Captain Triumph

Captain Triumph was one of the few latter-day super-heroes introduced at the height of World War II, when paper was scarce, but Quality had come to understand the kinds of features that would sell. Captain Triumph was obviously inspired by Captain Marvel. Both heroes summoned power from beyond, and were transformed by lightning. The character’s creator, Alfred Andriola, got an early start in comics drawing the popular “Charlie Chan” newspaper strip in the late 1930s.

Lance and Michael Gallant were born in 1919 with identical T-shaped birthmarks on their left wrists. Michael joined the U.S. Air Corps while Lance became a journalist. No matter what their differences, they shared an unbreakable empathic bond. In the fall of 1942, Lance and Kim Meredith were watching her boyfriend, Michael, come in for a landing. Soon after he landed, it was apparent something was amiss and the hangar exploded. Even though Lance found his brother alive, Michael’s life gave out just after asking Lance to care for Kim. Lance cried to the heavens for revenge and his brother’s spirit appeared to him in a flash of lightning. Michael’s spirit offered Lance terrific powers: super-strength, flight, and invulnerability. All he need do was touch the birthmark they had shared and Michael’s spirit would combine with Lance’s body, empowering them to become Captain Triumph. Naturally, their first mission was to solve the bombing that took Michael’s life. Some blamed Michael’s friend, Pop Mason, but the true culprit was the Nazi, Baron Von Bragg. (Crack #27)

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DC

Captain Triumph is reputed to have shared one adventure with the Justice Society, but no details are available. (Starman v.2 #62) In early issues of Starman, the Mist told the Shade that he killed Triumph in the 1970s. The Shade seemed to acknowledge the event, but the Mist suffered from dementia and must have misremembered events. In 2002, Lance Gallant reappeared again in The Titans #36, but it was a less than flattering portrayal. Gallant was revealed as the murderer of Liberty Belle’s (another Golden Age heroine) fiancé, Philip Geyer. Triumph had followed Libby and Geyer home one evening and discovered that Geyer’s intentions towards her were less than honorable. In a rage, Gallant slew Geyer. Lance blamed ghostly Michael for the murder.

[ … Q. C. ]

Captain Triumph II

Nothing is known about the second Captain Triumph. She is a government operative who joined the Crusaders, a group who opposed the Freedom Fighters. (Uncle Sam and the Freedom Fighters vol. 2 #3) She eventually joined the latter group, too. (#7)