Ah, mon sweet, you suggested we start to hunt for mes amis at ze MOUNTAIN CABIN --- and yet I had never told you such a place existed! Only you could have betrayed us I realized then! Andre lives weeth ze HEAD as well as ZE HEART! 
- — Andre src
Andre was a member of the Blackhawks.
History
Powers and Abilities
Abilities
- Artistry Andre was able to draw from memory a recognizable likeness of "Truro" on a wall, with charcoal.[1]
- Aviation Andre was one of the very best combat pilots in the world, for several decades.[2]
- Chemistry Andre performed the forensic analysis of the dust from a freakish crime scene, and was able to ascertain that the disintegrated masonry and steel structure had been converted into an entirely new material, which Andre then was able to fuse into the form of a cube. This material had been invented by Mr. Powder, and was bulletproof, fireproof, waterproof, and radiationproof. Andre reverse-engineered the formula for this powder, and gave it away to a construction contractor.[3]
- Gemology Using a microscope, a magnifying glass, and a jeweler's loupe, Andre was able verify that a certain gem had come from Asia's Forbidden Country.[4]
- Hand-to-Hand Combat (Basic)[2]
- Savate[5]
- Swordsmanship Blackhawk considered Andre a better swordsman than himself.[6]
- Multilingualism Andre understood spoken Russian,[7] as well as his native French, English, German,[8] and several other languages.
- Music
- Singing On their return flights from their many international adventures, it was commonplace for the seven aviators of the Blackhawk Squadron to join their voices in a hearty chorus of their Blackhawk Anthem, often improvising new verses.
- Musical Instruments At Blackhawk Squadron sing-alongs, Andre played the guitar.[9] He also could play a banjo.[10]
- Science From a microscopic examination, Andre can identify the brand of any pocket crumbs of tobacco, and knows where to find more of the same brand.[11]
- Stage Magic Andre mastered these skills when he was but a boy.[12]
Weaknesses
- Andre is a complete sap for a pretty face or a well-turned ankle.[13]
Paraphernalia
Transportation
- In the Blackhawk Squadron, Andre's aircraft, during World War II, was a Grumman XF5F Skyrocket ground-attack fighter plane. After the war, he flew several early fighter jet warplanes, most notably North American F-86 Sabres, then Lockheed/Blackhawk F-90B and F-90C long-range interceptors.
Weapons
- On the ground he typically carried an M1/AI Thompson submachine gun and an M1911 pistol.
Notes
- This version of Andre, including all history and corresponding appearances, was erased from existence following the collapse of the original Multiverse in the 1985–86 Crisis on Infinite Earths event and later restored following the rebirth of the infinite Multiverse during the Dark Crisis of 2022-2023. Even though other versions of the character may have appeared, this information does not apply to those versions.
- Per Blackhawk #85, 1st story, in early 1955, Andre is 5' 11", 173 lbs.
- In a desperate shoot-out in late 1941, in Jugoslavia, Andre was shot at close range, and rolled down the side of a mountain, deliberately starting an avalanche in the process. The avalanche annihilated a large number of German soldiers. Andre's body was not recovered.[14]
- Six months later, on Andre's birthday, the Blackhawks revisited the site of Andre's apparent death, and amid another battle with the German occupying forces, found Andre, who had survived the avalanche but was battered beyond recognition. Blackhawk personally invaded Germany, solo, and broke into a concentration camp, from which he extracted the world's most famous plastic surgeon, Dr. Fritz von Rath, to restore Andre's face.[15]
- The doctor was insane, however, and sculpted Andre's features into those of a mutually-hated, and exceedingly ugly, Nazi enemy of theirs, Baron von Ziefh. The Blackhawks flew to Libya, and attacked von Ziefh and his forces, and defeated them, rescued Dr. von Rath's daughter Barbara from her Nazi captors, and returned to Blackhawk Island, for a second session of plastic surgery. Two weeks later, Andre looked just like his old self, and was engaged to marry Barbara von Rath. This was mentioned once, in a caption, then never again.[16] In 1947 Andre was asked by a reporter whether he had ever been married but he avoided the question.[17]
- His long and violent career continued to take a physical toll on Andre.
- In 1943, he again caught multiple bullet wounds in one conflict,[18] and one more bullet wound in his leg, in a later one.[19] In 1951 he was shot in the shoulder;[20] in 1955 he was shot in the back.[21] He was badly burned in a hangar fire in 1951.[22]
- Andre also survived a plane crash in 1944,[23] then was shot down (1st time) and survived another plane crash in 1945.[24] Andre hit an invisible mid-air obstacle, his third plane crash, in 1948.[25] In 1955 he was shot down, for the second time, and forced to crash-land, for his fourth crash.[26] In 1956 he was shot down again, for the third time, but made a better landing.[27]
- Andre was knocked unconscious with a blow to the head in 1947,[28] thrice more in 1948,[29] and again in 1949.[30] In 1950 he was knocked unconscious with a club,[31] punched out by a robot,[32] and knocked out twice more, with a pistol butt then a heavy goblet.[33] In 1951 he was knocked unconscious with several clubs.[34] In 1952 he was knocked out with a rifle stock.[35] In 1953 he was knocked out with a blackjack,[36] and later was punched out,[37] and later yet was head-konked out with a pistol butt,[38] then with a pipe.[39] In 1954 he got knocked out with a stick.[40]
Trivia
- Andre smoked a pipe, until at least 1951.[41]
- Andre served briefly as Vice-President and Secretary of Defense, in the ancient land of Fusang.[42] He later briefly served in a Cabinet position in the democracy of Bolia.[43]
- In 1951, on Blackhawk Island, he had a cat.[44]
Related
- 198 Appearances of Andre (Quality Universe)
- 14 Images featuring Andre (Quality Universe)
- 13 Quotations by or about Andre (Quality Universe)
- Character Gallery: Andre (Quality Universe)
Footnotes
- ↑ Military Comics #26
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Military Comics #2
- ↑ Blackhawk #20 4th story
- ↑ Modern Comics #90
- ↑ Modern Comics #85
- ↑ Modern Comics #59 2nd panel of 11th page
- ↑ Blackhawk #39
- ↑ Military Comics #10
- ↑ Military Comics #21, page 3, panel 2; Modern Comics #60, page 2, panel 6
- ↑ Blackhawk #28 1st panel of the 2nd page of the 3rd story
- ↑ Modern Comics #68
- ↑ Modern Comics #100
- ↑ Blackhawk #23, Blackhawk #26, Blackhawk #36, Blackhawk #39, Blackhawk #70, Blackhawk #74, Blackhawk #90
- ↑ Military Comics #3
- ↑ Military Comics #9
- ↑ Military Comics #10
- ↑ Blackhawk #16
- ↑ Military Comics #16
- ↑ Military Comics #24
- ↑ Military Comics #41 2nd story
- ↑ Blackhawk #84
- ↑ Blackhawk #45 1st story
- ↑ Military Comics #33
- ↑ Modern Comics #45
- ↑ Blackhawk #20
- ↑ Blackhawk #88
- ↑ Blackhawk #101
- ↑ Modern Comics #67
- ↑ Blackhawk #18, Modern Comics #71, & Blackhawk #20
- ↑ Blackhawk #23
- ↑ Modern Comics #94
- ↑ Modern Comics #101
- ↑ Blackhawk #33 3rd & 5th stories
- ↑ Blackhawk #43
- ↑ Blackhawk #54
- ↑ Blackhawk #64
- ↑ Blackhawk #65
- ↑ Blackhawk #68
- ↑ Blackhawk #70
- ↑ Blackhawk #75
- ↑ Modern Comics #55, Blackhawk #45
- ↑ Blackhawk #43
- ↑ Blackhawk #68
- ↑ Blackhawk #45