Decades earlier on Earth-Two, there was a family that would have influence ... both for good and for evil. It began with psychiatrist Henry King, who gained mutant mental powers at birth which he used as the supervillain known as Brain Wave. A perpetual opponent of the Justice Society of America, he would work by himself and alongside allies in the Injustice Society, yet despite this always met with bitter defeat. Around the same time, a girl named Merry was adopted into the wealth Pemberton family, to become a step-sister for young Sylvester (also known as the Star-Spangled Kid). His parents adopted her to replace the other Pemberton son, Sylvester's brother Breezy who moved away and years later died. Inspired by her new sibling's costumed career, Merry likewise devised an alter ego as Gimmick Girl, creating a variety of devices to fight crime.
Interestingly, both Earths had their own Doctor Light. Doctor Light of Earth-Two was a perpetual pest of Justice Society member Doctor Mid-Nite. Each of these sinister scientists developed light-based weaponry which they employed in their schemes to become criminal masterminds. However, neither Arthur Light found much success when facing their opposite numbers in the Justice League and Justice Society of America, despite multiple attempts. While Arthur had at least a preliminary tie with the Fearsome Five, it is unknown if the other Light had ever met Henry King, even though they shared a mutual foe in Doctor Mid-Nite around the same timeframe.
Soon after forming, the Fearsome Five betrayed Light and recruited eastern powerhouse Jinx and former Superman foe Neutron to join their ranks. Despite their diverse abilities, the "Five" still met bitter defeat, this time by both the Titans and the Outsiders). Finally, Psimon was killed by Brainiac and the Doctor retired as did his teammates.
Sylvester disappeared in the late 1940s due to a cosmic battle, shortly after he first met Merry. When he reappeared decades later, he learned that Merry married a briefly reformed Henry King, and together they sired a son. When King became a criminal once more, he created a new stronger red haired body, which seemingly filled the void of the lost Pemberton as Sylvester's brother-in-law. Coupled with the shock of this discovery, Star-Spangled Kid learned that his late brother's son Arthur had used equipment developed by Syl's partner Pat "Stripesy" Dugan to outfit the criminal Strike Force.
Arthur Pemberton's Strike Force had several armed henchmen who mirrored the TNT Trio... a gang that had been employed by Earth-One's Lex Luthor of whom one of their number, Nat Tryon, became the powerful Nuetron who later joined the Fearsome Five. And the Five had five of their own armed henchmen on occasion, who like the Strike Force troops were similarly clad in generic spandex uniforms.
There was another team on Earth-Two known as the Five Fingers of the Hand that battled the Seven Soldiers of Victory, consisting of foes of each of the members. Consisting of Red Dragon, Professor Merlin, Needle, Big Caesar, Dummy and the Hand himself as their leader. Each would recur as enemies of the Soldiers, but only joined forces together once. This cadre of criminals has a corresponding crooked crew on Earth-One in the Fearsome Five during their first appearance, although the Fingers’ actual doppelgängers on that world were Red Dragon, Meryln the Assassin, Captain Boomerang. Maxie Zeus, Dummy and the Crumbler… none of whom ever working together.
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