Origin
William Taurens or “Bull Taurus” started his criminal career in adolescence when he was arrested for petty theft. He has been a repeat offender and has been in and out of prison for various crimes including grand larceny, manslaughter, arson and assault with a deadly weapon. Taurens’ reputation as a thug brought him into the employ of a mysterious crime boss known as Mister Klein. Klein was enlisting strong-arm men and other thugs to round up subjects to test an experimental serum he had acquired. The serum was based on mutated enzymes extracted from bulls and was designed to increase the musculature and strength of potential henchmen. Daredevil foiled Taurens’ attempt to abduct a potential couple for Klein’s experiment. Klein decided to test the serum on Taurens himself for failing to bring him potential subjects. The serum reacted radically with Taurens’ physiology and transformed him into Man-Bull. Daredevil was able to defeat the charging beast when he wrapped a cable from his billy club around Man-Bull’s ankle and hurled him into the side of a building. The unconscious Man-Bull reverted to human form and placed in prison.
Creation
Man-Bull was created by artist Gene Colan and writer Gerry Conway in 1971. His first appearance was in Daredevil # 78.
Character Evolution
Man-Bull is an obscure villain who was primarily used as a powerhouse thug or hired muscle in most of the stories he has been involved in. Early in his criminal career, Taurens needed the mutated enzyme to transform into Man-Bull but as the years progressed, he permanently stayed in his humanoid/bull form. During an encounter with the Hulk, Man-Bull adopted the name Savage when his human personality regressed and was more bestial than ever. Taurens has gone back to the Man-Bull moniker and has encountered numerous heroes throughout his criminal career.
Story Arcs
Taurens would be imprisoned in Manhattan’s infamous “Tombs” facility and plans his escape when he finds out that Daredevil is in San Francisco. His friend Itch would use a high powered rifle to shoot a canister containing the serum that transforms him into Man-Bull into his cell from an adjacent building. Taurens changes into Man-Bull and breaks out of prison. Man-Bull and Itch arrive in San Francisco one week later and decide to attack Daredevil’s lady friend, the Black Widow to lure out the man without fear. Man-Bull severely injures her friend name Ivan but the Black Widow manages to escape and reach Matt Murdock. The two heroes confront Man-Bull and Itch inside a jewelry store just off Market Street. Daredevil is shot during his fight with the Man-Bull and collapses. Black Widow defends Daredevil from the two attackers until the police arrive. Man-Bull and Itch flee the scene and Natasha takes Daredevil to a nearby hospital to seek immediate medical attention. Man-Bull and Itch meet the professor that created the serum inside a warehouse on a wharf nearby Sausalito. Man-Bull takes the chemical and heads towards the San Francisco Water Works. He contaminates the water supply with the chemical which transforms innocent civilians into hideous freaks after they have been exposed. Natasha looks for Man-Bull while Daredevil is recovering from surgery. She finds Man-Bull but is knocked out after the beast gores her. Daredevil recovers and manages to find Man-Bull’s location with the help of a police lieutenant. Man-Bull is going after the professor and wishes to destroy the antidote so the people who have been contaminated will suffer just like he suffered. Daredevil confronts Man-Bull on the wharf and a brief fight ensues. Daredevil manages to wrap a rope connected to an anchor onto Man-Bull as he charges. Daredevil sidesteps away and throws Man-Bull off the wharf. Man-Bull plunges into the ocean below and appears to have drowned.
However Man-Bull would escape near death when shock and fear of drowning changed him back to human form. The ropes loosened and Taurens was able to pull himself to shore. Taurens was enraged and paid a brutal visit to the professor whose serum effected his transformation. Bull took some money and the entire cache of serum. He fled to Chicago where he would encounter the original Cat. Taurens tried to hit on Greer Nelson and her friend at a bar when they were sightseeing at the Union Stockyards. Taurens was invading their space when Nelson grabbed him and flipped him onto the floor. Taurens got upset at the ladies and ended up fighting some men at the bar. Taurens was humiliated and went into the bathroom to inject himself with the serum that transformed him into Man-Bull. He emerged through the bathroom wall and begins to attack the patrons inside. Nelson changed into the costume crime-fighter, the Cat and fought Man-Bull. During the fight, Man-Bull crashed through the cattle pens unleashing a stampede. The steers followed the Man-Bull’s silent commands and destruction followed in the wake of the stampede. The Cat managed to knock Man-Bull out with a metal pipe and he reverted back to human form. The stampede was no longer under Taurens’ control and charged back towards the cattle pens. Taurens was trampled by the stampede and suffered several broken ribs. Taurens received medical attention and was taken into police custody during his recovery.
He would later team up with the Melter and Whiplash to form the Death Squad. The trio attempted a minor heist at the San Diego Comic Convention to lure Iron Man there so they can smash him. The Black Lama would appear at the convention and offered the three criminals a golden globe of power if they could defeat Iron Man. However the Death Squad was quickly defeated and all three criminals were apprehended by the police.
Matt Murdock and Man-Bull would meet in court when Bull Taurus is charged for the premeditated murder of Phillip Diamond. Three months after his capture by Iron Man in California, Man-Bull returns to New York and smashes his way into Mr. Diamond’s Jewelry Exchange. The attack causes Mr. Diamond to faint but he would recover after Bull Taurus is captured by the police. However, Mr. Diamond would die six months later of a heart attack and Man-Bull is charged for his death. The jury would find Man-Bull guilty of first degree murder which causes Bull Taurus to go into a violent rage. He breaks free from his shackles and smashes his way out of the court room. Man-Bull would meet the Matador at the docks in Sheepshead Bay. The Matador offers to pay enough money for Man-Bull to leave the country if he can steal the Golden Bull of China inside a temple in Chinatown. Man-Bull raids the temple but comes into conflict with Daredevil. Man-Bull destroys the Golden Bull during the fight but Daredevil manages to talk some sense into Taurens and he walks away. The Matador and Man-Bull meet back at the docks and the two have words. Man-Bull tells Matador that he can think for himself and charges. The two villains break through the warehouse wall and fall into the ocean.
Daredevil comes across Man-Bull when he tries to escape from Ryker’s island prison. Man-Bull hurts Daredevil during their fight and escapes on a helicopter flown by the Owl’s henchmen. The Owl wishes to hire Man-Bull as a bodyguard and to kidnap Professor Kerwin so he could help restore the Owl’s legs. However, Man-Bull had plans to betray the Owl and force Kerwin to remove his power and make Taurens human again. Daredevil confronts Man-Bull on top of the Owl’s building and both men fall off the roof during the fight. Daredevil uses his billy club cable to swing into Man-Bull’s body and knock him into a brick wall. Man-Bull is out cold and left for the police.
Taurens later encountered the Hulk when the gamma giant found Man-Bull eating a cow he just killed on some farmland. The Hulk called him a savage one and Taurens adopted the name Savage for that time. He asked the Hulk to help Savage and offered to share his kill but the Hulk said no and told him to scram. Savage appeared the next day inside the home of the Hendersons where he was caught eating some food from their refrigerator. The father blasted Man-Bull point blank with a shotgun but it had no effect. Man-Bull charged the family and nearly trampled them to death. Savage was soon discovered by Rick Jones and the Hulk.
Savage revealed to them that he used to be human and that he wanted them to help him get back his real body. Man-Bull threatened to kill them if they would not show him how to change back to a human being. Hulk punched Savage in the face and a ferocious fight ensued. However the Hulk was too much for Savage. Man-Bull pleaded to the Hulk to cure him but the Hulk said he could not. Man-Bull then asked the Hulk to kill Savage because he could not live like this anymore. The Hulk refused to kill him and left Man-Bull to the mercy of a local mob.
Man-Bull was later recruited by the Wizard to join the Frightful Four alongside himself, Dreadknight and Trapster. Peter Parker was taking pictures for the Daily Bugle at the Calgary Stampede rodeo arena to celebrate Canada’s 125th birthday. A performance was given by the Rangers and a group of safety conscious kids called the Right-Riders. A special guest in the audience was one of Canada’s greatest physicist named Dr. Cargill and his daughter Joline. The Frightful Four interrupted the celebration to seek out Dr. Cargill. The Frightful Four wanted Cargill to make them more powerful than ever so the Wizard ordered Man-Bull to charge the audience and get the scientist. Man-Bull crashed into the platform and the impact knocked Dr. Cargill unconscious. The rest of the Frightful Four face off against the Rangers while Peter Parker takes Joline out of harms way. Peter changes into Spider Man and comes into conflict with Man-Bull inside the arena. The Rangers are defeated by the Frightful Four and placed inside a cell made out of the Trapster‘s super strong paste. Joline puts on a costume and activates a prototype of the world’s first solar powered turbine-wheelchair. She calls herself Turbine, one of Canada’s newest heroes and speeds off towards the arena. Spider Man temporarily disables Man-Bull by webbing his feet when the rest of the Frightful Four suddenly appear around him. Turbine and the Right-Riders free the Rangers and help Spider Man. Man-Bull and the rest of the Frightful Four get trapped under a cocoon of webbing and surrender.
Man-Bull is later seen at the AIM Weapons Exposition on an island protected by international law. Captain America, Diamondback and Falcon disguise themselves as Crossbones, Mother Night and Jack O Lantern so they can infiltrate this expo in hopes of getting information on a criminal named Snapdragon. Batroc the Leaper arranged some pre-expo entertainment by testing the prowess of Crossbones who was actually Captain America in disguise. Man-Bull is one of over a hundred super felons in attendance. Batroc reveals to everyone that Crossbones was really Captain America and offered fifty thousand to the person that brings him down. All the hardened criminals including Man-Bull rush the ring for a shot at the super soldier and a nice payout. During the fight, Man-Bull and the Rhino charge towards Captain America from two different directions. Captain America leaps over Man-Bull, causing him to crash into Rhino.
The young hero known as Gravity would witness a battle between the Thing and Man-Bull outside a bar in New York. The Thing was mad at Taurens for spilling his drink and was clobbered by one punch. Gravity asked the Thing if he needed help but everything was under control and Man-Bull was detained for the authorities. A college student named Mary McPherran would witness a fight between Man-Bull and Spider Woman that changed her life forever. Mary wanted to have super powers after she saw Julia Carpenter take down Man-Bull after he escaped from the Vault.
.
Wolverine: Agent of SHIELD
HYDRA would steal a hard drive from Reed Richards that contained thousands of ideas including one plan to build a two hundred foot android called Null. HYDRA set up numerous death factories around the world so they could develop their doomsday weapons with the stolen information. SHIELD needed help and would employ incarcerated criminals into their ranks and give them an opportunity to reduce their sentence if they were successful against HYDRA. Man-Bull and a number of other criminals including Warhawk, Constrictor, Tombstone and Rhino would assist SHIELD bring down the factories.
Man-Bull attempted to reform and turn his life around while he was incarcerated by joining an organization called Vil-Anon. It was a twelve step program for reformed costume criminals and other participants were Jackson Weele, Armadillo and Equinox.
Underworld
Man-Bull is later seen hanging out at a bar called Satan’s Circus with other super villains when Jackie Dio
comes in and tries to gather information on the Consultant.
Hunter/Hunted
Man-Bull would be a captive of Al Kraven, the son of Kraven the Hunter when he began to collect super-humans with animal themed powers and abilities. Kraven would release all his drug induced captives and let them run amok. Man-Bull gets into a fight with Grizzly and his left horn is snapped off. The Punisher would use Man Bull’s horn to defend himself against Mandrill by knocking his left eye out from its socket.
Dark Reign
Man-Bull is incarcerated inside Ryker’s maximum security prison, the Raft and would participate in the 3rd Annual Raft boxing tournament but ends up losing to Crusher Creel.
Fear Itself
The Raft Penitentiary is severely damaged when a mystic hammer lands inside the prison facility and nullifies the cell block’s force-field. Several super-powered felons escape including Man-Bull, Basilisk and Griffin. They flee the island with a female inmate that has a raft boat and head to Brooklyn. The four criminals participate in a bank heist in Cadman Plaza and come into conflict with Hercules who has been depowered after his epic battle with the Chaos King. Hercules has been equipped with various mythological weapons and is still a brave, fierce warrior despite his lack of super strength. Man-Bull and Hercules engage in battle when Griffin is gunned down by the Warhawks who are led by Kyknos, the son of Ares. Man-Bull and Hercules team up against Kynkos and help save Griffin. The crowd begins to go crazy and turns against Hercules, Man-Bull and Griffin. They find their female inmate laying on the floor with horns sprouting from her head and she’s uttering some unknown language. Man-Bull and Hercules fend themselves against the Warhawks when the female inmate reveals herself to be Hecate, Mistress of Terror and Witchcraft. Basilisk recovers and flees with Man-Bull when the raging crowd under Hecate’s control rushes Hercules.
The city of Brooklyn is transformed and innocent civilians have morphed into various creatures because of Hecate’s magic. Basilisk and Man-Bull would help Hercules and Griffin fight off some goblins. Basilisk and Man-Bull agree to form an alliance with Hercules and try to stop Kynkos. Hercules comes up with a plan to get close to Kynkos and tells Basilisk and Man-Bull to become villains once more. Kynkos is in Coney Island where he watches civilians kill each other when he is presented with Hercules who was transformed into a stone statue by Basilisk, Man-Bull and Griffin.
Other Versions
Marvel Adventures
Man-Bull would be involved in several stories taking place in the Marvel Adventures comics which are standalone stories and does not take place in the current Marvel Universe continuity.
Man-Bull would serve as a member of the Masters of Evil who is being led by Egghead. Man-Bull’s other teammates are the Melter and Whirlwind. They would come into conflict with members of the Avengers after they break into Stark Tower and steal some Mandroid suits. Stealing the suits was just a cover so Whirlwind could plant a sophisticated transmitter device onto Captain America during the battle. This allowed the Masters of Evil to commit various crimes when the Avengers were occupied with other criminals. However Tony Stark discovered the device and would use it to find the Masters of Evil. Man-Bull is taken down by Iron Man and the Masters of Evil are defeated by the rest of the Avengers.
A teenage Peter Parker would come across Man-Bull during his time with the student driving car. Parker and his teacher would hear some police sirens approaching them from behind while they are driving. They realize the cops are chasing Man-Bull as he stampedes through Soho. Parker pretends he is terrified of the situation and his teacher tells him to pull over. The teacher steps out of the car to take over but Parker darts off. Parker catches up to Man-Bull and the beast gores his vehicle. The police surround Man-Bull while Parker changes into Spider Man. Man-Bull does not surrender and ends up fighting Spider Man. The wall crawler uses Man-Bull’s anger and rage against him. Spider Man uses a curtain to goad Man-Bull into charging him and he crashes into his web trap. The cops praise Spider Man for a job well done and Man-Bull is taken into custody.
Powers & Abilities
Man-Bull possesses superhuman strength and durability. His skin has become tougher and more callus-like and can resist the penetration of small-caliber bullets. Man-Bull’s primary attack is his bull rush or charge and he is able to run through various materials including cinder block, wood paneling and other compound materials without injury. His body’s adrenalin reaction during combat can elevate Man-Bull into a hysterical, all-consuming rage which makes him very dangerous. Taurens has displayed the ability to mentally command bulls and other bovine animals when he becomes Man-Bull.