In the Wild West, Redford Raven is a bank robber who led his own gang into a series of robberies until they ran afoul of Rawhide Kid, who defeated the bank robbers and handed them over to the authorities. While in prison, Redford Raven shared a cell with a dying Navajo medicine man. The medicine man decided to share his secrets with Redford: He had designed a winged harness that, treated with a secret herb, could be worn by a man and permit him to glide upon the winds. The old Navajo trained Raven in the use of these wings until he died from his illness. Redford Raven tricked the guard into letting him escape by hovering to the ceiling and slipping out. Upon becoming Red Raven, he was able to safely escape the prison simply by flying out of reach of the guards.