The Man-Bull (William Taurens) is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.
| Man-Bull | |
|---|---|
_from_Howard_the_Duck_Vol_5_3_0001.jpg) Man-Bull as depicted in Howard the Duck #3 (July 2015). Art by Jason Latour. | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | Daredevil #78 (July 1971) |
| Created by | |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | William "Bill" Taurens |
| Species | Human mutate |
| Team affiliations | Death Squad Frightful Four Menagerie Vil-Anon |
| Partnerships | Matador |
| Notable aliases | Minotaur Savage Bull Taurus |
| Abilities | Superhuman strength, speed and endurance Razor-sharp horns Bovine empathy |
Man-Bull made his live-action debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe television series She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, portrayed by Nate Hurd.
Publication history
editThe Man-Bull first appeared in Daredevil #78 (July 1971), created by writer Gerry Conway and artist Gene Colan.[1] The character subsequently appeared in Daredevil #95-96 (January–February 1973), Claws of the Cat #4 (June 1973), Iron Man #72 (January 1975), Daredevil #129 (January 1976), and Daredevil #144 (April 1977). The character did not appear again for some time, until The Incredible Hulk #341 (March 1988), and he then appeared in Marvel Year-in-Review '92, The Amazing Spider-Man: Chaos in Calgary #4 (February 1993), Captain America #413 (March 1993), and New Warriors #36 (June 1993). He disappeared again for a time, before appearing in She-Hulk #10 (February 2005), Gravity #1 (August 2005), Wolverine #30 (September 2005), Spider-Man Unlimited #12 (January 2006), Underworld #3 (June 2006), and Punisher War Journal #13-15 (January–March 2008).
The Man-Bull received an entry in the original Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe #6, and in the All-New Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z: Update #1 (2007).
Fictional character biography
editWilliam Taurens is a criminal who was hired by Mister Kline to round up people to test an experimental serum made from bull enzymes by his agent, the Professor. After being thwarted by Daredevil, Taurens is subjected to the serum and temporarily transformed into a humanoid bull.[2]
After Taurens' former partner Itch sneaks into his prison cell and permanently transforms him, he attempts to get revenge on Daredevil and becomes a recurring enemy of him.[3][4] He, Melter, and Whiplash later join the Black Lama's Death Squad and encounter Iron Man at a comic book convention.[5]
Man-Bull later mutates further, losing the ability to speak.[6] He joins the Wizard's Frightful Four and encounters Spider-Man and Turbine.[7]
Man-Bull later joins Armadillo, Equinox, Hypno-Hustler, Chip Martin, and Jackson Wheele at a Villains Anonymous meeting.[8] Man-Bull later joined Constrictor, Tombstone, Warhawk, and S.H.I.E.L.D. in raiding an A.I.M. facility which was developing an android using technology stolen from Reed Richards.[9] Later returning to villainy and sporting green hair, he returns to New York City and battles the Thing.[10] When Alyosha Kravinoff (the son of Kraven the Hunter) began collecting a zoo of animal-themed superhumans, Man-Bull is clearly seen in one of the cages.[11] He later battled the Grizzly, who snaps off his left horn, though it later regenerates.[12]
During the "Dark Reign" storyline, Man-Bull was among the villains analyzed by Quasimodo for Norman Osborn.[13] When imprisoned at the Raft, Man-Bull battles the Absorbing Man in the Annual Raft Boxing Tournament and loses to him in the final round.[14]
During the "Fear Itself" storyline, Man-Bull is among the villains who escape from the Raft after the Juggernaut destroys it.[15][16]
In the "Avengers vs. X-Men" storyline, Man-Bull is among the villains who partake in a prison riot before being defeated by Rogue and Mimic.[17][18]
In All-New, All-Different Marvel, Man-Bull encounters the Emerald Warlock, who makes him believe that he is a Minotaur.[19] With some help from Hecate, the Scarlet Witch agreed to help Man-Bull.[20] Man-Bull was present at a criminal technology show in Las Vegas.[21]
During the "Hunted" storyline, Man-Bull is among the animal-themed superhumans who Taskmaster and Black Ant capture for Kraven the Hunter's Great Hunt, during which he is killed by Hunter-Bots.[22][23]
In the pages of Ruins of Ravencroft, Man-Bull appears alive and was imprisoned at Ravencroft following its rebuilding.[24]
During the"King in Black" storyline, Man-Bull was seen at the Bar with No Name when Mayor Wilson Fisk offers jobs to everyone there.[25] Man-Bull was later seen at Ravencroft during Knull's invasion, and joins the Thunderbolts to battle him.[26][27]
During the "Gang War" storyline, Man-Bull is among the villains hired by Hobgoblin to guard his hideout. Scorpion persuades the villains to turn against Scorpion before Mary Jane Watson as Jackpot stops them.[28][29][30]
Powers and abilities
editMan-Bull possesses bull-like physiology that gives him superhuman physical abilities, powerful horns, and the ability to mentally control other bovines. However, he is prone to periods of feral violence caused by adrenaline and the side effects of the serum that gave him his powers.[31][32]
Other versions
editBull-Frog, an alternate universe funny animal variant of Man-Bull from Earth-8311, appears in Peter Porker, The Spectacular Spider-Ham.[33]
In other media
editMan-Bull appears in the She-Hulk: Attorney at Law episode "The Retreat", portrayed by Nathan Hurd.[34][35][36][37][38][39][40] This version gained a cattle-like head and hair on parts of his body following an experiment gone wrong and is a member of Emil Blonsky's spiritual retreat, Summer Twilight.
References
edit- ^ Rovin, Jeff (1987). The Encyclopedia of Super-Villains. New York: Facts on File. p. 204. ISBN 0-8160-1356-X.[1]
- ^ Daredevil #78-79. Marvel Comics.
- ^ Daredevil #95-96, 129, 144. Marvel Comics.
- ^ Claws of the Cat #4. Marvel Comics.
- ^ Iron Man #72. Marvel Comics.
- ^ The Incredible Hulk vol. 2 #341. Marvel Comics.
- ^ Spider-Man: Chaos in Calgary #4. Marvel Comics.
- ^ Spider-Man Unlimited #12. Marvel Comics.
- ^ Wolverine vol. 3 #30. Marvel Comics.
- ^ Gravity #1. Marvel Comics.
- ^ Punisher War Journal vol. 2 #13. Marvel Comics.
- ^ Punisher War Journal vol. 2 #14-15. Marvel Comics.
- ^ Dark Reign Files #1. Marvel Comics.
- ^ Dark Reign: Lethal Legion #2. Marvel Comics.
- ^ Thunderbolts #158. Marvel Comics.
- ^ Herc #3-6. Marvel Comics.
- ^ X-Men: Legacy #275. Marvel Comics.
- ^ Chip Zdarsky (w), Jason Latour (p), Jason Latour (i), Jason Latour (col), Travis Lanham (let), Wil Moss (ed). "Double's Jeopardy" Howard the Duck, vol. 5, no. 3 (13 May 2015). United States: Marvel Comics.
- ^ Anderson, Jenna (September 28, 2022). "She-Hulk Episode 7 Introduces Two Classic Marvel Characters". TV Shows. Retrieved September 18, 2024.
- ^ Scarlet Witch vol. 2 #2. Marvel Comics.
- ^ M.O.D.O.K.: Head Games #2. Marvel Comics.
- ^ The Amazing Spider-Man vol. 5 #17
- ^ The Amazing Spider-Man vol. 5 #19. Marvel Comics.
- ^ Ruins of Ravencroft: Dracula #1. Marvel Comics.
- ^ King in Black #2. Marvel Comics.
- ^ King in Black: Thunderbolts #2. Marvel Comics.
- ^ King in Black: Thunderbolts #3. Marvel Comics.
- ^ Miles Morales: Spider-Man Vol. 2 #15. Marvel Comics.
- ^ Miles Morales: Spider-Man Vol. 2 #16. Marvel Comics.
- ^ Jackpot #1. Marvel Comics.
- ^ The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Vol 1 #6 (June 1983). Marvel Comics.
- ^ The All-New Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z: Update Vol 1 #1 (March 2007). Marvel Comics.
- ^ Peter Porker, the Spectacular Spider-Ham #2. Marvel Comics.
- ^ Polo, Susana (September 29, 2022). "She-Hulk just assembled Marvel's most D-list supervillain squad". Polygon. Retrieved September 18, 2024.
- ^ Kaplan, Rebecca Oliver (September 30, 2022). "Man-Bull and El Aguila: Who Are the New She-Hulk: Attorney at Law Marvel Characters?". MovieWeb. Retrieved September 18, 2024.
- ^ Mitovich, Matt Webb (September 28, 2022). "She-Hulk Sneak Peek: Blonsky's Back, With a Pair of Marvel-ous Friends". TVLine. Retrieved September 18, 2024.
- ^ Louis, Brandon (October 14, 2022). "She-Hulk Almost Included Another Marvel Comics Hero". Screen Rant. Retrieved September 18, 2024.
- ^ Glazebrook, Lewis (September 29, 2022). "Who Plays She-Hulk's Man-Bull & Porcupine?". ScreenRant. Retrieved September 18, 2024.
- ^ Bonomolo, Cameron (September 29, 2022). "Marvel's She-Hulk Episode 7: "The Retreat"". comicbook.com. Retrieved September 18, 2024.
- ^ Anderson, Jenna (September 29, 2022). "She-Hulk Easter Egg Pays Tribute to One of Her Most Prolific Comic Writers". comicbook.com. Retrieved September 18, 2024.