History: The Scarlet Avenger often leaves a handful of criminals, beaten and bruised, for the authorities to discover. Only a card depicting a flaming arrow left at the scene offers clue to the events leading to their condition. The Scarlet Avenger punishes crime, and leaves his card as a warning for evil-doers. The Scarlet Avenger's real identity is Jim Kendall. After a plane crash resulting from a failed attempt to hijack a large shipment of gold bars killed his wife and daughter, Kendall embarked on a war against crime. His face remains frozen because of injuries sustained in the wreck, and he becomes known as the man who never smiles. Even his agents (called 'operators') do not know who hides behind the Avenger's scarlet mask and bulletproof cape. It is unknown if Kendall gets the funds for his war from the gold bullion on the wrecked plane, or from other means.

Kendall, like all the agents in his army, is a scientific genius. He utilizes a variety of super-scientific weapons of his own design, though the most common choices include a paralyzing ray and a magnetic ray. The Scarlet Avenger travels in his rocket car, and his 'neutronically' propelled airship. The rocket car could easily outstrip police cars traveling at 90 miles-per-hour. The airship's abilities are never discussed in detail. It is destroyed in Zip #3, but it appears again later. His agents had a veritable air-force of planes which they use to fight the villainous Texa. The Scarlet Avenger also utilized a hypnotism machine to extract confessions out of captured criminals. The Scarlet Avenger left a card with his flaming arrow emblem (later the card included a skull with the flaming arrow) at the scene of his activities to inform criminals and police alike where responsibility lay for the villains' capture.

The Scarlet Avenger uses his 'phonviz' to keep in contact with his various agents. His agents range from tough-guys and opium den watchers, to jazz singers and inventors. Operator #12, an attractive brunette, played a large role as one of the agents in the early stories. In Zip Comics #6, Operator #1 appears. Operator #1 is Inez Courtney, another attractive brunette. (It's possible Operator #12 and Inez are the same person if the Scarlet Avenger changed her designation.) Jim has to reveal his identity to Inez to solve the case. After this revelation of identity, Inez falls in loves with The Scarlet Avenger and becomes his main operative, with all other operatives regulated to the background.

After Zip #6, only Inez is featured as an operative. the stories no longer identify The Scarlet Avenger's other operatives by name or title, and only show any of them one more time. Inez and the Scarlet Avenger are inseparable after this point. After the introduction of Inez, the stories begin to become more mundane and, aside from his bulletproof cloak, they deal less and less with The Scarlet Avenger's special equipment. In Zip #16, it appears he has favored a regular pistol over his paralyzing ray. This possible decline from the original intent may have proved the demise of the telling of The Scarlet Avenger's adventures. Zip #17 would be his last appearance.

The Scarlet Avenger had only two major, recurring enemies. One was a genius Amazonian-type woman named Texa. Texa and her mysterious 'Tribe of the Hood' flew about in a dirigible for three issues (Zip #s 3, 4, and 5) causing havoc. Texa began by attempting to steal a good deal of gold from the government. Foiled in this plan, she attempted a kidnapping on the president. In her final adventure, she attempted to release the prisoners from Alcatraz. In a battle with the Scarlet Avenger and his agents, Texa's ship is destroyed. She swears a return that never materialized.

The Scarlet Avenger's other nemesis is named Mr. Nimbus. Mr. Nimbus uses a ring to hypnotize people. He is defeated by The Scarlet Avenger twice and never resurfaces. Aside from the general types of criminals, only one other is unusual enough to mention; this is a criminal genius identified as "Peanut-head" because of the small condition of his cranium. A return of Peanut-head is promised in that issue, but it never materialized.

The-man-who-never-smiles laughs at the most heinous and ingenious crimes of the underworld. There is a man who will punish the guilty and defend the innocent, and criminals tremble in fear at the mention of his name: The Scarlet Avenger!