Dr. William "Bill" Foster, also known as Black Goliath,

Giant-Man Giant-Man is the alias used by several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, usually in association with the alias Ant-Man. Hank Pym first appeared as Giant-Man in ''Tales to Astonish'' #49, though he had appea ...

and

Goliath Goliath ( ) was a Philistines, Philistine giant in the Book of Samuel. Descriptions of Goliath's giant, immense stature vary among biblical sources, with texts describing him as either or tall. According to the text, Goliath issued a challen ...

, is a

superhero A superhero or superheroine is a fictional character who typically possesses ''superpowers'' or abilities beyond those of ordinary people, is frequently costumed concealing their identity, and fits the role of the hero, typically using their ...

appearing in

American comic book An American comic book is a thin periodical literature originating in the United States, commonly between 24 and 64 pages, containing comics. While the form originated in 1933, American comic books first gained popularity after the 1938 publ ...

s published by

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...

. He is a professor with powers similar to

Hank Pym Dr. Henry Jonathan Pym is a character (arts), character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by penciller Jack Kirby, editor-plotter Stan Lee and writer Larry Lieber, Pym debuted in ''Tales to Astonish'' #27 (Ja ...

's increasing size and mass to gigantic proportions. The character has made several video game appearances and appeared in the

Marvel Cinematic Universe The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on List of Marvel Cinematic Universe films, a series of superhero films produced by Marvel Studios. The films are based on characters that appe ...

(MCU) film ''

Ant-Man and the Wasp ''Ant-Man and the Wasp'' is a 2018 American superhero film based on Marvel Comics featuring the characters Scott Lang / Ant-Man and Hope Pym / Wasp. Produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, it is th ...

'' (2018), portrayed by

Laurence Fishburne Laurence John Fishburne III (born July 30, 1961) is an American actor. Throughout his career, he has gained recognition for his roles on stage and screen as militant and authoritative characters. List of awards and nominations received by Laur ...

, who later voiced alternate versions of the character in the animated series '' What If...?''.

Creation

Isabella recounted the character's creation:

Publication history

Dr. Foster was created by

Stan Lee Stan Lee (born Stanley Martin Lieber ; December 28, 1922 – November 12, 2018) was an American comic book author, writer, editor, publisher, and producer. He rose through the ranks of a family-run business called Timely Comics which later bec ...

and

Don Heck Donald L. HeckDonald L. Heck
at the Social Security Death Index. Retrieved on Septem ...

in ''

The Avengers Avenger(s) or The Avenger(s) may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Marvel Comics universe * Avengers (comics), a team of superheroes **Avengers (Marvel Cinematic Universe), a central team of protagonist superheroes of "The Infinity Sag ...

'' #32 (September 1966). His "Black Goliath" persona was created by

Tony Isabella Jenny Blake Isabella (born December 22, 1951), who writes under the names Tony Isabella and Jenny Blake, is an Americans, American comic book writer, editor, actor, artist and critic. She is the creator of Marvel Comics superhero Bill Foster (com ...

and

George Tuska George Tuska (; April 26, 1916 – October 16, 2009),George Tuska
at the Luke Cage, Power Man'' #24 (April 1975). Foster became the second Giant-Man in ''

Marvel Two-in-One ''Marvel Two-in-One'' is an American comic book series published by Marvel Comics featuring Fantastic Four member the Thing in a different team-up each issue. Publication history Original series The concept of teaming the Thing with a differen ...

'' #55 (September 1979). He became yet the fourth Goliath in '' The Thing'' (vol. 2) #1 (January 2006). He starred in the five-issue series ''Black Goliath'' in 1976. Bill Foster has appeared in the pages of various comic books, including ''The Avengers'', ''Power Man'', ''

'', ''

The Champions ''The Champions'' is a British espionage thriller/science fiction/occult detective fiction adventure television series. It was produced by Lew Grade's ITC Entertainment production company, and consists of 30 episodes broadcast in the UK on ...

'', '' The Defenders'', ''Marvel Super-Heroes (vol. 3)'', ''

Marvel Comics Presents ''Marvel Comics Presents'' is an American comic book anthology title that was published in three series by Marvel Comics: from 1988 to 1995; 2007 to 2008; and in 2019. Volume 1 The first volume was released on a bi-weekly basis and lasted for ...

'', and ''

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

''. The character was killed by Ragnarok in the fourth issue of the series ''

''.

Fictional character biography

Origin

Bill Foster was born in

Watts, Los Angeles, California Watts is a neighborhood in southern Los Angeles, California. It is located within the South Los Angeles region, bordering the cities of Lynwood, California, Lynwood, Huntington Park and South Gate, California, South Gate to the east and southeast ...

. After earning a Ph.D. in

biochemistry Biochemistry, or biological chemistry, is the study of chemical processes within and relating to living organisms. A sub-discipline of both chemistry and biology, biochemistry may be divided into three fields: structural biology, enzymology, a ...

from the

California Institute of Technology The California Institute of Technology (branded as Caltech) is a private research university in Pasadena, California, United States. The university is responsible for many modern scientific advancements and is among a small group of institutes ...

(Caltech), Dr. Foster worked in the Plans and Research Division for

Tony Stark Iron Man is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Co-created by writer and editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby, the character first appearan ...

Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...

factory. He is hired to be the biochemical laboratory assistant of Dr. Henry "Hank" Pym. At a time when the original Giant-Man was stuck at the height of , Dr. Foster helps at Stark's behest to find a cure to revert Pym's size back to normal. Foster continues to work as Pym's lab assistant. Foster later investigates the apparent deaths of Pym and

Janet van Dyne The Wasp (Janet van Dyne) is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee, Ernie Hart, and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in ''Tales to Astonish'' #44 (June 1963). Janet van Dyne is usu ...

Black Goliath

Dr. Foster moves to the West Coast and acquires the formula to "Pym particles" which give him the ability to grow in size like his former employer. Taking the name "Black Goliath", he helps

Power Man Power Man may refer to: * Luke Cage, a Marvel Comics superhero, originally called Power Man * Erik Josten, a Marvel supervillain later known as Smuggler, Goliath and Atlas * Victor Alvarez, the current Power Man introduced in the mini-series ''Sh ...

fight the

Circus of Crime The comic book stories published by Marvel Comics since the 1940s have featured several fictional teams and organizations and this page lists them. 0–9 198 A A-Force A-Next A.I. Army The A.I. Army is a fictional organization appearing i ...

. He later battles the original Atom-Smasher, the second Vulcan, and

Stilt-Man S'Byll S'Byll (sometimes spelled S'byll) is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. S'Byll is a Skrull that was raised on the planet Satriani. She was responsible for curing Super-Skrull of his disease. Si ...

. The mercenary Warhawk kills Atom-Smasher and flees before Black Goliath can catch him.''Black Goliath'' #1–5 (February–November 1976). Black Goliath later assists the Champions of Los Angeles in battling Stilt-Man, then joins the group part-time as their technical advisor. Alongside Ben Grimm, Black Goliath battles the Hijacker. After the Champions disband, Black Goliath and a large group of other heroes attend a

Defenders Defender(s) or The Defender(s) may refer to: * Defense (military) * Defense (sports) ** Defender (association football) Arts and entertainment Film, television, and theatre Film * ''The Defender'' (1989 film), a Canadian documentary * ''The D ...

membership rally; this incarnation of Defenders battles a number of assembled superhuman criminals for only one mission before disbanding.

Giant-Man

The Project: Pegasus Saga

Dr. Bill Foster later joins the staff of Project Pegasus, the US government's semi-secret energy research facility, as a biochemical researcher. While there, he reveals his Black Goliath identity to the

Thing Thing or The Thing may refer to: Philosophy * An object * Broadly, an entity * Thing-in-itself (or ''noumenon''), the reality that underlies perceptions, a term coined by Immanuel Kant * Thing theory, a branch of critical theory that focuses ...

working (at the time) in security for Project: Pegasus. In the process of answering an emergency alarm, Foster decides to change his alias to the name "Giant-Man" at Ben Grimm's suggestion. Alongside the Thing,

Quasar A quasar ( ) is an extremely Luminosity, luminous active galactic nucleus (AGN). It is sometimes known as a quasi-stellar object, abbreviated QSO. The emission from an AGN is powered by accretion onto a supermassive black hole with a mass rangi ...

, and the Aquarian, Giant-Man defends Project: Pegasus against

Nuklo Nuklo (Robert Frank, Jr.) is a fictional character, a mutant appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He is the son of two characters featured in the Golden Age of Comic Books, the Whizzer and Miss America. Publication histo ...

, the

Grapplers Grappling is a fighting technique based on throws, trips, sweeps, clinch fighting, ground fighting and submission holds. Grappling contests often involve takedowns and ground control, and may end when a contestant concedes defeat. Should ...

Klaw KLAW (101.3 FM broadcasting, FM) is a radio station airing a country music radio format, format licensed to Lawton, Oklahoma. The station serves the areas of Lawton; Duncan, Oklahoma; Burkburnett, Texas; and Frederick, Oklahoma, and is license ...

Solarr Solarr (Silas King) is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Steve Englehart and artist Sal Buscema, the character first appeared in ''Captain America'' #160 (April 1973). He belongs to the subs ...

, and the

Nth Man Nth Man is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Publication history Thomas Lightner first appeared as Blacksun in ''Marvel Two-in-One'' #21-23 (November 1976-January 1977), and was created by Bil ...

. After working at Project: Pegasus for a short time, Foster reveals that he is dying from radiation poisoning he contracted in his earlier fight with Atom-Smasher. Alongside the Thing and Iceman, he battles the Circus of Crime again. Alongside the Thing and

Captain America Captain America is a superhero created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby who appears in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in '' Captain America Comics'' #1, published on December 20, 1940, by Timely C ...

, he battles

MODOK MODOK (; also written as M.O.D.O.K.; an acronym for Mental/Mobile/Mechanized Organism Designed Only for Killing) is a Character (arts), fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee and Ja ...

and A.I.M. Alongside the Thing and

Spider-Woman Spider-Woman is the code name of several fictional characters in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The first major version is Jessica Drew (and later impersonated by Veranke), the second major version is Julia Carpenter, and the third m ...

, Giant-Man battles the second Atom-Smasher. Foster's radiation poisoning takes a turn for the worse and he lies on his death bed. As Spider-Woman is immune to radiation at the time, Foster is given a blood transfusion from Spider-Woman. The process cures his radiation poisoning, but ends Spider-Woman's radiation immunity, and removes Giant-Man's powers as well.

Evolutionary War

Bill Foster is next seen during the Evolutionary War. He is a scientist working for the

High Evolutionary The High Evolutionary (Herbert Edgar Wyndham) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He is depicted as a scientist who seeks to evolve different life forms such as the New Men. The High Evolutionary ...

at his base in the

Savage Land The Savage Land is a fictional prehistoric land that features in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. It is a tropical preserve, hidden in Antarctica. It has appeared in many story arcs in '' Uncanny X-Men'' as well as other relate ...

.''The West Coast Avengers'' (vol. 2) Annual #3. Marvel Comics. After discovering the High Evolutionary's plans for a genetic bomb, Foster sends a distress message to the

West Coast Avengers The West Coast Avengers is a fictional group of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The team first appeared in ''The West Coast Avengers'' #1 (Sept. 1984), created by Roger Stern and Bob Hall (comics), Bob Ha ...

Mockingbird Mockingbirds are a group of New World passerine birds from the family (biology), family Mimidae. They are best known for the habit of some species Mimicry, mimicking the songs of other birds and the sounds of insects and amphibians, often loudly ...

Tigra Tigra (Greer Grant Nelson) is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Roy Thomas and artist Wally Wood (Marie Severin was then brought in to help layout the art), with her early adventur ...

, and

Moon Knight Moon Knight is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Doug Moench and artist Don Perlin, the character first appeared in ''Werewolf by Night'' #32 (August 1975). The son of a rabbi, Marc S ...

are the only Avengers to answer his summons and join him in destroying the base. Foster reveals that he had been suffering from cancer since his last appearance. He retakes an improved growth serum, which adds clean (cancer-free) mass to his body, so he remains at giant-size until he can receive further treatment. This was the last mention of Foster's cancer. Giant-Man later defeats

Doctor Nemesis Doctor Nemesis is the name of two fictional characters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics and Ace Magazines. The first is James Bradley, a superhero and associate of the X-Men, while the second is Michael Stockton, a supe ...

and

Erik Josten Erik Josten, also known as Power Man, Smuggler, Goliath (Marvel Comics), Goliath and Atlas, is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character has been a prominent member of both the Masters of E ...

in their scheme.

Abandoning the hero role

Bill Foster soon gives up the Giant-Man identity to which Hank Pym subsequently takes back for himself. Not too long after that, Josten's ionic powers are disrupted in a battle against the

. This causes an energy disruption which allows a race of extra-dimensional creatures, the Kosmosians, to attack Earth. Although the creatures are ultimately repelled, the energy disruption and effects on the Pym Particles affect all that have ever been exposed to them, except Pym himself, causing them to lose control of their growth and/or shrinking powers. During this storyline, it was shown how Foster and Pym were trying to use Pym Particles to end world hunger. After losing his powers, Dr. Foster joins the

Centers for Disease Control The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is the national public health agency of the United States. It is a United States federal agency under the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and is headquartered in Atlanta, ...

's staff. In this capacity, he helps the Avengers deal with a bio-weapon released near

Mount Rushmore The Mount Rushmore National Memorial is a National Memorial (United States), national memorial centered on a colossal sculpture carved into the granite face of Mount Rushmore (, or Six Grandfathers) in the Black Hills near Keystone, South Dak ...

Final return

Bill Foster somehow regained his powers. Under his Black Goliath identity, he appears very briefly as part of an ad-hoc team of "urban" superheroes (

Luke Cage Lucas "Luke" Cage, born Carl Lucas and also known as Power Man, is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Archie Goodwin, George Tuska, Roy Thomas, and John Romita Sr. in 1972, he was the first Af ...

, Iron Fist,

Brother Voodoo Dr. Jericho Drumm is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He first appeared in '' Strange Tales'' #169 (September 1973) as Brother Voodoo. The character was created by Marvel publisher Stan Lee, write ...

and the

Falcon Falcons () are birds of prey in the genus ''Falco'', which includes about 40 species. Some small species of falcons with long, narrow wings are called hobbies, and some that hover while hunting are called kestrels. Falcons are widely distrib ...

). Foster dons the Goliath identity without the "black" in the name and along with a new costume to first help the Thing deal with a supervillain (along with hitting up for a research grant), then helps

Spider-Man Spider-Man is a superhero in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, he first appearance, first appeared in the anthology comic book ''Amazing Fantasy'' #15 (August 1962) in ...

track down the

Hulk The Hulk is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in the debut issue of ''The Incredible Hulk (comic book), The Incredible Hulk ...

in order for Bruce Banner to possibly deal with Spider-Man's cellular degeneration.

''Civil War''

When the

breaks out, Bill Foster as Goliath is seen as a member of Captain America's anti-registration Secret Avengers, adopting the alias Rockwell Dodsworth. He subsequently appears briefly amongst the cavalcade of other super-heroes attending the

Black Panther A black panther is the Melanism, melanistic colour variant of the leopard (''Panthera pardus'') and the jaguar (''Panthera onca''). Black panthers of both species have excess black pigments, but their typical Rosette (zoology), rosettes are al ...

's and

Storm A storm is any disturbed state of the natural environment or the atmosphere of an astronomical body. It may be marked by significant disruptions to normal conditions such as strong wind, tornadoes, hail, thunder and lightning (a thunderstor ...

's wedding. Foster is killed by a clone of

Thor Thor (from ) is a prominent list of thunder gods, god in Germanic paganism. In Norse mythology, he is a hammer-wielding æsir, god associated with lightning, thunder, storms, sacred trees and groves in Germanic paganism and mythology, sacred g ...

during a battle between the Secret Avengers and

Iron Man Iron Man is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Co-created by writer and editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby, the character first appearan ...

's pro-registration forces. Foster is buried as a giant, with Iron Man paying for the thirty-eight burial plots required to accommodate his body. His death affected the war's balance of forces, leading several characters to switch sides, such as Spider-Man defecting to Captain America's side.

Legacy

Bill's nephew,

M.I.T. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Established in 1861, MIT has played a significant role in the development of many areas of modern technology and sci ...

student Tom Foster, informs the Black Panther of intending to follow in his uncle's footsteps by cracking the Pym Particle formula and being a hero. Tom later publicly denounced Reed Richards and Iron Man because of his uncle's death. Afterwards, Tom recreates and drinks his uncle's formula. During the " Dark Reign" storyline,

Norman Osborn Norman Virgil Osborn is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, he first appeared in ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' #14 (July 1964) as the first and best-known incarnation of th ...

dug up Foster's grave and removed his clavicle, hoping to use the Pym particle residue to track down Hank Pym's

Mighty Avengers ''The Mighty Avengers'' is a comic book series that was published by Marvel Comics. Originally written by Brian Michael Bendis, also the writer of ''New Avengers'', the title first featured an officially sanctioned Avengers team of registered s ...

. Foster's clavicle is later broken in half by Osborn in a fit of rage after hearing Pym's team being declared "the real Avengers" on national television. When

Hercules Hercules (, ) is the Roman equivalent of the Greek divine hero Heracles, son of Jupiter and the mortal Alcmena. In classical mythology, Hercules is famous for his strength and for his numerous far-ranging adventures. The Romans adapted the Gr ...

ventures into the

Underworld The underworld, also known as the netherworld or hell, is the supernatural world of the dead in various religious traditions and myths, located below the world of the living. Chthonic is the technical adjective for things of the underworld. ...

, Bill Foster is one of numerous deceased characters seen in Erebus: the place in between life and death where those who feel they still have business in the mortal world gamble and linger for their resurrection. It is later revealed that Foster had worked with Hank on a virtual reality program where one could upload their consciousness and live on after death prior to his own death. The grieving Pym uploaded Foster's mind into the program, in effect creating a virtual Utopia for his comrade. A.I.M. later attempt to hijack the program, but Pym was able to defeat them with

Eric O'Grady Eric O'Grady is the name of two fictional characters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The first is an immoral Irish human superhero who is the third character to use the Ant-Man name, created by writer Robert Kirkman ...

's help. During the adventure's course, O'Grady (disguised as Pym in the virtual world) converses briefly with Foster who says to stop pushing loved ones away.

Powers and abilities

Bill Foster's superpowers are a result of his biochemical formula containing Pym particles that he ingested. He has the ability to increase his size into gigantic levels by psionically drawing

mass Mass is an Intrinsic and extrinsic properties, intrinsic property of a physical body, body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the physical quantity, quantity of matter in a body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physi ...

from an extra-dimensional source, while gaining immense strength and durability in this height. The extra mass returns to its source as he decreases in size. The process of height alteration is fatiguing, making Foster more vulnerable to harm, after successive changes. Foster was capable of routinely growing to in height and could lift approximately five tons at that size. After regaining his powers during the " Evolutionary War", it does not provide precise quantification, but he can now grow to tall. Bill Foster possesses a gifted intellect with an extensive knowledge of

Other versions

Ant-Man Season One

A younger version of Foster appears in the ''Ant-Man: Season One''

graphic novel A graphic novel is a self-contained, book-length form of sequential art. The term ''graphic novel'' is often applied broadly, including fiction, non-fiction, and Anthology, anthologized work, though this practice is highly contested by comics sc ...

. He is portrayed as the lab assistant of the young Hank Pym, and helps him in his crusade against

Egghead In U.S. English slang, egghead is an epithet used to refer to intellectuals or people considered out-of-touch with ordinary people and lacking in realism, common sense, sexual interests, etc. on account of their intellectual interests. A similar ...

Contest of Champions

The 2015 ''Contest of Champions'' series featured an unidentified alternate reality's version of Civil War that had everything go in Tony Stark's favor. He used the Reality Infinity Gem to undo the death of Goliath at the hands of Ragnarok.

Marvel Zombies

A zombified Black Goliath attacks the fortress of

Doctor Doom Doctor Doom is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in '' The Fantastic Four'' #5 in April 1962, and has since endured as the arch ...

known as "Doomshadt" in '' Marvel Zombies vs. The Army of Darkness'' #4. He is repelled by Doom's forces as he is impaled by several large missiles and killed when they explode while still within him. Another version of a different zombified Black Goliath appears in an alternate universe in '' Marvel Zombies Return''. He had been decapitated and his still 'living' zombie head is used as part of a makeshift computer to allow the zombified

to create dimensional travel.

MC2

In the MC2 universe, in the pages of ''

A-Next A-Next is a team of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. It is the Marvel Comics 2 universe version of the Avengers. The team made its first appearance in '' What If?'' #105, the first comic featuring Spider ...

'', Bill Foster is seen within the series as his son John Foster becomes the new

Earth Sentry Earth Lord Earth Sentry Earth Sentry (John Foster) was created by Tom DeFalco and Ron Frenz, and first appeared in ''A-Next'' #2 (1999) in the MC2 universe. When John and his father Bill were investigating a UFO crash site, they discovered ...

Spidey Super Stories

An alternate version of Bill Foster appeared in '' Spidey Super Stories'' as Giant-Man. In the story, it was explained that Foster was originally the young lab assistant of Hank Pym, and became the second Giant-Man after he retired.

What If?

In '' What If Civil War Ended Differently?'', Bill Foster is featured in both stories. In "What If Captain America Led All the Heroes Against the Registration Act", Bill Foster appears on Captain America's side. In "What If Iron Man Lost the Civil War", Bill Foster is among the heroes on both sides that fight an out-of-control Ragnarok. When Ragnarok is about to use a lightning attack on Bill Foster, Iron Man threw himself in front of the attack.

In other media

Marvel Cinematic Universe

Bill Foster appears in media set in the

(MCU), primarily portrayed by

, while his son

Langston Langston is a name of English origin. People with the name include: People with the given name *Langston Galloway (born 1991), American basketball player * Langston Hall (born 1991), American basketball player *Langston Hughes (1902–1967), Afr ...

portrays him in flashbacks. This version is a former member of

S.H.I.E.L.D. S.H.I.E.L.D. is a fictional espionage, special law enforcement, and counter-terrorism government agency appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, this agency first appeared in ''Strange Tal ...

's assistant on "Project Goliath", and Ava Starr's surrogate father after Elihas Starr's death. * Introduced in the live-action film ''

'', Foster teaches quantum physics at

UC Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California), is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California, United States. Founded in 1868 and named after the Anglo-Irish philosopher George Berkele ...

when he encounters Pym,

Scott Lang Ant-Man (Scott Edward Harris Lang) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by David Michelinie, Bob Layton and John Byrne, Scott Lang first appeared in '' The Avengers'' #181 (March 1979) ...

, and

Hope van Dyne Hope van Dyne (née Pym) is a fictional character portrayed primarily by Evangeline Lilly in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) film franchise, loosely based on the Marvel Comics character Hope Pym. Portrayed as the daughter of Hank Pym (Marve ...

. After Ava captures them, Foster explains his intent to cure Ava of her quantum instability by obtaining energy from the

Quantum Realm The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) media franchise features many fictional elements, including locations, weapons, and artifacts. Many are based on elements that originally appeared in the American comic books published by Marvel Comics, w ...

. After Pym, Lang, and Hope escape, Foster and Ava steal Pym's lab, but their former captives retake it. After

stabilizes Ava, Foster goes on the run with the latter. * Alternate reality variants of Foster who became Goliath appears in the

Disney+ The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...

animated series '' What If...?'', voiced by Fishburne.

Television

Bill Foster appears in the ''

Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur ''Marvel's Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur'' (or simply ''Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur'') is an American animated superhero television series developed by Steve Loter, Jeffrey M. Howard, and Kate Kondell for Disney Channel. Based on '' Moon Girl A ...

'' episode "Devil on Her Shoulder", voiced again by Laurence Fishburne.

Video games

* Bill Foster as Goliath appears as a boss in '' Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2'', voiced by Emerson Brooks. This version supports Captain America in opposing the

Superhuman Registration Act Superhero fiction is a subgenre of speculative fiction examining the adventures, personalities and ethics of costumed crime fighters known as superheroes, who often possess superhuman powers and battle similarly powered criminals known as super ...

. * Bill Foster as Goliath appears as a playable character in ''

Marvel Super Hero Squad Online ''Marvel Super Hero Squad Online'' was a massively multiplayer free-to-play online game for younger audiences based on the '' Marvel Super Hero Squad'', developed by American video game companies the Amazing Society and Gazillion Entertainmen ...

''. * Bill Foster as Black Goliath appears as a playable character in ''

Lego Marvel's Avengers ''Lego Marvel's Avengers'' is a Lego-themed action-adventure video game developed by Traveller's Tales and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, for the Nintendo 3DS, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Wii U, Windows, ...

'', voiced by James C. Mathis III.

Miscellaneous

Bill Foster appears in '' The Avengers: United They Stand'' #1. This version was

Henry Pym Dr. Henry Jonathan Pym is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by penciller Jack Kirby, editor-plotter Stan Lee and writer Larry Lieber, Pym debuted in ''Tales to Astonish'' #27 (January 1962). He r ...

's lab assistant.''Avengers: United They Stand'' #1

References

External links

Goliath
at Marvel.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Foster, Bill African-American superheroes Characters created by Don Heck Characters created by George Tuska Characters created by Stan Lee Characters created by Jenny Blake Isabella Comics characters introduced in 1966 Fictional biochemists Fictional characters from Los Angeles Fictional characters who can change size Marvel Comics American superheroes Marvel Comics characters with superhuman durability or invulnerability Marvel Comics characters with superhuman strength Marvel Comics male characters Marvel Comics male superheroes Marvel Comics mutates Marvel Comics scientists Marvel Comics superheroes Marvel Comics titles