main image

EMIL GRUBER

Real Name: Maj. Emil Gruber

Identity/Class: Normal human (World War II era)

Occupation: Director of Information

Group Membership: Office of Civilian Defense, US Army

Affiliations: Captain America (Steve Rogers), Dr. Abraham Erskine (loose); Lt. Col. James Fletcher, Lt. Cynthia Glass, Gen. Chester Phillips

Enemies: Nazis and their sympathizers

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: Washington, DC, USA

First Appearance: Adventures of Captain America#1 (September, 1991)

Powers/Abilities: Emil Gruber was a shrewd man keen to use the power of propaganda to favor the US, but came across as all too familiar and overly chummy and fake.

Height: 5'6" (by approximation)
Weight: 140 lbs (by approximation)
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Black

History:

(Adventures of Captain America#1) - As the US Army's Director of Information, Emil Gruber quietly accompanied Dr. Erskine in the selection of candidates, notably Steve Rogers, for Project: Rebirth, a process led by Dr. Erskine to generate the first American Super-Soldier. He later stood by Erskine observing the four selected andidates' initial training session. Gruber attended the experiment that radically augmented Steve Rogers and was astonished at the result.

(Adventures of Captain America#2 (fb) - BTS) - Gruber covertly accessed Rogers' personal drawings of a costumed American-centric hero and discussed the matter with Rogers' mentor, Lt. Col. Fletcher, and his commander, Gen. Phillips. Gruber drew from Rogers' American flag-themed costume ideas and had an outfit manufactured to present to Rogers.

(Adventures of Captain America#2) - Rogers was called from Camp Lehigh to the Office of Civilian Defense in Washington, DC, where he met with Phillips, Fletcher and Gruber. Initially shocked that his personal sketches had been accessed, Rogers was even more surprised to see the tailored costume and Gruber's plan to use him as a patriotic symbol to support American resistance to German Nazis. Fletcher, already having been in the public eye as the patriot American Eagle, endorsed Gruber's plan. Gruber then sent Rogers off on his first mission to tackle Bundist smugglers; the mission was a success.

(Adventures of Captain America#2 (fb) - BTS) - Public appearances and news stories of Cap's anti-Nazi/Japanese national exploits rocketed his public profile. Gruber had Rogers on a circuit for war bond rallies, radio shows and magazine articles.

(Adventures of Captain America#2) - When Captain America, delayed due to a radio show, discovered that a car transport he was meant to be on had been attacked by Nazis, he rushed off to help his colleagues. Gruber sought to hold him back as he was important to the US propaganda machine, but Rogers, still in his Captain America garb, brushed him off, calling the civilian "Grubber."

(Adventures of Captain America#3) -  Gruber stood next to Gen. Phillips when Cap phoned the general regarding the bloody attack of the Vernichtungs Kommandos.

Comments: Created by Fabian Nicieza (writer), Kevin Maguire (pencils), Joe Rubinstein (inks).

Of note is that Captain America's anti-German/Japanese profile was cultivated months before the Pearl Harbor attack that pulled the USA into WWII.

The coloring is a bit off in the main image - Gruber had usual Caucasian skin toning in other panels, but that's the best full-body shot.

Profile by Grendel Prime.

CLARIFICATIONS :
Emil Gruber has no known connections to:


images: (without ads)
Adventures of Captain America#2, p19, pan2 (main image)
    p19, pan3 (headshot)


Appearances:
Adventures of Captain America#1 (September, 1991) - Fabian Nicieza (writer), Kevin Maguire (pencils), Joe Rubinstein (inks), Mike Rockwitz (editor)
Adventures of Captain America#2 (November, 1991) - Fabian Nicieza (writer), Kevin Maguire (pencils), Terry Austin (inks), Mike Rockwitz (editor)
Adventures of Captain America#3 (December, 1991) - Fabian Nicieza (writer), Kevin Maguire & Kevin West (pencils), Terry Austin (inks), Mike Rockwitz (editor)


Last updated: 09/28/15

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!

Back to Characters