The Whizzer

Since the introduction of the Flash in 1940, the speedster has become a superhero archetype. However, some speedsters are deliberate homages to the original.

Real Name: Stanley Stewart
Known Relatives: Madeline “Maddy” (wife), Tina (daughter)
Base of Operations: Mechanopolis, Sigmund, USA, Other-Earth
Group Affiliation: Squadron Supreme
Hair: White
Eyes: Blue
Publisher: Marvel Comics
First Appearance: (Squadron Sinister) Avengers #70 (November 1969); (Squadron Supreme) Avengers #85 (February 1971)
See Also: The Blur, Captain Speed

The Squadron Sinister was created for an unofficial JLA/Avengers crossover fight. Not long after, the heroic Squadron Supreme appeared (the Squadron Sinister were explained to have been imitators). The JLA stand-ins took on a life of their own, however, picking up history and eventually starring in a year-long miniseries.

The Squadron Supreme hails from a parallel dimension in the Marvel Universe

Stanley Stewart ran through a strange fog bank while running late at night. Over the next few weeks, he gained the ability to move at super-human speeds and alter his perception of time. Once he broke the sound barrier, he decided to become a superhero, and was one of the founding members of the Squadron Supreme. Often considered one of the more friendly members of the Squadron, Stanley is at heart a family man.

Interestingly, the first Whizzer encountered by anyone from the parallel Marvel-Earth was actually an impostor, hired by the Grandmaster as part of the Squadron Sinister.

The Squadron will probably be best known for their Utopia Project, in which they attempted to transform their world into a paradise, beginning with America. They accomplished much in its first year, but dismantled it after a confrontation with former Squadron member Nighthawk and his allies convinced them that any externally-forced utopia was inherently flawed.

Not long after the end of the Utopia project, several Squadron members—the Whizzer among them—were stranded in the Marvel Universe. They have since made their way back to their own world.

• Primary Sources
• Art Credits
• Further Notes

Primary Sources

• Squadron Supreme TPB, Mark Gruenwald

Art

• Modern Costume: Avengers/Squadron Supreme Annual (1998) - Carlos Pacheco (thanks to Jim Sharpe for scanning and cleaning)
• Utopia-era: Squadron Supreme #4 (1985/1986) - Bob Hall and Sam De La Rosa

Notes

There was also a Golden-Age character called the Whizzer. Robert Frank, based in the Marvel universe during the 1940s, was a speedster in his own right, not a direct reference to the Flash. (See the Whizzer at Toonopedia.)

(Thanks to Troy Desrosiers for additional information on the Squadron Supreme and the Golden Age Whizzer!)

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