Tobias Whale
| Tobias Whale | |
|---|---|
|
Tobias Whale, art by Trevor Von Eeden. | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| First appearance |
Black Lightning # 1 (April 1977) |
| Created by |
Tony Isabella (writer) Trevor Von Eeden (artist) |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Tobias Whale |
| Team affiliations |
The 100 Kord Enterprises |
| Notable aliases | Great White Whale |
| Abilities | high degree of strength and damage resistance |
Tobias Whale is a villain in DC Comics.
Publication history
Tobias Whale first appeared in Black Lightning #1 (April 1977). He was created by Tony Isabella and Trevor Von Eeden.
Fictional character biography
Tobias Whale is an African American albino, who worked his way up from the rackets to head the Metropolis branch of the 100. A school teacher named Jefferson Pierce spoke out against the 100's drug trafficking, and so they made an example of one of his students. Seeking to avenge the murdered student, Pierce becomes Black Lightning.[1]
Pierce is so successful that Tobias is sent to jail.[2] When he breaks out of prison some months later, he teams up with Syonide II in order to distribute a new highly addictive drug. The drug's formula was supposedly in the possession of a woman named Violet Harper. Tobias sends Syonide to retrieve the formula. Unable to gain any information or find any trace of the formula, Syonide kills Harper.
Violet Harper later comes back to life when an Aurakle possesses her lifeless body, this new being called herself Halo. Once he learned of Harper's resurrection, Tobias assumed that she must have memorized the formula. But since Harper has no memories from before her death, a frustrated Syonide killed her parents.
Often called "the Great White Whale" behind his back, Tobias Whale weighs close to 400 lbs. However, most of his considerable bulk is muscle.
It is unknown whether Tobias ever was associated with the 100's successor group, the 1000.
Whale returned in the limited series Gotham Underground[3] and has moved to Gotham City where he is attempting to become the Capo di tutti capi boss of bosses, following the death of the Black Mask. After taking over both the Galante and Odessa crime families, he ends up in a gang war with Intergang. They buy him out and make him the CEO of Kord Enterprises which has become a front for Intergang's criminal activities.
The New 52
In The New 52, the 2011 reboot of the DC Comics universe, Tobias Whale gets word that his drug deal done by his representatives was disrupted by both Black Lightning and Blue Devil. He decides to have them hunted down in order to get revenge on them.[4]
Convergence
During the 2015 "Convergence" storyline, the pre-Zero-Hour version of Tobias Whale has been trapped in his Metropolis for a full year. He has taken over the criminal underground. He struggles to gain influence over the mysterious food deliveries as this is something the city values. He is opposed by the vigilante Jean-Paul Valley and the stranded playboy Bruce Wayne. Whale is unaware that Wayne is secretly Batman.[5]
In other media
Tobias Whale appears in Beware the Batman, voiced by Michael-Leon Wooley.