History
Patrick Carney grew up to become an All-American athlete, but eventually left the world of sports to pursue a career in engineering. By 1955, Carney was assigned to work for a government agency which he eventually learned was part of Operation: Deep Freeze, which kept the 1950s' Captain America and Bucky in stasis. Seeing his old childhood hero struck a chord with Carney, who hoped that someone would one day continue Captain America's history of heroics.
As fate would have it, Patrick would stepped up to that cause on a fateful night that year. Driving home from work he was shocked when a seriously injured woman suddenly materialized in the road. Swerving to miss her, Patrick realized she was injured and took her into his car and drove to the hospital. Along the way he learned that she was Cassandra Locke, a time-traveler from the 22nd century of Earth-700. Locke had been traveling in the past, investigating early human interactions with the alien Skrulls, who were attempting to enact a peace accord in her future time. In her travels she learned that the Skrulls spent much of the time during later 20th Century trying to invade the Earth. She was gravely injured trying to travel back in time to escape an explosion. She passed him the data she collected, telling him to safeguard it until the 22nd Century, instructing him to hide it under the balcony of the Apollo 11 spacecraft that she said would be launched in the future. Forced to take Locke to a charity hospital due to the social status of African-Americans in society at the time, Patrick was unable to get her help in time to save her life and Locke died in hospital. Before dying she asked her doctor to give Patrick her Tachyon belt with a message to use it to "do what he needed to do". Carney developed the costumed identity of Yankee Clipper, and attempted to learn how to use the belt. Unable to operate its time travel capabilities, he did figure out how to use it to boost his strength.[1]
In 1958, Yankee Clipper, Black Fox, and Liberty Girl assisted Defense Department agent Jacob Scott to investigate security breaches at a government facility. Unknown to the team, Scott was really a Skrull named Velmax, who had infiltrated Earth society after being stranded on Earth, and was attempting to reclaim his ship, which was in the possession of the United States government after it crashed in 1947. They were met by the Monster Hunters, who had detected a monster in the area. As the Hunters and First Line battled a scientist mutated by the Skrull ship's defenses, "Scott" and Yankee Clipper entered the facility, where another Skrull spy was attempting to claim the ship, along with Earth criminals Blackjack and Scythe. While Clipper and the other members of the First Line fought their foes, Scott forced the spy to flee, but not before being jolted by the ship's weapons and reverting back into his Skrull form. Velmax actually managed to trick the First Line into thinking that the ship mutated him to explain his ability to shape-shift. Clipper and his team then welcomed "Scott" to the team, dubbing him Effigy. The group decided to form a team called the First Line.[2]
By 1961, the team had grown to include Patrick's younger brother Timothy who took on the costumed identity of Kid Justice, and idolized his older brother. Tim was only an honorary member, but pushed his brother to give him full membership. That year, when Tim showed them a newspaper story about the government's pledge to travel to the Moon by the end of the decade, Patrick realized that Cassandra's tales of the future were true. He then pulled Tim aside and made him promise to plant the data on the Apollo 11 craft in the event he himself was unable to do so. Soon after, Clipper led his team to San Francisco to assist local super-hero the Hipster stop a plot by Yellow Claw to manipulate the amnesiac Sub-Mariner as part of his plans for conquest. When the Claw realized that his battle was a lost cause, he detonated his hideout, seemingly slaying himself and the Sub-Mariner in the process. Clipper saved his teammate's lives by using his belt to erect a protective forcefield.[3]
In 1963, Yankee Clipper had taken a back seat to leading the group as Effigy took more of a command role, with the First Line becoming more closely associated with the government. On November 21, the team went to Dallas, Texas where they clashed with Chimera (Effigy's former commander Zuhn) and Howler, preventing them from trying to steal a new experimental guidance system at a Stark Industries lab. During the battle, Liberty Girl was fatally wounded by Howler. As he and his teammate Nightingale saw to her, Cassandra Locke materialized before them. This was a Cassandra from earlier in her time travels, with the two Tachyon Belts in close proximity caused them both to malfunction shooting both Cassandra and Yankee Clipper to different points in the future.[4] Yankee was presumed dead, and his brother grew up to be a full fledged member of the First Line as Mister Justice, and succeeded in planting the data on Apollo 11.[5]
Yankee Clipper found himself hurtled into the year 1986; there he witnessed as his brother -- now all grown up -- battle a high tech criminal and lent a helping hand. After a warm reunion, Tim broke down, angry that Patrick had gone missing all those years, leaving him to feel like he could never measure up to his brother. Patrick consoled Tim by telling him not to sell himself short. Having found the world had changed a great deal during his absence, Patrick decided to retire as the Yankee Clipper and adjust to the world. First Line member Pixie took the time-displaced man under her wing, to help him through his struggles.[1] As a result, Patrick was not present when almost the entire team was wiped out protecting the Earth from a Skrull invasion.[6]
Shortly after the formation of the Fantastic Four, Patrick met with Pixie and her fellow Eternal Ikaris after hearing news about the Fantastic Four's battle with the Skrulls, to discuss the loose ends of the First Line's battle with the Skrulls and to wonder if Cassandra Locke's plan ultimately worked.[1]
Patrick's subsequent activities since are unknown; it would seem that he has remained in retirement.Attributes
Abilities
Paraphernalia
Equipment
See Also
- 4 appearance(s) of Patrick Carney (Earth-616)
- 2 appearance(s) in handbook(s) of Patrick Carney (Earth-616)
- 1 minor appearance(s) of Patrick Carney (Earth-616)
- 1 mention(s) in handbook(s) of Patrick Carney (Earth-616)
- 4 image(s) of Patrick Carney (Earth-616)