VULTURE
Real Name: Unrevealed
Identity/Class: Normal human (ca. early 1950s)
Occupation: Jet fighter pilot, squadron leader
Group Membership: Korean People's Air Force
Affiliations: Korean People's Air Force pilots
Enemies: US Air Force pilots, notably Mark
Kerrin, Tim Wilks
Known Relatives: None
Aliases: None
Base of Operations: Mobile in north Korea
First Appearance: Combat Kelly I#12/3 (April,
1953)
Powers/Abilities: The Vulture was a very
skilled jet fighter pilot and was military-trained.
History:
(Combat Kelly I#12/3 (fb) - BTS) - The Vulture earned
a fearsome reputation as a MiG jet fighter pilot against UN forces in
the Korean War, usually following no flight plan and preferring left
flank attacks. His strategy was divide and conquer - his fellow MiG
pilots would distract UN forces while he picked off scattered targets.
US pilot Tim Wilks' plane was hit by the Vulture over rocky terrain
near Chonju and he ejected while fellow US pilots, including Mark
Kerrin, evaded other MiG jets, but the Vulture's bullets set fire to
Wilks' parachute and the US pilot died. Wilks' corpse was recovered by
the Communists and returned the next day to the US base; the Vulture
had pinned a taunting note to the body, "A lesson for small canaries
from - The Vulture".
(Combat Kelly I#12/3) - The following day was a
routine flight for the same Sabrejet squadron, although Kerrin
desperately wanted to avenge Wilks. Meanwhile, the Vulture's squad was
patrolling the same area and, upon seeing American targets, the Vulture
waggled his wings distinctly. An aerial dogfight quickly ensued. The
Vulture passed Kerrin's Sabrejet several times, but Kerrin was too slow
and exhausted his bullets. The Vulture gave chase to Kerrin, who fled
into a cloud bank, then quickly darted out when he saw approaching
birds. The Vulture continued and impacted with the vulture birds, which
clogged the MiG's nose vent and sent him hurtling to his death. Having
lost two other MiGs as well as their leader, the Communist squadron
retreated.
Comments: Created by uncredited writer.
This was a text-only story with just a basic comic
panel showing a grounded Sabrejet. As such, there are no cues to the MiG pilot's
physical stats. The nationality is also unknown, as Russian, Chinese
and Korean pilots flew MiG jets against UN forces.
Although not defined as a MiG-15 (just "Mig" in the story), it's fairly clear that this is what the Vulture flew to counter the USA's F-86 Sabrejet. The North Koreans' Soviet-built MiG-15 jets were powerful performers in the skies of the Korean War, leading to many victories, especially against American bombing raids.
Chonju, also spelled Jeonju, is a city in South Korea.
Profile by Grendel Prime.
CLARIFICATIONS
:
Vulture has no known connections to:
A US fighter pilot flying Sabrejets stationed near
Chonju during the Korean War, Mark Kerrin was a friend to fellow pilot
Tim Wilks. Wilks had been killed by the Vulture in a dogfight and the
corpse delivered to Kerrin's base the next day. Kerrin felt hatred and
wanted vengeance on the Vulture. Kerrin's squad soon encountered the
Vulture's squad again and aerial combat ensued. Kerrin exhausted his
bullets firing wildly at the Vulture, then fled into a cloud bank.
Seeing vulture birds, Kerrin quickly darted away, but the pursuing
Communist pilot impacted with the birds, and Kerrin watched the
Vulture's jet fall. Kerrin was satisfied having helped kill the enemy
ace pilot and looked forward to telling his colleagues.
--Combat Kelly I#12/3
images:
(without ads)
None available
Appearances:
Combat Kelly I#12/3 (April, 1953) - uncredited writer, Stan Lee (editor)
First posted: 06/19/18
Last updated: 06/19/18
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
Non-Marvel Copyright info
All other characters mentioned or pictured are ™
and © 1941-2099 Marvel Characters, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
If you like this stuff, you should check out the real thing!
Please visit The Marvel Official Site at: http://www.marvel.com.
Special Thanks to www.g-mart.com for hosting the Appendix!