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Whizzer
(I)
Real
Name: Robert L. Frank Occupation: Adventurer Identity: Known to the United States government Legal Status: Citizen of the United States with
no criminal record Other Aliases: None Place of Birth: St. Louis, Missouri Place of Death: New York City Marital Status: Widower Known Relatives: Dr. Emil Frank (father, deceased),
Adeline Joyce Frank (wife, deceased), Robert Frank, Jr.
(alias Nuklo, son) Group Affiliation: Member of the Liberty Legion,
the invaders, and the Ali-Winners Squad Base of Operations: New York City First Appearance: GIANT-SIZE AVENGERS #1 Final Appearance: VISION AND THE SCARLET WITCH
Vol. 1, #2
History: The Whizzer was born Robert L. Frank,
son of the noted scientist Dr. Emil Frank. While on expedition
with his father in the African bush, Robert, then in late
adolescence, was bitten by a cobra. A mongoose subsequently
appeared and killed the cobra, but itself was severely
wounded in the fray. Dr. Frank, fearing for his son's
life, recalled an old wives' tale and injected the mongoose's
blood into his son's veins. Dr. Frank died of a heart
attack brought upon by the shock and exertion, but Robert
recovered, and found that due to a strange reaction of
his apparently mutant physiology to the mongoose blood,
he had developed the ability to move at superhuman speed.
Originally intending to continue his father's work, Robert
Frank eventually became inspired by the proliferation
of superhumanly powered crime fighters in the United States,
and returned home to develop the identity of the Whizzer.
In the years prior to World War Two, the Whizzer achieved
limited fame as a costumed crime fighter.
It was during World War Two that the Whizzer became nationally
famous. Shortly after the United States entered the war,
the team of Allied champions known as the Invaders were
captured and brainwashed by the Nazi agent the Red Skull.
Under the Red Skull's influence, the Invaders attacked
a domestic defense plant. Bucky Barnes, who had escaped
capture, commandeered a New York City radio station, and
began a marathon broadcast to round up available superhumanly
powered crime fighters to counter the threat. Barnes had
located existing F.B.I. files on several such crime fighters,
including the Whizzer, and broadcast specifically to contact
them. The Whizzer heard the message through a nearby automobile
radio while battling a Nazi spy ring in upstate New York,
a mission in which the Whizzer first met and fought alongside
the superhuman crime fighter Miss America. The Whizzer
and Miss America were attracted to each other, and traveled
together to New York City to join Bucky Barnes. Bucky's
effort was successful, and after the Invaders were rescued
from the Skull, the group Bucky assembled stayed together
to combat Nazi espionage in the United States under the
name the Liberty Legion. While active with the Liberty
Legion, the Whizzer and Miss America were engaged to be
married. Once during this period, the Whizzer and Miss
America left the Liberty Legion to fight in Europe alongside
the Invaders.
After the war ended, the Whizzer and Miss America became
members of the short-lived All-Winners Squad. The All-Winners
Squad disbanded after a few years, and the Whizzer and
Miss America resumed their civilian identities of Robert
Frank and Madeline Royce and were married. In 1949, they
began work for the United States government as non-costumed
superhuman security agents at a secret nuclear project
located in New York City. Unknown to Frank, Isbisa, a
former enemy of the All-Winners Squad, sabotaged the facility
and staged a nuclear accident which exposed the Franks
to massive amounts of radiation. Although Isbisa's act
of revenge did not kill the Franks, Madeline was pregnant
at the time, and several months later gave birth to a
radioactive mutant son, Robert, Jr., later called "Nuklo."
Because the baby emitted dangerous levels of radiation,
the United States government took custody of him and placed
him in an experimental chrono-module. There he would be
kept in suspended animation until he ceased to emit dangerous
levels of radiation.
Leaving the research facility with a generous government
pension, the Franks decided to travel the world. Madeline
Frank became pregnant again, and was in the tiny Balkan
country of Transia when the pregnancy came to term. The
Franks had found refuge in the scientific citadel atop
Wundagore Mountain at the recommendation of nearby villagers
who believed it to have modern medical facilities. With
the evolved cow called Bova as midwife, Madeline gave
birth to a stillborn child, even more radioactive and
mutated than her first child. Madeline died of radiation
poisoning hours later. Bova attempted to pass off twins
who had been born days before at Wundagore as Robert Frank's
children, in order to give the children a good home and
to assuage Frank's grief over his wife's death, but the
distraught Robert Frank fled Wundagore alone.
For the next two decades, Robert Frank was a semi-amnesiac
vagabond, wandering all over the world primarily on foot,
never staying in one place for more than a week. Eventually,
he read of the exploits of Quicksilver and the Scarlet
Witch in the Avengers, and grew to believe they were his
children, the twins Bova claimed were his offspring on
Wundagore Mountain. Feeling guilty that he had abandoned
them, he still made no effort to contact them.
The chrono-module containing Frank's, son "Nuklo"
was accidentally unearthed from its secret location decades
after it was buried. Captain America and Iron Man of the
Avengers discovered it while rescuing victims of a collapsed
building. The Avengers took the chrono-module into custody
for study. Frank read a newspaper account of the incident,
and recognized the chrono-module from photographs to be
the device containing his son. Using his superhuman speed
for the first time in many years, Frank resumed the identity
of the Whizzer in an attempt to steal the chrono-module
back. During the battle that ensued at Avengers Mansion,
the module smashed open and the child emerged, having
grown to large proportions and radiating dangerously.
The child named itself "Nuklo" in infantile
imitation of the Vision's pronouncement of a "nuclear
nemesis," and began a campaign of destruction. Nuklo
was ultimately subdued and placed in the care of the United
States Army. The Whizzer, meanwhile, suffered a massive
heart attack during these events, a result of doing superhuman
battle after many years of inactivity.
For many months, the Whizzer remained hospitalized. During
this time, the Scarlet Witch had believed Frank was her
father, but Quicksilver was dubious. Robert Frank emerged
from the hospital in an acute state of depression. He
began to drink heavily, and spent several months as a
derelict on New York City's Bowery. Eventually, the Salvation
Army took him in and had him placed in a hospital charity
ward. He eventually recovered from his depression, and
undertook long and difficult legal action to locate and
obtain custody of Nuklo. Obtaining access to high-level
government records, the Whizzer discovered that the U.S.
Army was holding Nuklo in California. He traveled to California,
where the attempt to recover his son brought him into
physical battle with the Living Laser. Once again, superhuman
exertion placed tremendous stress on him, and he suffered
another heart attack. Nuklo, meanwhile, was relocated
to a specially-equipped scientific hospital in the New
York area.
After being discharged from the hospital, the Whizzer
was ordered to restrict his activities, and was placed
under the financial care of Tony Stark. He would, however,
go against his doctors' orders, and fight alongside the
Avengers. Although the Avengers repeatedly protested his
involvement in their battles, the Whizzer proved himself
an asset in combating a number of threats to society.
He was finally persuaded to retire from superhuman activity
entirely, again under financial provisions provided by
Stark.
After several years of retirement, the Whizzer again
attempted to obtain custody of Nuklo. Officials at General
Hospital in Manhattan informed him that the conditions
under which they were keeping Nuklo were the only ones
which would keep Nuklo's radiation at safe levels. During
the controversy, Isbisa revealed himself after years of
hiding, and battled with the Whizzer, his supposed daughter
the Scarlet Witch, and her husband the Vision. In the
course of the battle, the Whizzer learned what the Scarlet
Witch had discovered some months before, that they were
not related. The Whizzer and Isbisa died in combat, but
as a consequence of the battle, Robert Frank's son Nuklo
was cured of his excessive radiation level.
Height: 5 ft. 10 in. Weight: 180 lbs. Eyes: Brown Hair: Brown, later grey
Strength Level: The Whizzer possessed superhuman
strength primarily in his lower body as part of his body's
adaptations for running. With his upper body he could
lift slightly more than a normal human being of his age,
height, and build who engaged in intensive regular exercise
could. In his prime, the Whizzer could leg press approximately
1500 pounds under optimal conditions.
Known Superhuman Powers: The Whizzer possessed
the ability to move at superhuman rates of speed. In his
prime the Whizzer could run at speeds of up to 100 miles
an hour for up to an hour before fatigue impaired his
performance. With middle age, however, the Whizzer's ability
to move at superhuman speed was diminished considerably.
The Whizzer's entire body mutated in ways that adapted
it for the rigors of high speed running. His cardiovascular
and respiratory systems were many times more efficient
than those of a normal human being's. He metabolized an
estimated 75% of the caloric energy content of foodstuffs
(normal human use is about 25%). The chemical processes
of the Whizzer's metabolism were so highly enhanced that
his body generated unusually low amounts of fatigue poisons,
the normal by-products of locomotion which force the body
to rest. His joints were smoother and were lubricated
more efficiently than those of an ordinary human being's.
His tendons had the tensile strength of spring steel.
His bones contained unknown materials significantly more
durable than calcium to withstand the dynamic shocks of
his feet touching the ground at speeds of up to 100 miles
per hour.
The Whizzer's practical reaction time was about four
times faster than an ordinary human being's when the Whizzer
was in his prime, and the speed at which his brain processed
information was heightened to a level commensurate with
his bodily speed, enabling him to perceive his surroundings
while traveling at high velocities. The Whizzer's lachrymose
was more viscous than a normal human being's, thus preventing
rapid evaporation and replenishment of surface fluids
on his eyeballs under the influence of high wind velocity
to occlude his vision.
Other Abilities: The Whizzer had mastered a style
of hand to hand combat which exploited his ability to
move at superhuman speeds.