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King Miser the One-Third is the nasty, vile, rotten, thieving and wicked king of the Misermites and the great diminutive ruler of Misermite Island.
Character history[]
Creation and development in Thimble Theatre[]
King Mister was created by Bud Sagendorf in 1949 for the Popeye/Thimble Theatre comic book story "Misermites!".
Biography[]
Past[]
King Miser the One-Third and his subjects are Misermites, a long-feared island race of dwarf-like men who sail the seas stealing from any island or port they come across and revisiting their targets every six months, creating a never ending cycle of theft and destruction.
"Misermites!"[]
As Popeye, Wimpy and Swee'Pea made port for the night at the seaside town of Seawet, they were shocked to wake up in the middle of the night to find that the town had been invaded by a tiny race of men who were none other than the Misermites. After receiving a brief explanation of their history from the local inn manager, Popeye hoped to have a chance at wiping the floor with the half-pint hoodlums, but before he got the chance they all quickly vanished, having run off back to their ship with utmost swiftness after successfully plundering everything in town in an instant, including Swee'Pea. Popeye then inquired the inn manager as to where the Misermites had gone with his adopted boy-kid, and with the location of Misermite Island now known, Popeye and Wimpy quickly set sail to rescue Swee'Pea from the wicked imps.
Meanwhile, on Misermite Island, the Misermites present Swee'Pea to King Miser, who is at first displeased with the child's presence, but one of his Misermite pirates then explains that the child could be used as bait to lure the formidable Popeye to their island in hopes of having him battle the toughest Misermite of them all, Zoog, and prove the latter's might by fighting the legendary sailor. The King is then all to eager to carry out this plan and strike a victory for all Misermite-kind by having Zoog destroy the mightiest sailor in the world.
As Popeye and Wimpy arrive on Misermite Island, they fall into the King's trap and find themselves imprisoned, where they are forced to sign a sinister contract by the Misermites in exchange for their freedom, the contract stating that if Popeye were to lose, he may never return to Misermite Island should he survive the battle, and that Swee'Pea would remain the King Miser's slave forever. Popeye is forced to comply and is then taken to Zoog himself, who is revealed to be a giant Misermite, easily the size of a large barn. The giant lummox proves to be a formidable powerhouse, capable of easily crushing Popeye and sending him flying, but, as the beatings continue, Popeye's rage reaches its peak and he finally lands a blow on the giant. However, Zoog begins to literally fall to pieces as he is revealed to be a giant robot controlled by several Misermites. With the Misermites and their King shamefully defeated, Popeye returns home with Swee'Pea while forcing the Misermite Kingdom to return everything they had stolen.
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