Nelson Gardner

Nelson Gardner (1908 - 9 August 1974), better known as the masked adventurer Captain Metropolis, was an American military contractor and masked adventurer who adopted the persona of Captain Metropolis in 1939. He was a member of the Minutemen, who he co-founded with with Louis Schexnayder. After the disbanding of the minutemen in 1949, he later attempted to found a new group, the Crimebusters in 1966, but this ultimately never came to fruition. He died in a tragic accident in 1974, in which he was decapitated as the result of a car accident.

Early life
Nelson Gardner was born in 1908 into a wealthy family in New York City. As an adult, he enlisted into Harvard University, but eventually washed out.

Military service
After leaving Harvard, Gardner joined the United States marine corps and served with distinction in the United States' Banana Wars under general Smedley Butler. He was discharged honorably from the marines in 1936.

Security consultant
After leaving the military, Gardner began to work as both a security consultant and military contractor, even advising the NYPD on urban warfare strategies.