Mavelli was a skilled Axis agent, ready and willing to tangle with the Fighting Yank, but not so able.
References: [Fighting Yank #1] [1942] [creepy foreign agent; skilled hand to hand combatant; “uses anesthetic gas to knock out an entire city; foiled by the fighting yank; Out of the way, sucker! It’s your boss I want!”; apparently drowned in a downed submarine by Fighting Yank; ]