| Bill Foster | |
|---|---|
 Bill Foster as Black Goliath, appearing inBlack Goliath #1 (Feb. 1976). Cover art byRich Buckler. | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | As Bill Foster: The Avengers #32 (September 1966) As Black Goliath: Luke Cage, Power Man #24 (April 1975) As Giant-Man: Marvel Two-in-One #55 (September 1979) As Goliath: The Thing (vol. 2) #1 (January 2006) |
| Created by | Bill Foster: Stan Lee Don Heck Black Goliath: Jenny Blake Isabella George Tuska |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Dr. William Barrett "Bill" Foster |
| Species | Human 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 asBlack Goliath,Giant-Man andGoliath, is asuperhero appearing inAmerican comic books published byMarvel Comics. He is a professor with powers similar toHank Pym's increasing size and mass to gigantic proportions. Foster was killed byRagnarok during the 2006 eventCivil War, with his nephewTom Foster succeeding him as Goliath.
The character has made several video game appearances and appeared in theMarvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) filmAnt-Man and the Wasp (2018), portrayed byLaurence Fishburne, who later voicedalternate versions of the character in the animated seriesWhat If...?.
Isabella recounted the character's creation:
Bill Foster was Hank Pym’s colleague at a time when Pym (aka Ant-Man, Giant-Man, and Goliath) was trapped at a giant size. They were working to reverse that condition. Later, Foster used their work to become a super-hero himself. I wanted to call him Giant-Man, but I was told Giant-Man had sold badly near the end of his run inTales to Astonish. We went with Black Goliath to distinguish him from the Pym incarnation of Goliath, but I was never happy with that name.[1]
Bill Foster was created byStan Lee andDon Heck inThe Avengers #32 (September 1966). His "Black Goliath" persona was created byJenny Blake Isabella andGeorge Tuska inLuke Cage, Power Man #24 (April 1975). Foster became the second Giant-Man inMarvel Two-in-One #55 (September 1979). He became yet the fourth Goliath inThe Thing (vol. 2) #1 (January 2006).
He starred in the five-issue seriesBlack Goliath in 1976.
Bill Foster has appeared in the pages of various comic books, includingThe Avengers,Power Man,Marvel Two-in-One,The Champions,The Defenders,Marvel Super-Heroes (vol. 3),Marvel Comics Presents, andCivil War.
The character was killed byRagnarok in the fourth issue of the seriesCivil War.
Bill Foster was born inWatts, Los Angeles, California. After earning a Ph.D. inbiochemistry from theCalifornia Institute of Technology (Caltech), Foster worked in the Plans and Research Division forTony Stark'sBaltimore factory.[2] He is hired to be the biochemical laboratory assistant ofHank Pym. At a time when the original Giant-Man was stuck at the height of 10 feet (3.0 m), Foster helps at Stark's behest to find a cure to revert Pym's size back to normal.[3] Foster continues to work as Pym's lab assistant.[4] Foster later investigates the apparent deaths of Pym andJanet van Dyne.[5]
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.[6]
Bill 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 helpsPower Man fight theCircus of Crime.[7] He later battles the originalAtom-Smasher, the second Vulcan, andStilt-Man. The mercenaryWarhawk kills Atom-Smasher and flees before Black Goliath can catch him.[2]
Black Goliath later assists theChampions of Los Angeles in battling Stilt-Man, then joins the group part-time as their technical advisor.[8] Alongside Ben Grimm, Black Goliath battles theHijacker.[9] After the Champions disband, Black Goliath and a large group of other heroes attend aDefenders membership rally; this incarnation of Defenders battles a number of assembled superhuman criminals for only one mission before disbanding.[10]
Dr. Bill Foster later joins the staff ofProject Pegasus, the US government's semi-secret energy research facility, as a biochemical researcher. While there, he reveals his Black Goliath identity to theThing 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 theAquarian, Giant-Man defends Project: Pegasus againstNuklo, theGrapplers,Klaw,Solarr, and theNth 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.[11]
Alongside the Thing andIceman, he battles the Circus of Crime again.[12] Alongside the Thing andCaptain America, he battlesMODOK andA.I.M.[13] Alongside the Thing andSpider-Woman, Giant-Man battles the secondAtom-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.[14]
Bill Foster is next seen during theEvolutionary War. He is a scientist working for theHigh Evolutionary at his base in theSavage Land.[15] After discovering the High Evolutionary's plans for a genetic bomb, Foster sends a distress message to theWest Coast Avengers.Mockingbird,Tigra, andMoon 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.[15] This was the last mention of Foster's cancer. Giant-Man later defeatsDoctor Nemesis andErik Josten in their scheme.[16]
Bill Foster soon gives up the Giant-Man identity to which Hank Pym subsequently takes back for himself.[17] Not too long after that, Josten's ionic powers are disrupted in a battle against theWest Coast Avengers.[18] 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 powers. During this storyline, it was shown how Foster and Pym were trying to use Pym Particles to end world hunger.[19]
After losing his powers, Foster joins theCenters for Disease Control's staff. In this capacity, he helps the Avengers deal with a bio-weapon released nearMount Rushmore.[20]
Bill Foster somehow regained his powers. Under his Black Goliath identity, he appears briefly as part of an ad-hoc team of "urban" superheroes (Luke Cage,Iron Fist,Brother Voodoo and theFalcon).[21]
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),[22] then helpsSpider-Man track down theHulk in order for Bruce Banner to possibly deal with Spider-Man's cellular degeneration.[23]
When theCivil War breaks out, Bill Foster as Goliath is seen as a member of Captain America's anti-registration Secret Avengers, adopting the aliasRockwell Dodsworth. He subsequently appears briefly amongst the cavalcade of other super-heroes attending theBlack Panther's andStorm's wedding.[24]
Foster is killed byRagnarok, a clone ofThor, during a battle between the Secret Avengers andIron Man's pro-registration forces. Foster is buried in his giant form, 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.[25]
Bill's nephew,M.I.T. studentTom Foster, informs the Black Panther of intending to follow in his uncle's footsteps by cracking the Pym Particle formula and being a hero.[26] Tom later publicly denouncedReed Richards and Iron Man because of his uncle's death.[27] Afterwards, Tom recreates and drinks his uncle's formula.[28]
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'sMighty 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.[29]
WhenHercules ventures into theUnderworld, 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.[30]
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.[31] A.I.M. later attempt to hijack the program, but Pym was able to defeat them withEric 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.[32]
Bill Foster's superpowers are a result of his biochemical formula containing Pym particles that he ingested.[33] He has the ability to increase his size into gigantic levels by psionically drawingmass 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 precisequantification, but he can now grow to 25 feet (7.6 m) tall.
Bill Foster possesses a gifted intellect with an extensive knowledge ofbiochemistry.
A younger version of Foster appears in theAnt-Man: Season Onegraphic novel. He is portrayed as the lab assistant of the young Hank Pym, and helps him in his crusade againstEgghead.[34]
The 2015Contest 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.[35]
A zombified Black Goliath attacks the fortress ofDoctor Doom known as "Doomshadt" inMarvel 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.[36] Another version of a different zombified Black Goliath appears in an alternate universe inMarvel Zombies Return. He had been decapitated and his still 'living' zombie head is used as part of a makeshift computer to allow the zombifiedHank Pym to create dimensional travel.[37]
In theMC2 universe, in the pages ofA-Next, Bill Foster is seen within the series as his son John Foster becomes the newEarth Sentry.[38]
An alternate version of Bill Foster appeared inSpidey 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.[39]
InWhat 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", Foster appears on Captain America's side. In "What If Iron Man Lost the Civil War", 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 Foster, Iron Man throws himself in front of the attack; he survives, but his armor is destroyed.[40]
Bill Foster appears in media set in theMarvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), primarily portrayed byLaurence Fishburne,[41][42] while his sonLangston portrays him in flashbacks.[43] This version is a former member ofS.H.I.E.L.D.,Hank Pym's assistant on "Project Goliath", andAva Starr's surrogate father afterElihas Starr's death.
Bill Foster appears in theMoon Girl and Devil Dinosaur episode "Devil on Her Shoulder", voiced again by Laurence Fishburne.[46]
Bill Foster appears inThe Avengers: United They Stand #1.[48]
