Public Domain Super Heroes
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The Panther

Real Name

Unknown

First Appearance

Silver Streak Comics #4 (May 1940)

Original Publisher

Lev Gleason

Created by

Gus Ricca

Origin[]

The Panther was a mad man who managed to escape from an insane asylum. His face had been severely disfigured in an unspecified incident and he preferred the look of his panther mask to that of his wounded face, which remained wrapped in bandages. After The Panther was implicated in several killings, he was hunted by detective Ace Powers. The Panther nearly killed Ace with his claws in their first battle, but Ace survived and tracked him down to an old apartment building. In the ensuing battle, the building caught on fire and The Panther fell to the pavement below. Believed to be dead, The Panther was taken to a morgue, but it turned out that the armor in his suit saved his life.

He escaped from the morgue and then freed three more men from the asylum, on the condition that they help him kill Ace Powers and bury him under a cabin in the woods. He gave each of the men a panther costume identical to his own. With his friends distracting Ace, the Panther managed to knock the detective out and bring him to the cabin. However, Ace then regained consciousness and defeated all four Panther Men and threw them in the grave that they had dug for him.

When Ace returned to the Cabin with the police, he discovered that the Panther Men were gone, and the grave where he had left them, was now a door to an underground lair. In the lair, Ace discovered that the Panther had been captured by the Spook and sentenced to die under a swinging pendulum blade. It is unclear if the Panther died here, but his armor may have saved him.

Powers and Abilities[]

The Panther was a clever and very athletic mad man with a fierce fighting style. His Panther suit had steel armor plates to protect him from injury. He also wore "rending claws" which were also, presumably, made from steel. The Panther also carried daggers and was very proficient in throwing them. He used other weapons as necessary for his purposes.

Public Domain Appearances[]

  • Silver Streak Comics #4-6
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