Supporting character published by
Marvel Comics.
Willie Lumpkin
first appeared in
Marvel Comics Presents #18..
William Lumpkin was born and raised in the midwest of the United States.
Willie, as he was known to his friends, became a postal employee,
carrying the mail on rural routes near his home. Willie had bigger
dreams though. He didn't want to be stuck sorting and delivering mail
in the midwest for the rest of his life. He dreamed of sorting and
delivering mail in a big city, like New York, Miami, or Dayton.
The only thing that was holding Lumpkin back from his dream was his
love for Lila Brown, Willie's childhood sweetheart. Willie was
devoted to Lila and was willing to sacrifice his dream to be with her.
Luckily for him, Willie's soulmate was a bit of a floozy and had a thing
for Willie's best friend, Charlie Boomer. When Willie finally proposed,
Lila turned him down, professing her feelings for Charlie. Willie was
crushed.
Realizing that there was nothing to keep him from following his dream
of becoming an urban letter carrier, Willie struck out for the NYC and
became a mailman in Manhattan. Willie worked the same route for many
years with little excitement in his life.
One day, however, one of the buildings on his route got a new set of
tenants. The upper floors of the Baxter Building were now being
used by the Marvel Universe's premiere superhero team, the Fantastic
Four. Willie was excited to be the letter carrier for the team and
hoped that it would bring some excitement to his life. Upon meeting
Reed Richards, the leader of the Fantastic Four, Willie offered
his services as a team member based upon his ability to wiggle his
ears. Mr. Fantastic told Willie that he would take it under
consideration.
Though never a member of the team, Willie did inadvertently help the
team on a number of occasions. Willie accidentally
pressed a button that distracted the Mad Thinker at one point, allowing
the heroes to escape one of the villain's traps. On another occasion,
Willie accidentally activated Doctor Doom's time machine and traveled
back in time, foiling the plot of a villain named Tempus.
In recent years, Willie has retired from active duty and has been enjoying
some leisure time. Since his retirement, he has actually dated
May Parker, the aunt of Peter Parker, the amazing Spider-Man.