Bill Foster (character)

Last updated
Bill Foster
Blackgoliath bill.jpg
Bill Foster as Black Goliath, appearing in Black Goliath #1 (Feb. 1976).
Cover art by Rich Buckler.
Publication information
Publisher Marvel Comics
First appearance As Bill Foster:
The Avengers #32 (Sept. 1966)
As Black Goliath:
Luke Cage, Power Man #24 (April 1975)
As Giant-Man:
Marvel Two-in-One #55 (Sept. 1979)
As Goliath:
The Thing vol. 2 #1 (Jan. 2006)
Created byBill Foster:
Stan Lee
Don Heck
Black Goliath:
Tony Isabella
George Tuska
In-story information
Alter egoWilliam "Bill" Foster
SpeciesHuman mutate
Team affiliations Centers for Disease Control
Project: Pegasus
The Defenders
The Champions
Notable aliases Goliath
Black Goliath
Giant-Man
Rockwell Dodsworth
Abilities

Dr. William "Bill" Foster, also known as Black Goliath, Giant-Man and Goliath , is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He is a professor with powers similar to Hank Pym's increasing size and mass to gigantic proportions.

Contents

The character has made several video game appearances and appeared in the Marvel Cinematic Universe film Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018), portrayed by Laurence Fishburne, who later voiced alternate versions of the character in the animated series Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur and What If...? .

Publication history

Dr. Foster was created by Stan Lee and Don Heck in The Avengers #32 (Sept. 1966). His "Black Goliath" persona was created by Tony Isabella and George Tuska in Luke Cage, Power Man #24 (April 1975). Foster became the second Giant-Man in Marvel Two-in-One #55 (Sept. 1979). He became yet the fourth Goliath in The Thing vol. 2 #1 (Jan. 2006).

He starred in the five-issue series Black Goliath in 1976.

Bill Foster has appeared in the pages of various comic books, including The Avengers, Power Man, Marvel Two-in-One , The Champions , The Defenders , Marvel Super-Heroes (vol. 3), Marvel Comics Presents , and Civil War .

The character was killed by Ragnarok in the fourth issue of the series Civil War .

Fictional character biography

Origin

Bill Foster was born in Watts, Los Angeles, California. After earning a Ph.D. in biochemistry from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), Dr. Foster worked in the Plans and Research Division for Tony Stark's Baltimore factory. [1] He is hired to be the biochemical laboratory assistant of Dr. Henry "Hank" Pym. At a time when the original Giant-Man was stuck at the height of 10 feet (3.0 m), Dr. Foster helps at Stark's behest to find a cure to revert Pym's size back to normal. [2] Foster continues to work as Pym's lab assistant. [3] Foster later investigates the apparent deaths of Pym and Janet van Dyne. [4]

Black Goliath

Origin blurb from Black Goliath #1

BILL FOSTER — Dr. William Barrett Foster, DSc, PhD — a child of the GHETTO who has pulled himself up out of the Los Angeles slums to become director of one of the nation's most prestigious research labs. A man whose research has given him the power to instantaneously grow to a height of FIFTEEN FEET, with the strength of a TRUE GIANT. A man who has become... a HERO. [5]

Dr. Foster moves to the West Coast and acquires the formula to "Pym particles" which give him the ability to grow in size like his former employer. Taking the name "Black Goliath", he helps Power Man fight the Circus of Crime. [6] He later battles the original Atom-Smasher, the second Vulcan, and Stilt-Man. The mercenary Warhawk kills Atom-Smasher and flees before Black Goliath can catch him. [1]

Black Goliath later assists the Champions of Los Angeles in battling Stilt-Man, then joins the group part-time as their technical advisor. [7] Alongside Ben Grimm, Black Goliath battles the Hijacker. [8] After the Champions disband, Black Goliath and a large group of other heroes attend a Defenders membership rally; this incarnation of Defenders battles a number of assembled superhuman criminals for only one mission before disbanding. [9]

Giant-Man

The Project: Pegasus Saga

Dr. Bill Foster later joins the staff of Project Pegasus, the U.S. government's semi-secret energy research facility, as a biochemical researcher. While there, he reveals his Black Goliath identity to the Thing working (at the time) in security for Project: Pegasus. In the process of answering an emergency alarm, Foster decides to change his alias to the name "Giant-Man" at Ben Grimm's suggestion. Alongside the Thing, Quasar, and the Aquarian, Giant-Man defends Project: Pegasus against Nuklo, the Grapplers, Klaw, Solarr, and the Nth Man. After working at Project: Pegasus for a short time, Foster reveals that he is dying from radiation poisoning he contracted in his earlier fight with Atom-Smasher. [10]

Alongside the Thing and Iceman, he battles the Circus of Crime again. [11] Alongside the Thing and Captain America, he battles MODOK and A.I.M. [12] Alongside the Thing and Spider-Woman, Giant-Man battles the second Atom-Smasher. Foster's radiation poisoning takes a turn for the worse and he lies on his death bed. As Spider-Woman is immune to radiation at the time, Foster is given a blood transfusion from Spider-Woman. The process cures his radiation poisoning, but ends Spider-Woman's radiation immunity, and removes Giant-Man's powers as well. [13]

Evolutionary War

Bill Foster is next seen during the Evolutionary War. He is a scientist working for the High Evolutionary at his base in the Savage Land. [14] After discovering the High Evolutionary's plans for a genetic bomb, Foster sends a distress message to the West Coast Avengers. Mockingbird, Tigra, and Moon Knight are the only Avengers to answer his summons and join him in destroying the base. Foster reveals that he had been suffering from cancer since his last appearance. He retakes an improved growth serum, which adds clean (cancer-free) mass to his body, so he remains at giant-size until he can receive further treatment. [14] This was the last mention of Foster's cancer. Giant-Man later defeats Doctor Nemesis and Erik Josten in their scheme. [15]

Abandoning the hero role

Bill Foster soon gives up the Giant-Man identity to which Hank Pym subsequently takes back for himself. [16] Not too long after that, Josten's ionic powers are disrupted in a battle against the West Coast Avengers. [17] This causes an energy disruption which allows a race of extra-dimensional creatures, the Kosmosians, to attack Earth. Although the creatures are ultimately repelled, the energy disruption and effects on the Pym Particles affect all that have ever been exposed to them, except Pym himself, causing them to lose control of their growth and/or shrinking powers. During this storyline, it was shown how Foster and Pym were trying to use Pym Particles to end world hunger. [18]

After losing his powers, Dr. Foster joins the Centers for Disease Control's staff. In this capacity, he helps the Avengers deal with a bio-weapon released near Mount Rushmore. [19]

Final return

Bill Foster somehow regained his powers. Under his Black Goliath identity, he appears very briefly as part of an ad-hoc team of "urban" superheroes (Luke Cage, Iron Fist, Brother Voodoo and the Falcon). [20]

Foster dons the Goliath identity without the "black" in the name and along with a new costume to first help the Thing deal with a supervillain (along with hitting up for a research grant), [21] then helps Spider-Man track down the Hulk in order for Bruce Banner to possibly deal with Spider-Man's cellular degeneration. [22]

Civil War

When the Civil War breaks out, Bill Foster as Goliath is seen as a member of Captain America's anti-registration Secret Avengers, adopting the alias Rockwell Dodsworth. He subsequently appears briefly amongst the cavalcade of other super-heroes attending the Black Panther's and Storm's wedding. [23]

Foster is killed by a clone of Thor during a battle between the Secret Avengers and Iron Man's pro-registration forces. Foster is buried as a giant, with Iron Man paying for the thirty-eight burial plots required to accommodate his body. His death affected the war's balance of forces, leading several characters to switch sides, such as Spider-Man defecting to Captain America's side. [24]

Legacy

Bill's nephew, M.I.T. student Tom Foster, informs the Black Panther of intending to follow in his uncle's footsteps by cracking the Pym Particle formula and being a hero. [25] Tom later publicly denounced Reed Richards and Iron Man because of his uncle's death. [26] Afterwards, Tom recreates and drinks his uncle's formula. [27]

During the "Dark Reign" storyline, Norman Osborn dug up Foster's grave and removed his clavicle, hoping to use the Pym particle residue to track down Hank Pym's Mighty Avengers. Foster's clavicle is later broken in half by Osborn in a fit of rage after hearing Pym's team being declared "the real Avengers" on national television. [28]

When Hercules ventures into the Underworld, Bill Foster is one of numerous deceased characters seen in Erebus: the place in between life and death where those who feel they still have business in the mortal world gamble and linger for their resurrection. [29]

It is later revealed that Foster had worked with Hank on a virtual reality program where one could upload their consciousness and live on after death prior to his own death. The grieving Pym uploaded Foster's mind into the program, in effect creating a virtual Utopia for his comrade. [30] A.I.M. later attempt to hijack the program, but Pym was able to defeat them with Eric O'Grady's help. During the adventure's course, O'Grady (disguised as Pym in the virtual world) converses briefly with Foster who says to stop pushing loved ones away. [31]

Powers and abilities

Bill Foster's superpowers are a result of his biochemical formula containing Pym particles that he ingested. [32] He has the ability to increase his size into gigantic levels by psionically drawing mass from an extra-dimensional source, while gaining immense strength and durability in this height. The extra mass returns to its source as he decreases in size. The process of height alteration is fatiguing, making Foster more vulnerable to harm, after successive changes.

Foster was capable of routinely growing to 15 feet (4.6 m) in height and could lift approximately five tons at that size. After regaining his powers during the "Evolutionary War", it does not provide precise quantification, but he can now grow to 25 feet (7.6 m) tall.

Bill Foster possesses a gifted intellect with an extensive knowledge of biochemistry.

Other versions

Ant-Man Season One

A younger version of Foster appears in the Ant-Man: Season One graphic novel. He is portrayed as the lab assistant of the young Hank Pym, and helps him in his crusade against Egghead. [33]

Contest of Champions

The 2015 Contest of Champions series featured an unidentified alternate reality's version of Civil War that had everything go in Tony Stark's favor. He used the Reality Infinity Gem to undo the death of Goliath at the hands of Ragnarok. [34]

Marvel Zombies

A zombified Black Goliath attacks the fortress of Doctor Doom known as "Doomshadt" in Marvel Zombies vs. The Army of Darkness #4. He is repelled by Doom's forces as he is impaled by several large missiles and killed when they explode while still within him. [35] A different zombified Black Goliath shows up in Marvel Zombies Return . He had been decapitated and his still 'living' zombie head is used as part of a makeshift computer to allow the zombified Hank Pym to create dimensional travel. This Goliath is destroyed in an attack by human-friendly forces. [36]

MC2

In the MC2 universe, in the pages of A-Next , Bill Foster is seen within the series as his son John Foster becomes the new Earth Sentry. [37]

Spidey Super Stories

An alternate version of Bill Foster appeared in Spidey Super Stories as Giant-Man. In the story, it was explained that Foster was originally the young lab assistant of Hank Pym, and became the second Giant-Man after he retired. [38]

What If?

In What If Civil War Ended Differently?, Bill Foster is featured in both stories. In "What If Captain America Led All the Heroes Against the Registration Act", Bill Foster appears on Captain America's side. In "What If Iron Man Lost the Civil War", Bill Foster is among the heroes on both sides that fight an out-of-control Ragnarok. When Ragnarok is about to use a lightning attack on Bill Foster, Iron Man threw himself in front of the attack. [39]

In other media

Marvel Cinematic Universe

Bill Foster appears in media set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), primarily portrayed by Laurence Fishburne, [40] [41] while his son Langston portrays him in flashbacks. [42] This version is a former member of S.H.I.E.L.D., Hank Pym's assistant on "Project Goliath", and Ava Starr's surrogate father after Elihas Starr's death.

Television

Bill Foster appears in the Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur episode "Devil on Her Shoulder", voiced again by Laurence Fishburne. [45]

Video games

Miscellaneous

Bill Foster appears in The Avengers: United They Stand #1. This version was Henry Pym's lab assistant. [47]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hank Pym</span> Comic book superhero

Dr. Henry Jonathan "Hank" Pym is a character appearing in American comic books, published by Marvel Comics. Created by penciller Jack Kirby, editor-plotter Stan Lee and writer Larry Lieber, Pym debuted in Tales to Astonish #27. He returned several issues later as the original iteration of Ant-Man, a superhero with the power to shrink to the size of an ant. He later assumed other superhero identities, including the size-changing Giant-Man and Goliath; the insect-themed Yellowjacket; and briefly, the Wasp. He is a founding member of the Avengers superhero team, and the creator of the robotic villain Ultron. He is also the ex-husband of Janet van Dyne and the father of Nadia van Dyne, his daughter by his first wife, Maria Pym.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wasp (character)</span> Marvel comics superheroine

The Wasp is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee, Ernie Hart, and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in Tales to Astonish #44.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Giant-Man</span> Comics character

Giant-Man is the alias used by several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.

Goliath, in comics, may refer to:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ultron</span> Marvel Comics fictional character

Ultron is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Roy Thomas and artist John Buscema, the character first appeared as an unnamed character in The Avengers #54, with his first full appearance in The Avengers #55. He is a self-aware and highly intelligent artificial intelligence who develops a god complex and a grudge against his creator Hank Pym. His goal to destroy humanity in a shortsighted attempt at creating world peace has brought him into repeated conflict with the Avengers. Stories often end in Ultron's apparent destruction, only for the character to be resurrected in new forms.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ant-Man</span> Comic book superhero

Ant-Man is the name of several superheroes appearing in books published by Marvel Comics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cassie Lang</span> Marvel Comics fictional character

Cassandra "Cassie" Lang is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by David Michelinie and John Byrne, the character first appeared in Marvel Premiere #47. Cassandra Lang is the daughter of the superhero Scott Lang / Ant-Man. She has also been known as Stature, Stinger, and Ant-Girl at various points in her history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ant-Man (Scott Lang)</span> Marvel Comics fictional character

Ant-Man is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by David Michelinie, Bob Layton and John Byrne, Scott Lang first appeared in The Avengers #181 and in Marvel Premiere #47 as the second superhero character to use the Ant-Man name in the Marvel Universe. He is a reformed thief and an electronics expert. He was a member of the Avengers, the Fantastic Four and the Guardians of the Galaxy, the main character in the comic-book series FF and, in 2015, he became the title character in the series Ant-Man.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whirlwind (comics)</span> Marvel Comics fictional character

Whirlwind is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in Tales To Astonish #50. David Cannon belongs to the subspecies of humans called mutants, who are born with superhuman abilities. He is a recurring antagonist of the superheroes Hank Pym and Janet van Dyne. He has also been known as Whirlwind and Human Top at various points in his history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Erik Josten</span> Fictional character appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics

Erik Josten, also known as Power Man, Smuggler, Goliath and Atlas, is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character has been a prominent member of both the Masters of Evil and the Thunderbolts.

Egghead is an alias used by two supervillains appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.

The Revengers is the name of different fictional teams appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.

The Lethal Legion is the name of seven teams of fictional characters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eric O'Grady</span> Comics character

Ant-Man is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The third character to use the Ant-Man name, he was created by Robert Kirkman and Phil Hester, and first appears in The Irredeemable Ant-Man #1.

Doctor Nemesis is the name of three fictional characters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics and Ace Magazines.

<i>Ant-Man and the Wasp</i> 2018 Marvel Studios film

Ant-Man and the Wasp is a 2018 American superhero film based on Marvel Comics featuring the characters Scott Lang / Ant-Man and Hope Pym / Wasp. Produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, it is the sequel to Ant-Man (2015) and the 20th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). The film was directed by Peyton Reed and written by the writing teams of Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers, and Paul Rudd, Andrew Barrer and Gabriel Ferrari. It stars Rudd as Lang and Evangeline Lilly as Hope van Dyne, alongside Michael Peña, Walton Goggins, Hannah John-Kamen, David Dastmalchian, Tip "T.I." Harris, Judy Greer, Bobby Cannavale, Randall Park, Abby Ryder Fortson, Michelle Pfeiffer, Laurence Fishburne, and Michael Douglas. In the film, the titular pair work with Hank Pym (Douglas) to retrieve Janet van Dyne (Pfeiffer) from the Quantum Realm.

Scott Lang (Marvel Cinematic Universe) Character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe

Scott Lang is a fictional character portrayed by Paul Rudd in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) media franchise, based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name and known commonly by his alias, Ant-Man. He is depicted as a thief-turned-superhero after being granted access to Hank Pym's technology and training, specifically the use of an advanced suit that allows him to change sizes, as well as communicate with ants. He is recruited by Steve Rogers to join the Avengers.

Goliath is a superhero comic book identity in Marvel Comics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hope van Dyne</span> Character in Marvel Cinematic Universe

Hope van Dyne is a fictional character portrayed primarily by Evangeline Lilly in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) film franchise, loosely based on the Marvel Comics character Hope Pym. Portrayed as the daughter of Hank Pym and Janet van Dyne, she was a senior board member of her father's company, Pym Technologies, and later inherits the superhero identity of Wasp from her mother, using a suit containing shrinking technology to shrink to the size of an insect and also fly with insect-themed wings.

References

  1. 1 2 Black Goliath #1-5 (Feb.–Nov. 1976).
  2. ↑ The Avengers #32-35. Marvel Comics.
  3. ↑ The Avengers #41, #54 and #75. Marvel Comics.
  4. ↑ Marvel Feature #9. Marvel Comics.
  5. ↑ Black Goliath #1 (Feb. 1976).
  6. ↑ Luke Cage, Power Man #24-25 (April–May 1975).
  7. ↑ The Champions #11-13 (Feb.–May 1977).
  8. ↑ Marvel Two-in-One #32-35 (Oct. 1977–Jan. 1978).
  9. ↑ The Defenders #62-65 (Aug.–Nov. 1978).
  10. ↑ Marvel Two-in-One #54-58. Marvel Comics.
  11. ↑ Marvel Two-in-One #76
  12. ↑ Marvel Two-in-One #82. Marvel Comics.
  13. ↑ Marvel Two-in-One #85. Marvel Comics.
  14. 1 2 The West Coast Avengers vol. 2 Annual #3. Marvel Comics.
  15. ↑ Marvel Comics Presents #113-118 (1992-93). Marvel Comics.
  16. ↑ The Avengers #368 (Nov. 1993). Marvel Comics.
  17. ↑ Avengers West Coast #92 (March 1993). Marvel Comics.
  18. ↑ Avengers Double Feature ... Avengers/Giant-Man #379-382 (Oct. 1994-Jan. 1995). Marvel Comics.
  19. ↑ The Avengers vol. 3 #66 (June 2003). Marvel Comics.
  20. ↑ Black Panther vol. 3 #17 (April 2000). Marvel Comics.
  21. ↑ The Thing vol. 2 #1. Marvel Comics.
  22. ↑ Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #2. Marvel Comics.
  23. ↑ Black Panther vol. 4 #18 (Sept. 2006). Marvel Comics.
  24. ↑ Civil War #4. Marvel Comics.
  25. ↑ Black Panther vol. 4 #23. Marvel Comics.
  26. ↑ World War Hulk #4. Marvel Comics.
  27. ↑ World War Hulk: Aftersmash #1. Marvel Comics.
  28. ↑ The Mighty Avengers #24. Marvel Comics.
  29. ↑ The Incredible Hercules #129. Marvel Comics.
  30. ↑ Ant-Man & Wasp #1. Marvel Comics.
  31. ↑ Ant-Man & Wasp #3. Marvel Comics.
  32. ↑ Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z Vol 1 #4 (September 2008)
  33. ↑ Ant-Man: Season One graphic novel (2012). Marvel Comics.
  34. ↑ Contest of Champions #9-10. Marvel Comics.
  35. ↑ Marvel Zombies vs. The Army of Darkness #4
  36. ↑ Marvel Zombies Return: Avengers (September 2009). Marvel Comics.
  37. ↑ A-Next #2. Marvel Comics.
  38. ↑ Spidey Super Stories #47. Marvel Comics.
  39. ↑ What If?: Civil War #1. Marvel Comics.
  40. ↑ Aaron Couch; Graeme McMillan (July 22, 2017). "Ant-Man and the Wasp' Casts Michelle Pfeiffer and Laurence Fishburne". The Hollywood Reporter .
  41. ↑ Bacon, Thomas (June 26, 2018). "Laurence Fishburne May Have Spoiled Ant-Man & The Wasp's Big Twist". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on 2018-06-27. Retrieved June 26, 2018.
  42. ↑ "Ant-Man and the Wasp Press Kit" (PDF). Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2018-11-04. Retrieved July 4, 2018.
  43. ↑ Flook, Ray (March 24, 2023). "What If…?: Laurence Fishburne Voicing Bill Foster for Season 2". Bleeding Cool. Retrieved March 24, 2023.
  44. ↑ Perine, Aaron (January 27, 2024). "Marvel's Thunderbolts Reportedly Has Surprise MCU Returns". ComicBook.com . Archived from the original on January 27, 2024. Retrieved January 27, 2024.
  45. ↑ Shaunette, Morgan (April 11, 2023). "Laurence Fishburne Brings His MCU Character to Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur". CBR. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
  46. ↑ "Goliath Voices (Marvel Universe)". Behind The Voice Actors.
  47. ↑ Avengers: United They Stand #1
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.