Jim Morita (Earth-11584)

History
"'We owe your our lives Captain. Honor dictates we try our best to return the favor.'"James Morita was born in 1922 in San Francisco, California, the grandson of Japanese immigrants who lived near the harbor in that city. Morita, unlike his artist parents, was a very analytical and calculating individual, always taking an interest in technology and in trying to improve the world around him. It came as no surprise that Morita, in 1940, enrolled in the University of California in order to study technical communications. However, his world, like many others, was changed by the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. With the threat of being interred for being of Japanese descent (something that did happen to his grandparents and parents), Morita instead enlisted in the Army and put his career plans on hold.

As a member of the 107th Infantry Regiment, Morita was quickly assigned as a field communications officer in charge of radio equipment. Morita was given a crash course in the latest military communications technology, and found it severely lacking, occasionally tinkering with equipment to make it function more efficiently. He was captured, along with many of the others in his unit, by HYDRA in 1942, taken to a prison camp thirty miles behind enemy lines. Morita was originally planning to radio in for an airstrike, but his pocket radio was discovered and confiscated. Fortunately for him, he was eventually saved by Captain America, and then personally drafted into joining Cap's platoon, the Howling Commandos. He continued to serve as their communications officer, coordinating attacks between the semi-autonomous unit and the larger force of the SSR and working closely with General Chester Phillips in strategic planning. Morita was present at the battle at the final HYDRA base, seeing Captain America taking off in the Valkyrie and listening when he radioed in his last message to command.

Following the war, Morita returned to school and graduated summa cum laude with a degree in communications. He would go on to work for the Bell Telephone Company, and some of the advancements he made would later lay the groundwork for the modern cellphone networks we have today. Despite being the youngest member of the Howling Commandos, Morita died relatively young at the age of 61 in 1983, due to a car accident. A picture of him during the war hung in the office of his grandson, a physical education teacher at Midtown High who taught Peter Parker, aka Spider-Man.

Powers & Abilities

 * Communcations Expertise: Morita was a genius at communications equipment, capable of improving "cutting-edge" radios from the military with limited equipment that he had on hand. Much of his post-war work would also lay the groundwork for modern cellphone networks as well.
 * Basic Combat Training: As a member of the military, Morita received basic training in unarmed combat and firearms training. He was said to be a decent shot, though he rarely was shown firing his weapon.

Weaknesses
Jim Morita possessed no special abilities that made him any less susceptible to injury, as he died relatively young from injuries sustained in a massive car wreck.

Film Details
Morita appears in the following films within the Earth-11584 continuity. In all cases he is portrayed by actor Kenneth Choi.
 * Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)
 * The Spectacular Spider-Man (2017) [mentioned only]