Jul 24, 2025
The original Crimson Avenger, DC Comics' first masked hero.
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The original Crimson Avenger, DC Comics' first masked hero.
regarding the Crimson Avenger, weren't there three of them? I recall the second one was more of a science type. Didn't have a long career though.
You are correct, on all counts actually. Its an odd little yarn that comes from back during the earliest days of the Justice League era when odd things like that just seemed to happen especially when it came to the "daily grind" of both Superman and the Dynamic Duo.
(The only good image of this Crimson Avenger I could find, captured by contemporary security footage)
The story begins as many tales of Batman's exploits in that era do, with a gang of crooks and their stupid gimmick. In this case it was a gaggle of thieves run by a guy called The Octopus (not to be confused with the oddly large number of war time villains who had used that code name). The gang had conducted a series of high profile robberies that Batman and Robin had eventually tracked to the anniversary celebrations of a rich shipping company. The battle is joined and the heroes are of course getting the best of the masked thugs, until this ding dong appears and fires off an experimental weapon he had never tested before. Leaving Batman and Robin tied to a post as the bad guys make their getaway, though thankfully sans loot.
The duo attempted to dissuade the nutty professor from his crime fighting pursuits. "Leaving it to the professionals". While that may sound odd, even with Batman being known as the more territorial of the League generation when it comes to new operators in Gotham, its made clear by the implied tone that what they're distrustful of is the man's inability to think ahead. Especially when he totally blows them off, swears to be the one to bring down the gang and then runs off.
Somehow this boondoggle makes its way to Superman who appears to help out, all but guaranteeing the gang's capture. Until. This Crimson Avenger reappears with a rocket powered battering ram that INSTANTLY flies off the handle forcing Superman to stop it before it kills somebody and again giving the gang cause to slip away unseen. Again Superman tells him to leave it to the professionals. Again you can tell its mostly because he doesn't trust this guy to use his head the way someone who is actually cut out for this might. Again the Crimson Avenger swears his purpose and leaves.
Finally everything converges at Gotham's Ancient Arts Museum and it seems the Crimson Avenger has totally flipped his lid. He turns a device ON Batman and Superman that causes their bodies to inflate as the gang starts to make a break for it. Only for it to be revealed this was a member of the Octopus Gang in disguise when the "real deal" shows up and adds some marginal assistance to bringing down the criminals. Eventually unmasking himself as local inventor Albert Elwood. He hangs up his cowl and the assembled heroes breathe a humble sigh of relief.
He is caught on camera as saying he took his name from "an old, retired lawman" (nobody at the time knew that Lee Travis wasn't retired, he had been shunted through the time stream by the Nebula Man and the Iron Hand along the rest of the 7 Soldiers). All in all its just an odd chapter about a very odd man and it shows how the heroes know someone with a future in the community or not. This guy was as much a danger to himself and others as he was the bad guys and he refused to take direction or assistance about it. It speaks to a man who was more in the game to show off his prowess and the genius of his inventions than to help others or prevent harm. Had he continued it would become more and more likely someone was gonna get hurt and that's IF the guy had been able to keep his ego in check. Some, MOST people are just NOT cut out for this work.
Leading Comics #1 (December 15th, 1941)
Art by Mort Meskin
11 March: The birthday of Lee Travis. (Art by Jerry Ordway.)
The Crimson Avenger miniseries house ad (circa May 1988)
From Secret Origins v2 #5
I’m not sure why but I finally had the wherewithal to sit down and finish the second part of my Lee Travis/The Crimson Avenger, Wesley Dodds/The Sandman, and Dian Belmont romance angst action series.
It had been languishing for a while because I didn’t know what to do with a problematic chunk (you can see notes on the fic) but it’s genuinely the proudest I’ve ever been of a fic. It started as a paragraph of something I didn’t think I had the ability to write but here we are now.
I’m glad it exists and is out there for all the other (ha) Lee/Wesley fans out there but mostly am glad it’s done for myself.
I would recommend reading Part 1 first but here it is!
https://archiveofourown.org/works/66906718/chapters/172690915
The Flash: Thats a weird f-ckin’ tone man.
Stargirl:Thats just how he sounds. He has an asshole voice. Tell him its ok.
Crimson Avenger:….everything is great….
Stargirl: Dude…