History
Tim the Prop Man
The past life of the man who became the costumed killer known as "The Past" is mostly a mystery. His first name was Tim, and he was an actor at the Relasco Theater. The theater itself was renown for only doing performances of Shakespearean tragedies. During his career he became something of a well known local celebrity. Ultimately, as Tim got older he retired from acting, but continued to work for the theater he loved above all else, becoming a prop man. Becoming obsessed about the old theater, he also became a night watchman and began living on the property.
By the start of 1945, the Relasco stopped doing Shakespearean tragedies in favor of more popular attractions such as comedies and girly shows. This angered Tim who believed that these sorts of performances were an insult to the theater. When nobody would listen to him, he developed a costumed disguise, and called himself "The Past". Sending a warning to the cast and crew of the most recent theater production via a note on the end of a dagger.
The producer dismissed the warning as a prank and continued with the evenings performance. However he soon learned his error when the Past dropped a beam on the lead actress, killing her. Witnessing it in the audience, the Human Torch and Toro began investigating the death and learned it was not an accident. Trying to find the killer, they failed to stop the Past from killing the lead actress' understudy.
When the Torch and Toro planted a dummy that resembled the producer of the show to lure the Past out, it worked and they attempted to chase him through the theater. However, the Past's intimate knowledge of the theater allowed him to not only escape capture, but get the drop on the two heroes and take them prisoner. Tying them up to a deathtrap in the sewers below the theater, the Past left them to be crushed by the ropes that were time to get tighter every minute while the Past continued his murder spree. The Torch and Toro managed to escape and prevented anymore casualties. When the Past attempted to back away from the two heroes while on a catwalk, the railing he was leaning against gave way sending him falling to his death.
When the Torch and Toro unmasked him as Tim the prop man, the Torch was the least surprised having deduced he was the most likely suspect.[1]