RIGHT-WINGER

Real Name: Jerome Johnson

Identity/Class: Human mutate

Occupation: Terrorist;
formerly bodyguard, publicity stuntman/employee/aide-de-camp of the Super-Patriot (John Walker), wrestler, US Army soldier

Group Membership: Formerly BUCkies (Lemar Hoskins, Hector Lennox), Unlimited Class Wrestling Federation, US Army (Lemar Hoskins, Hector Lennox, John Walker, others)

Affiliations: Candy, Left-Winger (Hector Lennox), Dr. Oratz, Power Broker, Inc., Ethan Thurm;
formerly Lemar Hoskins, Super-Patriot (John Walker)

Enemies: Battlestar (Lemar Hoskins), Captain America (Steve Rogers), Captain America (John Walker), Commission on Superhuman Activities, NYPD, US Secret Service

Known Relatives: Jack Johnson (father), Mrs. Johnson (mother), two unidentified younger brothers

Aliases: "Jake," "Jerry" (nicknames)

Base of Operations: Mobile;
formerly Gleason's Gym, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; New York, USA; Baltimore, Maryland, USA

First Appearance: (as unidentified member of the BUCkies): Captain America I#323 (November, 1986);
(identified only as "Jake"): Captain America I#327 (March, 1987);
(name revealed as Jerome Johnson): Captain America I#334 (October, 1987);
(as Right-Winger): Captain America I#341 (May, 1988)

Powers/Abilities: Right-Winger possessed superhuman strength (allowing him to lift/press up to 10 tons), durability, stamina and reflexes, all at levels that allowed him to fight superhumanly strong opponents.

He also carried a Tinkerer-designed torch-sword that could ignite with the touch of the button.

As a member of the BUCkies, Johnson carried an automatic weapon.

Height: 6'4"
Weight: 260 lbs.
Eyes: Blue
Hair: Blonde

History: (Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Update '89 I#6 - Right-Winger entry - BTS) - Jerome Johnson was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

(Captain America I#341 (fb) - BTS) - While in the Army, Johnson befriended Hector Johnson, Lemar Hoskins and John Walker.

(Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Update '89 I#6 - Right-Winger entry - BTS) - Johnson served a total of four years in the US Army alongside his friend John Walker.

(Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Update '89 I#6 - Right-Winger entry - BTS/Captain America I#381/2 (fb)) - Shortly after getting out of US Army service, Johnson met with Hector Lennox, Lemar Hoskins and John Walker at a bar in Maryland, where they discussed their disillusionment at not receiving any military action during a time of peace and what their plans were now that they were out of the service. After Hoskins mentioned returning to Chicago to look for work and Walker seemed unsure, wishing he had seen some action in the service, their conversation was interrupted by a man who admitted to noticing their physical appearances. When the man proposed they visit Power Broker, Inc. and gave them a business card, Johnson accompanied Hoskins, Lennox and Walker to the Power Broker's headquarters in Los Angeles, where they signed up for the Power Broker's strength-augmentation process. Given superhuman strength, Johnson still had to pay for the Power Broker for services rendered and, after learning about the Unlimited Class Wrestling Federation, Johnson was in line to sign up when they were met by talent scout Ethan Thurm, who offered to become Johnson, Hoskins, Walker and Lennox's manager. Nonetheless joining the superhuman Unlimited Class Wrestling Federation, Johnson received rigorous hand-to-hand combat and wrestler training, ultimately wrestling until Walker (now using the costumed identity of the Super-Patriot) asked Johnson to become a member of his subordinates, the Bold Urban Commandos (BUCkies). Given a variation of the costume worn by Captain America (Steve Rogers), Johnson secretly supported Super-Patriot while pretending to be against Super-Patriot.

(Captain America I#323 (fb) - BTS) - John Walker practiced against Hector Lennox, Jerome Johnson and Lemar Hoskins in his own costumed identity of Super-Patriot in hopes of performing publicity stunts. Eventually, Walker decided to have Johnson and the others publicly debut themselves as the BUCkies.

(Captain America I#381/2 (fb) - BTS) - Ethan Thurm arranged for Super-Patriot and the BUCkies (including Johnson) to do guest shots at various rock and roll concerts but when Thurm suggested Super-Patriot stage a fight between himself and the BUCkies, Walker grew angry, feeling as if the real Captain America never had to stage any of his fights.

(Captain America I#323/Captain America I#328 (fb)/Captain America I#381/2 (fb)) - During a public rally by the Super-Patriot, Jerome Johnson joined Lemar Hoskins and Jerome Johnson as the BUCkies and pretended to attack Super-Patriot, calling him a traitor as part of a public relations stunt. Pointing a gun at Super-Patriot alongside Lennox, Johnson kept Super-Patriot in place as Hoskins berated Super-Patriot for speaking against Captain America. Hoskins then publicly announced his group as the Bold Urban Commandos (or BUCkies for short) and proclaimed the group as Captain America's deputies following Cap's recent defeat of ULTIMATUM terrorists. As Steve Rogers fought his way through the crowd in an attempt to stop the BUCkies, Super-Patriot publicly denounced the BUCkies and fought back, hitting Johnson with a thrown Lennox before Johnson regrouped with the other BUCkies to again attack Super-Patriot. This time, Super-Patriot punched Lennox, causing him to fall back over Johnson. With the BUCkies defeated, the police arrived and Super-Patriot allowed the police to handle the situation from there, publicly praising them for their good work. The BUCkies were then seemingly arrested and John Walker later met with his manager Ethan Thurm, whom he told that he had a lot of practice against the BUCkies when Thurm commended Walker on his successful exhibition earlier that day. During the dinner, Captain America showed up in disguise and warned Walker that staged theatrics were no way to become a symbol of liberty before demanding Walker promise not to use the BUCkies in any future publicity stunts that might endanger lives. Walker grew angry but Thurm suggested letting Cap leave, commenting that he had another idea in mind and looked for a phone to call the BUCkies. A short time later, Johnson and the other BUCkies attacked Steve Rogers outside with Lennox slamming into Rogers' portfolio which housed Cap's shield as Johnson ducked out of the way. Noticing the superhuman strength of the BUCkies, Rogers managed to use their momentum against and defeat them, asking them to stay put while he called the police.

(Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Update '89 I#6 - Right-Winger entry - BTS) - Johnson joined the BUCkies on an anti-terrorism campaign, intimidating and even attacking foreigners despite not having any evidence that the foreigners had committed crimes.

(Captain America I#327 (fb) - BTS/Captain America I#328 (fb) - BTS) - Johnson and the other BUCkies continued to travel the United States, committing unlawful acts in an attempt to darken the view of patriotism. Captain America soon began to track the BUCkies.

(Captain America I#327) - Johnson and the other BUCkies attacked a college's International House, where Jerome Johnson stopped Lemar Hoskins short of killing an Algerian staying there. After leaving the man with a warning to get out of the country, Hoskins asked Johnson if Lennox was all set on his end and Johnson led Hoskins to regroup with Lennox, who was spray-painting a misspelling of "foreign scum" on the House's sign. Hoskins then misspelled "foreigners go home" in gasoline on the grass and lit the fire but when Johnson remarked on the misspellings, Lennox claimed he used the American spelling of the word. When the campus police showed up, Johnson and the BUCkies ran for it, warning all "traitors" to beware the Bold Urban Commandos. The BUCkies then met up with Super-Patriot several blocks away and got into his limousine. When Super-Patriot asked how it went, the BUCkies explained that their stunt went without a hitch and Super-Patriot offered them beers before telling the chauffeur, Candy, to step on it. As they related their attack to Super-Patriot, Johnson suggested Super-Patriot accompany them to a campus stunt sometime but Super-Patriot remarked that his agent found it best to let the public think he was on his own while the BUCkies were associated with the real Captain America. The real Cap soon arrived on campus and informed the police about the BUCkies and how he had tracked them to campus. Visiting his old flame Bernie Rosenthal on campus, Rogers informed her about the BUCkies and learned that Super-Patriot would be appearing at the Americaid concert that weekend in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Later visiting the Americaid concert, Captain America confronted Super-Patriot and revealed his knowledge that the BUCkies were on Super-Patriot's payroll, sparking an hour-long fight between the two.

(Captain America I#333) - When John Walker was offered the position of Captain America after Steve Rogers resigned, Ethan Thurm began discussing some of Walker's potential terms for accepting the position, including hiring Johnson and the BUCkies as back ups for Walker. That night, after Walker attempted to contact Steve Rogers through Captain America's Hotline to meet him at the Lincoln Memorial, Johnson and the other BUCkies seemingly attacked Super-Patriot there. Johnson began the attack in new, striped costume and Super-Patriot followed suit by uppercutting Johnson in the jaw. Super-Patriot realized he was being attacked by the BUCkies as Johnson and the others dogpiled on Super-Patriot, who eventually laughed and asked to be let up now that the BUCkies had their fun. When Lemar Hoskins asked about whether or not Super-Patriot had been offered the position of Captain America, Walker replied that it was true but assured Johnson and the BUCkies that he would not be leaving them behind if he accepted the position. After Walker accepted and spent a day training against the government operatives Freedom Force, he visited a poker game between Thurm, Hoskins, Lennox and Johnson and revealed to them he had accepted the position. Three days later, Walker visited the Commission on Superhuman Activities, where he was told he would have to drop Thurm as his manager and that two of the three BUCkies did not meet FBI approval to continue assisting Walker as Captain America.

(Captain America I#334) - Angry that Walker and then Lemar Hoskins were forced to leave him, Lennox and Johnson behind to become the new Captain America and Bucky, Ethan Thurm bombarded Dr. Valerie Cooper with phone calls and eventually threatened to go to the press about Walker if Walker did not meet him and the others at a bar at midnight. After Walker met Thurm and Lennox at the Sand Bar, where Thurm suggested blackmailing Walker's contacts for a million dollars in exchange for keeping quiet about Walker's past identity and was beaten for his words, Walker admitted to Hoskins that he didn't want to end up fighting Thurm's bodyguards, Johnson and Lennox, as they were his buddies. Realizing he would have to do something on his own without involving the government, Walker arranged to meet Thurm, Johnson and Lennox at the Sand Bar the following night, where a disguised Walker and Hoskins attacked Johnson, Thurm and Lennox. Johnson fought back, punching one of the disguised men, only to be hit back and have Lennox hurled into him. Johnson renewed the fight, savagely attacking Hoskins, but was downed when Walker accidentally hit Johnson with a repulsor blast from his Vault Guardsman armor disguise. The two disguised heroes then fled the scene, leaving the injured Johnson to be taken care of by Thurm and Lennox.

(Captain America I#341/2/Captain America I#382/2 (fb)/USAgent I#1 (fb)) - During a press conference to announce Walker as the new Captain America and his partner Hoskins, who had now taken the codename of Battlestar, Hector Lennox and Jerome Johnson appeared via helicopter and announced themselves as Left-Winger and Right-Winger, respectively. Proclaiming they were new heroes exercising their right to free speech, Left-Winger and Right-Winger publicly revealed the new Captain America as John F. Walker of Custer's Grove, Georgia, prompting Captain America to fight back and accuse the two of being traitors. During the ensuing fight, Captain America kicked Right-Winger in the face but Right-Winger pulled out a torch-sword similar to the one used by Walker as Super-Patriot. As the two battled, Walker tried to convince Right-Winger that he had never ditched Johnson and Lennox and that it wasn't his fault their backgrounds did not meet with FBI approval. Right-Winger responded by kicking Cap and ranting about how Cap now knew what it felt like to look like a chump but Cap answered by telling Johnson to shut up before kicking him in the face. The fight was soon broke up by Secret Service agents, who had gotten their political charges to safety, and Right-Winger surrendered, asking the agents not to get twitchy with their guns. As he was arrested and led away, Right-Winger gloated that they had still won, as they had managed to upstage Walker, and laughed that they would find a way to publicly reveal Battlestar's identity as well.

(Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Update '89 I#6 - Right-Winger entry - BTS) - During his arrest, Right-Winger's true identity of Jerome Johnson was revealed to the authorities.

(Captain America I#347 (fb) - BTS) - Ethan Thurm posted Left-Winger and Right-Winger's bail and the two were freed. As a subsequent result of Left-Winger and Right-Winger's public outing of the new Captain America's identity, the vigilante Watchdogs killed Walker's parents, prompting a vengeance-seeking Walker to search for Left-Winger and Right-Winger.

(Captain America I#347/Captain America I#382/2 (fb)/USAgent I#3 (fb)) - Right-Winger was practicing against Left-Winger at Gleason's Gym in Las Vegas when Left-Winger received a phone call from his mother stating that Captain America had threatened her. When an angry Left-Winger crushed the phone after hearing of Walker's threats, Right-Winger wondered to himself how he would be able to call his bookie. Upon learning himself that Walker was behind the threats, Right-Winger and Left-Winger were told by Ethan Thurm that he wasn't surprised Walker was mad after Right-Winger and Left-Winger's outing of his identity had led to Walker's parents' death but Right-Winger insisted that the blame could not be pinned on them as he had no idea Walker's parents would be killed, unaware that Walker was at that point threatening Johnson's mother in Philadelphia. When Left-Winger suggested stopping Captain America for good, Right-Winger and Thurm accompanied him to Dallas, Texas, where Walker was threatening Right-Winger's construction worker father Jack, who was in the middle of ordering his employee Bob. Right-Winger and Left-Winger interrupted Walker's threatening and Walker immediately responded by punching both Right-Winger and Left-Winger in the face. When Walker hurled Left-Winger into a group of barrels, Right-Winger grabbed a length of pipe and knocked Walker to the ground by hitting him in the face with it. Walker soon hurled Right-Winger over his head but Left-Winger renewed the attack, remarking that Johnson might be willing to stop the attack if Walker promised to leave their families alone but Left-Winger wanted Walker mangled. As Walker savagely beat Left-Winger, Right-Winger got into a construction truck and drove straight at Walker but Walker used his superhuman strength to bend the truck's axles, causing Johnson to crash the truck into the construction site. Following a resulting explosion, Walker pulled the beaten Right-Winger from the wreckage and heartlessly continued beating him until Left-Winger pulled out his torch-sword and slashed Walker's back. After defeating Left-Winger, Walker tied Right-Winger and Left-Winger together and hung them from an oil tanker, leaving them a torch-sword to burn through their ropes if they were able. Walker then walked off and Left-Winger managed to get his torch-sword moments before the oil tanker exploded with Right-Winger and Left-Winger still hanging from it.

(Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Update '89 I#6 - Right-Winger entry - BTS) - Barely surviving the explosion due to the Power Broker's enhancements, the comatose Right-Winger was taken to a Dallas, Texas hospital, where he was placed on the incoming critical condition list.

(Captain America I#383/3 (fb) - BTS) - Arriving at the hospital with severe burns that cost them their eyes, ears and two-thirds of their skin, Left-Winger and Right-Winger regained consciousness but laryngeal edema soon made their heads dangerously swell. Due to the Power Broker's strength-augmentation process, both Left-Winger and Right-Winger remained alive but had to be constantly cared for by the hospital to survive, including daily immersion in water and IV tubes for nourishment. Eventually, scar tissue formed over their burns and Left-Winger and Right-Winger were left immobile by the scar tissue.

(Captain America I#350 - BTS/USAgent I#3 (fb)) - Having burns over 90% of his body, Right-Winger went in and out of consciousness and was taken off the hospital's critical list. Questioned by the Commission on Superhuman Activities during a moment of consciousness, Right-Winger refused to verify Walker's presence at the oil refinery or press charges against Walker. Upon hearing this, the Commission was unsure if Right-Winger was refusing out of fear of further reprisals from Walker.

(Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Update '89 I#4 - Left-Winger entry - BTS) - Despite their crippling medical states, Left-Winger and Right-Winger were placed on the list of patients in stable condition.

(Captain America I#383/3 (fb) - BTS) - Realizing they would never see or hear again, that they would need full-time medical care since the Power Broker's strength-augmentation prevented their natural deaths and that even with plastic surgery, they would appear grotesque, both Left-Winger and Right-Winger took their own lives, their own superhuman strength preventing the hospital from stopping the suicides. Later seeing simulacra of Left-Winger and Right-Winger among Immortus' Legion of the Unliving, USAgent used the Avengers' datanet to look up the hospital where Left-Winger and Right-Winger had been taken and met with the former burn ward head Dr. Oratz, who informed USAgent of the horrible disfigurement and ultimate suicide Left-Winger and Right-Winger had suffered. Insisting to himself that Left-Winger and Right-Winger's deaths had to have been faked, USAgent departed to find their gravesites. After finding Lennox's grave and finding Lennox's true corpse inside, a grief-stricken USAgent ran from the graveyard, only to find a scarecrow with a lighter nearby, which the mourning USAgent assumed to mean he was to sacrifice himself via self-immolation. When the lighter proved to be non-working, USAgent realized that the best way to atone for his role in Right-Winger and Left-Winger's deaths was to continue his life as a hero and seek redemption by helping others.

Comments: Created by Mark Gruenwald, Paul Neary and John Beatty.

Profile by Proto-Man.

CLARIFICATIONS:
Right-Winger has no known connections to:

• Right, Soldiers of Misfortune @ New Warriors I#54
• The Right, anti-mutant terrorist group founded by Cameron Hodge @ X-Factor I#17
• Right Riders, young Canadian bicycle group, promoted bike safety @ Spider-Man: Hit & Run#3
• or any other "Right-Winger" characters

Bob

Bob was a construction worker working under Jack Johnson at a Dallas, Texas oil refinery who froze where he stood when Captain America (Jack Walker) walked onto the construction site.

--Captain America I#347

Gleason's Gym

Gleason's Gym was a Las Vegas, Nevada gym that Right-Winger and Left-Winger practiced in. It was used as a base for the two and Ethan Thurm and Mrs. Lennox called there when she was worried about Left-Winger's life following a threat by Captain America (John Walker). Upon hearing about the threat, Left-Winger crushed the phone and Right-Winger and Thurm soon accompanied him to Dallas, Texas to stop Walker.

--Captain America I#347

Mrs. Johnson

Mrs. Johnson was Jerome Johnson's mother who lived in east Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with Jerome's two much younger brothers. After the new Captain America was publicly revealed as John Walker by Right-Winger and Left-Winger, Walker visited Mrs. Johnson and threatened her, telling her that Jerome was a dead man. Uncaring, Mrs. Johnson remarked that she was surprised Jerome wasn't already dead and ordered Walker to leave, slamming the door in his face.

Jack Johnson

Jack Johnson was Jerome Johnson's father, who worked as the construction foreman at an oil refinery in Dallas, Texas. After threatening Jack's wife in Philadelphia, Captain America (John Walker) visited Jack Johnson's construction site and informed the nervous Jack that Jerome was a dead man. Walker's threats were soon met by the arrival of Right-Winger and Left-Winger, prompting Jack to jump out of the way when the trio began a fierce fight.

Dr. Oratz

Dr. Oratz was the head of the burn ward in Texas that treated Right-Winger and Left-Winger after they were caught in an oil tanker explosion. Oratz and his crew did their best to treat the severely burned Right-Winger and Left-Winger but the duo ultimately committed suicide, preventing Oratz and the others from stopping them using their superhuman strength. A week following Right-Winger and Left-Winger's deaths, Dr. Oratz moved to Illinois, where USAgent tracked him down to learn more about Right-Winger and Left-Winger's deaths. Oratz at first would only reveal that they had died a week earlier but when USAgent flashed his Avengers identicard, Oratz reluctantly revealed the circumstances of Right-Winger and Left-Winger's suicides. Refusing to believe Dr. Oratz and thinking Right-Winger and Left-Winger's deaths were faked, USAgent traveled to their gravesites, only to learn that Oratz was telling the truth and they had indeed died.

images: (without ads)
Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Update '89 I#6, p24, Right-Winger entry art (Right-Winger, main image)
Captain America I#333, p22. pan3 (Jerome Johnson unmasked)
Captain America I#323, p13, pan1 (Jerome Johnson's original BUCkies costume)
Captain America I#333, p15, pan2 (Jerome Johnson's second BUCkies costume)
Captain America I#341, p12, pan6 (Johnson's debut as Right-Winger)
USAgent I#3, p14, pan2 (Right-Winger in intensive care unit)
Captain America I#347, p14, pan4 (Bob)
Captain America I#347, p3, pan3 (Gleason's Gym)
Captain America I#347, p8, pan2 (Mrs. Johnson)
Captain America I#347, p14, pan5 (Jack Johnson)
Captain America I#383, p39, pan5 (Dr. Oratz)

Appearances:
Captain America I#323 (November, 1986) - Mark Gruenwald (writer), Paul Neary (pencils), John Beatty (finishes), Don Daley (editor)
Captain America I#327 (March, 1987) - Mark Gruenwald (writer), Paul Neary (pencils), John Beatty (finishes), Don Daley (editor)
Captain America I#328 (April, 1987) - Mark Gruenwald (writer), Paul Neary, Vince Colletta (art), Don Daley (editor)
Captain America I#333 (September, 1987) - Mark Gruenwald (writer), Tom Morgan (pencils), Dave Hunt (inks), Don Daley (editor)
Captain America I#334 (October, 1987) - Mark Gruenwald (writer), Tom Morgan (pencils), Dave Hunt (inks), Don Daley (editor)
Captain America I#341 (May, 1988) - "Free Speech" story - Mark Gruenwald (writer), Kieron Dwyer (pencils), Al Milgrom (inks), Ralph Macchio (editor)
Captain America I#347 (November, 1988) - Mark Gruenwald (writer), Kieron Dwyer (pencils), Al Milgrom (inks), Ralph Macchio (editor)
Captain America I#350 (February, 1989) - Mark Gruenwald (writer), Kieron Dwyer (pencils), Al Milgrom (inks), Ralph Macchio (editor)
Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Update '89 I#4 (October, 1989) - Peter Sanderson (writer, research), Kieron Dwyer (Left-Winger entry art), Josef Rubinstein (inks), Gregory Wright (editor)
Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Update '89 I#6 (Mid November, 1989) - Peter Sanderson (writer, research), Len Kaminski, Glenn Herdling, Marcus McLaurin (associate writers), David Wohl (associate writer, page design), Kieron Dwyer (Right-Winger entry art), Josef Rubinstein (inks), Terry Kavanugh (editor)
Captain America I#381 (January, 1991) - "Ask Not What Your Country Can Do for You..." story - Mark Gruenwald (writer), Mark Bagley (pencils), Dan Panosian (inks), Ralph Macchio (editor)
Captain America I#382 (February, 1991) - "Thanks for the Memories" story - Mark Gruenwald (writer), Mark Bagley (pencils), Dan Panosian (inks), Ralph Macchio (editor)
Captain America I#383 (March, 1991) - "Man of Straw" story - Mark Gruenwald (writer), Mark Bagley (breakdowns), Dan Panosian (finishes), Ralph Macchio (editor)
USAgent I#1 (June, 1993) - Mark Gruenwald (writer), M.C. Wyman (pencils), Keith Williams (inks), Nel Yomtov (editor)
USAgent I#3 (August, 1993) - Mark Gruenwald (writer), M.C. Wyman (pencils), Keith Williams (inks), Nel Yomtov (editor)

First Posted: 02/26/2019
Last updated: 02/26/2019

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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