Dr. JENNINGS Dr. JENNINGS
Real Name: Jennings (first name unrevealed)
Identity/Class: Human scientist
Occupation: Marine biologist
Group Membership: None identified
Affiliations: Hawkeye (Clint Barton), Namor the Sub-Mariner, Valkyrie (Brunnhilde);
Enemies: Attuma, Big Grokko and other Homo mermani serving Attuma, Red Ghost (Ivan Kragoff)
Known Relatives: His "woman" may or may not have been his wife
Aliases: None
Base of Operations: Unrevealed;
briefly held on Attuma's ship (mobile from off the coast of Atlantic City, New
Jersey to Atlantis (presumably the outpost in the Atlantic Ocean,
relatively close to Manhattan)) and Attuma's ocean floor base
Education: Presumably Ph.D. in marine biology
First Appearance: Defenders I#7 (August, 1973)
Powers/Abilities: As the "world's foremost marine biologist," he was presumbly extremely knowledgable in the biology of marine life.
He apparently was able to aid the Red Ghost in mentally controlling sea life, such as whales and dolphins.
Height: Unrevealed (he's much smaller than a
really big Homo mermani, but he isn't shown in clear proportions next
to anyone of known height; he didn't seem especially tall or short;
perhaps 5'9" to 6'1")
Weight: Unrevealed (perhaps 160 to 190 lbs.)
Eyes: Unrevealed (apparently dark (likely brown) in single distant image)
Hair: Black (including full beard; apparently with streaks of white or gray)
History:
(Defenders
I#8 (fb) - BTS) - Following the revolt of his second set of apes, Alpha
and Beta (circa Iron Man I#15-16), the Red Ghost resolved to instead
begin studies on creatures he felt would be more tractable to his will,
porpoises, squid, and other undersea life. Once the Red Ghost
established his supremacy in the field (by his own estimation), the Red
Ghost arranged an alliance with Homo mermani barbarian would-be
conqueror Attuma.
(Defenders I#7 (fb) - BTS) - The Red Ghost resolved that with the aid of the world's foremost marine biologist, Dr. Jennings, he could use his cosmic rays to bend porpoises to his will, forge them into an army, and conquer Atlantis and then the world.
(Defenders I#7) - Attuma led a group of Homo mermani in a craft to assault the Atlantic City beach to capture Dr. Jennings. Despite the efforts of Namor the Sub-Mariner (who was subdued by strikes to nerve centers by a pair of porpoises) and Defenders the Hulk (Bruce Banner), Valkyrie (Brunnhilde), and Hawkeye (Clint Barton), Attuma's forces captured Jennings and his "woman."
With Namor's captured and at his mercy, Valkyrie and Hawkeye surrendered and became captives as well, taken aboard alongside Jennings and his "woman." However, the Hulk refused to be a prisoner underwater and instead leapt away.
Arriving in Attuma's ocean floor city, Attuma revealed his alliance
with the Red Ghost, who detailed his plans for Dr. Jennings.
(Defenders I#7 - BTS) - While Dr. Jennings was forced to work on the porpoises by Attuma's forces, Valkyrie and Hawkeye broke out.
(Defenders I#7) - Hawkeye and Valkyrie located Dr. Jennings, defeated Attuma's forces watching over him, and prepared to escape. However, they were confronted by the Red Ghost and Namor, now under the Red Ghost's mental control.
(Defenders I#8) - Dr. Jennings remained in the background as Namor subdued Valkyrie and Hawkeye.
(Defenders I#8 (fb) - BTS) - With Dr. Jennings' forced aid, the Red Ghost felt that he had enough creatures under his control to assault Atlantis. At the same time, the Red Ghost used his cosmic rays to place Hawkeye and Valkyrie under his control. Further, the Red Ghost's powers allowed him to remotely direct Attuma's forces for him.
(Defenders I#8 - BTS) - The Hulk informed the Silver Surfer and Dr. Strange of the capture of Namor and the Valkyrie, and Strange ultimately left the Hulk in a trance/sleep while he and the Surfer traveled to rescue their allies.
(Defenders I#8) - With Dr. Jennings in an oxygen helmet by their side, the Red Ghost and Attuma had Valkyrie and Hawkeye aid the assault on Atlantis, which was initiated by whales and then aided by porpoises and squids under the Red Ghost's direction. However, after Dr. Strange formed a barrier around Earth blocking the passage of cosmic rays, the Red Ghost lost control of his powers, and all under his control swiftly regained their wills (and/or lost their direction).
As Attuma asked Jennings while his troops fell back in confusion, the recovered Namor subdued Attuma, after which Namor carried Dr. Jennings back to Atlantic City.
Comments: Created by Steve Englehart, Len Wein, Sal Buscema, and Frank Bolle.
On
Hydro-Base, there is a Dr. Joseph Jennings, a professor from ESU, who had been
transformed into one of the green-skinned and scaled Hydro-Men by Dr. Hydro
(Dr. Herman Frayne) circa Sub-Mariner I#63 (May, 1973).
Jennings wasn’t identified specifically
as one of the Hydro-Men until Sub-Mariner I#68 (January, 1974)
However, in Defenders I#7 (August, 1973),
this Dr. Jennings is still a Caucasian/non-Hydro-Man forced into serving the
Red Ghost. This guy was abducted by Homo mermani serving Attuma from Atlantic
City, New Jersey. He’s got a beard and doesn’t look much like the Dr. Joseph
Jennings seen above.
The Red Ghost plans to bend this Jennings
to his will and forge an army of mutated and/or controlled aquatic life to
allow he and Attuma to conquer Atlantis.
Per the Marvel Chronology Project,
Namor’s appearance in Defenders I#7 occurs between Sub-Mariner I#63-64.
The Sub-Mariner stories involving the
introduction of Dr. Joseph Jennings were written by Steve Gerber.
The Defenders story involving Dr. Jennings was Steve Englehart…who also wrote a
couple stories involving the Hydro-Men in Super-Villain Team-Up, although I
don’t think Joseph Jennings was involved in any of those…
So, despite this Dr. Jennings being the
foremost marine biologist, he’s apparently NOT the Dr. Jennings from
Hydro-Base.
Am I correct in this conclusion, or is there information I’m missing?
Earth-73847 Allied with Attuma and aided by captured marine
biologist Dr. Jennings (not Hydrobase’s Joseph Jennings), the Red Ghost
conquered Atlantis (and possibly the entire world) via mind-controlled dolphins, whales, etc. Defenders #7
(1973)
Profile by Snood.
CLARIFICATIONS:
Dr. Jennings should be distinguished from:
 (Defenders I#7) - Attuma led a group of Homo mermani in a craft to assault the Atlantic City beach to capture Dr. Jennings. Despite the efforts of Namor the Sub-Mariner (who was subdued by strikes to nerve centers by a pair of porpoises) and Defenders the Hulk (Bruce Banner), Valkyrie (Brunnhilde), and Hawkeye (Clint Barton), Attuma's forces captured Jennings and his "woman." With Namor's captured and at his mercy, Valkyrie and Hawkeye surrendered and became captives as well, taken aboard alongside Jennings and his "woman." However, the Hulk refused to be a prisoner underwater and instead leapt away. (Defenders I#8) - After the Defenders defeated the Red Ghost and Attuma, Namor carried Dr. Jennings back to Atlantic City. --Defenders I#7Note: Although not shown or mentioned, it would be presumed that they also rescued his "woman" and returned her to Atlantic City. |
Appearances:
Defenders I#7 (August, 1973) - Steve Englehart (plot), Len Wein (script), Sal Buscema (penciler), Frank Bolle (inker), Roy Thomas (editor)
Defenders I#8 (September, 1973) - Steve Englehart (writer), Sal Buscema (writer), Frank McLaughlin (inker), Roy Thomas (editor)
First posted: 01/29/2022
Last updated: 01/29/2022
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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