JUDAS MAN
Real Name: Michael Kramer
Identity/Class: Human, mutate
Occupation: Drifter, former air force pilot
Group Membership: formerly United States Air Force
Affiliations: Captain America, Nick Fury, Howling Commandos, Spider-Woman (Jessica Drew)
Enemies: Adolf Hitler, Red Skull, Silver Samurai, Viper
Known Relatives: Pamela Kramer (daughter)
Aliases: None
Base of Operations: San Francisco, California
First Appearance: Spider-Woman I#42 (February, 1982)
Powers/Abilities: The Judas Man has no superhuman powers, but his genetic matrix has been altered to carry a plague equivalent to the "Black Death." Triggered only by a catalyst, the disease can only be cured by the counter agent produced by the metabolism of one of his progeny, such as his daughter. Although dormant in his body, the effects of the plague had an unexpected side effect in that it retarded his aging process and prevented him from becoming older. He also carried a gun.
History: (Spider-Woman I#42 (fb)) - Michael Kramer was a member of an all black American Air Force Fighter Squadron in the winter of 1944. Shot down over Germany, he was taken prisoner by the Nazis and sent to a concentration camp, but before reaching his assigned stalag, he and seventy other men and women were on the orders of Hitler himself seized and taken by the Red Skull for his experiments in biochemical welfare. Kramer became the Red Skull's first success in creating a plague carrier, a person immune to the disease he carried but would later transfer to others. He nicknamed Kramer "The Judas Man," but before he could recreate the experiment, Captain America, Nick Fury and the Howling Commandos destroyed the lab and liberated the survivors. Kramer was reported as killed in the raid.
(Spider-Woman I#42 (fb - BTS) - Kramer, however, actually survived and escaped Germany for the United States. He ended up marrying and having a daughter named Pamela, but as the alterations to his body kept him from growing older, the chemical matrix that Pamela inherited developed into the antidote to counter the disease in her father's body.
(Spider-Woman I#42) - After several years, Viper and the Silver Samurai tracked down Kramer to San Francisco but clashed with Spider-Woman as they tried to kidnap his daughter to use against him. Pamela hired Jessica Drew to track down her missing father, but the Viper ended up finding both of them and successfully kidnapped Michael Kramer hisself.
(Spider-Woman I#43) - Held in a secret
base, Kramer was found by Spider-Woman, but she first had to get by the
Silver Samurai who promised to free them both if she managed to defeat
him. Impersonating the Viper, Spider-Woman had the Viper's men distract
the Silver Samurai because he was unrecognizable to them out of his
armor. Spider-Woman and Kramer then escaped the base with the notes
that the scientists had made while examining Kramer. The notes showed
that after several years the chemicals in Kramer had become inert and
that he was of virtually no use to them. Kramer was reunited with his
daughter.
Comments: Created by Chris Claremont, Steve Leialoha and Bob Wiacek.
The full details of Kramer's escape from Germany during the war have not been revealed except in flashback.
There is one leftover plot point to the
history of the Judas Man. As a World War Two veteran, he would likely
be living on his military retirement package. Just how long is the
government going to shell out the money to a person who is likely going
to live forever?
--uh...except that he was reported as having been killed during that raid, so
I'm guessing he's not getting anything!
Will U: "As a guy who would love to see a unified Marvel/DC universe merging every conceivable continuity out there, I would love to imagine that it was Colonel Robert Hogan of "Hogan's Heroes" that tipped off the Underground to the missing POW's and sent Captain America, Nick Fury and the Howling Commandos to free Kramer. Ah, the benefits of an overactive imagination..."
They either worked on the Judas Man
plague or the Red Skull referenced the work of Golden Age
bacteriologists---Fungi (Captain America Comics#31 (10/1943), Captain
America story), Doctor Riek (Lightning Comics II#6 (4/1942), Dr.
Nemesis story), Doctor Togu (All-Winners Comics#5 (Summmer/1942),
Captain America story--dropped Disease Bombs on China).
--Gammatotem
by Will U
CLARIFICATIONS:
The Judas Man is not to be confused with:
Pamela Kramer is the daughter of the Judas Man, Michael Kramer. She was born with the antidote to the disease locked within her father. While trying to hire private detective Jessica Drew to finds her father, she was kidnapped by the Viper and Silver Samurai to use as bait to flush her father out of hiding. Rescued by Spider-Woman, she was later hidden away in Jessica's home with Lindsey McCabe as Spider-Woman rescued her father.
--Spider-Woman I#42, 43
Images taken from:
Spider-Woman I#42, page 22, panel 1
Spider-Woman I#42, page 15, panel 6
Spider-Woman I#42, page 22, panel 3
Spider-Woman I#42, page 14, panel 5
Appearances:
Spider-Woman I#42 (February, 1982) - Chris Claremont (writer), Steve
Leialoha (pencils), Bob Wiacek (inks), Denny O'Neil (editor)
Spider-Woman I#43 (April, 1982) - Chris Claremont (writer), Steve Leialoha (artist), Denny O'Neil (editor)
First Posted: 03/21/2004
Last updated: 10/23/2013
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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