The Destroyer is the name of three fictional

superhero A superhero or superheroine is a fictional character who typically possesses ''superpowers'' or abilities beyond those of ordinary people, is frequently costumed concealing their identity, and fits the role of the hero, typically using their ...

es appearing in

American comic book An American comic book is a thin periodical literature originating in the United States, commonly between 24 and 64 pages, containing comics. While the form originated in 1933, American comic books first gained popularity after the 1938 publ ...

s published by

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...

. The original incarnation was created by writer

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

and artist Jack Binder and first appeared in ''

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 a ...

'' #6 (October 1941), being one of Lee's earliest creations during the

Golden Age of Comic Books The Golden Age of Comic Books describes an era in the history 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 ma ...

. Subsequent incarnations created by

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. He was Stan Lee's first successor as editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics and possibly bes ...

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 ...

appeared in '' The Invaders'' #18 (July 1977), and ''The Invaders'' #26 (March 1978). The ''

Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe The ''Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe'' is an encyclopedic Guide book, guide which details the fictional universe featured in Marvel Comics publications. The original 15-volume series was published in comic book format in 1982, followed b ...

'' clarifies that all three versions of the character are considered canon.

Publication history

Golden Age publications

The Destroyer

first appeared In 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 interest in fir ...

as the cover subject and in a story in ''

'' #6 (Oct. 1941), from

' predecessor

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

. One of the

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

-era heroes of what fans and historians call the

, the character was one of the first co-created by Marvel writer-editor

. The artist co-creator is uncertain: the story

penciler A penciller (or penciler) is an artist who works on the creation of comic books, graphic novels, and similar visual art forms, with a focus on the initial pencil illustrations. In the American comic book industry, the penciller is the first step ...

inker The inker (sometimes credited as the finisher or embellisher) is one of the two line artists in traditional comic book production. After the penciller creates a drawing with pencil, the inker interprets this drawing by outlining and embellishing ...

was Jack Binder, but the cover artist, who may have drawn the character first, was

Alex Schomburg Alexander A. Schomburg, born Alejandro Schomburg y Rosa (; May 10, 1905Alejandro Schomburg Y Rosa

. In 1997, comics historian and former Marvel editor-in-chief

wrote that "Stan's most popular

creation before the

Fantastic Four The Fantastic Four, often abbreviated as FF, is a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The team debuted in '' The Fantastic Four'' #1 ( cover-dated November 1961), helping usher in a new level of realism i ...

was the Destroyer." 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." 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." The Destroyer ran as the cover feature of ''Mystic'' #6 and of the remaining four issues of that 10-issue superhero

anthology In book publishing, an anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler; it may be a collection of plays, poems, short stories, songs, or related fiction/non-fiction excerpts by different authors. There are also thematic and g ...

, and while less popular than the company's

Captain America Captain America is a superhero created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby who appears in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in '' Captain America Comics'' #1, published on December 20, 1940, by Timely C ...

, the

Human Torch The Human Torch (Jonathan Lowell Spencer "Johnny" Storm) is a fictional superhero character 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 ar ...

, and the Sub-Mariner, he went on to star in issues of nearly every Timely superhero comic-book series — becoming the company's most-published character outside of those three stars and the

Angel An angel is a spiritual (without a physical body), heavenly, or supernatural being, usually humanoid with bird-like wings, often depicted as a messenger or intermediary between God (the transcendent) and humanity (the profane) in variou ...

. The Destroyer stood out from other wartime heroes in that he operated solely within

occupied Europe German-occupied Europe, or Nazi-occupied Europe, refers to the sovereign countries of Europe which were wholly or partly militarily occupied and civil-occupied, including puppet states, by the (armed forces) and the government of Nazi Germany at ...

. Artists associated with the feature include pencilers Al Gabriele and

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'' durin ...

, and inkers Vince Alascia and Allen Bellman. Comic-book giant

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

contributed the Destroyer cover of ''Mystic Comics'' #7 (Dec. 1941). The cover was inked by either

Syd Shores Sydney Shores (1916 – June 3, 1973) was an American comic book artist known for his work on Captain America both during the 1940s, in what fans and historians call the Golden Age of comic books, and during the 1960s Silver Age of comic books. B ...

Joe Simon Joseph Henry Simon (born Hymie Simon; October 11, 1913 – December 14, 2011) was an American comic book writer, artist, editor, and publisher. Simon created or co-created many important characters in the 1930s–1940s Golden Age of Comic Books ...

(sources differ). The character's Golden Age appearances included: * ''

'' #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) * ''

'' 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

and

first featured Roger Aubrey as the diminutive Dyna-Mite in '' The Invaders'' #14–15 (March–April 1977); in the story he is part of the predominantly British superhero group the Crusaders, who are being manipulated by the Nazis into killing the British King. He returns in Thomas and Robbins' ''Invaders'' #18–21 (July–Oct. 1977); in the story he parachutes into Nazi Germany with Lord Falsworth and

Spitfire The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and other Allied countries before, during, and after World War II. It was the only British fighter produced continuously throughout the ...

on a mission to restore his memory; a flashback reveals that he and his best friend Brian Falsworth had gone to Berlin on a peace mission which ended with them in a Nazi prison where he was experimented on. 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 retconed as a mistaken FBI theory popularized in comic books. Thomas and Robbins concluded the plot-line in ''The Invaders'' #20–21 (Sept.–Oct. 1977); in the story he abandons his role as the Destroyer and takes over his father's role of

Union Jack The Union Jack or Union Flag is the ''de facto'' national flag of the United Kingdom. The Union Jack was also used as the official flag of several British colonies and dominions before they adopted their own national flags. It is sometimes a ...

to rescue his sister and the rest of the team while Aubrey helps to steal a plane to get them home, and in ''The Invaders'' #22 (Nov. 1977); in which they are both safely returned to England. Thomas and Robbins also featured Falsworth as Union Jack in '' What If?'' #4 (Aug. 1977); in the story he and Spitfire save

Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 1874 – 24 January 1965) was a British statesman, military officer, and writer who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945 (Winston Churchill in the Second World War, ...

from a Nazi assassination attempt. 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 Roger Stern (born September 17, 1950) is an American comic book author and novelist. Biography Early career In the early 1970s, Stern and Bob Layton published the fanzine ''CPL'' (''Contemporary Pictorial Literature''), one of the first platfo ...

and John Byrne mentioned Falsworth in the backstory for ''

'' #253–254 (January–February 1981); the story reveals in a flashback that he died in a car crash in 1953.

1990s publications

Dan Slott Daniel "Dan" Slott (born July 3, 1967) is an American comic book writer, known for his work on Marvel Comics books such as ''The Amazing Spider-Man'', as well as ''The Superior Spider-Man'', ''She-Hulk'', ''Silver Surfer (comic book), Silver Surfe ...

and James W. Fry III featured Aubrey in the World War II-era story ''Enis Nacht'' for ''Marvel Comics Presents'' #156 (June 1994); in the story he guides a British bomber to its Nazi target. Slott and Fry featured him in another World War II-era story for '' Midnight Sons Unlimited'' #9 (May 1995); in the story he helps the Blazing Skull to infiltrate a Nazi base.

2000s publications

Aubrey appears as a supporting character in

Fabian Nicieza Fabian Nicieza (; December 31, 1961) is an Argentine-American comic book writer and editor who is best known for his work on Marvel titles such as ''X-Men'', '' X-Force'', ''New Warriors'', ''Nomad'', ''Cable'', '' Gambit'', '' Deadpool'' and ' ...

and Lewis LaRosa's '' Citizen V and the V-Battalion: The Everlasting'' #1 (March 2002). The story begins with a flashback showing him at Falsworth's funeral in 1953. 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 '' Captain America: Sentinel of Liberty'' (Vol 2) #10 (May 2023), by writers Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly and artist Carmen Carnero, Aubrey's lifetime experiences of overcoming adversity enable him to play a central role in breaking M.O.D.O.C.'s control over the minds of the Invaders. He ultimately sacrifices his life to save

Sharon Carter Sharon Carter (also known as Agent 13) is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, and Dick Ayers, the character first appeared in '' Tales of Suspense'' #75 (March 1966). Sharon ...

when he takes the brunt of the villain's

directed energy weapon A directed-energy weapon (DEW) is a ranged weapon that damages its target with highly focused energy without a solid projectile, including lasers, microwaves, particle beams, and sound beams. Potential applications of this technology include w ...

, a beam from which had been intended for Carter. In "Nothing but a Fight", a follow-up story by the same creators that appears in the anthology issue ''

'' #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".

Fictional character biographies

Keen Marlow

American

journalist A journalist is a person who gathers information in the form of text, audio or pictures, processes it into a newsworthy form and disseminates it to the public. This is called journalism. Roles Journalists can work in broadcast, print, advertis ...

Keen Marlow is captured for spying while reporting behind-the-lines in

Nazi Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

. While imprisoned in a

concentration camp A concentration camp is a prison or other facility used for the internment of political prisoners or politically targeted demographics, such as members of national or ethnic minority groups, on the grounds of national security, or for exploitati ...

, Marlow is given a super-soldier serum, similar to that given to

, by fellow prisoner Professor Eric Schmitt, a German anti-Nazi scientist. Responding to the chemical (and without the beneficial "Vita-Rays" used to chemically stabilize Captain America's serum), Marlow becomes a prime human specimen who escapes, dons a sleek, dark costume with a skull motif and a skintight blue mask that made him appear inhuman, and adopts a fearsome identity with which he fights the Nazis on their own turf. He was occasionally abetted by an Allied agent named Florence von Banger. Antagonists included the Scar, Herr Sin and Von Maus.

Brian Falsworth

In the Destroyer's

retcon Retroactive continuity, or retcon for short, is a literary device in fictional story telling whereby facts and events established through the narrative itself are adjusted, ignored, supplemented, or contradicted by a subsequently published work ...

ned appearances in the 1970s, his origin is attributed to Brian Falsworth, brother of Invaders member

and son of James Montgomery Falsworth / Union Jack.

Roger Aubrey

Brian Falsworth gave up the Destroyer identity to become the new

, and his friend Roger Aubrey (initially introduced as the superhero Dyna-Mite, a member of the team the

Crusaders The Crusades were a series of religious wars initiated, supported, and at times directed by the Papacy during the Middle Ages. The most prominent of these were the campaigns to the Holy Land aimed at reclaiming Jerusalem and its surrounding ...

) became the new Destroyer. Falsworth's story is recounted in passing in

Ed Brubaker Ed Brubaker (; born November 17, 1966) is an American comic book writer, cartoonist and screenwriter who works primarily in the crime fiction genre. He began his career with the semi-autobiographical series '' Lowlife'' and a number of serials i ...

's 2009–2010 miniseries '' The Marvels Project'' as part of the Angel's diary of the war. This retelling claims that "Keen Marlow" was an alias used by Falsworth to enter Germany to spy; he was betrayed and captured, and then empowered well after Captain America. However, prior established continuity showed that Falsworth entered Germany under his real name pre-war to promote appeasement, that he was captured trying to leave Germany shortly after Poland was invaded, and empowered only days later, more than a year before Steve Rogers became Captain America. It was later revealed that Brian and Roger were lovers.

Other versions

Versions of the Destroyer, both in continuity and out, have appeared in various Marvel comics. ''The Age of the

Sentry Sentry or The Sentry may refer to: Marvel Comics *Sentry (Kree) *Sentry (Curtis Elkins) *Sentry (Robert Reynolds) *Senator Ward (comics) or Sentry Vehicles *Sentry (AUV), an autonomous underwater vehicle used to measure deep-ocean data *E-3 Sentr ...

'' #5 (March 2009) depicts the character as a member of the

Guardians of the Galaxy The Guardians of the Galaxy are a fictional superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Comic book teams 1969 team The 1969 version of the Guardians of the Galaxy (1969 team), Guardians of the Galaxy were the origi ...

. The character also made a guest appearance in a 2000s issue of '' New Invaders''.

MAX imprint

Marvel's

MAX Max or MAX may refer to: Animals * Max (American dog) (1983–2013), at one time purported to be the world's oldest living dog * Max (British dog), the first pet dog to win the PDSA Order of Merit (animal equivalent of the OBE) * Max (gorilla) ...

imprint published the five-issue

miniseries In the United States, a miniseries or mini-series is a television show or series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. Many miniseries can also be referred to, and shown, as a television film. " Limited series" is ...

''The Destroyer'' vol. 4 (June–Oct. 2009). Written by

Robert Kirkman Robert Kirkman (; born November 30, 1978)Löchel, Ingo"The Walking Dead: Die Comic-Serie – Robert Kirkman" Zauberspiegel. Retrieved February 17, 2013. is an American comic book writer, screenwriter, and producer. He is best known for co-creat ...

and drawn by Cory Walker, it starred a version of the character Keene Marlow depicted, according to Kirkman, under "the assumption that he's had an ongoing series since the '40s, so I'm basically writing 'issues #701-#705' ..." In this series, a still-active but elderly Marlowe discovers he has a limited amount of time before he will suffer a fatal heart attack, and sets out to kill his old enemies and anyone else who might threaten his wife Harriet, who is

black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

and has a bionic arm, or their grown daughter Felecia."Destroyer Will Punch a Hole in Your Head"
''

Comic Book Resources ''CBR'', formerly ''Comic Book Resources'', is a news website primarily covering comic book news, comic book reviews, and comic book–related topics involving movies, television, anime, and video games. It is owned by Valnet, parent of publicat ...

'', February 20, 2009
WebCite archive
2009-11-26 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

(Steve Rogers), but lacking the Vita-Ray treatment. His former

sidekick A sidekick is a close companion or colleague who is, or is generally regarded as, subordinate to those whom they accompany. Origins The first recorded use of the term dates from 1896. It is believed to have originated in pickpocket slang of ...

Turret (Darius Mitchell) is married to Felecia and takes over the role of the Destroyer when Marlow retires.

In other media

Television

The Keen Marlow incarnation of the Destroyer, renamed Keene Marlowe, appears in the '' Spider-Man: The Animated Series'' five-part episode "Six Forgotten Warriors", voiced by Roy Dotrice. This version is an old colleague of

and friend of Ben Parker who, along with the Whizzer,

Miss America Miss America is an annual competition that is open to women from the United States between the ages of 18 and 28. Originating in 1921 as a "bathing beauty revue", the contest is judged on competition segments with scoring percentages: ''Priva ...

, 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 ''Lego Marvel Super Heroes'' is a 2013 Lego-themed action-adventure game, action-adventure video game developed by Traveller's Tales and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii U, PlayStation 4, Xb ...

''. * The Roger Aubrey incarnation of the Destroyer appears in '' Lego Marvel's Avengers'', voiced by Wally Wingert.

References

External links

A Guide To Marvel's Golden Age Characters: Destroyer

{{Stan Lee British superheroes Characters created by Frank Robbins Characters created by Jack Binder Characters created by Roy Thomas Characters created by Stan Lee Comics characters introduced in 1941 Comics characters introduced in 1977 Fictional gay men Fictional reporters and correspondents Fictional World War II veterans Gay superheroes Golden Age superheroes Marvel Comics American superheroes Marvel Comics LGBTQ superheroes Marvel Comics male superheroes Timely Comics characters