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 (Bill Foster), Captain Mar-Vell,
Captain Ultra (Griffin Gogol), Daredevil (Matt Murdock), Dollar
Bill, Falcon (Sam Wilson), Havok (Alex Summers), Hellcat
(Patsy Walker), Hercules (Heracles), Hulk (Bruce Banner), Iron Fist
(Daniel Rand), Jack of Hearts (Jack Hart), Marvel Man (Wendell Vaughn),
Ms. Marvel (Carol Danvers), Nighthawk
(Kyle Richmond), Nova (Richard Rider), Paladin,
Polaris (Lorna Dane), Prowler (Hobie Brown), the Seven,
Son of
Satan (Daimon Hellstrom), Stingray
(Walter Newell), 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 unidentified dimension
("Tagak's World");
formerly a warehouse in Manhattan
First Appearance: Daredevil I#72 (January, 1971)
Powers/Abilities: Tagak was a member of a semi-humanoid extradimensional race. Apparently all natives are physically blind, but are able to mentally bond with the jungle cats of their world, and they are thus able to see through the eyes of the cat to which they are bonded. It appeared as if Tagak (and presumably the rest of his race) were semi-feline, but he may have just worn a mask.
Tagak was highly athletic, agile, and a skilled hunter, though it is unclear if he had any other superhuman abilities.
Tagak formerly worked alongside the leopard Opar--it is unclear whether Opar survived, or whether Tagak had found a new partner.
Tagak used the Crysto-Mirror to travel between dimensions.
Height: 6'
Weight: 190 lbs.
Eyes: Green
Hair: Uncertain (it is unclear whether Tagak wore a mask or
actually had a feline head)
History:
(Daredevil I#72 (fb) - BTS) - Tagak was from an extradimensional realm
where the dominant humanoid race was born blind, but could gain sight by
forming a psychic link with the large felines of their world.
(Daredevil I#72 (fb)) - When Quothar stole his people's sacred Krill statue, Tagak was assigned by his leader to hunt down and capture the blasphemous thief.
(Daredevil I#72 (fb) - BTS) - Tagak and his brother-in-sight Opar were sent to Earth via a Crysto-Mirror, and they pursued Quothar throughout New York City.
(Daredevil I#72 (fb)) - Tagak and Opar's hunt panicked bystanders in Times Square, and attracted the attention of the police and Daredevil, leading to a confrontation of mistaken intentions. Tagak stopped Opar from badly injuring DD and a cop, after which he and his leopard left to continue their search.
(Daredevil I#72) - When a series of thefts from a museum were committed by a catlike man (Quothar), Daredevil mistakenly went after Tagak; the hero traced the energies of Tagak's Crysto-Mirror to a deserted warehouse. After a brief struggle, Daredevil managed to knock Opar out, temporarily blinding Tagak and enabling Daredevil to stun him. Tagak explained his relationship with Opar to Daredevil, then revealed his mission and the existence of Quothar.
Daredevil joined Tagak in tracking down the real culprit, and they went to the museum. However, museum director Norman Daniels believed Tagak to be the thief, so he and some armed security guards were waiting; one of the guards shot (and apparently killed) Opar, while Daniels himself shot Tagak. Daredevil punched out Daniels and then tackled Quothar, which cleared Tagak's name. Having only been grazed by the bullet, Tagak recovered, but found himself blind without Opar.
Returning to the warehouse, Tagak escorted the captured Quothar back through the Crysto-Mirror--he offered Daredevil the chance to return with him to his world, but Daredevil declined the offer and decided to stay on Earth.
(Defenders I#62 (fb) - BTS) - Tagak returned to Earth, apparently somehow functioning without a feline partner this time; he was one of many heroic adventurers who saw Dollar Bill's television documentary about the Defenders and the group's open membership policies.
(Defenders I#62) - Tagak arrived at the Defenders' headquarters 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, because the demigod's fabled exploits were known even in Tagak's far-off land. 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 collected heroes split up into three groups, with Tagak, Marvel Man, Nova, Polaris, and the Son of Satan lead by Nighthawk. As their leader took off, Tagak pointed out that he couldn't fly, so Marvel Man and Nova carried him. The group followed a report of a supposed Defender stealing a man's car, only to find out it was just the man's son, who had become obsessed with super-heroes after seeing Dollar Bill's TV 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 earlier; frustrated by this, and tired of Nighthawk's abrasive attitude, Tagak quit the team, along with all the other new recruits, after less than a day.
(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 main image.
Per OHOTMU DE, Tagak's world might be Crystalium.--Loki
Perhaps the inhabitants of Tagak's world were created by the sorcerer/alchemist Ebrok and had some connection to the Cat-People race (e.g. Cougar, Professor Leon).--Ron Fredricks
Tagak has an entry in Marvel Legacy: The 1970's Handbook.
Profile by Snood. Expansion by Ron Fredricks.
CLARIFICATIONS:
Tagak, the Leopard Lord, has no known connection to:
...but he should be distinguished from:
The Crysto-Mirror has no known connection to:
The Seven of Tagak's World have no known connection to:
The sacred Krill statue has no known connection to:
 |
Located within a New York warehouse, it served as a portal between Earth and Tagak's extradimensional world. The Mirror apparently was powered by draining ambient energy sources. Tagak used the mirror to travel from his home dimension to Earth, so he could pursue the thief Quothar. After he eventually apprehended Quothar, both Tagak and his prisoner walked into the mirror to return to their own world; the ultimate fate of the Crysto-Mirror remains unrevealed. --Daredevil I#72 |
 |
 |
A five-hundred pound feline creature from Tagak's world, Opar resembled a ferocious leopard of Earth. As the "brother-in-sight" for the blind Tagak, Opar had a psychic link with him and acted as his "seeing-eye cat". Opar was highly obedient to Tagak's verbal commands, and assisted him in tracking the thief Quothar on Earth; but Opar was eventually shot by a museum guard and possibly killed. --Daredevil I#72 |
 |
 |
A land of shadowy mists located in an unidentified dimension, it appeared to be covered with crystalline landscapes and structures, including some whose facets served as portals to other dimensions. The thief Quothar was a native of this 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 eventually subdued Quothar, and the thief was returned to his own world by Tagak for an unrevealed fate. Tagak's leader was unidentified, 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: These three panels were the extent of what was depicted of Tagak's world. Per OHOTMU DE, Tagak's world might be Crystalium. |
images: (without ads)
Daredevil I#72. cover (main image - Tagak, leaping from Crysto-Mirror)
Daredevil I#72, p10, pan3 (headshot - Tagak)
Daredevil I#72, p17, pan2 (Tagak explains his relationship with Opar to
Daredevil)
Daredevil I#62, p17, pan5 (Tagak and other heroes attack Hulk)
Daredevil I#72, p14, pan5 (Crysto-Mirror, with Daredevil's reflection)
Daredevil I#72, p15, pan1 (Daredevil by Crysto-Mirror)
Daredevil I#72, p1, pan1 (Opar [front view])
Daredevil I#72, p18, pan5 (Opar [side view])
Daredevil I#72, p20, pan4 (Opar, apparently dead on floor; Daredevil,
Tagak, and captured Quothar [foreground])
Daredevil I#72, p17, pan4 (in flashback, Quothar steals sacred Krill
statue)
Daredevil I#72, p17, pan5 (in flashback, Quothar escapes with sacred
Krill statue)
Daredevil I#72, p17, pan6 (in flashback, Tagak and Opar tasked with
finding Quothar)
Appearances:
Daredevil I#72 (January, 1971) - Gerry Conway (writer), Gene Colan
(pencils), Syd Shores (inks), Stan Lee (editor)
Defenders I#62 (August, 1978) - David Anthony Kraft (writer), Sal
Buscema (pencils), Jim Mooney (inks), Bob Hall (editor)
Defenders I#63 (September, 1978) - David Anthony Kraft (writer), Sal
Buscema (pencils), Jim Mooney (inks), Jim Shooter (editor)
Defenders I#64 (October, 1978) - David Anthony Kraft (writer), Sal
Buscema (pencils), Jim Mooney (inks), Bob Hall (editor)
Civil War: Battle Damage Report (2007)
First posted: 08/02/2004
Last updated: 11/24/2024
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
Non-Marvel
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