Purple Pilgrim

PURPLE PILGRIM

Real Name: Unrevealed

Class: Human

Occupation: Lord mayor, professional criminal

Group Affiliation: None

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: Hidden Valley, 1940s era

First Appearance: Flash Comics #86 (August, 1947)

Powers: The Purple Pilgrim was scheming and charismatic. He was armed with a musket.

History: (Flash Comics #86) - A criminal researched colonial history and discovered the fascinating case of Hidden Valley. In the 1600s Judge Sanders condemned the man known as the Purple Pilgrim for witchcraft, and the Pilgrim laid a curse on the judge that he said would follow his future descendants. The residents of Hidden Valley sympathized with the Purple Pilgrim, and cut themselves off from the rest of the colonies as a sign of protest. The criminal located hidden Valley and found it unchanged since colonial times. He claimed he was a descendant of the Purple Pilgrim, and after getting himself installed as Lord Mayor of hidden Valley he got the villagers to support his schemes to exterminate Sanders descendants. The Purple Pilgrim had nothing against the Sanders personally, but murdering them enabled him to plunder their fortunes, making him a wealthy man. Shiera (Hawkgirl) Sanders called up Hawkman, fearing she’d be the Purple Pilgrim’s next target. The Pilgrim kidnapped her and brought her to the Hidden Valley. Hawkman. Hawkman arrived to see the villagers had Shiera tied to a dunking stool, and Pilgrim’s men knocked out the startled hero. Pilgrim freed Shiera so she could watch what he had in store for Hawkman. The Pilgrim had him tied to a stake and told the villagers he had to be burned to death because he was a sorcerer who sought to destroy Hidden Valley. Hawkman kicked up a flaming stick that he used to burn the ropes around his wrists, and once free easily dispatched the Pilgrim. Hawkman and Shiera convinced the villagers they should give the outside world a chance, and before long the Board of Education set up modern schools in the area to help them transition into the 20th Century.

Comments: Created by Robert Kanigher & Joe Kubert.

In the pre-Crisis on Infinite Earths DCU Purple Pilgrim lived on Earth-2.