Captain Black Jack is a modern-day pirate and is considered Aquaman's earliest arch-nemesis.
| Captain Black Jack | |
| |
| General Information | |
| Real name: | Unknown |
| First Appearance: | More Fun Comics #74 (December, 1941) |
| Created by: | Mort Weisinger Paul Norris |
| Affiliations: | None |
| Abilities: | Skilled Combat Seamanship Swordsmanship Piracy |
| Portrayed by: | None |
History[]
In his debut appearance, Black Jack and his gang raided a pleasure yacht, stealing the money kept in a safe in the captain's cabin before throwing him overboard. Luckily he was saved by Aquaman, who quickly defeated Black Jack 's gang and returned the stolen money. But while trying to catch the villain, Aquaman was surprised by a gas bomb, knocking him unconscious.
Soon, Aquaman found himself tied up and at the pirates' mercy. Black Jack explained that since all the nations were currently at war, this was an opportunity for him and his men to plunder all manner of merchant ships and persuaded Aquaman to join his crew, to which of course he refused, thus prompting Black Jack's men to weigh him down with scrap iron and make him walk the plank. While Aquaman was freeing himself by cutting his bonds with sharp coral on the sea bed, Black Jack and his men noticed the yacht escaping into the distance and he quickly gave the order to destroy it using a torpedo, but what he didn't count on was Aquaman redirecting it to hit his own vessel. As the ship began to sink, Aquaman resurfaced to face off against the pirates one final time until Black Jack was the only one left, and the two proceeded to brawl until the pirate ship had submerged completely into the sea, taking its captain with it, and Black Jack was presumed dead.
Black Jack's Return[]
Some time later, it was revealed that Black Jack had survived and was now the leader of a tribe on a remote island, coercing its inhabitants to dive for pearls. One of the tribesmen escaped however and ran into Aquaman, after a close encounter with an octopus, and pleaded with him to help free his people, especially the tribesman's fiancé, whom the pirate was keeping captive. During Aquaman's brief tussle with the natives, Black Jack took refuge inside the island's cave temple, taking the tribeswoman with him as prisoner, But Aquaman snuck in through an undersea passage, but not before quickly subduing a shark along the way, taking Black Jack by surprise. After his second-time defeat, Black Jack was exiled from the island and put on a small boat out to sea, swearing vengance on Aquaman.
The Rajah of Joon[]
During his third appearance, Black Jack was already the owner of a gambling ship with a handful of henchmen, under the guise of the "Rajah of Joon". His intentions were to hold the daughter of a Senator for ransom in exchange for shipping rights, therefore permission to smuggle goods. Aquaman, who by then had caught wind of Black Jack's plans, came aboard the ship in disguise and demanded the pirate's goons to tell where the Senator's daughter was being kept, only to be knocked down by Black Jack himself and locked in the boiler room, where the furnace would dry him up, thus weakening him. However, Aquaman used a piece of flaming firewood to burn a hole in the wall and rescue the Senator's daughter being held in an adjacent cabin, setting the ship on fire in the process. As the rest of the passengers fled the burning ship in lifeboats, Black Jack escaped in an inflatable raft just before the ship exploded and sank. In a last-ditch attempt, Black Jack attempted to kill the Senator's daughter so she wouldn't report him to the authorities, only to be once again taken down by Aquaman and brought before the Coast Guard. He was promptly arrested shortly afterwards.
Powers and Abilities[]
- Skilled Combat
- Seamanship
- Swordsmanship
- Piracy
Paraphernalia[]
Weapons[]
- Pistol(s)
- Cutlass
- Gas grenades
Transportation[]
- The Nemesis: An armed cruiser and Black Jack's first vessel.
- The Fortuna: A gambling ship used as a front for smuggling purposes.
- The Jolly Roger: Black Jack's third flagship for a period of time.
- The Jolly Roger II: An armed ship that doubles as a seaplane.
In other media[]
Playable character in Scribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comics Adventure.