Whizzer (comics)

The Whizzer was a minor character created for Atlas comics in the 1930s and 1940s.

Dr. Frank and his son Bob are on a trip to Africa. While there, in the deepest jungles, Bob is bitten by a deadly cobra. As the cobra turns on the good Doctor, a mongoose lunges at it from the bushes, landing atop it and killing it. Knowing that his son will not survive if a blood transfusion is not performed soon, Dr. Frank has the brilliant idea of taking the blood of the furry little mongoose and giving it to Bob. As Bob awakes, the strain proves too much for his father, who suffers a heart attack and dies. The mongoose blood, however, has given Bob amazing speed. Donning a gaudy yellow outfit, complete with fin atop his head and green cape trailing behind (later to be changed to a yellow and blue bodysuit), Bob calls himself the Whizzer!

The Whizzer lasted few issues in his own stories, appearing again in the All Winner's Squad at the end of 1945, and later in the Avengers, where he was killed. He has been reconned into the recent Invaders stories, and remains a favorite among Golden Age fans, even if only for his insane origin.