CARL PFOTTS
Real Name: Carl Pfotts
Identity/Class: Human, citizen of the United States
Occupation: Vagrant
Group Membership: None
Affiliations: Hulk (Bruce Banner)
Enemies: Railroad police
Known Relatives: None
Aliases: None
Base of Operations: Jeffrey Hook's Light, New York
City, New York,
Mobile throughout the
United States
First Appearance: Incredible Hulk I#255 (January,
1981)
Powers/Abilities: Carl Pfotts has no known
superhuman abilities. A heavy drinker, Pfotts is used to not seeing the
world too clearly and isn't easily spooked by things that most people
would find strange or alarming.
Height: Unrevealed (approximately 5'9")
Weight: Unrevealed (approximately 150 lbs.)
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Brown
History:
(Incredible Hulk I#255 (fb) - BTS) - As a child, Pfotts read a book
about Jeffrey Hook's Light, a small Manhattan lighthouse located
underneath the George Washington Bridge. He never forgot the little red
lighthouse (see comments).
(Incredible Hulk I#255 (fb) - BTS) - Due to unrevealed circumstances,
Pfotts became an alcoholic vagrant traveling the country by riding the
rails. His illegal train trips eventually took him to New York City
where he spotted the lighthouse he remembered from his childhood. Pfotts
decided to jump off the train and make the lighthouse his home whenever
his travels brought him to the city.
(Incredible Hulk I#255) - After drinking himself into a near stupor on
Thunderbird wine, Pfotts was lying down next to the lighthouse when the
Hulk showed up (he was trying to hide from the Manhattan police). Hulk
was surprised Pfotts treated him like a friend and didn't seem scared of
him. The bum told the green goliath that "the hooch he was having made
everybody seem green". Pfotts then offered Hulk a place to sleep,
walking towards the lighthouse only to find the door had been welded
shut. Carl tried to worm through the window, but the Hulk casually
yanked the entire door off its hinges, allowing them to go upstairs.
Once there, Carl began to fantasize about having some decent grub like
filet mignon, duck a l'orange, lobster tails and butterbeans he drifted
off to sleep.
(Incredible Hulk I#255 - BTS) - Over the course of the night, Hulk back
into Bruce Banner.
(Incredible Hulk I#255) - Waking up with a tremendous hangover, Pfotts
was surprised to find his guest had changed considerably. He still took
it all in stride, explaining to the confused Bruce Banner what had
happened. Banner then was shocked to find Hulk had brought them to New
York City. He rushed out to the trainyard to catch the next ride out of
town.
Comments: Created by Bill Mantlo & Sal Buscema.
It seems obvious that this character was named after then
neophyte Marvel editor Carl Potts, though all similarities end
there.
Sal Buscema went out of his way to draw Pfotts as the stereotypical
early 20th century hobo. From the dirty trench coat with booze bottle
right down to the cheap shoes with a hole in the sole... There's no
denying Ol' Carl was a vagrant. But judging from his dialogue, he must
have come from a semi-sophisticated background: if your choice 'grub' is
lobster tails, filet mignon and orange duck, chances are you weren't
born dirt poor.
The book Pfotts read as a kid just might be The Little Red
Lighthouse and the Great Gray Bridge, a children's story by
Hildegarde Swift (1890 - 1977), published in 1942 that emphasized the
notion that all things are important, irregardless of their size.
Profile by Norvo.
CLARIFICATIONS:
Carl Pfotts should not be confused with:
- Any other "Carl" or "Pfotts" characters
images: (without ads)
Incredible Hulk I#255, p5, pan1 (main image)
Incredible Hulk I#255, p7, pan2 (close up)
Incredible Hulk I#255, p5, pan5 (entering the lighthouse)
Incredible Hulk I#255, p7, pan5 (meets Bruce Banner)
Appearances:
Incredible Hulk I#255 (January, 1981) - Bill Mantlo (writer), Sal
Buscema (pencils & inks), Al Milgrom & Jim Shooter (editors)
First Posted: 10/19/2021
Last updated: 10/19/2021
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
Non-Marvel
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