Bronze Tiger
Bronze Tiger is a male comic character who features in DC Comics.
Contents |
Biography
Origin
Benjamin Turner
Turner became a student of the O-Sensei, a legendary martial arts instructor in Japan. O-Sensei took a second student named Richard Dragon, and Ben became close friends with Richard. Their lessons included combat, history, philosophy, and science. When their training was finished, O-Sensei sent them to find their destiny. They were immediately recruited by Barney Ling, an agent of G.O.O.D., who used them to break up a slave ring in Sudan. (Richard Dragon, Kung-Fu Fighter v1 #1) Dragon and Turner decided to start their new lives in New York City, traveling with the O-Sensei's god-daughter Carolyn Woosan. They are attacked when they get there, and Carolyn is kidnapped by a spy called the Swiss. Turner is shot in the leg so he cannot help Dragon. (Richard Dragon, Kung-Fu Fighter v1 #2) He recovers on crutches while Dragon goes after Carolyn. (Richard Dragon, Kung-Fu Fighter v1 #3) The Swiss sends goons to finish Turner, and he nearly dies, but Dragon intervenes and saves him. (Richard Dragon, Kung-Fu Fighter v1 #4) Following this battle, Dragon and Turner set up their own martial arts school in Manhattan. (Richard Dragon, Kung-Fu Fighter v1 #5)
Ben Turner and his ally Richard Dragon traveled to the tropical island of San Lorenzo to investigate reports of a monstrous figure. Rumored to have an insect-shaped head and a penchant for thievery, the creature became known as the Preying Mantis. Upon arriving, the two martial artists encountered a group of amateur bounty hunters also searching for the creature and quickly overpowered them. While Richard eventually located and fought the Preying Mantis in an abandoned fort, Turner's role in the conflict was as a supporting investigator and combatant against the bounty hunters. It was later discovered that the Mantis was a criminal who had lost hope after a facial disfigurement and had turned to a life of crime. After Richard's final confrontation with the Mantis, Turner departed from the island, later embarking on his own path separate from Richard. (Richard Dragon, Kung-Fu Fighter v1 #6) Turner had departed from Richard to begin his own path. While Richard and Lady Shiva pursued and eventually defeated the villains and their surgically enhanced brute, Topper, Turner was not present during these events. Following the events on San Lorenzo, Richard was without his former partner for this mission. (Richard Dragon, Kung-Fu Fighter v1 #7) Ben Turner was targeted by assassins. These attackers were associated with the League of Assassins. The assassins succeeded in poisoning Ben with an unknown toxin, which left him unconscious. He was taken to a hospital where a doctor informed Richard Dragon and Lady Shiva that the poison was unknown to Western medicine and that Ben had only two weeks to live. As Ben lay incapacitated, Richard and Lady Shiva embarked on a mission to find an antidote and confront the League of Assassins, leaving Ben behind to rely on his strength and medical professionals. (Richard Dragon, Kung-Fu Fighter v1 #8)
Ben Turner operated alongside Richard Dragon and Lady Shiva in the bustling streets of New York City, where the trio acted as a specialized investigative team for the global espionage agency known as G.O.O.D. Following the instructions of their handler, Barney Ling, Ben participated in a high-stakes mission to intercept a shipment of illegal arms destined for a revolutionary group. During a chaotic confrontation at the city docks, he displayed his mastery of martial arts by systematically neutralizing several armed smugglers with powerful, calculated strikes. As the battle intensified, he encountered a formidable mercenary known as the Preying Mantis, whose unique fighting style and razor-sharp weapons pushed Ben to the limits of his defensive capabilities. Despite the Mantis's speed and lethal intent, Ben maintained his composure, eventually finding an opening to deliver a decisive blow that incapacitated the assassin. Throughout the operation, he served as a grounding force for the team, balancing Richard’s philosophical hesitations with his own pragmatic, warrior-like focus, ultimately ensuring that the weapons shipment was secured and the criminal network was disrupted before they could vanish into the night. (Richard Dragon, Kung-Fu Fighter v1 #9) Turner faced a devastating personal crisis when he discovered that his sister had been murdered and his young nephew, Benny, had been kidnapped by a ruthless extortionist known as Hatchett. Driven by a volatile mix of grief and protective fury, he broke away from his usual disciplined restraint to hunt the killers through the rain-slicked streets of the city. He tracked the criminal gang to a dilapidated tenement building, where he bypassed several armed sentries with a series of brutal, high-speed strikes that left no room for negotiation. Upon confronting Hatchett, Ben found himself in a high-stakes standoff where his nephew’s life hung in the balance, forcing him to rely on his superior agility to disarm the villain before he could harm the child. Despite his overwhelming desire for vengeance, he managed to subdue the kidnapper without taking his life, choosing instead to secure his nephew's safety and bring the criminals to justice. In the aftermath of the violence, he took the traumatised boy into his care, acknowledging that his life as a wandering martial artist had now been irrevocably altered by the responsibilities of fatherhood and the lingering shadows of his family's tragedy. (Richard Dragon, Kung-Fu Fighter v1 #10)
The death threats Ben got were from Barney Ling, who wanted to manipulate him and Dragon into fighting his enemies. Ben was captured and brainwashed by the villainous Professor Ojo. He had Turner make a tiger mask, a receptacle for his anger, and created the assassin identity of Bronze Tiger for him. Bronze Tiger was now Ling’s pawn, and Ling feared reprisal from Richard Dragon, so he had the Tiger ruthlessly murder everyone in Dragon’s life to break his will. The Dragon realized he had to save Ben from himself, and tracked him down to Barney’s penthouse. Dragon and Tiger fought, and when Dragon dodged one of Tiger’s blows it hit Ling, and he fell from a window to his apparent death. With Ling dead Tiger was directionless, and Richard took him to a doctor to heal his mind. (DC Comics Presents v1 #39)
Post-Crisis
Following the Crisis on Infinite Earths, a new version of reality was created with a different history of events. Ben Turner grew up in an upper middle class black neighborhood in Central City. When he was 10 years old, he killed for the first time when he woke up and found a burglar assaulting his parents. Ben grabbed a carving knife and stabbed the man repeatedly until he died, shocked by how good it felt. He turned to martial arts at the age of 13, beginning with Tae Kwon Do, as a means of teaching himself discipline and control over his homicidal urges. This was not enough to control his anger problems, and he soon turned to crime. Knowing that this path would lead him to jail, Ben began traveling the world to find guidance. In that time, the master Kirigi took him in as a student, but Kirigi was cruel and tried to exploit Ben's violent nature for his own agenda. Ben left hoping he could find someone to help him achieve inner peace. (Suicide Squad v1 #38)
David Cain raised his daughter Cassandra Cain to be a killer since birth, and employed other assassins to help train her, including Bronze Tiger. (Batgirl v1 #62)
Amanda Waller and Rick Flag put together a new Suicide Squad, and Bronze Tiger as their first recruit. Flag trusts Bronze Tiger, and uses him as security when they recruit Deadshot. (Legends v1 #2) They are sent to destroy Brimstone at Mount Rushmore, and Bronze Tiger knocks out Enchantress when her evil persona has finished its work. (Legends v1 #3) He stays with the team for personal reasons when the prisoners are released. (Legends v1 #4) Waller sends them to rescue or kill Captain Boomerang when Boomerang threatens to expose the Squad. (Legends v1 #5) Bronze Tiger is sent to take down G. Gordon Godfrey, but Godfrey uses his persuasive powers to make the Tiger a mind-controlled slave. (Legends v1 #6) Bronze Tiger becomes a permanent member of the Suicide Squad living in Belle Reve, because Amanda Waller promises to help him regain his memories. He is second-in-command under Rick Flag, and helps keep the inmates in line. (Suicide Squad v1 #1) Their next mission is destroying the terrorist group Jihad in Qurac, and Bronze Tiger is selected to deal with Thuggee assassin Ravan. Bronze Tiger breaks Ravan's back, and Ravan demands an honorable death, but Bronze Tiger insists that he does not kill anymore. (Suicide Squad v1 #2) When Belle Reve is attacked by the Female Furies of Apokolips, Bronze Tiger tried to fight Stompa and was defeated. (Suicide Squad v1 #3) He goes undercover as the supervillain Wipeout when they take down the racist vigilante William Hell. (Suicide Squad v1 #4)
Batgirl was on a quest to find her birth mother and went to see Ben Turner, who’d quit the life of a mercenary to open up Tiger’s Dojo in Detroit, hoping to give wayward youth a direction and purpose. Ben assumed she wanted revenge for his part in raising her to be a living weapon while he was a member of the League of Assassins, and he said he deserved whatever she had in mind. Batgirl had no interest in revenge, only wanting to know more about her past and Lady Shiva. Ben told her that when Ra’s al Ghul became distrustful of most of his mercenaries he was willing to listen to David Cain’s ideas on raising a child to be a loyal assassin. Ra’s provided him with test subjects, who went mad within months of training and all ended up dead at each other’s hands except for one young boy nicknamed Mad dog who Ra’s decided to have an Ubu put down. Cain then narrowed his plan to raise but one living weapon and had a few failures before Cassandra was born. Ben admitted his suspicions that Shiva was her mother, but said only she could tell her for certain. Ben was still ashamed of his passed, but humbled that the League of Assassins had raised Batgirl to be a killer but found her own path as a hero. (Batgirl v1 #67)
Post-Flashpoint
Following the Flashpoint, a new version of reality was created with a different history of events. Benjamin Turner
Bronze Tiger emerged at Arkham Asylum, visibly weakened from withdrawing off Venom. He broke into Bane’s makeshift fortress in search of psychotropic insights that might save Batman and Gotham Girl. During the climax in Bane’s hidden throne-room, he knocked out Ventriloquist to assist in the Jokerized chaos and swiftly secured Psycho-Pirate. Alongside the Caped Crusader and Catwoman, he helped subdue Bane’s men, allowing Batman and Catwoman to escape via explosive diversion. Afterward, Bronze Tiger rendered Ventriloquist unconscious again to prevent any risk to Psycho-Pirate and aided in extracting the telepath from Bane’s clutches. (Batman v3 #13)
Bronze Tiger reappeared at Arkham during Batman’s check-in on Psycho-Pirate. Launching a surprise assault, he incapacitated both guards and disrupted a secret agent embedded by Bane, exposing the Regime’s infiltration. Though the agent shot Bronze Tiger, he quickly recovered, identifying himself as Batman’s ally. He explained his presence was to gain insight into Psycho-Pirate—and warned that, like himself, Bane was addicted to the psychedelic-derived Venom. His knowledge clarified Bane’s motives. Following the skirmish, Tiger joined the Bat-Family for a briefing at BatBurger. (Batman v3 #16) Bronze Tiger was found isolated in a seedy motel, physically ravaged by Venom withdrawal. Despite his suffering, he remained fixated on supporting Batman’s mission. Though confined, his mere presence communicated the severity of Bane’s psychological and physical descent—and underscored the urgency of Batman’s plan. His storyline served as a harrowing counterpoint to Superman’s broader involvement, emphasizing the price of vengeance and the fragility of mental stability without cold pressor control. (Batman v3 #17)
Overview
Personality and attributes
In appearance, Ben Turner was depicted as a tall, broad-shouldered African-American man with a muscular build that reflected his years of martial training. When operating as Bronze Tiger, he was most often seen in his iconic tiger mask, a fierce and stylized headpiece that concealed his features and projected intimidation. His costume varied, but he frequently wore martial arts attire or tactical gear suited for his missions, often accented with tiger-themed motifs to match his moniker. Out of costume, Turner was typically shown with short-cropped hair and a stern yet composed demeanor. (Richard Dragon, Kung-Fu Fighter v1 #1)
In personality, Ben Turner was a man of strong discipline and inner conflict, driven by both a sense of honor and the burden of his darker past. At his core, he sought to protect others and to live by the teachings instilled in him by O-Sensei, but his time with the League of Assassins left scars that influenced his outlook and decisions. He displayed loyalty to his allies, a deep sense of responsibility as a leader, and an unwavering dedication to his craft. Though often stoic and serious, he carried compassion for those who struggled as he had, making him both a mentor and protector when needed. His life was defined by the pursuit of balance between redemption and duty. (Suicide Squad v1 #39)
It was known that he had a sister who had a child named after him with his nephew being named Benjamin Turner II. The boy was affectionately called Junior with his uncle raising him after his mother was killed by a corrupt logger. (Richard Dragon, Kung-Fu Fighter v1 #10)
At some point, he and Lady Shiva came to sleep together where she became pregnant and had a son named Tenji Turner. The boy was raised by his father and was aware of his mother and half-sister though Cassandra Cain was unaware of him. Tenji came to be trained in martial arts by his father and took the moniker of Jade Tiger. (Batgirl v6 #9)
Powers and abilities
Notes
- Bronze Tiger was created by Dennis O'Neil, Jim Berry and Leopoldo Duranona where he made his first appearance in Richard Dragon, Kung Fu Fighter v1 #1 (May, 1975).
Alternate Versions
In other media
Television
- In Batman: The Brave and the Bold, Bronze Tiger appeared in the setting of the animated television series where he was voiced by actor Gary Anthony Sturgis.
- In Arrow, Bronze Tiger appeared in the live-action television series set in the Arrowverse where he was portrayed by actor Michael Jai White.
Films
- In Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay, Bronze Tiger appeared in the animated film where he was voiced by actor Billy Brown. This version was a former CIA agent who became a vigilante after his fiancée was murdered by a former member of the League of Assassins and vowed never to take an innocent life. Turner is recruited by Amanda Waller's Task Force X program and tasked with retrieving a mystical "Get Out of Hell Free" card by any means necessary. Throughout the mission, Turner develops animosity towards the leader and assassin Deadshot. After the latter abandons the team to see his daughter, Waller appoints Turner as the squad's new leader. When Professor Zoom's henchmen kidnap and recruit Killer Frost, Turner leads the squad in tracking her, only to be severely injured by an explosive trap set up by Zoom. The squad drops off Turner at the hospital before Deadshot reassumes leadership and leads them in continuing the mission without him. Despite his injuries, Turner returns during the squad's final confrontation with Zoom, sacrificing himself to distract the speedster long enough for Deadshot to kill him. Before he dies, Turner makes peace with Deadshot, who gives him the "Get Out of Hell Free" card in return.
- In Batman: Soul of the Dragon, Bronze Tiger appeared in the setting of the animated film where he was once more voiced by actor Michael Jai White. He was shown as being a student of the O-Sensei where he sought him at his monastery at Nanda Parbat with him joining his other disciples that included Rip Jagger, Lady Shiva, Richard Dragon, Jade Nyugen and Bruce Wayne. At first, he did not get along with Wayne but the two found a common ground where later they came to learn that they were being trained to guard 'the Gate'. This was a portal to another dimension containing the great serpent god Naga with Jagger revealed to had been a secret member of the Kobra Cult who infiltrated the monastery to use the Soul Breaker to attempt to free his master. The O-Sensei came to sacrifice himself to close the Gate and his disciples came to separate from one another. Later on, Turner targeted the Kobra Cult where he sought to kill their leader only to find them to be a child causing Ben to abandon his mission. He then opened a dojo in his old neighbourhood as he began to train kids in self-defense.
Video games
- In Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate, Bronze Tiger appeared in the video game where he was voiced by actor Gary Anthony Sturgis.
Appearances
- Richard Dragon, Kung Fu Fighter v1: (1975)
- Suicide Squad v1:
- Checkmate v2:
- Red Hood and the Outlaws v1:
- Batman v3:
- Batgirl v6:
External Links
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