PROFESSOR LEON

Real Name: Unrevealed; may be Leon

Identity/Class: Cat-People (Earth)

Occupation: Research scientist

Group Membership: None

Affiliations: Red Wolf (William Talltrees), Joanne Tumolo, Tigra (Greer Grant Nelson);
   friends with but unaware he was a traitor Jules Bannion
   possibly Werewolf (Jack Russell)

Enemies: Hydra, Rat Pack ("Joshua Plague"/Super-Skrull, Number One, Number Two/Marie DuChailu, Number Three, Number Four, Number Five, Number Six/Jules Bannion)

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: Kepkeville, California

First Appearance: (possibly, unidentified) Giant Size-Creatures#1 (July 1974)
   (confirmed, identified) Marvel Chillers#3 (February 1976)

Powers/Abilities: Leon was an accomplished scientist in an unspecified field (probably one related to genetics if he was working on a serum that could revert Tigra to human form). As a member of the Cat-People he possessed enhanced strength, speed, agility, stamina and reflexes, and could identify and track people by scent, see slightly into
the infrared spectrum, giving him excellent night vision, and hear sounds too faint for humans to perceive. In human form, he remained physically superior to humans, albeit at a reduced level. He also possessed sharp claws and fangs. However, as an older individual and a scientist, he was physically below average for the Cat People. He could assume human form at will and was slightly empathic and psychic like all of his species.

Height: 6'1" (by approximation)
Weight: 180 lbs. (by approximation)
Eyes: Blue
Fur: Red-brown

History:
(Marvel Chillers#3 (fb) - BTS) - Professor Leon was a member of the Cat People, a race of feline humanoids who hid among humanity, disguising their true appearances through magic.

(Marvel Chillers#5 (fb) - BTS) - He believed in the creed of the Cat People, and had sworn that if there was the slightest chance he could help his fellow man when they were in need, he should do so.

(Giant-Size Creatures#1 (fb)) - The superheroine the Cat (Greer Grant Nelson)'s mentor Doctor Joanne Tumulo was secretly one of the Cat People. When Greer was shot by Hydra agents trying to hunt down the Cat People, Tumolo brought the dying woman to a group of fellow Cat People, one of whom may have been Leon (see comments). They saved her life by mystically transforming her into one of them, Tigra. Hydra captured the group almost immediately afterwards...

(Giant-Size Creatures#1) - but Tigra and her ally the Werewolf broke the imprisoned Cat People out.

(Marvel Chillers#3 (fb) - BTS) - Leon worked as a research scientist at the U.S. Army Research Center in Kepkeville, Southern California. Unlike the Cat People, Tigra had been unable to assume human form at will, so he had been working on a means of fixing this problem. Believing he had found a serum, he contacted Tumolo, who set off with Tigra on a road trip to see Leon.

(Marvel Chillers#3) - Before they arrived Joshua Plague (secretly the alien Super-Skrull) and his Rat Pack raided the Research Center, tipped off by Jules Bannion, a traitorous human associate of the Cat People, that there were serums worth stealing. The criminals used gas to knock out most of the people at the center, including Leon, who unfortunately changed back into his Cat People form once unconscious. Discovered by the police when they arrived on the scene, he was taken into custody on suspicion of being a member of the Rat Pack. Learning of his arrest upon arriving in town, late that night Tigra climbed the exterior of the police precinct to break him out of a cell on a high floor. As she snapped the bars she jokingly asked him if he believed in escaping on a first date, and in good humor he responded by asking if she would respect him afterwards. Moments after she extracted him from his cell they heard an alert informing them that the Rat Pack were attacking the local Native American reservation, so Tigra left Leon to make his own way home while she went after the crooks.

(Marvel Chillers#5 (fb) - BTS) - Leon restored his human disguise and met up with Tumolo and Bannion.

(Marvel Chillers#5) - With the Rat Pack having massacred several people on the reservation before escaping Leon accompanied Tumolo and Bannion to the site to see if there was anything to they could do to help the survivors. Bannion asked Leon if it wise for him to be there so soon after his jailbreak, but Leon assured him the police had only seen his Cat People persona, and would not recognize him as a human. At the site they were met by Native American hero Red Wolf, who thanked them for their offer to assist and informed them that the Rat Pack had stolen a mystical artifact called the Soul Stealer. Red Wolf swore that the murdered residents would be avenged, prompting Leon to ask how the hero intended to find the Rat Pack, who had a modus operandi of striking unexpectedly and vanishing long before the authorities could arrive in response. Red Wolf informed them that while he too had arrived too late, he had spotted a cat-like creature at the attack site (Tigra), and intended to track her scent using his wolf, Lobo. Not noticing Leon and Tumolo's sudden looks of distress, Red Wolf then rode off in pursuit of their friend.

(Marvel Chillers#6 (fb) - BTS) - Leon, Tumolo and Bannion returned to Leon's lab, and Leon set to work working on something (see comments) while Bannion tried to reassure a worried Tumolo that Tigra would be okay. Leon concurred, reminding Tumolo that Greer was very capable of looking after herself, but Tumolo remained unconvinced.

Comments: Created by Tony Isabella, Will Meugniot, Frank Chiaramonte and Sam Grainger.

  I'm fairly certain it's blatantly obvious, but since someone will no doubt write in if I don't mention it, yes, Leon=Lion. A play on words for someone who looks like a big cat.

  It's possible that Leon was one of the several unidentified Cat People who facilitated Tigra's transformation in Giant-Size Creatures#1; indeed, there are at least two faces in the crowd who could be him, allowing for different artist's styles. I've seen some sites list Leon as also appearing in Marvel Premiere#42, but upon checking that issue while there is a bespectacled individual who does have similar vocal mannerisms (calling Tigra "my dear"), facially he looks nothing like Leon, so unless the artist really didn't know what the character was meant to look like I don't think it was him; additionally, that story was set in New Orleans, and last we knew Leon was based in California. Judge for yourselves:


Leon
Maybe Leon?
Giant-Size Creatures
My personal most likely "Leon
as face in crowd" candidate,
Giant-Size Creatures
I don't think this is Leon
Marvel Premiere


    If it is him in Marvel Premiere then the missing history entry would be:

(Marvel Premiere#42) - Leon moved to New Orleans. Shortly afterwards Tumolo apparently died of natural causes. Shortly after this Tigra visited the Cat People's hidden enclave near the city, where Tumolo and Faelar greeted her. When she mentioned she had seen Tumolo the night before, they reacted with shock.

   This profile was completed 09/14/2021, but its publication was delayed as it was intended for the Appendix 20th anniversary's celebratory event.

Profile by Loki.

CLARIFICATIONS:
Professor Leon has no known connections to:

images: (without ads)
Marvel Chillers#5, p9, pan6 (main image, human appearance)
Marvel Chillers#3, p11, pan8 (headshot)
Marvel Chillers#3, p12, pan5 (upper body shot)
Marvel Chillers#3, p9, pan2 (unconscious headshot, showing more of head)
Giant-Size Creatures#1, p16, pan1 (head shots of possible Leons)
Marvel Premiere#42, p9, pan9 (head shot of possible Leon)

Appearances:
Giant Size-Creatures#1 (July 1974) - Tony Isabella (writer), Don Perlin (pencils), Vince Colletta (inks), Roy Thomas (editor)
Marvel Chillers#3 (February 1976) - Tony Isabella (writer), Will Meugniot (pencils), Frank Chiaramonte, Sam Grainger (inks), Marv Wolfman (editor)
Marvel Chillers#5 (June 1976) - Tony Isabella (writer), Will Meugniot (pencils), Vince Colletta (inks), Marv Wolfman (editor)
Marvel Chillers#6 (August 1976) - Tony Isabella (writer), John Byrne (pencils), Frank Springer (inks), Marv Wolfman (editor)

First Posted: 09/15/2021
Last updated: 09/14/2021

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

Non-Marvel Copyright info
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