Jeffrey Solomon Mace, also known as the

Patriot A patriot is a person with the quality of patriotism. Patriot may also refer to: Political and military groups United States * Patriot (American Revolution), those who supported the cause of independence in the American Revolution * Patriot m ...

and Captain America, is a superhero appearing in American comic books 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 character was created during the 1940s, a period fans and historians call the Golden Age of Comic Books. As the Patriot, he first appeared in ''

Human Torch Comics The Human Torch, also known as Jim Hammond (originally, Hamond), is a fictional character, fictional superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-artist Carl Burgos, he first appearance, first appeared ...

'' #4 (March 1941; mis-numbered #3 on cover), published by Marvel's 1940s precursor,

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 ...

. In 1976, Marvel revealed via

retroactive continuity Retroactive continuity, or retcon for short, is a literary device in which established diegetic facts in the plot of a fictional work (those established through the narrative itself) are adjusted, ignored, supplemented, or contradicted by a subse ...

that Mace had become the third Captain America some time after his World War II era adventures. He is also the uncle-by-marriage of

Thunderbolt Ross General Thaddeus E. "Thunderbolt" Ross (also known as the Red Hulk) is a fictional character who appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics featuring the Hulk. Ross is a United States military officer, the father of Betty Ross, ex-father- ...

. The character was adapted into the

Marvel Cinematic Universe The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on a series of superhero films produced by Marvel Studios. The films are based on characters that appear in American comic books published by ...

TV series ''

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. ''Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'' is an American television series created by Joss Whedon, Jed Whedon, and Maurissa Tancharoen for ABC, based on the Marvel Comics organization S.H.I.E.L.D. (Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, an ...

'', portrayed by

Jason O'Mara Jason O'Mara (born 6 August 1972) is an Irish actor. He has starred in the American television network dramas ''In Justice'', ''Life on Mars'', '' Terra Nova'', ''Vegas'', and ''Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.''. O'Mara won an Irish Film and Television A ...

Publication history

The superhero the Patriot debuted in '' The Human Torch'' #4 (March 1941; mis-numbered #3 on cover), with both a two-page text story 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 ...

, with a spot illustration by artist

Bill Everett William Blake Everett (; May 18, 1917 – February 27, 1973) was an American comic book writer-artist best known for creating Namor the Sub-Mariner as well as co-creating Zombie and Daredevil with writer Stan Lee for Marvel Comics. He was alleg ...

, and a 10-page comics story by writer Gill and artist

George Mandel George Mandel (11 February 1920 – 13 February 2021) was an American author and artist. His first novel is considered to be an early work of the east coast Beat Generation. His novels, interviews, novellas, cartoons and short stories have been ...

. The character went on to appear in the first of two ''Human Torch'' issues both inadvertently numbered #5, and known to collectors as #5 /nowiki> (Summer 1941), in a story by Gill and artist

Sid Greene Sidney Greene (June 18, 1906 – October 1972)Sidney Greene
at the

Marvel Mystery Comics ''Marvel Mystery Comics'' (first issue titled simply ''Marvel Comics'') is an American comic book series published during the 1930s–1940s period known to fans and historians as the Golden Age of Comic Books. It was the first publication of Mar ...

'', appearing in issues #21–44 (July 1941 – June 1943) and #49 -74 (Nov. 1943 – July 1946), making him one of Timely's most popular characters in the second tier beneath stars Captain America, the Human Torch, and the Sub-Mariner. The Patriot story "Death Stalks the Shipyard", from ''Marvel Mystery Comics'' #29, was reprinted during the

Silver Age of Comic Books The Silver Age of Comic Books was a period of artistic advancement and widespread commercial success in mainstream American comic books, predominantly those featuring the superhero archetype. Following the Golden Age of Comic Books and an in ...

in '' Marvel Super-Heroes'' #16 (Sept. 1968). In ''The Avengers'' #97 (March 1972), a

simulacrum A simulacrum (plural: simulacra or simulacrums, from Latin '' simulacrum'', which means "likeness, semblance") is a representation or imitation of a person or thing. The word was first recorded in the English language in the late 16th century, u ...

of the Patriot was temporarily created from the mind of Rick Jones, along with those of the

Blazing Skull The Blazing Skull (Mark Anthony Todd) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created during the Golden Age of Comic Books by Marvel's predecessor, Timely Comics, and first appear ...

, the

Fin A fin is a thin component or appendage attached to a larger body or structure. Fins typically function as foils that produce lift or thrust, or provide the ability to steer or stabilize motion while traveling in water, air, or other fluids. Fin ...

, and the Golden Age

Angel In various theistic religious traditions an angel is a supernatural spiritual being who serves God. Abrahamic religions often depict angels as benevolent celestial intermediaries between God (or Heaven) and humanity. Other roles inclu ...

and

Vision Vision, Visions, or The Vision may refer to: Perception Optical perception * Visual perception, the sense of sight * Visual system, the physical mechanism of eyesight * Computer vision, a field dealing with how computers can be made to gain und ...

, to aid the superhero team 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 ...

during the Kree-Skrull War. The Patriot appeared in a four-part flashback story running through ''

The Invaders ''The Invaders'' is an American science-fiction television series created by Larry Cohen that aired on ABC for two seasons, from 1967 to 1968. Roy Thinnes stars as David Vincent, who after stumbling across evidence of an in-progress invas ...

'' #5–6 (March & May 1976) and ''

Marvel Premiere ''Marvel Premiere'' is an American comic book anthology series that was published by Marvel Comics. In concept it was a tryout book, intended to determine if a character or concept could attract enough readers to justify launching their own serie ...

'' #29–30 (April & June 1976), set during

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 opposing ...

which

retcon Retroactive continuity, or retcon for short, is a literary device in which established diegetic facts in the plot of a fictional work (those established through the narrative itself) are adjusted, ignored, supplemented, or contradicted by a subs ...

ned him as a member of a newly created superhero 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 ...

. That team later appeared alongside Fantastic Four member the

Thing Thing or The Thing may refer to: Philosophy * An object * Broadly, an entity * Thing-in-itself (or ''noumenon''), the reality that underlies perceptions, a term coined by Immanuel Kant * Thing theory, a branch of critical theory that focuse ...

in a two-part

time travel Time travel is the concept of movement between certain points in time, analogous to movement between different points in space by an object or a person, typically with the use of a hypothetical device known as a time machine. Time travel is a ...

story, set during World War II, in '' Marvel Two-in-One'' #20 (Oct. 1976) and ''Marvel Two-in-One Annual'' (1976). When Marvel Comics had revived the character Captain America in 1964, the story explained that he had been

missing in action Missing in action (MIA) is a casualty classification assigned to combatants, military chaplains, combat medics, and prisoners of war who are reported missing during wartime or ceasefire. They may have been killed, wounded, captured, ex ...

and in

suspended animation Suspended animation is the temporary (short- or long-term) slowing or stopping of biological function so that physiological capabilities are preserved. It may be either hypometabolic or ametabolic in nature. It may be induced by either endogen ...

since 1945. This discrepancy with his postwar comic-book appearances was later explained as the result of replacement heroes taking on the mantle. As the third Captain America, Jeffrey Mace would have been behind the mask in ''Captain America Comics'' #59–75 (Nov. 1946 – Feb. 1950) and other comics during that period. Mace succeeded the second Captain America, William Naslund (formerly the

Spirit of '76 Spirit of '76 may refer to: * Spirit of '76 (sentiment), patriotic sentiment engendered by the American Revolution * ''The Spirit of '76'' (painting), a painting by Archibald Willard * ''Spirit of '76'' (album), a 1975 album by Spirit * Spirit ...

), who was shown in ''

What If What If may refer to: Film * ''What If'', a 2006 TV film starring Niall Buggy * ''What If...'' (2010 film), an American film * ''What If...'' (2012 film), a Greek film * ''What If'' (2013 film) or ''The F Word'', a Canadian-Irish film Telev ...

?'' vol. 1, #4 (Aug. 1977) as having been killed in 1946. Mace appeared briefly in a flashback in '' Captain America'' #215 (Nov. 1977), then as a guest-star in ''Captain America Annual'' #6 (1982) with his death depicted in #285 (Sept. 1983). In a flashback, the Patriot co-starred in a World War II adventure with Captain America in ''Captain America Annual'' #13 (1994) and in a post-war adventure with the All Winners Squad in ''All Winners Squad 70th Anniversary Special'' (2009). A retelling of Jeffrey Mace's origin and time as Captain America is told in the 2010 mini-series ''Captain America: Patriot''. This was collected with the ''All Winners Squad 70th Anniversary Special'' and ''What If?'' #4 in 2011. ''What If?'' #4 was also collected that same year in a ''Captain America Legacy'' volume collecting the debuts of the Captain America replacements.

Fictional character biography

Jeffrey Mace was born in

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

, New York. He was a reporter at the ''

Daily Bugle The ''Daily Bugle'' (at one time ''The DB'') is a fictional New York City tabloid newspaper appearing as a plot element in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The ''Daily Bugle'' is a regular fixture in the Marvel Universe, mos ...

'', who was inspired to become a superhero after seeing Captain America in action. As the Patriot, Mace becomes one of several superheroes who fight

Nazi 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 ...

saboteurs and supervillains during

, sometimes alongside his sidekick Mary Morgan, a.k.a.

Miss Patriot M-11 Originally known as the Human Robot, the character was given the name "M-11" in the 2006 to 2007 ''Agents of Atlas'' miniseries as an allusion to its first appearance in '' Menace'' #11 from Marvel Comics' 1950s predecessor, Atlas Comics ...

. He helps found the superhero team known as the

, billed as "America's home front heroes" who fight saboteurs, fifth columnists and other wartime threats within the United States. After the war, the Patriot continues to fight crime on a regular basis, eventually helping the

All-Winners Squad The All-Winners Squad is a fictional superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The company's first such team, it first appeared in ''All Winners Comics'' #19 (Fall 1946), published by Marvel predecessor Timely Co ...

prevent the assassination of a young Senator

John Fitzgerald Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK and the nickname Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination i ...

in 1946. The skirmish costs the life of the second Captain America, William Naslund formerly the

. Mace is recruited to be the third Captain America, retiring in 1949. He marries Betsy Ross who, as the superhero Golden Girl, had briefly been the post-war sidekick of his Captain America, and eventually succumbs to cancer at an old age.

Powers and abilities

Jeffrey Mace had no superpowers but he was an exceptional athlete, a superb hand-to-hand combatant and a licensed pilot. As Captain America, he carried a shield, similar to that used by his predecessors, that was made of enhanced titanium.

Reception

In ''American Comic Book Chronicles: 1940-1944'', Kurt Mitchell and Roy Thomas call the Patriot "a bargain-basement Captain America with an uncanny knack for stumbling into

Axis An axis (plural ''axes'') is an imaginary line around which an object rotates or is symmetrical. Axis may also refer to: Mathematics * Axis of rotation: see rotation around a fixed axis * Axis (mathematics), a designator for a Cartesian-coordinat ...

conspiracies. Though Arthur "Art" Gates and Sidney "Sid" Greene did their best to replicate

Jack Kirby Jack Kirby (born Jacob Kurtzberg; August 28, 1917 – February 6, 1994) was an American comic book artist, writer and editor, widely regarded as one of the medium's major innovators and one of its most prolific and influential creators. He gre ...

's frenetic fight scenes, the feature had none of the charisma of its inspiration."

In other media

* Jeffrey Mace appears in the fourth season of ''

'', portrayed by

. This version is an ex-journalist who survived

Helmut Zemo Helmut Zemo is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, most commonly as an adversary of the superhero Captain America and the Avengers (comics), Avengers. He is the son of Heinrich Zemo, Baron Heinrich ...

's attack on the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoniz ...

during the events of the film '' Captain America: Civil War''. Debuting in the episode " Meet the New Boss", he is introduced as the new director of

S.H.I.E.L.D. S.H.I.E.L.D. is a fictional espionage, special law enforcement, and counter-terrorism agency appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in ''Strange Tales'' #135 (August 1965), it often dea ...

Although initially believed to be an

Inhuman Inhuman may refer to: Comics *Inhumans, a fictional race in Marvel Comics ** ''Inhuman'' (comics), a comic book series focusing on Inhumans ** ''Inhumans'' (TV series), a television series set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe *Kristoff Vernard, ...

with super-strength and enhanced durability, Mace is actually empowered by a serum derived from Calvin Zabo's formula as part of "Project Patriot". While most of the negative side effects were removed, it puts significant strain on Mace's physiology. While living in a virtual reality called the "Framework", Mace's personal history is rewritten to "correct" his most potent regret, resulting in his becoming an actual Inhuman who joined, then later took command of, remnant S.H.I.E.L.D. forces and successfully lead them against HYDRA. In the episode, "No Regrets", Mace sacrifices himself inside the Framework to save

Phil Coulson Agent Phillip J. Coulson ( ) is a fictional character portrayed and voiced by Clark Gregg in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) media franchise. Coulson is depicted as a high-ranking member of the espionage agency S.H.I.E.L.D. and longtime partn ...

's team and Inhumans from a HYDRA attack, which also caused the death of his real world body. * Jeffrey Mace appears in '' Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Slingshot'', with Jason O'Mara reprising the role. The digital series acts as a prologue to the aforementioned fourth season of ''Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.''.

References

External links

Jeffrey Mace
at Marvel Wiki

The Unofficial Handbook of Marvel Comics Creators
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mace, Jeffrey Captain America characters Characters created by Bill Everett Comics characters introduced in 1941 Fictional American Jews Fictional aviators Fictional characters from New York City Fictional shield fighters Fictional World War II veterans Golden Age superheroes Incarnations of Captain America Marvel Comics male superheroes Marvel Comics superheroes Marvel Comics television characters Timely Comics characters United States-themed superheroes