On the 11th Day of this year’s Jack Kirby Month, focused on Fantastic Four-related characters, today’s prompt is Johnny Storm’s college roommate and good friend, Wyatt Wingfoot.
We first meet Wyatt in Fantastic Four #50 (as if there wasn’t already enough going on within the “The Galactus Trilogy!”). It seems as though perhaps Wyatt might have been inspired by Native American Olympian Jim Thorpe (one indicator might be that Lee actually gave the college’s Football coach the name “Thorpe”), though at first Wyatt showed no interest in athletics.
Wyatt had no superpowers, but his natural athletics, quick mind and bravery equipped him to accompany the FF on several adventures. A good friend, he accompanied Johnny Storm in his extensive search for Crystal and the Inhumans, at great risk.
I believe his last appearance during the Kirby/Lee FF run was in issue #80, where he enlisted the FF’s help to find out what was going on on the reservation with reported appearances of Tomazooma, the Living Totem. In that last appearance, Wyatt was driving around a sort of ATV called the Gyrocruiser, gifted to him by the Black Panther. I thought it would be fun to include it here, add a little extra interest.
That’s all for the alliterative Wyatt Wingfoot. (Stan sure did like those alliterative character names!) Come back tomorrow if you’d like to see who shows up next!