CAPTAIN X

Real Name: Richard Dare

Class: Human technology-user

Occupation: Newspaper reporter

Group Affiliation: The Group

Known Relatives: Edward Raymond (son), Ronald Raymond (Firestorm, grandson)

Aliases: Aviator, newspaper reporter

Base of Operations: Kent, England

First Appearance: Star-Spangled Comics #1 (October, 1941)

Powers: Captain X was an expert hand-to-hand combatant, and a skilled athlete. His primary weapon was "Jenny," a plastic plane powered by uranium-235, so clear and slim it is virtually invisible at a distance. If he wished Jenny to be clearly visible, he could flood tiny slits in the plane with colored fluid. A secret ray could keep Jenny stationary in the air, and Captain X could remote control it through a radio-transmitter.

History: (Star Spangled Comics I #1) - Richard "Buck" Dare was a reporter for the Tribute, an American newspaper published in England during WWII. Although America was not yet involved in the war, Dare wanted to aid the Allies. A secret organization known as The Group gave him the identity of Captain X and an experimental uranium-powered plane named Jenny. Captain X was given a secret hangar near the Great Chatham Naval base, from which he could aid the RAF or operate on solo missions, and he quickly achieved legendary status by writing about his adventures in his civilian identity. The only man entrusted with his secret identity was Stuffy, his mechanic. While on patrol Captain X spotted Nazis damning up the English Channel with viscid, a liquid that turned metal upon contact with water. He captured a Nazi general to lean their plan of building a bridge across the channel for tanks t cross, and then radioed the R.A.F. to bomb the channel and foil the Germans.

(Star Spangled Comics I #2) - Captain X was on Atlantic patrol duty when he spotted a u-boat attempting to sink a U.S. supply ship, and intervened. In his civilian identity he reported Captain X's latest exploits, and was asked to mentor new journalist Simons. He met with a high-ranking R.A.F. commander to propose building floating seadomes to fill the need for more Atlantic ports, and to do it in secret off the coasts of Ireland. Simons was actually a Nazi spy, started to suspect that Dare was Captain X, so he reported his proposal and sent Nazis to kidnap Dare. Dare foiled them, and realized Simons was a spy. He told the R.A.F. to find a more secretive location, and kept the Irish base as a front. When the Nazis attacked Captain X shot them down, and exposed Simons as a traitor.

(Star Spangled Comics I #3) - Captain X was on patrol when he saw a Spitfire disappear from the air and the pilot tumble out into space. He saved the pilot, and surmised that the Nazis had some sort of metal dissolving gun. He borrowed a spitfire to make himself a target, and had Stuffy follow him in Jenny. After the Nazis dissolved his Spitfire he found their lair, and Kurt Graff, the inventor of the gun. The Nazis captured X, and Gaff couldn't resisted giving X another demonstration of his weapon before ordering the soldiers to shoot him. They didn't count on the demonstration vanishing their bullets, so X easily overpowered them before loading the weapon aboard Jenny to aid in the R.A.F.'s war effort.

(Star Spangled Comics I #4) - Dare’s editor gave him the unreasonable assignment of learning if the Germans were going to attack from Norway, so he met with one of his R.A.F. friends and learned that he’d been reassigned to naval duty. This seemed like circumstantial evidence that Nazi did plan an attack, so he flew to Norway, and allowed Stuffy to accompany him since he asked so nicely. He saw the Germans preparing for their invasion, and prepared to leave and warn the British, but Stuffy’s bumbling led to his capture. He was guarded by a soldier who fancied himself an opera singer, so X played on his ego so they could perform a duet in his cell. He took the guard’s firearm, escaped, and was picked up by stuffy. He warned the R.A.F. about the pending invasion of Scotland, and X and the R.A.F. flew off to bomb the German barges. X noticed that the guard he’d tricked was the only man aboard any of the barges, so he halted the bombing, swooped down in jenny, and took him aboard. The soldier revealed that the barges were packed with nitroglycerin to blow the R.A.F. out of the sky if they attempted a bombing, and he’d been placed aboard as punishment for letting x escape. X commanded the R.A.F. to fly out of range of the explosives before releasing their payloads, saving the day. X was grateful for the soldier’s help, so he handed him over to Stuffy, and told him to make friends.

(Star Spangled Comics I #5) - Captain X received a radio distress call from Egypt when Nazis using semi-aquatic water tanks to destroy Egyptian forts and make their way to the Suez Canal. He realized the RAF didn't have any planes to spare, so he rushed to Egypt in Jenny, and after leapig from his plane, he went to work on the futuristic tanks with an acetylene torch. He commandeered one tank, and used its torpedoes to destroy most of the fleet. One tank remained, and tried to destroy the Suez canal, but he boarded it and set it off course so the torpedo misfired. Captain X handed the Nazis over to the navy and flew off.

(Star Spangled Comics I #6) - While walking through Piccadilly Buck was caught in an air raid. Debris from a bombed building struck a woman on the head, and Buck took her to safety. She revealed that the blow made her recover her memory. She was in another air raid in Germany some years ago, and came out of it an amnesiac. German soldiers convinced her she was a spy, and she’d recently sent convoy plans for an American supply company to Germany. She wanted to undo her mistake, so Buck changed into Captain X and headed for Kiel, the Nazi’s biggest naval bvase. He commandeered a mounted cannon and started blasting moored u-boats. The Germans were forced to hurry up their mission, and sent their remaining u-boats to America. X followed them in Jenny, and every time he saw a periscope he swooped in and smashed it with an ax. The blinded u-boats were forced to surface and were captured by the U.S. navy.

After many successful missions Captain X was transferred to operating behind enemy lines. He was first given a shore-leave in Atlantic City, where he met a young woman named Patricia. They had an affair, and he returned to Europe, unaware that she was pregnant. Captain X served until 1945, after which he searched for Patricia, but found she was happily married, with a two-year old son he didn't know was his.

(Firestorm #69-72)-The Group contacted Captain X to serve behind the Iron Curtain during the Cold War. Now known as Aviator, he continued to go on missions and formed a group called the "X" Protocol to aid him. In the early 1970s' age caused Richard dare to retire and disband the "X" Protocol. He learned that Patricia died when her son vanished, and he decided to investigate. He found Ed Raymond, and Ed's son Ronald (Firestorm), learning the truth that Ed was his son. A plan by The Group to assassinate Dare was foiled by Firestorm, but the vengeful Russian Stalnoivolk would later succeed.

Comments: Created by Gardner Fox & John L. Blummer

In the pre-Crisis DC Universe Captain X lived on Earth-2.

Captain X received a profile in Who’s Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe #26.

All characters mentioned or pictured are ™  and © DC Comics, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Please visit The Official DC Comics Site at: http://www.batman.com