Les Wilcox witnessed his Uncle Mort's murder by the hands of Jud Holt who wanted Mort's land. Holt tried to eliminate Les because he witnessed the murder, but Les managed to escape. Wilcox sought refuge in a remote cave and made friends with a wounded eagle, he later named the bird Talon. The pair became a team and hunted down Douglas City's criminals as Talon and the Masked Raider. Les' father was a military man and did not know of his son's double life. In fact, he worried his son was not manly enough. Les had a girlfriend named Polly Garrett, who was the mayor's daughter.