| The Unknown Soldier | |
|---|---|
 Four Favorites #18, December 1942. | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Ace Comics |
| First appearance | Our Flag Comics #1 (August 1941) |
| In-story information | |
| Team affiliations | The Super-Mysterymen |
| Notable aliases | Soldier Unknown |
| Abilities | Flight, super-strength; armed with a "nitro gun" that fires explosive rounds. |
The Unknown Soldier is asuperhero who first appeared inOur Flag Comics #1 (August 1941) fromAce Comics.[1] The comic was devoted to patriotic superheroes, and also included Captain Victory and the Three Cheers.[2]
Our Flag Comics only lasted for five issues — the last issue was dated April 1942 — but by then the Unknown Soldier was transferred to the Ace titleFour Favorites, appearing from issue #4 (March 1942) to #20 (November 1945).[3] After that, he fell into thepublic domain.
In 2008, the character appeared in the second volume of theDynamite Entertainment one-shotProject Superpowers: Chapter Two Prelude, now renamedSoldier Unknown, to avoid trademark hassles withDC Comics, as part of a team of Ace heroes called The Super-Mysterymen (named after the defunct Ace titleSuper-Mystery Comics).
The Unknown Soldier is a mysterious being who claims to be the physically manifested spirit of all who died to protect theUnited States; duringWorld War II, he came to the aid of American soldiers whenever they needed his help. He wears a costume patterned after a U.S. soldier's uniform (complete withgarrison cap) and a mask; he possesses super-strength and the ability to fly, and he carries a "nitro gun" that fires explosive bullets. In his first story, he defeatsAdolf Hitler.[4]
According toJess Nevins' Encyclopedia of Golden Age Superheroes, "the Unknown Soldier shows up wherever things look worst for democracy, whether that involves fighting bank robbers who use invisible ink and a special suit to turn invisible, cold-wielding villains like the Icicle, or Nazi mad scientists like Dr. Oxyo".[5]
At some point after the war, the Soldier was trapped in the mystical Urn of Pandora by the misguidedFighting Yank, along with dozens of other heroes; decades later, the Urn was broken and the prisoners freed. The Soldier and seven other heroes —Captain Courageous,Lash Lightning & Lightning Girl,Mr. Raven, The Sword, Magno, and Vulcan — were then recruited by unknown forces to form a team called The Super-Mysterymen; what part they play in the modern world is not revealed.
