Brian Butler Mr. Scarlet is
district attorney Brian Butler, who along with his adopted son Pinky the Whiz Kid, fought evil in his city for several years. His success was such that his employment was frequently in jeopardy due to a lack of crime. As a result throughout his series, he took up several odd jobs to supplement his family's income. He used inventive devices to help him apprehend criminals, and had great acrobatic and hand-to-hand combatant skills. In his first appearance in
Wow Comics #1, Brian was based in
Gotham City. This may be the first use of the name of this city in comics. Later
retcons established Mr. Scarlet's base in either
New York City or
Fawcett City. The heroes tangle with a wide variety of villains, including the sinister Death Battalion, who plan the assassinations of top government officials. The Battalion's members include Dr. Death, the Ghost, the Horned Hood, the Black Thorn, the Black Clown, the Laughing Skull, and their leader known as "the Brain" is actually the warden of El Catraz prison. Although initially appearing in the 1940s, Mr. Scarlet and Pinky were revealed to still be active and at relatively the same age level in the 1970s during a team-up with the
Justice League of America and
Justice Society of America in
Justice League of America 135-137. It was during this team-up that the two crime-fighters joined with several other heroes from Earth-S to form Shazam's
Squadron of Justice. After the
Crisis on Infinite Earths, Pinky Butler is revealed to have taken over the identity of his father Mr. Scarlet after his death, having been active in
Fawcett City for several years. It is also revealed how they retained their youth since the 1940s, as the wizard
Shazam provided a protective field around the city for decades allowing its inhabitants to age slower than their contemporaries in other cities. Pinky first appeared as Mr. Scarlet in
The Power of Shazam #44. Mr. Scarlet later rescues
Freddy Freeman from
Prometheus' captivity, alongside the
Bulleteer. In "
The New Golden Age", Pinky was shown to be a captive of a Time Scavenger called Childminder on Orphan Island. His voice can be heard coming from the same cell as
Blue Beetle's sidekick
Sparky. Pinky the Whiz Kid and Sparky are among those freed by
Red Arrow and
Boom. After Time Master and Childminder are defeated, Pinky and the Lost Children are brought to the present day, as returning them to their own time would cause a
time paradox. ==Other versions==