Mr. Weatherbee - Character History

Character History

Mr. Weatherbee's first appearance may be in Pep Comics #5 (March 1942), as a passenger of a taxi driven by Archie. After not impressing him with his driving skills, Archie learns that his passenger is Riverdale High's new principal. However, this character is not named, and he is not overweight. The first unambiguous appearance of Mr. Weatherbee is in Jackpot Comics #5, where he is named, and has his customary girth.

Mr. Weatherbee is a former member of the United States Marine Corps. According to a story in one of the digest magazines, he was a helicopter pilot in the Vietnam War (1957–1975). A previous story had placed him as a veteran of the World War II Battle of the Bulge (December 16, 1944–January 28, 1945), thanks to retconning and the "sliding time scale" principle. In a later story Mr. Weatherbee jests that his claim towards being in the "Battle of the Bulge" refers to his own battle against weight gain, which he has lost.

In one story, Coach Kleats, explaining to Archie and his friends the value of not underestimating Weatherbee's physical prowess, mentions that Weatherbee was a good athlete in high school, excelling in football and baseball.

In Archie Digest #233, Archie's father accidentally reveals that Waldo was known as "Wild Wally" in high school. Wild Wally was a troublemaker, and, after the kids find out, contrary to what he expects, they learn to appreciate it. Many stories feature Archie and his friends discovering that Mr. Weatherbee in his younger days was thin with red hair and had many adventures similar to Archie's. These stories often result in Archie worrying that as an adult, he will become more like Mr. Weatherbee.

He is a semi-active explorer and discovered some Malooka Indian relics near Riverdale.

Mr. Weatherbee has certain fears about his mental health, owing to the "hallucinations" that he sometimes experiences. However, his fears are wholly unfounded and stem entirely from his accidental witnessing of Sabrina's (or sometimes her Aunt Hilda's) witchcraft. Typically, upon seeing such things as an elephant and a giraffe poking their heads out of the windows at Sabrina's house (as in the Filmation production Hexter's Day Out) or Pop, the local malt shop proprietor flying by an aircraft window on a broom followed by Sabrina (as in Zelda's Racing Broom), he turns away and in a rather perturbed voice says "I didn't see that! I did not see that!"