SIMON SAVAGE
Real Name: Simon Savage
Identity/Class: Human (World War II era to Post-World War II era)
Occupation: U.S. Navy Colonel; former U.S. Marine Navy Captain, submarine commander, marine squad leader
Group Membership: Leatherneck Raiders
Affiliations: Chaka, Lt. Erikson, Lt. Michelle Fisher, General Ten Per Cent, Captain Griggs, Ben Grimm, Howling Commandos (Isadore "Izzy" Cohen, Timothy "Dum-Dum" Dugan, Nick Fury, Eric Koenig, Gabe Jones, Dino Manelli, Percival "Pinky" Pinkerton, Robert "Reb" Ralston), John Kennedy, Gweny Lee, Manuel, Morton, Red Fox, Terry Reiker, Samurai Squad, Captain Samuel Sawyer, General Theresa, Father Thompson, Captain Wilhite
Enemies: Antonio, Baron Wolfgang von Strucker, Herbert Cholmondeley, HYDRA, Japanese soldiers, Jake Malloy, Major Nagasha, Nazis, Colonel Sakata
Known Relatives: Kathy Savage (wife), unnamed children
Aliases: "Skipper", "Si"
Base of Operations: Mobile in the Pacific aboard the U.S.S. Sea Wolf First Appearance: (as the Skipper) Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos#10 (September, 1964); Powers/Abilities: Captain Savage was an experienced submarine commander and combat officer, who usually wielded a pistol, machine gun and grenades.
History: (Captain Savage and his Battlefield Raiders#18 (fb)) - While attending the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, Simon Savage met a woman named Kathy, and fell in love with her. They were married and had two children, but when World War II broke out, she began to pressure him to leave the Navy, fearing for his life. Savage had only 2 years left to serve, and she said that she would wait for him until the two years were over, and he promised he would leave the Navy then.
When the two years were over, Savage was about to make his decision, but on December 7, 1941, the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, and his commission was frozen, forcing him to remain on duty. Two days later, he was assigned to a battleship guarding troop convoys in the Atlantic.
(Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos#10) - The Skipper helped transport Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos to Okinawa so that they could attempt to rescue Colonel Phil Parker. They were sighted by a Japanese destroyer while still 100 feet from shore, so Savage launched the Howlers from his sub through the torpedo tubes, then diverted the destroyer's attention away from them.
(Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos#14) - The Howlers were reunited with the Skipper, glad to see he survived, when he transported them to Germany so that they could destroy a seeming German missile base. Along the way, Savage destroyed a Nazi patrol boat, and took some German prisoners the Howlers captured when they arrived on shore. The Skipper waited offshore in his sub until the Howlers returned, and brought them back to England.
(Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos#26) - The Skipper introduced seamean Roy Stone to the Howlers as they were requested by Captain Sam Sawyer to bring the Howlers to the Sea Shark, a German ship which was holding "Dum-Dum" Dugan of the Howlers. When they caught up to the Sea Shark, they found that Dugan and his comrades had already destroyed the ship, and fished Dugan and friends from the waters to bring back home.
(Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos#29) - The Skipper welcomed the Howlers back after they fought Baron Wolfgang von Strucker in Cherbeaux, France, and transported them home to England.
(Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos#33) - The Skipper transported the Howlers and Peter Kazantis to Greece so that Kazantis could help organize resistance against the Nazis, and destroyed a Nazi ship along their way. The Skipper waited 48 hours for the Howlers to return, but only Fury made it back.
(Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos#49) - The Skipper surfaced his sub near a ship the Howlers were aboard, and the startled Howlers shot at it, thinking it was an enemy sub. He brought them aboard, and held a briefing on Rolfe Harrison, an Australian spying on the Japanese in Tarawa who needed to be brought back. He transported the Howlers to Tarawa, and they returned with Harrison, only for Isadore "Izzy" Cohen to be captured by the Japanese.
(Captain Savage and his Leatherneck Raiders#1 (fb) - BTS) - Savage was transferred from the Navy to the Marines so that he could lead the Leatherneck Raiders, and brought Roy Stone to the group with him.
(Captain Savage and his Leatherneck Raiders#1) - The Leathernecks assaulted a Japanese base on Tarawa, battling scores of Japanese soldiers during the mission. The Leathernecks destroyed the munitions the Japanese had on Tarawa, and were then picked up by the Sea Wolf, which had been sent to pick them up by Nick Fury and the other Howling Commandos.
(Captain Savage and his Leatherneck Raiders#2) - The Leathernecks invaded a Japanese building and stole documents about the "phantom submarine" which had been sinking American and Japanese vessels, and the information led them to Hydra Island, where they encountered the Japanese Samurai Squad. The two teams fought each other, only to be ambushed and captured by HYDRA, with only Captain Savage and the Samurai Squad's Sgt. Morita remaining free.
(Captain Savage and his Leatherneck Raiders#3-4) - Savage and Morita fought their way through Hydra Island together, and were forced to trust each other in order to defeat HYDRA and its leader, Baron Wolfgang von Strucker. The members of the Leatherneck Raiders and Samurai Squad were to be executed by firing squad, but Savage and Morita came to their rescue. Strucker set the island to self-destruct, but the Leathernecks and Samurai Squad escaped together in one of HYDRA's submarines. When they had escaped from the exploding island, they met up with the Samurai Squad's rendezvous ship, and allowed their counterparts to depart on friendly terms. Savage took custody of the submarine he had commandeered, so that it could be examined by naval intelligence.
(Captain Savage and his Leatherneck Raiders#5) - The Leathernecks helped manipulate Rolfe Harrison into an arm-wrestling match with Little Bear, which led to a barfight between the American and Australian troops who had been watching. Savage forced Harrison to assist the Leathernecks in order to avoid a court martial, and was placed undercover as an engraver in order to halt the operations of Herbert Cholmondeley, who was making fake money for the Japanese. While Harrison sabotaged the presses from the inside, Savage entered in the guise of one of Cholmondeley's pro-Japanese allies. Although Cholmondeley saw through him, he still managed to defeat him, and the Leathernecks turned him over to commander Morton, who forced Cholmondeley to leave Australia. As Little Bear and Harrison resumed their arm-wrestling, Savage awarded all of the Leathernecks with a three-day pass.
(Captain Savage and his Leatherneck Raiders#6) - Savage met up with the Leathernecks after they had attempted an underwater obstacle course, telling them they had a new mission. Aboard the Sea Wolf, Savage briefed them as they teamed with a hundred marines in an assault on Burma, where they liberated a P.O.W. camp that had been holding Isadore "Izzy" Cohen prisoner. They succeeeded in their mission, and saw Private Cohen off as he went to rejoin the Howlers. Savage said that the Howlers were the best there was "...in the army, that is!"
(Captain Savage and his Leatherneck Raiders#7) - The Leathernecks were on leave at Hawaii when they were ordered to rescue Lt. Ben Grimm, who was a prisoner of Colonel Sakata. Savage noticed that his men had taken a liking to surfing while at Hawaii, and had them invade Sakata's island on surfboards. After finding Grimm and setting him free, they escaped the island aboard a plane flown by Savage under directions by Grimm. They finally met up with a squad of American planes, who escorted them home.
(Captain Savage and his Leatherneck Raiders#8) - Savage discovered the Leathernecks holding a wrestling match between Little Bear and Moose Barclay, and was not amused. On their next mission, they were sent to an island where two important Japanese generals were holding a conference, and told to capture them both without causing any casulties. The Leathernecks failed in their mission, but were then informed by Commander Morton that the entire mission was a training exercise, and that all of the Japanese soldiers they had fought were members of Nisei Squadrons. Morton revealed that this was in preparation for an upcoming mission alongside the Howling Commandos.
(Captain Savage and his Leatherneck Raiders#9 (fb)) - While on a date with Lt. Michelle Fisher, Savage was mistaken for Jake Malloy, a gunrunner in Burma, and shot at by a government agent. Savage met with Commander Morton, and was ordered to shave off his beard in order to avoid further confusion.
(Captain Savage and his Battlefield Raiders#9) - Savage had some problems maintaining authority over the Leathernecks because he looked younger without his beard, and he took them on a training exercise before their next mission, which was to capture Malloy himself. The Leathernecks journeyed to Burma and met Malloy and his men, who welcomed them heartily into their camp. Even though Malloy was supplying arms to pro-Japanese guerillas, he considered himself a patriot, and had the utmost respect for the marines. When the Japanese invaded Malloy's camp, he led his men alongside the Leathernecks against them. However, the Leathernecks still had to complete their mission, and took Malloy into their custody. As they returned to Australia with Malloy, he began to file through his bonds.
(Captain Savage and his Battlefield Raiders#10) - The Leathernecks were present on an island where an American base was when it was attacked by the Japanese. Little Bear was struck down by a falling tree during the bombardment, and Yates stayed with him while the others returned to their base. The Leathernecks fought back against overwhelming Japanese forces, but were finally reinforced by Yates, Little Bear and newly-arriving American marines, and the Japanese were pushed back.
(Captain Savage and his Battlefield Raiders#11) - The Leathernecks were teamed with the Howling Commandos for a mission to a Pacific island where the Japanese had employed the American scientist Terry Reiker, exploiting her anti-war beliefs. The Howlers and Leathernecks fought their way past scores of Japanese soldiers in the jungle of the island. When the Leathernecks finally reached the castle where Reiker was, a sniper shot Lee Baker, killing him.
(Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos#64) - As the Leathernecks mourned for Lee Baker, Sgt. Fury reminded the Leathernecks that they had a mission to complete, and they carried on. The Leathernecks and Howlers broke into the fortress where Dr. Terry Reiker was being kept, and forced her to leave with them, despite her protestations. Afterwards, Savage meditated upon Baker's death with the Leathernecks as they tried to come to terms with their loss.
(Captain Savage and his Battlefield Raiders#12) - The Leathernecks stood side-by-side as Baker's coffin was loaded into a plane bound for Los Angeles. To help the Leathernecks deal with their grief, Savage had them assigned to spy on the Japanese fleet aboard the Sea Wolf. Unfortunately, they were sighted by the fleet, and were struck by depth charges that resulted in Savage hitting his head and passing out. When Savage came to, he learned that Captain Griggs had surrendered the Sea Wolf to the Japanese. The Leathernecks were sent to the prison camp of Major Nagasha, where they met the American priest Father Thompson. Thompson helped the Leathernecks escape the camp, and get to a boat and off the island.
(Captain Savage and his Battlefield Raiders#13) - The Leathernecks were sent on a mission to Italy to help the Partisan General Theresa protect Castello Rizzi from the Nazis. They used the obsolete weapons of war found in the castle to hold the Germans back, and ultimately destroyed a German air base, while American forces moved in and defeated the Germans.
(Captain Savage and his Battlefield Raiders#14) - The Leathernecks were sent to Manila Bay in the Philippines to rescue American scientists who had been made prisoners of the Japanese. They were aided in their mission by Manuel, a local boy with many resources. To help move the scientists along, they dressed them in their uniforms so that they would be held in a P.O.W. camp. The Leathernecks then dressed up as women, while Savage dressed as Uncle Sam in order to get into the camp, then rescue the scientists. They were picked up by PT 109 boat officer John Kennedy after succeeding in their mission.
(Captain Savage and his Battlefield Raiders#15) - The Leathernecks journeyed down the Mekong River to destroy the rubber being gathered by the Japanese, and made a deal with the pirate General Ten Per Cent to give him 10% of the rubber. They were aided by the guerilla Red Fox in finding the rubber, which had been hidden inside of a Buddhist temple to keep the Americans from bombing it. Savage had the Leathernecks move the rubber back to its original warehouse, and the American bombers destroyed it.
(Captain Savage and his Battlefield Raiders#16) - Savage and the Leathernecks were trained for winter combat by Lt. Erikson, and journeyed to Alaska to help drive out Japanese invaders. With the aid of the Inuit Chaka, they discovered that a Japanese professor had buried gasoline in key points in Alaska so that a short-range bomber pilot could refuel there, and launch strikes on American soil. The Leathernecks and Chaka fought the Japanese, and Chaka gave his life to destroy the Japanese with a grenade.
(Captain Savage and his Battlefield Raiders#17 (fb) - BTS) - Savage sent Yates and Stone to help Little Bear get into a Japanese camp and destroy it. Unfortunately, Little Bear was captured before he could complete his mission.
(Captain Savage and his Battlefield Raiders#17) - Yates and Stone returned to the Sea Wolf, and Savage was ultimately forced to depart without Little Bear, unaware that he had escaped the Japanese and went on to complete his mission then escape the island.
(Captain Savage and his Battlefield Raiders#18) - The Leathernecks were reunited with Little Bear, and met Gweny Lee, the Chinese woman who had helped him escape the Japanese. Back at their barracks, Captain Savage received a letter from his wife, asking for a divorce, and he consumed with anger. The Leathernecks then went on a mission to rescue an American officer from a Japanese camp, and succeeded. Along the way, Savage admitted what had happened to Stone, and confided to him that he was no longer certain what he wanted to do with himself.
(Captain Savage and his Battlefield Raiders#19) - Savage regrew his beard, and decided to get his mind off of his divorce by returning to the Sea Wolf for a recon mission. Savage had difficulty dealing with the sub's Captain Wilhite, who believed that he was better suited to commanding the Sea Wolf because of Savage's absence. When they came upon a Japanese fleet, Savage tried to hide the Sea Wolf from them, and ordered debris to be fired from their torpedo tubes so that the Japanese would think their depth charges had destroyed them, but the impact of an explosion made Savage hit his head, and Wilhite took the Sea Wolf into combat. Savage awoke in time to salvage the situation, and destroyed the Japanese ship that was hunting them. As they set back home, Savage began to think that he should return to the Navy and the Sea Wolf permanently, and leave the Marines behind.
(Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos Annual#1) - During the Korean War, Savage was reunited with the Howlers once more when he transported them and Colonel Sam Sawyer to the site of a MIG base. (Fall of the Hulks: Gamma#1 (fb) - BTS) - Savage rose to the rank of Colonel in the U.S. Navy and eventually retired.
(Fall of the Hulks: Gamma#1) - Savage held a speech at the wake of Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross (actually an LMD destroyed by Red Hulk...the irony). He was glad he still fit into his uniform and reminded people of himself before talking about how Ross never faded away because he always fought on. He actually only knew Ross by reputation and not personally.
Comments: Created by Stan Lee, Dick Ayers and George Roussos. Captain Savage#14 was titled "Savage's First Mission," and yet Lee Baker was absent, and Savage hadn't grown his beard yet, even though he had worn it in all of his Sgt. Fury appearances-- including those immediately before Captain Savage #1. But the main reason why I've left it in publication order instead of the 1942 date given in the story is because Kennedy didn't command a PT boat in World War II until 1943.
Captain Savage#19 proposed to readers a new title: "Captain Savage of the Silent Service." Under this title, Savage would presumably have continued on as the skipper of the Sea Wolf, but nothing came of this proposal.
Ben Grimm's presence in Captain Savage#7 is one of those Marvel-time problems for which there is no explanation as of yet. Given Grimm's references to his ever-lovin' Aunt Petunia, it's hard to rationalize this as an appearance by one of his ancestors. Perhaps Grimm was traveling through time?
Shaving off Savage's beard was a controversial move, apparently done to make the character more appealing to younger readers. Readers complained about the beard's absence until it finally returned, albeit in the final issue.
The U.S.S. Simon Savage from Iron Man III#18 is presumably named for this character.
Roy Thomas had plans in the 90's to include Captain Savage in a "Time Crusaders" proposal to Marvel, but Marvel never picked it up. It would have featured Savage and other Marvel heroes of different eras (Thundra, an old Black Panther) on time-travel missions.
by
Based out of barracks at an American base in Australia
(as Simon Savage) Captain Savage and his Leatherneck Raiders#1 (January, 1968)
Kathy Savage created by Gary Friedrich, Dick Ayers and John Severin.
CLARIFICATIONS:
Captain Simon Savage should not be confused with:
Kathy Savage met her future husband while he was still at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. They had two children together, but when World War II began, she asked him to get out of the navy. He agreed to as soon as his last two years were over, but the attack on Pearl Harbour in 1941 forced him to remain in service. By the end of 1943, she sent him a letter asking for a divorce.
--Captain Savage and his Battlefield Raiders#18 (fb)
Images taken from:
Captain Savage and his Leatherneck Raiders#2, page 21, panel 2
Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos#10, page 10, panel 4
Captain Savage and his Battlefield Raiders#9, page 8, panel 2
Captain Savage and his Battlefield Raiders#19, page 12, panel 4
Kathy- Captain Savage and his Battlefield Raiders#18, page 14, panel 5
First Posted: 08/03/2005
Last updated: 06/11/2016
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 www.g-mart.com for hosting the Appendix, Master List, etc.!