Friedrich Von Roehm, also known as the Black Rook is a 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...

 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...

, and an adversary of the X-Men

X-Men

The X-Men are a superhero team in the . They were created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, and first appeared in The X-Men #1...

.

Von Roehm possesses a hereditary ability that is likened to lycanthropy

Lycanthropy

Lycanthropy is the professed ability or power of a human being to undergo transformation into a werewolf, or to gain wolf-like characteristics. The term comes from Greek Lykànthropos : λύκος, lykos + άνθρωπος, ànthrōpos...

. Von Roehm undergoes a transformation from his ordinary human form through a process mentally activated by Selene

Selene (comics)

Selene Gallio is a fictional character, a comic book supervillainess from the Marvel Comics universe. She is a mutant, and an enemy of the X-Men often associated with the Hellfire Club's Inner Circle.-Publication history:...

. He attained the rank of "Black Rook," of the Lords Cardinal of the New York branch of the The Hellfire Club

Hellfire Club (comics)

The Hellfire Club is a fictional society within the Marvel Comics Universe that often comes into confrontation with the mutant superhero team, the X-Men...

, an exclusive secret society

Secret society

A secret society is a club or organization whose activities and inner functioning are concealed from non-members. The society may or may not attempt to conceal its existence. The term usually excludes covert groups, such as intelligence agencies or guerrilla insurgencies, which hide their...

 bent on world domination. In civilian life, he was a jeweler.

Publication history

Created by writer Chris Claremont

Chris Claremont

Chris Claremont is an award-winning American comic book writer and novelist, known for his 17-year stint on Uncanny X-Men, far longer than any other writer, during which he is credited with developing strong female characters, and with introducing complex literary themes into superhero...

 and artist Bill Sienkiewicz

Bill Sienkiewicz

Boleslav Felix Robert "Bill" Sienkiewicz [pronounced sin-KEV-itch] is an Eisner Award-winning American artist and writer best known for his comic book work, primarily for Marvel Comics' The New Mutants and Elektra: Assassin...

, the Black Rook first appeared in New Mutants

New Mutants

The New Mutants are a group of teenaged mutant superheroes-in-training published by Marvel Comics. They have been the main characters of three successive comic book series, which were spin-offs of the popular X-Men franchise....

#22 (December 1984).

The character subsequently appears in The Uncanny X-Men #189 (January 1985), and #208 (August 1986), in which he dies.

Fictional character biography

Apparentally German by birth, Friedrich Von Roehm operated a jewelry shop on New York City's Park Avenue

Park Avenue (Manhattan)

Park Avenue is a wide boulevard that carries north and southbound traffic in New York City borough of Manhattan. Through most of its length, it runs parallel to Madison Avenue to the west and Lexington Avenue to the east....

. Von Roehm was also secretly a lycanthrope and a high priest of the supernatural being and self-described goddess Selene. Von Roehm, who had worshipped Selene as a goddess, became her personal servant when she showed up in his jewelry shop.

As a member of the Hellfire Club, Von Roehm sponsored Selene for membership. Selene became the new Black Queen, and Von Roehm served as the Black Rook. Alongside the Hellfire Club, Leland later battled the X-Men in New York's Central Park

Central Park

Central Park is a public park in the center of Manhattan in New York City, United States. The park initially opened in 1857, on of city-owned land. In 1858, Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux won a design competition to improve and expand the park with a plan they entitled the Greensward Plan...

. Selene used powers to mentally trigger Von Roehm's hereditary lycanthropy and sent him in pursuit of Rachel Summers

Rachel Summers

Rachel Anne Summers is a fictional character, a comic book superheroine created by writer Chris Claremont and artist/co-writer John Byrne for Marvel Comics....

. When Nimrod

Nimrod (comics)

Nimrod is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #191 , and was created by writer Chris Claremont and artist John Romita, Jr. Hailing from the "Days of Future Past" timeline, Nimrod is a powerful, virtually...

 intervened to attack the X-Men and the Club, Storm proposed an alliance to battle Nimrod. Von Roehm rejected this proposal and attempted to attack the X-Men, but was disintegrated by Nimrod.

Powers and abilities

Von Roehm possessed a power likened to lycanthropy. Von Roehm did not undergo the typical change in appearance associated with werewolves. However, he acquired superhuman strength, enhanced senses, claws, and barely controllable bloodlust during his transformation. His powers were genetically based, but required mental triggering by Selene. Aside from his personal devotion to Selene, Von Roehm was apparentally mentally compelled to obey Selene while in his superhuman state.