Harry Leland
Encyclopedia
Harry Leland, also known as the Black Bishop is a Marvel Comics
supervillain
, and an adversary of the X-Men
.
A mutant
, Leland possesses the ability to increase the mass of an object or person, making it extremely heavy. Thanks to his allegiance to Sebastian Shaw
, he attained the rank of "Black Bishop," of the Lords Cardinal of the New York branch of The Hellfire Club
, an exclusive secret society
bent on world domination. In civilian life, he was a corporate lawyer.
and artist/co-writer John Byrne, Leland first appeared in Uncanny X-Men
#132 (April 1980).
Artist John Byrne based Leland's appearance on actor-director Orson Welles
, and the name refers to two characters in Welles' films: Harry Lime from The Third Man
, and Jed Leland from Citizen Kane
.
The character subsequently appears in The Uncanny X-Men #132-135 (April–July 1980), #152 (December 1981), and #208-209 (August–September 1986), in which he died. Leland made subsequent posthumous appearances in Classic X-Men #7 (March 1987), Sensational She-Hulk #34-35 (December 1991-January 1992) , Marvel Super-Heroes #11 (October 1992), Generation X #-1 (July 1997), X-Men: Hellfire Club #4 (April 2000), X-Men Unlimited #6 (February 2005), and House of M: Avengers#5 (2008).
, before she was inducted into the Hellfire Club. At the time, Emma was homeless and using her powers during a Hellfire Club meeting to gain information about stocks, Leland took an interest in her but came on too strongly, which made Emma run away. Shortly after, he accompanied Sean Cassidy
and his NYPD partner to an incident behind the club which involved Emma. Emma, having met and repaired the fractured mind of the Dark Beast
with her powers, mind-wiped all three men into forgetting the incident and that they had ever met.
Later, Leland first encountered the X-Men when the X-Men invaded the New York headquarters of the Hellfire Club. Leland caused Wolverine
to become super-heavy and fall through the floor into a sub-basement. In the rematch, Wolverine attacked Leland from above. At that moment, Leland foolishly used his mass-increasing powers against his opponent a second time, resulting in Wolverine crashing through the floor again, only this time with Leland beneath him as Wolverine intended. All evidence to the contrary, Leland survived this incident.
Alongside the Hellfire Club, Leland later battled the X-Men in New York's Central Park
. Leland used his power to sink Colossus
hundreds of feet underground. When Nimrod
attacked the assembled mutants, the X-Men and the Club joined forces to battle Nimrod. Against considerable resistance by the robot, Leland increased Nimrod's mass to move it towards the ground and thus become more vulnerable to attack. Overweight and in poor health, the effort caused Leland to have a heart attack. Then, at Storm's urging, Leland increased the mass of Sebastian Shaw (who had been sent hurtling towards outer space by Nimrod), causing Shaw to crash into Nimrod's body on the ground. Leland succumbed to his heart condition and died.
revived Leland's body (as well as the bodies of three other deceased mutants) as a zombie, his motives for doing so were unspecified. After She-Hulk
's defeat of the Talon and his "X-Humed", Leland was reburied. Precautions were taken to ensure that he never would come back, among them filling his mouth with salt and sewing his lips together.
, better known as the Black Queen of the Hellfire Club, has since revived Leland with the use of a modified version of the Transmode virus.
Leland is sent to Utopia with Shinobi Shaw
, who was revived by the same means, to kill Sebastian Shaw, Donald Pierce
, Emma Frost, Magma
and the X-Men, because according to Selene, they have failed her in her quest for godhood or got in her way many times.
about the assaults on Sapien Town and the Brotherhood's attempts of capturing Luke Cage's gang.
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
supervillain
Supervillain
A supervillain or supervillainess is a variant of the villain character type, commonly found in comic books, action movies and science fiction in various media.They are sometimes used as foils to superheroes and other fictional heroes...
, and an adversary of the X-Men
X-Men
The X-Men are a superhero team in the . They were created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, and first appeared in The X-Men #1...
.
A mutant
Mutant (Marvel Comics)
In comic books published by Marvel Comics, a mutant is an organism who possesses a genetic trait called an X-gene that allows the mutant to naturally develop superhuman powers and abilities...
, Leland possesses the ability to increase the mass of an object or person, making it extremely heavy. Thanks to his allegiance to Sebastian Shaw
Sebastian Shaw (comics)
Sebastian Hiram Shaw is a fictional comic book supervillain in the Marvel Comics universe, and an adversary of the X-Men.A mutant, Shaw possesses the ability to absorb energy and transform it into raw strength...
, he attained the rank of "Black Bishop," of the Lords Cardinal of the New York branch of The Hellfire Club
Hellfire Club (comics)
The Hellfire Club is a fictional society within the Marvel Comics Universe that often comes into confrontation with the mutant superhero team, the X-Men...
, an exclusive secret society
Secret society
A secret society is a club or organization whose activities and inner functioning are concealed from non-members. The society may or may not attempt to conceal its existence. The term usually excludes covert groups, such as intelligence agencies or guerrilla insurgencies, which hide their...
bent on world domination. In civilian life, he was a corporate lawyer.
Publication history
Created by writer Chris ClaremontChris Claremont
Chris Claremont is an award-winning American comic book writer and novelist, known for his 17-year stint on Uncanny X-Men, far longer than any other writer, during which he is credited with developing strong female characters, and with introducing complex literary themes into superhero...
and artist/co-writer John Byrne, Leland first appeared in Uncanny X-Men
Uncanny X-Men
Uncanny X-Men, first published as The X-Men, is the flagship Marvel Comics comic book series for the X-Men franchise. It is the mainstream continuity featuring the adventures of the eponymous group of mutant superheroes...
#132 (April 1980).
Artist John Byrne based Leland's appearance on actor-director Orson Welles
Orson Welles
George Orson Welles , best known as Orson Welles, was an American film director, actor, theatre director, screenwriter, and producer, who worked extensively in film, theatre, television and radio...
, and the name refers to two characters in Welles' films: Harry Lime from The Third Man
The Third Man
The Third Man is a 1949 British film noir, directed by Carol Reed and starring Joseph Cotten, Alida Valli, Orson Welles, and Trevor Howard. Many critics rank it as a masterpiece, particularly remembered for its atmospheric cinematography, performances, and unique musical score...
, and Jed Leland from Citizen Kane
Citizen Kane
Citizen Kane is a 1941 American drama film, directed by and starring Orson Welles. Many critics consider it the greatest American film of all time, especially for its innovative cinematography, music and narrative structure. Citizen Kane was Welles' first feature film...
.
The character subsequently appears in The Uncanny X-Men #132-135 (April–July 1980), #152 (December 1981), and #208-209 (August–September 1986), in which he died. Leland made subsequent posthumous appearances in Classic X-Men #7 (March 1987), Sensational She-Hulk #34-35 (December 1991-January 1992) , Marvel Super-Heroes #11 (October 1992), Generation X #-1 (July 1997), X-Men: Hellfire Club #4 (April 2000), X-Men Unlimited #6 (February 2005), and House of M: Avengers#5 (2008).
Hellfire Club
Little is known of Leland's past before encountering the X-Men, although he did encounter former teammate, Emma FrostEmma Frost
Emma Grace Frost is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #129 , and was created by writer Chris Claremont and artist/co-writer John Byrne....
, before she was inducted into the Hellfire Club. At the time, Emma was homeless and using her powers during a Hellfire Club meeting to gain information about stocks, Leland took an interest in her but came on too strongly, which made Emma run away. Shortly after, he accompanied Sean Cassidy
Banshee (comics)
Banshee is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics superhero who operates as a member of the X-Men. Created by writer Roy Thomas and artist Werner Roth, Banshee first appeared in X-Men #28 ....
and his NYPD partner to an incident behind the club which involved Emma. Emma, having met and repaired the fractured mind of the Dark Beast
Dark Beast
Dark Beast , sometimes known as the Black Beast, is a Marvel Comics supervillain, an alternate reality evil version of the X-Men’s Beast...
with her powers, mind-wiped all three men into forgetting the incident and that they had ever met.
Later, Leland first encountered the X-Men when the X-Men invaded the New York headquarters of the Hellfire Club. Leland caused Wolverine
Wolverine (comics)
Wolverine is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Born as James Howlett and commonly known as Logan, Wolverine is a mutant, possessing animal-keen senses, enhanced physical capabilities, three retracting bone claws on each hand and a healing...
to become super-heavy and fall through the floor into a sub-basement. In the rematch, Wolverine attacked Leland from above. At that moment, Leland foolishly used his mass-increasing powers against his opponent a second time, resulting in Wolverine crashing through the floor again, only this time with Leland beneath him as Wolverine intended. All evidence to the contrary, Leland survived this incident.
Alongside the Hellfire Club, Leland later battled the X-Men in New York's Central Park
Central Park
Central Park is a public park in the center of Manhattan in New York City, United States. The park initially opened in 1857, on of city-owned land. In 1858, Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux won a design competition to improve and expand the park with a plan they entitled the Greensward Plan...
. Leland used his power to sink Colossus
Colossus (comics)
Colossus is a fictional character, a superhero in the Marvel Comics universe. Created by writer Len Wein and illustrator Dave Cockrum, he first appeared in Giant-Size X-Men #1...
hundreds of feet underground. When Nimrod
Nimrod (comics)
Nimrod is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #191 , and was created by writer Chris Claremont and artist John Romita, Jr. Hailing from the "Days of Future Past" timeline, Nimrod is a powerful, virtually...
attacked the assembled mutants, the X-Men and the Club joined forces to battle Nimrod. Against considerable resistance by the robot, Leland increased Nimrod's mass to move it towards the ground and thus become more vulnerable to attack. Overweight and in poor health, the effort caused Leland to have a heart attack. Then, at Storm's urging, Leland increased the mass of Sebastian Shaw (who had been sent hurtling towards outer space by Nimrod), causing Shaw to crash into Nimrod's body on the ground. Leland succumbed to his heart condition and died.
X-Humed
When the supervillain Black TalonBlack Talon (comics)
The Black Talon is the name of a number of fictional characters, a supervillain in the Marvel Comics universe.-Black Talon :The first Black Talon was Pascal Horta, a painter who lost his hand in an auto-accident. Undergoing experimental surgery, he was given the hand of an African-American serial...
revived Leland's body (as well as the bodies of three other deceased mutants) as a zombie, his motives for doing so were unspecified. After She-Hulk
She-Hulk
She-Hulk is a Marvel Comics superheroine. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist John Buscema, she first appeared in Savage She-Hulk #1 ....
's defeat of the Talon and his "X-Humed", Leland was reburied. Precautions were taken to ensure that he never would come back, among them filling his mouth with salt and sewing his lips together.
Necrosha
Despite the precautions made to prevent Leland's body from coming back as a zombie, the psychic vampire SeleneSelene (comics)
Selene Gallio is a fictional character, a comic book supervillainess from the Marvel Comics universe. She is a mutant, and an enemy of the X-Men often associated with the Hellfire Club's Inner Circle.-Publication history:...
, better known as the Black Queen of the Hellfire Club, has since revived Leland with the use of a modified version of the Transmode virus.
Leland is sent to Utopia with Shinobi Shaw
Shinobi Shaw
Shinobi Shaw, also known as a Black King of the Hellfire Club, is a fictional character in the Universe of Marvel Comics. He is a comic book supervillain, a foe of the X-Men and their affiliated teams. His first appearance was in X-Factor #67 .-Fictional character biography:Shinobi is thought to...
, who was revived by the same means, to kill Sebastian Shaw, Donald Pierce
Donald Pierce
Donald Pierce is a comic book supervillain in the Marvel Comics universe. The character first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #132. He was created by Chris Claremont and John Byrne. Donald Pierce is a cyborg.-Fictional character biography:...
, Emma Frost, Magma
Magma (comics)
Magma is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics series New Mutants, also associated with various X-Men-related comics. She was created by author Chris Claremont and artist Bob McLeod, and debuted in New Mutants #8...
and the X-Men, because according to Selene, they have failed her in her quest for godhood or got in her way many times.
Powers and abilities
Leland possessed the ability to increase the mass of an object or person within 350 feet (106.7 m) of him, making it extremely heavy. Leland's power could affect both people and inanimate objects, but active resistance by the subject made it more difficult to assert Leland's power. Leland was overweight and in poor health, and thus he was a poor hand-to-hand combatant. As well as this, his over-reliance on his power meant that he was known to use it in situations where he would have done better to simply engage his opponent in a more conventional manner, such as when he automatically used his power in his rematch with Wolverine despite the clawed mutant being directly above him at the time.House of M
Harry Leland appeared as the Commissioner of the NYPD, in which he was in discussion with John ProudstarThunderbird (comics)
Thunderbird is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics superhero who was briefly a member of the X-Men. Created by writer Len Wein and artist Dave Cockrum, he first appeared in Giant-Size X-Men #1 ....
about the assaults on Sapien Town and the Brotherhood's attempts of capturing Luke Cage's gang.
Television
- Harry Leland figured prominently in the Dark Phoenix saga in the X-MenX-Men (TV series)X-Men, also known as X-Men: The Animated Series, is an American animated television series which debuted on October 31, 1992, in the United States on the Fox Network as part of its Fox Kids Saturday morning lineup...
animated series. - Harry Leland is featured in Wolverine and the X-Men. He is seen as part of the Hellfire Club.