Jim Gardley (Earth-616)

## Masked Raider

**Jim Gardley** was an American rancher from Cactusville, California. Gardley would become a frontier vigilante known as the **Masked Raider** who fought for the little man against those who sought to exploit them.

## Biography

### Early Life

**Jim Gardley** was a rancher in the area outside of Cactusville, California.

### Becoming the Masked Raider

Cattle baron Cal Brunder was using an army of thugs to force the smaller ranchers of Cactusville to either sell their land to Brunder or be forced off their land or even killed. Jim was one of the ranchers targeted by Brunder and had several criminals attempt to force him to sell his land. Jim refused and was enraged enough to strike one of the gunmen. Jim was then taken captive by Brunder's righthand man Slick who forced him to meet with Brunder. On the way to Cactusville, Slick attempted to convince Jim to join Brunder's gang but Jim refused. Jim then had a meeting with Brunder who attempted to get Jim to sell his ranch. Jim still refused to sell out, so Brunder called in the sheriff and claimed that Jim had attempted to steal some of his cattle but was caught in the process. Jim was then arrested and placed in the town's jail.

Sheriff Steve refused to listen to Jim's pleas, and Jim resolved that if the law won't defend the oppressed from powerful men like Brunder then he would have to take the law in his own hands. Jim then feigned sickness, and when Steve came to investigate Jim knocked him unconscious. Jim then took Steve's revolver and stole a horse before fleeing into the wilderness.

Having made camp in the wilderness, Jim began formulating a plan to defeat Brunder and his gang. First, Jim released the horse he stole as it would be obvious that Jim would be the vigilante. Second, Jim raided his ranch for supplies. Third, Jim began training his skills with a firearm to pose a threat to Brunder's gang. The fourth and final step was for Jim to tame a horse. Jim found a white mustang and spent considerable time attempting to break it in. Eventually, Jim succeeded in his efforts and was able to tame the horse, which he named Lightning. Jim then donned a black mask and called himself the **Masked Raider** and dedicated himself to bring justice to the frontier and defend the oppressed.

Some time later, Jim killed one of Brunder's men and tied a note to his corpse to inform Brunder that he would soon be punished for his crimes. Jim then had a meeting with Sheriff Steve and the two agreed to work together to defeat Brunder. Jim then heard two of Brunder's men who were preparing to assassinate him and the Sheriff, but knocked them unconscious while they argued.

Jim later confronted Slick, who summoned the rest of the gang. Jim and the townspeople then got in a gunfight with the gang while Brunder attempted to escape on horseback. Jim gave chase and caught Brunder and delivered him to Sheriff Steve, before departing Cactusville to dispense more justice.

### The Town of Wanted Men

While Jim was traveling, he heard rumors of Hook Tebbs and his gang who resided in an impregmable town in a valley in the Rawhide Range area of Nevada. Jim arrived in Prairie City and began acting as though he were a fugitive so that he could be inducted in the gang. When Tebbs' second-in-command Tex came to talk with Jim, Jim pulled out his revolver to further convince him that he was a criminal on the run. While Tex was unhappy with being bossed around he believed that Jim would be a good recruit for a job that Tebbs had cooked up and offered Jim refuge at the gang's hideout. As Jim and Tex were leaving the saloon, they overheard a conversation of a lone bandit robbing the bank of a nearby town which caused Tex to believe that Jim was the man responsible. Tex then told Jim that he wanted Jim to join Tebbs' gang which Jim accepted.

Tex brought Jim to the hideout and explained that if Tebbs didn't approve of him then Jim would likely be killed, that the watchman, Deadshot, was a crack shot, and showed him the corpse of a marshal that attempted to sneak into the hideout disguised as a fugitve. Tex spoke to Tebbs while he leaft Jim under supervision, and Tebbs then went outside to see Jim. Tebbs was enraged that Jim didn't stand when Tebbs was speaking to him so he yelled and grabbed him with his hook-hand. Jim retaliated by throwing Tebbs away from him and quickdrawing his revolvers catching the gang unprepared. This act convinced Tebbs that Jim would be a valuable prospect for the gang and allowed Jim to join the gang and explained his plan while they ate. Tebbs also mandated that until the job they were preparing started that Jim was to take his orders from Tex. Jim also took on the alias of Streak.

That night, Tex explained how life at Outlaw's Gulch worked before going to sleep. While the camp was asleep, Jim returned to Prairie City to tell the Sheriff that the plan they had come up with was working and that Jim was going to find out where the gang kept their loot and dispatch of Deadshot so the Sheriff and his men could storm the gulch.

The next morning as Jim was doing chores, he got into a fight with one of the gangmembers named Miguel. Tex broke up the fight and left with Miguel to Prairie City and told Jim to speak with Tebbs. Tebbs showed Jim around the town and told him where they kept the loot, the bottom of a well. Jim snuck down the well, but Tebbs entered through another enterance and captured Jim. After Tebbs left, Jim broke out of his binding and knocked Deadshot unconscious. Jim then lit a signal for the Sheriff, but Tebbs and the gang also saw the fire. Jim then put on his mask and captured Tebbs and his gang. The Sheriff and his posse arrived and they rounded up the gang. Tex then arrived and attempted to help the gang escape and kill the lawmen, but in the process Tex died, Tebbs was shot, and the remaining members of the gang were caught. The Sheriff then thanked Jim, who left for more adventures.

### The Land Grabbers

Jim journeyed to Idaho, where he heard an explosion and went to investigate. The people of Mesa Springs see Jim and alert the Sheriff who forms a posse to arrest or kill Jim as he had a bounty on his head. Jim defends himself by shooting the Sheriff in the arm and escaping. The Raider arrives at the Barnes property where he witnesses Sirrah's men trying to buy the land from the Barnes brothers for even less. Barnes's are feeling pressured to sell now that their land is dead, but the Masked Raider steps in and frightens off the thugs. Jeb and Dan are furious until the Masked Raider tells them that their land is valuable. Riding into town, the Masked Raider, Dan and Jeb walk in on Sirrah and his men plotting once more to take over the land. When a gun fight breaks out, crooks are no match for the Masked Raider. When Jeb Barnes finds proof of the Raider's claim of how valuable their land is, they decided to make him an equal partner but realize that he's already gone.

## Personality

Jim was a moral man who wanted to stand up for the oppressed.

## Appearance

Jim was a large and rugged man with back hair.

## Attributes

### Skills

**Combat Skills**

**Gunfighting**

**Horse Riding & Taming**

**Detective Skills**

**Intimidation Tacticts**

## Paraphernalia

### Transport

**Lightning**: Jim mostly used a white stallion named Lightning as transport.

### Weapons

**Revolvers**: Jim carried and used twin revolvers as weapons.