I, Jim Gardley, hereby vow to forever fight the lawless... Bring justice to the oppressed, and help the poor -- To this end, I, the Masked Raider, dedicate my life to this oath!

-- Masked Raider

Jim Gardley was a cattle rancher who lived in the town of Cactusville, Texas. In 1849, Gardley was being pressured into selling his land to wealthy rancher Cal Brunder. Seeing Jim's opposition as creating distention among other ranch owners, Brunder would accuse Gardley of cattle rustling. Jim would be arrested by the easily bullied sheriff, however he would soon break out of jail and escape into the desert. After raiding his own home, Jim would spend his time in the wilderness teaching himself how to shoot until he became an excellent marksman. He would also free a beautiful white stallion from captivity and tame and train it. He would name his horse Lightning and take on the identity of the Masked Raider, vowing to fight evil and lawlessness wherever he found it. He would start in Cactusville, where he would convince the other ranchers to not give up their land. When Brunder would set fire to the property of a rancher who refused to sell, the Raider would round up Brunder and all his men with the aid of the sheriff^[1]. The Masked Raider would abandon his civilian identity, soon becoming a western legend in his own right.

In Rawhide Range, Nevada, the Masked Raider would infiltrate Hook Tebbs outlaw town in disguise and expose it's location to the local sheriff, shutting down it's operation and recovering a years worth of stolen valuables^[2]. In Bury-Me, Idaho, the Masked Raider would come to prevent Mesa Springs land owner Jed Sirrah from tricking two brothers from selling their land, revealing it to them that the land was rich in gold and oil^[3]. In a similar caper in Gnaham, Utah, the Raider would help prevent Zeb and Luke from having their gold stake claim stolen by a group of thugs^[4].

When sheriff Ben Willis of Fade-Out, Arizona, would be at risk for failing to solve a series of arrow murders, the Masked Raider would help him expose the killer as a man hired by Grimsey, the leading competition for the position of sheriff in town^[5]. In El Pinos, New Mexico, the Masked Raider would assist Peter Williams in purchasing back his Bar W Ranch from Sam Marvin. In the end, the Raider would learn that Marvin was using it as to smuggle stolen cattle into Mexico, leading to Marvin's arrest^[6].

The Masked Raider would next be framed for attacking Nat Parker and his son outside of Bar Ville, Oklahoma. Innocent of the crime, the Raider would bust out of jail and reveal that the sheriff of Bar Ville was responsible, who was trying to drive Parker from his land, another plot by a greedy man trying to steal mineral rich property from a land owner ignorant of his property's true worth^[7]. In Rio Cacques, Kansas the Masked Raider would work with Mexican Pete in exposing a staged bank robbery as a cover to protect the bank president of being caught in his own embezzlement scheme^[8]. Going to Lawson City, Nebraska, the Raider with the help of Mexican Pete would trick Shep Mason into stealing fake gold in order to prove he was responsible for a series of gold robberies^[9].

Operating alone again, the Masked Raider would come across the mortally wounded tax collector named Johnathan Gregg. Gregg would tell him a crook stole his credentials in order to steal the tax money he was going to collect in Two-Forks, Wyoming. Although framed for the murder, the Raider would kidnap the sheriffs daughter Sally Durall to convince the sheriff to help trick the thief into a confession, which Sally would overhear and testify for, clearing the Raider's name^[10]. Later in Pijon Pass, Colorado, the Raider would expose the thief who was responsible for a string of thefts by posing as an elderly chicken lady^[10].

In his last recorded adventure, the Masked Raider would stumble upon a plot by a group of men seeking to secede the state of Texas from the union in the town of Rocky Creek. Getting the jump on their leader Grey Gidden, the Raider would send Lightning with Gidden as prisoner to the local military base where the military there would trust the Raider enough to let him play out his plan. The Raider would trick the secessionists into stealing barrels of fertilizer and leave a trail for the military soldiers to follow and capture the gang.

The Raider continues to operate across the south-west, becoming a gun-fighter of legend as early as 1870. His fate remains unrevealed.

Legacy

The Masked Raider's horse Lightning would live on well into it's 40's and come to be riden by Ideal Gardley Oritz, a woman who is suspected of being the daughter of the Masked Raider, until it suddenly departed years later answering some unheard call. In the 19th century several men would form a secret society inspired by the Masked Raider and carry on his quest to fight the lawless and bring justice to the oppressed and help the poor^[11].

Powers and AbilitiesEdit

Powers

None.

Power Grid ^[12]

Abilities

The Masked Raider was a good brawler, gunfighter and horseman. He was also a master of disguise.

ParaphernaliaEdit

Equipment

He wore a black mask that covered his entire head.

Transportation

The Masked Raider rode a white horse named Lightning.

Weapons

He carried two six-shooter pistols which he was deadly accurate with.

NotesEdit

Facts such as dates, geographical locations and full names of characters who appeared in Masker Raider stories were gleaned from Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A-Z #14.

LinksEdit

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Footnotes

Retrieved from "http://marvel.wikia.com/Jim_Gardley_(Earth-616)"

Wikia

Jim Gardley (Earth-616)

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HistoryEdit