TAGAK the LEOPARD LORD

Real Name: Tagak

Identity/Class: Extradimensional ("Tagak's world") humanoid

Occupation: Adventurer

Group Membership: Defenders (for a day)

Affiliations: Former partner of Opar;
    Black Goliath, Captain Mar-Vell, Captain Ultra, Daredevil, Dollar Bill, the Falcon, Havok, Hellcat, Hercules, Hulk, Iron Fist, Jack of Hearts, Marvel Man (Quasar), Ms. Marvel (Carol Danvers, Warbird), Nighthawk (Kyle Richmond of Earth-616), Nova (Richard Rider), Paladin, Polaris, Prowler (Hobie Brown), the Seven, the Son of Satan (Hellstorm), Stingray, Torpedo (Brock Jones), Valkyrie (Brunnhilde), White Tiger (Hector Ayala)

Enemies: Norman Daniels, Quothar

Known Relatives: Opar ("brother-in-sight")

Aliases: Lord of the Leopards

Base of Operations: An unnamed dimension (Tagak's World);
    formerly a warehouse in Manhattan

First Appearance: Daredevil I#72 (January, 1971)

 

 

 

Powers/Abilities: Tagak is a member of a semi-humanoid race. All natives are physically blind, but are able to bond with one of the jungle cats of their world, and they are able to see through the eyes of the cat to which they are bonded. It appears as if Tagak (and presumably the rest of his race) are semi-feline, but it may have just been a mask.

    Tagak is highly athletic, agile, etc., and a skilled hunter, though it is unclear if he has any other superhuman abilities.

    Tagak formerly worked alongside the leopard Opar. It is unclear whether Opar survived, or whether Tagak has found a new partner.

    Tagak used the Crysto-Mirror (see top image) to travel between dimensions. The Mirror apparently was powered by draining ambient energy sources.

Height: 6'
Weight: 190 lbs.
Eyes: Green
Hair: Uncertain (it is unclear whether Tagak wears a mask or actually has a feline head)

History:
(Daredevil I#72 (fb)) - Tagak was summoned to hunt down and capture the thief Quothar, who had stolen (among other things) the Sacred Krill Statue.

(Daredevil I#72 (fb)) - Tagak and his brother-in-sight, Opar, were sent to Earth via a Crysto-Mirror, and he pursued Quothar.

(Daredevil I#72(fb)) - Tagak and Opar's hunt attracted the attention of the police and Daredevil, leading to a confrontation of mistaken intentions. Tagak stopped Quothar from badly injuring DD and a cop, after which he left to continue his mission.

(Daredevil I#72) - After a series of thefts from the museum by a cat-like man, Daredevil went after Tagak, tracing the energies of his Crysto-Mirror. After a brief struggle, Daredevil managed to knock Opar out, blinding Tagak and enabling Daredevil to stun him. Tagak revealed his mission and the existence of Quothar, and Daredevil joined Tagak in tracking down Quothar. However, Norman Daniels, the museum director who had believed Tagak to be the thief, had some security guards (or policemen) ready. One of them shot (and apparently killed) Opar, while Daniels himself shot Tagak. Daredevil punched out Daniels and then tackled Quothar. Tagak, having only been grazed by the bullet, recovered, but found himself blind without Opar. He offered Daredevil the chance to return with him to his world, but Daredevil decided to stay on Earth. Tagak took Quothar back through the Crysto-Mirror.

(Defenders I#62 (fb) - BTS) - Tagak was one of many heroic adventurers who saw Dollar Bill's television spot about joining the Defenders.

(Defenders I#62) - Tagak arrived at Richmond Riding Academy, prepared to join the Defenders alongside Black Goliath, Captain Mar-Vell, Captain Ultra, the Falcon, Havok, Hercules, Iron Fist, Jack of Hearts, Marvel Man, Ms. Marvel, Nova, Paladin, Polaris, Prowler, the Son of Satan, Stingray, Torpedo, and the White Tiger. Tagak supported the nomination and election of Hercules as the temporary group's de facto leader. Later, Tagak was roped into attempting to capture the Hulk by Torpedo, and he joined several other Neo-Defenders in the ill-fated effort.

(Defenders I#63) - Hercules broke up the pointless struggle so that they could investigate a group of super-villains who were calling themselves Defenders and rampaging through New York City. The group was split up into three, with Tagak, Marvel Man, Nova, Polaris, and the Son of Satan accompanying Nighthawk. As their leader took off, Tagak pointed out that he couldn't fly, and Marvel Man and Nova carried him. The group followed a report of a Defender stealing a man's car, only to find out it was the man's son, who had become obsessed with super-heroes after seeing Dollar Bill's spot. Tagak's group was underwhelmed at the caliber of the threat posed by these "criminal Defenders."

(Defenders I#64) - Nighthawk's group apprehended a purse snatcher, who turned out to be the same kid they had stopped the day before. Tagak and the others complained about their time being wasted, and they all quit.

(Civil War: Battle Damage Report) - Tony Stark listed Tagak's status as undetermined.

Comments: Created by Gerry Conway, Gene Colan, and Syd Shores.

The Daredevil/Tagak story was one big lesson about how everyone jumps to conclusions and judges people by their appearance.

Tagak's briefs are orange, not yellow as seen in the picture above.

Per OHOTMU DE, Tagak's world might be Crystallium.
--Loki

Tagak has an entry in Marvel Legacy: The 1970's Handbook.

Profile by Snood.

CLARIFICATIONS:
No known connection to:

He should be distinguished from:

The Seven of Tagak's World have no known connection to:

The Sacred Krill Statue has no known connection to:

Opar

 

The leopard brother-in-sight of Tagak, he was shot by a museum guard and possibly killed.

 

--Daredevil I#72

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tagak's World

 

    Three panels of it were seen, but it appeared to be covered with crystal. Quothar is a native of that realm; after stealing several items from his own world (including the Sacred Krill Statue, the bedrock symbol of their religion) he traveled to Earth and began stealing items from there as well. Daredevil subdued Quothar and he was returned to his world by Tagak for an unknown fate. Tagak's leader was unnamed, and only his blue glove was seen. The natives apparently share the same limitations and abilities as Tagak (though no cat was seen alongside Quothar), and they worship a group of deities known as the Seven.

 

--Daredevil I#72 (72(fb)

Comment: Per OHOTMU DE, Tagak's world might be Crystallium.

 

 

 

 

images:
Daredevil I#72, cover
    p1 (Opar)
    p15 (Tagak face)
    p17, panel 4 (Tagak's World and Quothar)

Appearances:
Daredevil I#72 (January, 1971) - Gerry Conway (writer), Gene Colan (pencils), Syd Shores (inks), Stan Lee (editor)
Defenders I#62-64 (August - October, 1978) - David Anthony Kraft (writer), Sal Buscema (pencils), Jim Mooney (inks), Bob Hall (#62, 64) & Jim Shooter (#63) (editor)
Civil War: Battle Damage Report (2007)

First Posted: 08/02/2004
Last updated: 08/16/2020

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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