Avenger (character)
The Avenger is a male literary character who features in The Avenger.
Contents |
Biography
Richard Henry Benson
Benson was a retired globe-trotting adventurer and engineer who had amassed a personal fortune. During a flight to Canada, he discovered that his wife, Alicia, and daughter, Alice, had vanished from their seats while he was in the aircraft's washroom. After being gaslighted by the crew and other passengers who claimed he had boarded alone, he suffered a severe nervous breakdown and physically attacked the flight staff until he was restrained and hospitalised. Following the physiological shock that left his facial muscles paralysed and his hair white, he began a clandestine investigation to locate his family. He utilised his new ability to physically mould his features to adopt various disguises and infiltrate criminal circles. He recruited his first associates—electronics expert Algernon Heathcote 'Smitty' Smith and chemist Fergus 'Mac' MacMurdie—to assist in his mission. During a series of confrontations with the criminals responsible for the kidnapping, he employed specialized non-lethal weapons: a silenced .22 calibre pistol named "Mike" to crease targets' scalps and a needle-pointed throwing knife named 'Ike'. Although he was unable to recover his family, he formally established Justice, Inc. in New York City to provide retribution for other victims of similar crimes. (The Avenger v1 #1)
Overview
Personality and attributes
In appearance, the Avenger was a male of medium height who possessed a powerful, athletic physique hardened by years of global adventure as an engineer and soldier of fortune. He was initially described as a comparatively young man with a handsome, intelligent face and dark hair. However, following the trauma of his family's disappearance, his physical appearance underwent a drastic transformation: his hair turned entirely snow-white and his skin became a dead, bleached white with the texture of cold rubber. His facial muscles were completely paralysed, leaving his face as an expressionless, pale mask, though this unique condition allowed him to manually knead and mould his flesh into any desired shape to adopt various disguises. His eyes were a light, piercing grey, often described as having a frozen or "dead" quality. In his civilian identity as Richard Henry Benson, he typically wore well-tailored, conservative business suits suitable for a man of his great wealth, often including a dark overcoat and a fedora. When operating in his masked identity to dispense justice, he did not wear a traditional superhero costume; instead, he utilised his malleable features and versatile wardrobe to blend into his surroundings, frequently carrying his specialized weapons—the silenced revolver "Mike" and the throwing knife "Ike"—concealed within his ordinary clothing. (The Avenger v1 #1)
Powers and abilities
He possessed a genius-level intellect and was a master of multiple disciplines, including engineering, chemistry, and mathematics, which he used to fund his operations and design his own equipment. His primary physical trait was a unique physiological condition that rendered his skin and facial muscles as pliable as clay, allowing him to manually reshape his features to perfectly mimic any individual. This ability was complemented by his mastery of disguise and his skill as a ventriloquist and mimic, enabling him to infiltrate criminal organisations undetected. He was a world-class marksman and a formidable hand-to-hand combatant who preferred tactical precision over brute force. In combat, he demonstrated expert proficiency with "Mike," a specially designed silenced .22 revolver, and "Ike," a needle-pointed throwing knife, both of which he used with surgical accuracy to incapacitate rather than kill. (The Avenger v1 #1)
Additionally, he was a shrewd strategist and leader who organized a team of specialists under his "Justice, Inc." banner, utilizing his vast wealth and logistical brilliance to coordinate complex undercover operations. (The Avenger v1 #1)
Notes
- The Avenger was created by Paul Ernst where he featured in Street & Smith The Avenger universe.
In other media
Comics
Appearances
- The Avenger: (1939)
External Links
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