CHERRY CHWATT

Real Name: Charles "Cherry" Chwatt

Identity/Class: Human (World War II Era)

Occupation: Candy store owner, racketeer

Group Membership: Leader of his own gang

Affiliations: Curley

Enemies: Secret Stamp (Roddy Colt), Mrs. White, James White, Toddy White

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: "Sinister Shylock" (narration), "Killer Shylock" (story title), "Tough Shylock"

Base of Operations: A candy store in Freetown, USA

First Appearance: Captain America Comics I#20 (November, 1942)

Powers/Abilities: Cherry Chwatt carried a pistol.

Height: Unrevealed (approximately 5'11")
Weight: Unrevealed (approximately 170 lbs.)
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Black (balding)

History:

(Captain America Comics I#20/3 (fb) - BTS) - Charles "Cherry" Chwatt ran a candy store. He would lend out money to people such as butcher James White, but he demanded his money be repaid or he'd kill the borrower. He built up a terrible reputation for killing people who borrowed from him.

(Captain America Comics I#20/3) - Cherry sampled a plate of cherries at his candy store while James White pleaded for more time to repay his loan. Growing tired of White's pleading, Cherry punched him in the face and told his enforcers to "dump him." They dragged James out of the candy store. Returning to his bowl of cherries, Cherry remarked to Curley, the shop clerk, that "They call me a tough Shylock but I play fair, don't I?"

    When James' son Toddy came to the candy store looking for his father, Cherry told him to beat it and called his father a pest; Toddy angrily kicked Cherry in the shins, so Cherry violently kicked him out of the store.

    Later, Roddy Colt (who as the Secret Stamp had been brought into the case by Toddy) visited the candy store and hid himself in a telephone booth so he could eavesdrop on Cherry having a conversation with an old woman who borrowed from him. When Cherry told his men to kill the old lady, Roddy donned his Secret Stamp costume but was spotted in the telephone booth when the phone rang. The Secret Stamp called for help on the telephone. Cherry's men attacked the Secret Stamp but he dodged them. Cherry fired his gun but missed and Secret Stamp fled. With the polie and firefighters responding to the Secret Stamp's message, Cherry and his gang fled the candy store and went to hide at the Moderne Garage.

    After James White turned up alive but badly beaten, the Secret Stamp returned to the candy store and forced Curley to tell him where Cherry was hiding. The Secret Stamp attacked Cherry and his men in the garage. When Cherry tried to evade the Secret Stamp on a car elevator, the hero flipped on to the top of the elevator and kicked Cherry in the jaw, knocking him out. The Secret Stamp turned over Cherry and his men to the police.

Comments: Created by an unidentified writer and Don Rico.

   

    In case the racism of this story escaped you, I'll explain that the term "Shylock" refers to the Jewish moneylender from William Shakespeare's play 'The Merchant of Venice'; over the centuries, it came to be used as a shorthand to insult both Jews and people who lent money (essentially a means of comparing someone to a Jew). It was a common insult up to the 1940s.

    This profile was completed on 03/24/2026 but its publication was delayed, as it was intended for the Appendix's 25th anniversary celebratory event.

Profile by Prime Eternal.

CLARIFICATIONS:
Cherry Chwatt should not be confused with:

images: (without ads)
Captain America Comics I#20/3, page 1, panel 3 (main)
Captain America Comics I#20/3, page 4, panel 2 (face)

Appearances:
Captain America Comics I#20/3 (November, 1942) - unidentified writer, Don Rico (artist), Stan Lee (editor)

First posted: 09/16/2026
Last updated: 03/24/2026

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

Non-Marvel Copyright info
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