Real Name: Johann Goldstein
Identity/Class: Human technology user (World War II);
citizen of Poland
Occupation: Scientist
Group Membership: None
Affiliations: Golem
(Jacob Goldstein), Invaders (Blazing Skull/Mark Todd, Bucky/James
Barnes, Captain America/Steve Rogers, Human Torch/Jim Hammond, Miss
America/Madeline Joyce, Silver Scorpion/Elizabeth Barstow,
Sub-Mariner/Namor McKenzie, Spitfire/Jacqueline Falsworth, Toro/Thomas
Raymond, Whizzer/Robert Frank), Norris;
formerly forced into service of the Third Reich (twice, damn Nazis!)
Enemies: Battle-Axis (Human
Meteor/Duke O'Dowd, Doctor
Death/James Bradley, Skyshark/Elias
Schleigal, Spider
Queen/Shannon Kane, Strongman/Percy
Van Norton, Volton),
Dr. Latham, Nazis;
formerly Invaders (Bucky/James Barnes, Captain America/Steve Rogers,
Human Torch/Jim Hammond, Spitfire/Jacqueline Falsworth,
Sub-Mariner/Namor McKenzie)
Known Relatives: Unidentified mother, Jacob Goldstein (Golem, brother)
Aliases: John Gold
Base of Operations: Secret HQ of Project
Mojave in the Mojave Desert;
formerly his home in Los Angeles, California;
formerly London, England;
formerly Warsaw, Poland
First Appearance: Invaders I#11 (December, 1976)
Powers/Abilities: Johann Goldstein was a scientific genius, who worked on several secret government projects over the years, including the Blue Bullet and an oscillotron.
Piloted by one person, the armored Blue Bullet was a human rocket with powerful engines on the back and feet. It presumably flew at the speed of a bullet (ca. 1700 mph) and was seen to easily tear through walls. While wearing the Blue Bullet armor, Goldstein was bulletproof and could withstand attacks by superhuman beings like the Sub-Mariner.
Height: 5'6" (by approximation)
Weight: 150 lbs. (by approximation)
Eyes: Blue
Hair: Gray
History:
(Invaders I#12 (fb) ) - Johann grew up in the Jewish quarter in Warsaw,
Poland, and while his younger brother Jacob was interested in rocks,
Johann read science books.
(Invaders I#12 (fb) - BTS) - Johann swore to his dying mother that he would never let any harm come to his younger brother.
(Invaders I#12 (fb) ) - When the Nazis conquered Poland in 1939, Johann fled the country, but he couldn't persuade his brother Jacob to join him.
Upon reaching England, Johann Goldstein changed his name to "John Gold"; because of his vast scientific knowledge, he soon began working on various secret government projects, including the Blue Bullet armor.
One night, Johann was leaving the base he worked at and was approached by a Nazi agent, who threatened the life of Jacob if Johann didn't start working for them; Johann obliged.
(Invaders I#11 (fb) - BTS) - Because there was not enough space elsewhere, the Blue Bullet project was transferred to St. James Infirmary in London. Gold's ongoing work on the Blue Bullet caused several blackouts at the hospital. Dr. Latham ordered him to stop his experiments.
(Invaders I#11) - Ignoring Latham's order, Gold's work caused another blackout at the hospital while Dr. Latham was in the process of saving the life of Jacqueline Falsworth (who was suffering from massive blood loss, following an attack by Baron Blood). After Jacqueline was saved, Latham angrily confronted Gold, who tried to explain himself while his assistant Norris became confrontational and even attacked Captain America when he asked questions about the Blue Bullet armor. Gold calmed the situation by telling Cap about the top secret human rocket, the Blue Bullet, he was building.
Gold informed his Nazi superiors about the presence of the Invaders at the hospital and was ordered to kill them by any means necessary. Gold climbed inside the Blue Bullet and piloted it in an attack on the Invaders. He first knocked out the Sub-Mariner by flying through a wall while the Sub-Mariner was hanging on to him. Cap tried to distract him, but his shield recoiled from the Blue Bullet. Bucky then got in Blue Bullet's path and dodged him a few times, sending Blue Bullet through another wall right to where Jacqueline Falsworth and the Human Torch were still resting. Jacqueline utilized her newly gained superhuman speed to save the Human Torch from Blue Bullet, who followed them. Blue Bullet easily made it past Cap and Bucky once again, and then crashed through another wall to the outside, where Jacqueline was heading with the Human Torch. Upon arriving there, the Sub-Mariner used all his strength to stop the Blue Bullet. To the Invaders surprise, it was not Norris inside the Blue Bullet armor when they opened it, but Professor Gold himself. While the authorities dragged Gold away, he told the Invaders that they were responsible for everything that happened from that point on.
(Invaders I#12) - Imprisoned at the Tower of London, Gold received a visit from the Human Torch, who confronted Gold and wanted to know why he, as a Jew, was working for the Nazis. Gold confirmed the Torch's suspicion and revealed that he had changed his name from Goldstein to Gold when he came to England. After revealing to the Human Torch that he was only working for the Nazis because they threatened the life of his brother Jacob, who was still living in Warsaw; the Human Torch offered to save Johann's brother from occupied Poland. Johann promised to work for the Allies again as soon as he saw his brother safe. After the Human Torch was gone Johann prayed for the first time in years.
(Invaders II#2 (fb) - BTS) - Goldstein moved to the west coast of the United States to continue his research.
(Invaders II#3 (fb) - BTS) - At some point, the Battle-Axis kidnapped Goldstein and forced him into the service of the Nazis again.
(Invaders II#3 (fb) - BTS) - Goldstein helped the Nazis establish Project Mojave's hidden base in California's Mojave Desert, at the best place to induce an earthquake with a version of the oscillotron to force the U.S. out of World War II...
(Invaders II#4 (fb) - BTS) - ...by releasing the poison gas from unused canisters the U.S. had buried in the Mojave Desert after World War I.
(Invaders II#4 (fb) - BTS) - Doctor Death sometimes injected Goldstein with substances to coerce him to work more effectively.
(Invaders II#1 - BTS) - On June 22nd 1942 Doctor Death planned to meet Goldstein again after paying a visit to someone at the UCLA.
(Invaders II#2 - BTS) - After escaping from the Battle-Axis that same night, Miss America informed the Invaders that Doctor Death mentioned going after someone named Goldstein. Cap recognized the name and rightfully surmised they were going after Dr. Johann Goldstein. He sent the Human Torch and Namor to Goldstein's house in Los Angeles to get him to safety, but when they arrived, they only found Doctor Death and Johann's brother Jacob at Johann's home. Jacob transformed into the Golem and defeated both Invaders, and helped Doctor Death abduct the Human Torch.
Meanwhile at the UCLA Strongman, Human Meteor and Spider Queen interrogated and then killed a scientist. They learned all they needed to know for Goldstein to finish his work on Project Mojave.
(Invaders II#3 - BTS) - Goldstein helped finish the oscillotron, while his brother Jacob (the Golem) stayed loyal to the Battle-Axis because he feared for the safety of his brother.
(Invaders II#4 (fb) - BTS) - Nazi scientists assisted Goldstein and made sure he didn't dally.
(Invaders II#4) - At the lab where Goldstein was working with Nazi scientists, Doctor Death asked Goldstein for the last section of the oscillotron and threatened to inject him with something again if it wasn't finished. Goldstein assured Doctor Death that he didn't get the chance to drag his feet because Death's scientists made sure of that. He had incorporated the data Human Meteor had learned at UCLA, but begged Death not to use the oscillotron because the gas released by the earthquake would kill millions. Death then revealed to Goldstein that his brother was in the complex and had been transformed into the Golem again, and Goldstein was devastated.
Goldstein hesitated while checking the oscillotron's calibrations and finally had enough--he knocked out one of the Nazi scientists when he reminded Goldstein that he was now working for the Third Reich. Goldstein fled the lab while Nazi soldiers shot at him and headed for the oscillotron, to stop Doctor Death from activating it manually; but before Goldstein could reach him, he was shot dead by the Battle-Axis' Skyshark. After seeing his brother's death, the Golem finally turned on the Battle-Axis. In the end, the Invaders prevented the activation of the oscillotron when the Sub-Mariner destroyed the machine.
Comments: Created by Roy Thomas, Frank Robbins & Frank Springer.
In Roy Thomas' fanzine Alter Ego#20 (January,
2003), he mentioned that some of the Invaders' foes were inspired by
other Golden Age companies' characters (U-Man = Aquaman, Warrior Woman
= Wonder Woman, etc.); the Blue Bullet was created as a nod to Fawcett's
Golden Age Bulletman.
-- Ron Fredricks
Additional image by Ron Fredricks.
This profile was completed 10/10/2020, but its publication was delayed as it was intended for the Appendix 20th anniversary 's celebratory event.
Profile by Markus Raymond.
CLARIFICATIONS:
Shark should not be confused with:
Norris has no known connection to:
 |
Norris was apparently a government agent working as Professor Gold's assistant. He got mad at Dr. Latham for interfering with Gold's work and even attacked Captain America when he asked questions about the Blue Bullet armor. Captain America quickly tossed him aside before Gold calmed the situation by explaining they were working on a top secret project for the British government. When someone piloted the Blue Bullet in an attempt to eliminate the Invaders, they were sure it was Norris; but to their surprise, Norris ran towards them and thanked them shortly after the Invaders had defeated the Blue Bullet, who turned out to be Professor Gold himself. --Invaders I#11 |
images (without ads)
Invaders I#11, p10, pan6 (main)
Invaders II#4, p9, pan6 (head shot)
Invaders I#11, p8, pan5 (Goldstein next to Blue Bullet rocket)
Invaders I#11, p11, pan1 (flying)
Invaders II#4, p, pan (death)
Invaders I#11, p9, pan1 (Norris)
Appearances:
Invaders I#11 (December, 1976) - Roy Thomas (writer/editor), Frank
Robbins (pencils), Frank Springer (inks)
Invaders I#12 (January, 1977) - Roy Thomas (writer/editor), Frank
Robbins (pencils), Frank Springer (inks)
Invaders II#1-4 (May-August, 1993) - Roy Thomas (writer), Dave Hoover
(pencils), Brian Garvey (inks), Mike Rockwitz (editor)
First Posted: 09/13/2021
Last updated: 09/14/2021
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
Non-Marvel
Copyright info
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Marvel Characters, Inc. All Rights Reserved. If you like this stuff, you
should check out the real thing!
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