Dr. Degnan and Professor Carvel treated a dying amnesiac whom they found on the beach with a serum they developed. The formula, when irradiated with infra-red light, would grant both super strength and super intellect. Professor Carvel died soon after treating the amnesiac, but Dr. Degnan aided the mysterious man who became the crime fighter known as Iron Vic. When WWII broke out, he joined the US Marines, and after the war ended, he went to play ball for a minor league baseball team called the Panthers.