BOSWELL BOLIVER

Real Name: Boswell Boliver

Identity/Class: Human (Pre-Modern Era) (resident of an unidentified medieval era)

Occupation: Court jester;
    former scientist

Group Membership: None

Affiliations: A king and queen of a medieval era

Enemies: None

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: An unidentified kingdom in medieval years;
    formerly USA (circa the 1960s)

First Appearance: Chamber of Darkness I#1 (October, 1969)

Powers/Abilities: Boswell Boliver was a brilliant inventor. His greatest invention was his time machine, with which he was transported into a medieval era. Boliver brought a cigarette lighter, camera and radio with him on this adventure.

Height: Unrevealed (approximately 5'10")
Weight: Unrevealed (approximately 135 lbs.)
Eyes: Blue
Hair: Dark blond

History:
(Chamber of Darkness I#1/3) - Boswell Boliver wanted to find respect from his peers but had always been met with laughter. Tired of being humiliated, Boliver built a time machine and plotted to journey into the past, finding an era for himself in which his genius would be appreciated. As he prepared to activate his machine, he paused to wonder if he should dare but finally resolved "anything is better than spending the rest of my life as a fool!"

    Boliver activated the time machine and he was flung into the past, somewhere into Earth's medieval history (the machine itself was stationary and did not travel with him). Boliver materialized in the midst of a joust and found himself in the middle of a tilt with a jousting knight charging towards him. Boliver leaped out of the tilt before he could be trampled. Accused of interrupting the tournament, Boliver was dragged before the king. When the king demanded Boliver explain who he was and why he wore such "strange" clothing, Boliver tried to explain he was a time traveler from the future. The king threw him into the castle dungeon.

    After three days in the dungeon, the king summoned Boliver to appear before him. Boliver hoped that he could quickly win the king over by demonstrating his superior intellect in ways that would amaze him. Pulling out a cigarette lighter, Boliver promised he could make flame appear from his "metal box." However, he proved unable to produce a flame because the lighter fluid was exhausted. The king and his court laughed at Boliver.

    For his second attempt, Boliver took out a camera and prepared to take a photograph of the king but one of the king's guards mistook the camera for a weapon and jabbed at it with his spear. The camera fell to the stone floor and broke, simultaneously exposing the film, ruining the device entirely. Again, the court laughed at Boliver.

    For his final attempt, Boliver produced a pocket radio and promised it would "pick music out of the air." However, when he turned the radio on, no music emerged. Boliver struggled with the radio while the king and queen laughed at him. Finally, he realized why it didn't work: there were no radio stations in existence. 

    The king ordered Boliver be put to death for jesting with him. Just as the king ordered his guards to take Boliver away for execution, the queen interceded, believing it would be a pity to kill someone so amusing. The queen spared Boliver's life but as a result, he could only find employment in the king's court as the jester and so Boliver was once again fated to be laughed at by everyone who knew him.

Comments: Created by Gary Friedrich, Don Heck and Frank Giacoia.

    Boswell's story was narrated by Digger. When Marvel UK republished the story in Doctor Who Weekly I#36, Digger was replaced with the Doctor.

    This story is a little similar to one from Mystic I#52 in which a businessman named Burton willed himself to the past, hoping he'd become a robber baron; instead he became a court jester.

    This profile was completed 06/11/2025 but its publication was delayed, as it was intended for the Appendix's 25th anniversary celebratory event.

Profile by Prime Eternal.

CLARIFICATIONS:
Boswell Boliver should not be confused with:

time machine

Boswell Boliver's time machine was constructed in the 1960s and used by Boliver to travel back in time to a medieval age. The machine itself did not travel with Boliver, instead remaining in the time and place in which it had been built. Consequently, there was no means for Boliver to return to his own time.




--Chamber of Darkness I#1/3

images: (without ads)
Chamber of Darkness I#1/3, page 1 (Boliver Boswell, main)
Chamber of Darkness I#1/3, page 2, panel 2 (Boliver Boswell, face)
Chamber of Darkness I#1/3, page 7, panel 5 (Boliver as a jester)
Chamber of Darkness I#1/3, page 3, panel 1 (time machine)

Appearances:
Chamber of Darkness I#1/3 (October, 1969) - Gary Friedrich (writer), Don Heck (penciler), Frank Giacoia (inker), Stan Lee (editor)

First posted: 09/01/2026
 Last updated: 05/27/2026

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

Non-Marvel Copyright info
All other characters mentioned or pictured are ™ and © 1941-2099 Marvel Characters, Inc. All Rights Reserved. If you like this stuff, you should check out the real thing!
Please visit The Marvel Official Site at: http://www.marvel.com

Special Thanks to http://www.g-mart.com/ for hosting the Appendix, Master List, etc.!

Back to Characters