Max Mercury aka Quicksilver

Although Quicksilver’s feature began in National Comics #5, his actual first appearance was in issue #4, where a small blurb at the end of the “Windy Breeze” cartoon heralded him with text and picture: “Tell your friends about it!” He was one of Quality’s longest-running super-heroes, outlasting most until National #71 (April 1949). Unlike his speedy contemporaries, Quicksilver used his powers more as an acrobat (which was his former profession), seen bouncing, leaping and tumbling through the city streets. These were feats never performed by the likes of DC’s Flash. It’s no surprise that “Quicksilver” became popular—it was a thrill to read, and early stories were sparse on words. Though the first Quicksilver adventure was unsigned, the art matches the successive tales, which were signed by his creator, the young Nick Cardy (then Viscardi), starting with National #10.

DC’s Flash was the first speedster on the scene, by a few months (Flash Comics #1, Jan. 1940). DC’s Johnny Quick came after both, in More Fun Comics #71 (Sept. 1941).

In Quicksilver’s Quality Comics adventures, he was a madcap adventurer with no origin story or alter ego. Today the character is known as Max Mercury, and he’s a frequent presence in DC’s Flash family. Writer Mark Waid cast Max as a major figure in the life of the young speedster, Bart Allen (a.k.a. Impulse, the grandson of the Silver Age Flash). His appearances in Flash and Impulse revealed a rich backstory concerning his life before and after the 1940s. (Flash: Secret Files #1) Since so much has been added to Quicksilver’s backstory, the following profile weaves both DC and Quality continuities together. Although much has been revealed about this hero’s past in the DC Universe, his given name remains a mystery. When Bart Allen inquired about his alias, Max Crandall, Max responded, “How do you know that’s not my real name?” But he never confirmed it. (Impulse #1) In this profile, the name “Max” will generally suffice. Some information below was originally provided by Kyle Wellington and Benjamin Hall.

Secret Origins: Windrunner (DC)

Max’s story began in 1838. As a young fort messenger, he became friends with the local Blackfoot clan. His commander didn’t share his affections for the tribe, and ordered them to be massacred. By the time Max discovered this, the only Indian left alive was their shaman. As he died, the shaman warned Max of another impending ambush and said a prayer to his wind and storm god. Max wept for his friend but did not believe in magic; he despaired that he could not prevent the ambush. But as he ran, he found himself travelling faster than humanly possible! When he came upon the violence, he quickly stripped the army of its weapons and easily caught every arrow. Soon, the battle was finished—with no loss of life. From that day forward, Max vowed to prevent war between Americans. The Blackfoot dubbed him Ahwehota, “he who runs beyond the wind.” (Flash vol. 2 #97)

In 1844, Max found that his speed powers caused him to jump forward in time. He reemerged in July 7, 1881, in Mesa City, Arizona, which was beset by lawless men. Max’s arrival in this time was witnessed by the sheriff’s son, Johnny Tane. The boy saw Max emerge from a flash of lightning, and lay unconscious. Sheriff Tane took Max into his home but didn’t trust him, and so locked him up in jail. The next day Max styled himself into the Windrunner and broke out of jail to end the gang’s terror. The gang was greeted by a freak windstorm, which deterred most of them, but a few began setting the town on fire. Young Johnny picked up a gun and joined the fight. Once the dust had settled, Max raced off, having inspired another hero—one day Johnny Tane would become the great Western gunfighter, Johnny Thunder. (Impulse Annual #2)

In 1893, Max went by the name of Whip Whirlwind in New York. He discovered Lady Pritchard’s orphan asylum was a child slavery operation fronted by the Schott Toy Company. It was owned by a Archimedes Schott (ancestor of Winslow Schott, the Toyman). Schott attempted to cut and run, setting the factory on fire and endangering the children inside. One managed to escape and find Whip. (Speed Force Special) In early 1893, Whip was blamed for the deaths of the family of Lucius Keller. Keller was insane and it was his own experiments that accidentally killed his family. (Impulse #58, 71) Later that year, Keller escaped from the asylum, and hunted down all the people Max had ever saved. (#58) 

In 1921, as Lightning, he helped Babe Ruth shake some thugs who wanted him to throw the World Series. Lightning rescued Ruth in time to race him to the game, where Max watched from the bleachers. (Flash 80-Page Giant #1) His next jump in time brought him to the brink of war, 1941.

Golden Years: Quicksilver (Quality)

Many times during his adventures as Quicksilver, Max mentioned having worked in a circus as an acrobat. (National Comics #28, 45)Those days remain a mystery, as do the motivations for becoming Quicksilver. “The laughing Robin Hood” as he was called, Quicksilver was an enigma of the Golden Age. He first burst onto the scene like a whirlwind in New York City, battling the diminutive and vengeful Von Lohfer, who had a vendetta against one J.B. Rockland. Quicksilver wasted no time—in a matter of minutes he dismantled Von Lohfer’s plans and captured the villain before he even knew what was upon him. (National #5)

One tale might have given a clue to Quicksilver’s civilian identity, but the truth was never revealed. When the News Star paper ran a story criticizing the Rascelli mob, a reporter there tried to warn his editor about it. Sure enough, the mob later tried to kidnap the editor—and Quicksilver was there to protect him. (#12) Somehow he also had inside information that helped him clear the name of a man slated for execution. Our hero uncovered the true mastermind, crime boss Bikazo, who had sought to discredit the District Attorney. (#17) His next case also involved a D.A.’s case, that one against mobster Dutch Hanson. Hanson kidnapped the State’s witnesses (including one Miss Carol Thomas) and had his own gang impersonate them at the trial. Quicksilver turned the tables and freed the captives, making them up to look like Hanson’s gang. In the courtroom, the accused was confused, and confessed to everything. (#18)

Jack Cole drew one fill-in adventure, and made fighting gangsters look fun. In that high energy tale he stopped V. Snatch McGatt and Wizard Ward from rigging a boat race. In the midst of the mayhem, Quicksilver revealed that he was wearing a bulletproof suit. (#13) 

The fear of war crept into his adventures, too. He found C.J. Merton paying men across America to stir up dissent in a scheme to become President under a new party banner, and to rule as a dictator. (#16) The game got serious when Japanese bombers approached San Francisco. Quicksilver took to the air and dismantled the fleet. (#22)

Few could match his mettle until he met a crime boss who invented a drug that would give his henchmen ten times their normal skill. One of them, Joe, became ten times faster. But Quicksilver’s guile and unpredictability swung the battle in his favor. (#20) His super-speed was played more frequently in his earlier tales, before acrobatics became the focus. Forget today’s speed-of-light-speedsters; it took him over a day to run to South America (for no apparent reason), where he uncovered a strange German plot in Zimbamboo to fake the eruption of a volcano and obtain cheap labor. (#26) 

Fred Guardineer took over in National #27, and he made some changes. Quicksilver went back to his acrobatic roots and was described as an “ex-circus acrobat and the fastest human being.” He returned to the circus, where he tracked down the murderous duo of Sandor the strongman and his love, Zarna. Although Sandor was guilty of murder, he did it to win Zarna’s love. When the police came for Sandor, Quicksilver pleaded mercy for him, implicating Zarna as the ringmaster. Regardless, it was too late for Zarna—Sandor had killed her in a rage. (#28) He once returned to his old circus and visited his clown friend, Joe. (#31)

The tone of Quicksilver changed during the war. The laughter ended as the hero started “pitching in.” As America entered the war, the feature borrowed a page from “The Spirit,” and Quicksilver set up a secret headquarters under Oakwood Park, complete with a Chinese helper, Hoo Mee. Quicksilver also began demonstrating a knowledge of chemistry and invented an x-ray liquid that temporarily imbued Hoo Mee with x-ray vision. Even lounging in his lair, he remained in costume. Perhaps because he came from the circus, such a thing didn’t bother him. (#29) He met his romantic match during the heat of battle, stealing a kiss from the femme fatale, Idaho. Later, her gang captured the hero and she was charged with killing him. She faked her shot and they retaliated by killing her. Quicksilver was upset by the news. (#30) 

Like many of his contemporaries, he could pilot a plane. It was 1943, and Quicksilver joined the Civilian Air Patrol, watching the South Pacific for Japanese activity. He also claimed that taking a “good swig of ocean water” kept him in shape by replenishing his body’s salts. (#34) The Indian man Shoshone helped him search for Japanese in Alaska. After saving the widow Bailey together, the woman took a shine to Shoshone, inviting him to become her handyman. (#36) He found other Nazis killing American cattle in the Southwest. (#39)

The Vardoni brothers were circus acrobats who took revenge as the Three Black Cats. Tom, Tiger (and one other) sought revenge on circus owner Martin Brun for the death of their brother. They wore skin tight black suits with cat ears and moustaches and sliced up Brun with their claws. Quicksilver stopped them from murdering Brun’s partners. (#41)

Bill Quackenbush took over the feature from Fred Guardineer. The artists managed to sneak in his signature on National #46. (Especially after the war, artists were discouraged from signing their work. Only occasionally did a byline slip by the editors.) During the war, the writing chores were being separated from the art, and Quicksilver’s feature became very formulaic—not unlike other long-lasting contemporaries, the Jester and Manhunter. The stories were grabbed from clichéd B-movies and super powers were curbed in favor of fisticuffs. His foes were lowly gangsters and nondescript masked figures.

But as the strip neared its end, the unsigned art changed, and stories were a bit more inventive. A man named Jonas was exiled in Australia, earned a fortune, and returned to kill his former partners with his boomerang skills (which he passed off as “magic”). (#59) General Smallo turned out to be a kid, a pawn of his shyster parents. (#61)

Quicksilver returned to sliding down electrical wires when he uncovered a giant magnet beam invented by a tycoon named Biggsby. He was bent on destroying city hall with it, but Quicksilver used the machine to ensnare the crook’s getaway car. (#65) Perched atop a clock tower, he noticed the strange and portly Mr. Miacca, who launched himself from the rooftops and bounced like a rubber ball! He was revealed as Maynard Scrope, who wore a costume filled with gas. (This crooks’ name was taken from a fairy tale by English writer Joseph Jacobs.) (#66) The Wasp had mechanical wings mounted to his back, and a stinging syringe. This jilted inventor wound up pricking himself with his own stinger, and dying. (#67) Slumber wore a gas mask and used sleeping gas. (#68)

His most bizarre foe was the Man from the Moon, who operated from a flying mansion in the sky. This fiend was Moony Masters, a brilliant inventor who made a bulletproof aluminum vest and helmet and weird alien-looking mask. Quicksilver gained entry to his lair and made quick work of the crook. (#70)

His farewell appearance was a convoluted story involving an art thief. This thief had stolen the painting of an artist who was participating in color transmission tests for color television. When the artist noticed that his painting’s colors were off, he deduced that it was a fake, and they caught the thief. (#71)

 

Max Mercury—Zen Master of Speed (DC)

Max Mercury—DC’s Zen Master of Speed Quicksilver lay in limbo for many years, most likely because DC had plenty of its own popular speedsters. The character made cameo appearances in the pages of Roy Thomas’ All-Star Squadron, set during wartime. When the DC universe still had infinite Earths, Quicksilver heeded a call by Uncle Sam and joined a group called the Freedom Fighters to fight the Axis powers on a parallel world dubbed “Earth-X.” (All-Star Squadron #50, Crisis #1, Who's Who Update '87 #5) This group included all heroes originally published by Quality Comics. It is still possible that Quicksilver fought with the Freedom Fighters, but when the multiverse was collapsed by the “Crisis,” Earth-X was no more. Quicksilver also joined the All-Star Squadron in 1942, but never came out of the background. (Young All-Stars #27) Max’s story picked up from the pages of The Flash…

Quicksilver lay in limbo for many years, most likely because DC had plenty of its own popular speedsters. The character made cameo appearances in the pages of Roy Thomas’ All-Star Squadron, set during wartime. When the DC universe still had infinite Earths, Quicksilver heeded a call by Uncle Sam and joined a group called the Freedom Fighters to fight the Axis powers on a parallel world dubbed “Earth-X.” (All-Star Squadron #50, Crisis #1, Who’s Who Update ‘87 #5) This group included all heroes originally published by Quality Comics. It is still possible that Quicksilver fought with the Freedom Fighters, but when the multiverse was collapsed by the “Crisis,” Earth-X was no more. Quicksilver also joined the All-Star Squadron in 1942, but never came out of the background. (Young All-Stars #27) Max’s story picked up from the pages of The Flash…

In 1947, Max helped Jay Garrick (the original Flash) on an investigation against the Screaming Skull. Max was soon captured by the Skull and placed inside a ‘supersonic fear generator’, which due to the vibrations, added to his own speed causing him to fade away. Jay matched his vibrations to Max to free him. After defeating the Skull, Jay noticed they now moved faster, as if they were tapping into something (later described as the “Speed Force,” the source of power for all DC’s speedsters). (Flash Secret Files #1) Note: Some accounts placed this in 1949, which would conflict with the following event.

By 1948 he’d taken the name Max Mercury and saved the town of Manchester, Alabama from the toxic bombs of Dr. Morlo. The gas put him in a coma for nine weeks, during which time he was tended by Dr. David Claiborne and his wife, Laura. Her loneliness led them to sleep with one another. When David came in, Max ran off in shame, and jumped forward in time once again, to 1957. By that time, Laura had died and Max read in her obituary that she had borne a daughter, Helen, whom she raised without David. (#16)

Max retired from the hero game but returned to action decades later, coaxed out of retirement by both Jay Garrick and Johnny Quick. They found him working in a subway token booth. (Jay also knew of Quicksilver’s other aliases.) The speedsters tricked him into using his quick reflexes, which finally gave him away. (Flash vol. 2 #76) As Max Mercury, he agreed to help Jay and Johnny against the threat posed by Professor Zoom. In his first confrontation with Zoom, Max demonstrated his prowess as the so-called “Zen master of speed.” He’d lost none of his cunning or agility. (#77)

When Max met the (third) Flash, Wally West, he helped the young hero overcome his perceived “speed limits.” Max claimed that the only thing holding Wally back was his own fears. (#78) After failing to capture Zoom, Max and the others visited Jay in the hospital (from a broken leg). Max reminded Wally that to beat Zoom, Wally would have to overcome his fears. Wally succeeded, suckering Zoom into returning to his own time. (#79) When Wally tapped into a higher level of speed, Max appeared to him for counsel. He forced Wally to walk through the city and accept that he couldn’t be everywhere at once. (Flash vol. 2 #91)

Max agreed to become the guardian for Bart Allen (Impulse, grandson of the second Flash) and they moved to Manchester Alabama, where life was slower. Bart’s attention deficit created a number of challenges for Max, who found enlightenment in being still. His new secret identity was as Bart’s uncle, Max Crandall. (Impulse #1) This city was no casual choice; Max’s daughter, Helen Claiborne, lived there. Helen met him when she noticed he was reading books by an author named Cardy. (#3) He brushed Helen off, wanting to keep his distance, but he eventually told her the entire truth about his affair with her mother. (#16)

When Wally West broke his legs, Max and others took turns donning the Flash’s uniform to keep him in the public eye. Max was then possessed by a villain called the Suit, who was dispatched by West. (Flash vol. 2 #130-132) While he mentored Bart Allen, he was always on hand to help the Flash against larger threats. (#138) Max used hypermeditation—where he listened for microfluctuations in the Speed Force—to warn Wally of the “Black Flash,” a deathly force that he’d encountered in the past. (#139-140)

In the Impulse series’ final months, Max was kidnapped into the Speed Force by the villain called the Rival. (Impulse #89) He remained missing for a number of years, until the time of the Infinite Crisis, when he and other “dead” speedsters emerged long enough to help Jay and Wally take Superboy Prime into the Speed Force. (Infinite Crisis #4) Three years later, Max returned from the Speed Force permanently, along with the second Flash, Barry Allen. (Flash: Rebirth #3) Since then he has maintained a relatively low profile.

Powers

Quicksilver (Max Mercury) possesses super-speed, derived from tapping into the Speed Force. He used his ability in a more acrobatic way than other speedsters. He would often combine his speed with gymnastic maneuvers. He could also use his speed to fly (or perhaps to effect the result of flying by building sufficient momentum).

In comparison to other speedsters, Max is faster than Johnny Quick but perhaps not as swift as the Flashes. However, his mastery of the Speed Force allowed him a degree of cleverness which gave him advantages.

Appearances + References

» FEATURED APPEARANCES:  

• Flash vol. 2 #76-79, 91,96-101, 108-112, 130-132, 138-142, 145-150, 152-154,157-159, Annual #11-12
• Flash Secret Files #1
• Flash 80-Page Giant #1
• Impulse Annual #2
• Speed Force Special #1
• Uncle Sam Quarterly #2

» SERIES:

• National Comics #5-71 (Nov. 1940–April 1949)
• Impulse, 90 issues (1995–2002)

» SEE ALSO:

• Toonopedia: Quicksilver
• Flash: Those Who Ride the Lightning: Quicksilver