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Robert Frank
Robert FrankRobert Frank

Robert Frank

90 appearances · Golden Age · 1941–2026 · 5 key issues
Who is Robert Frank?

Robert L. Frank gained superhuman speed after receiving a blood transfusion from a mongoose, which activated his latent mutant potential. Operating as the Whizzer, he became one of Marvel's earliest heroes, serving with wartime teams during World War II.

Few characters carry the full sweep of Marvel's heroic history quite like Robert Frank, who burst onto the scene in 1941's All-Winners Comics #2 — a genuine Golden Age original whose roots reach back to the earliest days of superhero publishing. Over a remarkable span touching nearly every decade since, he's kept extraordinary company: Steve Rogers, Namor, the Human Torch, and Iron Man have all shared his pages, a roster that reads like a who's who of Marvel's mightiest. His appearances across The Invaders, The Avengers, and Spider-Man Comic speak to a character who has never been content to stay in one corner of the Marvel universe, and five of his issues carry key-issue status — the kind of collector significance that tells you moments matter when Robert Frank is involved. With 85 years of publication history and Avengers credentials to his name, he's a living thread connecting Marvel's wartime origins to its modern mythology, and absolutely worth seeking out.

Identity

Real name. Robert L. "Bob" Frank

Powers. Superhuman speed (latent mutant activated by mongoose blood transfusion)

Teams & affiliations
Avengers
★ First appearance
All-Winners Comics #2
Oct 1941

Part of the Whizzer legacy

Robert Frank is one of 2 heroes to carry the Whizzer mantle. See the whole Whizzer family ▸

Top series

Covers through the years — 1941–2020

All-Winners Comics #2 1941
All-Winners Comics #2
Marvel Super-Heroes #18 1969
Marvel Super-Heroes #18
Marvel Premiere #29 1976
Marvel Premiere #29
The Avengers #186 1979
The Avengers #186
Web of Spider-Man Annual #4 1988
Web of Spider-Man Annual #4
The Infinity Gauntlet #3 1991
The Infinity Gauntlet #3
Marvel Universe #2 1998
Marvel Universe #2
Essential Super-Villain Team-Up #1 2004
Essential Super-Villain Team-Up #1
Marvel Zombies 3 #3 2009
Marvel Zombies 3 #3
Infinity Gauntlet Omnibus #[nn] 2014
Infinity Gauntlet Omnibus #[nn]
Avengers by Jonathan Hickman: The Complete Collection #2 2020
Avengers by Jonathan Hickman: The Complete Collection #2

Appearances

All-Winners Comics (1941)
All Select Comics (1943)
#5
Marvel Super-Heroes (1967)
Fantastic Four (1961)
The Invaders (1975)
Marvel Premiere (1972)
The Avengers Annual (1967)
#6
Captain America (1968)
Marvel Super Hero Contest of Champions (1982)
The Mighty World of Marvel (1982)
#2
Vengeur (1985)
#5
Titans (1976)
Web of Spider-Man Annual (1985)
#4
Saga of the Sub-Mariner (1988)
#6
The Infinity Gauntlet (1991)
#3
Silver Surfer (1997)
#3
Marvel Universe (1998)
Avengers (1998)
#10
Timely Presents: All-Winners (1999)
Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Avengers 2004 (2004)
Essential Super-Villain Team-Up (2004)
#1
Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Golden Age Marvel 2004 (2004)
Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Teams 2005 (2005)
Giant-Size Invaders (1975)
#2
Best of Marvel : mariages Marvel (2006)
All-New Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z (2006)
#12
Avengers Classic (2007)
#1
Marvel Zombies 3 (2008)
Marvel Comics 70th Anniversary Celebration Magazine (2009)
Marvel 70th Anniversary (2009)
Miss America Comics 70th Anniversary Special (2009)
#1
Avengers / Invaders (2009)
Avengers Assemble (2010)
#1
Timely 70th Anniversary Collection (2010)
Invaders Classic (2007)
#4
Captain America: Patriot (2010)
#2
Thing: Liberty Legion (2011)
Infinity Gauntlet (2011)
Evolutionary War Omnibus (2011)
Marvel Masterworks: Golden Age All-Winners Comics (2005)
#4
Avengers Assemble: An Oral History of Earth's Mightiest Heroes (2012)
Avengers: The Private War of Dr. Doom (2012)
Avengers: The Contest (2012)
Marvel Masterworks: Golden Age Marvel Comics (2004)
#7
The Twelve (2012)
#2
Captain America and Bucky: Old Wounds (2012)
Captain America Epic Collection (2014)
#9
Infinity Gauntlet Omnibus (2014)
Marvel Classic (2015)
Avengers by Brian Michael Bendis: The Complete Collection (2017)
#2
Avengers Epic Collection (2013)
#7
Le meilleur des super-héros Marvel (2016)
#62
Marvel Comics (2019)
Avengers by Jonathan Hickman: The Complete Collection (2020)
#2
Ultimates (2024)
#20