Real Name: John Robert Keane
Identity/Class: Human
Occupation: Criminal
Group Membership: None
Affiliations: Quentin Harderman;
unwittingly a pawn of the Committee
to Regain America's Principles (CRAP), part of the Secret Empire;
formerly a gang of unidentified criminals
Enemies: Adaptoid, Captain America (Steve Rogers), Committee to Regain America's Principles, Guardian Life Insurance Company, Moonstone (Lloyd Bloch), Secret Empire
Known Relatives: Michael Kenneth Keane (Tumbler, brother), Mrs. Keane (mother, deceased)
Aliases: None
Base of Operations: Mobile in New York City
First Appearance: Tales of Suspense I#83/2 (November, 1966)
Powers/Abilities: John Keane was an expert acrobat with an athlete's strength, speed, and agility; he used his formidable acrobatic skills in physical battle.
Height: 5'10"
Weight: 180 lbs.
Eyes: Blue
Hair: Brown
History:
(Captain America I#291 (fb) - BTS) - John Keane and his brother Michael lived with their mother in a New York
apartment. While Michael joined the U.S. Army and eventually became a
decorated military hero, John chose to lead a life of crime.
(Tales of Suspense I#83/2 (fb)) - After dropping out of high school, John Keane became a minor criminal. He tried to join a local gang, but the gang's leader refused to let him because he considered Keane to be too young, so they walloped Keane and tossed him out -- the angry young man swore to get revenge on the gangsters. Later, while reading a newspaper article about one of Captain America's exploits, Keane was inspired to hone his own physical abilities -- he figured since Cap was just "an ordinary Joe" like himself with no special power, then he could also develop similar skills and prove himself to the gang.
A few days later, Keane joined a traveling circus and began to train with the various performers -- he first began practicing with the acrobats; then he trained with the circus' sideshow strongman, until he became stronger than the strongman himself; finally, he increased his speed and agility by dodging the flying tenpins the jugglers tossed back and forth.
After his training was complete, Keane learned that the gang he wanted to join had already been broken up by the police. Still feeling the need to prove himself, Keane chose to measure himself against Captain America, so he created the identity of the Tumbler and began a career as a costumed criminal.
(Captain America I#291 (fb)) - While his brother Michael was still serving in the Army, John used the ill-gotten gains he had reaped as the Tumbler to pay not only for his own living expenses, but also for their mother and their apartment.
(Captain America I#291 (fb) - BTS) - At some point, John took out a one million dollar policy with the Guardian Life Insurance Company (which was aware of his Tumbler identity and criminal activities) and he named his mother as the policy's beneficiary.
(Tales of Suspense I#83/2) - The Tumbler invaded Avengers Mansion and attacked "Captain America". He easily hit "Captain America" many times and also managed to take his shield; however, the real Captain America had been replaced by A.I.M.'s Adaptoid (see comments), and although the Adaptoid mimicked Cap's appearance, it could not match his fighting abilities.
After a second struggle, the Tumbler punched the disguised Adaptoid into the closet where the actual Captain America was imprisoned; once set free, the real red-white-and-blue Avenger recovered his shield and easily beat the Tumbler.
(Tales of Suspense I#83/2 - BTS / Captain America I#169 (fb) - BTS) - The Tumbler was taken into custody by the police, and Captain America learned the acrobatic criminal's real name after he was booked.
(Captain America I#169 - BTS) - The Tumbler was hired by Quentin Harderman to take part in Harderman's scheme to discredit Captain America in the public eye -- he was unaware of the fate Harderman had planned for him.
(Captain America I#169) - Captain America went to Harderman's advertising agency to confront him about the smear campaign Harderman was running against him; Harderman told Cap that he would pull the ads if Cap took part in a charity boxing match, and Cap agreed to the deal. When Cap left his office, Harderman phoned the Tumbler and told him to put the plan in operation.
At a liquor store near Harderman's office, the Tumbler robbed the business and critically injured the store-owner just as Captain America was walking by; as the Tumbler fled, Cap pursued him into an alleyway and engaged the criminal in a brief battle, but the Tumbler got away.
The next morning, Captain America went to a crowded exhibition hall where the charity boxing match was being held; Harderman introduced Cap to his opponent: John Robert Keane -- although he was attired in civilian garb, Cap immediately recognized Keane as the Tumbler. Before Captain America could apprehend him, the panicked Keane turned to run, but he was immediately tripped by Cap's thrown shield; Keane retaliated with a kick, but was blocked by the shield, and he blamed his civilian clothes for slowing him down. Captain America grabbed Keane's ankle and smashed him to the floor.
But meanwhile, unseen in the ceiling just above the fight, Moonstone (Lloyd Bloch) was hiding and waiting for the right moment to strike. When he saw Keane being hit by Captain America, Moonstone shot a laser beam so thin that nobody could see it; the sliver-thin beam struck Keane's skull and instantly killed him, but to everyone else present, it seemed as though Keane had been killed by one of Captain America's blows.
(Captain America I#170) - Harderman and many other people standing around Keane's corpse accused Captain America of murder.
(Captain America I#174 - BTS) - Captain America remembered Keane's murder as a part of the Secret Empire plan to discredit him.
(Captain America I#291 (fb)) - After John Keane's funeral, Michael Keane went to the Guardian Life Insurance building to collect on the policy, so he could pay his mother's medical bills; but the company refused to pay on John's account since he had been killed while engaged in an illegal act.
(Captain America I#291) - Captain America helped Michael Keane--the new Tumbler--expose Guardian Life Insurance's fraudulent practice of insuring super-villains and then refusing to pay on the policies.
Comments: Created by Stan Lee, Jack
Kirby and Frank Giacoia.
Killed by Steve Englehart/MikeFriedrich, Sal Buscema
and Frank McLaughlin.
This version of the Tumbler has an entry in Marvel Legacy: The 1960s Handbook.
One of the Tumbler's was pulled forward in time to fight in JLA/Avengers#4 for Krona, but it is unknown which one it was.
In regards to John and Michael's fraternal relationship: It was never revealed which one was the elder brother... or I guess they could also have been twins.
And in regards to the Adaptoid: It was only known as
such when it initially appeared in Tales of Suspense I#82-83; it
didn't become "Super" until it adapted the combined powers of Captain
America, Hawkeye, Goliath, and the Wasp in Tales of Suspense
I#84.
--Ron Fredricks
New and additional images by Ron Fredricks.
Profile by Spidermay and Snood.
CLARIFICATIONS:
Tumbler (John Robert Keane) is connected to but should be distinguished from:
...but has no known connections to:
images: (without ads)
Captain America I#169, p12, pan1 (Tumbler running in alleyway; Captain America [background])
Tales of Suspense I#83/2, p4, pan5 (John Keane reads about Captain America in newspaper)
Tales of Suspense I#83/2, p3, pan6 (Tumbler holding Captain America's shield)
Captain America I#169, p19, pan1 (John Keane gets killed by Moonstone's laser beam)
Captain America I#169, cover (Tumbler attacks Captain America)
Appearances:
Tales of Suspense I#83/2 (November, 1966) - Stan Lee
(writer/editor), Jack Kirby (pencils), Dick Ayers (inks), Sam
Rosen (letters)
Captain America I#169 (January, 1974) - Steve Englehart &
Mike Friedrich (writers), Sal Buscema (pencils), Frank
McLaughlin (inks), Roy Thomas (editor)
Captain America I#170 (February, 1974) - Steve Englehart &
Mike Friedrich (writers), Sal Buscema (pencils), Vince Colletta
(inks), Roy Thomas (editor)
Captain America I#174 (February, 1974) - Steve Englehart
(writers), Sal Buscema (pencils), Vince Colletta (inks), Roy
Thomas (editor)
First posted: 04/27/2005
Last updated: 07/06/2026
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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