Black Talon (comics)
Encyclopedia
The Black Talon is the name of a number of fictional character
s, a supervillain
in the Marvel Comics
universe
.
#9, in 1941
. He was created by Joe Simon
and Jack Kirby
.
(vol. 1) #173 (April 1974
) and was created by Gene Colan
and Len Wein
.
who can create and control zombies. He wears a costume which resembles a chicken, and has an upside-down cross painted on his chest. He was a millionaire and voodoo witch doctor
, and posed as a "living loa" to carry out the plans of his mother, Mama Limbo. He battled and became an enemy of Brother Voodoo
. He was later exposed as an impostor, and was beaten to death by his own cultists.
, operating in the New Orleans area. He first appeared in Avengers
#152 (Oct 1976), created by Gerry Conway
and John Buscema
.
Due to Comics Code restrictions, his zombies were initially known as "zuvembies", as the word "zombie" was banned due to its association with EC Comics
horror stories.
as a zombie at the behest of the Grim Reaper
and sent him to attack the Avengers
. The Black Talon battled the Avengers himself, and was defeated by the Scarlet Witch
. He then joined the second Lethal Legion
. With the Grim Reaper and Nekra
, he battled the Vision
and Scarlet Witch. Under the Grim Reaper's orders, he attempted a recreation of "Simon Williams" as a zombie. With the Man-Ape
, Black Talon deserted the Lethal Legion during a battle with the West Coast Avengers
.
Nekra learned the Black Talon's voodoo rites, and she later used them on two occasions to resurrect the Grim Reaper as a zombie.
When battling She-Hulk
Black Talon formed X-Humed from four dead mutants Changeling, Scaleface
, Living Diamond
and Harry Leland
but was unable to control all of them at once and Changeling was able to break his hold long enough for She-Hulk to triumph.
The Black Talon has also fought Deadpool
, who viciously mocked him for his chicken costume.
Black Talon has returned in Marvel Zombies 4
, having technically retired from supervillainy, instead becoming a secretive cocaine producer, selling to the Hood
. Talon comes across the Zombie
(Simon Garth) carrying the zombie head of Deadpool, and offers to sell the head to Hood.
Each Black Talon wore a costume with the trappings of various voodoo rituals, with razor-sharp taloned gloves and boots, and a ceremonial dagger.
, under the name Thibodaux Boudreaux.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
s, a supervillain
Supervillain
A supervillain or supervillainess is a variant of the villain character type, commonly found in comic books, action movies and science fiction in various media.They are sometimes used as foils to superheroes and other fictional heroes...
in the Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
universe
Marvel Universe
The Marvel Universe is the shared fictional universe where most comic book titles and other media published by Marvel Entertainment take place, including those featuring Marvel's most familiar characters, such as Spider-Man, the Hulk, the X-Men, and the Avengers.The Marvel Universe is further...
.
Black Talon (Pascal Horta)
The first Black Talon was Pascal Horta, a painter who lost his hand in an auto-accident. Undergoing experimental surgery, he was given the hand of an African-American serial killer, "Strangler Burns", who was put to death. The serial killer blood in his new hand overcame Horta's peaceful nature and drove him to commit murders. Pascal Horta first appeared in Captain AmericaCaptain America
Captain America is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Captain America Comics #1 , from Marvel Comics' 1940s predecessor, Timely Comics, and was created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby...
#9, in 1941
1941 in comics
-Events and publications:Stan Lee becomes editor-in-chief at Timely Comics.Adventures of Captain Marvel, a twelve-chapter film serial adapted from the popular Captain Marvel comic book character for Republic Pictures, debuts...
. He was created by Joe Simon
Joe Simon
Joseph Henry "Joe" Simon is an American comic book writer, artist, editor, and publisher. Simon created or co-created many important characters in the 1930s-1940s Golden Age of Comic Books and served as the first editor of Timely Comics, the company that would evolve into Marvel Comics.With his...
and Jack Kirby
Jack Kirby
Jack Kirby , born Jacob Kurtzberg, was an American comic book artist, writer and editor regarded by historians and fans as one of the major innovators and most influential creators in the comic book medium....
.
Black Talon (Desmond Drew)
Desmond Drew first appeared in Strange TalesStrange Tales
Strange Tales is the name of several comic book anthology series published by Marvel Comics. It introduced the features "Doctor Strange" and "Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.", and was a showcase for the science fiction/suspense stories of artists Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko, and for the...
(vol. 1) #173 (April 1974
1974 in comics
This is a list of comics-related events in 1974.-Year overall:* From May to September, Marvel debuts their Giant-Size series, mostly double- or triple-length comics featuring their most popular characters...
) and was created by Gene Colan
Gene Colan
Eugene Jules "Gene" Colan was an American comic book artist best known for his work for Marvel Comics, where his signature titles include the superhero series, Daredevil, the cult-hit satiric series Howard the Duck, and The Tomb of Dracula, considered one of comics' classic horror series...
and Len Wein
Len Wein
Len Wein is an American comic book writer and editor best known for co-creating DC Comics' Swamp Thing and Marvel Comics' Wolverine, and for helping revive the Marvel superhero team the X-Men...
.
Fictional character biography
Black Talon is a voodoo priestHoungan
Houngan is the term for a male priest in the voodoo religion in Haiti . The term is derived from the Fon word "hùn gan". There are two ranks of houngan, houngan asogwe and houngan sur pwen...
who can create and control zombies. He wears a costume which resembles a chicken, and has an upside-down cross painted on his chest. He was a millionaire and voodoo witch doctor
Witch doctor
A witch doctor originally referred to a type of healer who treated ailments believed to be caused by witchcraft. It is currently used to refer to healers in some third world regions, who use traditional healing rather than contemporary medicine...
, and posed as a "living loa" to carry out the plans of his mother, Mama Limbo. He battled and became an enemy of Brother Voodoo
Brother Voodoo
Brother Voodoo is a fictional character, a supernatural superhero in the Marvel Universe. Created by writer Len Wein and artist Gene Colan, he first appears in Strange Tales #169...
. He was later exposed as an impostor, and was beaten to death by his own cultists.
Black Talon (Samuel Barone)
The successor to Drew, Samuel David Barone, wore the same costume as the original and was an ally of the Grim ReaperGrim Reaper (comics)
Grim Reaper is a fictional character, a comic book supervillain in the Marvel Comics universe. He first appeared in The Avengers #52 May , by Roy Thomas and John Buscema.-Fictional character biography:...
, operating in the New Orleans area. He first appeared in Avengers
Avengers (comics)
The Avengers is a fictional team of superheroes, appearing in magazines published by Marvel Comics. The team made its debut in The Avengers #1 The Avengers is a fictional team of superheroes, appearing in magazines published by Marvel Comics. The team made its debut in The Avengers #1 The Avengers...
#152 (Oct 1976), created by Gerry Conway
Gerry Conway
Gerard F. "Gerry" Conway is an American writer of comic books and television shows. He is known for co-creating the Marvel Comics vigilante The Punisher and scripting the death of the character Gwen Stacy during his long run on The Amazing Spider-Man...
and John Buscema
John Buscema
John Buscema, born Giovanni Natale Buscema , was an American comic-book artist and one of the mainstays of Marvel Comics during its 1960s and 1970s ascendancy into an industry leader and its subsequent expansion to a major pop culture conglomerate...
.
Due to Comics Code restrictions, his zombies were initially known as "zuvembies", as the word "zombie" was banned due to its association with EC Comics
EC Comics
Entertaining Comics, more commonly known as EC Comics, was an American publisher of comic books specializing in horror fiction, crime fiction, satire, military fiction and science fiction from the 1940s through the mid-1950s, notably the Tales from the Crypt series...
horror stories.
Fictional character biography
The second Black Talon was a professional criminal and cult leader, like the original. He resurrected Wonder ManWonder Man
Wonder Man is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby, he first appeared in The Avengers #9 .-Publication history:Wonder Man debuted in the superhero-team title The Avengers #9 Wonder...
as a zombie at the behest of the Grim Reaper
Grim Reaper (comics)
Grim Reaper is a fictional character, a comic book supervillain in the Marvel Comics universe. He first appeared in The Avengers #52 May , by Roy Thomas and John Buscema.-Fictional character biography:...
and sent him to attack the Avengers
Avengers (comics)
The Avengers is a fictional team of superheroes, appearing in magazines published by Marvel Comics. The team made its debut in The Avengers #1 The Avengers is a fictional team of superheroes, appearing in magazines published by Marvel Comics. The team made its debut in The Avengers #1 The Avengers...
. The Black Talon battled the Avengers himself, and was defeated by the Scarlet Witch
Scarlet Witch
The Scarlet Witch is a fictional comic book character that appears in books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appears in X-Men #4 and was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby...
. He then joined the second Lethal Legion
Lethal Legion
The Lethal Legion is the name of five teams of fictional characters that appear in comic books published by Marvel Comics.The first version of the Legion appears in The Avengers #78 ; the second version in Avengers #164 ; the third version in West Coast Avengers vol. 2, #1 ; the fourth Avengers...
. With the Grim Reaper and Nekra
Nekra
Nekra is a fictional mutant supervillain in the Marvel Comics universe.-Publication history:Nekra first appeared in Shanna the She-Devil #5 , and was created by Steve Gerber and Ross Andru....
, he battled the Vision
Vision (Marvel Comics)
The Vision is the name of three fictional characters that appear in comic books published by Marvel Comics.-Publication history:The first Vision was created by the writer-artist team of Joe Simon and Jack Kirby in Marvel Mystery Comics #13 The Vision is the name of three fictional characters that...
and Scarlet Witch. Under the Grim Reaper's orders, he attempted a recreation of "Simon Williams" as a zombie. With the Man-Ape
Man-Ape
Man-Ape is a fictional character, a supervillain in the , and frequent enemy of the Black Panther. He first appeared in Avengers #62 -Fictional character biography:...
, Black Talon deserted the Lethal Legion during a battle with the West Coast Avengers
West Coast Avengers
The West Coast Avengers is a fictional group of superheroes that appear in publications published by Marvel Comics. The team first appear in The West Coast Avengers #1 and was created by Roger Stern and Bob Hall.- Publication history :...
.
Nekra learned the Black Talon's voodoo rites, and she later used them on two occasions to resurrect the Grim Reaper as a zombie.
When battling She-Hulk
She-Hulk
She-Hulk is a Marvel Comics superheroine. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist John Buscema, she first appeared in Savage She-Hulk #1 ....
Black Talon formed X-Humed from four dead mutants Changeling, Scaleface
Scaleface
Scaleface is a fictional character in the Marvel Universe.-Publication history:Scaleface first appeared in X-Factor vol. 1 #11 , and was created by Louise Simonson and Walter Simonson....
, Living Diamond
Living Diamond
Living Diamond is a fictional character in the Marvel Universe.-Publication history:The Living Diamond first appeared in X-Men #39 , and was created by Roy Thomas and Werner Roth....
and Harry Leland
Harry Leland
Harry Leland, also known as the Black Bishop is a Marvel Comics supervillain, and an adversary of the X-Men.A mutant, Leland possesses the ability to increase the mass of an object or person, making it extremely heavy...
but was unable to control all of them at once and Changeling was able to break his hold long enough for She-Hulk to triumph.
The Black Talon has also fought Deadpool
Deadpool (comics)
Deadpool is a fictional character, a mercenary and anti-hero appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by artist Rob Liefeld and writer Fabian Nicieza, Deadpool first appeared in The New Mutants #98 Deadpool (Wade Winston Wilson) is a fictional character, a mercenary and...
, who viciously mocked him for his chicken costume.
Black Talon has returned in Marvel Zombies 4
Marvel Zombies 4
Marvel Zombies 4 is a four-issue comic book limited series published by Marvel Comics beginning in April 2009. It is part of the Marvel Zombies series...
, having technically retired from supervillainy, instead becoming a secretive cocaine producer, selling to the Hood
Hood (comics)
The Hood is a fictional character, a supervillain, and a crime boss in the . Created by writer Brian K. Vaughan and artists Kyle Hotz and Eric Powell, the character first appeared in The Hood #1 .-Publication history:...
. Talon comes across the Zombie
Zombie (comics)
The Zombie is a fictional supernatural character appearing in books published by Marvel Comics, in particular starred in the black-and-white, horror-comic magazine series Tales of the Zombie , usually in stories by Steve Gerber and Pablo Marcos...
(Simon Garth) carrying the zombie head of Deadpool, and offers to sell the head to Hood.
Powers and abilities
Both Black Talons were voodoo cult leaders who gain their powers from the manipulation of the forces of voodoo magic. Each had the ability to create zombies and control zombies of his creation, either vocally or telepathically. However, the Black Talon cannot communicate with his zombies telepathically when they are not in his immediate vicinity.Each Black Talon wore a costume with the trappings of various voodoo rituals, with razor-sharp taloned gloves and boots, and a ceremonial dagger.
Other versions
Black Talon also appeared in Howard the DuckHoward the Duck
Howard the Duck is a comic book character in the Marvel Comics universe created by writer Steve Gerber and artist Val Mayerik. The character first appeared in Adventure into Fear #19 and several subsequent series have chronicled the misadventures of the ill-tempered, anthropomorphic, "funny...
, under the name Thibodaux Boudreaux.