JACK MULDOON
Real Name: Jack Muldoon
Identity/Class: Human
Occupation: Oil tycoon
Group Membership: None
Affiliations: Black Widow (Natalia Romanova), Captain America (James Buchanan Barnes), Captain America (Steve Rogers), Falcon (Sam Wilson); his employees (including Beamish Beasley, Brenda Sue, and three unidentified others)
Enemies: Lotus Newmark, Night People, the denizens (Monsters) of the realm around Zero Street
Known Relatives: None
Aliases: "Texas Jack" (to his friends)
Base of Operations: His New York penthouse;
originally from somewhere in Texas (possibly Waco (see comments))
First Appearance: Captain America I#201 (September, 1976)
Powers/Abilities: A seemingly ordinary human, Muldoon was a millionaire who owned numerous assets, including a private jet, a limousine, and a penthouse in New York City.
Speaking with a heavy drawl, he emulated the style and adventurous spirit of the Old West, and described himself as being "wilder'n a mustang."
Muldoon was armed with a six-shooter pistol that he carried on a gun-belt, and he was proficient in its use; he was also remarkably skilled with a lariat (see comments).
Height: 6' 4" (by approximation)
Weight: 190 lbs. (by approximation)
Eyes: Blue
Hair: Blond, later brown
History:
(Captain America I#201 (fb) - BTS) - The past of "Texas Jack"
Muldoon is largely unrevealed, but the "oil rich" millionaire was aboard
his private jet, flying from Washington, D.C. to New York City.
(Captain America I#201) - From his hotel room in Washington, D.C., the Falcon telephoned his girlfriend Leila Taylor in New York City, and he became alarmed when he heard her being kidnapped by two of the Night People. Flying to Leila's rescue, the Falcon soared through the sky and reached the commercial air lanes, where he spotted a jet headed to New York, so he grabbed hold of the wing to hitch a ride; but the Falcon soon lost his grip because of the buffeting winds, and he began to plunge downward. However, a lasso snaked out of the plane and encircled the Falcon's wrist (see comments), then Muldoon and his employees pulled the flying hero into the aircraft.
During the rest of the flight, Muldoon became acquainted with his unexpected passenger; when they reached New York and landed at the airport, he invited the Falcon to be his guest while he was in town. The Falcon thanked Muldoon for his hospitality, but insisted he had to save Leila from the Night People. Then, just as the Falcon flew skyward, Muldoon saw the hero vanish in a "fireball" (actually a dimensional portal that transported the Falcon to Zero Street in the Mad Dimension).
(Captain America I#202 (fb) - BTS) - Concerned about the missing Falcon's whereabouts, Muldoon hired some "crackerjack scientific 'n' computer fellers" (including Beamish Beasley) to find him answers to the hero's mysterious disappearance.
(Captain America I#202) - Having learned that Muldoon had witnessed the Falcon vanish, Captain America (Steve Rogers) barged into the millionaire's penthouse and fought his way past a trio of employees to get the full story. Muldoon mentioned how the Falcon intended to save Leila from the Night People, and described how he saw "that fireball pop out 'n' swaller him (the Falcon)." Then Muldoon introduced Cap to Beasley, who claimed he had solved the mystery of the Falcon's disappearance.
Muldoon, Beasley, and Captain America rode in Muldoon's limousine to the former site of a vanished mental asylum on Zero Street in Manhattan. Beasley theorized that the asylum had been transported into another dimension by one of the inmates, Abner Doolittle.
Cap patiently waited for hours at the empty site, in the hope that the dimensional portal would open again. Finally, as the day began to yield to the advancing darkness, he saw the fireball that Muldoon had described appear before him. Determined to find the Falcon, Cap leaped into the crackling dimensional doorway--seconds later, a rebel yell erupted from the darkness, and Texas Jack Muldoon enthusiastically followed Captain America into the portal ("I'm a comin', Cap! Y'got company!"), then the dimensional-door sputtered, shrank, and was snuffed out like a candle flame....
(Captain America I#203) - Cap and Texas Jack emerged from the portal to the dimension of the Zero Street asylum, where they located the Falcon and Leila--but because of shock-treatment, the two now considered themselves part of the Night People and fought against Cap. The Night People intended to subject both Cap and Texas Jack to the same shock-treatment, so as to force them to join their group. However, these plans were interrupted by the onslaught of several of the fire-breathing monsters that inhabited the strange dimension. Muldoon was determined to put up a fight and fired his six-shooter at one of the monsters, but his bullets seemed to have no effect against the unearthly creature. Muldoon then helped the Night People by herding the former asylum inmates back into the building for protective cover.
But the rampaging monsters soon smashed their way into the shelter, so Doolittle activated his Dimension Machine, equipped with a sonic device to produce a sound irresistible to the monsters, with the intention of transporting the creatures to Earth. However, Cap managed to dupe Doolittle into "testing" the device on Leila and the Falcon first; he then told Muldoon to follow the two through the portal back to Earth--although he was reluctant to abandon the hero, Muldoon complied ("If'n you don't folla me, I'll be back! Good luck to yuh!"). Then Cap hurled Doolittle and Brother Inquisitor through the portal, and it was easy enough to convince the rest of the confused Night People into using the dimensional doorway to escape the onrushing monsters. Before he himself went into the portal, Captain America activated a destruct mechanism, which destroyed the Dimension Machine.
(Marvel Team-Up I#52) - Spider-Man (Peter Parker) was swinging overhead when he witnessed the portal open on Earth--one of the monsters emerged, followed by the Falcon and Leila, Texas Jack Muldoon, the Night People, and finally Captain America; then the dimensional doorway faded away.
(Captain America: Forever Allies#1 (fb) - BTS) - Muldoon's activities in the interim are unrevealed, but his hair grew longer and darker.
(Captain America: Forever Allies#1) - Since Muldoon was flying out west in his private jet to check on his aerospace holdings, he took along the new Captain America (James Buchanan Barnes), who needed transportation to the Rocky Mountain Federal Penitentiary in Colorado so he could check on the status of Lotus Newmark--although Texas Jack didn't know this new Cap, he was happy to oblige since the Falcon had vouched for him. When they reached the drop zone, Cap parachuted from the plane, only to later learn that Lotus had escaped.
(Captain America: Forever Allies#3) - To assist Captain America in his pursuit of the fugitive Lady Lotus, Texas Jack loaned him an advanced VTOL jump jet from Muldoon Aeronautics. While Cap was in flight to an island in the Pacific, Muldoon radioed "Easy Rider" (see comments) and advised the hero to be wary of the supersonic jet's fuel consumption, but told Cap that if he needed more fuel or anything else, he could just call on "ol' Texas Jack."
Later, Cap located Lotus on the island, but she once again escaped; Cap radioed Muldoon and requested more fuel and some backup.
(Captain America: Forever Allies#4) - While flying in his private plane, Muldoon refueled Cap's jump jet.
Later, Captain America tracked down Lotus at the City of the Space Gods in the Andes. After foiling her plans and capturing her, Cap found that his backup--Muldoon, Black Widow, and Falcon--had arrived, and Texas Jack had just lassoed Lotus' henchman Saburo. When Lotus cursed over her defeat, Muldoon advised her to keep a civil tongue because she had a date with an international tribunal for her crimes, and he warned her that she was just lucky she wouldn't "be facin' frontier justice."
Comments: Created by Jack Kirby
I speculated that Muldoon was from Waco because after
Captain America barged into his penthouse and fought his way past the
employees, Texas Jack reacted to the ruckus and exclaimed, "Mercy in the
mawnin'! What in Waco's goin'
on!?".
When Texas Jack successfully lassoed the Falcon's wrist...from his
speeding jet...flying at 30,000 feet, it was a bit farfetched...even
for comic books! Maybe he
was secretly a mutant with telekinetic abilities, which he used to guide
the lariat to catch the Falcon? (Yeah,
well YOU try coming up with a
better explanation!)
Since he was an oil tycoon, I wonder if Muldoon had any ties with Roxxon.
In regards to "Easy Rider": That was Cap's call sign
when he flew in Muldoon's jump jet, and it's a reference to the 1969 movie,
wherein the main character was nicknamed "Captain America"--maybe Muldoon
was a fan of that film?
Profile by Ron Fredricks.
CLARIFICATIONS:
"Texas Jack" Muldoon has no known connections to:
Beamish Beasley has no known connections to:
Brenda Sue has no known connections to:
|
A scientific and computer-data analyst, he was
employed by oil tycoon "Texas Jack" Muldoon to investigate the Falcon's
mysterious disappearance after the hero flew into a fireball in the sky.
|
|
|
An employee of "Texas Jack" Muldoon, Brenda
Sue (last name unrevealed) was
the flight attendant aboard Muldoon's private jet. |
|
images: (without ads)
Captain America I#202, p17, pan3 (Main Image - Jack Muldoon, leaping into dimensional portal)
Captain America I#201, p14, pan2 (Headshot - Jack Muldoon, warning the Falcon about the "fireball" in the sky)
Captain America I#203, p10, pan1 (Jack Muldoon, firing gun at monster; Captain America (right))
Marvel Team-Up I#52, p3, pan3 (Jack Muldoon returns to Earth through dimensional portal; Spider-Man, Falcon, Leila Taylor (foreground))
Captain America: Forever Allies#4, p19, pan1 (Jack Muldoon, using lasso on Saburo)
Captain America I#202, p3, pan4 (Beamish Beasley)
Captain America I#202, p9, pan3 (Beamish Beasley)
Captain America: Forever Allies#1, p11, pan2 (Brenda Sue; Jack Muldoon (background))
Captain America: Forever Allies#1, p11, pan5 (Jack Muldoon (left), Brenda Sue; Captain America (foreground))
Appearances:
Captain America I#201 (September, 1976) - Jack Kirby (writer/pencils), Frank Giacoia (inks), Phil Rachelson (colors), John Costanza (letters), Archie Goodwin (consulting editor)
Captain America I#202 (October, 1976) - Jack Kirby (writer/pencils), Frank Giacoia (inks), George Roussos (colors), John Costanza (letters), Archie Goodwin (consulting editor)
Captain America I#203 (November, 1976) - Jack Kirby (writer/pencils), Frank Giacoia (inks), Hugh Paley (colors), Gaspar Saladino (letters), Archie Goodwin (consulting editor)
Marvel Team-Up I#52 (December, 1976) - Gerry Conway (writer/editor), Sal Buscema (pencils), Mike Esposito (inks), Don Warfield (colors), Joe Rosen (letters)
Captain America: Forever Allies#1 (October, 2010) - Roger Stern (writer), Marco Santucci (pencils), Patrick Piazzalunga (inks), Chris Sotomayor (colors), Jared Fletcher (letters), Thomas Brennan (editor)
Captain America: Forever Allies#3 (December, 2010) - Roger Stern (writer), Marco Santucci (pencils), Patrick Piazzalunga (inks), Chris Sotomayor (colors), Jared Fletcher (letters), Thomas Brennan (editor)
Captain America: Forever Allies#4 (January, 2011) - Roger Stern (writer), Marco Santucci (pencils), Patrick Piazzalunga (inks), Chris Sotomayor (colors), Jared Fletcher (letters), Thomas Brennan (editor)
First Posted: 12/17/2021
Last updated: 12/17/2021
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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