PROF. KENDALL KULTO

Real Name: Kendall Kulto

Identity/Class: Human technology user

Occupation: Author, lecturer, scientist

Group Membership: None

Affiliations: Earth's scientific community

Enemies: Captain America (Jeff Mace), Golden Girl (Betsy Ross), Martian creatures

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: His own private laboratory, USA

First Appearance: Captain America Comics I#70/1 (January, 1949)

Powers/Abilities: Prof. Kendall Kulto had no superhuman powers, but he was an extremely knowledgeable and skilled scientist, author and lecturer.

    Kulto had access to a private laboratory equipped with advanced machinery of his own design, including the Atomic Powered Planet Mover and a large Televised Viewer device that allowed him to see events occurring elsewhere on a video screen.

Height: Unrevealed (approximately 5'9")
Weight: Unrevealed (approximately 165 lbs.)
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Black (balding)

History:
(Captain America Comics I#70/1 (fb) - BTS) - Professor Kendall Kulto made a name for himself as one of the world's greatest scientists. He ultimately discovered proof of destructive creatures living on Mars that were unable to traverse the interplanetary distance between Earth and Mars, and wrote about his findings in a series of books that were purchased by Jeff Mace. Years later, Kulto embarked on a series of scientific lectures, some of which were attended by Jeff Mace. When Kulto scheduled a lecture on his theories about the future of the world, Mace (in his guise as teacher Steve Rogers) and Betsy Ross were able to acquire tickets.

(Captain America Comics I#70/1) - Prof. Kulto delivered his lecture, and Jeff Mace and Betsy Ross, as well as the other patrons, waited eagerly for Kulto's predictions for the future. Saving his predictions for the end of his lecture, Prof. Kulto predicted that the entire planet would be destroyed should there ever be another war, and suggested that the only thing that could prevent such a war would be some sort of calamity to unite the world's nations against a single enemy. With the lecture over, Mace and Ross discussed what sort of calamity Kulto thought would unite the nations, and hours later that night, Prof. Kulto completed work in his private laboratory on his Atomic Powered Planet Mover machine, a device he monologued might make him the most hated man on Earth instead of its greatest scientist. Flipping a switch to activate his Planet Mover, the fanatical Prof. Kulto used the device to pull the planet Mars closer to Earth (see comments), hoping to aid the Martian creatures in attacking Earth so that Earth's nations would unite against them, and so Earth could save itself from potential future destruction. He then rested, secure in his knowledge that his horrible actions would lead to the uniting of the world.

    The next day, Jeff Mace noticed that the planet Mars was visible in the sky in broad daylight, and he pulled Betsy Ross aside to inform her of suspicions he had regarding Prof. Kulto's involvement, based on Kulto's book that had been published years earlier. When a fleet of Martian creatures attacked Earth, Mace and Ross quickly donned their Captain America and Golden Girl costumes and made their way to Kulto's private laboratory. Hours later, Captain America and Golden Girl arrived at the laboratory to confront Prof. Kulto, and Captain America demanded to know why Kulto had done such a terrible thing. Fanatically asking how Captain America had deduced his involvement in the Martian attack, Cap explained how he had read Kulto's books and heard Kulto's lectures. Cap then announced that, based on Kulto's documented theories, there was no one else who could be responsible; Prof. Kulto admitted that he had drawn Mars closer to Earth, raving that his name would someday be honored for his actions. Further ranting that his actions were the only way to bring Earth's nations together against a common enemy, Prof. Kulto was deemed mad by Golden Girl, and the two heroes swiftly left Kulto's lab, feeling as if there was nothing more for them to do there.

    As time passed, Kulto's plan seemed to be working, as the world's nations did indeed unite together against the Martian creatures; but unfortunately, not even the combined might of the allied nations proved capable of defeating the creatures led by War-Lord Oog. After Captain America was captured by Oog, the Martian war-lord accompanied Cap on orders to deliver an ultimatum of surrender, Cap led Oog to Prof. Kulto's laboratory, where Golden Girl informed him that Kulto had been killed in the war against the Martians. Captain America then tricked Oog into thinking he was contacting Earth's leaders, but he instead used Prof. Kulto's Planet Mover to restore Mars to its proper location in space before defeating Oog.

Comments: Created by an uncredited writer, Ken Bald and Vince Alascia.

    Professor Kendall Kulto was only ever identified in Captain America Comics I#70/1 as "Professor Kulto." His first name was revealed in the Patriot entry seen in Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z HC Vol. 8 (2009). In that same entry, the story involving Prof. Kulto in Captain America Comics I#70 is strangely listed as occurring in Fall 1948, despite the issue having a January 1949 cover date...perhaps it was listed as occurring in Fall 1948 because that's when the issue would've been on newsstands? I'd think the events would've still occurred in real time based on publication date, not shipping date though... 

In regards to the Atomic Powered Planet Mover: Physically moving Mars closer to Earth would probably cause all sorts of gravitational havoc between the two planets, and possibly disrupt the entire solar system. My guess is that Kulto's machine actually created a hyperspatial wormhole between Earth and Mars, which effectively reduced the relative distance between the  two planets that the Martians would have to traverse; and when Captain America reversed the machine, it actually caused the wormhole to close.--Ron Fredricks 

Profile by Proto-Man.

CLARIFICATIONS:
Prof. Kendall Kulto should be distinguished from:

• Kultron of Earth-9602 - an amalgamation of Marvel's Ultron & DC's Kobra, Sinister Society, constructed out of Adamantium--Magnetic Men Featuring Magneto#1
• or any other "Professor," "Kendall" or "Kulto" characters
  

Atomic Powered Planet Mover

Appearances:
Captain America Comics I#70/1 (January, 1949) - "Worlds at War!" story - uncredited writer, Ken Bald (pencils), Vince Alascia (inks), uncredited editor

First posted: 09/02/2024
Last updated: 09/02/2024

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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