History:
THUNDERER
Real Name: Jerry Carstairs
Identity/Class: Human (World
War II Era to present)
Occupation: Communications technician, retired
super-hero
Group Membership: Federal Communications Commission
Affiliations: Angel (Tom Halloway), Ant-Man (Scott Lang), Black Marvel (Dan Lyons), Black Widow (Claire Voyant), Blazing Skull (Mark Todd), Bucky (James Buchanan Barnes), Captain America (Steve Rogers), Captain America (William Naslund), Captain Terror (Dan Kane), Eileen Conroy, Destroyer (Keen Marlow), the FBI, Golden Girl (Betty Ross), Mary Graham, Human Top (David Mitchell), Human Torch (Jim Hammond), Leopard Girl, Mike, Miss Patriot (Mary Morgenstern), Sub-Mariner (Namor), Sun Girl, Toro, Vision (Aarkus)
Enemies: Doctor Fear, Everyman, Franz, Gore, Harry, Mark, Red Skull (Johann Shmidt), Scientists Guild (Jerome Hamilton, Maris Morlak, Wladyslav Shinski, Carlo Zota), Slim, Kurt Weidner
Known Relatives: None
Aliases: Black Avenger; impersonated Kurt Weidner
Base of Operations: Valhalla Villas, Miami,
Florida, USA
formerly, F.C.C. headquarters, Washington D.C., USA
First Appearance: Daring Mystery Comics I#7 (April, 1941)
Powers/Abilities: In his prime, the Thunderer was an excellent hand-to-hand combatant. He wore a microphone under his cowl which would amplify his voice, so as to terrify his opponents who likened it to the "rumble of thunder." He occasionally carried a hand weapon, his Lightning Gun. The Lightning Gun emitted a sudden flash of light which would temporarily dazzle his opponents. Jerry Carstairs was an expert in radio technology and analyzing soundwaves; in addition to having access to the FCC's radio equipment he also had a "ham radio" set in his apartment. He also designed a device which could decode messages, using an electromagnet and a telegraph key to identify the hidden messages. Jerry also wore the Eternity Mask, a cosmic artifact woven from a part of the metaphysical being Eternity itself; the Eternity Mask granted its wearers the ability to match the power of anyone they faced. It's unknown to what extent Jerry was able to wield this potentially vast amount of power, but as the majority of his opponents were not superhuman, he apparently did not tap too deep into the Eternity Mask's might.
Height: Unrevealed
(approximately 6'1")
Weight: Unrevealed (approximately 200 lbs.)
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Black
History:
(Daring Mystery Comics I#7 (fb) - BTS) - Jerry Carstairs was a radio communications technician with the Federal Communications Commission in Washington D.C. who learned about crimes through the radio transmissions he studied. Jerry designed his own microphone apparatus.
(Marvel Comics I#1000/3) - In 1941, Jerry joined Project: Thunderer, a secret government operation headed by the Three X's. Having obtained the cosmic artifact Eternity Mask, the Three X's used Jerry to help them study the mask's effects. As they were performing a quasi-mystical quasi-scientific study of the Eternity Mask in which Jerry was naked except for his microphone apparatus they were glimpsed by Steve Rogers, who at the time was newly-recruited into Operation: Rebirth, which was housed in the same government facility.
(Daring Mystery Comics I#7 (fb) - BTS) - Jerry learned the German Embassy was being used as a front for spies who stole plans for the Garlin airplane from the government. Using a special microphone concealed behind his mask, he created the identity of the Thunderer to combat crime.
(Daring Mystery Comics I#7) - The Thunderer broke into the German Embassy at Washington D.C. and attacked the staff there, who were using the Embassy as a front for their espionage activities. The booming voice which came from the Thunderer's microphone frightened the spies and he easily defeated them, then tied them up and left a note explaining the spies' actions for the FBI. The next day Jerry Carstairs went to work at the FCC as usual and pretended to be uninterested when a co-worker showed him a newspaper story about the Thunderer.
Leaving the office for lunch, Jerry met his friend Eileen Conroy, a journalist. Eileen was curious about the Thunderer and asked Jerry why he didn't do something adventurous like that, which made Jerry flustered. As they entered a restaurant for lunch, Jerry noted that Eileen had been writing articles about fifth column spies and told her it wasn't an important subject, but Eileen insisted there were German fifth columnists active in the USA. J
That night, Jerry listened to a broadcast made by Franz from WWLX and used a device he created with an electromagnet and a telegraph key which could register the piano notes being played by Franz and translate them into alphabet letters. Jerry's device wrote out the coded message: "Act on plans made to dispose of Conroy girl. Suspect her of exposing Garlin facts to the Thunderer." Realizing Eileen's peril, Jerry immediately donned his Thunderer garb and raced to the press room of the U.S. Capitol, where Eileen was working. Climbing down a drain pipe, the Thunderer entered Eileen's office and introduced himself, reassuring Eileen that he was there to help her.
The two German spies sent to kill Eileen were already in
the building and heard the Thunderer from the other side of the door so
burst in, hoping to eliminate Eileen and the Thunderer together. But the
Thunderer threw open the door and fired his Lightning Gun to blind the
spies, then attacked them. As he fought, Eileen snapped a picture of him
in action then fled the building to bring the photograph to her
newspaper. The Thunderer didn't realize she had left until after he had
knocked the two would-be killers unconscious. The next morning, Eileen
showed Jerry a copy of the Washington Journal with her story on the
Thunderer and wondered why Jerry couldn't be more like him. Jerry
replied that he'd rather hear her talk about how much she liked the
Thunderer.
(Daring Mystery Comics I#8/3) - After attorney Edward Wade and a well-known business executive were both killed by death-traps in their homes, Jerry noticed a "D" signal coming through his radio set and wondered if it stood for "death" and was connected to those murders. While listening to actress Mary Graham on the radio, Jerry heard the "D" signal cutting into the broadcast. Believing this meant Mary had been marked for death, Jerry donned his Thunderer costume and went to the radio station where Mary was broadcasting to protect her.
The Thunderer followed Mary back to her apartment and continued to shadow her, but when Mary turned on her radio set to listen to music it activated a booby-trap, firing a gun which killed her instantly. Looking at the street below, the Thunderer saw a car pulling away from the building and surmised the men inside were responsible for Mary's death. The Thunderer caught hold of the car by its back fender but the men inside - Mark, Slim and Harry - saw him in their rear-view mirror and stopped the vehicle. The three men attacked the Thunderer but he easily defeated them in hand-to-hand combat. The Thunderer demand the trio lead him to their boss; they drove the Thunderer to where their employer Gore was based but when the Thunderer stormed into Gore's office a trap door opened in the floor before him, dropping the Thunderer into a cell the basement.
Gore sent his three henchmen to the basement to finish off the Thunderer but he simply stood behind the door when the men entered, then attack the three from behind, again easily defeating them. The Thunderer exited the cell and locked it from the outside as he returned upstairs to face Gore. The Thunderer found Gore again sending his "D" signal over the radio to indicate who he wanted to die. The two men fought in Gore's lab when Gore tripped over a transmission line it caused short circuit which led to a fire. The blaze engulfed the entire building. The Thunderer defeated Gore and dragged from the building but Gore passed away in the street. The Thunderer asked the firefights about Gore's henchmen but learned all three men were dead - the firefighters couldn't reach them in time.
The next day at work one of Jerry's co-workers remarked that he should have joined him at his party instead of listening to his radio. Jerry feigned disappointment.
(Marvels I#1) - The Thunderer joined a plethora of
costumed heroes who invaded a Nazi fortress in Germany, the assembled
heroes including Black Marvel, Black Widow, Blazing Skull, Bucky,
Captain America, Destroyer, Human Torch, Sub-Mariner, Toro and the
Vision. The event was photographed from a distance by Phil Sheldon.
(All-Winners Comics I#6/4) - Jerry was at work at the Federal Communications Commission when he was contacted by the FBI, who requested his assistance. The FBI had just captured a Nazi spy called Kurt Weidner, a radio expert who just happened to look just like Jerry. The FBI asked Jerry to impersonate him and gather intelligence on his spy ring. Jerry pretended to be meek and cowardly, so refused the request. As one of the FBI agents began to argue with Jerry, Weidner used the argument as an opportunity to leap up, steal a gun and escape out the nearest window. Donning a modified costume and identity as the Black Avenger, Jerry commandeered a car and pursued Weidner as he fled in a car. Cutting off Weidner, the Black Avenger struck him then left Weidner on the street for the FBI to collect.
Jerry returned to the FBI and agreed to participate in the undercover mission they had requested. Jerry was sent to a bakery which served as a front for the Nazis. Speaking the password "I'd like a birthday cake for my grandmother," Jerry was lead through a secret panel into the basement where the chief of the Nazi spies dwelled. The chief punched Jerry to demonstrate his authority, then executed one of his own men who had betrayed him, disposing of the man's body by throwing it into a furance. The spies sent Jerry to a radio station to make a broadcast for him but he used the opportunity to send a message to the FBI without the Nazis realizing it. However, by then Weidner had escaped the FBI and returned to the chief. Weidner and the chief burst into the radio station and the chief knocked Jerry over the head.
The Nazis tied Jerry up in a room in the back of the radio station but he escaped his bonds and donned his Black Avenger costume. The Black Avenger fought the Nazis in the radio station. Some of the spies fled into the woods outside and the chief used a grenade to seal up an escape tunnel so that the Black Avenger couldn't follow them. However the Black Avenger correctly guessed the chief would return to the bakery and went there to capture him. Returning to the radio station as Jerry Carstairs, Jerry surprised the FBI by showing them all the spies he had caught single-handed.
(Avengers/Invaders I#10 (fb) - BTS) - After obtaining the Cosmic Cube through a time travel mishap in 1943, the Red Skull used its power to slaughter many super heroes, including the Black Avenger.
(Avengers/Invaders I#9-12 - BTS) - A time-traveling Luke Cage adopted the Black Avenger's identity to disguise his true identity.
(Avengers/Invaders I#10) - Hearing that the Black Avenger and other heroes he had killed were seemingly still active, the Red Skull checked his trophy room, where the Black Avenger's body was pinned to the wall.
(Avengers/Invaders I#12) - Paul Anslem obtained the Cosmic Cube from the Red Skull and used it to restore all of the deceased heroes back to life, including the Black Avenger. Paul went on to further undo all of the Red Skull's other actions with the Cosmic Cube.
(Marvel Comics I#1000/8 (fb) - BTS) - At some point, Jerry befriended William Naslund, who served first as the costumed hero the Spirit of '76 and after World War II, became the new Captain America.
(Marvel Comics I#1000/8) - In 1946, the android servants of Adam-II killed Captain America (William Naslund). Angered at his friend's death, Jerry sent a radio message to the Scientists Guild (comprised of the men who had been the Three X's) and accused them of providing the funding to create Adam-II and thus judged them culpable in Naslund's death. Jerry told them he was no longer working for them and was no longer the Thunderer; if they wanted the Eternity Mask back he promised he would bring them down.
(Marvel Comics I#1000/12 (fb) - BTS) - Jerry recorded an emergency broadcast warning whoever was listening that the Scientists Guild wanted the Eternity Mask back and he feared he might soon be dead.
(Marvel Comics I#1000/12 - BTS) - In 1950, Marvel Boy (Bob
Grayson) heard Jerry's radio recording and discovered the sekeltal
remains of a man wearing the costume of the Black Avenger.
(Captain America I#442) - Following the death of the
Angel's brother at the hands of the Everyman, the Thunderer was one of
many super heroes from the 1940s who gathered at the Angel's mansion.
Jerry was pleased to see Captain America present and hastened to
introduce himself. However, the Everyman had killed the Angel's brother
to lure the retired heroes into a trap so that he could kill them all.
The various elderly heroes claimed they would help Captain America
against the assassin, but ultimately it was the German super-hero Vormund
who stopped the killer.
(Ant-Man: Last Days I#1) - At some point, Jerry retired to Valhalla Villas, a retirement community for super heroes and super villains 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. The rejuvenated Doctor Fear decided to commit a robbery, so the Thunderer joined Leopard Girl in pursuing him.
Comments: Created by John Compton and Carl Burgos.
The covers of Daring Mystery Comics I#7-8 both depicted the Thunderer in a blue costume with red elements. He actually wore red with blue elements. Marvels I#1 repeats the error, apparently basing his appearance on the covers rather than the interiors.
The concept behind the Thunderer was really sound and it's a shame more wasn't done with him in the Golden Age. After all, in the 1940s a radio expert was the equivalent of today's digital information technology specialist. The Washington D.C. setting is also pretty unusual among costumed heroes of the time.
The Thunderer appears in an image of various World War II heroes in the Marvels Project I#8 during the Angel (Tom Halloway)'s recollection of contemporaneous super heroes.
All-Winners Comics I#6 came out more than half a year after Daring Mystery Comics I#8. Likely, because Marvel didn't trust that readers of All-Winners would be familiar with the Thunderer but also didn't want to leave a perfectly fine story unpublished, they inserted it under the 'Black Avenger' moniker. Note that it's still very much an adventure of Jerry Carstairs and aside from the coloring the costume is no different.
Jerry behaved very cowardly and milquetoast at the start of All-Winners Comics I#6. It's certainly a common trait for super heroes trying to disguise their secret identity, but it isn't how Jerry behaved in the earlier two appearances. Such are the pitfalls when characters switch writers.
Marvel Comics I#1000 features a series of one-page stories linked by the mystery of the Eternity Mask and its connection to the Thunderer. This account revamps the Thunderer's history somewhat by tying him into the Enclave and suggesting they had him killed around 1950, despite his appearances in the modern age. They also claim the Thunderer didn't change his identity to the Black Avenger until 1946. Obviously that doesn't fit with the timing of when he became the Black Avenger.
However, in Defenders VI#5 Dr. Strange created a time hiccup by pilfering the Eternity Mask from the Masked Raider, prior to it falling into the Enclave's hands. I thought that meant it had been yanked out of the timeline, but then it reappeared in Immortal Thor I#23.
So, there are three possibilities: either the Eternity Mask was removed from Jerry's timeline and that's why he was still alive in the modern age - or the skeleton Marvel Boy found wasn't Jerry's, it was someone else stuffed into his costume - or, Jerry really was killed by the Enclave and his later appearances have been retconned out. I'd prefer the first two options.
Stories in Marvel Comics I#1000 repeatedly referred to the Thunderer's other identity as the "Dark Avenger" instead of the Black Avenger.
The Thunderer makes a brief cameo in Defenders VI#1 during a retelling of the Eternity Mask's history.
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:
The Thunderer should not be confused with:
Eileen Conroy was a columnist for the Washington Journal, a newspaper in Washington D.C. She was a friend of Jerry Carstairs but did not suspect he was the Thunderer. Eileen wrote stories about German fifth columnists being active in the USA which made her a target of those same spies. When Jerry intercepted a coded message indicating the spies were going to eliminate her, he defended Eileen at the Capitol's press room as the Thunderer. As the Thunderer fought the spies who came to kill her, Eileen took a photograph of the Thunderer in action. Rushing out from the Capitol while the Thunderer was still fighting the spies, Eileen brought the photograph of the Thunderer directly to her editor, who rushed her story about the Thunderer to print the next morning. When Eileen showed Jerry the story and asked why he couldn't be more like the Thunderer, Jerry asked her to tell him more about how much she liked the Thunderer.
--Daring Mystery Comics I#7
Franz was a Nazi agent operating in the United States who worked as a Washington D.C. pianist on the radio station WWLX in order to transmit secret messages to his allies through piano notes. Franz transmitted a message to his fellow spies informing them that Eileen Conroy needed to be disposed of because of her research into the fifth columnists. However, the Thunderer stopped the operatives who came to kill Eileen.
--Daring Mystery Comics I#7
Gore was a radio engineer. Facially disfigured, he resented the world which had "set him apart." He outfitted his office with various defensive measures such as a door operated by a photo-electric beam and a trap door which led to a cell in his basement, guarded by a steel door. Using his genius engineering skills, he devised various death-traps for the people he wanted dead and sent his men Mark, Harry and Slim to monitor the results. When he was ready to kill a victim he would send a "D" signal over the radio using a telegraph switch. Gore's randomly-selected victims included a well-known business executive, attorney Edward Wade and actress Mary Graham. The string of murders attracted the attention of the Thunderer, who had noticed the "D" signals over the radio. He found Mark, Harry and Slim leaving the scene of Mary's death and forced them to bring him to Gore. Gore used the trap door in his office to confine the Thunderer in his basement cell, but when he sent his three henchmen to kill the Thunderer the hero defeated them and imprisoned them in the cell. The Thunderer fought Gore in his lab, during which Gore's foot tripped on a transmission line, causing a short circuit which led to a fire. The Thunderer defeated Gore and dragged him from the building but Gore was dying; he admitted his murders were all chosenly randomly, then passed away.
--Daring Mystery Comics I#8/3
Mary was a famous actress in film, theater and radio. While appearing on the radio one night, she was targeted for death by Gore. Jerry Carstairs recognized Gore's "D" signal which identified her as an impending victim. The Thunderer shadowed Mary back to her apartment, hoping to save her, but Gore's men had already booby-trapped Mary's radio set. When Mary turned on her radio to listen to some music, a gun concealed inside the set went off and shot her, killing her instantly.
--Daring Mystery Comics I#8/3
(left to right) Mark, Harry and Slim were the three henchmen of Gore. This trio were responsible for planting the devices to murder the targets which Gore assigned, who included attorney Edward Wade, a businessman and actress Mary Graham. The Thunderer saw them leaving the scene of Mary's murder and caught up to their car, defeating them in a resulting fistfight. The Thunderer forced the trio to lead them to their boss, Gore. Gore quickly caught the Thunderer in a cell and sent Mark, Harry and Slim to kill him, but the Thunderer simply hid behind the door then ambushed the three men, defeated them in combat and left them locked up inside the cell. They were killed when Gore's base burned down - firefighters could not reach them in time.
--Daring Mystery Comics I#8/3
Mike was Jerry's pet dog. Mike provided companionship to Jerry in his apartment as he investigated the threats against Eileen Conroy.
--Daring Mystery Comics I#7
Appropriately, he's named for a microphone.
Edward Wade was a prominent attorney who was targeted for death by Gore. One night Wade was listening to the radio when an electrical current was run through the set and electrocuted him, killing him.
--Daring Mystery Comics I#8/3
Kurt Weidner was a Nazi spy and radio operator who looked remarkably similar to Jerry Carstairs.
After being captured by the FBI, agents realized Weidner looked very similar to Jerry Carstairs and asked Carstairs to impersonated him in order to infiltrate the spy ring. While Carstairs initially baulked at the idea, Weidner grabbed a gun from an agent then jumped out a nearby window and stole a car to escape. However, Carstairs caught up to him as the Black Avenger, knocked him out and left him for the FBI to arrest again. After this, Carstairs agreed to impersonate Weidner.
However Weidner quickly escaped custody by stealing a guard's uniform and informed the chief of the spy ring that he was being impersonated. Weidner and the chief caught up to Carstairs at their radio station where they knocked him out and tied him up but Carstairs returned as the Black Avenger and defeated the entire gang, leaving Weidner with the others to be arrested by the FBI.
--All-Winners Comics I#6/4
images: (without ads)
Daring Mystery Comics I#7, page 3, panel 1 (main)
Daring Mystery Comics I#7, page 3, panel 5 (face)
Daring Mystery Comics I#7, page 5, panel 5 (microphone)
All-Winners Comics I#6/4, page 1, panel 1 (Black Avenger)
Captain America I#442, page 13 (old)
Ant-Man: Last Days I#1, page 12, panel 3 (older)
Daring Mystery Comics I#7, page 3, panel 8 (Conroy)
Daring Mystery Comics I#7, page 4, panel 8 (Franz)
Daring Mystery Comics I#8/3, page 6, panel 5 (Gore)
Daring Mystery Comics I#8/3, page 2, panel 4 (Graham)
Daring Mystery Comics I#8/3, page 4, panel 5 (Mark/Harry/Slim)
Daring Mystery Comics I#7, page 4, panel 4 (Mike)
Daring Mystery Comics I#8/3, page 1, panel 2 (Wade)
All-Winners Comics I#6/4, page 3, panel 1 (Weidner)
Appearances:
Daring Mystery Comics I#7 (April, 1941) - John Compton (writer), Carl
Burgos (artist), Joe Simon (editor)
Daring Mystery Comics I#8/3 (January, 1942) - Irv Werstein (writer),
Eddie Robbins (artist), Joe Simon (editor)
All-Winners Comics I#6/4 (Fall, 1942) - Ed Robbins (writer, artist),
Stan Lee (editor)
Marvels I#1 (January, 1994) - Kurt Busiek (writer), Alex Ross (artist),
Marc McLaurin (editor)
Captain America I#442 (August, 1995) - Mark Gruenwald (writer), Dave
Hoover (penciler), Sandu Florea (penciler), Danny Bulanadi (inker),
Ralph Macchio (editor)
Avengers/Invaders I#9-12 (May-August, 2009) - Alex Ross (plot, artist),
Jim Krueger (plot, script), Steve Sadowski (artist), Patrick
Berkenkotter (artist, #9-11), Jack Herbert (artist, #12), Stephen Wacker
(editor)
Ant-Man: Last Days I#1 (October, 2015) - Nick Spencer (writer), Ramon
Rosanas (artist), Wil Moss (editor)
Marvel Comics I#1000/3 (October, 2019) - Al Ewing (writer), Leonardo
Romero (artist), Tom Brevoort (editor)
Marvel Comics I#1000/8 (October, 2019) - Al Ewing (writer), Ron Garney
(artist), Tom Brevoort (editor)
Marvel Comics I#1000/12 (October, 2019) - Al Ewing (writer), Gabriel
Hardman (artist), Tom Brevoort (editor)
Defenders VI#1 (October, 2021) - Al Ewing (writer), Javier Rodriguez
(artist), Alvaro Lopez (inker), Wil Moss (editor)
First posted: 09/05/2026
Last updated:
11/24/2025
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!
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