Unknown Soldier (New Earth)

The Unknown Soldier

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Real Name: Real name unknown
Nicknames: No known nicknames
Former Aliases: No known former aliases
Other Current Aliases: The Unknown Soldier

Status

Occupation: Special Agent for Army Intelligence, circa World War II
Legal Status: The Unknown Soldier is a citizen of the United States; legal status remains classified by the U.S. government.
Identity: Secret
Marital Status: Single
Group Affiliation: The United States Army
Base of Operations: Washington DC; European and Pacific theaters of operations during World War II

Origin

The Unknown Soldier is an unnamed young man who joins the United States Army together with his brother Harry less than two months before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Assigned to the Philippines when the Pacific War breaks out, he and Harry are present when the Japanese sweep across the islands. In their foxhole, Harry tells his brother not to lose hope even though they are outnumbered, because "one guy can affect the outcome of a whole war! One guy in the right place… at the right time…"

The two are fighting off wave after wave of invading Japanese soldiers when a hand grenade lands near their foxhole. Harry throws himself on the grenade and is killed instantly, but the explosion also injures the unnamed soldier's face. In a rage, the soldier defeats the remaining Japanese single-handedly, but his face has been obliterated by the grenade and doctors are unable to restore it. Turning down a Congressional Medal of Honor for his actions, the soldier instead volunteers to be that "one man in the right place" that Harry spoke of. His previous identity is erased and he undergoes intensive training to become an intelligence operative code-named "The Unknown Soldier".

Place of Birth: Place of birth unknown
Place of Death: Allegedly Berlin, Germany (1945)
Known Relatives: Harry (brother, deceased)
First Appearance: Star-Spangled War Stories #151
Final Appearance: Unknown Soldier (Volume 3) #4 (See notes)

History

Over the course of his missions, the Unknown Soldier builds up a supporting crew, including Sergeant Chat Noir, an African American soldier and former French Resistance leader whom the Soldier first encounters a few days prior to D-Day. The Soldier also occasionally uses the services of an informant known only as Sparrow, who works behind enemy lines.

During the Battle of Berlin, the Unknown Soldier is sent on a mission to stop a Nazi super-weapon, vampiric octopuses called "Nosferatu". During the course of the story both Sparrow and Chat Noir are killed.

On April 29, 1945, the Soldier infiltrates Adolf Hitler's bunker, killing him and assuming the dictator's identity to call off the weapon's deployment. He then makes Hitler's death look like a suicide so people will assume Hitler took the coward's way out. As the Soldier makes his way to the Allied lines, he saves the life of a civilian girl from a bomb blast, apparently being killed himself.

In it is later revealed that the Soldier did survive, but is officially declared dead by his superiors, his continued existence being kept top-secret from that point on ^[1].

Characteristics

Height: 5'9"
Weight: 155 lbs (70.306 kg)
Eyes: Blue
Hair: (Originally) Blond; (After accident) None
Unusual Features: The Unknown Soldier's face is so gruesomely disfigured that he is required to wear special protective bandages at all times.

Powers

Known Powers: No known powers.
Known Abilities: The Unknown Soldier is expertly trained in a manner of military combat, including hand-to-hand combat. His speciality is espionage and counter-intelligence. The Unknown Soldier is also a master of disguise and mimicry. His talent in this regard is so effective, that when impersonating an individual, even their closest colleagues cannot tell that they have been duped.
Strength Level: The Unknown Soldier possessed a strength level of a man his age, size and weight who engaged in intensive regular exercise.

Miscellaneous

Equipment: No known equipment.
Transportation: No known transportation.
Weapons: No known weapons.

Notes

The character of the Unknown Soldier was created by artist Joe Kubert.

The Unknown Soldier that appeared in the 1988 twelve-issue maxi-series, Unknown Soldier (Volume 2) is an entirely different character and should not be confused with the World War II era Unknown Soldier.

Although the Unknown Soldier's last published appearance was in Unknown Soldier (Volume 3) #4, the character actually perished in April of 1945 as chronicled in Unknown Soldier (Volume 1) #268.

Trivia

None

External Links

References

Who's Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe #25 (Unknown Soldier biography page)

File:2943-21893-1-dc-comics-presents 400.jpg

↑ Swamp Thing #82 January 1989.

[1] Swamp Thing #82 January 1989.

[1]