BLACK FOX

Real Name: Unrevealed

Identity/Class: Human, citizen of the United Kingdom with a criminal record

Occupation: Cat burglar

Group Membership: None 

Affiliations: None, formerly Anesthesia (Ana), AIM (Monica Rappaccini and others), Ant-Man (Eric O'Grady), André Bouillon, Borovian royal family, E. Brunner, Red Ghost (Ivan Kragoff) and his Super-Apes (Igor, Mihklo & Peotr)

Enemies: Black Cat (Felicia Hardy), Andrew Carpathian, Chance (Nick Powell), Doctor Doom (Victor von Doom), Iron Man (Tony Stark), Prowler (Hobie Brown), Anna Sablinova, SHIELD, Silver Sable, Spider-Man (Peter Parker), Elmo Twig, Wild Pack

Known Relatives: Unidentified mother

Aliases: "Raul Chalmers", "Mr. Nussbaum", "Osgood Hempstead" (assumed names), "grandpa", "ya old coot" (nicknames used by Ant-Man), "geezer", "old timer" (nicknames used by Black Cat), "old timer", "old coot" (nicknames used by Prowler), "Pops" (nickname used by Anna Sablinova), "Foxie-Loxie", "old timer" (nicknames used by Spider-Man)

Base of Operations: Sand Dollars senior resort, Key West, Florida;                                  
                                  formerly the SHIELD Helicarrier brig;
                                  formerly Eric O'Grady's apartment, New York City, New York;
                                  formerly an unidentified prison;
                                  formerly Beverly Hills, California;
                                  formerly New York City, New York;
                                  formerly mobile throughout Europe and the United States;
                                  formerly Brighton, United Kingdom (allegedly)

First Appearance: Amazing Spider-Man I#255 (August, 1984)

Powers/Abilities: The Black Fox possesses no known superhuman powers. An experienced and highly trained cat burglar, pickpocket and thief, he is skilled at breaking and entering. Remarkably swift, strong and spry for a man his age, he is able to outwit and dodge even super powered opponents like Spider-Man and Black Cat. A naturally charismatic conman, he isn't above playing up his advanced years to garner sympathy or mislead his enemies. At times ruthless and devious, Black Fox is at heart a bit of a coward who likes to avoid confrontation whenever possible. Though he has been known to carry a handgun, he mainly insists on relying on non-lethal weapons in combat. His arsenal has included blinding flash and smoke grenades, a teddy bear rigged to launch Taser darts and a tranquilizer gun that looks like a genuine firearm. His burglary kit includes rope lines, glass cutters, infrared goggles, suction cups, an ether dispenser, a built-in tracking device and a can of mace. He also has access to a high tech electronics device called a Microvator that can disable 273 different types of advanced lock and alarm systems within 6 seconds. The Black Fox has a penchant for luxury and insists on only the best when it comes to the essentials in life: champagne, automobiles and the most elegant of surroundings. He is a proficient and enthusiastic gamer.

Height: 5'9"
Weight: 152 lbs.
Eyes: Brown
Hair: White

History:

(Amazing Spider-Man I#255 (fb) - BTS) - The Black Fox spent three decades robbing and burglarizing across most of Western Europe and the United States under a great number of fake identities, garnering quite the reputation in the process.

(Web of Spider-Man I#14 (fb) - BTS) - Eventually, Interpol decided on the codename "Black Fox" for him, a name he decided to take on as his nom de plume.

(Amazing Spider-Man I#255 (fb) - BTS) - Now entering his twilight years, he planned to go on one final, big heist that would ensure him a leisurely retirement on the French Riviera. Setting his sights on a seemingly abandoned high-end New York apartment filled with priceless objet d'art, Fox put on his gear to clean the place out.

(Amazing Spider-Man I#255) - Easily gaining access to the apartment, the Fox was amazed and delighted at the valuables he spotted. Grabbing a vase he deemed exquisite enough to finance at least a month's stay on the Riviera, he was surprised when it shifted into the growling baboon Igor. Moments later, two more simians besieged him, preventing the Fox from getting away. Then, the Super-Apes' master emerged out of the floor: the Red Ghost. He explained to the stunned Fox that he'd actually been subtly leading the master burglar to the apartment he'd been using as his latest hideout. Kragoff was busy building the cosmicizer, a machine capable of increasing his powers a thousand times. But the cost of construction had drained his personal finances, that's why he needed the Fox to steal for him. The Ghost felt he couldn't go out and do it himself because of all the superheroes in New York. He forced the reluctant Black Fox to cooperate and sent him to rob a nearby jewelry store. Uneasy by the fact he was accompanied by three super powered simians (see comments), the Fox tried to subtly pick the lock only for the magnetic orangutan Peotor to rip out the door. The ruckus set off all the alarms, prompting the Fox to want to run. But when the Super-Apes simply continued on with the mission, smashing the cases full of valuables, he decided to stay. Fox then guided them to break open the safe and loot the store. When the police arrived, he had Peotor keep them at bay by smashing their squad car. Concerned for the officers' wellbeing, the Fox was relieved to find they hadn't been killed. He then figured that he'd best leave now while the apes were still distracted by the cops. Throwing a flare to briefly blind the beasts, he ran off in the hopes they wouldn't be able to track him down. However, they easily caught up with him in a back alley just as Spider-Man happened to swing by. The wallcrawler fought off the apes and then chased the Fox down, intimidating him into telling everything he knew. Spider-Man left to deal with the Red Ghost, leaving the Black Fox alone in the alley. When he turned, he was overjoyed when he spotted the looted jewels the Super-Apes had left behind fighting Spider-Man. He took the jewelry, overjoyed he could now retire in style...after he took care of some unfinished business.

(Amazing Spider-Man I#265 (fb) - BTS) - A major insurance company hired Silver Sable and her Wild Pack to capture the Black Fox after one of his recent heists had cost them a considerable amount. Sable had her men work in concert with the local New York authorities to locate and arrest the Fox as soon as he would try to sell his loot to his usual underworld fence André Bouillon.

(Amazing Spider-Man I#265) - As expected, the Fox went to see Bouillon in his apartment. He hopefully watched as André examined the jewels he'd brought him, pleased with the knowledge that he'd make enough profit to retire to the Riviera. But before the transaction could be completed, a squad of police officers (tipped off by the Symkarian embassy) barged in. Bouillon stalled them, allowing the Fox to escape through the window. He was then spotted by the Wild Pack officers waiting outside. They gave chase, causing a major traffic jam and endangering innocents by carelessly firing at the Fox who dodged all their non-lethal "mercy" bullets. The Fox was ultimately backed into a corner by the unrelenting Symkarian commandos, until Spider-Man arrived and intervened on the old thief's behalf. Fox escaped, while Spider-Man caught the attention and ire of both the Wild Pack and the local authorities for helping an international thief get away. Some time later, the Black Fox decided it was high time to leave the United States. He went to a dive bar near the waterfront to arrange passage on a freighter bound for Europe, unaware one of the patrons was an undercover Symkarian operative who signaled the Wild Pack.

(Amazing Spider-Man I#265 - BTS) - At the same time, the Wild Pack's main forces were tracking Spider-Man's movements across Manhattan in a helicopter. When they suddenly retreated to respond to their covert colleague's call in, Spider-Man decided to follow them.

(Amazing Spider-Man I#265) - Spider-Man overheard the operatives discussing their plans to ambush the Black Fox. He decided to find the elderly burglar before they could and caught up with him in a warehouse, easily dodging the frightened Fox's smoke pellets. This led the Fox to a run in with the Wild Pack who immediately started shooting him with the non-lethal "mercy" ammo. Spider-Man couldn't stand to see the Fox treated that way and webbed up his assailants. He then grabbed the Black Fox and swung away with him. Pausing for a moment to get his bearings on a nearby rooftop, Spider-Man bought into the Fox's sob story: he swore that he only stole to make enough money so he could go back to Europe and be reunited with his wife and four lovely children before he died. So moved by this tale, Spider-Man helped the Black Fox evade capture, even allowing him to board a nearby speedboat that quickly carried him away from the Wild Pack. Once he was safely out of range, the Fox went to check on his bag of loot, only to find Spider-Man had taken them before sending him on his way, leaving only a friendly calling card.

(Web of Spider-Man I#14) - After learning his friend André Bouillon had been released from jail, the Black Fox decided to look him up. Barely able to climb up to the window of Bouillon's first story apartment, the Fox realized the years were starting to catch up with him. That didn't stop the two friends from sharing a happy reunion and enjoying some Moët et Chandon champagne to toast their good fortune. However, Bouillon disappointed the Fox when he explained he couldn't fence any of his stolen goods for at least six months because the authorities were still keeping close tabs on him. The Fox left, dedicated to persuade André by stealing something he couldn't resist.

(Web of Spider-Man I#14/15 - BTS) - Unbeknownst to the Black Fox, the crimelord Foreigner had reached out to Bouillon to strong-arm him into joining his organization. André refused, which angered the Foreigner so much he hired the mercenary Chance to assassinate him. Bouillon was murdered in his own apartment.

(Web of Spider-Man I#14) - Black Fox decided to break into the Carnelian embassy to steal the Eye of Carnelia, the largest flawless ruby in existence on display in the US as a good will gesture to ease tensions between America and Carnelia. Using a teddybear stuffed with taser darts, the Fox got rid of the security forces on the roof. Making his way inside and knocking out the guards surrounding the Eye, he began to work on the complex security system, totally unaware Spider-Man had spotted him. After he'd secured the ruby and right before the hero could stop him, the Fox was overrun by some returning guards who opened fire on him. Throwing a few smoke blasters to cover his escape, Black Fox ran off while Spider-Man was forced to fight off the guards who as the smoke cleared assumed was the culprit. The guards were joined by far more formidable Carnelian military forces, which was the Fox's cue to leave (though unaware Spider-Man had placed a tracer on him).

(Web of Spider-Man I#14 - BTS) - The Fox returned to Bouillon only to find his friend dead on the floor. With nothing left to do there, he departed with Spidey observing his movements from a nearby rooftop. The hero went inside Bouillon's apartment to find André's body. This led him to incorrectly conclude the Fox was responsible for this murder. Feeling responsible and guilty because the situation reminded him of the time he'd let the criminal who'd eventually kill his uncle Ben go, Spider-Man swore to find the Fox and "nail his bloody hide to the wall".

(Web of Spider-Man I#15 - BTS) - Bouillon's killer Chance had been monitoring the situation. Watching Spider-Man leave, he contacted Foreigner and proposed a deal: he wagered his 10.000 dollar fee that he could kill the hero within 24 hours, double or nothing.
The amused Foreigner agreed to the terms.

(Web of Spider-Man I#15) - The Fox was hiding out on a rooftop blocks away, trying to calm down and make sense of the situation. He was ill prepared for Spider-Man's arrival (who tracked him using the tracer still stuck on Fox's coat). Unable to shake him off using one of his smoke pellets, Fox told Spider-Man he had nothing to do with André's death. Only seconds after the truth of the thief's words sunk in, they were attacked by Chance. Taking advantage of the confusion, the Fox fled the scene, convinced he could sell the Eye of Carnelia elsewhere. However, when he went to see Elmo Twig in Soho, he was insulted when the pawnbroker didn't even recognize him and dared to offer only a measly 5000 dollars for the jewel. After explaining he was indeed the Black Fox, Twig claimed he was going to get his magnifying glass in the back for a closer look. In reality, he called Chance to report the Black Fox was here. As luck would have it, both Spider-Man and Chance arrived at Twig's around the same time. While they were duking it out, the Fox beat a hasty retreat by jumping out of the window. During a rather painful landing in a dumpster, the spider tracer fell off his coat. This inadvertently allowed him to escape scot-free.

(Amazing Spider-Man I#304) - The Black Fox eventually made his way to the West Coast of the United States for the first time in his career. He went to Beverly Hills, California where he took some time examining the countless luxurious mansions. After a while, he picked the abode of Mr. and Mrs. Osgood Hempstead, currently vacationing in Geneva, as his temporary hideout. Impressed by its Louis XIV furniture, Dorian chandeliers and Matisse paintings, he was content with his choice. To ensure he wouldn't be bothered, he called the local police force, claiming to be Osgood Hempstead. He informed them that they were having a Mr. Fox stay at the house as a guest during their absence. The Fox then planned to steal the priceless Valencia chalice currently on display at LA's John Duncan civic center. He managed to gain accesss to the star studded presentation of the artifact by stealing the invitation off an attendee named Nussbaum. Quickly making his way to the exhibition hall, he disabled the security systems and knocked out the guards using mace and tranq darts. Before he could steal the chalice, he was confronted by Spider-Man (who had spotted the Fox at the event which he happened to be attending with his wife Mary Jane). The Fox tried to escape using his smoke bombs. Forced to leave the chalice behind, he hid in the sound-proofed ceiling until Spider-Man had left. The second he went to collect the chalice, he was confronted by the Prowler (Hobie Brown) who had also come to steal the artifact.

(Amazing Spider-Man I#305) - Spider-Man intervened in the showdown between the Fox and the Prowler, leaving the burglar the opportunity to escape with the chalice. Retreating to his hideout at Hempstead mansion, he slept through most of the day to recover from his most recent adventure. He then decided it was best to try and sell the chalice and all the jewelry he'd found in the mansion's safe outside the US. Before he could escape aboard the Queen Mary leaving from L.A. harbor, he was caught by Spider-Man and the Prowler. However, he managed to convince Spider-Man to let him go because he was old, had a weak heart and would never survive prison. When he even swore on his mother's grave he'd renounce stealing, Spidey relented unaware that the Fox had kept a very valuable ruby belonging to Mrs. Hempstead. After liquidating the jewel, he bought a plane ticket out of the US, grumbling in first class about losing the jewel while sipping champagne, he couldn't help but chuckle at the thought of sharing with his mother what he'd told Spider-Man.

(Amazing Spider-Man I#349 (fb) - BTS) - The Black Fox robbed a museum in Monaco, taking several pricey gemstones.

(Amazing Spider-Man I#350 (fb) - BTS) - One of the baubles Fox stole was an oval emerald called the Dragon's Egg. This mystical gem belonged to Doom's late mother Cynthia and was accidentally taken out of the vault by one of his lackeys to be displayed at a Monaco exhibition. After learning of this mistake, Doom set out to personally retrieve this family heirloom.

(Amazing Spider-Man I#348) - The Black Fox arrived back in New York City by luxury liner, sneakily stealing a valuable piece of jewelry from a wealthy female passenger to help finance what he considered to be the most daring jewel heist in the history of the city.

(Amazing Spider-Man I#349) - After reading about wealthy New York socialite Robert Chalmer's extended safari, the Black Fox decided to pose as his brother Raul in order to take over Chalmer's luxury Manhattan loft. Using his burglary skills and a Microvator to disable the security system, he left sufficient proof he was indeed Chalmers' brother Raul before showing up as "Raul Chalmers", claiming his brother had perished and he had been named his sole inheritor. With everyone believing his claims, Black Fox moved in and soon after met with big time Midtown fence E. Brunner. He used the money Brunner gave him to buy the tools that allowed him to nab the Trask diamond, a gem of immense value on display in New York City.

(Amazing Spider-Man I#349 - BTS) - Doctor Doom, having learned the Black Fox was behind the theft of the Dragon's Egg, arrived in New York City to deal with the thief himself.

(Amazing Spider-Man I#349) - As soon as the Fox had the diamond, he quickly pocketed it and ran around with a glass replica. He gave that one up to Spider-Man who caught up with him. Once again pulling his sad old man shtick, Fox got Spidey to let him go but not without a covert spider tracer. Spider-Man traced the Fox to a deserted Long Island resort complex when it became clear the "diamond" was little more than glass. He arrived just in time to botch a deal between Fox and Asian businessmen only to be surprised when Dr. Doom was on the scene as well.

(Amazing Spider-Man I#350) - Spider-Man tried to protect the Black Fox from Doom's wrath, which the thief used as an opportunity to escape though Doom's boulder creating molecular expander prevented him from getting far. Doom confronted the Fox about the Dragon's Egg, even threatening to blast off the old man's legs with his finger lasers if he refused to cooperate. Spider-Man stopped him from hitting the Fox, eventually granting him a chance to escape once more.

(Amazing Spider-Man I#350 - BTS) - Doom was furious and threatened to kill Spider-Man, who staved off his own death by offering Doom to help find the Fox for him. Doom allowed the hero 24 hours to make good on his promise.

(Amazing Spider-Man I#350) - Aware of the fact he needed to return the Dragon's Egg to Doom, the Black Fox decided to look up E. Brunner to buy back the artifact. Shocked to find he'd already sold it, Fox was forced to clear out his bank book to get the identity of the buyer: millionaire New Jersey recluse Andrew Carpathian. After making sure the real Trask diamond was safe in the Chalmers' vault, the Fox rushed to New Jersey with Spider-Man tailing him. They found out Chalmers was about to use the Dragon's Egg as the focal point of a mystical ritual that would return the Black Insect Swarm to Earth. The two vigilantes joined forces and attacked Chalmers and his cult, they received help from Doctor Doom who had shown up because Spider-Man's 24 hours were about up. After securing his mother's gem, Doom planned to kill Black Fox for his crimes. Spider-Man pleaded with Latveria's ruler to spare the man's life, proving surprisingly successful. Nevertheless, Doom felt Black Fox needed to be punished: revealing he had his men retrieve the Trask diamond from his hideout, Doom forced the shocked Black Fox to watch as he crumbled the priceless jewel to dust. Satisfied the thief had been properly humiliated, Doom took his leave. Black Fox tried his old "I'm so sad and pathetic" routine on Spider-Man, who refused to fall for it this time. He made sure the Black Fox was taken into custody.

(Silver Sable & The Wild Pack#20) - After somehow escaping custody, the Fox returned to his old ways. Learning there were several lucrative artifacts stored at the Symkarian embassy, he decided to break into the facility on a night when most of the staff, including Silver Sable and the Wild Pack, were away. Knocking out the remaining skeleton crew by introducing ether into the air conditioning system, Fox figured he had about an hour to carry out his heist before anyone woke up. He hadn't counted on Silver Sable's teenage niece Anna Sablinova. Though she lacked any combat training or experience, Anna managed to use some of her aunt's spare gear like magnesium flares and marbles to keep the Fox busy long enough for the effects of the ether to wear off. Though he managed to defeat and tie up Anna, in the end the Fox was forced to bolt without even the chance of stealing anything that could properly fund his retirement.

(Web of Spider-Man Anual I#10/3 (fb) - BTS) - Black Fox was hired by the Borovian government to find and return the final missing piece of their royal family's jewelry collection. It was stolen years earlier by the Black Cat.

(Web of Spider-Man Annual I#10/3) - Returning home from a patrol, the Black Cat discovered the Black Fox right in the middle of burgling her apartment, looking for the necklace. Even though the furious Black Cat claimed she had returned everything she'd ever stolen years ago, the Fox found the Borovian artifact in her drawer. He attempted to escape with it, spraying the Cat with mace in the face to cover his tracks. Felicia recovered quickly and pursued him outside. They resumed their brawl on the snowy, wintertime streets of New York, even briefly losing the necklace when they were too busy with each other to prevent a bum from running off with it. In the end, they had a final showdown on the snowy rooftops. When he realized Black Cat was his superior in both strength, stamina and agility, the Fox played the sympathy card by pretending to fall from the roof. The Black Cat saved him, realizing too late it was all a trick. Cursing herself for falling for the same ploy Spider-Man had warned her dozens of times about it, she nevertheless allowed the "geezer" to leave with the necklace. Watching him disappear in the distance, Black Cat was relieved that now every last vestige of her old life as a thief was gone.

(Thunderbolts I#53) - Black Fox was imprisoned in Seagate Prison.

(Irredeemable Ant-Man#7) - When Mole Man attacked New York City just as the Avengers were dealing with the threat of a female Ultron, Black Fox decided to take advantage of the chaos by looting some downtown jewelry stores. As fate would have it, he ran across the immoral Ant-Man (Eric O'Grady). Mistaking his suit for Spider-Man's recent Iron Spider gear, the frantic Fox reached for his handgun and opened fire on the surprised O'Grady. Dodging the bullets by shrinking, O'Grady disabled the Fox with a well placed suckerpunch only to discover the loot he was carrying. Overcome with greed, Eric robbed the Fox, even taking the cat burglar's wallet and backpack. But before he could leave, he heard cries for help coming from a nearby pile of debris. He shrunk down and discovered a young girl was trapped underneath the rubble. He used his sizing powers to clear the rocks, just as Damage Control arrived to compliment him on his rescue.

(Irredeemable Ant-Man#8) - Ant-Man was talking to the members of Damage Control when the Black Fox revived and attempted to retrieve his backpack. Ant-Man spotted him and, playing the hero card, claimed the rucksack was actually his. He told the Fox he should simply go before they were forced to call the police. Indignant, the Fox soon realized he had very little choice. As he left, he swore that At-Man hadn't seen the last of him.

(Irredeemable Ant-Man#8 - BTS) - O'Grady sold the contents of the Fox's backpack to a local pawnshop owner for 10.000 dollars, unaware the jewels were worth well over 100.000. He also didn't realize the backpack itself was equipped with a hidden tracking device.

(Irredeemable Ant-Man#8) - A few days later, the Black Fox surprised O'Grady in the middle of the night in his bedroom. Holding a gun to his head, he forced him to reveal the fate of his loot. O'Grady, somewhat goofy from injuries sustained fighting Mr. Hyde, confessed there were only 2000 dollars left from the original 10.000. Furious by this turn of events, the Black Fox revealed how much those gems were really worth and threatened to kill O'Grady if he didn't compensate him for this incredible loss. Thinking on his feet, Eric offered the Fox a deal. Putting on his Ant-Man gear, he went back to the pawnshop in pint size form, making the gullible, easily scared owner believe he was being targeted by a SHIELD remote controlled weapons unit that could melt his brain if he didn't cooperate. O'Grady had the man pay up the full price of the gems. Outside, the Fox and O'Grady haggled over how to split the money, with Eric settling for 15 percent in the end.

(Irredeemable Ant-Man#9 - BTS) - Over the next several weeks, Black Fox and Ant-Man became the most unlikely of buddies. Oftentimes, Black Fox would break into O'Grady's apartment to see if he was up for a game of Nintendo Wii.

(Irredeemable Ant-Man#11 (fb) - BTS) - Still not trusting his new "ally", the Black Fox placed a covert tracer on the Ant-Man armor that could tell him where Eric was should he ever try and double cross him again.

(Irredeemable Ant-Man#9) - On one such occasion, Black Fox was already waiting for Eric who came home dead tired. Though he wasn't about to be guilt tripped into playing with the Fox, he nevertheless gave in and enthusiastically joined the game against him. A few days later, the Fox was once again at Eric's and ready for another game. Controller in hand, he wondered what was keeping his friend. When he discreetly peaked into the bedroom, he saw Eric quietly weeping while holding a picture of his girlfriend who'd just broken up with him.

(Irredeemable Ant-Man#10) - With most of New York City evacuated because of the Hulk taking over Manhattan following his return from exile on Sakaar, the Black Fox went to check on Eric O'Grady. Finding his apartment empty, the old thief couldn't help but nab Eric's Nintendo Wii.

(Irredeemable Ant-Man#11 - BTS) - During the final confrontation against the Hulk, Ant-Man was seriously injured. Taken into SHIELD custody, he was out for almost a month. During that time, it came to light that it was O'Grady who had stolen the Ant-Man armor months earlier. Murderous SHIELD agent Mitch Carson, originally tasked to retrieve the armor, was furious and ready to have his revenge on the comatose O'Grady. As soon as Eric woke up, Carson had him moved to one of the Helicarrier's secret interrogation rooms where he proceeded to sadistically torture him. After beating him senseless, he put on the Ant-Man armor and shrunk down to hit him some more on the inside.

(Irredeemable Ant-Man#11 - BTS) - Somehow putting on the Ant-Man armor caused the Black Fox to home in on his tracker. Risking his life, the Fox managed to get up to the Helicarrier despite it flying through a terrific thunderstorm. Using his suction cups to climb up to the top, the Fox was determined to come to his old friend's aid.

(Irredeemable Ant-Man#11) - Black Fox, somehow escaping detection or capture, localized Eric inside the interrogation room only to find he'd already been rescued by Iron Man (who was acting as SHIELD director at the time). Realizing he was outgunned, the Black Fox tried to bluff his way out of the situation by claiming he had laced the lower levels of the carrier with high-grade plutonium explosives with a detonator linked to his heartbeat. He demanded the release of Eric and the Ant-Man suit, only to be shocked when the duplicitous O'Grady turned on him. Calling the Fox's bluff, he pointed out there was no way the old thief could even get his hands on weaponry like that, let alone use it. Incredulous, the Black Fox was taken into custody. By throwing the Fox under the proverbial bus, O'Grady had regained the trust of SHIELD, even getting reinstated as an agent shortly after he'd recovered from his injuries.

(Irredeemable Ant-Man#12) - Some time later, with the Fox still in custody in the Helicarrier waiting for his transfer to the newly constructed Vault inside the Negative Zone, Eric O'Grady decided to pay him a visit. Nabbing a colleague's I.D. badge and staying in the surveillance camera's blind spot so he couldn't be seen, O'Grady handed the Fox instructions on how to override his cell's locking mechanisms. This would allow him a chance to escape, O'Grady explained, he figured him at least that much. Thanking him for the information, the Black Fox then confessed he'd stolen the Nintendo Wii from Eric's apartment, adding that he didn't plan to give it back. Resigned, O'Grady told him to keep the video console, figuring that would square things between them. Watching Eric leave, the Fox realized he wasn't quite sure a Wii would entirely cover it.

(Ant-Man & The Wasp#1 - (fb) - BTS) - The Black Fox managed to escape from the SHIELD Helicarrier and resumed his life of crime. He was approached by AIM's Monica Rappaccini to help the evil scientific collective get their hands on Hank Pym's latest invention: a digital afterlife device called Heaven. If he did, he would be granted a special place in this virtual reality in which the deceased would have an assured happily every after. The way to get to the device was through AIM's special agent Anesthesia who could enter and travel inside human minds provided they were hypnotically conditioned to do so.

(Ant-Man & The Wasp#1) - The Black Fox paid a visit to his "old friend" Eric O'Grady. After some friendly banter, during which he repeatedly dropped the hypnotic triggerword "Fnord", he filled O'Grady in on AIM's plans to go after Pym's digitized Heaven. Fox figured O'Grady might want to warn Hank to get into his good graces again (after all Eric did steal the Ant-Man suit). To convince Eric of his good intentions, the Black Fox presented the surprised hero with his Wii. After making sure he was properly conditioned, Black Fox said goodbye to Ant-Man.

(Ant-Man & The Wasp#1 - BTS) - Thanks to the Black Fox's handiwork, Anesthesia was able to access Eric's mind. She sneaked into Pym's lab and stole the Heaven device.

(Ant-Man & The Wasp#1) - By the time Anesthesia had delivered Heaven to Rappaccini, the Black Fox had made his way to the Sand Dollars senior resort in Key West, Florida. There he was flirting with the local ladies, sending three "cheeky hens" some complimentary Banana Mama cocktails and the message that "Mr. Fox was on the hunt". Just then, Rappaccini called to inform him of the success of the mission. She also insured him his good work had assured him a special place in AIM Heaven.

Comments: Created by Tom DeFalco (writer), Ron Frenz (pencils), Josef Rubinstein (inks).

Interviewed by Tom DeFalco (of all people) about the Black Fox in 2004's Comic Creators on Spider-Man, artist Ron Frenz had the following to say: "I often picture actors in my mind when I draw characters. Silver Sable was loosely based on Marilyn Monroe, but I don't think I had a specific actor in mind when I designed the Black Fox. I just kind of went with a distinctive moustache and I remember gaining affection for him very quickly. In his first appearance, he was just wearing a black body stocking. It wasn't until later that I gave him equipment and things. I initially made him very thin and expressive."

The Black Fox's origins remain a mystery. He claims to have grown up in Brighton in the United Kingdom but there is no conclusive proof of that. But considering he referred to his mother in thought as "mum" back in Amazing Spider-Man I#305 it's safe to assume he's at least partially British.

Given the fact he was already in his early 60s by the time the modern era started, it's not unthinkable Black Fox ran afoul of the other Black Fox of the First Line fame in the old days. You could even imagine them fighting over the rights to the name in the same tradition as Erik Josten and Luke Cage once duked it out over the codename Power Man.

The Handbooks list the Fox's eye color as brown, though during most of his appearances (especially Irredeemable Ant-Man) his eyes are a very clear hue of blue.

Incidentally, the Red Ghost's motivations for roping the Black Fox into working for him make very little sense. Yes, keeping out of sight in a superhero filled place like New York City is smart, but why would you even go there to build a power enhancing device you could have constructed literally anywhere else? Also, if you're so afraid the heroes you fought will find out you're in town, maybe sending your mutated apes along with the Fox isn't the smartest thing?

The Black Fox received profiles in the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Update '89#1 and Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A-Z Update#1.

Profile by Norvo.

CLARIFICATIONS:
Black Fox should not be confused with:

• Black Fox (Robert Paine), founding member of the First Line @ Marvel The Lost Generation#12 
• Silver Fox, member of the Blackfoot Indian tribe, lover of Wolverine @ Wolverine II#10
• Black Fog - Indian serial killer captured, imprisoned in Hyderabad, and mutilated by his victim's families, mutated by Zero/One @ Hulk#32
• Or any other "Black" or "Fox" characters

André Bouillon

For years, French native André Bouillon worked as a New York underworld fence, buying and selling stolen goods like jewelry, diamonds and other precious gemstones. One of his contacts was the aged cat burglar Black Fox who frequently visited Bouillon to liquidate his most recent "acquisitions".
During one such occasion, just as André was studying some diamonds the Fox had brought, the police arrived with an arrest warrant for both men. Trusting that his lawyers would keep him safe, André allowed himself to be arrested while making sure his client could escape. Some time later, when he was released from custody, Bouillon declined top criminal Foreigner's invitation to join his organization. Bouillon also met with the Fox, toasting his recent release with some very good Moët et Chandon champagne. Aware the authorities were still keeping a close eye on him, André had to disappoint his old ally by informing him he wouldn't be able to fence any more stolen goods for at least the next 6 months. The Fox left, figuring he could still find a way to get André to help him liquidate his stolen assets. By the time he returned, Bouillon was dead, murdered by the mercenary Chance, under orders of the Foreigner. Fox left the apartment distraught, unaware Spider-Man had been shadowing him. When he went into André's place and found Bouillon's lifeless body, the webslinger incorrectly concluded the Fox had murdered him.