Speed Demon (James Sanders) is a supervillain 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 ...

. Created by Roy Thomas and

Sal Buscema Sal Buscema (; ; born Silvio Buscema, January 26, 1936) is an American comics artist, primarily for Marvel Comics, where he enjoyed a ten-year run as artist of '' The Incredible Hulk'' and an eight-year run as artist of ''The Spectacular Spider-M ...

, the character made his first appearance in '' The Avengers'' #69 (Oct. 1969) as a member of the

Squadron Sinister The Squadron Sinister is a supervillain team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The Squadron Sinister first appeared in the final panel of '' The Avengers'' #69 (October 1969), created by Roy Thomas and Sal Buscema. ...

known as the Whizzer.

Publication history

James Sanders first appears as the Whizzer in the final panel of '' The Avengers'' #69 (Oct. 1969), the first chapter of a three-issue storyline by writer Roy Thomas and penciller

. The story arc introduced the supervillain team the

, whose four members were loosely based on heroes in

DC Comics DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with thei ...

Justice League of America The Justice League (also known as The Justice League of America) are a team of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The team first appeared in '' The Brave and the Bold'' #28 (March 1960). The team was conceive ...

, with the Whizzer based on the

Flash Flash, flashes, or FLASH may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional aliases * Flash (DC Comics character), several DC Comics superheroes with super speed: ** Flash (Barry Allen) ** Flash (Jay Garrick) ** Wally West, the first Kid F ...

Fictional character biography

The Squadron Sinister are created by the cosmic entity the Grandmaster to battle the champions of the time-traveling Kang – 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 ...

. The Whizzer battles Avenger Goliath, but the fight is interrupted by the

Black Knight The black knight is a literary stock character who masks his identity and that of his liege by not displaying heraldry. Black knights are usually portrayed as villainous figures who use this anonymity for misdeeds. They are often contrasted with t ...

. The Avengers eventually defeat the Squadron and they in turn are abandoned by the Grandmaster. The Squadron reappear in the title ''

Defenders Defender(s) or The Defender(s) may refer to: *Defense (military) *Defense (sports) **Defender (association football) Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''The Defender'' (1989 film), a Canadian documentary * ''The Defender'' (1994 f ...

'', reunited by the

alien Alien primarily refers to: * Alien (law), a person in a country who is not a national of that country ** Enemy alien, the above in times of war * Extraterrestrial life, life which does not originate from Earth ** Specifically, intelligent extrater ...

Nebulon. The villains receive greater power in exchange for the planet Earth, and create a giant laser cannon in the

Arctic The Arctic ( or ) is a polar region located at the northernmost part of Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean, adjacent seas, and parts of Canada (Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut), Danish Realm (Greenland), Finland, Iceland, N ...

to melt the

polar ice cap A polar ice cap or polar cap is a high-latitude region of a planet, dwarf planet, or natural satellite that is covered in ice. There are no requirements with respect to size or composition for a body of ice to be termed a polar ice cap, nor a ...

s, thereby covering the entirety of the Earth's surface in water. The superhero team the

prevent the scheme and defeat the villains (and Nebulon), with

Namor the Sub-Mariner Namor (), also known as the Sub-Mariner, is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Debuting in early 1939, the character was created by writer-artist Bill Everett for comic book packager Funnies Inc ...

humiliating the Whizzer. After this defeat the Whizzer and his teammates are teleported off-world by Nebulon, returning with an energy-draining weapon. The Squadron Sinister plan to threaten the Earth again but are defeated once more by the Defenders and the Avenger

Yellowjacket Yellowjacket or yellowjacket is the common name in North America for predatory social wasps of the genus, genera ''Vespula'' and ''Dolichovespula''. Members of these genera are known simply as "wasps" in other English-speaking countries. Most of ...

. The character has another brief encounter with several members of the Avengers, who seek a way to separate the power prism of

Doctor Spectrum Doctor Spectrum is the name of several fictional characters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. There have been five versions of the character to date—three supervillains from the mainstream Marvel Universe belonging t ...

from fellow Avenger the

Wasp A wasp is any insect of the narrow-waisted suborder Apocrita of the order Hymenoptera which is neither a bee nor an ant; this excludes the broad-waisted sawflies (Symphyta), which look somewhat like wasps, but are in a separate suborder. ...

. The Whizzer disassociates himself from the Squadron Sinister and adopts a new costume and alias, Speed Demon. Writer

Bill Mantlo William Timothy Mantlo (born November 9, 1951) is an American comic book writer, primarily at Marvel Comics. He is best known for his work on two licensed toy properties whose adventures occurred in the Marvel Universe: ''Micronauts'' and ''Ro ...

and penciller Bob Hall revamped the character in the title ''

The Amazing Spider-Man ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' is an ongoing American comic book series featuring the Marvel Comics superhero Spider-Man as its main protagonist. Being in the mainstream continuity of the franchise, it began publication in 1963 as a bimonthly per ...

'', with Sanders returning to crime with a new costume and the alias ''Speed Demon''. The character makes a number of appearances in titles, including ''

Marvel Team-Up ''Marvel Team-Up'' is an American comic book series published by Marvel Comics. The series featured two or more Marvel characters in one story. The series was originally published from March 1972 through February 1985, and featured Spider-Man as ...

'' against Spider-Man and Fantastic Four member the

Human Torch The Human Torch (Jonathan "Johnny" Storm) is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is a founding member of the Fantastic Four. He is writer Stan Lee's and artist Jack Kirby's reinvention of a si ...

, in ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' as a member of the criminal group the

Sinister Syndicate The Sinister Syndicate is a group of supervillains appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The characters serve as a collection of lesser-known Spider-Man villains. The group was the focus of the 1991 ''Deadly Foes of Spider ...

, '' Marvel Tales'', '' Quasar'', and in the

graphic novel A graphic novel is a long-form, fictional work of sequential art. The term ''graphic novel'' is often applied broadly, including fiction, non-fiction, and anthologized work, though this practice is highly contested by comic scholars and industry ...

''Avengers: Deathtrap – The Vault'' (1991). Speed Demon makes another abortive attempt to kill Spider-Man in the

limited series Limited series may refer to: *Limited series, individual storylines within an anthology series *Limited series, a particular run of collectables, usually individually numbered *Limited series (comics), a comics series with a predetermined number of ...

'' The Deadly Foes of Spider-Man''; battles the mutant

Wolverine The wolverine (), (''Gulo gulo''; ''Gulo'' is Latin for " glutton"), also referred to as the glutton, carcajou, or quickhatch (from East Cree, ''kwiihkwahaacheew''), is the largest land-dwelling species of the family Mustelidae. It is a muscul ...

; features in ''

Web of Spider-Man ''Web of Spider-Man'' is the name of two different monthly comic book series starring Spider-Man that have been published by Marvel Comics since 1985, the first volume of which ran for 129 issues between 1985 and 1995, and the second of which ran ...

''; encounters Spider-Man and the

New Warriors The New Warriors is a fictional superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. They traditionally consisted of teenage and young adult heroes, and were often seen to serve as a junior counterpart to Avengers (comics), ...

in ''

Spectacular Spider-Man ''The Spectacular Spider-Man'' is a comic book and magazine series starring Spider-Man and published by Marvel Comics. Following the success of Spider-Man's original series, ''The Amazing Spider-Man'', Marvel felt the character could support ...

'' Annual #12, ''

'' Annual #8, and ''The New Warriors'' Annual #2 (all 1992); and in the title '' Captain America'' briefly skirmishes with the hero at an A.I.M. weapons expo. After an appearance in the limited series ''Spider-Man: The Power of Terror'', Speed Demon is employed by crime boss Justin Hammer to battle the superhero team the Thunderbolts. Speed Demon is recruited to join the New Thunderbolts but is eventually ejected from the team by heroine

Songbird A songbird is a bird belonging to the suborder Passeri of the perching birds (Passeriformes). Another name that is sometimes seen as the scientific or vernacular name is Oscines, from Latin ''oscen'', "songbird". The Passeriformes contains 5000 ...

for stealing money to fund the team (including from the company of former teammate Kyle Richmond, who tracks the character as

Nighthawk The nighthawk is a nocturnal bird of the subfamily Chordeilinae, within the nightjar family, Caprimulgidae, native to the western hemisphere. The term "nighthawk", first recorded in the King James Bible of 1611, was originally a local name in ...

). After a confrontation and unexpected skirmish with an apparently resurrected Hyperion and a new

(Alice Nugent, former lab assistant of Henry Pym), Speed Demon defects to join the reformed Squadron Sinister. Courtesy of a phenomenon known as the Wellspring of Power, an interdimensional source of superhuman abilities, the Grandmaster – guiding force behind the return of the Squadron Sinister – has been increasing the Squadron Sinister's powers. He directs Speed Demon and the Squadron (now joined by Nighthawk, who wishes to stop New Thunderbolts team leader

Baron Zemo Baron Zemo () is the name of two supervillains appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Heinrich Zemo and his son Helmut Zemo have both been depicted as a major adversary of Captain America and the Avengers, as well as t ...

) to find the main source of the Wellspring. For a time the character, deprived of the use of the Wellspring, is powerless and has his legs broken in a battle with New Thunderbolts member Joystick. Empowered in the final battle against the New Thunderbolts, Speed Demon takes advantage of the chaos caused when Zemo defeats the Grandmaster to viciously beat Joystick in retaliation for his injuries. Speed Demon and the members of the Squadron scatter and escape. Speed Demon appeared in '' Brand New Day'' as one of the villains in the bar. He later joined the

Hood Hood may refer to: Covering Apparel * Hood (headgear), type of head covering ** Article of academic dress ** Bondage hood, sex toy * Hoodie, hooded sweatshirt Anatomy * Clitoral hood, a hood of skin surrounding the clitoris * Hood, a flap of ...

's gang, and attacks

Mister Negative Mister Negative is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is usually depicted as an enemy of Spider-Man, the Punisher, and Cloak & Dagger. The character was created by Dan Slott and Phil Jime ...

. As part of the ''

Marvel NOW! Marvel Now! (stylized as Marvel NOW!) is a comic book branding for the relaunch of several ongoing comic books published by Marvel Comics, that debuted in October 2012 with new #1 issues. The relaunch also included some new titles, including '' U ...

'' event, Speed Demon appears as a member of the latest incarnation of the

Sinister Six Sinister commonly refers to: * Evil * Ominous Sinister may also refer to: Left side * Sinister, Latin for the direction "left" * Sinister, in heraldry, is the bearer's true left side (viewers' right side) of an escutcheon or coat of arms; see dex ...

. Speed Demon features as one of the main characters in '' Superior Foes of Spider-Man''. Speed Demon later appears robbing a pawn shop with

Man Mountain Marko Man Mountain Marko (Michael Marko) is a fictional supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Marko was and remains an affiliate of numerous organized-crime entities in the Marvel universe, including the Maggia. H ...

when they are caught by Rage. After a brief fight, they escape while Rage gets arrested by the Americops. He is later captured by Sam Wilson, as the former Captain America, who forced him to confess of his and Marko's involvement in the pawn shop robbery.

Powers and abilities

As a result of mutagenic chemicals concocted under the Grandmaster's mental guidance, Speed Demon possesses superhuman speed, stamina, and reflexes. The character can create cyclones (by running in circles) and run up walls and across water. Speed Demon's superhumanly fast thought processes and reflexes enable him to perceive his surroundings while moving at high speeds, pick up objects, and execute complex acrobatic maneuvers. James Sanders possesses a master's degree in chemistry.

Reception

* In 2018, ''

CBR.com ''Comic Book Resources'', also known by the initialism CBR, is a website dedicated to the coverage of comic book–related news and discussion. History Comic Book Resources was founded by Jonah Weiland in 1995 as a development of the Kingdom Co ...

'' ranked Speed Demon 12th in their "25 Fastest Characters In The Marvel Universe" list. * In 2020, ''

'' ranked Speed Demon 5th in their "10 Most Powerful Members of the Sinister Syndicate" list. * In 2022, ''

'' ranked Speed Demon 10th in their "Marvel: The 20 Fastest Speedsters" list.

Other versions

House of M

In the

House of M "House of M" is a 2005 comic book storyline published by Marvel Comics, consisting of a core eight-issue comic book Limited series (comics), limited series written by Brian Michael Bendis and illustrated by Olivier Coipel and a number of fictiona ...

reality, Jim Sanders, along with

Abner Jenkins Abner Ronald Jenkins, also known as the Beetle, MACH-1, MACH-2, MACH-3, MACH-IV, MACH-V, MACH-VII and MACH-X, is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Carl Burg ...

, works as a biochemist for Major Josten and General Dugan. He was given a Kree blood sample in hopes of creating a bio-weapon to use against the

Kree The Kree, briefly known as the Ruul, are a fictional scientifically and technologically advanced militaristic alien race appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. They are native to the planet Hala in the Large Magellanic Cl ...

to stop their alliance with the mutants.

Marvel Zombies

In '' Marvel Zombies'', he becomes an agent for the zombified Kingpin. He is sent with Quicksilver and the Whizzer to pursue Machine Man, who is opposing the zombie efforts. The Whizzer is flattened and the other two are shredded by a taut-wire trap.

In other media

* A variation of Speed Demon appears in '' Avengers Assemble'', voiced by Jason Spisak. This version is an alien who destroyed his home planet alongside the

Squadron Supreme The Squadron Supreme is a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, of which there are several notable alternate versions. The original team was created by Roy Thomas and John Buscema, derived from the previous ...

and uses a speed belt to achieve his powers. He and the Squadron battle the

until they are eventually defeated and incarcerated in the

Vault Vault may refer to: * Jumping, the act of propelling oneself upwards Architecture * Vault (architecture), an arched form above an enclosed space * Bank vault, a reinforced room or compartment where valuables are stored * Burial vault (enclosure ...

. * Speed Demon will appear in the

Disney+ Disney+ is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service owned and operated by the Media and Entertainment Distribution division of The Walt Disney Company. The service primarily distributes films and television se ...

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 ...

series '' Spider-Man: Freshman Year'' (2024).

References

External links

Speed Demon
at Marvel.com

at Don Markstein's Toonopedia *
Speed Demon
at Spiderfan.org {{Thunderbolts Characters created by Roy Thomas Characters created by Sal Buscema Comics characters introduced in 1969 Marvel Comics characters who can move at superhuman speeds Marvel Comics mutates Marvel Comics superheroes Marvel Comics supervillains Spider-Man characters