The Painted Man is a self-proclaimed prophet who foretells the arrival of the Fire Bird, which he claims will mark the beginning of a war of liberation for the Native peoples. After deceiving and defeating Zagor, the Painted Man convinces the Oneida tribe to march on Fort Cambder.
Zagor sets out to warn the soldiers of the impending attack, only to discover that the fort’s commander, Captain Macktar, along with a group of rebel soldiers, has allied himself with a mad Prussian named Ludwig Skondlerwitz. Living in a castle, Ludwig dreams of exterminating the Native population to build a utopian city in Darkwood for the European elite.
But that’s not all the Painted Man is actually Ludwig’s partner, and together they wield highly advanced technology: flying machines, parachutes, and poisonous gas.
Fortunately, Theodor, Ludwig’s cousin, intervenes. He frees Zagor, eliminates both Ludwig and Macktar, and sacrifices himself by crashing a flying vessel into the castle. The Spirit with the Hatchet then defeats the Painted Man once and for all and forces the remaining rebel soldiers to surrender.
