Waldo the Wonder Man

Real Name: William Waldron

Identity/Class: Mutant human

Occupation: Criminal;  formerly "Peril Expert", Deputy Commissioner of Scotland Yard, circus strongman

Affiliations: During his period of reformation, ally to Sexton Blake, Nelson Lee and Chief Inspector Lennard

Enemies: During his criminal phases, Sexton Blake and Nelson Lee

Known Relatives: Stanley (son)

Aliases: Rupert Waldo, Dr. Hulton Brenner, Si Fang Chu, Leighton Bower

Base of Operations: U.K.

First Appearance: Union Jack #794 (Amalgamated Press, 28th December 1918)

Powers/Abilities: Waldo has the strength of six men, is impervious to pain due to his suffering from Morvan's disease (Syringomelia), capable of amazing recuperative feats, and able to shrug off being shot, burned, trampled, and other normally-crippling injuries. He also used high tech gadgets.

History: Rupert Waldo, aka "the Wonder Man", began his career as an opponent of the detectives Sexton Blake and Nelson Lee. Gifted with superhuman strength (he had the strength of six men and could, for example, overturn trolley buses with his bare hands) and regenerative abilities, he started his criminal activities by murdering a man who was blackmailing him over an unspecified awful deed in his past. He then proceeded to plant evidence in another man's caravan, framing that innocent for the crime. The two aforementioned detectives saw through his ruse however, and he was captured.

As time passed and Waldo returned to plague the sleuths he gradually became a better and more chivalrous person, even slightly heroic, until he was welcome to visit either of the detectives at their homes (in Baker's Street and Dover Street respectively) when he wasn't being pursued by them for a crime. He even became an Deputy Commissioner of Scotland Yard, being helped by Chief Inspector Lennard (they had an amiable dislike for each other when Waldo was a crook and a genuine friendship when Waldo was on the right side of the law).

Eventually he reformed enough to take up a new career as a "Peril Expert", someone who hired out for outrageously dangerous jobs, just for the adrenaline rush of it. As his advertisement said, "If it's dangerous get it done by Waldo." He even tracked down his long lost son, Stanley, and enrolled the lad at Nelson Lee's St Frank's College (alongside Nelson's assistant, Nipper).

But a leopard can't change it's spots, and Waldo eventually he returned to crime, though he never went back to his murderous origins.

Comments: Rupert Waldo, the "Wonder Man," was created by Edwy Searles Brooks, creator of Falcon Swift and Sexton Blake. His character and some of his stories were reworked to create both Marko the Miracle Man and Norman Conquest.

He began as "Waldo the Wonder-Man and Crook" (Union Jack #794-942), turned into the more do-gooding and less despicable "Waldo the Robin Hood of Crime" (Union Jack #948-1222), became the Peril Expert (Union Jack #1266-1490), and then reverted back to crime (Union Jack #1499-1530), ending his career as something of a well-heeled gentleman crook.

CLARIFICATIONS: Not to be confused with

Any Additions/Corrections? Please let me know.

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