HUMAN TOP
Real Name: David Mitchell
Identity/Class: Human mutate (World
War II era to modern era)
Occupation: Retiree;
former member
of the Penance Council of the V-Battalion, adventurer, delivery boy
Group Membership: None;
formerly Penance Council (Angel/Thomas Halloway, Destroyer/Roger
Aubrey, Fred Davis, Golden Sun/Kenji Sabuki, Golden Woman/Gwenny Lou
Sabuki, Goldfire/Ameiko
Sabuki, Jim Hammond, Iron
Cross/Helmut Gruler, Irene Martinez, Isadora Martinez, Miss
America/Madeline Joyce, Nuklo/Robert Frank Jr., Reb
Ralston, Sam Sabuki, Silver Scorpion/Betty Barstow,
Spitfire/Jacqueline Falsworth, Topspin/Darren Mitchell, Twister,
Union Jack/Brian Falsworth, Whizzer/Robert Frank Sr.), V-Battalion
(Citizen V/John Watkins III, Andrea
Sterman, numerous others),
Kid
Commandos (Bucky/James Buchanan Barnes, Golden Girl/Gwen Sabuki,
Toro/Thomas Raymond)
Affiliations: Captain Simms, Golden Girl (Betty Ross), Invaders (Bucky/Fred Davis, Captain America/Steve Rogers, Captain America/William Naslund, Human Torch/Jim Hammond, Namor the Sub-Mariner/Namor McKenzie, Spitfire/Jacqueline Falsworth, Union Jack/Brian Falsworth), Leopard Girl (Gwen), Miss Patriot (Mary Morgenstern), Sam Sawyer, Sun Girl, Thunderer (Jerry Carstairs)
Enemies: Agent
Axis (Hiroyuki Kanegawa, Aldo Malvagio, Berthold Volker) Lady
Lotus, Red Skull (Johann Shmidt), U-Man (Meranno)
Known Relatives: Twister (son), Darren Mitchell (grandson)
Aliases: "Davy"
Base of Operations: Valhalla Villas, Miami,
Florida, USA;
formerly
mobile aboard the Vanguard as well as Castle Masada, Symkaria; Los
Angeles, California, USA
First Appearance: (as Davy Mitchell) Invaders I#27
(April, 1978);
(as the Human Top) Invaders I#28 (May, 1978)
Powers/Abilities: As the Human Top, Davy
Mitchell had the superhuman power to move at superhuman speed. This
also increased his reflexes, enabling him to easily dodge attacks. His
preferred method of movement was to spin at high speeds, making him
more difficult to hit, and also to repeatedly strike his enemies with
his fists. His powers made him immune to any dizziness or nausea that
his spinning would have otherwise inflicted.
Height: Unrevealed
(approximately 6'0")
Weight: Unrevealed (approximately 167 lbs.)
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Black
History:
(Invaders I#27 (fb) - BTS) - Davy Mitchell was a black teenager in Los
Angeles. He looked up the young superhero Toro but otherwise felt white
people didn't have as many troubles as black people did. As an orphan,
he claimed he managed "by movin' fast-- makin' myself useful to white
folks." Eventually, he became a delivery boy.
(Invaders I#27) - Davy was sent to deliver flowers to a sick woman at Pacifica General Hospital when he passed by an operating room where a doctor was tending to the injured Toro. Davy overheard the doctor saying Toro was dying, which shocked Davy, as Toro was the hero he had most wanted to be like. When the doctor exited, Davy snuck in for a moment to see Toro for himself but two servants of Agent Axis burst into the room through a tunneling device and took Toro as their prisoner. Because Davy had witnessed them, they also brought Davy along.
Aboard Agent Axis' tunneling machine, Davy met other captives Bucky, Dr. Sam Sabuki and Gwenny Lou Sabuki. Agent Axis wanted Dr. Sabuki to divide himself back into his original three selves and threatened to murder the other captives to force his hand, starting with Davy. Gwenny and Bucky fought back against Agent Axis' men and Davy joined them but Agent Axis held a gun to Toro's head to make them surrender. As Agent Axis transported his prisoners to his base, Davy shared information about himself to Bucky and the Sabukis. Arriving at the base, Dr. Sabuki operated on Toro then began an operation on Agent Axis. Agent Axis had Davy and Gwenny Lou strapped into the machine Dr. Sabuki would use and had the device rigged so that if Dr. Sabuki harmed him, the machine would duplicate those injuries on Davy and Gwenny Lou. However, Toro had revived quickly and started to fight Agent Axis' men. Toro's flames caused Agent Axis' machine to overload. While Agent Axis fled the overloading device, Davy and Gwenny Lou were bathed in radiation. Escaping their bonds, both discovered they had obtained super powers, Gwenny Lou gaining the power to generate light and Davy, the power to move at superhuman speed. When Agent Axis' men shot at him, Davy discovered his reflexes were so sharp he could dodge their bullets and spin at terrific speeds without becoming dizzy. As Agent Axis threatened Dr. Sabuki, Bucky and Toro's fellow Invaders burst into the hideout.
(Invaders I#28) - As Gwenny Lou and Davy helped the
Invaders, Gwenny Lou mused that Davy moved like "a human top." When
Agent Axis tried to flee with Dr. Sabuki, Bucky, Toro, Davy and Gwenny
Lou (now calling herself Golden Girl) resolved to save him as a team
but the other Invaders quickly captured Agent Axis and saved Dr.
Sabuki. However, Bucky and Toro felt they were morally compelled to
confront the Sandy Flat Relocation Center where the Sabuki family had
been interned. Borrowing the Atlantean craft used by the Invaders,
Bucky, Toro, Golden Girl, Davy and Dr. Sabuki flew to Sandy Flat. Davy
remarked that if they were going to be a team, he and Golden Girl
should also wear costumes. Looking through the craft's compartments,
they discovered some extra garments Namor had left there. As Davy
started to undress, Gwenny Lou grew embarrassed. Realizing her
discomfort, Toro and Davy turned their backs to her and Davy reminded
Bucky not to look at Gwenny Lou through the rear-view mirror. Davy and
Golden Girl soon donned their first costumes and the four heroes
arrived at Sandy Flat Relocation Center to confront Captain Simms, the
US military officer in charge of the internment camp.
As Bucky started to explain that they weren't returning the Sabukis to confinement, Agent Axis' tunneling machine suddenly burst into the camp and "Agent Axis" (actually disguised Invader Namor the Sub-Mariner) burst out of the machine. The four young heroes quickly joined forces against him as Davy, now calling himself the Human Top, helped pummel "Agent Axis." With the villain defeated, Dr. Sabuki announced he would remain in the camp but that Gwenny Lou would remain free to serve as an example of what Japanese-Americans could accomplish. Captain Simms grudgingly permitted her to depart with Bucky, Toro and the Human Top. The four heroes then brought "Agent Axis" back to the Invaders, only to learn Agent Axis had never escaped their custody and that the man they had fought in the camp was actually Namor the Sub-Mariner, dressed as Agent Axis so the children could demonstrate their abilities to Captain Simms. The four of them complained that they had been set-up for the fight but Namor admitted they had fought well and had genuinely bested him. Bucky and Toro resolved to temporarily leave the Invaders to form a new team alongside Davy and Gwenny Lou. Davy announced their new team would be called the Kid Commandos and the Invaders wished them well in their new group.
(Invaders I#38) - After defeating a group of Japanese spies, the Kid Commandos were contacted by the Invaders, who mentioned that they were nearby in San Diego. The Kid Commandos went to Santa Monica to stop another group of arriving Japanese spies. The four heroes quickly defeated them but then the Atlantean U-Man assaulted the group, having arrived to capture Golden Girl. Human Top tried to fight U-Man but his best super-fast attack merely bounced off U-Man's tough skin.
(Invaders I#39) - After reviving, the Kid Commandos were joined by the Invaders and pursued U-Man to the base of his leader, Lady Lotus. Lady Lotus and U-Man fled when the heroes arrived, enabling them to rescue Golden Girl. Bucky and Toro were both attracted to Golden Girl and Human Top was concerned that they might become jealous and create friction within the group.
(Captain America: Forever Allies I#1 (fb)) - The Kid Commandos appeared together as Bucky mused that the Human Top and Golden Girl were called things "a lot worse than 'kid.'"
(Invaders II#1 (fb)) - The Human Top joined the Kid Commandos at a war bond rally.
(Avengers/Invaders I#12) - The Human Top was one of many superheroes summoned by Paul Anselm using the Cosmic Cube to battle the Red Skull. Afterwards, Paul used the Cosmic Cube to undo all the evil it had been used for.
(All-New Invaders I#7 (fb - BTS)) - After Bucky's apparent death, the Human Top and Toro agreed that Golden Girl should become the leader of the Kid Commandos. Although Fred Davis was appointed the guise of Bucky, he did not join the Kid Commandos. With fighting in Europe at an end, the Kid Commandos went to aid the Allies' cause in the Pacific against Japan.
(All-New Invaders I#7 (fb)) - On July 2, 1945, General Sam Sawyer held a briefing with the Invaders and Kid Commandos to go over their plan to test a new weapon which combined the abilities of the Human Torch, Sub-Mariner and Spitfire to generate an artificial tsunami, with the intent of using this to assault Japan. Golden Girl expressed doubts about the weapon, knowing that it would strike civilians just as easily as military targets.
(All-New Invaders I#6-7 (fb)) - On July 3, 1945, the Kid Commandos opposed a test of the super-weapon and went into battle against the Invaders, who sought to complete their mission to test the weapon.
(All New Invaders I#7 (fb)) - The Human Top used his superhuman speed to easily defeat the new Captain America (William Naslund) and Bucky (Fred Davis), as well as Spitfire. The fight came to an end when Golden Girl and Namor the Sub-Mariner discovered the island nearby was inhabited by civilians who would have been killed by the weapon test. This revelation caused the Invaders to cancel the test. Shortly afterward, the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, forcing Japan to surrender.
(Citizen
V & the V-Battalion I#1 (fb)) - After meeting the All-Winners Squad
in the late 1940s, the Destroyer (Roger Aubrey) decided to reactivate
the wartime V-Battalion as a superhuman international fighting force.
Operating mostly through espionage, the V-Battalion dedicated
themselves to defending the Earth and the Human Top was among the
superhumans who first joined the team's ranks.
(Citizen V & the V-Battalion: The Everlasting I#1 (fb)) - In 1953, Davy attended the funeral of Brian Falsworth alongside other members of the V-Battalion and other surviving heroes from World War II.
(Citizen V & the V-Battalion I#2 (fb)) - At some point in the V-Battalion's history, the Human Top, Golden Girl, Iron Cross and Destroyer saved the Earth from an unidentified other-dimensional assault.
(Citizen V & the V-Battalion: The Everlasting I#3) - After his grandson's close friend Goldfire died in battle, Davy went to help console him over her death. Topspin asked his grandfather if he had lost anyone when he was the Human Top. Davy responded that death was "a reality of life, D -- especially in our jobs." Darren replied "Then maybe...we should think... about getting new jobs..."
(Ant-Man: Last Days I#1) - At some point, Mitchell retired to Valhalla Villas, a retirement community for superheroes and supervillains run by Mary Morgenstern, the former Miss Patriot. Other retirees included Leopard Girl, Doctor Fear, the Human Top, Sun Girl and Golden Girl. Sensing the end of the world coming, Morgenstern used an Asgardian mask to temporarily restore all of the heroes and villains' youthfulness so that they could enjoy one last day of adventures. Mitchell donned his old Human Top costume and went flying through the air above Miami.
Comments: Created by Roy Thomas, Frank Robbins and Frank Springer.
It is unclear whether Davy Mitchell still possessed his superhuman
speed powers into his adulthood. --Proto-Man
We haven't seen him demonstrate those
powers except during his youth.
This profile was completed 05/20/2025 but its publication was delayed, as it was intended for the Appendix's 25th anniversary celebratory event.
Profile by Prime Eternal.
CLARIFICATIONS:
The Human Top should not be confused with:
Twister(Citizen V & the V-Battalion: The Everlasting I#1/text) - The son of the Human Top, Twister did not have superhuman powers but used mechanical devices in his battlesuit which enabled him to simulate some of his father's powers. Like his father, he became a member of the V-Battalion and served as a field agent.
(Citizen V & the V-Battalion I#2 (fb)) - At some point in the V-Battalion's history, Twister joined the Destroyer, Golden Sun and Iron Cross on a mission to secretly prevent the genocide of the mutant race, an adventure which involved the newly-created Cerebro machine built by Professor Charles Xavier.
(Citizen V & the V-Battalion: The Everlasting I#1/text) - Eventually, Twister decided to step down from field activity but continued to serve the V-Battalion in a scientific capacity.
--Citizen V and the V-Battalion I#2 (fb)
images: (without ads)
Invaders I#28, cover (Human Top in his prime, main)
Invaders I#27, page 4, panel 1 (Human Top in his prime, face)
Citizen V & the V-Battalion: The Everlasting I#3, page 13, panel 5
(Human Top as an older man)
Citizen V & the V-Battalion I#2, page 14, panel 2 (Twister)
Appearances:
Invaders I#27-28 (April-May, 1978) - Roy Thomas (writer, editor), Frank
Robbins (penciler), Frank Springer (inker)
Invaders I#38-39 (March-April, 1979) - Don Glut (writer), Alan
Kupperberg (penciler), Chic Stone (inker), Roy Thomas (editor)
Invaders II#1 (May, 1993) - Roy Thomas (writer), Dave Hoover (pencils),
Brian Garvey (inks), Mike Rockwitz (editor)
Citizen
V & the V-Battalion I#1-2 (June-July, 2001) - Fabian Nicieza
(writer), Michael Ryan (penciler), Sean Parsons (inker), Tom Brevoort
(editor)
Citizen V & the V-Battalion: The Everlasting I#1 (March, 2002) -
Fabian Nicieza (writer), Lewis LaRosa (penciler), Jim Royal (inker),
Tom Brevoort (editor)
Citizen V & the V-Battalion: The Everlasting I#3 (June, 2002) -
Fabian Nicieza (writer), Lewis LaRosa (penciler), UDON Studios (inker),
Tom Brevoort (editor)
Avengers/Invaders I#12 (August, 2009) - Alex Ross (plot, artist), Jim
Krueger (plot, script), Steve Sadowski, Jack Herbert (artists), Stephen
Wacker (editor)
Captain America: Forever Allies I#1 (October, 2010) - Roger Stern
(writer), Nick Dragotta, Marco Santucci (artists), Patrick Piazzalunga
(inker), Tom Brennan (editor)
All New Invaders I#6-7 (August-September, 2014) - James Robinson
(writer), Mark Laming (artist), Mark Paniccia (editor)
Ant-Man: Last Days I#1 (October, 2015) - Nick Spencer (writer), Ramon
Rosanas (artist), Wil Moss (editor)
First posted: 09/02/2026
Last updated:
05/20/2025
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
Non-Marvel
Copyright info
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Characters, Inc. All Rights Reserved. If you like this stuff, you
should check out the real thing!
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