Tobias Whale

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caption=Tobias Whale, art by Trevor Von Eeden.
comic_color=background:#8080ff
character_name=Tobias Whale
real_name=Tobias Whale
publisher=DC Comics
debut="Black Lightning" # 1
(Feb-Mar 1976)
creators=Tony Isabella (writer)
Trevor Von Eeden (artist)
alliance_color=background:#c0c0ff
alliances=The 100
aliases=Great White Whale
powers=high degree of strength and damage resistance|

Tobias Whale is a comic book villain, a fictional character created by Tony Isabella and Trevor Von Eeden as Black Lightning's nemesis. He first appeared in "Black Lightning" #1 (April 1977).

Fictional character biography

Tobias Whale is an African American albino, who worked his way up from the rackets to head the Metropolis branch of the 100. A school teacher named Jefferson Pierce spoke out against the 100's drug trafficking, and so they made an example of one of his students. Seeking to avenge the murdered student, Pierce becomes Black Lightning.

Pierce is so successful that Tobias is sent to jail. When he breaks out of prison some months later he teams up with Syonide II in order to distribute a new highly addictive drug. The drug's formula was supposedly in the possession of a woman named Violet Harper. Tobias sends Syonide to retrieve the formula, unable to gain any information or find any trace of the formula, Syonide kills Harper.

Violet Harper later comes back to life when an Aurakle possesses her lifeless body, this new being called herself Halo. Once he learned of Harper's resurrection, Tobias assumed that she must have memorized the formula. But since Harper has no memories from before her death, a frustrated Syonide killed her parents.

Often called "the Great White Whale" behind his back, Tobias Whale weighs close to 400 lbs. However, most of his considerable bulk is muscle.

It is unknown whether Tobias ever was associated with the 100's successor group, the 1000.

Gotham Underground

Whale recently returned in the limited series "Gotham Underground" and has moved to Gotham City where he is attempting to become the Capo di tutti capi boss of bosses, following the death of the Black Mask. He ends up in a gang war with Intergang, which buys him out and makes him the CEO of Kord Enterprises, which has become a front for Intergang's criminal activities.

Other Media

The character appeared in "Double Date", an episode of the animated "Justice League Unlimited" as the villain who betrayed and killed the parents of the Huntress, renamed as Steven Mandragora (voiced by Glenn Shadix). In that episode, Huntress was tracking him down in order to avenge her parents' death. With the help of The Question, they managed to locate Mandragora, who was under federal protection in return for testimony against other criminals. Mandragora escaped federal custody and went to the docks to flee the country. He overpowered Green Arrow, Black Canary, and The Question as he was making his escape, but surrendered when Huntress threatened him with her crossbow. She nearly executed him, but relented when she saw Mandragora's son watching, much as she watched when Mandragora originally murdered her parents. Instead, Mandragora was taken back into U.S. custody.

His son, Edgar, previously appeared as an adult in "Mind Games", an episode of "Batman Beyond" as a member of the Brain Trust. He displayed powerful psychic abilities but was defeated by Batman in the end. Edgar also appeared in "Ro's Gift", an episode of The Zeta Project, with a different design. [http://www.worldsfinestonline.com/WF/zetaproject/episodes/17rosgift/] S

External links

* [http://www.dcuguide.com/who.php?name=tobiaswhale DCU Guide: Tobias Whale]