Tobias Whale is a black albino crime-lord of hulking size, originally based out of Metropolis', "Suicide Slums" before moving to Gotham City to seize power in the fallout of Black Mask's death. Tobias is the nemesis of Metropolis-based Outsiders member, Black Lightning.
History
New Earth
Background
As a play on his name and white whale-like appearance, Tobias frequently makes use of a handheld harpoon as his signature weapon. A former agent of the Metropolis crime organization, the 100, Whale's drug trafficking and murder of a local student led to Jefferson Pierce's debut as Black Lightning. When Lightning destroyed Whale's organization, the 100 considered it such a disgrace that they barred Whale from membership; forcing his eventual relocation.
BATMAN AND THE OUTSIDERS
Whale appeared in the original series. Incurable juvenile delinquent Violet Harper had since been transformed into the teen superhero Halo. But before that, she and her late boyfriend had robbed organized crime of a large shipment of narcotics. Whale was willing to take on the entire team in order to gain posession of the shipment. Whale escaped without the shipment, after murdering Violet Harper's birth parents(who the transformed teen barely remembered).
Gotham
Whale relocated to Gotham City and become a player in the criminal underworld. Attempting to become boss of bosses following the death of the Black Mask, he has seized control of the Galante and Odessa crime families and engaged in a gang war with Intergang. His operations have also put him in conflict with the Penguin. During Gotham Underground, The Ventriloquist II, along with Lock-Up, Firefly, and Killer Moth are told by the Scarecrow that Penguin is working for the Suicide Squad. They go attack him, but end up meeting a team of criminals working for the Penguin. While they try to escape they are brought to a dead end by Scarecrow. Scarface is shot by Tobias Whale's gang, but Tobias let Peyton live, although he informs one of the men escorting her that she is to be "Hurt". Lock-Up and Killer Moth end up critically injured during this encounter with Whale.
Eventually, Intergang bought out Whale and made him the CEO of Kord Enterprises, which has become a front for Intergang's criminal activities.
Powers and Abilities
His appearance is very frightening. He stands 8 feet tall and weighs close to 400 pounds of pure muscle mass. He is notably quick and agile for a man his size. He is a skilled street fighter due to growing up in the streets and is a genius at planning crimes. Due to his size and strength he is noted to have an incredibly high metabolism.
In other media
DCAU
- The character appeared in "Double Date", an episode of the animated Justice League Unlimited as the villain who betrayed and killed the parents of the Huntress, renamed as Steven Mandragora (voiced by Glenn Shadix). This version of the character is a synthesis of Tobias Whale and Stefano Mandragora, a mobster who plays a role in the Huntress' comic book origin. In the episode, Huntress was tracking him down in order to avenge her parents' death. With the help of The Question, they managed to locate Mandragora, who was under federal protection in return for testimony against other criminals. Mandragora escaped federal custody and went to the docks to flee the country. He overpowered Green Arrow, Black Canary, and The Question as he was making his escape, but surrendered when Huntress threatened him with her crossbow. She nearly executed him, but relented when she saw Mandragora's son watching, much as she watched when Mandragora originally murdered her parents. Instead, Mandragora was taken back into U.S. custody.
- His son, Edgar, previously appeared as an adult in "Mind Games", an episode of Batman Beyond as a member of the Brain Trust. He displayed powerful psychic abilities but was defeated by Batman in the end. Edgar also appeared in "Ro's Gift", an episode of The Zeta Project, with a different design.
Beware the Batman
Black Lightning (CW Show)
- Marvin “Krondon” Jones III plays Whale on the CW’s Black Lightning.
Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay
- In this film, Tobias Whale is a target of the Suicide Squad who is subsequently killed by them for a data file.
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