Hip. While the band Venus announced--"The Federal Duck"-- took to the stage, Rumor's men spotted the entranced Sunshine and brought her backstage to meet Rumor and Venus. The old villain was just lamenting the fact that in his prime he could sway entire armies, but now needed help to take over the world. Pleasantly surprised to see Sunshine, Rumor also realized her presence might suggest there could be "other super-types" in the crowd, perhaps even the First Line. This was overheard by the eavesdropping First Liner Pixie, who in turn was surprised by the arrival of Thor.
(Marvel: The Lost Generation#5 - BTS) - When Captain Hip
went backstage to look for his wife, he soon found her but was overcome
by her hypnotic light powers. After he came to, he was presented to
Rumor, who suggested Sunshine controlled her husband (perhaps
with some help from Venus) and together they would lead the
fired-up mob of concert-goers to attack City Hall and bring down the
government. This brought out the First Line and their new ally Thor, who
attempted to stop the crowds from doing too much damage.
(Marvel: The Lost Generation#5) - With the first phase of his
children's crusade underway, Rumor decided to join the action and
dressed in his trademark costume and facemask for the event. Just then,
Effigy showed up disguised as a lost young boy who was partially deaf.
Rumor ordered his men to keep the child close to them as he and Venus
went out to join the battle. Venus was able to use her powers to make
Thor fall in love with her, which forced the First Liner Frank to go all
out and beat on the thunder god to protect his teammates. Realizing that
despite its great strength, the creature had an almost childlike mind,
Rumor successfully used his vocal abilities to control Frank. 
Complying with Rumor's order, Frank threw Thor at
least a mile away, forcing Pixie to abandon the battle to go fetch him.
This allowed Rumor to truly kick things into high gear by ordering the
mob to kill the First Line. Just then, Effigy showed his true colors and
used an elongated arm to cover Rumor's mouth; but that didn't stop him
from ordering the crowds, though (muffled
or not, his throat still produced the persuasion harmonics).
The battle abruptly ended with the arrival of the Black Fox (Robert
Paine) who swiftly bruised Rumor's larynx to such a degree that he could
no longer produce his subsonic pulses.
Rumor's final fate remains unrevealed.
Comments: Created by Roger Stern (writer), John Byrne (pencils), Al Milgrom (inks)
Rumor's diminished powers over the
years might have been caused by smoking,--over time, tobacco affects the
sound of your voice. Age might also be a factor, given the fact vocal
cords lose elasticity as we age, limiting our vocal range. Rumor could
affect the minds of the eternally young, which was the in-continuity
explanation for the reason the otherwise benign Venus would ever want to
help him. Still, "eternally young" is a bit of an awkward choice of
words, given the fact that the First Line he faced included two Eternals
(Pixie and Makkari) who proved quite immune. Yeah, that's obviously
just a plot device, but I wonder if there is an in-continuity
explanation for why Venus would have been susceptible, but not Pixie
or Makkari.--Snood.
You have to wonder why someone who insists on subtly
working behind the scenes would draw unwanted attention to himself by
wearing a costume that makes him look like an exhibitionist Doctor Doom
in a cowboy hat.
Rumor received a profile in the Thor:
Asgard's Avengers I#1 handbook.
The Rumor profile in Thor: Asgard's Avenger,
erroneously notes the Venus who was involved with Rumor to have been
the siren. The Venus/Aphrodite/goddess profile in her Official
Handbook of the Marvel Universe entry confirms this to have been the
goddess. The Rumor entry is in error.
--Snood.
Additionally, it's not clear whether
Frank from the First Line is definitely the Frankenstein
monster or not. The First Line and Frankenstein Monster profiles
in the OHotMU are contradictory in this regard, with the former saying
they are the same and the latter saying it is "unknown."
As the head writer of the Official Handbook of the
Marvel Universe at that time, I can tell you, the official policy is:
Frank of the First Line is apparently either a Frankenstein
monster - meaning a creature created in the manner of Victor
Frankenstein's first creation - or just a being with a similar
appearance and abilities who adopted the name Frank due to the notable
similarities. However, it as yet remains unrevealed whether Frank is
actually the original creation of Victor Frankenstein, aka "the
Frankenstein monster". Previous entries referencing Frank as
"Frankenstein monster" were unclear in specifying/clarifying this
point.
--Snood.
Profile by Norvo.
CLARIFICATIONS:
Rumor should not be confused with
images: (without ads)
Thor: Asgard's Avenger: Rumor profile (main image) - art by Gus Vasquez
(with John Byrne inset of his unmasked face)
Marvel The Lost Generation#5, p21, pan2 (order the "kill" of the First
Line)
Marvel The Lost Generation#5, p14, pan1 (during World War II)
Marvel the Lost Generation#5, p13, pan2 (mask)
Marvel The Lost Generation#5, p20, pan1 (controls Frank)
Appearances:
Marvel: The Lost Generation#5
(October 2000) - Roger Stern (writer), John Byrne (pencils),
Al Milgrom (inks), Ralph Macchio (editor)
First Posted: 03/17/2014
Last updated: 05/11/2014
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
Non-Marvel
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