TUMBLER

Real Name: Lt. Michael Kenneth Keane

Identity/Class: Human acrobat

Occupation: Former lieutenant in   and vigilante

Group Membership: Formerly the U.S. Army, Special Forces, and Green Berets

Affiliations: Captain America (Steve Rogers)

Enemies: Guardian Life Insurance Company (Mr. Matthews);
    formerly Captain America

Known Relatives: John Robert Keane (Tumbler, brother, deceased), mother (unnamed, deceased)

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: Manhattan, New York

First Appearance: Captain America I#291 (March, 1984)

Powers/Abilities: The Tumbler is highly acrobat and in excellent physical condition. His reflexes and agility are far above average, and he is skilled at using his acrobatic skills in a fight.

History:
(Captain America I#291 (fb) - BTS) - Michael gained a reputation as a fighter in the Army. When hit, he hit back.

(Captain America I#291 (fb) - BTS) - Michael was thrice-decorated in the Army.

(Captain America I#291 (fb) - BTS) - While Michael was in the army, his brother John used the ill-gotten gains he had reaped as the Tumbler to pay not only for his own living, but also for their mother's, and their home.

(Captain America I#291 (fb) - BTS) - At some point, John took out a one million dollar policy with the Guardian Life Insurance Company, who was aware of his Tumbler identity and activities.

(Captain America I#291 (fb)) - Michael attended his brother's funeral. Afterwards, he promised to take good of his mother, though he had no idea how he could support her. She reminded him of John's life insurance policy, but Guardian Life Insurance refused to pay on his account, since he had been killed while engaged in an illegal act.

(Captain America I#291 (fb) - BTS) - With John's infamous career straining his own reputation, Michael found it difficult to secure work. Bills mounted, especially when his mother became ill. What little savings they had went to help her, but in the end, it was too little. She died.

(Captain America I#291 (fb)) - John attended his mother's funeral. Soon after, he decided to become a new Tumbler to force Guardian Life Insurance to pay the bill. After training long and hard, Michael became better than John had been.

(Captain America I#291) - Michael, as the Tumbler, broke into Guardian Life Insurance, stealing his brother's records. He was spotted by Captain America; though he managed to hold his own against the hero and to escape, he failed to hold on to the bag containing the records and was forced to flee without them. Returning to his apartment, he plotted means to make up for his failure, but Captain America used the records to trace him back to his apartment. After a brief struggle followed by an explanation, the Tumbler convinced him of how his family had been wronged, and Captain America agreed to help him make things right. Cap and the Tumbler returned to Guardian, where they found security guards hauling off records to prevent further discovery. Captain America created a distraction by throwing his shield, and the two then entered Guardian's building, where they found records of numerous villains holding similar policies (Jonathon Powers (Jester), Otto Octavius (Dr. Octopus), Calvin Zabo (Mr. Hyde), Klaus Voorhees (Cobra), Silas King (Solarr), Sam Sm--(presumably Sam Smithers, Plantman), and R--; yeah, I'm not sure what alphabet they use, either).
    However, Guardians' owner, Mr. Matthews, led the guards to club Tumbler with the butt of a revolver, and they took him hostage, forcing Cap's compliance. However, when Matthews threatened to kill them both, Captain America knocked over a stack of filing cabinets that stunned the guards, allowing Cap and the Tumbler to trap them in the room and then to finish off the rest of the GLC employees.
    As Captain America called the police to report their findings, the Tumbler was overcome by emotion. Cap introduced him to the police as New York's newest crimefighter, but the Tumbler disagreed, saying that he had done what he had to do, and that the costume was going back in the closet.

Comments: Created by Bill Mantlo, Herb Trimpe, and Jack Abel.

I think that costume definitely belongs in the closet...

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.

Profile by Snood.

CLARIFICATIONS:
Tumbler is connected to but is different from

and has no known connections to

images:
Captain America I#291 cover
        p7, panel 2 (mother)
        p11, panel 1 (unmasked face)
        p20, panel 2 (masked face)

Appearances:
Captain America I#291 (March, 1984) - Bill Mantlo (writer), Herb Trimpe (pencils), Jack Abel (inks), Mark Gruenwald (editor)

First Posted: 05/08/2005
Last updated: 05/10/2011

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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