Whirlwind (comics)

Whirlwind
Whirlwind as he appears on the cover of Avengers #139 (Sep. 1975). Art by John Romita Snr.
Publication information
Publisher	Marvel Comics
First appearance	Tales to Astonish #50 (Dec. 1963)
Created by	Stan Lee (writer) Jack Kirby (artist)
In-story information
Alter ego	David Cannon
Species	Mutant
Team affiliations	Mandarin's Minions Thunderbolts Masters of Evil
Notable aliases	Human Top, Charles Matthews
Abilities	Superhuman agility, reflexes, coordination and balance Wears full body armor Use of two hardened tool-steel sawblades mounted on his wrists, throwing shuriken and razor sharp jacks Ability to spin at subsonic speeds, focus air currents into a jet stream and a windscreen and create small tornadoes

Whirlwind is a fictional character, a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.

The character first appeared in Tales To Astonish #50 (Dec. 1963) and was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.

Born in Kansas City, Missouri, David Cannon is a mutant that could move at great speeds. After discovering his powers at an early age, he turns to a life of crime. This eventually brings Cannon, using his first alias the Human Top and pursuing his career as a jewel thief, into conflict with Giant-Man and the Wasp on several occasions. Defeated each time, Cannon then redesigns his costume and adopts the alias of "Whirlwind", and adopts the identity of Charles Matthews, chauffeur of Janet van Dyne. Whirlwind joined the supervillain group the second Masters of Evil, and participated in a plot to destroy the Avengers. He joined the third Masters of Evil, and participated in a Vermont battle against the Avengers. With Batroc and Porcupine, he went on a mission for the Red Skull.

Cannon continues with the Charles Matthews identity, first with the intent of robbing van Dyne, later with the intent of hitting on her. In the role of Charles, he pines for Janet, making advances when Hank Pym is presumed to be dead during his run in Marvel Feature. Charles is later fired for trying to embezzle Janet's money, and Hank finally discovers that Charles is Whirlwind later on in the series, forcing Whirlwind to abandon the identity.

Whirlwind is then employed by master villain Count Nefaria and joined the Lethal Legion. Nefaria temporarily amplifies the abilities of Whirlwind and super-powered team-mates Power Man and the Living Laser before sending them against the Avengers. The effect, however, is temporary and their combined abilities are drained by Nefaria subsequently defeated by the Avengers. Whirlwind joined the third Masters of Evil in a plan to destroy the Avengers, but caused their defeat by attacking prematurely. Whirlwind later upgrades his costume when joining a new version of the Masters of Evil formed by Baron Zemo. Whirlwind partnered with the Trapster, obtained a new battle armor and weapons from the Tinkerer, and battled Captain America in an attempt to bolster his criminal reputation. He then partnered with the Tiger Shark, traveled to San Francisco to steal an experimental "psycho-circuit", and battled the West Coast Avengers. Whirlwind also shows signs of an obsession with the Wasp, as he forces prostitutes to dress in Wasp's past costumes and then assaults them.