Battleground: Bloomingdale's!

Can YOU

Name This Marvel Villain??

If you're having a little trouble identifying our mystery villain, perhaps you'd find it helpful if you saw him in his original identity:

Yes, the Whizzer, speedster from the Squadron Sinister, who now goes by the name of the Speed Demon. But why the upgrade? Let's let the man himself explain:

I've always thought that it was cool that the Whizzer owed his power to a pill. (I wonder how long the effects of the pill lasted?) I never cared for the same gimmick in Giant-Man, since he had to take a capsule or inhale gas every single time he wanted to shrink or grow--I'd always think, "Come on, those capsules can't be dissolving so quickly!" And what if he's in a fist fight with someone? How is he going to reach for a capsule and pop it in his mouth before his opponent decks him? The Demon's method seems much more sensible.

As for the Demon's "Nothing will stop me now!" declaration, you don't need me to tell you how that usually plays out. Whether as the Whizzer or as the Speed Demon, the guy has been stopped a lot. In fact, in his first time out as the Demon, he's stopped by Bloomingdale's--a humiliating way to realize that the Speed Demon will fare no better in his criminal career than did the Whizzer.

But credit where credit is due--he did manage to give Spider-Man a "run" for his money.
(Get it? And the money in this case being the Demon's, not Spidey's? Oh, come on! I'm usually a "whiz" at jokes.)

Spider-Man takes the Demon up on his dare, of course--but Spidey plays it smart and arrives early as Peter Parker in order to get the layout of the store and make a few preparations. And when the Demon makes his move, thus begins the most domestic battle you've ever seen:

Spidey's strategy? Bloomingdale's has become one giant trap for the Speed Demon.

In later appearances, the Demon becomes one of those characters like the Meteor Man who's rolodexed into a story only to be quickly (heh heh, "quickly"--alright, I'll cease and desist) dealt with. He does, however, seem to be a more interesting character in groups--and we'll take a look in a future post at a certain Sinister Syndicate, where he's moved on from the Squadron Sinister for a more steady paycheck.

(With a nod to artist Ed Foychuk for Speed Demon's profile pic!)