History:
CAPTAIN DARING
Real Name: Lee Bradford
Identity/Class: Human (World
War 2 Era to Modern Era)
Occupation: Pilot
Group Membership: U.S. Army Air Force, the Sky Sharks (Bill, Zeke Mallon, others)
Affiliations: Ant-Man (Scott Lang), Bill, Golden Girl (Betty Ross), Human Top, Leopard Girl, Zeke Mallon, Miss Patriot (Mary Morgenstern), Lt. Raeger, Sun Girl (Mary Mitchell), the Thunderer, Colonel Welling, Valerie Welling
Enemies: Nazis (Air Marshal von Hapz); formerly Lt. Raeger
Known Relatives: None
Aliases: None
Base of Operations: Valhalla Villas, Miami,
Florida, USA;
formerly Southampton, England, UK
First Appearance: U.S.A. Comics I#7/2 (February, 1943)
Powers/Abilities: In his prime, Captain Daring was an excellent pilot who captained a bomber crew. He was also an fine hand-to-hand fighter and resourceful thinker. He carried a pistol as his sidearm. Even in retirement he usually wore his helmet with goggles.
Height: Unrevealed
(approximately 5'11")
Weight: Unrevealed (approximately 170 lbs.)
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Black
History:
(U.S.A. Comics I#7/2 (fb) - BTS) - Lee Bradford was an American U.S. Army Air Force bomber pilot who was based near Southampton, England during World War II. Lee's bomber crew were dubbed "the Sky Sharks" and Lee was called "Captain Daring" because of his daring exploits. One of the other Sky Sharks was Zeke Mallon.
After the Nazi spy Lt. Raeger sent information to Berlin which enabled them to locate and capture a plane carrying Colonel Welling, Lee was given the detail to arrange Colonel Welling's return. It was decided that they should exchange Air Marshal von Hapz for Colonel Welling. First, Bradford, Zeke Mallon and two Military Policemen went to arrest Lt. Raeger for his role in Colonel Welling's capture.
(U.S.A. Comics I#7/2) - Captain Daring went to a Southampton tea shop where Lt. Raeger was enjoying himself. Grabbing Raeger by the lapels, Captain Daring accused him of being a spy and punched him in the jaw. Unfortunately, Colonel Welling's daughter Valerie was in the tea shop and she misunderstood their conflict. Angered at seeing Bradford strike a British officer, Valerie intruded and slapped Bradford in the face. This gave Raeger an opportunity to escape. When Zeke and the two Military Policemen arrived Lee told them of his bad luck and explained to Valerie how Lt. Raeger was responsible for her father's capture.
The Allies transferred Air Marshal von Hapz into Captain Daring's custody so he could transport the officer to Berlin for the exchange. Captain Daring selected only Zeke to accompany him on the mission, which left the other Sky Sharks envying Zeke.
When they landed their bomber in Berlin, Air Marshal von Hapz was quickly received by his fellow Nazis but the Nazis drew their guns on Captain Daring and Zeke to take them prisoner as a double cross. Air Marshal von Hapz brought Captain Daring and Zeke to a hotel where the Nazis were holding Colonel Welling. Captain Daring found Lt. Raeger was there as well and Raeger had assumed the uniform of a Nazi officer. Air Marshal von Hapz gloated that he'd send Captain Daring, Colonel Welling and Zeke to a concentration camp and left them locked inside one of the hotel rooms.
However, Zeke had concealed a screwdriver on his prerson and Captain Daring used it to wreck the door. When the three men escaped the room they found Lt. Raeger standing outside with a gun held on them, but Raeger handed the pistol to Captain Daring, saying there was no time to ask questions. With Raeger's help, they quickly overcame the other Nazi guards stationed in the hotel and in the kitchen they clashed with von Hapz. During the fight, Raeger was fatally wounded by a bullet fired by von Hapz.
Captain Daring reclaimed von Hapz as his prisoner and they left the hotel in von Hapz's car, with the dying Lt. Raeger propped between Zeke and Colonel Welling. Captain Daring drove the car and overcame roadblocks, returning to the airfield where his bomber had been left. As they went to the plane, Lt. Raeger explained he'd been forced to serve as a spy for the Nazis because his parents were in a concentration camp but having learned his parents were dead, Raeger had turned on them; Raeger died in the back of von Hapz's car.
Before they could reclaim their bomber, a Nazi machine gun crew set themselves up on the airfield, blocking their path and a second squad of armed Nazis entered behind them. Suddenly, two airplanes flown by the other Sky Sharks, who had been alerted to the double cross by Lt. Raeger, swooped down and began bombing and shooting down the Nazis on the airfield. With the other Sky Sharks providing cover, Captain Daring was able to board the bomber with Zeke, Colonel Welling and von Hapz and took off.
When they landed thier planes back in Southampton, Captain Daring asked the Sky Sharks member Bill how they'd known to come and assist he and Zeke. Bill explained Lt. Raeger had radioed them. Valerie thanked Captain Daring for saving her father, giving him a tight embrace and pulling him in for a kiss.
(Ant-Man: Last Days I#1) - Late in life, Lee Bradford retired to Valhalla Villas, the retirement home in Miami, Florida run by Mary Morgenstern, the former Miss Patriot. Sensing the end of the world at hand, Mary used a magical Asgardian artifact to temporarily restore youth to all of the people at Valhalla Villas so they could enjoy one last day of adventures. Boarding a vintage World War II attack craft like the one he flew with the Sky Sharks, Lee soared above Miami and saluted Mary and her friend Ant-Man.
Comments: Created by an unidentified writer and Alex Schomburg.
As discussed on Michael J. Vassallo's blog, this Captain Daring is virtually the same as the character of Don Gorman and there's speculation that Schomburg might have illustrated Gorman's first appearance. It seems likely that Captain Daring's sole wartime adventure was originally meant to be a Don Gorman story.
Profile by Prime Eternal.
CLARIFICATIONS:
Lee Bradford, Captain Daring should not be confused with:
Zeke Mallon was a member of the Sky Sharks. Zeke accompanied Captain Daring when he went to arrest Lt. Raeger in a tea shop but Raeger evaded them. Afterward, Zeke was the only one of the Sky Sharks to accompany Captain Daring on his mission to exchange Air Marshal von Hapz for Colonel Welling, with Zeke serving as Lee's co-pilot on the flight to Berlin. Zeke and Lee were taken prisoner by the Nazis but escaped using a screwdriver Zeke had concaled on his person. Zeke and Captain Daring rescued Colonel Welling, recaptured von Hapz and returned to their bomber, which they flew back to England. When Zeke saw Valerie embrace Captain Daring he joked, "Get yourself out of this one, Captain Daring!"
--U.S.A. Comics I#7/2
Lt. Raeger was a pilot in the British Air Corps. His parents were in France when the country was invaded by Germany and they were both placed in a concentration camp. The Nazis contacted Raeger, informing him of his parents' fate, and used them as leverage to force him into spying for Germany. Among the information Raeger shared with Germany was the intelligence they needed to capture Colonel Welling's plane. Captain Daring learned of Raeger's treachery and confronted him in a Southampton tea shop but Valerie Welling misunderstood the cause of their fight and interceded to slap Captain Daring in the face, giving Raeger an opportunity to flee. Raeger flew to Berlin, Germany and as thanks for his service he was installed as an officer in the German Army. However, Raeger learned his parents had died six months earlier in the concentration camp so his reasons for helping the Nazis had evaporated. When Captain Daring and Zeke Mallon brought Air Marshal von Hapz to Berlin to exchange him for Colonel Welling but were both taken prisoner, Raeger sent a message to the other Sky Sharks in England, alerting them of the double cross. Then, Raeger helped Captain Daring, Zeke and Colonel Welling escape and take von Hapz prisoner, but Raeger was fatally wounded by gunfire from von Hapz. Although dying, Raeger accompanied the others as they returned to Captain Daring's bomber and Raeger explained why he'd been helping the Nazis, but insisted he'd always loved Britain. Raeger died in the back of von Hapz's car.
--U.S.A. Comics I#7/2
The Sky Sharks were the bomber crew who served under Captain Daring's command. There were at least six Sky Sharks, although only Bill and Zeke Mallon were named. When Captain Daring selected only Zeke to accompany him on his mission to exchange Air Marshal von Hapz for Colonel Welling in Berlin, the other Sky Sharks envied Zeke for the assignment. Later, Lt. Raeger radioed the Sky Sharks to warn them Captain Daring had been double-crossed by the Nazis. The Sky Sharks scrambled two attack crafts and rendezvoused with Captain Daring in Berlin, gunning down Nazis on the airfield so Captain Daring and Zeke could board the bomber. The Sky Sharks provided cover for the bomber as it took off, shooting down a Nazi plane.
--U.S.A. Comics I#7/2
Air Marshal von Hapz was a high-ranking German Air Force officer who had been captured by the Allies at some point during World War II. When Colonel Welling was kidnapped by the Germans, the Allies decided to exchange von Hapz for Welling and Captain Daring and Zeke Mallon flew von Hapz to Berlin, Germany for the exchange. However, instead the Germas took Captain Daring and Zeke as prisoners and von Hapz intended for both men to be sent to a concentration camp. When the British spy Lt. Raeger double-crossed the Nazis and set Captain Daring, Zeke and Colonel Welling free, von Hapz shot Raeger, fatally wounding him. Captain Daring forced von Hapz to accompany him in his bomber back to England where von Hapz was returned to confinement under the Allies.
--U.S.A. Comics I#7/2
Colonel Welling was a senior officer in the British Air Force who was on an observation flight when his location was given by the spy Lt. Raeger to the Nazis, who captured Colonel Welling and brought him to Berlin, Germany for confinement. Captain Daring and Zeke Mallon brought Air Marshal von Hapz to Berlin to exchange him for Colonel Welling but the Nazis double crossed them and tried to take Captain Daring and Zeke as prisoners instead. However, Lt. Raeger betrayed the Nazis and set Colonel Welling, Captain Daring and Zeke free. Colonel Welling accompanied Captain Daring and Zeke with the recaptured von Hapz aboard their bomber as they flew back to England. On their arrival, Colonel Welling saw his daughter Valerie embrace Captain Daring to thank him for saving her father.
--U.S.A. Comics I#7/2
Valerie Welling was the daughter of Colonel Welling and she served the Women's Auxiliary Air Force during World War II. When Colonel Welling was captured by the Nazis, Valerie was upset. While at a tea shop in Southampton, Valerie saw the American Captain Daring assault British pilot Lt. Raeger. Not understanding the situation, Valerie interceded and slapped Captain Daring in the face for striking a British officer. This allowed Lt. Raeger to escape while Captain Daring explained to Valerie that Lt. Raeger was the one who had supplied intelligence to the Nazis enabling them to capture her father. Valerie apologized for striking him. When Captain Daring later returned to England with her father, Valerie greeted them on the field and embraced Captain Daring, thanking him for saving her father's life.
--U.S.A. Comics I#7/2
images: (without ads)
U.S.A. Comics I#7/2, page 4, panel 8 (main)
U.S.A. Comics I#7/2, page 2, panel 7 (face)
Ant-Man: Last Days I#1, page 12, panel 1 (as an old man)
U.S.A. Comics I#7/2, page 9, panel 7 (Zeke)
U.S.A. Comics I#7/2, page 1, panel 3 (Raeger)
U.S.A. Comics I#7/2, page 1, panel 1 (Sky Sharks insignia)
U.S.A. Comics I#7/2, page 3, panel 3 (Sky Sharks)
U.S.A. Comics I#7/2, page 9, panel 4 (von Hapz)
U.S.A. Comics I#7/2, page 9, panel 7 (Col. Welling)
U.S.A. Comics I#7/2, page 2, panel 1 (Valerie)
Appearances:
U.S.A. Comics I#7/2 (February, 1943) - unidentified writer, Alex
Schomburg (artist), Stan Lee (editor)
Ant-Man: Last Days I#1 (October, 2015) - Nick Spencer (writer), Ramon
Rosanas (artist), Wil Moss (editor)
First posted: 09/30/2026
Last updated: 09/21/2026
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
Non-Marvel
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