Avenger
Real Name: Roger Wright
Identity/Class: Human technology user
Occupation: Millionaire scientist
Affiliations: Claire Farrow
Enemies: Igor Larsen, Sergei Viroshonsky, Communists
Known Relatives: Ralph Wright (brother, deceased), unidentifed sister-in-law (deceased)
Aliases: None
Base of Operations: An unidentified U.S. city, but active worldwide
First Appearance: Avenger #1 (Magazine Enterprises, February-March 1955)
Powers/Abilities: Armed with various gadgets of his own invention, mostly located in his belt. His favoured mode of transport is the Starjet, which has an atomic motor and can fly right round the world without needing refueling.
History: In 1948 Ralph Wright was an American colonel stationed in Berlin, a city divided between East and West Zones, run by the Soviets and the Western powers respectively. Ralph's brother Roger was a famed scientist, and upon hearing that he had developed a new type of advanced airplane, Soviet agent Sergei Viroshonsky arranged for Ralph and his wife to be kidnapped while they were out for an evening stroll, and forced Ralph to write a letter to Roger, asking Roger to hand over his diagrams and blueprints or see the two abductees killed. Unwilling to do so, but not wishing to endanger his brother, Roger was inspired by a Ghost Rider mask his secretary Claire Farrow had bought for her young nephew to assume a costumed identity in order to move against the Communists holding Ralph without prompting them to slay their hostages. Roger became the Avenger, and using the already completed plane, the Starjet, he secretly flew to the German capital and broke into Communist headquarters to confront Viroshonsky, but learned that both the hostages had been murdered as soon as Ralph wrote the letter, to ensure they could never reveal that they had been kidnapped. Hearing this, the Avenger realised that no man could be complacent while men such as Viroshonsky were bent on enslaving all mankind and committing crimes that cried out for vengeance. He vowed to league himself with men of good will everywhere in the world to exact satisfaction for the harm the Communists had done, and to prevent the future crime and oppression such men planned to bring upon the innocent people of the Earth.
Comments: Created by Dick Ayres.
CLARIFICATIONS: Not to be confused with
the Avenger, leader of Justice, Inc, one of the seminal pulp heroes
Avenger, avian sidekick of Birdman
the Avengers, a Marvel superhero team
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