John Steele (comics)

Last updated
John Steele
Publication information
Publisher Timely Comics
Marvel Comics
First appearance Daring Mystery Comics #1 (January 1940)
Created by Dean Carr
In-story information
Full nameJohn Steele
Team affiliations Shadow Council
AbilitiesExpert hand-to-hand combatant
Superhuman strength, speed, stamina and durability
Healing factor

John Steele is a fictional character, a superhuman World War II soldier appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.

Contents

Publication history

The character first appeared in Daring Mystery Comics #1 and was created by Larry Antonette (under the pseudonym Dean Carr). [1] The character received a modern revamp in Ed Brubaker and Steve Epting's The Marvels Project and has made a reappearance as an antagonist in Brubaker's Secret Avengers where, as he's introduced, in the caption it reads "America's real first Super-Soldier" supposedly meaning that Steele was the predecessor of Captain America.

Fictional character biography

John Steele was an American soldier serving during the Civil War and in the trenches in World War I. Through unrevealed means, he possessed super-human strength and durability. He aided French spy Marie Antoinette in delivering plans to General Joseph Carr.

Sometime during the end of World War I, John Steele was captured by the Germans and held in suspended animation for study. Over the years many scientists tried to study his body to discover the source of his abilities. Among the many scientists to do so was Abraham Erskine, creator of the Super-Soldier Formula. [2] Steele was freed from captivity by an Allied bombing. Despite having been in stasis for 20 years, Steele went right back to fighting Germans, this time in secret behind enemy lines. He eventually ran into a secret Allied military unit composed of Nick Fury, Red Hargrove, and the Sky Devils. [3] Steele stayed with Fury and the men until they were called back to the States. Steele decided to remain behind for two reasons; first because he didn't want to return home to be a guinea pig, and second because he wanted to track down the Red Skull. He discovered the Red Skull's allegiance with the Japanese and the renegade Atlantean U-Man and how all three parties were planning the attack on Pearl Harbor and an assassination attempt on Winston Churchill. [4] Steele continued to battle the Nazis behind enemy lines until he disappeared shortly after the Invasion of Normandy. [5]

The character later appeared working for the Shadow Council in Secret Avengers . [6] Steve Rogers and his Secret Avengers squad capture Steele and Rogers has Beast use a machine to access Steele's memories to find out why he joined the Shadow Council. It is revealed that Steele was captured by the Shadow Council while teaming with Rogers on a mission in 1943. Steele gets his mind back and Rogers offers him a chance to get back at the Council. [7]

Max Fury and the Masters of Evil capture John Steele after he attempts to escape Bagalia with the Serpent Crown and the Crown of Thorns. John Steele ends up killed by Max Fury. [8]

Powers and abilities

John Steele has superhuman strength, speed, durability and stamina. The extent of these abilities is unknown, but he is strong enough to easily bend steel, fast enough to out-fight Captain America and bulletproof. John possesses a healing factor and is an expert in hand-to-hand combat.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red Skull</span> Fictional supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics

The Red Skull is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics and its predecessor Timely Comics. In Captain America Comics #1, the Red Skull's secret identity was revealed to be George Maxon; It would be retroactively established that he was merely a decoy who was working for the real Red Skull. Albert Malik would later adopt the Red Skull mantle, only to be killed in a plot orchestrated by the original.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baron Strucker</span> Marvel Comics fictional character

Baron Wolfgang von Strucker is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. A former Nazi officer, he is one of the leaders of the Hydra terrorist organization and an enemy of S.H.I.E.L.D., the Avengers, and the interests of the United States, and thus a fugitive. He has been physically augmented to be nearly ageless. While Strucker has been seemingly killed in the past, he returned to plague the world with schemes of world domination and genocide, time and time again.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Taskmaster (character)</span> Marvel Comics fictional character

Taskmaster is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer David Michelinie and artist George Pérez, the character made his debut in The Avengers #195. Possessing photographic reflexes that allow him to mimic any fighting style at the cost of his long and short-term memory, he has served as an adversary of superheroes such as Captain America, Ant-Man and Spider-Man among others in the Marvel Universe. He is usually depicted as a mercenary hired by numerous criminal organizations to act as a training instructor, and is the biological father of Finesse.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Falcon (comics)</span> Comic book superhero

The Falcon is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was introduced by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Gene Colan in Captain America #117, and was the first Black American superhero in mainstream comic books.

Bucky is the name used by several different fictional characters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, usually as a sidekick to Captain America. The original version was created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby and first appeared in Captain America Comics #1, which was published by Marvel's predecessor, Timely Comics. Following the apparent death of the hero James "Bucky" Barnes, the Bucky nickname and costume have been used by various heroes including: Fred Davis, Jack Monroe, Rick Jones, Lemar Hoskins, and Rikki Barnes. For a time, a child looked after by Jack Monroe was named "Bucky," but she was later adopted and given the name Julia Winters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hydra (comics)</span> Fictional terrorist organization in Marvel comics

Hydra is a fictional terrorist organization appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Its name alludes to the mythical Lernaean Hydra, as does its motto: "If a head is cut off, two more shall take its place," proclaiming the group's resilience and growing strength in the face of resistance. Originally a Nazi organization led by the Red Skull during World War II, Hydra is taken over and turned into a neo-Nazi international crime syndicate by Baron Wolfgang von Strucker. Hydra agents often wear distinctive green garb featuring a serpent motif. Hydra's plans for world domination are regularly foiled by Marvel Universe superheroes and the intelligence organization S.H.I.E.L.D.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Captain America (Ultimate Marvel character)</span> Alternate version of Captain America in Marvel Multiverse

Captain America is a superhero appearing in books published by Marvel Comics. He appears in the Ultimate Marvel line of books, and is an alternative version of Captain America. The character first appeared in The Ultimates #1, and was created by writer Mark Millar and artist Bryan Hitch.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">U.S. Agent</span> Fictional superhero

U.S. Agent is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, usually those starring Captain America and the Avengers. Created by Mark Gruenwald and Paul Neary, the character first appeared in Captain America #323 as Super-Patriot. He was later redesigned as an incarnation of Captain America and a few years later, as U.S. Agent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patriot (comics)</span> Comic book superhero

Patriot is the name of four superheroes appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. These include the Golden Age hero Jeffrey Mace and the modern-day characters Eli Bradley and Rayshaun Lucas.

A Life Model Decoy is a fictional android appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. LMDs duplicate all outward aspects of a real living person with such authenticity that they can easily impersonate a specific person without casual detection. LMDs first appeared in "The Man For the Job!", a short story by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby that ran in the anthology book Strange Tales #135, in which the spy agency S.H.I.E.L.D. created LMDs of agent Nick Fury to use as decoys for an attack by the terrorist organization Hydra.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hate-Monger</span> Comic book character

The Hate-Monger is the name of several different fictional characters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sharon Carter</span> Comics character

Sharon Carter 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. Sharon Carter is a secret agent and an ex-field agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. under Nick Fury. She is also a love interest of the superhero Captain America / Steve Rogers. Sharon Carter was originally the younger sister of Peggy Carter. She was later retconned as Peggy's grand-niece because of the unaging nature of comic book characters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dum Dum Dugan</span> Fictional character appearing in publications from Marvel Comics

Timothy Aloysius Cadwallader "Dum Dum" Dugan is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He is an officer of S.H.I.E.L.D. and is one of the most experienced members of Nick Fury's team, known for his marksmanship with rifles and trademark bowler hat.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arnim Zola</span> Marvel Comics supervillain

Arnim Zola is a supervillain appearing in American comic books by Marvel Comics. He is a master of biochemistry and a recurring enemy of Captain America and the Avengers. The character first appeared in Captain America and the Falcon #208, and was created by writer/artist Jack Kirby. When he was first introduced, Zola was a Nazi scientist experimenting with genetic engineering during World War II. His skills as a geneticist drew the attention of the Red Skull, who recruited him into Hydra to aid their efforts to create super soldiers. One of his experiments led to the brain of Adolf Hitler being copied into a being later known as Hate-Monger. Later in life, Zola transferred his own mind into a sophisticated robot body which protected it by storing it in its chest and displaying a digital image of Zola's face on its chest plate. This robot body allowed Zola to survive until modern times, as whenever it is destroyed, Zola could simply upload his consciousness into a new body.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Machinesmith</span> Marvel Comics fictional character

Machinesmith is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, most notably as a regular enemy of Captain America. He specializes in robotics, and is able to make convincing robotic doubles of other superhumans. His own mind was ultimately transferred to a robotic body.

<i>Secret Avengers</i> Fictional comic book group

Secret Avengers is an American comic book series published by Marvel Comics featuring a fictional black ops superhero team of the same name. The series started with Ed Brubaker on writing duties, depicting a black-ops sect of Marvel's premier super hero team, the Avengers, which operates under the guidance and leadership of Captain Steve Rogers. The series is part of the Avengers-line relaunch as part of the "Heroic Age".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Helmut Zemo</span> Marvel Comics fictional character

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. He is the son of Baron Heinrich Zemo and the thirteenth Baron Zemo in his family lineage. The character first appeared in Captain America #168 and was created by Roy Thomas, Tony Isabella and Sal Buscema.

<i>Captain America: Reborn</i>

Captain America: Reborn is a six-issue monthly comic book limited series published by Marvel Comics between July 2009 and January 2010. The series was written by Ed Brubaker, illustrated by Bryan Hitch, and inked by Butch Guice. The series reveals the truth regarding the death of the original Captain America, Steve Rogers and revives him in the contemporary Marvel Universe.

Ultimate Comics: Avengers is a comic book published by Marvel Comics that began in August 2009 as part of the relaunch of the Ultimate Universe under the "Ultimate Comics" imprint. It is a direct follow up to the events of "Ultimatum." The series was written by Mark Millar, creator of The Ultimates and Ultimate X-Men, and co-creator of Ultimate Fantastic Four.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bucky Barnes</span> Marvel Comics fictional character

James Buchanan "Bucky" Barnes is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Originally introduced as a sidekick to Captain America, the character was created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby and first appeared in Captain America Comics #1. Barnes' original costume and the Bucky nickname has been used by other heroes in the Marvel Universe over the years.

References

  1. DeFalco, Tom; Sanderson, Peter; Brevoort, Tom; Teitelbaum, Michael; Wallace, Daniel; Darling, Andrew; Forbeck, Matt; Cowsill, Alan; Bray, Adam (2019). The Marvel Encyclopedia. DK Publishing. p. 358. ISBN   978-1-4654-7890-0.
  2. The Marvels Project #2
  3. The Marvels Project #3-4
  4. The Marvels Project #7
  5. The Marvels Project #8
  6. Secret Avengers #7
  7. Secret Avengers #12
  8. Secret Avengers #29