Tiger Shark
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- real name: Todd Arliss
- debut : Prince Namor, the Sub-Mariner #5 (Sept. 1968)
- creators :Roy Thomas, John Buscema
- alliances : Masters of Evil, Deep Six, Offenders
- powers : Superhuman strength, durability and senses; accelerated swimming speed
Tiger Shark (Todd Arliss) is a character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appears in Prince Namor, the Sub-Mariner #5 (Sept. 1968) and was created by Roy Thomas and John Buscema.
Contents |
Publication history
The character's first appearance in the title Prince Namor, the Sub-Mariner establishes the character is a selfish Olympic swimmer who, seeking public acclaim, attempts to rescue a drowning man and damages his spinal cord when waves push him into a ship. Desperate to regain his swimming ability, Arliss willingly participates in an experiment by the scientist Doctor Dorcas, who "cures" his injured back by blending his DNA with that of hero Namor the Sub-Mariner and a tiger shark. Although successful, the process changed Arliss both physically and mentally, endowing him with razor-sharp teeth and gills and making him savage and predatory.*Prince Namor, the Sub-Mariner #5 (Sept. 1968)*
Becoming a supervillain and calling himself Tiger Shark, the character finds and threatens the Lady Dorma and by force demands to be crowned Lord of Atlantis. Namor, however, deposes Tiger Shark and the character is imprisoned in Atlantis.*Prince Namor, the Sub-Mariner #6 (Oct. 1968)* Tiger Shark escapes from Atlantis during a rebellion caused by the artifact the Serpent Crown.*Prince Namor, the Sub-Mariner #9 (Jan. 1968)* The character encounters Namor once again*Prince Namor, the Sub-Mariner #16 (Aug. 1969)* and battles Orka, the minion of Atlantean noble Warlord Krang. The pair cause an undersea avalanche that buries them for several months.*Prince Namor, the Sub-Mariner #24 (Apr. 1970)*
Once free, Tiger Shark discovers he is losing his powers and teams with the villainess Llyra against Namor and his allies Stingray and Fantastic Four member the Human Torch. Tiger Shark's powers are restored by Llyra, and Tiger Shark accidentally kills Namor's father, Leonard Mackenzie, as the villains retreat.*Prince Namor, the Sub-Mariner #44 - 46 (Dec. 1971 - Feb. 1972)* After encountering the Hulk at Niagara Falls*Hulk #160 (Feb. 1973)* the character reunites with Dr. Dorcas and battles Namor and the hero Spider-Man. On this occasion Tiger Shark is savagely beaten by Namor and left for dead.*Marvel Team-Up #14 (Oct. 1973)* Tiger Shark, Dr. Dorcas and Atlantean warlord Attuma seize the island Hydrobase and again battle Namor, who allied with Doctor Doom. Dorcas is accidentally crushed to death, with Tiger Shark and Attuma being defeated and imprisoned.*Super-Villain Team-Up #1 - 3 (Aug; Oct & Dec. 1975)*
Tiger Shark escapes from Hydrobase and abducts Namorita - Namor's cousin - before being recaptured by heroine Ms Marvel.*Ms. Marvel #15 - 16 (Mar. - Apr. 1978)* The character joins supervillain team the Masters of Evil, and battles superheroes theAvengers.*Avengers #222 (Aug. 1982)* With the Masters of Evil, Tiger Shark aids villain Egghead in a plan to ruin Henry Pym, but is ultimately defeated by Pym.*Avengers #228 - 229 (Feb. - Mar. 1983)* Tiger Shark joins Baron Zemo's version of the Masters of Evil and invades Avengers Mansion, escaping when the Avengers retake their headquarters.*Avengers #273 - 275 (Nov. 1986 - Jan. 1987)* The character flees with fellow Masters member Whirlwind to California, where both are captured by Avengers West Coast members Tigra and Hellcat.*West Coast Avengers #16 (Jan. 1987)*
Tiger Shark feigns illness to escape prison, and battles Stingray, but later helps to rescue his sister, who is trapped in a cave-in.*Marvel Comics Presents #53 - 54 (July 1990) & #55 - 56 (Aug. 1990)* During the Acts of Vengeance storyline Tiger Shark battles mutant hero Wolverine;*Wolverine #19 - 20 (Dec. 1989 - Jan 1990)* and is captured for study and then rescued by Namor.*Marvel Comics Presents #77 (cover date 1991)* A grateful Tiger Shark renounces crime, and renaming himself Arlys Tigershark marries a woman from an undersea tribe of nomads. The character, however, reverts back to his savage ways when his pregnant wife and her tribe are slaughtered by savage undersea creatures called the Faceless Ones.*Namor, the Sub-Mariner vol. 3, #33 - 34 (Jan - Feb. 1993)* He aids Namor against Suma-Ket, the master of the Faceless Ones, who leads an attack on Atlantis that fails when Suma-Ket is killed in battle.*Namor, the Sub-Mariner vol. 3, #36 - 40 (Mar. - July 1993)* Together with the Inhuman Triton and the Fantastic Four, Tiger Shark reluctantly aids Namor against an attacking alien*Namor, the Sub-Mariner #46 - 48 (Jan. - Mar. 1994) & Fantastic Four #385 - 386 (Feb. - Mar. 1994)* and after a battle with Namor clone Llyron*Namor, the Sub-Mariner #54 - 56 (Sep. - Nov. 1994)* features as part of the team Deep Six and battles the Avengers.*Namor, the Sub-Mariner #58 (Jan. 1995)*
In Tiger Shark's next appearance in the title Thunderbolts, the character has inexplicably mutated into a more shark-like being, complete with grey skin and a natural fin as opposed to a costume ornament. Tiger Shark joins Justine Hammer's version of the Masters of Evil and briefly skirmishes with maverick superheroes the Thunderbolts.*Thunderbolts #3 (June 1997)* After two more encounters with the Thunderbolts*Thunderbolts #18 - 20 (Sep. - Nov. 1998)& #24 - 25 (Mar. - Apr. 1999)* Tiger Shark - once again in human form - joins a villainous version of Deep Six to conquer Atlantis,*Defenders vol. 2, #7 (Sep. 2001)* initially successful the villains are eventually defeated, with Tiger Shark quickly defeated by cosmic hero the Silver Surfer.*Defenders vol. 2, #11 (Jan. 2002)*
The character appears next - again in mutated form - in the title She-Hulk, and is imprisoned in the prison facility called the Big House, where inmates are kept at minature size. Escaping with several other inmates at microscopic size by riding on the back of heroine She-Hulk's hand, Tiger Shark and the other villains emerge and attack when she visits a law firm. Tiger Shark is defeated when She-Hulk throws the villain Electro into the water he is standing in, electrocuting Tiger Shark and short circuiting Electro.*She-Hulk #5 - 6 (Sep. - Oct. 2004)* Tiger Shark appears (in human form) during the mass supervillain breakout at prison facility the Raft*New Avengers #1 - 4 (Jan. - Apr. 2005)* and is recaptured, along with fellow villain Armadillo, by the group the New Warriors.*New Warriors vol. 3, #1 (Aug. 2005)* The character is seen briefly as an employee of the criminal the Owl in the limited series Underworld.*Underworld #1 - 5 (Apr. - Aug. 2006)*
In the limited series Fallen Son: The Death of Captain America, Tiger Shark steals an artifact called the "Horn of Gabriel", and uses it to summon huge sea monsters and direct them against the surface world. He is, however, defeated by Namor and the Mighty Avengers.*Fallen Son: The Death of Captain America #2 (June 2007). Issues #1 - 2 (June 2007); #3 - 4 (July 2007) & #5 (Aug. 2007)* Tiger Shark also features as part of a supervillain enclave being solicited by new crime boss the Hood, who hopes to take advantage of the split in the superhero community caused by the Superhuman Registration Act.*New Avengers #35 (Dec. 2007)*
Al Kraven, the son of long-time Spider-Man foe Kraven the Hunter, briefly captures Tiger Shark when collecting animal-themed superhumans.*Punisher War Journal vol. 2, #13 (Jan. 2008)* Tiger Shark attempts to extort money from Norman Osborn, the leader of a revamped version of the Thunderbolts, but is beaten into submission by Venom and forced to secretly work for Osborn.*Thunderbolts: Reason in Madness (May 2008)*
During the Secret Invasion storyline, Ms. Marvel saves the character from being killed by an alien Super Skrull in the prison for super-villains, Raft.*Ms. Marvel vol. 2 #30 (Sep. 2008)* Tiger Shark also skirmishes with the mercenary character Deadpool at the direction of Osborn.*Deadpool vol. 2, #6 - 7 (Mar. - Apr. 2009)* The Elder of the Universe the Grandmaster also recruits the character to be part of a team called the Offenders in a bid to thwart the Hulk.*Hulk #10 (Apr. 2009)*
Tiger Shark joins a new version of the Lethal Legion - led by the Grim Reaper - in a three issue limited series written by Frank Tieri with art by Mateus Santolouco which ties into the Dark Reign storyline.*Lethal Legion #1 - 3 (Aug. - Oct. 2009)*
Powers and abilities
Before gaining his powers, Todd Arliss was a record-breaking Olympic swimmer but otherwise an ordinary human. After Dr. Dorcas' experimental genetic engineering process, he becomes an amphibious humanoid with the traits of a human, an Atlantean (Homo mermanus), and a tiger shark. As Tiger Shark, he possesses the same superhuman strength, stamina, water speed and durability as Namor, although he must be immersed in water to achieve his full strength; on land, he must wear his special costume containing a water circulation system which bathes him with a thin layer of water, to retain his strength. Tiger Shark also possesses an innate hunting instinct inherited from his shark genes, as once he locks onto prey he cannot stop tracking it until it has been captured or he has been forcibly repulsed. He has the ability to survive indefinitely underwater, and has gills on his cheeks and razor-sharp pointed teeth.
In other media
Television
- Tiger Shark appears in The Avengers: United They Stand episode "Command Decision" voiced by Tony Daniels.
Video games
- Tiger Shark appears as a villain in the video game Marvel: Ultimate Alliance voiced by Beau Weaver.