Black Vulcan: Difference between revisions

Black Vulcan
Black Vulcan as he appeared in Hanna-Barbera's Super Friends TV series in the 1970s & '80s
Publication information
Publisher	DC Comics
In-story information
Team affiliations	Super Friends
Abilities	Electricity manipulation

Black Vulcan is a fictional superhero on the animated series Super Friends created by Hanna-Barbera. He was voiced by Buster Jones.

Fictional character biography

Unlike most of the Super Friends, Black Vulcan was not a pre-existing DC Comics character. This is particularly notable since DC Comics' roster did include an African American superhero with electricity-based powers, Black Lightning, who could not be used on the show due to disputes between DC and Black Lightning's creator Tony Isabella.

Black Vulcan appeared in the All-New Super Friends Hour cartoon series.

His powers include the ability to emit electricity from his hands, as well as fly by charging his lower body with energy.

On a few occasions, he exhibited powers he had not shown before, such as the ability to assume a form of pure energy and travel at the speed of light (in an unsuccessful attempt to escape a black hole, which, according to theory, is a feat not even light is able to accomplish once it has passed inside the event horizon). He was even able to travel back in time by fluctuating his body's energy in such a way that it opened a rift in space-time. Finally, Black Vulcan is able to spot-weld microelectronics.

In the final incarnation of the series, The Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians, he was replaced with Cyborg, another black superhero that was already well established in the DC Comics lineup and possessed a more developed personality.

In other media

Television

• Black Vulcan has made several appearances on the show Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law voiced by Phil LaMarr. He debuted in the season one episode, "Very Personal Injury" where he was present at the trial where Apache Chief is suing a coffee shop for some coffee spilling on his lap. In the episode, he describes his power as "Pure electricity…in my pants". This becomes a running gag: whenever someone makes a double entendre, he will often appear to utter some variation on "...in my pants." It is said that he used to go by the name of Super Volt before Aquaman suggested his present name, which Black Vulcan believes is due to racism. Black Vulcan responds that maybe they should just call Aquaman "White Fish". At the end of the episode, Black Vulcan and Apache Chief form the Multicultural Pals with other international superheroes and Jesse Jackson. In "Peanut Puberty, Black Vulcan gives advice to the character Peanut as he goes through superhero puberty and acquires his powers. In the episode "Booty Noir" he has a menage a trois with his ex-girlfriend Norlissa and Reducto.

• In the first episode of the series Static Shock, one of the outfits Virgil tries on when he's picking out his superhero costume is a copy of Black Vulcan's with pants. Richie rejects it, saying the outfit makes him look like a battery commercial.

• In Justice League Unlimited, the character Juice (voiced by an uncredited CCH Pounder) is based on Black Vulcan and is a member of the Ultimen. He has the ability to emit electricity from his body, which he can use to create small electric bursts or even fly by charging his lower body with energy. He can even assume an electric form which he can use to travel quickly and discreetly. Undoubtedly the most softspoken member of the Ultimen, Juice rarely speaks, but when he does his voice sounds raspy and broken up, like a low-quality speaker or radio. After discovering their true origins and short life expectancies from Maxwell Lord, Juice shocked Maxwell Lord when he offered to help the Ultimen. The Ultimen battled the Justice League in a desperate plan by Wind Dragon. Juice battled Batman and was defeated when Batman knocked him into some water pipes that shorted out his power supply. Juice is now locked up like most of the other Ultimen, with their bodies still deteriorating. An army of Ultimen clones were later created by Project Cadmus in an attempt to finish off the Justice League once and for all. They were eventually defeated.

The Black Vulcan outfit can be seen in the background for the teaser trailer for Black Lightning's upcoming DC Nation Shorts based on Thunder and Lightning. This would retcon the two characters as being one in the same.

Toys

Black Vulcan has been released in a Justice League Unlimited three-pack, accompanied by his Super Friends teammates Apache Chief and Samurai. A 6" Black Vulcan action figure was released in Mattel's DC Universe Classics Wave 18, which was primarily dedicated to Super Friends characters.

Comics

Noted comic book artist and self-professed Super Friends fan Alex Ross intended to create a modernized version of Black Vulcan for his rejected Captain Marvel series. The title would have had the character reimagined as Vulcan, an African American child who could become an adult superhero after accidentally gaining some of the powers of the wizard Shazam.

Black Vulcan made a cameo appearance in the DC One Million 80-Page Giant special as part of one of the many alternate Justice Leagues that accidentally ended up in the headquarters of the Justice Legion Alpha.