Captain Ironfist

Background

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Powers & Abilities

Captain Ironfist was competent at being a ruthlessly piratical menace. He thus knew his way about ships, weapons, and leadership.

His armament included :

• A cutlass.
• What appeared to be a flintlock pistol tucked into his belt. It seemed mostly decorative.
• A submachinegun looking like a MP18 with a drum magazine.
• His “ironfist”. It seemed to be some sort of reinforced glove – perhaps simply a thick black leather glove with brass knuckles.
• An ordinary-looking 1940s transport ship that could somehow turn into a twin-masted Age of Sail frigate, complete with black powder lateral cannons. This is reminiscent of the ship Commander Kraken would use decades later – the Albatross.
  Unlike with the Albatross, the transformation takes a while and is mostly done through manual labour. The masts, rigging, railing, etc. can be taken apart and stored by the crew, there are numerous revolving panels, etc..

History

Stanley Finchcomb was born during the 1910s. As he grew up, he realised that his father was hiding a secret – and was easily angered by mentioning pirates. Eventually, his father admitted that they were descended from a long succession of bloodthirsty pirates, with the worst having been Captain Ironfist.

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Mr. Finchborn feared that heredity would have his descendants become pirates too. Seeing that the boy was deeply impressed by this, Mr. Finchborn attempted to get rid of the collection of piratical relics hidden in the attic. But the enormous portrait of Captain Ironfist fell atop him, fatally wounding him.

As a wealthy youth, Stanley developed the Pleasure Island amusement park – a decidedly un-piratical pursuit. It looked a bit like Coney Island, thought the name likely was a subconscious allusion to the Treasure Island classic novel .

However, his repressed obsession deepened. Stanley increasingly spent time with the familial piracy artefacts.

One day, the ghost of Captain Ironfist emerged from the portrait. It convinced/intimidated Stanley into dressing up like him, then started possessing him into becoming a modern-day pirate.

Is this the real life, is this just fantasy ?

Though the story is ambiguous, it leans toward Stanley having been delusional. Thus, the ghosts are but figments of his imagination, as the saying goes. This is helped by 1930s American notions of heredity, eugenics and genetic predisposition.

There’s no genuine argument in favour of supernatural involvement in this specific story. Stanley’s father death is an odd coincidence, but by the standards of a 1940s comic book story it’s tame.

Caught in a landslide…

Now “possessed”, Stanley — as the new Captain Ironfist — recruited thugs, whom he paid to act as old-time pirates. He somehow had the Pleasure Island transport boat refitted to be able to transform into an Age of Sail pirate ship. This ship was called the Merry Anne, after the historical Ironfist’s.

Ironfist and crew plundered several ships. After raiding the Jacksonian, the bloodthirsty cap’n insisted upon sinking their prey with cannon fire.

As Ironfist was alternating between Stanley’s meek behaviour and the “ghost’”s ferocity, there was an attempt at mutiny. However, the “ghost” convinced Stanley to gun down the ringleaders, squashing the rebellion.

Meanwhile, Superman saved the Jacksonian, and Lois Lane was — obviously — kidnapped by the pirates. Ironfist had Lane walk the plank, but she was — obviously — saved by Superman. The Man of Steel confronted Captain Ironfist.

… no escape from reality

Stanley was deserted by his “ghost”, who was afraid of Superman. Back to his much meeker self, Stanley fled in a panic. But he then had a vision of his father threatening him for having given in to his piratical heritage.

Startled by this second “ghost”, Stanley fell to his death from the rigging.

Description

Stanley would disguise himself into a convincing likeness of his ancestor, including a fake moustache.

He also kept his gloved hand clenched into a fist. It seems that this was to imitate a misshapen hand of his ancestor’s, but it’s unclear.

Personality

Ironfist is a brutal killer who talks like a comic book pirate, arrr.

Stanley is a meek upper-class lad, with a vivid imagination.

Quotes

“Landlubbers ! By the whiskers o’ my ancestors I’ll show those mutinous rascals the fury o’ Captain Ironfist !”

“Blast my soul if’n I ain’t got me a mess o’ pantywaists fer a crew. Very well, me fine buckos — I’ll do me own dirty work !”

“She’ll walk the plank for this spying ! Bind her arms behind her — blindfold her — get a plank..! Ho ! Ho ! Ho ! Haven’t had this much fun in centuries !”

By Sébastien Andrivet.

Source of Character: Action Comics Vol. 1 #54.

Helper(): Ethan Roe.

Writeup completed on the 18^th of May, 2018.