COUNT TAGAR
Real Name: Tagar
Identity/Class: Terrestrail fauna (tiger) mutate
Occupation: Lieutenant of the High Evolutionary, ambassador to the outside world
Group Membership: New Immortals, New Men
Affiliations: Jane Foster-Kincaid, High Evolutionary (Herbert Wyndham), Knights of Wundagore (notably Sir Gote, Sir Hogg, Sir Lepard, Sir Lyan, Sir Ram, Sir Ursus, and others unidentified), Luminor, Eric Masterson (Thunderstrike), Mongoose, Sir Porga, Thor Odinson
Enemies: Ego the Living Planet, God Pack, High Evolutionary, Man-Beast, Thor Odinson
Known Relatives: None
Aliases: None
Base of Operations: Unrevealed;
formerly a base at Orion;
formerly New Wundagore;
formerly Wundagore II;
formerly the High Evolutionary's citadel on Mount Wundagore
First Appearance: Thor I#133 (October, 1966)
Powers/Abilities: In his original
form, Count Tagar possessed enhanced agility and strength.
Although not trained for combat, he retained a tiger's ferocity and was a formidable combatant.
In his current form, he has superhuman endurance, and approximately
class 10 strength.
His senses are more refined than that of an ordinary tiger, granting him superhuman tracking and vision powers.
Following his creation, the High Evolutionary gave him Cathode Gloves which have claws on the tip of each finger that generate energy blasts.
History:
Thor
I#135 (fb) / Quicksilver I#9 (fb) / Scarlet Spider
Unlimited#1 (fb))) - From his Citadel of Science atop Mount Wundagore, the High Evolutionary used his evolutionary ray and Isotope B to create a
number of New Men, including Sir Porga, Count Tagar, Sir Lepard,
Sir Ossilot, and others
(Thor I#135 (fb) - BTS) - Wyndham taught his New Men language, science, biology, and history.
(Thor I#135 (fb)) - Now calling himself the High Evolutionary, the armored Wyndham modeled some of his earliest New Men after the knights of old, striving to teach them a code of honor and chivalry; he dubbed them the Knights of Wundagore.
(Thor I#135 (fb)) - The
Evolutionary chose two of his first and his most trusted New Men, Count
Tagar and Sir Porga, to act as his agents, traveling the world to bring
him information and vital supplies. 
( Scarlet Spider Unlimited#1 (fb) - BTS) - Because his features were more humanlike than most New Men, Tagar was shunned by some of the other New Men.
(Thor I#135 (fb)) - Deciding that the New Men needed to be taught by someone from the world of man, the High Evolutionary assigned Count Tagar and Sir Porga to find a teacher.
(Thor I#133) - Sir Porga met with nurse Jane Foster in Transia, and introduced her to Count Tagar. Tagar believed that Foster would be the perfect teacher for the New Men, and was particularly impressed that she was trained in medicine.
(Thor I#134) - Count Tagar and Sir Porga brought Jane to Mount Wundagore, and Tagar fought off a group of bandits who hoped to force Tagar to bring them to the treasures of Wundagore.
(Thor I#135) - After the Man-Beast was inadvertantly
developed as a hyper-evolved, malevolent wolf that then evolved a
number of New Men that served him in attacking the High Evolutionary
and his allies, Count Tagar donned his cathode gloves and then rallied
the other Knights of Wundagore to his side.
Tagar then announced the
Man-Beast's threat, and he told the Knights that they must crush them
or die in the attempt.
Reaching the conflict, Tagar leapt into fray, exhorting his allies "For the glory of Wundagore...attack!!"
Blasting the Man-Beast's New Men, Tagar further advised the Knights that the Man-Beast has reached the High Evolutionary, and he urged them, "onward, to the master's side, before it it too late!"
After Thor subdued the Man-Beast, Tagar and the Knights forced the rest of the New Men into the Evolutionary's Star Chamber, which then transported them to the "galaxy Dromisana."
With the Man-Beast's defeat, the High Evolutionary took his base ("New Wundagore") into space, to find a new home for the New Men.
(Thor I#135 / Silver Surfer Annual#1/5 (fb) / West Coast Avengers Annual#3/3 (fb)) - Deciding that his New Men/Knights of Wundagore would continue to endanger mankind if they remained on Earth, the High Evolutionary took his citadel -- which had been constructed in the form of a starship by Dr. Horace Grabsheid -- and departed with his Knights.
(West
Coast Avengers Annual#3/3 (fb)) - There were 38 Knights of Wundagore aboard the
Evolutionary's Citadel-turned-ship as it departed Mount Wundagore.
Eventually -- after traveling through hyperspace --the Evolutionary's
ship...
(West Coast Avengers Annual#3/3 (fb) - BTS) - The Evolutionary sent forth his Knights to explore this planet, and they discovered and reported an abandoned city.
(West
Coast Avengers Annual#3/3 (fb)) - One of the Knights (presumably Count Tagar), officially claimed the world in the name of the High
Evolutionary...
(Thor I#402) - Count Tagar met with the Mongoose, who had been assigned to obtain cell samples from Thor. The Mongoose employed Quicksand to assist them to that end.
(Thor I#403) - Seeing that Quicksand had brought Thor into the open, Count Tagar dispatched the Mongoose to collect the cell samples.
(Thor I#405) - Count Tagar studied the cell samples, and asked the Mongoose to bring him more. To that end, the Mongoose kidnapped Thor's friend Eric Masterson.
(Thor I#406) - Count Tagar was disgusted with the way the Mongoose obtained his results, particularly as it led Thor to attacking Mount Wundagore. Tagar released Masterson, and told Thor how the High Evolutionary and Hercules were lost within the Black Galaxy. Thor set off to find them both, alongside Masterson and the Knights of Wundagore.
(Thor I#408) - Upon Thor's return, he shaved off the beard he had grown. Tagar had one of the New Men bring him the blood and hair from Thor's shaving bowl so that the genetic material could be used by the High Evolutionary.
(Thor I#417) - Count Tagar joined the High Evolutionary aboard New Wundagore in the Black Galaxy, to begin their attempt at creating the New Immortals.
(Thor I#419) - Count Tagar and the High Evolutionary were discovered by the Rigellian Recorder#211, but the High Evolutionary blasted him unconscious.
(Thor I#420) - Count Tagar observed as the High Evolutionary began to create a new world within the Black Galaxy. He then accompanied him to the laboratory where Nobilus, first of the New Immortals, had been created. Tagar wondered if Nobilus would be a compassionate god, or a vengeful one. Nobilus' closed fist seemed to answer his question.
(Thor I#422) - Count Tagar observed as both Zon and Juvan were created by the High Evolutionary, and saw that Nobilus was, tragically, prone to beserker fits. He finally decided to enter the Pool of Knowledge himself to unlock his godly potential, in the hope of aiding his master. Tagar emerged from the Pool of Knowledge in a new, superhuman body, with godly strength.
(Thor I#423) - Tagar came to sense the arrival of the Celestials in the Black Galaxy, and sought out the High Evolutionary to warn him.
(Thor I#424) - After telling the High Evolutionary that the Celestials had come to the Black Galaxy to create a new Celestial, he collapsed from exhaustion.
(Thor I#425) - After awakening, Count Tagar assumed control of New Wundagore, and had the now-mad High Evolutionary brought back aboard. He also promised Thor to restore the Analyzer to his original form as Recorder#211.
(Thor I#448/2) - Count Tagar welcomed Balder and Sif aboard New Wundagore as he and the New Immortals searched for the High Evolutionary and Analyzer, whose trail led them to Ego, who was being studied by the Celestials.
(Thor I#450/2) - Count Tagar witnessed the safe return of the High Evolutionary, Analyzer and Nobilus tothe Destiny Hunt, thanks to Sif and Balder.
(Thor I#473 (fb)) - When the High Evolutionary at last regained his sanity, he decided to create yet another new race on Earth. Count Tagar was put off by his master's abandonment, and joined the New Immortals in opposing him. The High Evolutionary abandoned New Wundagore, leaving it to the New Immortals.
(Thor I#482) - Count Tagar fought the High Evolutionary, God Pack and Thor alongside the New Immortals, plotting to use Deus Ex Machina to wipe out all life on earth so that they could then create life of their own. In the course of the battle, he fought the High Evolutionary himself and was beaten into a coma.
(Thor I#483) - The High Evolutionary placed Tagar into suspended animation and set him aboard Wundagore III with the other New Immortals. He hoped to one day repair the damage done to Tagar and revive him.
(Thor I#484) - The High Evolutionary began his treatment of Tagar by using a bio-retardant ray, which he hoped would undo the damage caused when Tagar had entered the Pool of Knowledge.
Comments: Created by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby , and Vince Colletta.
Tagar's current fate is unrevealed.
In the flashback seen in Scarlet Spider Unlimited#1, Tagar was created simultaneously with Sir Porga and Bova
as the first 3 New Men, but according to the flashback from Amazing
Spider-Man Annual#22, there were already dozens of New Men by the time
of Bova's creation.
The earlier account is most likely the correct (it's doubtful that the High Evolutionary would create his first 3 New Men at once as well), but I have no trouble believing that Porga and Tagar were the first two New Men.
by Prime Eternal
CLARIFICATIONS:
Count Tagar should not be confused with:
Tagar's Cathode Gloves have no known connection to:
images:
Thor I#133, pg. 6, panel 3 (face);
panel 4 (full, with Porga behind him);
#134, pg. 7, panel 1 (battling raiders);
#135, pg. 10, panel 3 (donning cathode glove)...he also has additional
images using the cathode gloves in the profile for the cathode gloves.
West Coast Avengers Annual#3/3, pg. 2, panel 1 (in ship bound for New Wundagore);
pg. 3, panel 3 ( laying claim to New Wundagore)
Other appearances:
Thor I#133-135 (October-December, 1966) - Stan Lee (writer), Jack Kirby (pencils), Vince Colletta (inks), Stan Lee (editor)
West Coast Avengers Annual#3 (October, 1988) - Mark Gruenwald (writer),
Ron Lim (pencils), Tony DeZuniga (inks), Mark Gruenwald (editor)
Thor I#402-406 (April-August, 1989) - - Ron Frenz & Tom DeFalco
(writer), Ron Frenz (pencils), Joe Sinnott (inks), Ralph Macchio
(editor)
Thor I#408 (October, 1989) - Ron Frenz & Tom DeFalco (writer), Ron
Frenz (pencils), Joe Sinnott (inks), Ralph Macchio (editor)
Thor I#417 (May, 1990) - Ron Frenz & Tom DeFalco (writer), Ron Frenz (pencils), Joe Sinnott (inks), Ralph Macchio (editor)
Thor I#419-420 (July-August, 1990) - Ron Frenz & Tom DeFalco
(writer), Ron Frenz (pencils), Joe Sinnott (inks), Ralph Macchio
(editor)
Thor I#422-425 (September-October, 1990) - Ron Frenz & Tom DeFalco
(writer), Ron Frenz (pencils), Joe Sinnott (inks), Ralph Macchio
(editor)
Thor I#448 (June, 1992) - Tom DeFalco (writer), Patrick Olliffe (pencils/inks), Ralph Macchio (editor)
Thor I#450 (August, 1992) - Tom DeFalco (writer), Patrick Olliffe (pencils/inks), Ralph Macchio (editor)
Thor I#473 (April, 1994) - Roy Thomas (writer), M.C. Wyman (pencils), Mike DeCarlo (inks), Mike Rockwitz (editor)
Thor I#482-483 (January-February, 1995) - Roy Thomas (writer), M.C. Wyman (pencils), Mike DeCarlo (inks), Mike Rockwitz (editor)
Thor I#484 (March, 1995) - Roy Thomas (writer), Sandu Florea (pencils/inks), Ralph Macchio (editor)
Scarlet Spider Unlimited#1 (November, 1995) - Glenn Herdling (writer),
Tod Smith (pencils), John Nyberg (inks), Eric Fein (editor)
Last updated:
11/10/2003
Last updated: 10/29/2023
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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