Thunderer (Marvel Comics)
| Thunderer | |
|---|---|
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Timely Comics |
| First appearance |
as the Thunderer: All-Winners Comics #6 (Timely, Fall 1942) |
| Created by |
John Compton Carl Burgos |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Jerry Carstairs |
| Notable aliases | Black Avenger |
| Abilities |
Good hand to hand combatant High-impact voice amplification |
The Thunderer is a fictional character, a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Timely Comics.
Publication history
He first appeared in Daring Mystery Comics #7 (Timely, April 1941) and was created by John Compton and Carl Burgos.
Fictional character biography
Frustrated that the United States did not seem to be dealing with crime or Nazi saboteurs, radio operator Jerry Carstairs created a costume with a built in microphone and went out to fight for justice as the Thunderer. In his first recorded appearance, Jerry learned that radio station WWLX was really a front for Nazi Fifth Columnists who were transmitting secret messages hidden in music. Learning that they were targeting his girlfriend Eileen Conroy, a newspaper reporter, Jerry foiled their operation as the Thunderer. In order to protect his secret identity, Jerry acted like a meek weakling while in his civilian guise.[1] Thunderer later uncovered the machinations of the hideously deformed dwarf named Gore who hated beautiful people so much that he rigged Morse Code death traps that killed his victims over the radio. The Thunderer smashed up his operation and Gore was killed in a house fire that broke out due to faulty wiring in his equipment.[2]
Thunderer's activities were far and few between due to the limitations his position with the FCC provided in giving him leads to criminal or spy activities. The Thunderer briefly changed his name (but not his costume) to the Black Avenger. In the fall of 1942, the FBI caught a Nazi spy that resembled Jerry and convinced him to go undercover to try and expose the spy ring that was sending defense secrets back to Nazi Germany. As the Black Avenger, Jerry managed to round up the Nazis including their leader Kurt Weidner and turning him over to justice[3]
Alongside a number of other heroes, the Thunderer participated in an air drop on a Nazi stronghold.[4]
The Thunderer attended a reunion of World War II costumed heroes.[5]
In 1943, the Black Avenger was among a number of heroes who were slain by the Cosmic Cube-wielding Red Skull and impaled on a massive wall.[6] However, the Cosmic Cube was recovered by Private Paul Anslen who resurrected all the slain heroes who aided the combined efforts of the Invaders and the time displaced New Avengers and Mighty Avengers. When Red Skull was defeated, the heroes used the Cosmic Cube to wipe out the Black Avenger's memories of the event to preserve history/[7]
During the "Last Days" part of the Secret Wars storyline, Thunderer is seen as a resident of Valhalla Villas (a retirement home for ex-heroes and ex-villains in Miama). He was temporarily de-aged during the Incursion between Earth-616 and Earth-1610.[8]
Powers and abilities
Thunderer is a good hand-to-hand combatant.
Due to the construction of his costume, Thunderer is capable of deafening people or leveling buildings with his sonic scream.
In other media
Television
- The Thunderer appeared in the five-part Spider-Man episode "Six Forgotten Warriors", voiced by Hansford Rowe. In this version, the Thunderer's powers are the result of an attempt at recreating the process that empowered Captain America and that special rings were needed to activate them. During WWII, the Thunderer fought alongside Captain America, Black Marvel, Destroyer, Miss America, and Whizzer. After Captain America "sacrificed" his life to stop the Red Skull from activating the Doomsday machine, Thunderer and the others took possession of the keys and retired. In the modern day, the Kingpin led the Insidious Six (consisting of Doctor Octopus, Scorpion, Rhino, Shocker, Vulture, and Chameleon) in trying to gather the keys, and hunted down each of the "Six Forgotten Warriors". The Thunderer was the last one to be located. Ironically, he had stayed close to the base determined to guard it while disguised as a homeless man. Thunderer later joined the others in fighting Kingpin's forces and later Red Skull's forces.