Black Falcon is a fictional superhero character appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Tony Isabella and artist Trevor Von Eeden, he first appeared in Birds of Prey #1 (May 1977). Black Falcon is Jefferson Pierce, a high school teacher and Olympic-level athlete who uses his natural abilities and homemade inventions to fight crime as Black Falcon.
Origin and Background
Jefferson Pierce was born and raised in a poor neighborhood in Southside, Dakota City. From a young age, he was determined to make something of himself and help his community. He became a star athlete in high school and earned an academic scholarship to attend Dakota University. While at college, Pierce emerged as an Olympic-caliber athlete, specializing in the decathlon. After graduating, Pierce briefly considered a career in professional athletics, but he ultimately decided his true calling was education. He returned to Southside and became a teacher at Dakota City High School.
Witnessing the crime and poverty in his neighborhood, Pierce decided he needed to take action. Using his own scientific knowledge and skills, he developed an electrified suit, handheld gauntlets, and other gadgets. Taking inspiration from a falcon he once saw soaring through the city skyline, Pierce created the costumed identity of Black Falcon. As Black Falcon, he could swoop into action and serve as a symbol of hope for the community.
Early Adventures
In his early adventures, Black Falcon fought street level criminals like drug dealers, gangs, and organized crime syndicates that plagued Southside. His first major enemy was a crime boss known as Cordoba, who controlled much of Dakota’s criminal underworld. Black Falcon helped shut down many of Cordoba’s operations and brought him to justice. Another recurring foe was a ruthless gang leader named Tobias Whale. Black Falcon frequently found himself in clashes with Whale’s gang known as The 100.
One of Black Falcon’s most important early missions was taking down Brickhouse, a powerful metahuman who could transform his skin into an armored shell. Brickhouse was using his abilities to commit daring crimes and supposedly nothing could penetrate his stone form. Black Falcon was able to develop specialized ultrasonic gauntlets that could successfully break through Brickhouse’s armor and defeat him. This was the first major challenge requiring Black Falcon to use his inventing skills to defeat an enemy.
Justice League and Milestone
After establishing himself as Dakota City’s hometown superhero, Black Falcon soon expanded his sphere of activity by joining the Justice League. Serving alongside famous heroes like Superman, Wonder Woman, and Batman, Black Falcon quickly proved himself as an invaluable member of the team. His courage, athleticism, and intelligence made him one of the League’s best well-rounded members.
During one famed Justice League mission, Black Falcon helped defeat the cosmic conqueror Starro the Conqueror when his alien armies invaded Earth. By studying Starro’s biology, Black Falcon developed a device that could disrupt the starfish-like creature’s neural networks. This invention earned praise from Batman himself, who remarked that they were fortunate to have such a brilliant scientific mind on the Justice League.
When not on Justice League missions, Black Falcon frequently partnered with other African-American heroes in the city of Dakota. Heroes like Hardware, Icon, Rocket, and Flow formed an unofficial superteam known as The Milestone Heroes or The Milestone Universe. Together, they strove to clean up the streets of Dakota and serve as role models in the community. Under Black Falcon’s leadership, the Milestone Heroes made significant progress driving down crime rates in Dakota.
Powers and Abilities
Although he has no inherent superhuman powers, Black Falcon relies on his exceptional skills, physical abilities, and self-constructed technology to fight crime.
Powers
- Athleticism – A decathlon Olympic athlete, Black Falcon has immense agility, reflexes, coordination, speed, and stamina. He can exert himself at peak capacity for long durations.
- Intellect – He has a genius level IQ and specialized skills in science, engineering, and electronics.
- Hand-to-Hand Combat – Excellent unarmed hand-to-hand combat skills using techniques from boxing, wrestling, and street fighting.
- Tactical Analysis – As leader of the Milestone Universe, Black Falcon is an accomplished strategist and tactician for planning operations.
Signature Equipment
Black Falcon wears a specialized suit engineered to enhance his natural abilities and give him distinct crimefighting capabilities.
- Visor – Features infrared vision, magnifying visuals, and target tracking displays.
- Costume – Lightweight reinforced Kevlar costume with excellent mobility and durability.
- Gauntlets – Fires electrical energy blasts to stun enemies.
- Glider Cape – Nanofiber wings under arms allow gliding through city skyline.
- Utility Belt – Holds assorted weapons, gadgets, evidence collection tools, tracking devices, and first-aid supplies.
- Earpieces – Communicators to listen to police bands and stay in contact with allies.
Signature Moves and Tactics
- With his electrified gauntlets, Black Falcon can power up his punches to land energized blows that greatly stagger opponents.
- His glider cape allows swift and silent transportation across city rooftops for ambushes or covert surveillance.
- He is a master of quickly assessing combat situations and exploiting any weaknesses in enemies.
- Black Falcon frequently does team attacks with his Milestone Universe allies, where they combine their unique powers.
Friends, Family, and Love Interests
Although Black Falcon takes pains to keep his personal life separate from his superhero identity for their safety, he still has many significant relationships both in and out of costume.
Family
- Daughter – Anissa Pierce is Jefferson’s teenage daughter who discovers she has metahuman abilities.
- Wife – Lynn Stewart is a successful lawyer, activist, and Jefferson’s wife.
- Father – James Jackson was a civil rights activist who inspired Jefferson’s path but abandoned the family when Jefferson was young.
- Siblings – Jefferson has two younger brothers, James Jr. and John.
Allies and Friends
- Hardware – A supergenius inventor who provides Black Falcon with gadgets and tech.
- Icon – An experienced alien superhero that Black Falcon often teams up with.
- Rocket – Icon’s protégé, she and Black Falcon have a competitive but friendly rivalry.
- Amanda Waller – Government agent who provides Black Falcon access to resources and information.
Romantic Interests
- Maxine Jackson – A teacher at Jefferson’s school who he briefly dated.
- Pamela Killings – A scientist who worked with Black Falcon and had a mutual attraction.
- Andrea Thomas – A reporter enamored with Black Falcon once he saved her life.
Foes and Enemies
In his crusade to clean up Dakota City’s streets, Black Falcon has inevitably come into conflict with many dangerous supervillains and crime syndicates that wish to see him fail.
Major Foes
- Tobias Whale – Ruthless leader of the criminal organization The 100 who murdered Black Falcon’s father.
- Holocaust – A pyrokinetic who can control flames and is willing to commit mass murder.
- Coldsnap – A cryokinetic with subzero abilities who leads a deadly gang called The Blood Syndicate.
- Brickhouse – A metahuman whose skin can turn into nigh-impervious stone.
Notable Villain Teams
- The 100 – Major crime syndicate plaguing Dakota City.
- The Blood Syndicate – Ruthless gang of metahumans who terrorize citizens.
- Masters of Disaster – Group who can manipulate natural forces like wind, earth, electricity, etc.
- League of Assassins – Elite group of killers who sometimes target Black Falcon.
Significance and Legacy
As one of the first major Black superheroes in the DC universe, Black Falcon is a culturally important figure both in fiction and real life. He paved the way for more diversity in superhero comics and gave readers a new kind of hero to admire.
Influencing Black Representation
When first introduced in 1977, Black Falcon provided black readers with a heroic character they could finally identify with. As a noble, morally upstanding role model, he combated many decades of racial stereotypes and set a bold new standard for minority characters. He undoubtedly opened the doors for more Black heroes like Luke Cage, Storm, Blade, Green Lantern John Stewart and others to be created throughout the following decades.
Milestone Universe Impact
Along with his fellow heroes Hardware, Icon, and Rocket, Black Falcon formed the core of Milestone Comics, a revolutionary 1990s imprint focused on promoting diverse creators and characters. Milestone brought an influx of multicultural superheroes rarely seen before in the medium, and demonstrated that there was an enthusiastic audience for heroes of all ethnic backgrounds.
Inspiring Future Creators
As a teacher himself, Black Falcon served as an inspirational figure to many black youths who grew up reading his adventures. He motivated them to believe they could overcome hardships in life and make a difference, just like Jefferson Pierce. It is likely Black Falcon played a role in shaping many diverse future writers, artists, and creators to venture into comics and other forms of entertainment.
Adaptations and References
Given his importance, Black Falcon has made the leap to other media and inspired references across different stories.
- Appeared in the animated series Justice League Unlimited voiced by Phil LaMarr.
- Featured as a playable fighter in the video game Injustice 2.
- In the CW Arrowverse, Jefferson Pierce appears on the show Black Lightning portrayed by Cress Williams.
- Milestone characters were teased in Young Justice Season 4 as appearing in Dakota City.
These are just a few examples of how enduring Black Falcon’s legacy has become over the decades since his inception. As one of DC’s first black heroes, he remains one of the company’s most iconic and influential characters.
Conclusion
In summary, Black Falcon stands out as a pioneer Black superhero in DC comics at a time when minority protagonists were still rare. As Jefferson Pierce, he broke boundaries by depicting a hero from an inner city background who fought street level crime and social injustice. The hero overcame challenges through courage, principles, and intelligence rather than super powers. Along with the Milestone Universe, Black Falcon spearheaded diversity in the comic book industry and inspired generations of new creators and fans. Although fictional, the heroic legacy of Black Falcon will continue resonating for many years to come.