Title: The Silent Avenger
Air date: March 13, 1938
Plot summary: Joe Brecker is a criminal who has just been convicted, presumably of murder, because he's being sentenced to death. When the judge asks him if he has anything to say before questioning, Brecker doesn't apologize or beg for mercy. Instead, he makes a threat. He promises that if he's sentenced to death, then he will have everybody—the judge, the prosecuting attorney, and all twelve jurors—killed. If he actually is executed, he'll have the governor killed. And just maybe, he'll arrange for the death of the guy that caught him in the first place: The Shadow.
People in the courtroom scoff at this, because Brecker will be in prison and all of his gang is either dead or also in jail. The only person not scoffing is Lamont Cranston, who was also in the courtroom. The Shadow comes to see Joe Brecker in prison, and discovers the truth: Joe Brecker doesn't have a gang anymore, but he still has his brother, Danny. Danny Brecker, a Shell-Shocked Veteran of the Great War, also happens to be an extremely skilled sniper who owns a telescopic rifle. Soon, a juror is shot dead, and then another one. And while The Shadow knows who's doing it, that is of little help, because no one knows where Danny Brecker is.
Tropes:
- Cold Sniper: Danny Brecker, a Shell-Shocked Veteran who goes on a murder spree simply because his brother asks him to.
- Dramatic Irony: As everyone is leaving the courtroom, a bystander wonders about the futility of threatening The Shadow, since no one knows what he looks like and "he could appear in this courtroom and not be seen." Naturally, Lamont Cranston is there to see Joe Brecker go down.
- Extra! Extra! Read All About It!: "Extry, extry, two more Brecker jurors shot down!"
- Grenade Hot Potato: Danny Brecker tosses a grenade at The Shadow as he makes his escape. The Shadow has just enough time to pick it up and throw it out the window. He tells Margo immediately afterward that it's the closest call he ever had.
- Hollywood Silencer: Danny Brecker's rifle makes the standard "pfft" sound.
- Jedi Mind Trick: At the climax, Danny is about to throw a grenade into the crowd when The Shadow pulls a Jedi mind trick. He actually says "Your mind obeys mine" as he mentally overpowers Danny and stops him from throwing the grenade. However he is unable to stop Danny from dropping the grenade and killing himself.
- Killed Mid-Sentence: Judge Wilson (the Brecker trial judge) is telling the governor that it would not be a good idea for the governor to appear in the parade. The judge says "It'll be in an open car and a perfect target for—", when the judge is shot and killed by Danny.
- Officer O'Hara: The beat cop on the scene when the first juror is killed speaks with an Irish accent.
- Psychic Powers: This is one of the episodes where The Shadow reads minds. He basically reads Joe Brecker's mind, finding out that his brother Danny is a skilled sniper who even as they speak is going home to get the rifle that he will use to carry out Joe's vengeance.
- Shell-Shocked Veteran: Danny Brecker is explicitly described as "shell-shocked." He's a jittery sort who asks if they'll kill Joe like they killed all of his buddies during the war. Lamont says that it's society's fault for training Danny to be a killer and expecting him to be a law-abiding citizen after the war is over.
- Society Is to Blame: Lamont Cranston's opinion of Danny, saying that it's everyone's fault, that "society trained him to kill men," and that "teaching men to kill in time of war, and expecting them to respect life in time of peace" makes no sense.The Shadow: "Danny Bricker was an enemy of society - a killer. But only because you and I and countless thousands made him one. No, Commissioner, there is no glory in this for you or The Shadow or for any man."
- Villain Opening Scene: The first scene is Joe Brecker, at his sentencing, swearing a campaign of bloody vengeance against everyone who is sending him to the death house.
