RICK DAVIS

Real Name: Rick Davis

Identity/Class: Human (post-World War II era)

Occupation: Undercover intelligence agent

Group Membership: Secret Service of the United States

Affiliations: Ruth Benson, Dave Berger, Chief Bogan, Roy Burrows, Alfredo Costa, Major Cullum, Demetrius, Mike Denver, Charlie Fong, Paul Gelder, Grills, Anton Ledovik, Marie Ledovik, the Maharajah of Jahnapur, Charlie Mays, Mike, Sam, Anna Schmidt, Johannes Schmidt, Scotland Yard, Professor Streicher, Travis, Johannes van Cleve, Jim Wayne

Enemies: Baratov, Boris, Buloff, Franz Buren, Chenska, Chernak, Chesnik, Alfredo Costa impostor, Grosz, Paul Jaraslaw, Koroloff, Phillip Krasna, Ernst Marsak, Marshek, Ernst Rodin, Frank Schaefer, Chu Sen, Curt Stenska, Suwachi, Carl Tetzler, Paul Tolstein, Toska, Su Ming Toy, Verspronick

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: Impersonated Curt Stenska, Franz Buren, Phillip Krasna

Base of Operations: Washington D.C., USA

First Appearance: Spy Thrillers I#1 (November, 1954)

Powers/Abilities: Rick was very adept at remembering key details and local languages in the many places where he operated. He was a capable undercover agent. He frequently used a handgun and was an excellent marksman. He also proved capable as an airplane pilot.

Height: Unrevealed (approximately 5'11")
Weight: Unrevealed (approximately 165 lbs.)
Eyes: Blue
Hair: Brown

History:
(Spy Thrillers I#1) - Rick Davis completed his training at the Secret Service School, including training in marksmanship and undercover operations. Rick was quickly rushed into action as agents Jim Wayne and Mike Denver requested an agent who was not previously identified with the Secret Service in order to defend scientist Alfredo Costa from Communist agents. Curt Stenska tried to kidnap Costa but Rick defeated Stenska. Rick impersonated Stenska so he could infiltrate the Communist party and discovered they'd altered one of their agents with plastic surgery so he could impersonate Costa. Davis saved Costa from the spies and the other Secret Service agents arrested the Communists. Rick was then formally welcomed into the Secret Service.

(Spy Thrillers I#1/2) - In Cairo, Egypt, Rick impersonated a Communist to get important papers from the Communist agent Chernak but Rick's contact man Josef had been killed and replaced by Baratov, a Communist agent. Baratov killed Chernak and the papers were taken by Demetrius, who claimed to be a mercenary and wanted Rick to pay him for the papers. When Baratov tried to kill Rick for the papers, Demetrius saved him and revealed he was actually working for the Secret Service.

(Spy Thrillers I#1/4) - Communists were after Swiss scientist Johannes Schmidt's new trigger mechanism. Rick went to Switzerland and tried to defend Johannes but the spies killed Schmidt and took his plans. Unfortunately for the spies, they also took a watch which Johannes had given Rick and the watch was actually a bomb that killed the spies.

(Spy Thrillers I#2 (fb)) - Maria Ledovik came to the Secret Service to request their aid in helping her father Anton Ledovik in escaping Czechoslovakia. For the assignment, Chief Bogan had Rick trained so that he could pass as a local.

(Spy Thrillers I#2) - Rick arrived at the Czechoslovakian border town Cheznik to find Professor Ledovik but someone tried to shoot him as he stepped off the train, indicating his arrival was expected. Rick met with Professor Ledovik's former assistant Paul Jaraslaw for help but Jaraslaw was working for the Communists and had been the one who alerted them to Rick's arrival. Paul sent Rick into an ambush and the Communists tried to kill him by strapping him into a motorcycle but Rick escaped the death-trap and rescued Professor Ledovik from the Communists, bringing him and his daughter Maria back to the USA. Maria kissed Rick while thanking him.

(Spy Thrillers I#2/2) - Chief Bogan sent Rick to Iowa to investigate crop dusting planes suspected of deliberately dropping insect eggs over crops in order to spoil US food supplies. Further, the Communists were scheming to use an insecticide that would permanently poison the farmland. Rick posed as a crop duster to find out who was responsible for the plot and finally discovered the pilot "Johnson" was really a Communist agent named Karoloff. As Karoloff took off in his plane to spread the poisonous insecticide, Rick boarded another crop duster and fired his handgun at Karoloff's plane, hitting the engine and killing the pilot.

(Spy Thrillers I#2/4) - Rick went to the UK and posed as a Cockney criminal, making pro-Communist speeches in order to be arrested and attract the local Communists into approaching him. A man named Grills brought Rick to the Communists in London led by Toska and pretended to assist them in their plot to steal new jet engine parts that were being built. When Rick was sent to work at a factory, a Communist agent named Marshek tried to kill him, having realized he was a spy. Rick's local ally Mike was killed by the Communists and Toska interrogated Rick by having Grills hit him to learn more about his investigation but Scotland Yard arrived in time to save Rick, revealing to him then that Grills had been an undercover inspector the entire time. Rick punched Grills in return for the beating he took during the interrogation.

(Spy Thrillers I#3) - Posing as the Nazi war criminal Franz Buren, Rick went to Tanganyika and discovered Communist agents Paul Tolstein and Ernst Rodin were trying to build an army there. When Rick's identity was discovered, Paul Tolstein tried to kill him by locking him in a cage with a gorilla but the local guide Matu shot the gorilla and it smashed through the cage. Rick assumed Ernst Rodin was his contact but Ernst was one of the spies. Fortunately, Matu turned out to be Secret Service agent Roy Burrows and saved him.

(Spy Thrillers I#3/2) - Davis went undercover at a rocket plant in New Mexico and discovered Communists among the workers planning a sabotage. He stopped the spies just in time to save the rocket launch.

(Spy Thrillers I#3/4) - Rick survived an assassination attempt by Communist agent Phillip Krasna aboard a boat and threw Krasna overboard. Rick assumed Krasna's identity, planting his own papers on Krasna. In this guise, he sought the notorious Hatchet Man who was killing fellow agents in Strassburg, Germany. Discovering it was the lion tamer Captain Kuttner (actually the spy Ernst Marsak), Rick was aided by Katrina (who proved to be agent Ruth Benson) and Kuttner was thrown to his own lions.

(Spy Thrillers I#4) - A Chinese ship was believed to be smuggling in an enemy agent to San Francisco, California but Davis and his allies didn't find anyone aboard, just elaborate mechanical dolls. Eventually, they realized the agent was Su Ming Toy, who was so small she could hide in a doll's packing box.

(Spy Thrillers I#4/2) - Davis was in Jahnapur, India searching for Carl Tetzler, a former Nazi who had become a Soviet agent. Rick found Tetzler masquerading as an Englishman and trying to win the maharajah's confidence but Davis exposed his identity and ensured the maharajah would be an ally of the USA.

(Spy Thrillers I#4/4) - Davis was sent to Amsterdam, Holland to protect the Dutch engraver Johannes van Cleve from enemy agents. Dutch agent Paul Gelder was sent to assist Rick but Gelder was impersonated by the Soviet agent Verspronick. The real Gelder arrived in time to help Davis save van Cleve.

Comments: Created by Joe Gill and Joe Sinnott.

    This profile was completed on 10/08/2025 but its publication was delayed, as it was intended for the Appendix's 25th anniversary event.

Profile by Prime Eternal.

CLARIFICATIONS:
Rick Davis should not be confused with:

Chief Bogan

Chief Bogan was one of Rick Davis' superiors in the Secret Service and was responsible for briefing him on many of his missions into the field.






--Spy Thrillers I#2 (#2/2, #4/4,

images: (without ads)
Spy Thrillers I#2, cover (Rick, main)
Spy Thrillers I#2/4, page 1, panel 1 (Rick, face)
Spy Thrillers I#2/2, page 3, panel 1 (Bogan)

Appearances:
Spy Thrillers I#1-2 (November, 1954-January, 1955) - Joe Gill (writer), Joe Sinnott (artist), Stan Lee (editor)
Spy Thrillers I#3-4 (March-May, 1955-) - Joe Gill (writer), Ross Andru (penciler), Mike Esposito (inker), Stan Lee (editor)

First posted: 09/09/2026
Last updated: 10/08/2025

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.!

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