Rumor was a member of Adolf Hitler's elite special operatives in Nazi Germany during World War II, where he used his superhuman powers to amplify Hitler's natural persuasive abilities. Wanted for war crimes, Rumor was nearly captured by American agent Robert Paine, but escaped by jumping into a castle's moat and was presumed to have died or possibly to have joined the USSR. He resurfaced in the mid-1960s in a US city accompanied by a mind-controlled
Venus. Amplifying Venus' natural mesmerizing abilities, Rumor directed tens of thousands of teens to march against City Hall and the Statehouse to topple the government. Rumor's actions were noticed by
Asgardian skyfather
Odin, who commanded his intrepid thunder god son
Thor to stop Rumor's "Children's Crusade" as a lesson in humility about the impetuousness of youth, but Thor fell victim to Venus' allure. The
First Line's heroes also tried to stop the mob but a love-struck Thor stood against them. Rumor persuaded the monstrous Frank, whose might rivaled Thor, to forcibly remove the god from the battlefield. Although determined to prove his superiority to the authorities, Rumor was ultimately defeated by the Black Fox (Robert Paine), who injured Rumor's larynx, freeing everyone under his control. Rumor's current status and activities are unrevealed.