History:
CAPTAIN DARING
Real Name: Daring (first name unrevealed)
Identity/Class: Human (alternate reality,
Earth-4263, 31st century)
Occupation: Soldier, military commander
Group Membership: U.S. Army
Affiliations: Hal, Susan Parker
Enemies: Joseph Goebbels, Hermann Goering, Adolf Hitler, The Undergrounders, Von Schalz
Known Relatives: None
Aliases: None
Base of Operations: Washington D.C., USA of Earth-4263
First Appearance: Daring Mystery Comics I#7/7 (April, 1941)
Powers/Abilities: Captain Daring is an excellent fighter in armed and unarmed combat. Among the many advanced resources he has access to is the Underground Rocket Plane and a pistol which fires an unidentified form of energy. He has also wielded a war-axe, which he can throw with sufficient force to kill a man. Captain Daring is considered an expert in military strategy.
Height: Unrevealed
(approximately 6'1")
Weight: Unrevealed (approximately 190 lbs.)
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Reddish-blond
History:
(Daring Mystery Comics I#7/7) - When the armies of the Undergrounders launched an assault upon the U.S.A., Captain Daring and Susan Parker were shown images of the attacks through Hal's telescope. Captain Daring led a squadron of four other men in Underground Rocket Planes to attack the Undergrounders and successfully destroyed one of the Undergrounders' warships. Captain Daring showed Susan the Sun Engine which powered the Underground Rocket Planes' weapons as the Undergrounders could not endure sunlight.
Captain Daring continued to lead the USA's forces against the Undergrounders, sending out Underground Rocket Planes to target border forts and mountain outposts. Captain Daring then led ground forces into the Undergrounders' realm while Susan Parker led in reinforcements, riding upon Dog Cavalry mounts they had stolen from the Undergrounders. Captain Daring sent in more Underground Rocket Planes to destroy another warship and he engaged in combat against the Undergrounders' Fuehrer. Hurling a war-axe at the Fuehrer, Captain Daring struck him in the back and killed him. The Undergrounders surrendered to Susan Parker and she ordered their armies off the continent. Susan was named the new queen of the Undergrounders and as she addressed her people to promise freedom and peace, she thanked Captain Daring. Captain Daring told the Undergrounders now they could enjoy liberty. "As for myself- well- I love freedom, I love a good fight-- and I love your queen!"
(Daring Mystery Comics I#8/6) - In the year 3050, Captain Daring was demobilizing the U.S. Army in Washington D.C. as a permanent peace had been declared throughout the world, when suddenly the city was assaulted by a rocket ship that slew scores of delegates from the peace conference. Captain Daring pursued them with his men aboard their rocket planes and they shot down the rocket. The rocket's four-man crew bailed out and Captain Daring pursued them to the ground. Much to his surprise, the perpetrators of the attack on Washington D.C. proved to be Adolf Hitler, Joseph Goebbels, Hermann Goring and von Schalz. Captain Daring recognized Hitler as the "mad dictator of 1941" and Hitler proposed, "perhaps you would like to know how we happen to be living in 3050 when we were supposed to have died in 1942?" Hitler explained how he and his allies had survived using a special chemical ice created by von Schalz and had awakened only a few months previously. Hitler intended to conquer the world again and demanded Captain Daring lead his armies to victory. Goring struck Captain Daring over the head with a pipe and von Schalz used hypnosis to place Captain Daring under their control. The hypnosis worked and soon Captain Daring began preparing Hitler's armies for the conquest of Earth.
Comments: Created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby.
What a place to leave the hero - brainwashed by the worst bad guys in history on a cliffhanger.
The story in Daring Mystery Comics I#7/7 moves at a terrific pace - I kind of wonder whether it was originally a series of breakdowns for a comic strip proposal that Simon and Kirby retrofitted into a single narrative. For example, the first time we see the Dog Cavalry in the story they're being ridden by Susan and her reinforcements; a caption claims those dogs had been captured from the Undergrounders but we never see them in use by the Undergrounders. Regardless of where it came from, it's interesting that it was the only story Simon and Kirby told with this character (although Kirby did draw him for the cover of Daring Mystery Comics I#8).
The Dog Cavalry in Daring Mystery Comics I#7/7 naturally call to mind the Dog Cavalry from Kirby's New Gods stories at DC Comics; they're basically identical.
This profile was completed on 11/24/2025 but its publication was delayed, as it was intended for the Appendix's 25th anniversary celebratory event.
Profile by Prime Eternal.
CLARIFICATIONS:
Captain Daring should not be confused with:
Hal was a communications technician who showed Captain Daring and Susan Parker images from a "giant telescope" depicting the ravages performed by the Undergrounders' forces.
--Daring Mystery Comics I#7/7
Susan Parker was an agent of the Secret Service and romantic interest of Captain Daring. When the Undergrounders began attacking the United States, Susan was troubled by the massacres caused by the Undergrounders and grew determined to defeat them. When Captain Daring led his forces in their final assault against the Undergrounders, Susan led a team of reinforcements. Having captured the Undergrounders's giant dogs, she and her reinforcements formed a Dog Cavalry and rode in battle upon the immense canines. After the Undergrounders' Fuehrer was slain, their representative Frano surrendered to Susan and she ordered the Undergrounders' army to leave the continent and never return. The next day, Susan was declared the queen of the Undergrounders. Susan declared the Undergrounders had been freed from their Fuehrer and Captain Daring declared his love for her.
Susan rode upon one of the giant dogs of the Dog Cavalry. Her steed was a canine as large as a horse and wore a breastplate that featured an enormous curved blade.
--Daring Mystery Comics I#7/7
Underground Rocket Planes were aerial vehicles flown by Captain Daring and four other members of his squadron. These vessels drew power from the sun using a device called the Sun Engine. Their pilots flew together in a pinwheel formation in battle. The Underground Rocket Planes destroyed one of the Undergrounders' warships in the USA's first strike back against the Undergrounders' invasion. Captain Daring continued to use these vessels in assaults upon Undergrounders' border ports and mountain outposts. They destroyed another warship during the battle in which the Undergrounders' Feuhrer was slain. Similar crafts were used by Captain Daring and his forces to shoot down a rocket ship commanded by Adolf Hitler.
--Daring Mystery Comics I#7/7 (8/6
The Undergrounders were a conglomeration of people who lived beneath the Earth's surface in what was called a "tunnel world." Undergrounders could not endure sunlight. They were led by a man who called himself "the Fuehrer" (left in image) who raised up their armies to invade the surface world and attack the United States. The Undergrounders' army began assaulting U.S. cities and demanded all the residents surrender to face death. Captain Daring of the U.S. Army led a squadron of Underground Rocket Planes to destroy one of the Undergrounders' warships. Soon after, Captain Daring sent his Underground Rocket Planes to attack the Undergrounders' border forts and mountain outpost, leading to a ground-based assault in which his forces were supported by Susan Parker, leading a Dog Cavalry she had captured from the Undergrounders. During the fight Captain Daring threw a war-axe at the Fuehrer and struck him in the back, killing him. Frano of the Undergrounders surrendered to Susan and she ordered the entire Undergrounder army to leave the continent and never return. Susan was named the new queen of the Undergrounders and she addressed her subjects, promising them freedom and peace and crediting Captain Daring for liberating them.
The Undergrounders had a variety of giant cannon weapons and enormous flying warships. They also had a number of giant dogs that they trained to fight in the Dog Cavalry.
--Daring Mystery Comics I#7/7
images: (without ads)
Daring Mystery Comics I#7/7, page 3, panel 2 (main)
Daring Mystery Comics I#7/7, page 1, panel 1 (face)
Daring Mystery Comics I#7/7, page 2, panel 4 (Hal)
Daring Mystery Comics I#7/7, page 3, panel 1 (Susan)
Daring Mystery Comics I#7/7, page 5, panel 1 (Susan with Dog Cavalry)
Daring Mystery Comics I#7/7, page 3, panel 4 (Underground Rocket Planes)
Daring Mystery Comics I#7/7, page 1, panel 2 (Undergrounders)
Appearances:
Daring Mystery Comics I#7/7 (April, 1941) - Joe Simon (writer, editor,
artist), Jack Kirby (co-plotter, penciler)
Daring Mystery Comics I#8/6 (January, 1942) - unidentified writer, Frank
Borth (artist), Joe Simon (editor)
First posted: 09/20/2026
Last updated:
11/24/2025
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
Non-Marvel
Copyright info
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