Have no fear, Black De John! I, Fate, am joining forces with you! You will be more powerful and more clever than you have dreamed you could be! 
- — Fate
Captain Marvel, Jr. #85 is an issue of the series Captain Marvel, Jr. (Volume 1) with a cover date of May, 1950.
Synopsis for "Capt. Marvel Jr.'s Nemesis"
One day as Fate is examining his card files, he notices an error: He has never gotten around to appointing anybody to be the Nemesis of Captain Marvel Junior. Fate resolves to correct this oversight at once. Meanwhile and elsewhere, big time international counterfeiter Black De John seemingly dies in a speedboat accident while attempting to flee from Captain Marvel Junior. Fate retrieves and revives this half-drowned felon, and puts him to work.
Captain Marvel Junior intimidates and interrogates his way through Black De John's gangland associates, until he learns of a secret meeting of big time counterfeiters, and he crashes that meeting. While he is busting the attendees, Black De John shows up at the door with dark glasses and a flare gun. He blinds Cap Jr. with a magnesium flare, and leads the others in a successful escape. Still, it takes only a few seconds for Junior to shake off the effects, and he's quickly on their trail.
Out in the country, De John sends his cohorts ahead in their getaway car, while he stays behind to distract Marvel Junior. He walks halfway across a rope/plank footbridge, where Junior overtakes him, but as Fate would have it, at that moment the walkway breaks, sending a nearby young woman and child plunging into the canyon. True to form, Junior rescues them, while his "nemesis" stealthily escapes along a hidden rock ledge.
Soon Freddy Freeman learns, from his friend Jim Bellows, about a series of over a hundred truck thefts, with evidence connecting them to a counterfeiting racket. Freddie racks his brain to figure out what the big plan is, here. He hides in a Daily Gazette delivery truck, and hopes for it to get stolen. After a short nap, Freddy awakens to find that the truck's already been stolen, and that he's inadvertently infiltrated the gang's distribution operation. But before he can get Marveled up, one thug knocks him out with a blackjack. As soon as he's gagged and tied, De John gives the order to have him killed. But Freddy very luckily catches his gag on Black's gun muzzle and says his magic word, then Captain Marvel Junior subdues all the other crooks. He punches Black De John so hard that Fate visibly extracts himself from De John's form. Marvel Junior sees and recognizes him, and is pleased to hear that Fate has now completely given up on trying to develop a Nemesis for him.
Appearing in "Capt. Marvel Jr.'s Nemesis"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Officer Jim Bellows
Antagonists:
- Black De John (Single appearance)
- other counterfeiters and gang leaders
Other Characters:
- Fate (Single appearance)
Locations:
Items:
Vehicles:
Synopsis for Kanvasback: "Movie Fan"
Appearing in Kanvasback: "Movie Fan"
Featured Characters:
- Kanvasback
Other Characters:
- Mal Arky
Synopsis for "The Boy Who Wanted To Be Famous"
Freddy goes to see a sports fest, but is surprised to Egbert Pinch competing. Despite his scarecrow-like frame, Egbert easily wins the foot race, high jump and weight-lifting events. Some gamblers have a lot of money on one of the other competitors, and try to kill Egbert because no other athlete on the field can possibly compare. Captain Marvel Jr. comes to his rescue, but loses the attackers in the crowd. After the events are over, he tracks down Egbert, who explains he got his incredible power from a jelly developed from what ants eat to gain their terrific strength. Jr. protests this is unfair, but Egbert's too bent on achieving fame to let that bother him, and still plans to compete in an even bigger sports fest soon. The gamblers sneak into his room, steal his supply of ant-jelly and set the room on fire, but Egbert and Freddy manage to escape. He still intends to compete, but when Captain Marvel Jr. chases the gamblers onto the field, Egbert launches himself at them rather than win the race. Soon Freddy shows him a newspaper headline about the capture of the criminals, and tells Egbert how much better it is to be famous for something honest and upright.
Appearing in "The Boy Who Wanted To Be Famous"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Egbert Pinch
Antagonists:
- Slick Slade, gambler
- Slug
Other Characters:
- Stan Speedman
Locations:
- Freddy's high school
Items:
- Pinch's Strength Jelly
Vehicles:
Synopsis for "The Captain Marvel, Jr. Repeller"
Criminal scientist Jan Smoot invents a solution that makes anything sprayed with it be repelled away from Captain Marvel Jr. Including criminals he's trying to punch, so the young hero can't lay a hand on his enemies. However the World's Mightiest Boy devises an antidote and is able to catch the overconfident criminals by surprise.
Appearing in "The Captain Marvel, Jr. Repeller"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Officer Jim Bellows
Antagonists:
- Hurdy Gurdy
- his gang
- Jan Smoot
Other Characters:
Locations:
Items:
- Smoot's Demolition Gun
- Smoot's Captain Marvel Junior Repeller Spray
Vehicles:
Synopsis for Freshman Freddy: "Candy and Cigars"
Appearing in Freshman Freddy: "Candy and Cigars"
Featured Characters:
- Freshman Freddy
Antagonists:
- Ace
- Stooge
Other Characters:
- Harriet Peters
- Mrs. Peters
- Mr. Peters
- Mr. Peters' boss
- Mr. Peters' boss' wife
Synopsis for "The Fortress of Freedom"
Appearing in "The Fortress of Freedom"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Red O'Riley
Antagonists:
- Baron Bwerpo (Flashback only)
- Kroza VIII
Other Characters:
- Kroza, outspoken peasant (Flashback only)
- Red's friend "the Baron"
Locations:
- Earth-S
- Middle Europe, 1450 (Flashback only)
- Wartz Forest
- Fortress of Freedom
- Wartz Forest
- Middle Europe, 1450 (Flashback only)
Items:
Vehicles:
Notes
- According to Captain Marvel Junior: "Smoot devised some kind of spray that makes physical bodies react magnetically away from me. First I've got to learn what his formula is! Then I've got to discover an antidote! (...) The Smoot Formula requires tremendous amounts of the rare catalyst known as Hexydol!"
- Also appearing in this issue of Captain Marvel, Jr. were:
- "Rubbernose Randolph", by Art Helfant
- "Gambling With a Gun" (text story), by Walter Farmer
See Also