fictional character
In fiction, a character (or speaker, in poetry) is a person or other being in a narrative (such as a novel, play, radio or television series, music, film, or video game). The character may be entirely fictional or based on a real-life person, ...
s appearing in
American comic book
An American comic book is a thin periodical originating in the United States, on average 32 pages, containing comics. While the form originated in 1933, American comic books first gained popularity after the 1938 publication of ''Action Comics'' ...
s published by
Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...
. The two characters are a father and daughter pair, who are both members of Alpha Flight, in the
Marvel Universe
The Marvel Universe is a fictional shared universe where the stories in most American comic book titles and other media published by Marvel Comics take place. Super-teams such as the Avengers, the X-Men, the Fantastic Four, the Guardians of ...
.
Publication history
The first Puck debuted in '' Alpha Flight'' #1 (Aug 1983) and was created by John Byrne. He had intended for the original Puck to be a
dwarf
Dwarf or dwarves may refer to:
Common uses
*Dwarf (folklore), a being from Germanic mythology and folklore
* Dwarf, a person or animal with dwarfism
Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional entities
* Dwarf (''Dungeons & Dragons''), a humanoid ...
with no superhuman powers, merely great fighting and acrobatic skills; subsequent writer Bill Mantlo would retcon Puck's small stature as being due to mystical influences. Byrne commented on this, stating, "Of course, antlothen went on to do the 'origin' of Puck, with the whole 'demon inside' thing being based, apparently, on the single reference Puck had made to being in constant pain, something which Bill failed to grasp was an effect of the condition — achondroplasty, called by name in the same issue that referenced the pain — which caused Puck's dwarfism." Byrne has also stated that Puck was based "very, very loosely on a friend who was short (but not as short as Puck) and occasionally bald, but never possessed by demons."
The second Puck debuted in ''Alpha Flight'' vol. 3 #1 and was created by Scott Lobdell and
Clayton Henry
Clayton Henry is a comic book artist, known mostly for his work for Marvel Comics. His first known works were providing the art on ''Nine Rings Of Wu-Tang'' and ''Area 52'', and has since worked on such series as '' Exiles'', ''Alpha Flight'', ' ...
.
Fictional character biography
Puck (Eugene Judd)
The first character to use the codename is a man whose real name is Eugene Milton Judd. He was born in 1914 in
Saskatoon
Saskatoon () is the largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It straddles a bend in the South Saskatchewan River in the central region of the province. It is located along the Trans-Canada Hig ...
,
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada, western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on t ...
. He spent years traveling the world as a soldier of fortune, working as an intelligence agent and bouncer, before becoming a professional adventurer and joining Alpha Flight.
Early in his career, Judd was hired to steal the Black Blade of
Baghdad
Baghdad (; ar, بَغْدَاد , ) is the capital of Iraq and the second-largest city in the Arab world after Cairo. It is located on the Tigris near the ruins of the ancient city of Babylon and the Sassanid Persian capital of Ctesiphon ...
. The Blade imprisoned an ancient sorcerer called
Black Raazer
The comic book stories published by Marvel Comics since the 1940s have featured several fictional teams and organizations and this page lists them.
0–9 198
A A-Force
A-Next
A.I. Army
Because of his revelation that he is now a simulated A ...
, and Judd accidentally freed him.''Alpha Flight'' #32 Judd was able to trap Raazer using some ancient
mysticism
Mysticism is popularly known as becoming one with God or the Absolute, but may refer to any kind of ecstasy or altered state of consciousness which is given a religious or spiritual meaning. It may also refer to the attainment of insight in u ...
and the light from his own life force. This caused the 6'6" tall adventurer to shrink to about 3'6" in height, as the Black Blade had the ability to take life force from others, which caused a physical reduction in size. It has also granted him immortality. At some point, he became friends with the American playboy Dan Kane, otherwise known as Captain Terror. When Captain Terror was defeated in the
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebelión, lin ...
by the 1930s
El Aguila
El Águila (Alejandro Montoya) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. El Águila is patterned after the literary hero Zorro. His name is Spanish for "the eagle".
The character made its live-action ...
, a fellow hero fighting on the opposite side, he retired, but Puck fought El Aguila for revenge. He also formed a friendship with noted author
Ernest Hemingway
Ernest Miller Hemingway (July 21, 1899 – July 2, 1961) was an American novelist, short-story writer, and journalist. His economical and understated style—which he termed the iceberg theory—had a strong influence on 20th-century fic ...
and became an accomplished bullfighter. He was paroled into Beta Flight and, eventually joining Alpha Flight, he adopted the codename "Puck."
Some details of his past remain unknown, hinted at in dialogue: the affair of the Brass Bishop, and some murders.''Alpha Flight'' #12
Puck was wounded by teammate Marrina and hospitalized. While recovering, he battled an illegal drug ring that was operating out of the hospital. Before long, he returned to active duty, and battled
Omega Flight
Omega Flight is the name used by four teams of fictional characters with superpowers appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Omega Flight is one of the few Canadian teams published by an American comic book company. Omega Fl ...
. Puck comforted Heather Hudson after James Hudson's presumed death. Puck then encountered the Sub-Mariner, and allied with the Sub-Mariner in battle against the Master.
Puck later journeyed to the realm of the
Great Beasts
Alpha Flight is a fictional team of Canadian superheroes appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The characters premiered in ''The Uncanny X-Men'' #120 (April 1979), and were created to serve as part of the X-Men member Wolv ...
alongside Alpha Flight, where they battled the Great Beasts. Puck encountered the
Beyonder
The Beyonder () is a fictional cosmic entity appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Jim Shooter and artist Mike Zeck, the Beyonder first appeared in ''Secret Wars'' #1 (May 1984) as an unseen, self-procl ...
, and battled the
Hulk
The Hulk is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in the debut issue of ''The Incredible Hulk (comic book), The Incredible Hulk' ...
during the events of '' Secret Wars II''.
During his time with Alpha Flight, he encountered a new city deep in the Arctic Circle. There his team and the
X-Men
The X-Men are a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, first appearing in Uncanny X-Men, ''The X-Men'' #1 by artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby and writer/editor Stan Lee in 1963. Although initially cancelled in ...
discovered a mystical wellspring. Several humans associated with the X-Men had gained vast powers via the wellspring. Puck was cured of his dwarfism by the well-intentioned
Madelyne Pryor
Madelyne Jennifer Pryor is a Character (arts), fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Chris Claremont and artist Paul Smith (comics), Paul Smith, the character first appeared in ''Uncann ...
. He discovered a problem with walking because his center of balance was off. Later, the group discovered that the powers came at a price too high to bear, such as the loss of all creativity among all affected and the deaths of all mystics. This includes Puck's friend Shaman. The group splits along ideological lines, and both groups battle for some time before turning on the main threat. This turns out to be the trickster god
Loki
Loki is a god in Norse mythology. According to some sources, Loki is the son of Fárbauti (a jötunn) and Laufey (mentioned as a goddess), and the brother of Helblindi and Býleistr. Loki is married to Sigyn and they have two sons, Narfi or Na ...
was behind all this. He was eventually persuaded to remove all effects of the well, which unfortunately included Puck's new height. A thought balloon indicated that the pain associated with his dwarfism was now worse than ever.
Soon after, Puck's background was revealed, and he battled
Black Raazer
The comic book stories published by Marvel Comics since the 1940s have featured several fictional teams and organizations and this page lists them.
0–9 198
A A-Force
A-Next
A.I. Army
Because of his revelation that he is now a simulated A ...
who temporarily freed himself from the prison of Puck's body. He told his teammates about his past, and then took Raazer back into his body once more. He had romantic interest in Heather Hudson, but she instead turned to their teammate
Madison Jeffries
Madison Jeffries is a fictional mutant superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is depicted as having the ability to reshape plastic, metal, and glass to any shape desired. He also has the technopath ...
. Puck later encountered the
Avengers
Avenger, Avengers, The Avenger, or The Avengers may refer to:
Arts and entertainment In the Marvel Comics universe
* Avengers (comics), a team of superheroes
**Avengers (Marvel Cinematic Universe), a central team of protagonist superheroes of ...
.
When Northstar and Aurora both fell deathly ill (him physically and her mentally), Alpha Flight took them to the site of the Firefountain that Loki previously used to grant powers and wishes. Loki led them to a dark fountain instead (emanating from a deep pit), and sent dark elves to attack them. During the resulting fight, Puck is knocked into the fountain. Raazer was freed from Puck's body, returning Puck to his normal size and actual age even as he fell to what should have been his death. Loki instead teleported Puck to Tibet, and decided to abandon his previous life. Later, Puck became embroiled in a battle between Tibet and mainland China. He fought the
Dreamqueen
Dagger
Dagoth
Dagoth is a demon who has clashed with Doctor Strange.
Daken
Dakimh the Enchanter
Damballah
Daniel Whitehall
Daniel Whitehall is a British intelligence agent also known as the Kraken.
An elite assassin and member of the ...
alongside Alpha Flight and was captured by her as the rest of the team was sent elsewhere. After being tortured by the Dreamqueen for a time, he was rescued by Alpha Flight and taken to the hospital to heal the injuries the Dreamqueen inflicted. Shaman injects Puck with a serum derived from his own blood and the mutative properties of a formula created by the Master. The serum was designed to repair Puck's body, but it was from his dwarf state. It reshaped him into his dwarf form and gave him the power to harden his skin to near invulnerability. He rejoined Alpha Flight with his new power.
Later, during the events of the
Infinity Crusade
''The Infinity Crusade'' is a six-issue comic book limited series published by Marvel Comics in 1993. The series was written by Jim Starlin and penciled by Ron Lim, Ian Laughlin, Al Milgrom and Jack Morelli and also the third and final chapter o ...
, Puck was brainwashed and taken by the cosmic powered villain the Goddess. He was paired up with the affected
Spider-Man
Spider-Man is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, he first appeared in the anthology comic book '' Amazing Fantasy'' #15 (August 1962) in the ...
when an invasion force of free-minded superheroes plan to attack the Goddess' fortress. This specific pairing was intended to teach Spider-Man brutality in the face of his 'former' friends. Puck was swiftly taken out of the fight, defeated by Firestar. Due to the effects of the resulting clash, all brainwashed heroes were later freed.
Puck was brainwashed again by members of his own government, who desired to have an Alpha Flight completely under their control. Puck fought with this new team for a while and was one of the few to be relatively successful against the mental mind games.
Along with
Major Mapleleaf Major Mapleleaf is the name of two fictional superheroes appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, primarily in the series ''Alpha Flight''. Both characters were created by writer Scott Lobdell.
Major Mapleleaf (Louis Sadler ...
, Puck II, Vindicator, and
Shaman
Shamanism is a religious practice that involves a practitioner (shaman) interacting with what they believe to be a spirit world through altered states of consciousness, such as trance. The goal of this is usually to direct spirits or spiritu ...
, Puck was among the Alpha Flight members to be apparently killed by The Collective. Only Sasquatch was confirmed to have survived.
When
Wolverine
The wolverine (), (''Gulo gulo''; ''Gulo'' is Latin for "gluttony, glutton"), also referred to as the glutton, carcajou, or quickhatch (from East Cree, ''kwiihkwahaacheew''), is the largest land-dwelling species of the family Mustelidae. It is ...
has been trapped in Hell by unknown forces, Puck and an unknown person are seen there, with the unknown person claiming to just want to talk to Wolverine, but Puck planning on finding a way to get both Wolverine and himself out of hell. Puck tells Wolverine to fight through the pain he feels while being tortured, implying that it will make the devil look weak and cause an uprising in hell, thus giving them a chance to escape. After the Devil is beaten, Puck attempts to escape along with Wolverine, but falls from the walls of hell which he was scaling when another condemned one grabs his foot and yanks him off and back into the pit. Though he remains in Hell, he wins the scrum for the Devil's sword, thus making him the ruler of Hell, at least for the time being.
During the '' Fear Itself'' storyline, Puck was shown to have escaped from Hell when he arrives to rescue Guardian from Vindicator (who betrayed the team to Gary Cody and his newly elected Unity Party, later revealed to be under the control of the Master of the World) and stated that he had escaped from Hell after his fight with Ba'al.
It has been announced that Puck will be a member of the relaunched '' Uncanny X-Force'' team alongside Storm,
Psylocke
Psylocke is the name of two connected fictional Mutant (Marvel Comics), mutant superheroes appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics, commonly in association with the X-Men.
The first character to use the Psylocke moniker, Betsy Braddoc ...
and
Spiral
In mathematics, a spiral is a curve which emanates from a point, moving farther away as it revolves around the point.
Helices
Two major definitions of "spiral" in the American Heritage Dictionary are:Elizabeth Twoyoungmen was introduced to Alpha Flight, Puck became her physics instructor. Much later at the time of a mass Wendigo outbreak, the two have become lovers.
As part of the '' All-New, All-Different Marvel'' event, Puck appears as a member of the Alpha Flight space program.
Puck (Zuzha Yu)
Zuzha Yu was a
mutant
In biology, and especially in genetics, a mutant is an organism or a new genetic character arising or resulting from an instance of mutation, which is generally an alteration of the DNA sequence of the genome or chromosome of an organism. It ...
who worked at a bar near
McGill University
McGill University (french: link=no, Université McGill) is an English-language public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter granted by King George IV,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill Universit ...
in
Montreal
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...
and was supposedly the daughter of the original Puck. She agreed to join the reformed Alpha Flight after losing an arm-wrestling match with Walter Langkowski, alias Sasquatch.
At the end of the series the prologue explains that she and
Major Mapleleaf Major Mapleleaf is the name of two fictional superheroes appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, primarily in the series ''Alpha Flight''. Both characters were created by writer Scott Lobdell.
Major Mapleleaf (Louis Sadler ...
have children.
She was one of the members of Alpha Flight apparently killed by The Collective.
Powers and abilities
Originally, Puck had no superhuman powers, relying on his exceptional training and his amassed worldly knowledge. He was a formidable hand-to-hand combatant, capable of a mixture of various martial arts, street-fighting techniques, acrobatics and gymnastics. After a run-in with The Master of the World his body was subject to genetic manipulation of his cellular structure. His body tissues were condensed at a molecular level, causing his body to become akin to compressed rubber. His trademark attack is a cartwheeling motion. Spinning on his hands and feet at great speeds, he is able to slam into and knock down human-sized enemies with ease. He is also skilled in bullfighting. He has some knowledge of mysticism, enough to once trap
Black Raazer
The comic book stories published by Marvel Comics since the 1940s have featured several fictional teams and organizations and this page lists them.
0–9 198
A A-Force
A-Next
A.I. Army
Because of his revelation that he is now a simulated A ...
, and the ability to put himself in a temporary deathlike trance state. Puck is about half the size of the average man. His condition causes him varying amounts of constant pain. Also, his aging has been stopped or vastly slowed; Judd resembles a man in his thirties. His right ear is misshapen, presumably due to an old injury (see
cauliflower ear
Cauliflower ear is an irreversible condition that occurs when the external portion of the ear is hit and develops a blood clot or other collection of fluid under the perichondrium. This separates the cartilage from the overlying perichondrium tha ...
).
Zuzha had superhuman strength, speed, reflexes, agility, coordination, endurance, and could redirect kinetic energy. She was an excellent hand-to-hand combatant.
Other versions
Earth X
In this alternate future, Puck is seen as one of the many heroes in the afterlife. They all rally to fight the forces of Mephisto and
Thanos
Thanos is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He was created by writer-artist Jim Starlin, and first appeared in '' The Invincible Iron Man'' #55 ( cover date February 1973). An Eternal– Deviant w ...
, in an attempt to stop their genocidal plans.
Marvel Zombies
In the
Marvel Zombies
''Marvel Zombies'' is a five-issue limited series published from December 2005 to April 2006 by Marvel Comics. The series was written by Robert Kirkman with art by Sean Phillips and covers by Arthur Suydam. It was the first series in the ''Marve ...
comics set in the universe of Earth-2149 the zombified Alpha Flight attack the X-Men and are eventually killed by Magneto. Puck is pictured in the foreground of a large panel depicting Alpha Flight attacking the X-Men and Puck is apparently attacking Nightcrawler. Puck is destroyed moments later by Magneto.
Marvel Noir
Puck (Eugene Judd) is Captain Logan's first mate in
X-Men Noir
''Marvel Noir'' is a 2009 in comics, 2009/2010 Marvel Comics metaseries, alternative continuity combining elements of film noir and pulp magazine, pulp fiction with the Marvel Universe. The central premise of the mini-series replaces super powers ...
.
In other media
Television
* The original Puck appeared in the ''
X-Men
The X-Men are a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, first appearing in Uncanny X-Men, ''The X-Men'' #1 by artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby and writer/editor Stan Lee in 1963. Although initially cancelled in ...
'' episode "Repo Man" voiced by
Don Francks
Don Harvey Francks (February 28, 1932 – April 3, 2016), also known by his stage name Iron Buffalo, was a Canadian actor, musician and singer.
Career
Don Harvey Francks was born on February 28, 1932, and was adopted shortly after his birth. H ...
.
Toys
*In 1999, Toy Biz released an action figure of Puck in its Snowbird/Puck two-pack.
*In 2013, Hasbro released an action figure of Puck in its Marvel Universe line (Wave 21).
*In 2013, Puck was the BAF (Build a Figure) in a Wolverine Legends wave which was exclusive to Diamond.
*In 2019, Puck was shown as part of a Marvel Legends Alpha Flight set, an Amazon exclusive, which also includes Vindicator, Shaman, Northstar, Aurora, and Snowbird. This figure is the complete version of the Build A Figure from 2013.