History:
WILL BENSON
Real Name: Will Benson
Identity/Class: Human (Post-World
War II Era)
Occupation: Photographer, spy
Group Membership: None
Affiliations: Connie Blake
Enemies: Bucky (Jack Monroe), Captain America (William Burnside), Betty Ross
Known Relatives: None
Aliases: None
Base of Operations:
First Appearance: Captain America Comics I#76 (May, 1954)
Powers/Abilities: Will Benson was an excellent photographer. He had an infra-red lens on his camera so he could take photographs at night.
Height: Unrevealed
(approximately 5'11")
Weight: Unrevealed (approximately 165 lbs.)
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Gray
History:
(Captain America Comics I#76 (fb) - BTS) - Will Benson was a communist agent working with Connie Blake, a newspaper editor. Benson took a job as a photographer at Blake's newspaper and went on assignments with journalist Betty Ross. Betty often covered stories on the U.S. Army but Benson shared the intelligence gleaned from these stories with his communist allies. Because Betty was the credited reporter, the U.S. Army began to suspect she was a communist agent.
(Captain America Comics I#76) - Benson accompanied Betty as she went to see her friends "Steve Rogers" and "Bucky Barnes" (actually Will Burnside and Jack Monroe, two men who had assumed Rogers and Barnes' identities). Connie Blake informed Betty and Will that he'd spoken to an Army general and arranged for Betty to cover Army training so she could prove she wasn't mixed up with spies.
That night, Benson took photographs of tanks at night and "Steve" watched him. Benson brought some of the developed photos and showed them to an Army major, who approved their use in the newspaper. As Betty and Will left the Army base, Betty glanced inside Will's briefcase and saw the rest of the photographs he'd taken, which depicted sensitive information. Will took Betty hostage, not realizing Captain America and Bucky were tailing him.
Benson brought Betty to Connie Blake at a house where they were keeping all of the photos and microfilm Benson had photographed. Blake decided they would have Betty write a letter of confession then kill her and make it appear to be suicide. However, Captain America and Bucky burst into the room and started a fire among Benson's photographs. Captain America hurled Blake into the fire and left him to die but spared Benson's life, ordering him to confess his crimes and clear Betty's name; Benson agreed to save his own life.
Comments: Created by Don Rico, Bill Benulis and Jack Abel.
This profile was completed on 02/23/2026 but its publication was delayed, as it was intended for the Appendix's 25th anniversary celebratory event.
Profile by Prime Eternal.
CLARIFICATIONS:
Will Benson should not be confused with:
Connie Blake ("Con") was Will Benson's editor. Like Will, he was a communist agent and served as the head of a spy ring. To help shield Benson from discovery, Blake helped shift suspicion on to Betty Ross. When Betty discovered Will had been taking photographs for the communists, Will brought her to Blake, who ordered Betty to write a letter of confession, intending to kill her so that it would look like suicide. However, Captain America and Bucky saved Betty from Benson and Blake, setting all of the photographs Benson had taken on fire. Captain America hurled Blake into the fire he'd started and left him to die in the blaze as the house burned down.
--Captain America Comics I#76
images: (without ads)
Captain America Comics I#76, page 4, panel 5 (main)
Captain America Comics I#76, page 3, panel 5 (face)
Captain America Comics I#76, page 6, panel 1 (Blake)
Appearances:
Captain America Comics I#76 (May, 1954) - Don Rico (writer), Bill
Benulis (penciler), Jack Abel (inker), Stan Lee (editor)
First posted: 09/09/2026
Last updated:
02/23/2026
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
Non-Marvel
Copyright info
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