Black Shadow (Wild Cards)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Black Shadow is a fictional vigilante from the Wild Cards book series, and was created by Walter Jon Williams. He first appeared in the short story "Strings" in the first Wild Cards anthology, and has played a role in several of the later books of the series.
Black Shadow is an Ace, a victim of the alien Wild Card virus who receives superhuman powers, without visible deformities. He can absorb photons in the form of heat and light, leaving only a cloud-like void of blackness visible, and incapacitating his foes with hypothermia. He can use the absorbed energy to boost his strength and speed to superhuman levels, and can "see" in the dark using thermal imaging. He can also absorb other frequencies of energy such as radar microwaves, but this requires a greater effort. Since most of his body's energy comes from heat absorption, he needs very little food. He can also cling to walls and ceilings, like the comic-book hero Spider-Man.
Shadow demonstrates a significant identity crisis over the course of the book series, and relies on a variety of false names and disguises. These include Shad, the masked and costumed crime-fighter Black Shadow, the voodoo-themed Joker Mister Gravemold, the suave bar-fly Wall-Walker, and various throw-away identities.
