Origin
Raised in Centerville, Tom Hale was childhood friends with Patsy Walker. As an adult, he took a rights settlement from Hedy Wolfe, who was republishing the Patsy Walker comics, and opened a bookstore in New York City.
Creation
Tom was created by Stan Lee and Stan Goldberg. He made his first appearance in Patsy Walker #114. The character was reintroduced and significantly updated by Kate Leth and Brittany L Williams.
Character Evolution
Silver Age
In the Silver Age the character was referred to primarily as “Tubs.” Nothing was known about him during this time, save that he was from Centerville.
Modern Age
Early in the Modern Age Tubs was married to Nan Brown, with whom he had two children. The character was reintroduced two decades later going by the name Tom Hale, and given a more central role, though there is still relatively little known about him. Tom’s marriage and children appear to have been retconned out of existence, and the character is now queer.
Major Story Arcs
Patsy Walker
Tubs hangs out with Patsy and her gang of friends. He dates Nan, and later takes her to a big dance.
Hellcat
Tom reconnects with Patsy in New York. He informs her about the sudden return of the comics about their mutual childhood, and gives a job to her new roommate, Ian. He occasionally offers advice about the goings-on in Patsy’s life.
Powers and Abilities
Tom has no known superhuman powers or abilities.