HOTW- The Wizard (MLJ)

From Wiki- The Wizard is a superhero created by Will Harr and Edd Ashe Jr. for MLJ Comics, which later became Archie Comics. He first appeared in Top-Notch Comics #1 in December 1939, and was one of the headliners of that title until its cancellation in 1944.^[1] He was one of the earliest superhero characters to appear after the debut of Superman in 1938. Blane Whitney, a highly intelligent man, descends from a long line of men who fought for America in its wars. This includes General Steven Whitney, who was General Washington's chief aide in the Revolutionary War. It was later retroactively revealed that Blane was not the first Whitney to defend his country wearing the red mask and cloak of the Wizard during key events in early U.S. history.^[2] At age 14, Blane met President Woodrow Wilson, who told him to use his brain only for good and not for evil. While in college, he was a superb athlete and student. His brother, Grover, was chief of the Naval Intelligence Service and usually informed him of enemy plots against America.^[3] To aid him in his fight against these enemies, the Wizard had various contraptions and machines of his own design available to him, like a vibra-ray gun and a car that could reach up to 500 mph. He had several devices that enabled him to fly. Coming from a wealthy family, he also had airplanes and submarines at his disposal.^[4][5] Back to me:

There is more, since he later got superhuman powers and a true costume, rather than just being a Mandrake clone, but I liked that he would team up with The Shield on occasion.  Of course, him being an MLJ character meant I didn't see him until the late 70s revival, but that was OK with me.  He never was a true wizard, though.