Destroyer (Marvel Comics)
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The Destroyer | |
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The Destroyer is the name of three fictional
Subsequent incarnations created by Roy Thomas and Frank Robbins appeared in The Invaders #18 (July 1977), and The Invaders #26 (March 1978). The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe clarifies that all three versions of the character are considered canon.[3]
Publication history
Golden Age publications
The Destroyer
In 1997, comics historian and former Marvel editor-in-chief Roy Thomas wrote that "Stan's most popular superhero creation before the Fantastic Four was the Destroyer."[7] However, a 2019 book by Thomas and Kurt Mitchell described the Destroyer as "a Stan Lee-written mash-up of Captain America's origin and Blazing Skull's setting notable largely for its hero's eerie grey-and-red costume."[8]
According to Jess Nevins' Encyclopedia of Golden Age Superheroes, "He fights a variety of villains, from ordinary Axis agents to Dr. Dragon to Satan and Madam Satan to the Japanese villain the Face."[9]
The Destroyer ran as the cover feature of Mystic #6 and of the remaining four issues of that 10-issue superhero
The Destroyer stood out from other wartime heroes in that he operated solely within
The character's Golden Age appearances included:[13]
- Mystic Comics #6-10 (1941-1942)
- All Winners Comics #2-12 (1941-1944)
- USA Comics#6, 8–14, 16-17 (1942-1945)
- Amazing Comics #1 (1944)
- Complete Comics #2 (1944)
- Mystic Comics vol. 2 #1–4 (1944–1945)
- Kid Comics #4–6, 9–10 (1944–1946)
- Daring Mystery Comics #11 (1945)
- Daring Comics #12 (1945)
- All Select Comics #6, 10 (1945–1946)
1970s publications
Thomas and Robbins also featured the Falsworth incarnation of the Destroyer in The Invaders #18–19 (July–Aug. 1977); in the story he explains how he received a variation of the super-soldier formula from a fellow inmate of a Nazi prison; the previous incarnation as Marlow is
Thomas and Robbins continued to feature Falsworth and Aubrey in the series, with the former becoming a semi-permanent member of the team in his new role as Union Jack with issues #23 (Dec. 1977) & #25 (Feb. 1978); in which he joins them on his first mission, while the latter appeared in a supporting role as Dyna-Mite in issue #23 (December 1977); in which he searches for a cure for the Nazi experimentation that has reduced his size, and #26 (March 1978); in which a restored Aubrey is introduced in his role as the new Destroyer. This incarnation was also featured by Thomas, Donald Glut and Alan Kupperberg in The Invaders #34 (Nov. 1978) and by Glut, Kupperberg and Charles Eber Stone in The Invaders #41 (Sept. 1979).
1980s publications
Roger Stern and John Byrne mentioned Falsworth in the backstory for Captain America #253–254 (January–February 1981); the story reveals in a flashback that he died in a car crash in 1953.
1990s publications
2000s publications
Aubrey appears as a supporting character in
Allan Jacobsen and C.P. Smith used Aubrey as a supporting character in a number of issues of New Invaders, including #2 (Nov. 2004), in which he is claimed to be one of the new team's first recruits, #4–5 (January–February 2005), which sees him battling the vampiric Baroness Blood alongside Union Jack, and #9 (June 2005), which sees him resuming command of V-Battalion following the death of the original Human Torch.
In
In "Nothing but a Fight", a follow-up story by the same creators that appears in the anthology issue Captain America #750 (September 2023), Aubrey's peers eulogize him at his funeral. He is laid to rest beside Falsworth beneath a headstone whose epitaph reads, "Roger Aubrey: A Man of Love and Destroyer of Hate".[17][18][19]
Fictional character biographies
Keen Marlow
Brian Falsworth
In the Destroyer's
Roger Aubrey
Brian Falsworth gave up the Destroyer identity to become the new
Other versions
Versions of the Destroyer, both in continuity and out, have appeared in various Marvel comics. The Age of the
MAX imprint
Marvel's
Keene Marlow (his first name slightly different from the earlier comics' "Keen") is enhanced by a super-soldier serum variant, similar to the one used to create Captain America (Steve Rogers), but lacking the Vita-Ray treatment. His former sidekick Turret (Darius Mitchell) is married to Felecia and takes over the role of the Destroyer when Marlow retires.[citation needed]
In other media
Television
The Keen Marlow incarnation of the Destroyer, renamed Keene Marlowe, appears in the Spider-Man five-part episode "Six Forgotten Warriors", voiced by Roy Dotrice. This version is an old colleague of Captain America and friend of Ben Parker who, along with the Whizzer, Miss America, the Black Marvel, and the Thunderer, obtained his powers from a flawed attempt at recreating the process that empowered Captain America during World War II and has to regulate them with a special ring.
Video games
- The Roger Aubrey incarnation of the Destroyer appears in Lego Marvel Super Heroes.[citation needed]
- The Roger Aubrey incarnation of the Destroyer appears in Lego Marvel's Avengers, voiced by Wally Wingert.[citation needed]
References
- ^ Thunderbolts #40–41
- ISBN 978-0061992117.
- ^ The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A-Z vol. 3
- ^ Markstein, Don. "The Destroyer". Don Markstein's Toonopedia. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
- ISBN 978-1465455505.
- ^ Mystic Comics #6 at the Grand Comics Database
- ISBN 0-7851-0564-6.
- ISBN 978-1605490892.
- ISBN 978-1-61318-023-5.
- ^ Thomas, Roy (August 2011). "Destroy All Nazis!". Alter Ego (#104): 24.
- ^ Mystic Comics #7 at the Grand Comics Database.
- ^ Destroyer cover, Mystic Comics #7[permanent dead link] at the Jack Kirby Museum
- ISBN 0-87833-808-X. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
- ^ Magnett, Chase (July 5, 2023). "Comic Book Reviews for This Week: 3/1/2023". ComicBook.com. Archived from the original on July 6, 2023. Retrieved July 6, 2023.
- ^ Williamson, Lia (March 1, 2023). "In 'Captain America: Sentinel of Liberty' #10, the Invaders fight their demons". AIPT. Archived from the original on July 6, 2023. Retrieved July 6, 2023.
- Captain America: Sentinel of Liberty, vol. 2, no. 10 (May 2023). Marvel Comics.
- ^ Lanzing, Jackson; Kelly, Collin (w), Silva, R.B.; Carnero, Carmen (a). "Nothing but a Fight" Captain America, no. 750 (September 2023). Marvel Comics.
- ^ Adams, Timothy (July 5, 2023). "Captain America #750 Review: Why Two Captains Are Better Than One". ComicBook.com. Archived from the original on July 6, 2023. Retrieved July 6, 2023.
- ^ Jennings, Collier (July 5, 2023). "'Captain America' #750 deals with the fallout from 'Cold War' and the star-spangled Avengers' legacy". AIPT. Archived from the original on July 6, 2023. Retrieved July 6, 2023.
- ISBN 978-1476666723.
- ^ The Invaders #14
- ^ The Marvels Project #7
- ^ The Invaders #19
- ^ Citizen V and the V Battalion vol. 2 #1 (March 2002)
- ^ Per The Unofficial Handbook of Marvel Comics Creators, volumes one to three Archived 2009-08-08 at the Wayback Machine star an unrelated, non-Marvel character adapted from The Destroyer series of crime novels: The Destroyer (1989–1990), The Destroyer vol. 2 (1991) and The Destroyer vol. 3 (1991–1992)
- ^ Rogers, Vaneta. NYCC '08: Robert Kirkman on Destroyer MAX, Newsarama, April 19, 2008. WebCite archive 2009-11-26
- ^ "Destroyer Will Punch a Hole in Your Head", Comic Book Resources, February 20, 2009. WebCite archive 2009-11-26