Major Triumph

April 1940: One year prior to America's entry into WW2, US Army Captain Ross Hamilton volunteers for a secret scientific experiment ala Captain America. After the experiment successfully increases his strength to superhuman levels, Hamilton assumes the identity of Major Triumph, becoming the scourge of spies and saboteurs everywhere. Working initially from Washington DC, he soon relocates to the European theatre after 1941, where he battles Axis super-villians such as Tiwaz the Terrible and The Yellow Dragon.

Powers
Major Triumph was originally endowed with superhuman speed and strength, capable of lifting over 50 tons and outracing "the fastest missiles in existence." In addition to his "Herculean powers", he was capable of leaping several miles with a running start; catching bullets in his bare hands; and surviving explosions which "would have killed a hundred men."

As the series progressed, he developed several new powers, including flight, near invulnerability, and resistance to virtually every known form of radiation. Capable of tearing German aircraft to pieces in mid-flight, he was particularly feared by the Luftwaffe, as machine gun fire had no effect on his impenetrable hide. Very few Nazi super-villains were capable of facing him on the battle field, the sole exceptions being two Germanic war-gods summoned by Aryan occult scientists. In both cases, he fought each to a standstill, proving that old-fashioned American courage would always trump mindless German brutality.

Weaponry
At the beginning of World War 2, Triumph was equipped with a standard-issue M1911A1 side arm, later modified into a Remington 6-11 machine pistol. As his powers gradually increased, Triumph had little need for firearms, although the weapon remained part of his field uniform until the end of the war.

Once the pistol was phased out of combat, Triumph began to rely more on a stainless-steel discus worn on his left hip. Decorated in a "stars and bars" motif, the discus proved itself a devastating weapon, capable of penetrating armor-plating when propelled with sufficient force (according to some estimates, Triumph could throw the discus at several hundred miles an hour, fast enough to overtake most German aircraft).

In addition to his offensive weaponry, Triumph wore a chest-plate of "Pure Inertrium", a near-indestructible alloy capable of withstanding virtually any projectile. Initially employed to deflect machine-gun fire, the chest-plate's was later found to be impenetrable to anything short of a nuclear reaction. In some early adventures, the chestpiece could be detached and worn on the wrist as a shield (although, as Triumph was functionally bullet-proof anyway, its purpose was more decorative than utilitarian).

Publishing History
Strongly influenced by Timely's Captain America, Major Triumph first appeared in Holy Dooley Comics number 1 (Goldman Periodicals, April 1940). Starting out as the cover feature, the strip enjoyed some degree of popularity during the early forties, particularly after the addition of a side kick, Victory Girl. By the end of the war however, Goldman was phasing out its superhero characters in favor of teen humor strips like Chubby Willikins and Glory Bea. Triumph moved to the back pages in June 1946, then vanished completely three issues later.

Interestingly, the Victory Girl character, which had moved into her own title in 1943, continued on until fall 1949. Triumph made a few guest appearances as Victory's 'Uncle Ross,' though by and large his superhero career was over by the close of the decade.

The character was revived in the 1960s when Goldman Periodicals (now Landmark Magazines Ltd) resurrected its superhero line. Initially guest-starring in Selina the Moon Maiden, Triumph soon moved onto the anthology title Incredulous Tales, where he was updated as a globe-trotting costumed espionage agent (cf Nick Fury, Thunder Agents et al). This version ran from 1966-1969 before being replaced by The Scarlet Streakster. The character continued making guest appearances in various Landmark titles until he officially joined The Chamberlain Knights in 1971.

Crossovers
Germany, 8 May, 1945: Adolf Hitler is presumed dead, Berlin is being occupied by allied forces and the Third Reich is in the verge of collapse. However, out in the wilds of the Norwegian Alps, the Nazi super-villain Grünstraum is making one final attempt to seize power. Having brokered a deal with Hekatte and The Book Master, Grünstraum's scientists have developed a prototype Atomic Bomb along with fleet of Glocken aircraft with which to destroy Europe.

Grünstraum's plans are foiled by Alliance 1 led by the indomitable American General. The strike force (which includes Major Triumph, Victory Girl, American Valkyrie, Independent and American Shield) manage to fight their way past Vemork's defensive perimeters, but are halted in the tracks by Tiwaz the Terrible, Wotan and The Krimson Kaiser. With time running out, Victory Girl slips through to the heavy water plant, determined to halt the countdown.

Realizing the cause is lost, Grünstraum detonates the bomb, hoping to wipe out the entire Patriot Brigade in a single stroke. The plan backfires due to the complex being located underground; a massive nuclear explosion ensues, vaporizing everything within the Power Plant and setting off several earthquakes across the region. Wotan, Tiwaz and the Kaiser are eventually subdued, but the Patriots fear they've lost their most cherished member.

In the aftermath of the explosion, the immortal Valkyrie searches through the irradiated ruins, but finds no trace of either Victory Girl or Grünstraum. Realizing they must have been vaporized in the blast, Val returns to inform Major Triumph that his niece did not survive. At this grim news, the remaining members of the Patriot Brigade stand to attention and salute the passing of 16 year-old Victoria Hamilton. As the sun sets in the west, they are joined by a war-weary platoon of Allied Soldiers, all of whom take a knee in honor of Victory Girl..."The Greatest of Us All."