CLETE BRANDON

Real Name: Clete Brandon

Identity/Class: Human (presumably pre-modern era - see comments)

Occupation: Mercenary;
    former soldier

Group Membership: Green Berets (United States Army Special Forces)

Affiliations: CIA, an unidentified general, a pack of baboons

Enemies: Swamp Men

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: The Savage Land, Antarctica

First Appearance: Savage Tales I#11 (July, 1975)

Powers/Abilities: Clete Brandon was an experienced soldier who could wield a variety of firearms and explosives. He also carried a knife. 

    His greatest asset, however, was his ruthless cunning, as he could exploit his enemies' sense of justice in the service of his own self-interests.

Height: 6'0" (by approximation)
Weight: 180 lbs. (by approximation)
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Black

History: (Savage Tales I#11/2 (fb)) - Clete served as a Green Beret and was deployed to Vietnam during the Vietnam War. When one of the villages near his base camp was known to be sending out North Vietnamese rockets, Clete went to a nearby village and exterminated the entire civilian population. When his lieutenant protested that there were no rockets in the village, Clete retorted that "After today, you can be damn certain there won't ever be." Incensed, the lieutenant reported the incident. When Clete's tour of duty ended, he attempted to re-enlist but the army refused due to the incident report. Clete was forced to return to the USA.

(Savage Tales I#11/2 (fb)) - One winter, Clete went hunting on lands where hunting was forbidden. When a game warden caught him poaching a deer, he ordered Clete to turn over his rifle. Instead, Clete shot the warden dead with his rifle then threw his body into a frozen lake. By the time the warden's body was found, Clete had been recruited by the CIA as a mercenary to help support a South American general who was plotting a revolution. Unfortunately, the general's claims that the military were on his side turned out to be a lie as the military fought back against the CIA. Clete fled the country aboard a private jet carrying the general, the general's mistress, a CIA agent and three military aides.

(Savage Tales I#11/2) - The escape jet flew too far south and crashed in Antarctica. The pilot died at the controls. Clete immediately seized control over the situation and led the others through the snow. He murdered the general's three aides for their clothing to keep himself warm. Next, he stabbed the general to death when he realized the general's gluttony was a danger to their food supply. When the mistress' stamina was depleted, Clete left her behind to freeze to death. Finally, Clete sent the CIA agent ahead of him to test a field of loose snow; the agent's movements caused an avalanche which buried him alive. Clete continued solo and discovered a cavern from which warm air emanated. He followed the cavernous path until he found he had journeyed into the Savage Land.

    As he tried to take stock of where he was, Clete was attacked by a pterodactyl. He shot the creature with his rifle, killing it. This convinced him that regardless of where he was, he could conquer it. He was about to feed on the pterodactyl but then decided there would be better food to find elsewhere. As he began hunting game, he was attacked by a tribe of Swamp Men armed with arrows, stone clubs and spears. With his rifle and knife, Clete quickly killed them all then cooked a bird for dinner. He continued to wander through the Savage Land, learning how to avoid the larger carnivorous dinosaurs. However, he soon discovered that other members of the Swamp Men's tribe were stalking him and following his trail. One night, the Swamp Men attacked him at his campsite and he had to use up the last of his rifle ammunition to kill them. However, he still had explosives leftover from the failed revolution. Creeping into the Swamp Men's village one night, he planted the explosives then detonated them, obliterating the entire village.

    One day as Clete was showering under a waterfall, a Swamp Man found his holster and took out Clete's pistol. Although the Swamp Man failed to hit Clete with the weapon, he used up the last of the pistol rounds. Clete killed the Swamp Man with his knife but then had to flee as more Swamp Men advanced; without ammunition, he could not fight against superior numbers. His knife was now his only possession, and he used it to help him hunt, fastening it to the head of a spear. Increasingly he found himself attacked by both wild animals and the vindictive Swamp Men.

    More and more as he fled from the Swamp Men, constantly struggling to keep himself alive, Clete's mind grew increasingly savage. He steadily moved away from the lands of the Swamp Men but this also meant he had less access to food. Finally, he found a pack of baboons who had killed a wild boar and were feasting upon it. The baboons' leader attacked Clete but, driven mad with the hunt, Clete overpowered him and cracked the baboon's head against a rock, killing it. The other baboons now recognized Clete as their leader and permitted him to join their meal. Clete had now truly become a part of the Savage Land.

Comments: Created by Archie Goodwin and Russ Heath.

    Clete's story jumps between his present and his past but his flashbacks weren't in chronological order; obviously I've presented the flashbacks in chronological order.

    The South American nation Clete was in was not named; obviously there were plenty of real world South American revolutions which the CIA did support (Argentina, Chile, Peru, etc.) but it could just as easily be a Marvel-exclusive South American nation such as Santo Marco.

    As no contemporary Marvel characters appeared in his sole appearance, it's possible that Clete visited the Savage Land in 1975, which would make him a pre-FF#1 character. Therefore, I'm leaving the references to the Vietnam War in his history as a non-topical references.
    Agreed!--Snood

    This story's feature was called "Tales of the Savage Land." I wish there had been more stories like this, it was an interesting way to come up with fresh concepts set in the Savage Land. Of course, it helps that this story was created by two of Marvel's finest talents!

    This profile was completed 6/10/2021, but its publication was delayed as it was intended for the Appendix 20th anniversary 's celebratory event.

Profile by Prime Eternal.

CLARIFICATIONS:
Clete Brandon should not be confused with:

The General

    This unidentified general was a native of a South American nation who believed he had the full confidence of his military. Seeking to overthrow the government and install himself as a dictator, the general made an alliance with the CIA, who supplied him with mercenaries (including Clete Brandon) for the operation. Unfortunately, the military were not allied with the general, and they fought back against him. Outnumbered, the general fled the country aboard his private jet alongside his mistress, Clete, three of his military aides and a CIA agent. The jet ultimately crashed in Antarctica, near the Savage Land. When Clete realized their precarious food supply would be endangered by the general's appetite, he stabbed the general to death with his knife.











--Savage Tales I#11/2

images: (without ads)
Savage Tales I#11, p5, pan1 (Clete Brandon, main)
Savage Tales I#11, p10, pan3 (Clete as a savage)
Savage Tales I#11, p1, pan3 (The General)

Appearances:
Savage Tales I#11/2 (July, 1975) - Archie Goodwin (writer/editor), Russ Heath (artist)

First posted: 09/03/2021
Last updated:08/31/2021

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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