BLACK BOLT

 

BLACK BOLT

Real Name: Blackagar Boltagon

First Appearance: Fantastic Four (Vol. 1) #45, December 1965

Powers: Blackagar Boltagon is an Inhuman (Homo sapiens inanthropo), a genetically engineered human offshoot created by the Kree to possess heightened strength, speed, agility, endurance, and reaction time, roughly 50% greater than humans. He was also exposed to the mutagenic properties of the Terrigen Mist, a mutation-causing substance discovered by the Inhuman scientist Randac. It is potent enough to cause any living organism to mutate from exposure to it, although the Inhumans zealously restrict its use to Inhumans only. In Black Bolt's case, his exposure as an infant granted him certain energy-manipulative abilities which he could not yet control, particularly that of producing quasi-sonic energy of great destructive potential. To protect the community, he was placed inside a sound-proof chamber for most of his life and was given an energy-harnessing suit.

Black Bolt possesses various superhuman powers stemming from his ability to harness free-floating electrons. The speech center of Black Bolt’s brain contains an organic mechanism able to generate an as yet unknown type of particle which interacts with ambient electrons to create certain phenomena determined by mental control. The most devastating of the effects is Black Bolt’s quasi-sonic scream. Because his electron-harnessing ability is linked to the speech center of his brain, any attempt to use his vocal cords – from the merest whisper to a full scream – triggers an uncontrollable disturbance of the particle / electron interaction field. This result in a shock wave equivalent, at maximum force, to that caused by the detonation of a nuclear weapon. A whisper has generated sufficient force to rock a battleship, while a scream can reduce a mountain to rubble.

The fork-shaped antenna that Black Bolt has worn upon his brow since childhood enables him to channel his powers in more directed, less destructive ways. The antenna monitors his brain’s speech center activity and allows him to direct limited quantities of the unknown particle to create a number of controlled phenomena. He can channel this energy inwardly to enhance his own body’s speed and strength. Black Bolt is capable of channeling all available energy into one arm for one powerful punch called his Master Blow. This exertion taxes ability to employ the particle/electron energy to its limit and him extremely vulnerable following its use.

Black Bolt is also able to direct the unknown particle outwards in ways other than by means of his of his vocal cords. He can rapidly route particle/electron energy through his arms to create relatively small concussive blasts. He can form a field of highly-active electrons around himself with the wave of a hand, said field being capable of deflecting projectiles up to the mass of an MX missile traveling at its maximum speed. He can create particle/electron interaction fields solid enough to be traveled upon, though this phenomenon is a particularly difficult and exhausting one. He can use these electron fields as extrasensory probes which are highly sensitive to other electromagnetic energy phenomena. He can even manipulate his electron field to jam certain electrical mechanisms.

Black Bolt can also harness the unknown particles his brain generate to interact with electrons to create anti-gravitons that enable him to defy gravity. By emitting a jet of rapidly moving particle/electron interaction by-product while enveloped by anti-gravitons, Black Bolt can fly up to 500 miles per hour for a period of 6 hours before his brain begins to tire appreciably from the effort. The anti-graviton field also serves to protect Black Bolt from the detrimental effects of rapid movement through the atmosphere.