Stanislaus was a member of the Blackhawk Squadron.
History
When World War II began, with the invasion of his native Poland, a champion aerialist and former circus strongman named Stanislaus volunteered with the doomed Polish Air Force. It was wiped out, and Poland was overrun. Stanislaus' family and friends were killed, and Stanislaus himself vanished for a time.
In 1944, Stanislaus was the first pilot to to join forces with Blackhawk, who then went on to form the Blackhawk Squadron. Together they struck back at the Nazis, and when they had been beaten back, the team moved on to strike at Imperial Japan, and when they were beaten, and the world hadn't gotten much more peaceful, he stayed with the Blackhawks throughout the whole length of the Cold War.
In the late 1960s, when the team tried its short-lived experiment with "secret identities," Stan became the Golden Centurion by taking a suit of armor from the Emperor.[2]
In the last days of the Blackhawks' operations, Stan was the chief financial officer for Cunningham Aircraft.[3] He may have continued on in that position when the team ceased to exist in the 1970s but was still alive when last seen.[4]
Powers and Abilities
Abilities
- Acrobatics (See Notes.)
- Aviation
- Aerial Combat Stanislaus was one of the greatest fighter pilots ever.
- Hand-to-Hand Combat (Basic)
Weaknesses
- According to the G.E.O.R.G.E. intelligence agency, Stanislaus is unable to feel pain.[5]
Paraphernalia
Transportation
Notes
- Stanislaus first appeared in Quality Universe continuity in Quality Comics' Military Comics #2 by Will Eisner and Chuck Cuidera. He first appeared in Earth-One continuity in DC Comics' Blackhawk #108 by Robert Bernstein and Dick Dillin.
- This version of Stanislaus, including all history and corresponding appearances, was erased from existence following the collapse of the original Multiverse in the 1985–86 Crisis on Infinite Earths event and later restored following the rebirth of the infinite Multiverse during the Dark Crisis of 2022-2023. Even though other versions of the character may have appeared, this information does not apply to those versions.
- Stanislaus was a graduate of the University of Warsaw, where he earned top honors.
- In the early days of the team, Stan was described as an acrobat while Olaf was the strongman of the team. Much later, they reversed those roles.
- Blackhawk #109 (Feb, 1957), 3rd story, 6th page, 1st panel, Stan to Andre: "You are the MECHANICAL genius, Andre -- but now it is time to make use of my skill as an aerialist!"
- Blackhawk #111 (April, 1957), 1st story: The Villain built one of his seven robots to duplicate Stan's amazing acrobatic feats.
- Blackhawk #112 (May, 1957), 1st story: In "The Doomed Dogfight", both Stanislaus' acrobatic ability and Olaf's position as the team's strongman are highlighted. But, in the third story, "The Eighth Blackhawk", Olaf is once again labeled "the strongman of the team."
- Blackhawk #195 (April, 1964) has "The Return of the Tom Thumb Blackhawk" as the cover story. Integral to the plot is Stan going undercover at a circus--planned by Stan and Blackhawk because Stan's acrobatic ability is sufficiently excellent to qualify as a circus aerialist.
- Blackhawk #197 (June, 1964): The next mention of either man's specialty now states that Stan is the strongman. This is the story in which the team changes from their blue uniforms to the red-and-olive uniforms. In it, Stan is referred to, and performs as, "the team's strongman".
- Blackhawk #198 (July, 1964) features a new version of the origin of the Blackhawks. In this tale, Olaf is shown performing an acrobatic trick, and and refers to himself as "a trained acrobat."
- Blackhawk #203 (Dec, 1964), 1st story: "Operation White Dragon" is the story of how Chop Chop joined the team, and in it Stan squares off against Liu Huang (Chop Chop) and the caption refers to him as "the team's strongman." In the second story, "Death of the Super-Sub", a Combat Diary tale, special mention is made of both Stan's strength and Olaf's acrobatic ability.
- Blackhawk is confusing.
Related
- 169 Appearances of Stanislaus (Earth-One)
- 10 Images featuring Stanislaus (Earth-One)
- Quotations by or about Stanislaus (Earth-One)
- Character Gallery: Stanislaus (Earth-One)
Footnotes