Ace Morgan
Kyle 'Ace' Morgan is a comic book character created by Jack Kirby and a member of the Challengers of the Unknown, debuting in issue #6 of DC Comics' Showcase.
Fictional character biography
Having served as a military pilot, Ace flies Leslie "Rocky" Davis, Walter "Prof" Haley, and Red Ryan on a private plane en route to a radio show. When the plane crashes, the four men emerge alive and unhurt from the wreckage. They decide to become the Challengers, determined to explore the unknown and have adventures while "living on borrowed time." Later, they take on June Robbins as the fifth member of the group.
Years after the Challengers series ended, writer Jeph Loeb and artist Tim Sale revived the characters in an 1991 limited series titled Challengers of the Unknown Volume 2, also published as "Challengers of the Unknown Must Die." In the series, a middle-aged Ace remains a core member of the team but now in semi-retirement. He is dedicated as having a growing interest in the occult and the afterlife, which he wants to explore unanswered questions of life and the soul. Following an act of sabotage by Multi-Man, their mountain base explodes, killing Prof, June and hundreds of citizens in the nearby town of Challengerville.[1] Ace, Red and Rocky are put on trial for the tragedy, but they are found not guilty of the bombing. However, they are ordered to disband as a team.[2] In the aftermath of the destruction, Ace moves to New York City and delves into the occult, becoming more obsessed with mysticism and disconnected from the present day. Eventually, he regroups with Rocky and Red and discovers the real mastermind behind the plot is a demon, whom is destroyed when Multi-Man redeems himself by detonating a bomb inside the creature. Upon clearing their names, Ace and the Challengers are reunited and poised to take on new challenges.[3] Loeb and Sale intended to create an ongoing Challengers series, during which the team would be restored back to their youth, but the proposed title never materialized.
In other media
- Ace Morgan appears in Justice League: The New Frontier, voiced by John Heard. He is depicted as a pilot of the Korean War and a comrade of Hal Jordan.
- During the Batman: The Brave and the Bold episode "Revenge of the Reach", Ace is voiced by J.K. Simmons. The Challengers travel to Dinosaur Island to investigate a meteorite that fell there and team up with Batman in fighting off a giant spider. Following Batman's departure, the team is attacked by a group of Starros. In "The Siege of Starro" Pt. 1, Ace and the Challengers are shown as being are under the control of the Starros following the later's invasion.