Puma (Marvel)
Puma is a male comic superhero who features in Marvel Comics.
Contents |
Biography
Thomas Fireheart
He then received a call from the Rose who wanted to have a meeting with Fireheart. This saw Thomas travelling to New York and landed in Laguardia Airport where he was transported via limousine to the meeting site. Once there, the Rose gave Fireheart a challenge which was to eliminate the masked superhero called Spider-Man who had been thwarting his criminal endeavours. Thomas cam to accept the offer and was provided a sample of his scent in order to track him down. (Amazing Spider-Man v1 #256)
Puma reached a state of 'harmonious enlightenment with the universe' and was imbued with immeasurable power. However, doubting his own senses, Puma lost the mystical power just as he attacked the Beyonder. Puma sought Spider-Man's help when he discovered that he was destined to fight the Beyonder; Spider-Man refused, making Puma doubt himself and, eventually, fail in his quest against the Beyonder. (Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man v1 #111) Puma was able to learn Spider-Man's secret identity, Peter Parker, thanks to his enhanced senses, and now felt he owed him a debt of honor as a result of the Beyonder affair. He offered Peter Parker a job at his company while Peter was on his honeymoon in France; however, Peter declined the offer. (Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man Annual v1 #7)
Later on, the Mutant powers of Charles Little Sky came to manifest with the man being a kinsman of Fireheart. Fireheart tried to help his fellow tribesman better understand them but Little Sky rejected Thomas's offers of aid. Instead, Portal fled to Ellis Island where Fireheart caught up to him. When Portal's powers activated again and returned the U-Foes to Earth, Fireheart teamed up with the Avengers as Puma to protect Little Sky, helping to defeat the villains. (Avengers v1 #304)
Aferwards, Puma publicly confronted Spider-Man over a story in the Daily Bugle that made it seem as if Spider-Man was a thief; when the story turned out to be false, Puma felt as if he had lost face and was now honor-bound to clear Spider-Man's name. (Web of Spider-Man v1 #50)
During the Civil War, he was seen helping Spider-Man escort Prowler out of the Bar With No Name. (Punisher War Journal v2 #4)
The tribal council continued to ignore his indulgences in contract killer work such as killing a street gang in Madripoor but the final line was drawn when Thomas faced charges of bribery and corruption. As a result, he was brought before the elders who froze his financial assets as they decided his actions had harmed their reputation and were thinking an appropriate punishment. This meant that Thomas had no money for his legal teams to protect himself and he became desperate for a new source of revenue. At this point, M.O.D.O.K. approached Fireheart and offered a large monetary reward in exchange for his aid on a job with him gathering alongside others for the assignment. (Super-Villain Team-Up MODOK's 11 v1 #1)
Puma came to be among the animal-themed characters captured by Taskmaster and Black Ant for Kraven the Hunter's upcoming Great Hunt. (Amazing Spider-Man v5 #16)
Overview
Personality and attributes
As the guardian of the tribe, it was his duty to punish those that dared to hunt on his people's reservation and slaughtered their animals. Despite this role, he also worked secretly as an assassin for hire which he did to entertain himself. (Amazing Spider-Man v1 #256)
He found the life of a million entrepreneur had distinct pleasures but found that it had no comparison to his work as the Puma. (Amazing Spider-Man v1 #256)
As a businessman, he hated tardiness from employees and said that he only worked with people that were professional. (Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man Annual v1 #7)
He followed a code of personal honor that guided him and fulfilled obligations even if he did not want to do so. (Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man Annual v1 #7)
Thomas had said that his uncle was like a father to him. (Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man Annual v1 #7) He knew that his uncle would not approve of his life as an assassin for hire. (Amazing Spider-Man v1 #256)
His assistant was the dark-haired woman named Jenna Taylor who worked at the private office of his company. (Amazing Spider-Man v1 #256)
Powers and abilities
He was the culmination of ten generations of breeding and medicine in order to create the perfect warrior of the lost mesa Kisani. (Super-Villain Team-Up MODOK's 11 v1 #4)
As the Puma, he was a superhuman creation of dark tribal magic and the ceremonial protector of the tribe. (Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man Annual v1 #7)
In time, transformation to his superhuman form became easier but was said to still be painful. (Amazing Spider-Man v1 #256) Through concentration, he was able to institute a metaphysical change from his human to Puma form with this being used to turn him back to normal. In his transformed state, he gained a number of superhuman abilities that he developed as being the Puma. This included heightened natural senses, speed and cat-like agility that made him a formidable opponent. (Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man Annual v1 #7)
Tracking was noted for being a hard skill for him as he needed to block out all physical and mental distractions as he channelled his entire being into his heightened senses. (Amazing Spider-Man v1 #256)
Through his incredibly powerful leg muscles, he got jump over great distances in his transformed Puma state. (Amazing Spider-Man v1 #256)
He engaged in periodic ritualistic trials orchestrated by the tribe to test his strength. (Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man Annual v1 #7)
Thomas was the head of a large business empire which was known as Fireheart Enterprises. (Amazing Spider-Man v1 #256) This was a multi-billion dollar conglomerate and managed the affairs of the business in addition to his role as the Puma. (Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man Annual v1 #7)
Notes
- Puma was created by Tom DeFalco and Ron Frenz where he made his first appearance in Amazing Spider-Man v1 #256 (September, 1984).
Alternate Versions
In other media
Television
- In Spider-Man, Puma appeared as an antagonist in the 2017 animated television series starting from the second season episode "Take Two". He was shown as a mercenary member of the Wild Pack who served under Silver Sable. They were hired by a mysterious client with the theft of the Neuro-Cortex from Horizon High leading to confrontation with Spider-Man with the entire group being captured.
Video games
Appearances
- Amazing Spider-Man: (1984)
- The Spectacular Spider-Man v1:
- Wolverine:
- Super-Villain Team-Up MODOK's 11 v1:
External Links
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