William Taurens (Earth-616)

Man-Bull
Name	William Taurens
Current Alias	Man-Bull
Affiliation and Relationships
Affiliation	Formerly S.H.I.E.L.D.; Frightful Four, Death Squad, Vil-Anon, Thunderbolts
Physical Characteristics
Gender	Male
Height	6′ (1.83 m) (as Taurens), 6′5″ (1.96 m) (as Man-Bull, low height), 8′ (2.44 m) (as Man-Bull, tallest height)
Weight	220 lbs (99.79 kg) (as Taurens), 450 lbs (204.12 kg) (as Man-Bull, 6' 5"), 650 lbs (294.83 kg) (as Man-Bull, 8')
Eyes	Irises: Brown
Hair	Brown
Unusual Features	Horns (as Man-Bull)
Origin and Living Status
Origin	Human mutate (scientifically enhanced), briefly enchanted and imbued with the Minotaur's power
Living Status	Alive
Reality	Earth-616
Place of Birth	Camden, New Jersey
Personal Information
Identity	Public
Citizenship	American
Occupation	Criminal; Former government agent, prisoner
Education	Presumed High school dropout
Base of Operations	Brooklyn Formerly the Raft
Creators and Appearances
Creators	Gerry Conway, Gene Colan
First	Daredevil #78 (July, 1971)
First	Daredevil #78 (July, 1971)

History

William Taurens a.k.a. Bull Taurus, and his partner, Itch, worked for Mr. Kline who instructed them to kidnap people off the street. Their victims were to be used as test subjects by the Professor, another employer of Kline. Daredevil stopped the kidnappings, but Bull was chastised for his failure and forced to undergo the experiment himself. He received injections that transformed him into a super sized monster, complete with horns. As Man-Bull, he attempted to kidnap people, again Daredevil stopped him. Man-Bull reverted to human form after smashing into a wall and was sent to prison.

Taurus escaped from prison after Itch smuggled the Man-Bull serum into his cell. This time, his transformation was permanent. Man-Bull and Itch attempted to poison the New York water supply with the serum, but Daredevil stopped them. Man-Bull was then pulled into the water by an anchor but survived. Over the years he worked with Matador and the Owl, but never succeeded as a criminal. When he degenerated into a more bestial state he called himself Savage and fought the Hulk, but lost.

Eventually imprisoned in the Raft he escaped during Fear Itself with fellow inmates Griffin, Basilisk, and an unidentified woman later revealed to be Hecate. Working together with Hercules, the three were able to stop Kyknos from resurrecting Ares.

He was imprisoned back into the Raft, and after the Avengers vs. X-Men conflict, a riot started in the prison, and the only heroes able to repress it were Rogue and Mimic. Quickly outnumbered, they proposed to absorb the powers of Equinox, Armadillo, and himself, in order to defeat the other inmates.

On the Greek Island of Santorini, Declan Dane infused Man-Bull with such power that he believed himself to be the Minotaur. In this form, he killed many, besting the Greek Army, slaughtering the mercenaries looking for him, and slaying their national hero Jon Ajax. Soon afterwards, the Scarlet Witch came, seeking the advice of Hekate concerning the broken nature of witchcraft energies. After learning of the beast's rampage, Wanda agreed to help in exchange for the Greek Goddess being in her debt.

Man-Bull was among several animal-themed supervillains captured by Taskmaster and Black Ant to serve as hunting targets for Kraven the Hunter and Arcade's Great Hunt. Toad mentioned that he had died during the chaos, but Man-Bull survived and became a patient in the rebuilt Ravencroft Institute.

Attributes

Power Grid

Powers

Man-Bull possesses various superhuman attributes as a result of being injected with a mutagenic serum based on bull enzymes.

Unstable Mutation: The serum used to give Taurens his superhuman powers has, at times, resulted in him mutating into a physically larger and more beastial form. This mutation is unstable as he does revert to his normal form or his more beastial form at seemingly random intervals. In his more beastial form, he possesses a bull-like tail, fur covering his body, an altered facial structure resembling that of an actual bull, and greatly decreased intelligence.

Superhuman Strength: Man-Bull possesses superhuman strength that has fluctuated at times since the enzymes have, unexpectedly, caused his body to mutate into a more bestial form from time to time. In his normal, primarily human looking state, Tauren's musculature and skeletal system was increased in efficiency by a factor of 20, giving him sufficient superhuman strength to lift at least 10 tons. In his most beastial form to date, the efficiency of his musculature and skeletal systems is increased by a factor of 100, giving him sufficient superhuman strength to lift about 50 tons.

Superhuman Stamina: Taurens' musculature produces considerably less fatigue toxins during physical activity than the musculature of a normal human. In his normal state, he can exert himself at peak capacity for several hours before the build up of fatigue toxins in his blood begins to impair him. In his most bestial state, his stamina is greatly increased to the point that he can sustain himself at peak efficiency for about a day.

Superhuman Durability: Taurens' bodily tissues are harder and more resistant to physical injury than those of a normal human. In his normal state, he has been shown to withstand falls from great heights and small caliber bullets without sustaining injury. While in his most beastial form, his physical resilience is dramatically increased. He has been known to resist high caliber bullets and powerful impact forces, such as being repeatedly struck by an enraged Hulk, without sustaining physical injury.

Horns: Tauren has a long, dense horn growing from each side of his forehead. These horns are composed of bone considerably denser than normal human bone that he often uses in combat situations by charging an opponent much the same way as an actual bull does. At full speed, Taurens has been known to run through wood paneling, cinderblock, and steel reinforced concrete.

Abilities

While Taurens has had no formal training in hand to hand combat, his powers alone have made him a formidable combatant. He often uses street fighting techniques that allow him to make full use of his strength.

See Also

• 65 appearance(s) of William Taurens (Earth-616)
• 6 appearance(s) in handbook(s) of William Taurens (Earth-616)
• 3 minor appearance(s) of William Taurens (Earth-616)
• 8 mention(s) of William Taurens (Earth-616)
• 4 mention(s) in handbook(s) of William Taurens (Earth-616)
• 28 image(s) of William Taurens (Earth-616)
• 4 quotation(s) by or about William Taurens (Earth-616)

Links and References

• William Taurens on Marvel.com