The Man-Bull ( William Taurens) is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.
Man-Bull made his live-action debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe television series , portrayed by Nate Hurd.
Publication history
The Man-Bull first appeared in
Daredevil #78 (July 1971), and was created by writer
Gerry Conway and artist
Gene Colan.
Jeff Rovin (1987). 081601356X, Facts on File. 081601356X
[1] The character subsequently appeared in
Daredevil #95-96 (January–February 1973),
Claws of the Cat #4 (June 1973),
Iron Man #72 (January 1975),
Daredevil #129 (January 1976), and
Daredevil #144 (April 1977). The character did not appear again for some time, until
The Incredible Hulk #341 (March 1988), and he then appeared in
Marvel Year-in-Review '92,
The Amazing Spider-Man: Chaos in Calgary #4 (February 1993),
Captain America #413 (March 1993), and
New Warriors #36 (June 1993). He disappeared again for a time, before appearing in
She-Hulk #10 (February 2005),
Gravity #1 (August 2005),
Wolverine (vol. 3) #30 (September 2005),
Spider-Man Unlimited #12 (January 2006),
Underworld #3 (June 2006), and
Punisher War Journal (vol. 2) #13-15 (January–March 2008).
The Man-Bull received an entry in the original Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe #6, and in the All-New Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z: Update #1 (2007).
Fictional character biography
William Taurens is a criminal who was hired by Mister Kline to round up people to test an experimental serum made from bull
enzymes by his agent, the Professor. After being thwarted by Daredevil, Taurens is subjected to the serum and temporarily transformed into a humanoid bull.
[ Daredevil #78-79 (July - August 1971)]
After his former partner Itch sneaks into his prison cell and permanently transforms him, Taurens attempts to get revenge on Daredevil and becomes a recurring enemy of him.[ Daredevil #95-96 (January - February 1973)][ Daredevil #129 (January 1976)][ Daredevil #144 (April 1977)][ Claws of the Cat #4 (June 1973)] He, Melter, and Whiplash later join Black Lama's Death Squad and encounter Iron Man at a comic book convention.[ Iron Man #72 (January 1975)] Man-Bull later joins the Wizard's Frightful Four and encounters Spider-Man and Turbine.[ Amazing Spider-Man: Chaos in Calgary #4 (February 1992)]
In the "Hunted" storyline, Man-Bull is captured by Taskmaster and Black Ant as part of Kraven the Hunter's Great Hunt and killed by Hunter-Bots.[ The Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 5) #17 (May 2019)][ The Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 5) #19 (June 2019)] In Ruins of Ravencroft, Man-Bull appears alive and was imprisoned at Ravencroft following its rebuilding.[ Ruins of Ravencroft: Dracula one-shot (March 2020)]
In the"King in Black" storyline, Man-Bull was seen at the Bar with No Name when Wilson Fisk offers jobs to everyone there.[ King in Black #2 (February 2021)] Man-Bull was later seen at Ravencroft during Knull's invasion, and joins the Thunderbolts to battle him.[ King in Black: Thunderbolts #2 (April 2021)][ King in Black: Thunderbolts #3 (May 2021)]
Powers and abilities
Man-Bull possesses bull-like physiology that gives him superhuman physical abilities, powerful horns, and the ability to mentally control other bovines. However, he is prone to periods of feral violence caused by adrenaline and the side effects of the serum that gave him his powers.
[ Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe #6 (June 1983)][ All-New Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z: Update #1 (March 2007)]
Other versions
Bull-Frog, an alternate universe
funny animal variant of Man-Bull from Earth-8311, appears in
Peter Porker, The Spectacular Spider-Ham.
[ Peter Porker, the Spectacular Spider-Ham #2 (July 1985)]
In other media
Man-Bull appears in the
episode "", portrayed by Nathan Hurd.
This version gained a cattle-like head and hair on parts of his body following an experiment gone wrong and is a member of Emil Blonsky's spiritual retreat, Summer Twilight.
