Black Shadow

Real Name: Neil Carton Langford

Identity/Class: Human mutate (Ace)

Occupation: Vigilante, diamond merchant (as Mr Diamond) , former government sponsored hero, student

Affiliations: Sleeper

Enemies: Puppetman, Snotman, Card Sharks, formerly Sleeper

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: Shad, Mr. Gravemold, Wall Walker, No Dice, Mr. Diamond

Base of Operations: New York City

First Appearance: Wild Cards "Strings"

Powers/Abilities: Able to absorb photons, allowing him to remove heat and light from the air, both creating clouds of darkness and lowering the temperature. Able to absorb other forms of energy, though with more effort and less efficiently. Channels the absorbed energy to become super strong, move at superhuman speed, and rapidly heal injuries. Able to walk on walls, and to see in the dark via thermal imaging.

History: Neil Langford was a physics grad student studying for his PhD, who secretly moonlighted as the government sponsored hero Black Shadow. In 1976 he was protecting the Democratic National Convention and fell victim to the rage being generated by the secret ace Senator Gregg Hartmann (a.k.a. Puppetman), joining in the riot he instigated, and slaying two criminals while under Puppetman's influence. Now a wanted criminal and his perception of his own moral worth shattered by his actions, Langford dropped out of school and became a full-time vigilante, hiding from the authorities using a variety of new identities. During the early 1990s he fought the body-stealing Jumpers, one of whom made a fatal error and temporarily stole Shadow's body, unaware of the lengths the vigilante was prepared to go to in order to reclaim it. After being imprisoned by the Card Sharks conspiracy, Shadow escaped alongside fellow captive Croyd Crenson (the Sleeper), and together they hunted down and slew most of the conspiracy; Shadow also learned how he had been manipulated by Puppetman, and went after Hartmann, eventually capturing him and torturing him to death, unaware Hartmann's body had been stolen and that his target's mind now resided inside a Joker's body.

Comments: Created by Walter Jon Williams.

CLARIFICATIONS: Not to be confused with

Any Additions/Corrections? Please let me know.

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