Speed Demon (comics)

Superherobox|

caption=Speed Demon battles Spider-Man on the cover of Amazing Spider-Man #222 (Nov. 1981). Art by Bob Hall.
character_name=Speed Demon
real_name=James Sanders
publisher=Marvel Comics
debut="(as the Whizzer)
Avengers" #70 (Nov. 1969)
"(as Speed Demon)
Amazing Spider-Man #222 (vol. 1, Nov. 1981)|creators=Roy Thomas
Sal Buscema |creators=Roy Thomas
Sal Buscema
alliances=Squadron Sinister
Sinister Syndicate
Thunderbolts
aliases=Whizzer
powers=Superhuman speed and reflexes |

Speed Demon (James Sanders) is a fictional character that appears comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appears as the Whizzer - a member of the team the Squadron Sinister - in " Avengers" #70 (Nov. 1969) and was created by Roy Thomas; Sal Buscema and Sam Grainger.

Publication history

The super-speedster James Sanders debuted in Marvel Comics' "Avengers" #70 (Nov. 1969) as part of the Squadron Sinister, a team of supervillains loosely based on four characters from DC Comics's Justice League of America. The Whizzer is modelled on the Flash. ["The Justice League Companion" (2003): "Interview with Roy Thomas and Jerry Bails", pp.72 – 73]

An identical but superheroic alternate-universe Whizzer, who belongs to a group called Squadron Supreme, was introduced in "Avengers" #85 (Feb. 1971). Due to a writing error, the covers of both this issue and of the group's subsequent appearance in Avengers #141 (vol. 1, Nov. 1975) erroneously call the group the Squadron Sinister. Sanders appears again with the Squadron Sinister in "Defenders" #13-14 (May & Jul. 1974) and in "Giant-Size Defenders" #4 (Apr. 1975), and made a brief final appearance in "Avengers Annual" #8 (1978). Writer Bill Mantlo and penciller Bob Hall revamped the character in "Amazing Spider-Man" #222 (Nov. 1981), making him a solo supervillain with a new costume and alias - Speed Demon. He returned against Spider-Man and the Human Torch in "Marvel Team-Up" #121 (Sep. 1982), and later joined the Sinister Syndicate, who battled the hero in "Amazing Spider-Man" #280 (Sep. 1986) and the miniseries "The Deadly Foes of Spider-Man" #1-4 (May-Aug. 1991). Sanders later fought the mutant Wolverine in "Wolverine" #167 (Oct. 2001).

He then attempted to reform, and joined a superhero team in "New Thunderbolts" #15-16 vol. 2, (Jan.- Feb. 2006), but then shifted allegiances to join a new version of the Squadron Sinister in "Thunderbolts" #102-108 vol. 2, (July 2006 - Jan. 2007), a numerical continuation of the same series ("New Thunderbolts" had served as de facto issues #82-99).

Fictional character biography

Whizzer

James Sanders first appears under the codename Whizzer, as a member of the Squadron Sinister, a group of supervillains assembled by the cosmic entity the Grandmaster to battle the champions of the time-traveling Kang - the superhero team the Avengers. (It was revealed years later ["Squadron Supreme" #8 (of 12) (1986)] that the Grandmaster created the Squadron Sinister based on the "already existing" Squadron Supreme. The Avengers simply met the "copies" first. ["Avengers" #85 & #141] ) The Whizzer battles the Avenger Goliath until their fight is interrupted by the adventurer the Black Knight. ["Avengers" #69 - 70 (Oct. - Nov. 1969)]

Whizzer later assists the original members of the Squadron Sinister, who together with the alien Nebulon attempt to flood the Earth, but are stopped by the superhero team the Defenders. ["Defenders" #13 - 14 (May & Jul. 1974)] After this defeat the Squadron Sinister are teleported off world by Nebulon, but are later returned to Earth. Having acquired an energy-draining weapon, the Squadron Sinister plan to threaten the Earth once more but are defeated by the Defenders and the Avenger Yellowjacket. ["Giant-Size Defenders" #4 (1974)]

The Whizzer later has another brief encounter with several members of the Avengers, who at the time were seeking a way to separate the Power Prism of Dr. Spectrum from fellow Avenger the Wasp. ["Avengers" Annual #8 (1978)]

peed Demon

Several years after the Squadron Sinister disbands, James Sanders decides to return to crime in a new costume as the Speed Demon and battles the hero Spider-Man. ["Amazing Spider-Man" #222 (Nov. 1981)] Soon after this Speed Demon encounters Spider-Man once again, and also battles the Human Torch. It is on this occasion that Speed Demon suffers a humiliating defeat at the hands of Frog-Man, who accidentally lands on him. ["Marvel Team-Up" #121 (Sep. 1982)]

Speed Demon later joins the supervillain team the Sinister Syndicate, led by the supervillain the Beetle. Although the team's principal goal is the defeat of Spider-Man, their constant squabbling always leads to defeat. ["Amazing Spider-Man" #280 (Sep. 1986)] Speed Demon then tries to ransom a figurine back to its owner, but is defeated by Rocket Racer. ["Marvel Tales" #242 (Oct. 1990)] Speed Demon participates in a mass breakout at the Vault, but all villains are stopped by the Avengers and Freedom Force. ["Avengers: Deathtrap - The Vault" (1991)] He then participates in a race to the Moon organised by Elder of the Universe the Runner. ["Quasar" #17 (Dec. 1990)]

Rejoining the Sinister Syndicate, Speed Demon defeats Spider-Man but learns that all money from a recent robbery has been given to the Kingpin. Speed Demon squabble with his team mates, and after a final battle with Spider-Man flees when almost all of them are captured. ["Deadly Foes of Spider-Man" #1-4 (1991)]

Speed Demon later seeks revenge on Rocket Racer, but is defeated once again. ["Web of Spider-Man Annual" #7 (1991)] Alongside his former Syndicate partners and other Hammer super-agents, Speed Demon battles Spider-Man and the New Warriors on Hammer's behalf, and is defeated by the Sphinx. ["Spectacular Spider-Man Annual" #12; "Web of Spider-Man Annual" #8; "New Warriors Annual" #2, (all 1992)] Speed Demon attends the A.I.M. weapons expo and briefly skirmishes with Captain America before colliding with Blizzard. ["Captain America" #414 (Apr. 1993)] Together with the Beetle, Hydro-Man and Scorpia, Speed Demon battles Deathlok and Spider-Man on behalf of Silvermane's Maggia crime family, ["Spider-Man: The Power of Terror" # 1-4 (1995)] and later as a Hammer agent battles the Beetle and Thunderbolts, but is able to escape. ["Thunderbolts" #35-37 (2000)]

Speed Demon leaves the Sinister Syndicate and eventually travels to Madripoor, where he participates in a "sudden death" tournament called Bloodsport. Speed Demon's first opponent is the disguised hero Wolverine, but in a mishap Speed Demon is critically injured by his own weapon. Despite the crowd's wishes, Wolverine spares Speed Demon's life. ["Wolverine" #167 (Oct. 2001)] He later attends the Venom symbiote auction. ["Marvel Knights Spider-Man" #6 (2004)]

Some time after recovering from his injuries, Speed Demon is recruited to join the Thunderbolts, a team consisting of reformed supervillains. Speed Demon accepts when he learns that the team is led by the Beetle, who is now known as Mach-IV. ["New Thunderbolts" vol. 2, #1 (Jan. 1998)]

Soon after this the cosmic entity the Grandmaster reappears and reforms the Squadron Sinister. An apparently resurrected Hyperion and new Dr. Spectrum find and try to coerce Speed Demon and fellow member Nighthawk into joining, but both are initially reluctant. Ironically, the New Thunderbolts become responsible for Speed Demon rejoining the Squadron Sinister as he is ejected from the New Thunderbolts for committing robberies - even though Speed Demon had been doing this to finance the team. Courtesy of a phenomenon known as the Wellspring of Power - an interdimensional source of superhuman abilities - the Grandmaster increases the Squadron Sinister's powers and they then battle the New Thunderbolts, as Baron Zemo also wishes to have control of the Wellspring. At one point Thunderbolt member Joystick breaks Speed Demon's legs, but he is later healed and in revenge beats her mercilessly. Zemo manages to defeat the Grandmaster, but in the ensuing chaos the Squadron Sinister scatter and escape. ["New Thunderbolts" #15-16 vol. 2, (Jan.- Feb. 2006) and "Thunderbolts" #102 - 108 vol. 2, (July 2006 - Jan. 2007)]

Speed Demon is later seen at a bar frequented by other supervillains. ["The Amazing Spider-Man" #558 (Jul, 2008)]

Powers and abilities

Speed Demon's primary superhuman power is the ability to move and react at superhuman speed. His body has adapted to the rigors of running at great speed and developed superior strength, stamina, agility, reflexes and durability.

Other versions

DC Comics

The first comic book character named Speed Demon appeared in "Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen" #15 (Sept 1956). A superspeed serum briefly turns Daily Planet reporter Jimmy Olsen into the hero Speed Demon.

Footnotes

References

* [http://www.marvel.com/universe/Speed_Demon Marvel.com: Speed Demon]
* [http://www.toonopedia.com/squadsup.htm Don Markstein's Toonopedia: The Squadron Supreme]
* [http://www.marvunapp.com/Appendix4/squadronsinister.htm Jeff Christiansen's The Appendix to the Handbook of the Marvel Universe]
* [http://www.spiderfan.org/characters/speed_demon.html Spiderfan.org]
* [http://www.comics.org Grand Comics Database]