Ace Ace by Jack Kirby from COTU 3. All art copyright by DC Comics

Colonel Kyle "Ace" Morgan is former US Air Force pilot. He flew jets in Korea with Hal Jordan (later Green Lantern). When Hal was blown from his jet unconscious, Ace ejected from his own jet, dived after Hal, and yanked his ripcord, saving his life. (New Frontier 1) Ace has flown as a test pilot, an independent bush pilot, and an astronaut. He's been in space at least twice (COTU 73 and COTU V3 16). COTU 73 was an official moon mission, though one crewman went nuts and was killed. Ace made a spacewalk (STF 8) and then walked on the moon (mentioned but not shown).

The first time we see Ace is in his Air Force uniform. He's a civilian at this stage, but wears the uniform for the radio show appearance. (Showcase 6) He appears on the show because of his war record, shooting down 19 enemy planes in Korea. Oddly, when reprinted in the first Secret Origins, his claim to fame was substituted to "has test flown more planes than anyone else in the world". Why the reprint change, no one knows.

Unlike Rocky, who was obviously based on Rocky Marciano, we don't have a real-life counterpart for Ace.  Yet.  But we will note he looks a whole lot like Shell Scott, a ficticious private eye who sold millions of books.  This cover is from 1955.  Look familiar?

In one adventure at a castle, Ace talks about his service in World War II, which would be the Army Air Corps (COTU 44). Lately, of course, we have to set him in some recent conflict like the Gulf Wars as a USAF jet pilot. Here he's already a flying ace, which meant he's shot down FIVE enemy planes - quite a feat for someone so young-looking!

While in the Air Force, Ace became friends with Rick Flagg (Suicide Squad 14). They had the usual friendly competition between hotshot pilots, staging mock dogfights. Rick Flagg went on to ramrod the Suicide Squad. He sacrificed his life by self-destructing the Flying Cloud (New Frontier 4). A third member of the group was Martin "Martini" Jordan, father-to-be of Hal (Green Lantern) Jordan. After Martini died, Ace and Rick kept an avuncular eye on young Hal.

After the Air Force, Ace joined the Flying Aces Stunt Pilot Show. This episode marks his first appearance in DC Comics. He was diving a biplane at the ground and was almost rescued by Superboy before the youth realized his mistake. Superboy then gives an impromptu flyaround as part of the show. Which makes it also one of Superboy's first appearances. (New Adventures of Superboy 1)

Sometime after the Air Force, Ace test-flew jets. This picture (from COTU 52) shows him in action. In this sequence, the jet engine failed. Ace ejected just before the jet exploded. Wonder if they made him pay for it?

Eventually Ace ran his own private air freight service, Morgan Air Service. He flew a load of nitro for some prospectors, but it came loose in transit. Ace buzzed the prospectors to chase them off, then dumped the load overboard. The explosion opened a new vein that made the prospectors rich. For this brave service (an accident?), Ace was chosen to appear on the show "Heroes" (COTU 31). Which is how he met the other Challengers-to-be and went into a death spiral and crash that should have proved fatal. (Showcase 6, Adventure 493, and elsewhere.) But Ace's story differs slightly from his buddies. Facing certain death, the other three pre-Challs all felt regrets about wasting their lives and efforts. Ace had no such death-defying origin or last-minute epiphany. His only thought was thinking "What an Ace I turned out to be!" (COTU 31) Perhaps future writers can punch it up Ace's back story. Ace was chosen for the show HEROES based on his war record, having shot down 19 enemy planes during the Korean "fracas" (Showcase 6).

Shortly after forming the Challengers, Ace set an air speed record (Showcase 6).

In this sequence (Secret Origins 12), Ace recounts that he's "been this way all his life... Always trying to go faster and further than the guy before me." He should have been killed on this test flight, but walked away from the crash with only a black eye. Note he test-flew for McDonnel-Douglas.

Like a lot of famous pilots (Chuck Yeager, Hal Jordan), Ace lives on the edge and in grand style. His pay is high but probably erratic, and he spends money like water, so is always broke. (Adventure 495) "Ace is not only living on borrowed time, but borrowed money.  He's in debt to every credit card company and loan outfit that'll give him a buck."  (Bob Rozakis in response to fan letter.)

And like a lot of pilots who need to calm their nerves, Ace used to smoke. Early on he smoked cigars (NF02). Later (Showcase 7) he smoked a pipe, same as his cousin Oliver Queen. Still later on (COTU 18) he switched to cigarettes. (Now there's risky behavior!) He can even blow smoke in Morse Code!

No idea what the brawl is about, but Ace once whipped three "muscle-bound morons" single-handed, as shown in flashback in COTU 52.

Ace is not reckless. No good pilot can be. As they say, "There are old pilots and there are bold pilots, but there are no old, bold pilots." So Ace tends to be the level-headed Challenger, so is the natural leader. That Ace IS leader was decided once and for all (in COTU 46), when June ran a contest to see who was leader. Ace not only saved himself on the mission, he saved each of his comrades. And was crowned with a flower stand!

One historian of pop culture suggests that "... Travis and "Ace" Morgan (are) two brothers who became pilots and later adventurers, one becoming a Warlord of an other-dimensional "Lost World" chronicled by Mike Grell, one of Oliver's biographers, his brother surviving a deadly accident with three others, and becoming a leader of the "Challengers of the Unknown" as chronicled by Jack Kirby. That makes Travis Morgan and Oliver Queen II (Green Arrow II) cousins, and the strong resemblence between the two has been noted." The pictures show Oliver and Travis pre-beards. Compare for yourself and read more speculation here. The main page is here.

Here are a few more facts on Ace Morgan's brother, Travis Morgan, AKA The Warlord of Skartaris. Travis was a Lt Colonel in the USAF, serial number RF16966107 (Secret Origins 16, Warlord 15). He flew jets over Vietnam and later flew an SR-71 Blackbird spy plane over Russia (First Issue Special 8). It was on a photo mission over Siberia that his disabled plane soared over the Terminator (edge of the world) into inner world of Skartaris. Morgan's best friend at Thomas Jefferson High School was Chuck (last name unknown). Morgan fell for his sister Rachel, and they married soon after graduating (Secret Origins 16). They had one child, Jennifer (Warlord 38), but Rachel died soon after. Lacking a wife, and active in the Air Force and Vietnam, Travis gave Jennifer to the care of "Aunt Marie", either Travis's sister or sister-in-law. (Warlord 38) Jennifer becomes a sorceress (Warlord 54). Travis has mentioned hunting in Wyoming ((Warlord 47) and meeting "an old cowpoke" in Montana. Ace is a Texan, but perhaps the family moved around. Or his father Joshua was in the military too. In Skartaris, Travis Morgan marries Tara, Queen of Shamballah (ceremony in Warlord). They have a son named Joshua after Travis's father (Warlord 15). Morgan says, "The old man would have liked that." Joshua is heir to the throne, one day to be King of Shamballah (Warlord 15). So for Ace Morgan... He had a father named Joshua. Has a brother, Travis. A sister-in-law Rachel, deceased. A sister-in-law, Tara of Shamballah. A niece, Jennifer. A nephew, Joshua. Possibly a sister Marie.