The Challenger is the name of different

fictional characters In fiction, a character (or speaker, in poetry) is a person or other being in a narrative (such as a novel, Play (theatre), play, Radio series, radio or television series, music, film, or video game). The character may be entirely fictional or b ...

appearing in

American comic book An American comic book is a thin periodical originating in the United States, on average 32 pages, containing comics. While the form originated in 1933, American comic books first gained popularity after the 1938 publication of ''Action Comics'' ...

s published by

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...

. The William Waring version of Challenger appeared beginning with the company's 1940s iteration as

Timely Comics Timely Comics is the common name for the group of corporations that was the earliest comic book arm of American publisher Martin Goodman, and the entity that would evolve by the 1960s to become Marvel Comics. "Timely Publications became the name ...

during the period fans and historians call the

Golden Age of Comic Books The Golden Age of Comic Books describes an era of American comic books from 1938 to 1956. During this time, modern comic books were first published and rapidly increased in popularity. The superhero archetype was created and many well-known char ...

Publication history

The Challenger was a weapons master, who challenged opponents to fight using a weapon of their choice. He was inspired by the death of his father, who was killed by underworld criminals, to travel around the world and become an expert wielding 1,000 different weapons. This includes chemistry, "nerve control", and flying a plane. Comics historian

Jim Steranko James F. Steranko (; born November 5, 1938) is an American graphic artist, comic book writer/artist, comics historian, magician, publisher and film production illustrator. His most famous comic book work was with the 1960s superspy feature " ...

called this "one of the weakest stories ever told". The Challenger

first appeared In American comic books and other stories with a long history, first appearance refers to the first issue to feature a fictional character. These issues are often highly valued by collectors due to their rarity and iconic status. Reader interes ...

in ''

Daring Mystery Comics ''Daring Mystery Comics'' is an American comic-book series published by Timely Comics, a predecessor of Marvel Comics, during the 1930-1940s period fans and historians call the Golden Age of Comic Books. Primarily a superhero anthology, it ran eigh ...

'' #7 (April 1941) from Marvel Comics predecessor Timely Comics, debuting in both a two-page text story, "The Valley of Time", by writer

Ray Gill Ray Gill (8 December 1924, Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neig ...

, and in the 12-page comics story "Meet the Challenger", by

Mike Sekowsky Michael Sekowsky (; November 19, 1923 – March 30, 1989) was an American comics artist known as the penciler for DC Comics' ''Justice League of America'' during most of the 1960s, and as the regular writer and artist on ''Wonder Woman'' during t ...

and George Klein, under the

pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name (orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individua ...

"Nick Karlton". Following this issue, ''Daring Mystery Comics'' took a nine-month hiatus, and the Challenger moved over to ''

Mystic Comics ''Mystic Comics'' is the name of three comic book series published by the company that eventually became Marvel Comics. The first two series were superhero anthologies published by Marvel's 1930-1940s predecessor, Timely Comics, during what fans an ...

''. In ''Mystic Comics'', the Challenger appeared in issues #6-10 (Oct. 1941-Aug. 1942), in eight- to nine-page stories by artists including Al Bare and Sekowsky. In at least one instance, the Challenger story was written by

Stan Lee Stan Lee (born Stanley Martin Lieber ; December 28, 1922 – November 12, 2018) was an American comic book writer, editor, publisher, and producer. He rose through the ranks of a family-run business called Timely Publications which ...

("Horror Mansion", ''Mystic Comics'' #9, May 1942). The Challenger was not chosen to appear with his Timely compatriots in the 1976 Golden Age nostalgia team, the

Liberty Legion The Liberty Legion is a fictional superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The team was first created in 1976 and set during World War II. Composed of existing heroes from Marvel's 1940s Golden Age of Comic ...

. Legion creator

Roy Thomas Roy William Thomas Jr."Roy Thomas Checklist" ''Alter Ego'' vol. 3, #50 (July 2005) p. 16 (born November 22, 1940) is an American comic book writer and editor, who was Stan Lee's first successor as editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics. He is possibl ...

considered including the Challenger in the new team, but decided against it: "The Challenger was a really great character that nobody ever did much with because his motif was that he would challenge a villain to fight him with a weapon of the villain's choice, and he would beat him. That might be a limited gimmick, but it was an interesting gimmick and it made him a unique kind of character. However, it didn't necessarily lend itself very well to being in a group, because he wouldn't have the scope to do his main shtick in a group the way that he would in a solo story". The Challenger first appears in a modern-day story in ''

She-Hulk She-Hulk (Jennifer "Jen" Walters) is a fictional Character (arts), character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist John Buscema, she first appeared in ''The Savage She-Hulk'' #1 (cov ...

'' #11 (March 2005), having "bounced forward" in time. In 2008, the Challenger is called into service during the

Fifty State Initiative ''Avengers: The Initiative'' is a comic book series from Marvel Comics. Written by Dan Slott and Christos Gage with artwork initially by Stefano Caselli, Steve Uy and Harvey Tolibao, the series deals with the aftermath of Marvel's "Civil War" s ...

to lead the Freedom Force, Montana's state superteam. The demon version of Challenger first appeared in ''

Ghost Rider Ghost Rider is the name of multiple antiheroes and superheroes appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Marvel had previously used the name for a Western character whose name was later changed to Phantom Rider. The first s ...

'' vol. 2 #17 and was created by

Tony Isabella Tony Isabella (born December 22, 1951) is an American comic book writer, editor, actor, artist and critic, known as the creator and writer of Marvel Comics' Black Goliath; DC Comics' first major African-American superhero, Black Lightning; and as ...

and

Frank Robbins Franklin Robbins (September 9, 1917 – November 28, 1994) was an American comic book and comic strip artist and writer, as well as a prominent painter whose work appeared in museums including the Whitney Museum of American Art, where one of his p ...

. The Elder of the Universe version of Challenger first appeared in '' The Avengers'' #678 and was created by

Mark Waid Mark Waid (; born March 21, 1962) is an American comic book writer best known for his work on DC Comics titles ''The Flash'', '' Kingdom Come'' and '' Superman: Birthright'' as well as his work on ''Captain America'', ''Fantastic Four'' and '' Dar ...

Al Ewing Al Ewing () is a British comics writer who has mainly worked in the small press and for '' 2000 AD'' and Marvel Comics. Career Al Ewing began his career writing stories in the four-page ''Future Shocks'' format for '' 2000 AD'' and moved on ...

, Jim Zub, and Pepe Larraz.

Fictional character biography

William Waring

Former law student William "Bill" Waring, having traveled around the world to learn skills needed to avenge his father's murder for turning state's evidence over to the district attorney, dons a green costume with a full face mask to become the World War II superhero the Challenger. Through unexplained circumstances, the Challenger "bounced forward" in time to the present day, finding himself without assets, having been presumed dead, and inquiring of the law firm Goodman, Lieber, Kurtzberg & Holliway about reversing his will. The firm puts him in contact with the superhero

Captain America Captain America is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by cartoonists Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, the character First appearance, first appeared in ''#Golden Age, Captain America Comics'' #1 (cover ...

, who had found himself in a future era due to suspended animation, for advice and assistance. He later becomes part of the federal government's

of superhero teams, joining the

Montana Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columbi ...

group, Freedom Force.

Demon version

The Challenger is a

demon A demon is a malevolent supernatural entity. Historically, belief in demons, or stories about demons, occurs in religion, occultism, literature, fiction, mythology, and folklore; as well as in media such as comics, video games, movies, ani ...

that works as an agent of

Mephisto Mephisto or Mephistopheles is one of the chief demons of German literary tradition. Mephisto or Mephistopheles may also refer to: Film and television * ''Méphisto'', a 1931 French film * Mephisto (1981 film), ''Mephisto'' (1981 film), a German- ...

. He was dispatched by Mephisto to drag

to Hell. At the time when Ghost Rider and

Daimon Hellstrom Daimon Hellstrom, also known as the Son of Satan and Hellstorm, is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Daimon made his live-action debut in the Hulu television series '' Helstrom'', played by Tom ...

were exorcising Legion from the body of Katy Milner, the Challenger appeared and challenged the Ghost Rider to a deadly race for the fate of Katy. Though he defeated Ghost Rider, the Challenger was hit by Ghost Rider's hellfire attack which caused the spell to be broken, revealing Katy Milner as the cursed form of Roxanne Simpson

Peter Parker

At the time when the

Avengers Avenger, Avengers, The Avenger, or The Avengers may refer to: Arts and entertainment In the Marvel Comics universe * Avengers (comics), a team of superheroes **Avengers (Marvel Cinematic Universe), a central team of protagonist superheroes of ...

and the New Avengers got displaced to the

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

-era and collaborated with the Invaders, Peter Parker sported a green costume and took up the alias of the Challenger when fighting

Red Skull The Red Skull is an alias used by several supervillains appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics and its predecessor Timely Comics. The first version, George Maxon, appeared in ''Captain America Comics'' #1 and #4. The main ...

and the

Nazis Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Na ...

Elder of the Universe

An earlier member of the

Elders of the Universe The Elders of the Universe are a group of supervillains appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The Collector (character), Collector was the first Elder to appear, and featured in ''Avengers (comics), The Avengers'' #28 (May ...

originally went by the name of the Grandmaster until he lost it in a contest against En Dwi Gast whom he shared a gaming hobby with. This Elder was banished to the void of nothingness until the end of time. After the

Multiverse The multiverse is a hypothetical group of multiple universes. Together, these universes comprise everything that exists: the entirety of space, time, matter, energy, information, and the physical laws and constants that describe them. The di ...

was recreated following the end of the "

Secret Wars ''Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars'', commonly known as ''Secret Wars'' for short, is a twelve-issue American comic book Fictional crossover, crossover limited series published from May 1984 to April 1985 by Marvel Comics. The series was written ...

" storyline, the Elder returned and took up the name of the Challenger where he challenged the Grandmaster to a rematch. With Earth as the battleground, the Challenger reassembled the Black Order to the point where he resurrected

Black Dwarf A black dwarf is a theoretical stellar remnant, specifically a white dwarf that has cooled sufficiently to no longer emit significant heat or light. Because the time required for a white dwarf to reach this state is calculated to be longer th ...

Corvus Glaive Corvus Glaive is a fictional supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He is a prominent member of the Black Order, a team of aliens who work for Thanos. The character has made several appearances in media, s ...

Proxima Midnight Proxima Midnight is a fictional supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. She is a prominent member of the Black Order, a team of aliens who work for Thanos. Created by writer Jonathan Hickman, she first appeared ...

, and restored

Supergiant Supergiants are among the most massive and most luminous stars. Supergiant stars occupy the top region of the Hertzsprung–Russell diagram with absolute visual magnitudes between about −3 and −8. The temperature range of supergiant stars spa ...

as a psychic projection. The Challenger pitted them against the Grandmaster's incarnation of the

Lethal Legion The Lethal Legion is the name of seven teams of fictional characters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Publication history The first version of the Lethal Legion appeared in '' The Avengers'' #78 (Jul. 1970). The secon ...

. One of the challenges involved gathering the Pyramoids that were in different locations. When it came to the final round, the Challenger had an ace up his sleeve in the form of a resurrected

Hulk The Hulk is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in the debut issue of ''The Incredible Hulk (comic book), The Incredible Hulk' ...

. When the Hulk destroyed the Pyramoid that was in Voyager's possession at the Avengers Auxiliary Headquarters, it cost the Challenger the victory he needed. Afterward, they both heard Voyager's confession to the Avengers for her involvement with the Grandmaster. Before the Grandmaster can offer him a rematch, the Challenger apparently disintegrated him and made plans to destroy Earth under the alias of Grandmaster Prime. He fought off

Falcon Falcons () are birds of prey in the genus ''Falco'', which includes about 40 species. Falcons are widely distributed on all continents of the world except Antarctica, though closely related raptors did occur there in the Eocene. Adult falcons ...

, Hulk, Rogue, and

Wonder Man Wonder Man (Simon Williams) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby, he first appeared in '' The Avengers'' #9 (October 1964). The c ...

until Voyager arrived with an army of Avengers to fight Challenger. Voyager's morale boost and power augmentation from Scarlet Witch enabled the Challenger to be defeated. Voyager then took the Challenger back to the Far Shore and shackled him to observe the Avengers' subsequent adventures where Voyager hoped that they can inspire him like they did with her. Challenger agreed to watch the Avengers until the day he is able to break free.''The Avengers'' #686-690. Marvel Comics.

Powers and abilities

The William Waring version of Challenger is a master of weapons,

jiu-jitsu Jujutsu ( ; ja, link=no, 柔術 , ), also known as jiu-jitsu and ju-jitsu, is a family of Japanese martial arts and a system of close combat (unarmed or with a minor weapon) that can be used in a defensive or offensive manner to kill or subdu ...

, chemistry, and

swordsmanship Swordsmanship or sword fighting refers to the skills and techniques used in combat and training with any type of sword. The term is modern, and as such was mainly used to refer to smallsword fencing, but by extension it can also be applied to a ...

. He is also a skilled marksman, boxer, and pilot. Through Indian nerve-control training, the Challenger gained the superpower to make himself immune to pain at will. The Elder of the Universe version of Challenger possesses the Primordial Power which enables him to have super-strength, enhanced durability, immortality, energy manipulation, and the apparent ability to resurrect the dead.

References

External links

* * ''All-New Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A-Z'' #2 (2006) {{DEFAULTSORT:Challenger (Comics) Comics characters introduced in 1941 Elders of the Universe Fictional swordfighters in comics Fictional World War II veterans Golden Age superheroes Marvel Comics demons Marvel Comics extraterrestrial supervillains Marvel Comics male superheroes Marvel Comics martial artists Marvel Comics superheroes Marvel Comics supervillains Timely Comics characters