Mr. Fadewell is a character from the American comic strip series Thimble Theatre, serving as the main antagonist of the 1928-29 "Dice Island" storyline. This storyline is notable for introducing the now-famous character of Popeye to the world, there as a supporting character.
Fadewell is the owner of the exotic Dice Island, where he has constructed a casino called the Dice Island Gambling Palace. The casino is apparently fraudulent and uses rigged games to ruin the millionaires who visit the island, leaving them without even enough money to return home. He suffers from extreme rheumatism and as a result is "practically helpless", relying on his employees to do his dirty work.
While in India, Fadewell hears about a species known as the African "luck hen", also known as a Whiffle Hen. This bird has three hairs on its head and anyone who rubs these hairs will receive unbeatable luck. Fadewell has become fixated on obtaining these birds to prevent people from using them at his casino.
Fadewell enters the story when he learns that Castor Oyl is in possession of a Whiffle Hen named Bernice. One of his employees, a woman named Rena who is also known as the Black Ghost, finds and abducts both Castor and Bernice and brings them to Fadewell. Castor threatens to have Fadewell arrested for "kidnappery" and later to beat him up after learning of his rheumatism, but Fadewell's bodyguard Mr. Skum intervenes each time. Fadewell tries to convince Castor to accompany him to Dice Island with the hen, but refuses to explain why. Castor eventually overhears Fadewell and Rena discussing the animal's properties and decides to escape. He pretends to agree to Fadewell's offer and accepts ten thousand dollars to bring Bernice to Dice Island. He then shows Mr. Skum the money to convince him that Fadewell has released him, before escaping with Bernice.
Once his rheumatism has eased up, Fadewell travels to Dice Island, only to be told by his henchman Jack Snork that Castor has bankrupted his casino using Bernice's luck properties. Fadewell beats Snork before rushing to the beach, where the two villains see Castor and Popeye rowing away with the money. The evil men plot devise a plan: Snork will board Castor's ship and kill everyone aboard while Fadewell follows behind in his yacht. Once everything is clear, Fadewell will board the ship and retrieve his money.
During the final showdown, Snork raises a black flag to signal to Fadewell to come aboard. But before he gets there, the seemingly-dead Popeye appears and beats Snork down after rubbing Bernice for luck. Fadewell boards the ship and demands his money, claiming that he will be able to beat Popeye without Snork's help, apparently unbothered by his rheumatism. Popeye knocks Fadewell out with a single punch and then offers to revive both villains so he can fight them again. Castor and Ham Gravy then dump the villains back on Fadewell's yacht and set it adrift, but not before Castor takes the opportunity to taunt Fadewell about his lost fortune.