Unknown Soldier I (New Earth)
From DC Database
Contents |
History
The Unknown Soldier was an unnamed young man who joined the United States Army together with his brother Harry less than two months before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Assigned to the Philippines when the Pacific War broke out, he and Harry were present when the Japanese swept across the islands. In their foxhole, Harry told his brother not to lose hope even though they are outnumbered, because "one guy can affect the outcome of a whole war! One guy in the right place… at the right time…"
The two were fighting off wave after wave of invading Japanese soldiers when a hand grenade landed near their foxhole. Harry threw himself on the grenade and was killed instantly, but the explosion also injured the unnamed soldier's face. In a rage, the soldier defeated the remaining Japanese single-handedly, but his face was obliterated by the grenade and doctors were unable to restore it. Turning down a Congressional Medal of Honor for his actions, the soldier instead volunteered to be that "one man in the right place" that Harry spoke of. His previous identity was erased and he underwent intensive training to become an intelligence operative code-named "The Unknown Soldier".[1]
Over the course of his missions, the Unknown Soldier built up a supporting crew, including Sergeant Chat Noir, an African American soldier and former French Resistance leader whom the Soldier first encountered a few days prior to D-Day. The Soldier also occasionally used the services of an informant known only as "Sparrow", who worked behind enemy lines.
During the Battle of Berlin, the Unknown Soldier was sent on a mission to stop a Nazi super-weapon, vampiric octopuses called "Nosferatu". During the course of the story both Sparrow and Chat Noir were killed.
On April 29, 1945, the Soldier infiltrated Adolf Hitler's bunker, killing him and assuming the dictator's identity to call off the weapon's deployment. He then made Hitler's death look like a suicide so people would assume Hitler took the coward's way out. As the Soldier made his way to the Allied lines, he saved the life of a civilian girl from a bomb blast, apparently being killed himself.
In it is later revealed that the Soldier did survive, but was officially declared dead by his superiors, his continued existence being kept top-secret from that point on.[2]Powers and Abilities
Abilities
- The Unknown Soldier is expertly trained in a manner of military combat, including hand-to-hand combat. His speciality is espionage and counter-intelligence. The Unknown Soldier is also a master of disguise and mimicry. His talent in this regard is so effective, that when impersonating an individual, even their closest colleagues cannot tell that they have been duped.
Strength level
- The Unknown Soldier possessed a strength level of a man his age, size and weight who engaged in intensive regular exercise.
Notes
- The Unknown Soldier that appeared in the 1988 twelve-issue maxi-series, Unknown Soldier (Volume 2) is an entirely different character and should not be confused with the World War II era Unknown Soldier.
- Although the Unknown Soldier's last published appearance was in Unknown Soldier (Volume 3) #4, the character actually perished in April of 1945 as chronicled in Unknown Soldier (Volume 1) #268.
See Also
- Discuss Unknown Soldier I (New Earth) on the forums
- Appearances of Unknown Soldier I (New Earth)
- Character Gallery: Unknown Soldier I (New Earth)
- Quotations by Unknown Soldier I (New Earth)
- Images featuring Unknown Soldier I (New Earth)
Recommended Reading
Links and References
References
Footnotes
  Vertigo Character |
