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Tiger Shark (Marvel Comics)

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Todd Arliss
Tiger Shark
Tiger Shark as depicted in Villains for Hire #3 (February 2012).
Art by Rodolfo Migliari.
Publication information
PublisherMarvel Comics
First appearancePrince Namor, the Sub-Mariner #5
(September 1968)
Created byRoy Thomas (writer)
John Buscema (artist)
In-story information
Alter egoTodd Arliss
SpeciesHuman mutate
Team affiliationsAssassins Guild
Deep Six
Defenders of the Deep
Lethal Legion
Masters of Evil
Offenders
Notable aliasesArlys Tigershark
Abilities
  • Superhuman strength, speed, stamina, durability, reflexes, and senses
  • Razor-sharp adamantium teeth
  • Accelerated swimming speed
  • Regenerative healing factor

Tiger Shark (Todd Arliss) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He is depicted as a supervillain. Created by writer Roy Thomas and artist John Buscema, the character first appeared in Prince Namor, the Sub-Mariner #5 (September 1968). Todd Arliss is a recurring antagonist of the antihero Namor.[1] His powers come from both the DNA of Namor and shark DNA.[2]

Publication history

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Todd Arliss debuted in Prince Namor, the Sub-Mariner #5 (September 1968), created by writer Roy Thomas and artist John Buscema.[3] He appeared in the 1977 Ms. Marvel series and the 2018 Avengers series.[4][5] He appeared in the 2018 Avengers series. He later appears in Wolverine 1988 #19-20. He is a major character in Villains for Hire #1-4. He appears multiple times in the Fear Itself storyline. Tiger Shark appeared in the special issue Marvel Swimsuit Special: Brand New Beach Day.[6]

Fictional character biography

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Todd Arliss is a selfish Olympic swimmer who, seeking public acclaim, attempts to rescue a drowning man. In the process, Arliss suffers a spinal cord injury when waves push him into a ship. Desperate to regain his swimming ability, Arliss willingly participates in an experiment by scientist Lemuel Dorcas, who splices his DNA with that of hero Namor and a tiger shark.[7] Although successful, the process changed Arliss both physically and mentally, endowing him with razor-sharp teeth and gills and making him savage and predatory.[8][9]

Becoming a supervillain and calling himself Tiger Shark, Arliss finds and threatens Lady Dorma, demanding to be crowned Lord of Atlantis.[10] Namor deposes Tiger Shark, who is imprisoned in Atlantis.[11]

Tiger Shark discovers he is losing his powers and teams with Llyra against Namor and his allies Stingray and the Human Torch. Tiger Shark's powers are restored by Llyra, and Tiger Shark accidentally kills Namor's father, Leonard Mackenzie, as the villains retreat.[12] Tiger Shark, Lemuel Dorcas, and Attuma seize the island Hydro-Base and again battle Namor, who allied with Doctor Doom. Dorcas is accidentally crushed to death, with Tiger Shark and Attuma being defeated and imprisoned.[13]

Tiger Shark joins the supervillain team the Masters of Evil who battle the Avengers.[14] With the Masters of Evil, Tiger Shark aids villain Egghead in a plan to ruin Hank Pym, but is ultimately defeated by Pym.[15] Tiger Shark joins Baron Helmut Zemo's version of the Masters of Evil and invades Avengers Mansion, escaping when the Avengers retake their headquarters.[16] Tiger Shark flees with fellow Masters member Whirlwind to California, where they are both captured by Tigra and Hellcat.[17]

After being captured for study and then rescued by Namor,[18] a grateful Tiger Shark renounces crime. Renaming himself Arlys Tigershark, he marries a woman from an undersea tribe of nomads. However, he reverts to his savage ways when his pregnant wife and her tribe are killed by savage undersea creatures called the Faceless Ones.[19]

In Thunderbolts, Tiger Shark mutates into a shark-like being. He joins Crimson Cowl's Masters of Evil and has several skirmishes with maverick superheroes the Thunderbolts.[20]

Tiger Shark — once again in human form — joins Attuma's Deep Six to conquer Atlantis.[21] While initially successful, the villains are eventually defeated, with Tiger Shark quickly defeated by the Silver Surfer.[22]

During the 2008 "Secret Invasion" storyline, Ms. Marvel saves Tiger Shark from being killed by a Super-Skrull.[23] Later on, the Grandmaster recruits Tiger Shark into the Offenders in a bid to thwart the Hulk.[24] Tiger Shark joins a new version of the Lethal Legion, led by the Grim Reaper, during the 2008 storyline "Dark Reign".[25]

During the 2011 "Fear Itself" storyline, Tiger Shark joins Attuma, Tyrak, and Aradnea in taking over New Atlantis.[26] As Namor and his allies fight off Attuma's forces and the Undying Ones, Tiger Shark attacks Loa.[27]

Tiger Shark attacks a cruise ship which Stingray and Diane Newell are on. Namor breaks up the fight and demands their allegiance. After Namor attacks Stingray, Tiger Shark reluctantly takes up Namor's offer and joins his Defenders of the Deep.[28]

Powers and abilities

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Before gaining his powers, Todd Arliss was a record-breaking Olympic swimmer but otherwise an ordinary human. After going through Via Lemuel Dorcas' experimental genetic engineering process, he got transformed into an amphibious humanoid with the traits of a human, an Atlantean (Homo mermanus), and a tiger shark. As Tiger Shark, he possesses the same superhuman strength, stamina, water speed and durability compared to Namor, although he must be immersed in water to achieve his full strength as he weakens outside of the water. On land, he must wear his special costume containing a water circulation system which bathes him with a thin layer of water, to retain his strength. Tiger Shark also possesses an innate hunting instinct inherited from his shark genes, as once he locks onto prey he cannot stop tracking it until it has been captured or he has been forcibly repulsed. He has the ability to survive indefinitely underwater via gills on his cheeks and has razor-pointed adamantium teeth.[24] Tiger Shark gained the tenuous ability to shift between a more monstrous shark form and his humanoid state, either given to him by the thieves' guild or something he grew into over his criminal career.[20] This vastly increased his physical abilities due to excess bulk and muscle mass, and he even gained a healing factor powerful enough to regenerate damaged brain tissue over time.[29]

Reception

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Nicholas Brooks of Comic Book Resources described Tiger Shark as a classic aquatic character.[30]

He was ranked 80 in a comic book readers top 100 marvel villains[31]

Darby Harness on Screen rant ranked him as one of Namor’s most powerful villains in a list made in the lead up of Wakanda Forever.[1]

In his appearance in Villains for Hire #1 he is critiqued for the art, and how it isn't that good with him as the star character.[32]

Other versions

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In other media

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Television

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Miscellaneous

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References

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  1. 1 2 Harn, Darby (July 27, 2022). "Namor's 10 Most Powerful Villains In Marvel Comics". Screen Rant. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
  2. ↑ Etemesi, Philip (December 8, 2022). "Namor's 10 Greatest Victories". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
  3. ↑ DeFalco, Tom; Sanderson, Peter; Brevoort, Tom; Teitelbaum, Michael; Wallace, Daniel; Darling, Andrew; Forbeck, Matt; Cowsill, Alan; Bray, Adam (2019). The Marvel Encyclopedia. DK Publishing. p. 381. ISBN 978-1-4654-7890-0.
  4. ↑ Seifert, Mark (April 16, 2024). "The Mysterious Debut of Mystique in Ms. Marvel #16, Up for Auction". Bleeding Cool. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
  5. ↑ Lovett, Jamie (October 11, 2018). "Namor Kills an Avenger". ComicBook.com. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
  6. ↑ "Tiger Shark Reading Order". CMRO | Complete Marvel Reading Order. Retrieved September 21, 2026.
  7. ↑ Wells, John (2014). American Comic Book Chronicles: 1965-1969. TwoMorrows Publishing. p. 200. ISBN 978-1605490557.
  8. ↑ Prince Namor, the Sub-Mariner #5 (Sept. 1968)
  9. ↑ Brevoort, Tom; DeFalco, Tom; Manning, Matthew K.; Sanderson, Peter; Wiacek, Win (2017). Marvel Year By Year: A Visual History. DK Publishing. p. 131. ISBN 978-1465455505.
  10. ↑ Rovin, Jeff (1987). The Encyclopedia of Super-Villains. New York: Facts on File. p. 346. ISBN 0-8160-1356-X.
  11. ↑ Prince Namor, the Sub-Mariner #6 (October 1968)
  12. ↑ Prince Namor, the Sub-Mariner #44-46 (December 1971-February 1972)
  13. ↑ Super-Villain Team-Up #1-3 (August - December 1975)
  14. ↑ The Avengers #222 (August 1982)
  15. ↑ The Avengers #228-229 (February–March 1983)
  16. ↑ The Avengers #273-275 (November 1986-January 1987)
  17. ↑ West Coast Avengers (vol. 2) #16 (January 1987)
  18. ↑ Marvel Comics Presents #77 (May 1991)
  19. ↑ Namor, the Sub-Mariner (vol. 3) #33-34 (January–February 1993)
  20. 1 2 Thunderbolts #3 (June 1997); #18 - 20 (September–November 1998) & #24-25 (March–April 1999)
  21. ↑ Defenders (vol. 2) #7 (September 2001)
  22. ↑ Defenders (vol. 2) #11 (January 2002)
  23. ↑ Ms. Marvel (vol. 2) #30 (September 2008)
  24. 1 2 Hulk (vol. 2) #10-12 (April–June 2009)
  25. ↑ Lethal Legion #1-3 (August–October 2009)
  26. ↑ Cullen Bunn (w), Lee Garbett (p), David Meikis (i). Fear Itself: The Deep, no. 1 (August 2011). Marvel Comics.
  27. ↑ Cullen Bunn (w), Lee Garbett (p), David Meikis (i). Fear Itself: The Deep, vol. 1, no. 2 (September 2011). Marvel Comics.
  28. ↑ Avengers (vol. 8) #9 (December 2018)
  29. ↑ Elektra (vol. 3) #7 (December 2014)
  30. ↑ Brooks, Nicholas (December 1, 2022). "A Namor Solo Movie Could Introduce Two Classic Aquatic Characters". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on December 6, 2022. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
  31. ↑ "Top 100 Marvel Villains". Comic Vine. Retrieved September 21, 2026.
  32. ↑ Zawisza, Doug (December 9, 2011). "Villains for Hire #1". CBR. Retrieved September 21, 2026.
  33. ↑ Exiles #61 (May 2005)
  34. ↑ Ultimate Fantastic Four #60 (April 2009)
  35. ↑ Marvel Apes: Amazing Spider-Monkey Special (June 2009)
  36. 1 2 3 4 "Tiger Shark Voices (Marvel Universe)". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved March 7, 2024. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.
  37. ↑ Glass, Joe (November 30, 2017). "Animals Invade the Avengers Academy for Christmas". Bleeding Cool. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
  38. ↑ Moser, Cassidee (June 6, 2015). "Collect All Ant-Man Marvel Legends Toys, Get an Ultron". IGN. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
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