Origin Story: Part 7

"I’m not a bigot. I literally punched Hitler in the face."

«FIRST

<PREV

Madeline beckoned the mysterious young man to follow her to the better privacy of a nearby stairwell. “Who are you? And how do you know who I am?” she asked as soon as no one else could hear.

“Those domino masks don’t conceal identities as much as people think,” the man explained. “Also, I used to be in the Protectors, and I still have some contacts there — they told me how a new hero was going to my college.”

“You were a member of the Protectors?”

“Yeah, my name is Harvey Miller, but my superhero name used to be Jingo. I was America’s most popular superhero during World War II — an experimental super-soldier and the world’s best Nazi smasher. Until I mysteriously disappeared...”

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Harvey jumped into the center of the Nazi lab, wearing his patriotic red, white, and blue uniform. He was surrounded by Nazi soldiers, and at the far end of the lab was a Nazi in a white lab coat. “I don’t know what’s going on here,” Harvey said, “but it looks foreign... and that’s something I just won’t stand!”

With a snap, Harvey extended his metal staff that had an American flag flowing from one end of it. He then came at the Nazi soldiers, pummelling them with his American flag staff. They were no match for his speed and super strength, and soon all that was left was the Nazi scientist. Harvey turned his attention to the odd machinery the scientist was working on. “What’s the heck is this?”

“An idiot like you couldn’t possibly understand,” said the scientist in his evil German accent.

Harvey narrowed his eyes. “As an American, there’s one thing I do when I don’t understand something... DESTROY IT!”

Harvey smashed the machinery with his staff as the scientist cried for him to stop. Sparks flew from the machine, and then some strange shimmering portal opened up and sucked Harvey in.

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“Ends up it was a time machine,” Harvey explained to Madeline, “and it brought me to this year. Luckily the Protectors found me and added me to their team.”

A realization struck Madeline. “Oh, I remember why you got suspended.”

Harvey turned red. “You see, a lot of words that were considered the PC terms in my day are now considered offensive. For instance, back in my day, I called black people—”

“Stop,” Madeline interrupted. “I don’t like where this conversation is going.”

“Fair enough. The point is, I’m not a bad guy. Back when I was in the war, I made it a point to treat colored people—”

Madeline shook her head. “No.”

Harvey thought for a second. “...to treat minorities the same as anyone else. I’m not a bigot. I literally punched Hitler in the face.”