Flying Fox and Googled Good Guys

The name "Flying Fox" was used on three worlds, all tied to living legends. There was the Flying Fox of Earth-One, a young Bruce Wayne who would later become that world's Batman. The Flying Fox of Earth-Two was a frequent foe of sky criminal Air Pirate A-X. The Flying Fox of the Post Crisis Earth seems to have originated on Earth-8.

While training as a detective, a teenage Bruce Wayne of Earth-One assumed the alter ego of Flying Fox. On one occasion in her masked alias, Wayne teamed up with Clark "Superboy" Kent in Smallville, Years later as the Batman, Wayne regularly teamed up with his "World's Finest" partner, fellow Justice League founding member and best friend, a now grown-up Superboy now known as Superman.

Radiologist/pilot Lou Rex Darrell of Earth-Two was a flying detective in the image of his world's Batman, who also was an aviator sleuth.After a few notable tales as a good guy during the early days of World War II, a debilitating head injury during the war left Darrell with a greedy rather than good mental attitude.

Back on Earth-One, gangster "Matches" Malone had built up a reputation with the Riverfront Mob. Like his counterpart Darnell, Malone had a greedy disposition which led to Batman seeking him out to aid him on a dangerous mission. Before the hero could convince the criminal to agree to assist him, a bullet meant for Batman ricocheted towards Malone. After being fatally shot, it seemed this was Matches Malone’s swan song.

However, Batman decided to assume a third alter ego as Matches Malone, disguised as the gangster during various crimefighting missings throughout the years when he needed Malone's underworld credentials to provide Wayne the connections needed to ensnare his prey. This became an effective means of exposing criminals involved in a variety of cases, and even motivated Bruce's young ward and sidekick Dick "Robin" Grayson into assuming the Matches Malone identity one time.

Under the cover of his career as a radiologist, the former Flying Fox attempted to steal valuable radium, which led Darnell into a confrontation with Batman and Robin (Batman #37). Of note is his preference for green and brown clothes from his Flying Fox days  Following his failed scheme, exposed by x-ray which revealed his identity, Darrell’s criminal career was finished before it even began.

Whether Lou Rex Darrell reformed and once more sided with the cause of justice, as he had years before, is unknown. What is known is that he, like the man who continued the "life" of his doppelgänger Matches Malone, carved out a brief yet notable career as the Flying Fox... scourge to criminals everywhere!