Stormy Foster (Quality Universe)

Stormy Foster was a pharmacy assistant who worked at Vaughan's Cut Rate Drugs, a pharmacy located in a big city somewhere in southern California. The pharmacy was run by the elderly Dr. Vaughan. Foster was his meek but loyal right-hand man, before and after he discovered a vitamin that, when ingested, would give superhuman strength. He used this vitamin to become the superhero known as the Great Defender. He was occasionally assisted by Ah Choo, a smart, brave, energetic Chinese-American boy, with a really unfortunate speech pattern, who also worked for the drugstore.

After he got his powers, he continued to work for Dr. Vaughan, who rarely questioned his assistant's tendency to disappear for several hours at a time. In this capacity, he was a soda jerk (at the time, sodas were primarily blended and sold in pharmacies), a delivery man, a cashier, and whatever else Dr. Vaughan needed him to be to keep the business running. Towards the end of Foster's published adventures, it was apparent that Doc Vaughan did indeed know about his assistant's double identity. Ah Choo never did figure it out.

During his short, violent career, the Great Defender personally, often inadvertently, and typically under desperate circumstances, killed at least twelve antagonists. He also was knocked unconscious no less than seven times.

Powers and Abilities

Powers

Superhuman Strength Stormy Foster could punch his way through a solid steel door, and could tear thick steel bars out of a sturdy cage.^[1]
Superhuman Speed
- Stormy Foster on foot could catch up to a car doing 50 mph,^[2] but not one doing 70 mph.^[3]
- He could dodge machine-gun bullets.^[4]
Superhuman Stamina Poking the Great Defender with a narcotic-loaded hypodermic needle had the effect of reviving him back into the fight.^[5]

Abilities

Pharmacology Stormy Foster invented his own super vitamin formula.^[6]

Weaknesses

Power Limitation: The vitamin's super-empowering effect wore off after an uncertain period of time, but the original stories were never consistent about how long that would take.

Paraphernalia

Weapons

Gas Pistol: The Great Defender packed a paralysis-gas pistol, and formulated his own supply of the gas.^[7] This weapon was usually concealed under his short red cape. After the first few stories, it was never seen again.

Notes

In his civilian identity, Foster wore glasses; in his crime-fighting identity, he wore a fake mustache.
Breaking the usual pattern, Stormy Foster's feature in Hit Comics was called "Stormy Foster" instead of "The Great Defender".

External Links

Great Defender at the Public Domain Superheroes Wiki

Footnotes

[1] Hit Comics #19

[2] Hit Comics #18

[3] Hit Comics #19

[4] Hit Comics #19

[5] Hit Comics #19

[6] Hit Comics #18

[7] Hit Comics #18

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