Depression-Era Villains

Here are some more 'players' from the Depression Era and beyond. Some of these are dead or in jail, but int heir time they were theme villains extraordinare. For more of these intersting characters, see The Veterans Club.

The Aviatrix
The Baroness of the Air, she was one of the few female theme villains of the Depression era. The Aviatrix (and her henchmen, the Wingwalkers) performed crimes on shipping lanes up and down the west coast, including some mid air robberies. These were made possible by the Aviatrix's piloting skills, advanced airplane and collapsible glider technology. Aviatrix fought during World War II, and donated her glider technology to the Allies. She died in action in 1943, when her plane was destroyed by German anti-aircraft fire. Her body was recovered by the French Resistance.

Dual Devil
When his older brother the hitman and leg-breaker Nicky Nine-fingers was killed in a battle with Gravedigger, seminary student Jason Kirkpatrick swore revenge. Using forbidden lore, he summoned his brother's spirit and bound it to him. His brother acted as an astral scout, advised him, and lent him his prodigious strength. Kirkpatrick became the Dual Devil, leader of a New York gang and safe from suspicion in his unassuming religious identity. He was uncovered by Gravedigger and The Crimson Cardinal, a church-sponsored variant investigator, who broke the magical binding.

'Fast Eddie' Filmore
The Fleetest Feet in the East, Fast Eddie Filmore was a thief with superhuman speed. His main shtick was a sprint so fast that it was functionally teleportation, giving him access to normally inaccessible areas by sliding in past people. While he played by the rules of the game—not killing anyone, and taunting the heroes—Fast Eddie was always just out for the cash, and stole military secrets for the Nazis during the early 40s since the price was right. The price ended up being 30 to life, and Mr. Filmore died in prison in 1965.

Mollusk
Moe Luzinski was a Polish immigrant who suffered an accident while robbing a marine sciences laboratory, becoming a human lobster. Thrilled with his immense strength and nigh invulnerability, he adapted to the change with little emotional turmoil. Mollusk quickly gathered a gang of henchmen, the Lobstermen, and raided up and down the Northeastern seaboard until he vanished after a fight with Colt in 1939. Mollusk reappeared in 1987, having been trapped in an underwater cave for nearly fifty years. He is now a provisional member of the Harborview variant hero team the Swordbearers.

Side-Winder
That is to say, winds that come from the side, and nothing to do with snakes. Side-Winder had a focused ability to control air, and made good use of it in crime sprees in his hometown of Chicago. He was quite possible, the world's only variant Cattle Rustler, stealing and reselling cattle in the world's biggest beef market. It's amazing how profitable life can be when you find your niche. Side-Winder vanished in '42, reappearing in the 50s, and vanishing again until he was tracked down and captured by T-Bird of the Justice Defenders. He's now in a minimum security prison, suffering from Alzheimer's.

The Silver Centurion
Professor C. C. Argent was a college professor of Roman History and coach of the football and wrestling teams. A regular renaissance man, he grew bored with the challenges of tenured academia and became the Silver Centurion, initiating a series of Rome-themed robberies throughout Harborview and the Northeast. Armed with his special gladius and bulletproof armor and aided by some burly henchmen, things went great until 1940, when he accidentally killed a security guard. He fled and had to be captured by Colt. The judge game him 40 to life for the killing. He is still in jail, now age 85.

Xandar the Unstoppable
John Xandar was delusional, but powerful. He believed himself to be the vanguard of an alien invasion (which, when pressed under psychotherapy, he admitted was led by Ming the Merciless of Flash Gordon fame) and was to soften up Earth's defenses. How this translated to robbing banks is anyone's guess. Unfortunately, he was also a natural Variant with super-human strength, fortitude and resistance to injury, making his nickname entirely appropriate. He was an amnesiac, and when his memories returned he went back to his job as a used car salesman. He lives in Schenectady NY.

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