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CANE

Real Name: Unrevealed

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

Occupation: Spy, assassin

Group Membership: None (probably the Nazi Party)

Affiliations: His lackeys

Enemies: Allied War Council (Lord Montaigne, Sir Sidney, others), Bucky (James Buchanan Barnes), Captain America (Steve Rogers), Johannes Vulpe, Marta Vulpe

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: London, United Kingdom;
   formerly Berlin, Germany

First Appearance: U.S.A. Comics I#12/1 (Spring, 1944)

Powers/Abilities: The Cane has German university-level science education, and is a clever assassin and spy. He is sprightly despite his elderly lean body. He uses a weaponized cane with a hidden gun and is an excellent marksman. The Cane uses a monocle, indicating reduced vision in one eye, and is bilingual, being very proficient in English. He was supported by several armed German thugs.

Height: 6'5"
Weight: 190 lbs.
Eyes: Dark brown
Hair: Bald

History:

(U.S.A. Comics I#12/1 (fb) - BTS) - The man who became the Cane was a research assistant to Johannes Vulpe, who conducted research into breaking glass using harmonics at Berlin University. Many years later during WWII, the former assistant became the Nazi assassin the Cane. He found Vulpe, now a reputable optometrist in London, UK, and blackmailed him into creating booby-trapped spectacles for the Allied War Council that would shatter and injure the wearer when a church bell tolled. The Cane further weaponized the spectacles with deadly poison and successfully murdered several lower-ranked War Council members.

(U.S.A. Comics I#12/1) - The Cane and a henchman monitored Johannes' daughter Marta on a bus, which coincidentally also carried Steve Rogers (secretly Captain America) and Bucky. Marta was too late to save War Council member Sir Sidney and was willingly led away police on a murder charge when she saw the Cane looming threateningly nearby. The Cane later pretended to be Marta's barrister to gain access to her jail cell, but was followed by Captain America and Bucky. The heroic duo foiled the Cane's murder attempt on Marta and he escaped by smashing through a glass window. His thugs distracted the heroes while he made his getaway to Johannes' shop. With Marta injured, Captain America and Bucky went to investigate her father's shop, where they fought the Cane's thugs. The Cane held Bucky at gunpoint and the duo surrendered. With the sudden phone call from the War Council requesting new spectacles for Lord Montaigne, the Cane pretended to be Johannes Vulpe's assistant. Having quickly changed to less flamboyant attire, the Cane presented the spectacles to Lord Montaigne at the War Ministry. Captain America and Bucky had since escaped and pursued the villain. They prevented the booby-trapped spectacles from being worn. Captain America was stunned by the Cane's gunshots but the quick British guards shot the Cane and he fell through a window to his death.

Comments: Creators uncredited.

Vulpe is (usually) a Romanian surname that translates to "fox", so perhaps Herr Vulpe had Romanian heritage. In German, the letter "V" is pronounced as "F", but I'm guessing the writers intended it to be pronounced phonetically.

Profile by Grendel Prime.

CLARIFICATIONS :
The Cane has no known connections to:

Johannes Vulpe

Johannes Vulpe taught at Berlin University, Germany, perfecting his theory that musical vibrations could shatter glass; this was followed by successful experiments. Years later, Vulpe had moved to the United Kingdom and became a reputable optometrist, even gaining the coveted special appointment to the Crown. However, his former university assistant had since become the Nazi assassin the Cane and threatened to kill him or his daughter Marta if he didn't comply creating booby-trapped spectacles to injure the Allied War Council. But the Cane had further weaponized the spectacles with lethal poison. Distraught, Johannes no longer wished to help the Cane, despite the risk to him and his daughter, but Captain America and Bucky's timely intervention stopped the Cane's murderous thugs. Despite his frail frame, Johannes was able to push a workbench against the thugs to help Captain America. Johannes Vulpe's bravery assuaged Bucky's initial paranoia that Vulpe could be a Nazi, simply because of his German-sounding name.

   He wore what appeared to be a Jewish kippah, suggesting he was a Jew who had escaped Nazi Germany. Of note is that while Johannes Vulpe conducted scientific research, he apparently had no doctorate as he was called only "Herr" (Mr.).

 

 

--U.S.A. Comics I#12/1

Marta Vulpe

Marta Vulpe was Johannes Vulpe's daughter. The Nazi assassin the Cane used her to blackmail Johannes, an optometrist, to create special spectacles that would injure Allied War Council members. The Cane also blackmailed Marta, threatening her father's murder, to gain her silence, but soon the assassinations mounted and the Vulpes no longer wanted to assist. Marta tried to warn Allied War Council member Sir Sidney, but was too late. She was arrested on suspicion of the man's murder, but injured and left comatose after the Cane tried to kill her. After the Cane was eliminated and she recovered, Marta gave a full explanation to Captain America and Bucky.

 

 

 

 

 

--U.S.A. Comics I#12/1

images: (without ads)
U.S.A. Comics I#12/1, p10, pan5 (main image)
   p12, pan4 (headshot)
   p18, pan1 (disguised, shooting)
   p13, pan5 (Johannes Vulpe)
   p13, pan5 (Johannes Vulpe, headshot)
   p3, pan3 (Marta Vulpe)

Appearances:
U.S.A. Comics I#12/1 (Spring, 1944) - uncredited creators, Vince Fago (editor)

First posted: 01/03/2023
Last updated: 01/03/2023

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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