Red Wolf

Red Wolf
Publication information
Publisher	Marvel Comics
First appearance	(Wakeley) Marvel Spotlight #1 (Nov 1971) (Talltrees) Avengers vol. 1 #80 (September 1970)
Created by	(Wakeley) Gardner Fox and Syd Shores (Talltrees) Roy Thomas and John Buscema
In-story information
Alter ego	- Johnny Wakeley - William Talltrees
Team affiliations	(Wakeley) The Sensational Seven (Talltrees) Rangers
Notable aliases	(Talltrees) Owayodata, Thomas Thunderhead

Red Wolf is the name of a number of fictional characters in Marvel Comics' shared universe, the Marvel Universe.

Fictional character biography

Johnny Wakeley

Johnny Wakeley was the adopted name of a Cheyenne man who was raised from childhood by a white couple in the late 19th century. His adoptive parents were killed by Native Americans in retaliation for the U.S. Army cavalry's massacre of their own people. Pursued by members of his own tribe, Wakeley stumbled into the burial place of a former man known as Red Wolf and was visited by the spirit of a Cheyenne god named Owayodata. He was given the ceremonial garb of the Red Wolf, and the coup stick, his totem of power, and became the first known recorded Red Wolf.^[1] Red Wolf used his new-found great skills and prowess to promote peace between the white and Native American peoples.^[2]

The character appears in 2010's Rawhide Kid: The Sensational Seven.

William Talltrees

William Talltrees is a man born in modern times, born in Wolf Point, Montana. He was the son of Thomas Talltrees, a Cheyenne tribal leader, and grew up hearing tales of the legendary Red Wolf. William witnessed his father being intimidated into selling his property to corrupt businessman Cornelius van Lunt; that night, van Lunt's henchmen killed William's family. William swore vengeance, finding and donning the ceremonial garb of Red Wolf. Owayodata visited him and imbued the young man with his spiritual legacy, granting him superhuman powers. The new Red Wolf found a wolf cub that he named Lobo and trained to be his companion. Following van Lunt back to New York, he was able to gain vengeance on him with the aid of the Avengers.^[3]

Alongside Jill Tomahawk, Red Wolf battled King Cycle.^[4] He also battled Clayton Bickford.^[5] Red Wolf was also once assisted by Gabriel, Devil Hunter.^[6]

Alongside Tigra, Red Wolf battled the Super-Skrull and the Rat Pack.^[7] Alongside Phantom Rider III, Firebird, Texas Twister, and Shooting Star, he battled the Hulk, and rescued Rick Jones from the Corruptor. Red Wolf joined these other four heroes as part of the first incarnation of the short-lived superhero team, the Rangers.^[8] Alongside the Defenders, Red Wolf battled some trolls.^[9] Alongside the Rangers again, Red Wolf battled the West Coast Avengers while under the influence of the demon Riglevio possessing Shooting Star.^[10]

It was revealed that Will Talltrees was part of a squad of Marines during the Vietnam War, along with Willie Lincoln, Josh Cooper, Jim Rhodes, and others named Fong and Janes. They were part of an attack on a village that resulted in the slaughter of the parents of The Bengal. As an adult, Bengal resurfaced to take vengeance on those Marines,^[11] but has since turned away from his vendetta. Red Wolf suffered a crisis of faith caused by his defeat at the hands of the Bengal.^[12]

Some time later, Red Wolf adopted a new wolf cub.^[12] Alongside Doctor Strange and the Black Crow, Red Wolf stopped the Cheyenne pantheon from taking vengeance for the Cheyenne people.^[13] Red Wolf later battled eco-terrorists in the employ of Roxxon Oil Company.^[14]

Weeks after the conclusion to the Civil War event, Red Wolf was seen as a member of Texas' new government-sponsored superhero team, the revived Rangers, as part of the Fifty State Initiative Program.^[15]

During the Secret Invasion, a Skrull had posed as Lobo and attacked Delroy Garrett, Ant-Man III, and the Rangers in a Skrull/wolf-like form. When Red Wolf asked it what they did with the real Lobo, the Skrull-Lobo says that he'll learn his wolf's fate soon enough when he shares it with him. Delroy and Red Wolf subdued the Skrull-Lobo and Shooting Star shot it.^[16]

Powers and abilities

The wolf spirit Owayodata (a god of the Native American pantheon) granted William Talltrees superhuman strength, and sensory acuity heightened to superhuman levels. He is also a highly skilled hand-to-hand combatant, an experienced wrestler, an adept combat gymnast, a superb archer, and an expert marksman with throwing weapons. He is an expert tracker, and a skilled animal trainer. His weapons include a coup stick (a six-foot wooden staff used as a bow or javelin), a tomahawk, a hunting knife, and a bow and arrows.

According to one text, Red Wolf was able to cause his coup stick and his wolf companion Lobo to appear from nowhere, and Lobo also possessed the power of intangibility. Since the same text also related an erroneous account of Red Wolf's origin, giving his real name as Thomas Thunderhead, and referred to him as a Sioux rather than a Cheyenne, it may be regarded as apocryphal.

Other versions

• In Avengers Forever, an ancestor of William Talltrees, named Wildrun, is addressed by Libra as "the first of the Red Wolves."^[17]

Bibliography

• Red Wolf I (Wildrun)
  • Avengers Annual #21-22
  • Avengers: Forever #3

• Red Wolf II (Johnny Wakely)
  • Blaze of Glory #2-3
  • Marvel Spotlight Vol. 1 #1
  • Mighty Marvel Western - Western Legends #1
  • Red Wolf #1-6

• Red Wolf III (Thomas Thunderhead)
  • Red Wolf #7-9

• Red Wolf IV (William Talltrees) (Current)
  • Avengers Vol. 1 #80-81
  • Avengers: The Initiative #1-2, 19
  • Defenders Vol. 1 #139
  • Incredible Hulk #265
  • Marvel Chillers #7
  • Marvel Comics Presents Vol. 1 #15, 72, 107, 170
  • Thunderbolts #57
  • West Coast Avengers Vol. 2 #8-9

References

External links

• Red Wolf III at Marvel.com
• Red Wolf I at the Appendix to the Handbook of the Marvel Universe
• Red Wolf II at the Appendix to the Handbook of the Marvel Universe