Fox Universe

The Mystery Men (May 1941)

On Earth-F the Age of Heroes began to take shape early in 1939 with the emergence of Wonderman though its true that certain pulp heroes, magicians and adventurers had operated since about 1933 when Yarko the Great began fighting crime. In 1934 he was joined by his fellow mystic, Zanzibar the Magician, and the following February of 1935 had seen the advent of The Mystery Man.

But the end of the 1930's was when it all started to happen and the phenomenom of the "science hero" took root. Wonderman was followed by The Flame, Green Mask, Blue Beetle, Stardust and Samson, just in the year 1939.

Inevitably with an advent of costumed and powered heroes, came team ups and this would lead to actual teams!

Wonderman forged a close and abiding friendship with the Green Mask, and they would also cross paths with The Flame. And despite being based in Chicago, a case caused the Blue Beetle to venture to the east coast on more than one occasion, where after a few team ups with The Flame and Samson, some papers called them "The Big 3."

In late 1940 a loose collection of mystical and scientist heroes convened to battle the forces of the REALM BEYOND, known to one of its members as THE FOURTH DIMENSION. Yarko the Great recruited fellow mystics, Zanzibar, Labi Bey and Waukheon the Birdman, along with the enhanced Marga, known then as the Panther Woman. To round off the roster, Yarko recruited the "discoverer" of the Fourth Dimension, Dr Phillip "Flip" Falcon and fellow scientist hero, Dynamo. They were known as The Syndicate of the Weird.

The Syndicate led the fight against the extra-dimensional denizens of the Realm Beyond in fights taking place in January and May 1941, which saw Wonderman and others also temporarily team up.

In May of 1941, The Mystery Man sacrificed his life to close the latest portal from the Realm to New York, and this led Wonderman to suggest a team be formed. He invited all present to become founder members of the Mystery Men, named in honor of their fallen friend.

The Flame and Green Mask joined without hesitation, followed swiftly by Samson. Marga was hesitant as she was already a part time member of the Syndicate and based in Africa (transported by Yarko or Zanzibar's teleportation when needed). Still, she agreed to join as an honorary member.

Yarko had already left the scene, but Stardust arrogantly refused, leading the Green Mask to speculate if the next time they met him it would be as friends ... or foes!

Between May and September, the four male founders, joined occasionally by Marga, met several times and teamed up for a few cases against organized crime and the odd science villain, but their greatest trial to date was about to hit the city!

From his earliest days, the Green Mask had been met with high suspicion from the police, so despite his increased profile, they had readily turned on him when his enemy, the Blue Mask had committed a series of crimes dressed as Michael Shelby's costumed persona!

Fortunately Michael was best friends with Fred Carson aka Wonderman, who had teamed up with Green Mask's kid sidekick, Domino the Miracle Boy (he later dropped the last bit in favour of just Domino) and the Man of Wonders dramatically dropped the captured Blue Mask in front of the NYPD, still dressed as Michael, thus clearing the Green Mask's name.

At that point Stardust returned to New York City, announcing his intentions to cleanse the metropolis of its criminal scum by "fire and wrath".

Green Mask used a special ring to summon The Flame, who in turn used his powers to bring Yarko, Marga and Samson. They are joined by the Blue Beetle and the athletic Lynx.

Yarko also summoned the Syndicate and other heroes showed, but after the smoke cleared and Stardust was defeated by Wonderman's sacrifice, the Mystery Men reorganized. With Wonderman in a coma which would take months to revive from, they offered membership, not only to Blue Beetle and the Lynx but a new, super powered alien hero who had been instrumental in helping Wonderman in the physical attack on Stardust, alongside Samson and Marga.

It had taken the combined strength of Wonderman, Samson, Marga and Lu-Nar to drive Stardust off planet, with the Man of Wonders taking the brunt.

Yarko also accepted an honorary membership, alongside the Chicago based Blue Beetle. At this point Marga was spending more time in her native America, mostly with the Mystery Men.

The team fully convened once more, along with dozens of other heroes, when the Sorceress of Zoom allied herself with the creatures of the Realm Beyond to launch the most devastating attack yet, on December 6th 1941.

Wonderman was still in a coma, and the Blue Beetle was with his other team, the Seven Soldiers of Wonder, but the rest fought valiantly in a battle which was to change several heroes, including The Lynx, forevermore.

The Sorceress, in her rage had attempted to change several heroes with animal themed names into actual beasts, but her spell was disrupted. However, the Black Lion and his partner, Cub found themselves now able to change between their human forms into were-lions. The Lynx also gained this ability along with super speed, for some unknown reason. Thereafter, ashamed of this ability, The Lynx maintained a policy of using only his impressive speed powers, resorting to his hidden ability only in times of extreme emergency or stress.

The next day the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, and unbeknown to themselves, the days of the first incarnation of the Mystery Men were numbered.

In January of 1942, US President Franklin Delano Roosevelt conceived of a gathering of all of America's superhuman resources. Utilising the name started with the Mystery Men, the massively expanded group would be nominally a civilian volunteer force attached to the US Military and Intelligence services for the duration, operating under government funding and oversight.

Roosevelt tasked the newly appointed Foreign Operations eXecutive Director, code named K-51 with inviting all US heroes and resident allies to join, along with organizing a massive support staff of non costumed adventurers including scientists, pilots, law enforcement and even a pool of typists and office personnel - they were to be headquartered on the top two floors of the Manhattan Biltmore Hotel. Green Mask was named Co Chairman alongside Captain Bill Powers of Military Intelligence aka The Eagle.

Although the group of Mystery Men who operated from May 1941 to March 7th 1942 were never formally disbanded, and simply formed a nucleus of the group that was inaugurated at a mass meeting on March 8th 1942, they are usually considered a separate entity to the wartime group active from March 8th 1942 to March 8th 1946 - the MYSTERY MEN of AMERICA.

A third, smaller grouping, independent of government control was reformed in October 1959 and is known as the most famous and long lasting iteration. It was also called the Mystery Men of America.

ROSTER OF THE MAY 1941 - MARCH 8TH 1942 GROUP:

Wonderman - founder. Member and founder of all three Mystery Men groupings.

Green Mask I - founder. Member and founder of the first two groups. Co Chairman of the MMA.

The Flame - founder. Member and founder of all three Mystery Men groups.

Samson - founder. Member and founder of the first two groups, and a member of the third.

Marga - founder (honorary then active). Also a founder of the second and third groups.

The Lynx - joined september 1941. Founder member of the 1942 and 1959 groups.

Blue Beetle - honary member from september 1941. Founder member of the wartime group and occasional ally to the silver age Mystery Men of America.

Yarko the Great - honorary member from september 1941. Founder member of the 1942-1946 group, and honorary/later reserve member of the silver age Mystery Men of America.

Lu-Nar - honary member from september 1941. Founder member of the second and third groups.

The Mystery Man - posthumous founder and honorary member of all three groups.

The history of the MYSTERY MEN of AMERICA will continue in a profile dedicated to their second iteration.