SGT. BRIAN MULDOON

Real Name: Sgt. Brian Muldoon

Identity/Class: Human

Occupation: Anarchist, criminal agitator; former police officer

Group Membership: Leader of the Crime Wave (Eel/Leopold Stryke, Plantman simuloid, Porcupine/Alexander Gentry, Scarecrow/Ebenezer Laughton, Viper/Jordan Stryke, at least six others), NYPD

Affiliations: Manipulator (until he wasn't), NYPD (at least those he deemed the good hard-working cops)

Enemies: Michael Badilino, Captain America (Steve Rogers), Captain Ferris, Sharon Carter, Commissioner Nathan Martin, Officer Bob Courtney, Falcon (Sam Wilson), Manipulator, Rafe Michael, NYPD (at least those he considered weak), People's Militia (The Man/Red Skull/Johann Shmidt, others), Redwing, Leila Taylor, Cal Trimble

Known Relatives: Ellen Muldoon (wife)

Aliases: Cowled Commander, Man with No Identity

Base of Operations: His home in Elmhurst, Queens, New York City
   place of birth Vinegar Hill, Brooklyn, New York

First Appearance: Captain America I#139 (July, 1971); (as Cowled Commander) Captain America I#159 (March, 1973)

Powers/Abilities: Sgt. Brian Muldoon is a trained police officer with many years of experience that used criminal techniques he had learned over the years as the Cowled Commander. He was trained in hand-to-hand combatant and an accomplished marksman. He used closed-circuit communication and lethal gas dispensers installed in his base.

Height: 5'11"
Weight: 200 lbs.
Eyes: Blue
Hair: Brown

History:
(Captain America I#159 (fb) - BTS) - Sgt. Brian Muldoon was an old school cop, who hated the new breed of cops that were too lenient to criminals. He became ashamed of the police force, but because he still loved it came up with a plan to use the crime techniques he had learned over the years from fighting crime to spread corruption and a crime wave so that the public would demand an overhaul of the department and get rid of what he perceived to be weak police officers.

(Captain America I#139) - Sgt. Muldoon welcomed rookie cop Steve Rogers in his precinct and immediately gave him a hard time. He told Rogers to not just stand around because they had work to do on the street, made it clear that his orders were to be followed. He caught Rogers day-dreaming and then left while smoking a cigar after Rogers claimed that he was just trying to digest everything Muldoon had told him.

(Captain America I#140) - Muldoon called over Rogers because the rookie had not reported in for two hours, but Commissioner Nathan Martin, who had originally hired Captain America (Rogers) to go undercover within the police force on a different case (in Captain America I#139), told him that Rogers was working on his special orders. Muldoon scurried away back to his car and was mad that Rogers had become close with the Commissioner. He vowed to wait for him to make one little mistake and then let him hear it. The Commissioner assured Rogers that Muldoon was good cop even though he was tough on many of his officers and this incident wouldn't make him one of Muldoon's favorites.

(Captain America I#143) - Muldoon gave Rogers a hard time for being late for work. Muldoon promised to punish him severely if he was late one more time. He also made it clear that he needed hard-working cops and not pretty boys that were too nice to punks on the street. He threatened to get someone better from the academy if Rogers couldn't follow his orders and told him not to count on the Commissioner's help. Rogers apologized profusely and promised to do better from now on. The Commissioner and Reverend Garcia arrived to talk with Rogers and Muldoon allowed it. The Commissioner apologized to Rogers that he had a bad time with Muldoon, but Rogers was sure that he would survive it.

   Sgt. Muldoon surrounded the Harlem Boys Club building and was ready to send in the police to deal with the People's Militia led by the Man, secretly the Red Skull in disguise, who called for burning Harlem to the ground. Commissioner Martin didn't give him permission because he wanted to avoid a potential race war and avoid any bloodshed. Muldoon told his men not to fight back against the People's Militia until the Commissioner gave them the okay. Falcon calmed the People's Militia down and asked them to give him and Cap one hour to prove to them that they were in the wrong. Muldoon looked on as Cap and Falcon left to expose the Man as the Red Skull, but when the heroes returned to the scene the situation had already cooled down due to the Commissioner talking it out with People's Militia members Leila Taylor and Rafe Michael in front of Muldoon and the rest of his police force.

(Captain America I#149) - Muldoon was looking for Rogers, but he had not arrived at the precinct yet. When Rogers finally arrived he rushed into Muldoon's office and to his surprise wasn't chewed out, but instead got transferred to a patrol car. Muldoon claimed that either the captain had gone soft or someone higher up was helping Rogers out. Muldoon asked Rogers to just not screw up this assignment. Rogers believed that Muldoon was behind the transfer and actually just tried to toughen him up.

(Captain America I#158 (fb) - BTS) - The Cowled Commander became known as a crimelord involved with bribes and murder.

(Captain America I#159 (fb) - BTS) - His criminal activities backfired and rumors began to spread about Muldoon.

(Captain America I#157 (fb) - BTS) - A crime commission investigated corruption in the police and found solid proof for payoffs taken by several police officers at the NYPD. The man behind the payments was the Cowled Commander.

(Captain America I#152) - Muldoon got suspended by city hall after the crime commission found out something he did over the years, which could not only cost him his job but even send him to jail for a year or two. Rogers and Officer Bob Courtney had a hard time believing this to be true and the latter even believed that Muldoon got framed. Muldoon was a broken man and walked home in the rain where with his uniform still on. When he finally arrived he told his wife that he was suspended for allegedly taking a bribe.

(Captain America I#154) - Courtney visited Muldoon at home and told him that Rogers had deserted him the night Muldoon got suspended and then called in sick and disappeared. Muldoon was now sure that Rogers had something to do with his suspension and vowed to find out every secret he had.

(Captain America I#156) - Despite reservations Muldoon and Courtney, whose idea it was, broke into Rogers' room at the Corinth Hotel to look for clues that he was behind Muldoon's suspension that they could then present to the commissioner. They found nothing and unfortunately ran into the hotel manager Cal Trimble when they left. They claimed they planned to throw a surprise party for their colleague Steve Rogers and he allowed them to leave even though he didn't believe them and had recognized Muldoon.

(Captain America I#159 (fb) - BTS) - A group of costumed criminals assured him that they would be of great help as his lieutenants.

(Captain America I#158 (fb) - BTS) - The Cowled Commander hired Eel, Plantman (a simuloid), Porcupine and Scarecrow to be part of his Crime Wave.

(Captain America I#157 (fb) - BTS) - The Cowled Commander also hired the Viper, not knowing that he was the brother the Eel.

   The Cowled Commander learned about a meeting the Commissioner arranged with Captain America from one of his contacts inside the police force. He sent three thugs to stop Captain America from reaching the meeting at a precinct in Hell's Kitchen, but they failed. Just in case this went wrong the Cowled Commander had already hired ordered the Viper to bomb the precinct.

(Captain America I#157 - BTS) - The Commissioner told Captain America about the investigation into corrupt cops working for the Cowled Commander and was shocked that Captain America was attacked on his way to the meeting because that meant the Cowled Commander's spies were more entrenched in his department than he feared. The Commissioner told Cap that Muldoon was among the people investigated in connection with the Cowled Commander and asked Cap to try and clear his name because even he didn't believe that Muldoon was guilty. He also wanted Cap to find out the true identity of the Cowled Commander. Shortly after the Commissioner left the office it was blown up by the Viper with Cap still inside because the Cowled Commander had ordered him to kill Cap and the Falcon.

(Captain America I#157) - Muldoon had a meeting the 3rd Police Precinct with Captain Ferris to learn more about the investigation into his alleged corruption. Ferris told him that the investigation was still ongoing. Muldoon was mad that he was still suspended even though the entire police force couldn't prove him to be guilty or innocent. Ferris was sorry that he couldn't reinstate him, but invited him to a part Friday night at his place. Muldoon had no interest to come to the party and asked one more time when the investigation would be concluded, but Ferris didn't know. Muldoon was going to help himself to end the investigation and was already working on it.

(Captain America I#157 - BTS) - Falcon fought Viper on a nearby roof and got poisoned. Cap had survived the explosion and came to his aid only to get poisoned as well after Viper reneged on a deal to hand Cap and antidote for Falcon and hitting Cap with a poison dart when he picked up the antidote. Viper took off after seemingly succeeding to kill both of them for the Cowled Commander.

(Captain America I#158 - BTS) - With his remaining strength Cap saved himself and Falcon with the antidote.

(Captain America I#158) - Cap paid Muldoon a visit at his Queens home because he believed he was in danger because he could be a key witness against the Cowled Commander. Cap told the bitter Muldoon that he was there to help him. Muldoon claimed that known criminals had accused him and that the Commissioner wasn't behind him. Cap told him that he was also there to protect him because the Cowled Commander was possibly after him. Muldoon wanted to know what Cap knew about the Cowled Commander and when it became clear that he didn't know much, claimed he had been working on investigating the Cowled Commander and actually suspected who he really was. Muldoon accused Steve Rogers, who often disappeared from his duties, called in sick half the time, hung out with the higher ups and got special assignments. He was pretty sure Rogers was corrupt and he was going to prove it to establish his own innocence. Cap, who was shocked that his civilian identity was accused by Muldoon, told him not to do anything rash and asked Muldoon and Ellen to come with him to a safer place, but Muldoon was not going to abandon his home. Cap left feeling weird because he couldn't reveal to Muldoon that Rogers was an undercover agent, but still had to do something to clear Muldoon of his charges.

(Captain America I#158 - BTS) - Falcon confronted Harlem crimelord Morgan, who claimed he knew who the Cowled Commander was, but he refused to tell him because it would cost him his life.

   Falcon later caught Viper, who told him that he didn't know the Cowled Commander's true identity because he kept it secret from his minions. He also told him that if he didn't report in he would have to deal with the rest of the Crime Wave's operatives.

   Cap got home and discovered that someone had been searching in his room. Hotel manager Trimble knocked on Steve's door and told him that the police had been searching his room and then tried to blackmail him because he was pretty sure Rogers was working a side hustle, which the police wouldn't like.

(Captain America I#158) - Outside the Corinth Hotel Rogers was knocked out from behind by Muldoon and Courtney and then carried him away to force him to reveal that he was the Cowled Commander. Muldoon was sure he would get reinstated for this and Courtney was sure that the police would throw Muldoon a parade if he got rid of the Cowled Commander.

(Captain America I#159) - Muldoon and Courtney tried to force Rogers to confess that he was the Cowled Commander when he woke up. Muldoon knew that something was going on with Rogers because he received all that special treatment and often skipped duty while honest cops like him got suspended. He knew that Rogers was still probably feeling a bit woozy and left with Courtney to give Rogers some time to figure out what they would do to him if he didn't confess.

(Captain America I#159 - BTS) - Cowled Commander's Crime Wave committed a robbery in the diamond district. Captain America, who had escaped his earlier predicament, and Falcon, who dropped the captured Viper on Plantman, fought them, but they escaped when the Commissioner pulled up in front of the heroes. The Commissioner suddenly became Cap's number one suspect to be the Cowled Commander.

(Captain America I#159) - Muldoon and Courtney arrived on the scene and were welcomed by Cap. They claimed they were looking for Steve Rogers and believed he could be there when they heard about the robberies. Cap told them that he couldn't help them because they were working on the Cowled Commander case. Falcon sent out Redwing to find Scarecrow's crows, but when Muldoon, Courtney, Leila Taylor and Sharon Carter offered to join Cap and Falcon in their search for the Cowled Commander and his Crime Wave, the two heroes denied their wish because it was too dangerous. Muldoon, Courtney, Taylor and Carter still followed them to the warehouse where Falcon and Cap had found the Crime Wave.

(Captain America I#159 - BTS) - The Crime Wave captured Cap, Falcon and with the help of the Cowled Commander also their friends Courtney, Taylor and Carter. The Cowled Commander himself checked them for any weapons or chemicals that could help them escape the room.

(Captain America I#159) - The Cowled Commander talked to the captured Cap and Falcon via a TV monitor to introduce himself. He told them that they were trapped in an inescapable steel room and were going to die now. A gas was pumped into the room, but due to Cap's increasing strength they escaped the room. The Cowled Commander assured his lieutenants that they would be dead in two minutes, but a second later Scarecrow was knocked out by Cap's shield. The Cowled Commander couldn't believe that they had escaped the room and tried to escape when his cronies were no match for Cap and Falcon. He was tackled by Falcon from behind and to the surprise of Cap and Falcon was exposed as none other then Sgt. Brian Muldoon. Muldoon tried to explain his reasons for doing what he did and then told Cap that their friends were in the closet.

   Muldoon was arrested for his crimes and led away by Cap himself after Muldoon admitted that he and Bob had caught Rogers earlier that day to make him confess to be the Cowled Commander. Courtney felt stupid because Muldoon had him fooled, but Falcon admitted that Muldoon had everyone fooled.

BTS - Something happened and the police was okay with him returning to the job and he even got his old job back. Probably magic! (see comments)

(Code of Honor#1) - At a bar Muldoon got into an argument over the methods of the Punisher with drunk police Officer Michael Badilino. (see comments)

(Captain America I#232) - Steve Rogers returned to the precinct where he had worked some time ago undercover and the Sergeant immediately chewed him out for having the nerve to show his face again at this precinct because Rogers just vanishing screwed up his whole duty roster. He made it clear that he would've fired Rogers if he had been in his precinct permanently. The Commissioner interrupted the Sergeant's rant to have a talk with Rogers. The Sergeant was so mad seeing Rogers cozy up to their superior. (see comments)

(Captain America I#242 (fb) - BTS) - Muldoon hired the Manipulator to kill Captain America for destroying his crime empire, but the Manipulator was actually more interested in studying Muldoon's behavior than killing Captain America.

(Captain America I#242) - Muldoon and Manipulator watched Captain America on a monitor being tormented by Manipulator's androids posing as his allies Peggy Carter, Nick Fury, Dum Dum Dugan and Gabe Jones. Muldoon didn't understand why the Manipulator had not already killed Captain America because that was what he had hired him for, but the Manipulator made it clear that he wanted to break Cap with subtler means than violence. Muldoon considered Manipulator's approach stupid, but even though the Manipulator wanted Muldoon's money, he was not interested in his suggestions how to do his job. Muldoon believed the Manipulator was a nutjob.

(Captain America I#242 - BTS) - Muldoon and Manipulator continued watching Cap go through Manipulator's labyrinth of androids.

(Captain America I#242) - Muldoon got mad when the Manipulator allowed Cap to just follow the soldier androids into the street. He was afraid that Cap would escape and went after him.

(Captain America I#242 - BTS) - Cap pretended to be broken up over seeing Sharon Carter die once again, but he actually knew at this point that every person he encountered were just androids. Manipulator finally noticed that Muldoon was gone and was elated that he had lasted three minutes longer to go after Cap than he had expected.

(Captain America I#242) - Muldoon had enough of Manipulator's psychological torture and approached the seemingly broken Cap from behind with a gun, but Cap was playing possum and easily knocked him out. He knew that Muldoon didn't have the know-how to come up with such an elaborate scheme and was approached by the Manipulator, who explained that Cap was never in danger and that it was always his intention to study Muldoon, a vengeance-obsessed man with a guilt-ridden psyche whose fear of his nemesis was greater than his hatred. The Manipulator actually believed that Cap should be thankful to him because he flushed out Muldoon and prevented any further attacks on Cap by him. While the Manipulator explained his actions to Cap, Muldoon regained consciousness and tried to shoot Cap in the back, but the bullet ricocheted off Cap's shield and hit Manipulator in the head. Cap knocked out Muldoon and was shocked to learn that the Manipulator was a robot, something that was news to the Manipulator himself, who broke down. Captain America carried Muldoon away.

Comments: Created by Stan Lee & John Romita Sr.

   Brian Muldoon originally had a sub-profile in the Crime Wave profile first posted on 06/04/2003.

   Romita modeled Sgt. Muldoon after Jack Kirby, revealed in Alter Ego#35 (March, 2004).

   The Punisher first appeared in Amazing Spider-Man I#129 (October, 1973), placing Muldoon's Code of Honor sequence between his Cowled Commander reveal and his next appearance in Captain America I#232. This also works pretty well with the next sequence after the bar scene in Code of Honor#1 being set around Daredevil I#108-109 (March-May, 1974)....but how was he still with the police in this issue?

   The Code of Honor appearance also seemed to mix up the dialogue of Badilino and Muldoon. It seemed to start out with Badilino cheering on the Punisher and then switched to him opposing the Punisher's methods and then get called a possible Punisher suspect...though he was called Muldoon by Muldoon before Piper pulled him away from Muldoon and told Mike to go home. Weird dialogue screwup!

   Apparently he was also with the police in his next appearance in Captain America I#232 and again the question is HOW? An editor's note at the start of the sequence noted that it had been since #152 that he had used this secret identity, which was the issue when Muldoon got suspended and before the whole Cowled Commander storyline. No clue why the character in #232 looked more like Bob Courtney, but maybe it was actually him and he had become the Sergeant after Muldoon's arrest.

   There is the possibility that it is a different Muldoon in Code of Honor and a different Sarge from the station Cap worked at that gave him a hard time in Captain America I#232 (maybe a new one; see above). Real world it was probably a mistake by the writers and editors of those comics because neither were the team that revealed Muldoon as the Cowled Commander and probably didn't remember or even known about it. Italics it is for both appearances!

   The Cowled Commander received a handbook profile in Captain America: America's Avenger#1 (August, 2011).

This profile was completed on 11/21/2025, but its publication was delayed for Stan Lee's birthday on 12/28.

Profile by Markus Raymond.

CLARIFICATIONS:
Sgt. Brian Muldoon aka. the Cowled Commander has no known connections to:

Ellen Muldoon

(Captain America I#152) - Ellen was knitting when Brian and could hardly believe it when her husband told her that he got suspended for allegedly taking a bribe.

(Captain America I#154) - Ellen welcomed in Officer Courtney, who was visiting her husband to talk to him. She got them something to drink.

(Captain America I#158) - Ellen welcomed in Captain America, who wanted to talk to her husband about the investigation into him and the danger he was in because the Cowled Commander was possibly after him. Cap could not convince Muldoon to come with his wife to a safer place with him.

--Captain America I#152 (Captain America I#152, 154, 158

images:
Captain America I#242, p14, pan4 (main)
Captain America I#139, p13, pan3 (head shot)
Captain America I#157, p10, pan6 (suspended)
Captain America: America's Avenger#1, Cowled Commander profile (Cowled Commander)
Captain America I#159, p20, pan1 (exposed as Cowled Commander)
Captain America I#232, p9, pan4 (Sergeant who?)
Captain America I#242, p9, pan5 (Muldoon and Manipulator)
Captain America I#154, p17, pan4 (Ellen)

Appearances:
Captain America I#139 (July, 1971) - Stan Lee (writer/editor), John Romita Sr. (artist)
Captain America I#140 (August, 1971) - Stan Lee (writer/editor), John Romita Sr. (pencils), George Roussos (inks)
Captain America I#143 (November, 1971) - Gary Friedrich (writer), John Romita Sr. (artist), Stan Lee (editor)
Captain America I#149 (May, 1972) - Gerry Conway (writer), Sal Buscema (pencils), Jim Mooney (inks), Stan Lee (editor)
Captain America I#152 (August, 1972) - Gerry Conway (writer), Sal Buscema (pencils), Frank Giacoia (inks), Stan Lee (editor)
Captain America I#154 (October, 1972) - Steve Englehart (writer), Sal Buscema (pencils), John Verpoorten (inks), Roy Thomas (editor)
Captain America I#156 (December, 1972) - Steve Englehart (writer), Sal Buscema (pencils), Frank McLaughlin (inks), Roy Thomas (editor)
Captain America I#157 (January, 1973) - Steve Englehart & Steve Gerber (writers), Sal Buscema (pencils), John Verpoorten (inks), Roy Thomas (editor)
Captain America I#158 (February, 1973) - Steve Englehart (writer), Sal Buscema (pencils), John Verpoorten (inks), Roy Thomas (editor)
Captain America I#159 (March, 1973) - Steve Englehart (writer), Sal Buscema (pencils), John Verpoorten (inks), Roy Thomas (editor)
Captain America I#232 (April, 1979) - Roger McKenzie & Jim Shooter (writers), Sal Buscema (pencils), Don Perlin (inks), Roger Stern (editor)
Captain America I#242 (February, 1980) - Steve Grant (writer), Don Perlin (pencils), Joe Sinnott (inks), Roger Stern (editor)
Code of Honor#1 (January, 1997) - Chuck Dixon (writer), Tristan Shane & Brad Parker (artists), Kelly Corvese (editor)

First Posted: 12/28/2025
Last updated: 11/21/2025

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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