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    Black Goliath

    Character » Black Goliath appears in 326 issues.

    Brilliant and tough, Goliath fought evil using a variation of the Pym Particles. He was killed during the Civil War by Ragnarok, a clone of Thor. He was succeeded by his nephew, Tom Foster.

    Short summary describing this character.

    Black Goliath last edited by KillerZ on 06/21/23 04:36PM View full history

    Origin

    William Foster grew up in a poor neighborhood. He was able to escape the ghetto due to his natural intelligence and encouragement of those around him. He attended the California Technical Institute and then enlisted in the military.

    Creation

    Bill Foster was created by Stan Lee and Don Heck and first appeared in The Avengers Vol.1 issue 32 (1966). After his initial appearances, he became the superhero known as "Black Goliath" and starred in his own series.

    Major Story Arcs

    Meeting Pym

    After graduating, Foster worked his way up the corporate ladder at Stark Industries. When the scientist/superhero Hank Pym was stuck at a minimum of ten feet tall, Tony Stark asked Foster to use his intellect to work with Pym. Some time later, they were able to find a cure for Pym.

    Black Goliath

    All this work with Pym and his Pym Particles led Foster to try to synthesize his own growth formula. He was able to create his own formula without the side effects. He decided to use the formula as part of a plan to win back his ex-wife. He wrote to her and said he was stuck at ten feet tall and was working in a circus in order to make money to continue his research. He had made a costume for himself and went by the name Black Goliath.

    She went to see him along with her current boyfriend, Luke Cage (the hero known as Power Man). Black Goliath and Power Man fought but eventually worked together when they realized the circus was being run by the Ringmaster and his Circus of Crime. He would also attended the Defenders for a day rally.

    No Caption Provided

    Bill would later become a Technical Adviser for the short lived Champions. After that stint, he was employed by Project Pegasus as a Biochemical Researcher. Bill would team-up with his good friend the Thing and other heroes during this time of his life. It was during this time that Bill would change his costume to improve his image of being L.A.'s newest super hero. It was Bill Foster's long time friend the Thing's idea to change his name from Black Goliath to Giant Man.

    Sickness

    Unfortunately Bill contracted radiation poisoning through his many battles with the villain Atom-Smasher. The hero known as Jessica Drew would save his life, with a blood transfusion. He lost his powers for this short time period. Bill would gain his powers back, after teaming-up with some members of the Avengers Westcoast against the High Evolutionary during the Evolutionary War.

    Civil War

    Bill's final moments
    Bill's final moments

    When the U.S. government passed the Superhuman Registration Act that required all super humans to disclose their true identity, Foster worked with Captain America and his Secret Avengers. It was their goal to liberate those that had been taken into custody for refusing to register. When the Secret Avengers received new identities courtesy of S.H.I.E.L.D, Goliath took the alias Rockwell Dodsworth.

    In a battle against Iron Man, Reed Richards, and other supporters of the Registration, Foster was killed by Ragnarok - a clone of Thor, the Asgardian thunder god. A funeral was held for Goliath, with Heroes from both sides in attendance. Goliath was buried at his full size, after they were unable to shrink him back down. After he died both pro-registration heroes and anti-registration heroes switched sides. Many of them because they didn't like Tony Stark's methods.

    His nephew Tom Foster has took over the mantle, calling himself Black Goliath as a tribute to his lost uncle.

    Alternate Versions

    Marvel Zombies vs. The Army of Darkness

    A zombified Black Goliath attacks the fortress of Doctor Doom known as Doomshadt. He is repelled by Doom's forces as he is impaled by several large missiles and killed when they explode while still within him.

    Ultimate

    Goliath was one of the Giant-Men created by SHIELD as part of the Ultimate Reserves. He was a former Green Beret and had a tattoo of Goliath on his arm. He was killed during the Liberators attack on NYC .

    MC-2 Universe

    Bill Foster was seen within the series as his son, John Foster becomes the new Earth Sentry.

    Other Media

    Film

    No Caption Provided
    • Bill Foster appears as a major character in Ant-Man and the Wasp, portrayed by Laurence Fishburne. He is depicted as a noted biochemist who was Hank Pym's research partner at S.H.I.E.L.D. back during the Cold War. Together, the two worked on Project G.O.L.I.A.T.H., and it is noted that Bill was able to grow to a height of 21 feet. After Elihas Starr and his wife were killed during a catastrophic lab accident, Bill stepped in to care for their daughter, Ava. The accident caused Ava to develop superhuman abilities, which began to cause her great pain over time. In the present, Bill and Ava (now the stealth operative known as Ghost) conspire to cure her condition by accessing the Quantum Realm, the source of the energy that could save her life. This brings Bill and Ava into conflict with Hank Pym, who has developed a tunnel to the Quantum Realm in order to find his wife, Janet. After Janet returned from the Quantum Realm and used her newfound powers to ease Ava's pain, Bill gave up on the plan, knowing that he could count on his friends to continue helping Ava.

    Video Games

    Goliath in Ultimate Alliance 2
    Goliath in Ultimate Alliance 2
    • Goliath appears as an NPC in Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2, where he serves as a boss character for the Pro-Registration side. Unlike in the comics, Bill does not die during his fight with the Pro-Registration heroes, and is merely knocked out and taken into custody. He was voiced by Emerson Brooks.
    • Goliath appears as a playable character in Marvel Super Hero Squad Online.
    • Goliath appears as a playable character in Lego Marvel's Avengers.

    Merchandise

    Gigantic Battles
    Gigantic Battles
    • Goliath was featured in the HeroClix figure game.
    • Goliath was featured in a Marvel Universe Gigantic Battles two-pack from Hasbro, alongside Ragnarok.
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