—Bill FosterNo more doubts, no more lies. I'm sticking those in my memory book for keeps! I'm going into action tonight! But it won't be as just one more in a never-ending string of costumed giants. It'll be as my own man!
Appearing in "Black Goliath"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- ⏴ Henry Pym ⏵ (as Goliath in flashback)
- ⏴ Wasp (Janet Van Dyne) ⏵
- Stark Enterprises
- Whiz Kids (First appearance)
- Herbert Bell ⏵ (First appearance)
- Dale West ⏵ (First appearance)
- Talia Kruma ⏵ (First appearance)
- Whiz Kids (First appearance)
Antagonists:
- The Jet (First appearance)
- Atom-Smasher ⏵ (First appearance)
- Atom Smasher's goons
Other Characters:
- Killers (Only in flashback) (a neighbourhood baseball team)
- LAPD
- Officer Wells (Only in flashback)
- Pop, a store owner
- Unnamed reporter
- Naomi Basner (Named only)
- Yanducci (Mentioned)
- Mrs. Coombs (Only in flashback)
- Claire Temple (Only in flashback)
- Tony Stark (Only in flashback)
- Captain America (Steve Rogers) (Mentioned)
- Avengers (Referenced)
- Power Man (Luke Cage) (Only in flashback)
- The Circus of Crime (Mentioned)
- Two unnamed security guards
- Daredevil (Matt Murdock) (Mentioned)
- Mister Fantastic (Reed Richards) (Mentioned)
- Wilt Chamberlain (Referenced) (Topical Reference)
Races and Species:
Locations:
Items:
- Goliath's Suit (Only in flashback)
Synopsis for "Black Goliath"
After moving to Los Angeles to oversee Stark Enterprises west coast laboratory, Bill Foster finds himself lost in thought as he walks through his childhood neighborhood of Watts. Whilst distracted, he is held up by local gang members whom he quickly dispatches in his alter-ego of the Black Goliath, making the following day's news in the process.
When he arrives back home, Foster is conflicted as to wether or not to pursue his superhero career or to concentrate on his job at the laboratory. He also struggles with the idea of being a "third-string" hero, as there had already been two other heroes with his powers who went by the name of Goliath. After a failed field-test of a new force-field generator by the Whiz Kids gives him a good laugh and causes him to forget his troubles, Foster goes to bed.
The next day, he reads about a rash of robberies occurring at laboratories around the Los Angeles area and suspects that his multi-million dollar shipment of radium could be next. As a result, he decides to don his costume and go into action as the Black Goliath in order to protect the shipment. That night, the Atom-Smasher and his goons do indeed attack Foster's lab. The goons are easily scattered by Foster, but he is taken down by an energy blast from Atom-Smasher, who then prepares to kill Foster with a second, more powerful blast.