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Ant-Man Vol 1 22
History
No more doubts, no more lies... I'm facing all of this into one, big action, tonight! But you know what? This won't be as just one more in a never-ending string of being a costumed giant. It'll be as my own man!
- — Bill Foster
- — Bill Foster
Early Years
William Barrett Foster was born around the spring of 1966 in the Watts ghetto of Los Angeles, California and spent his childhood there. Growing up, he was able to escape the ghetto due to his natural intelligence and encouragement of those around him. He attended the California Technical Institute, where he met and eventually proposed to his college sweetheart. Unfortunately for both, over time, their relationship soured and the pair separated. A few months later, Bill then enlisted in the military for a few years. Dr. Foster found work as a biochemist in the Plans and Research Division for Stark Industries' Baltimore factory. He was hired to be the lab assistant of Dr. Hank Pym, the first founder of the Giant-Man, and sometimes Pym's fiancée (at the time) Janet van Dyne, the heroine known as the Wasp, when an unstable growing serum trapped Pym at a height of ten feet, a condition that he endured for a couple of days. Dr. Foster finally helped him find a cure to change his size back to normal.
Later on, the two would continuously work, until they eventually both started going their separate ways, where Hank was granted into working at a classified, secret agency organization known as S.H.I.E.L.D., while Bill was granted an offer into working at a subsidiary S.H.I.E.L.D. branch known as Project P.E.G.A.S.U.S., program that serves to keep all objects of mysterious origin or unexplained power that the United States authorities have accumulated over the years, in which every precaution was made to keep the objects safe. Having memorized the formula to "Pym Particles" in his long-time work with Pym, he synthesized it in the hopes of eliminating its harmful side effects. Eventually, when he tested it on himself, he found that it had indeed given him the ability to grow in size like his former employer and that he had successfully duplicated Pym's powers.
Now having to gain the same powers and abilities his former employer and old friend had, Bill decided to keep all the blueprints and formulas related to the Pym Particles in secret, as Pym and Foster had agreed upon before their separation as partners in Pym's laboratory. Despite their secret pact in keeping the particles, Bill revealed his recently-gained shrinking and growing powers and abilities for good, to his good friend and the superior of both Project P.E.G.A.S.U.S. and S.H.I.E.L.D., Nick Fury, although Foster didn't exactly tell him where or how he got those superhuman abilities, since neither did Foster nor Pym trusted Fury at the time.
Superhuman Forces of America
Eventually, this revelation also led to Fury's suspicion to where Foster exactly gained his powers, believing that simply mutation or even experimentation-gone-wrong isn't the true answer to it. As a result of this notion, Fury recruited Bill into Project P.E.G.A.S.U.S.'s classified mission by having him joined its secret tactical superhuman armed forces known as the Reserves, in order to have his chance into having his own office and laboratory investigated while he was away during a special mission, a mission which was to retrieve several objects of mysterious origin or unexplained power from rogue organizations all around the world, such as international terrorists or criminal organizations.
During Foster's mission along with the rest of the Reserves, he was given and provided a enhanced tactical suit by the organization, causing for him to become the very second individual to take on the mantle of the Goliath, though some of his would ridiculed his into the Black Goliath, to which Bill would find surprisingly hilarious, instead of having the joke extremely offend him.
Bill granted his superior's mission, however, in order to make sure every single secret that he have kept would stay hidden, he planted his entire office, his laboratory, and his secret vault with his non-passable security system. But little did Bill knew, Fury, with the help of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s most skilled engineers and hackers, he manages to surpass all those security undetected, proving how much powerful S.H.I.E.L.D. could always be. However, despite their success on, they weren't able to bypass the series of codes to his highly-secured, secret vault.
Revealing the Pym Particles
Foster, first appearing after taking the mantle of the massive hero among the rest of the Reserves, who was now known as the legendary Goliath
Having no other option left, Fury had no other choice but to wait for Foster as he and the rest of the Reserves were almost finished in accomplishing their mission that lasted for more than ten days. Having to return back to their main base in Devil's Point, Wyoming, Bill was immediately met with Fury, questioning his true origins. Risking his and Pym's entire life and careers at stake, Bill unwillingly tells and confesses to Fury the whole truth about the source of his genetic enhancements, admitting that he previously had worked with Hank Pym on fixing the Pym Particles, to which they were successful in doing so, while they managed into keeping it a secret from S.H.I.E.L.D. since both of them didn't trust the organization on anything whatsoever.
Afterwards, Bill also tried to resign the organization, just he could avoid facing imprisonment for the rest of his life and so that Fury could let Pym work freely at S.H.I.E.L.D. without any issues and rumors circling him, though Fury insisted, implying that telling him the truth actually saved both Bill and Hank from a life-time of imprisonment, saying that both of them could and can always trust Fury, especially on the scientific breakthrough that Pym had made with Foster's assistance, which was the Pym Particles.
Because of this astonishing and spectacular revelation, Fury even recruited Foster once more into a more important mission only the superiors at Project P.E.G.A.S.U.S. had known, which was to help their research operation team into studying the mysterious cosmic cube, known as the Tesseract. Although Pym was able to return to S.H.I.E.L.D. a few weeks after Fury recruited him back to the organization again, he rejected the Project P.E.G.A.S.U.S.'s offer since S.H.I.E.L.D. already gave him his scientific career and amplitude a true purpose. Thanks to Pym's wise and noble decision, he was be able to find and recover the frozen body of Steve Rogers, the legend known as Captain America, days later after his return as a high-ranking scientist.
On the other hand, Bill remained loyal to Project P.E.G.A.S.U.S. and accepted the operation on Tesseract, located at the Joint Dark Energy Mission Facility in the Mojave Desert, to which he was finally promoted into the rank of supervisor, believing that this would be his stepping stone in improving himself and his own career, from time to time.
Upon joining the operation on the Tesseract, the examination and investigation of this operation swiftly progressed in less than a week, after Foster was able to successfully find the specific crew of people who were able to finally crack this case. One of those individuals would be Culver University professor and former scientist, Erik Selvig, a once-ally of the future founding Avenger, Thor.
The End of Project P.E.G.A.S.U.S.
Bill and his entire research team, alongside Deputy Director Maria Hill and Nick Fury took a helicopter and visited the Joint Dark Energy Mission Facility as usual, where Project P.E.G.A.S.U.S. was going underway to monitor the strange amount of energy that the Tesseract was emitting. Once they arrived they were greeted by Phil Coulson who made it clear that they were not aware of the reasons for the sudden surge of energy coming from the Tesseract and noted that Erik Selvig and his team of skilled scientists were still conducting tests to try and regain control of the situation with little success.
Upon hearing that the Tesseract was unstable and a serious risk, Fury ordered her to ensure that the Phase 2 prototypes were shipped out and that they evacuate as many staff members as they could. Hill questioned however that an evacuation could be meaningless as an explosion from the Tesseract could be too massive to escape from, but Fury ignored these concerns and instead told Hill to obey his orders. During their visit, Loki was transported to Earth through the power of the Tesseract. He enthralled several loyal S.H.I.E.L.D. agents while killing and severely injuring many of the others present, to which Bill was among of those who were wounded after trying to use his growing powers at Loki, although he failed otherwise.
As Coulson informed Fury and the other survivors of the full evacuation of the facility due to it starting on collapsing, Bill was still one of the very few who were unfortunately trapped by the continuous debris falling from the tunnel as it collapsed. Though everyone else who made it out alive the facility thought that Bill was among the agents and operatives who unfortunately died during the facility's ruinous and devastating collapse, it was immediately revealed afterwards that Bill, all thanks to his powerful growing ability, to which he was able to get himself out of the pile of debris surrounding him, and with him he was able to carry most of the unconscious agents who were still with him by the time the facility collapsed, saving them in the process.
Exhausted and tired from the recent events, he carefully places all the agents that he had rescued along with the other survivors, before returning back to his normal size. As the authorities and the emergencies were on their way to rescue them, Bill suddenly collapses, to which his fellow manages to catch him as he passes out in extreme fatigue and exhaustion. After a day has passed, Bill finally wakes up in his hospital bed, where he was being waited by Maria Hill, who came to tell him about the final whereabouts of Project P.E.G.A.S.U.S., surprisingly Bill after she sorrowfully told him that the subsidiary organization was finally dismantled by S.H.I.E.L.D. due to the collective orders of the World Security Council, due to the recent events that occurred at the now-ruined and destroyed facility.
Upon hearing this unfortunate news, Hill immediately calmed and comforted Bill, saying that his career would be far from over, as long as he joins the innermost core organization of S.H.I.E.L.D., where he would be reorganized to the position of scientific supervisor and superior. Bill was flattered, whoever, he finally rejected S.H.I.E.L.D.'s best offer, since according to him, Bill believes that he should continue and re-begin his desired scientific career, all on his own, all thanks to the guidance and counsel that Fury and the entire organization had given him throughout the years.
A New Life of His Own
Receiving an unexpected rejection, S.H.I.E.L.D. humbly accepted his final decision, to which Fury eventually provided him with enough fund so he could start his own research laboratory, as an act of thanksgiving gift and gratitude, later on after his decisive resignation. Thanks to Fury's fundings, Bill was able to dedicate as he start his new personal and private scientific research and have his own small laboratory built in his New York City near his new apartment, secretly helping his old friend and former employer, Hank Pym, once again, along with his wife Janet van Dyne, regarding on fixing and improving the Pym Particles to their very extent, something that they have never done in a few years, until now.
Reunion with the Pyms
The peaceful and undistributed partnership between Foster and the Pyms, regarding their remained a contained secret from most organizations, including all those whom they were formerly affiliated with, except for the secretly-established Pym Technologies and Foster Laboratories. However, all of these suddenly changed when an unknown individual from Pym's past, specifically a mysterious freelance industrial saboteur from an unknown institution, unexpectedly decided to show up out of the blue in order to have his great revenge and destroy what it sees as rogue and corrupt corporations, and unfortunate to Foster and the Pyms, both of their personal companies were purposely targeted by the saboteur itself, who was furiously looking for a plan of certain revenge against his allegedly past rival, Hank Pym.
The Ghost of the Past
By the time when Foster and the Pyms has come face-to-face with the mysterious saboteur for almost exposing all their deepest secrets to the authorities, including the classified formula of the Pym Particles, it was finally revealed that this individual was in fact, the infamous international terrorist and corporate saboteur known by its fabled epithet, Ghost. At first, Pym had kept on denying Ghost's existence, due to him being something of a legend in the electronics industry, but now, Pym and Foster had finally believed the stories of the few who have seen his existence and schemes, including the ones from Pym's good old friend, Tony Stark, who actually have faced the notorious villain once before as it tried to bring down Stark Industries, crumbling into the ground.
After the Ghost was also able to by extracting all of Pym, van Dyne, and Foster's classified information from different agencies it had infiltrated, including the ones from the unsurpassable S.H.I.E.L.D. themselves, Ghost threatened the three that all of what they have worked for so many years, will fail in a blink of an eye just like what his previous accomplishments have done on taking down several organizations, especially the ones who were involved in his unrevealed past, now that Ghost has all what it needed. Due to this, Hank had to get some help from his former pupil and successor, Scott Lang, the second and current Ant-Man.
Ultimate War
Bill Foster, re-emerging as the noble and powerful hero known as Goliath, once again during the days of Ultimate War
During the events of Ultimate War Foster donned the identity of Goliath, once again since their last heist against the supervillain, Ghost, along with a new specialized outfit that he recently developed and upgraded, with the help of the Pyms. During the growing threats of the invading Movement Alliance, Goliath and the rest of the Reserves joined and helped the European Defense Initiative into fending off the continuous forces throughout the entirety of Europe against the forces of the Movement (which mostly included the godly forces of the Tricksters of Asgard who washed up and caused different kinds of mischief and evil all over Europe) from ever entering the most-populated countries and cities of the continent, doing their very best to keep the cities safe by letting the wreak and havoc settle far away from the populated landscape, as far as possible.
Civil War
When the U.S. Government finally passed the Superhuman Registration Act that required all super humans to disclose their true identity, Foster worked with Captain America and his Secret Avengers. It was their goal to liberate those that had been taken into custody for refusing to register. When the Secret Avengers and the rest of the Anti-Registration Group received new identities, Goliath subsequently took the alias of Rockwell Dodsworth.
In an intense battle against Iron Man, Reed Richards, and other supporters of the Registration Act, Foster was almost killed by Ragnarok, a cyborg clone of Thor, the Asgardian God of Thunder. Although Bill was able to dodge the powerful blasts of the raging deity by the very second, Ragnarok's unstoppable blast was able to accidentally kill a few more heroes and villains, mostly from the anti-Registration Group, in the process during the battle, leaving both sides in shock and terror, including Bill himself.
Only a day after since the tragedy had occurred, a massive funeral was held for all those heroes and villains who have perished during the incident, with heroes, villains, and even civilians from both sides in attendance. The death of those individuals drastically affected the balance of forces in the war, leading several previously pro-Registration or neutral figures to change sides, most notably the Invisible Woman, the Human Torch, the Black Panther, Storm, and Spider-Man, as well as many others, questioning Iron Man's cause.
However, while he stricken with guilt and regret, Bill eventually voluntarily surrenders himself up to the authorities, believing that he truly deserved it, deserved to pay the ultimate price since he was the only one during the battle who was able to save those individuals from getting killed by Ragnarok, and yet he failed into doing so. According to Bill, not surrendering towards the authorities, due to his actions, would only worsen the situation even more if he doesn't comply towards them sooner.
Paying the Price
Bill Foster, finally retired on his heroic career, during and after his long-term imprisonment
This act of Foster also manages to backfire the balance of both factions once more, such as his actions leading the Young Avengers breaking into two separate factions, with Iron Lad's faction finally joining the "pro-regs," while Patriot's faction remained with Captain America and the "anti-regs."
However, after hearing that the pro-Registration was using Bill's act of surrender as an advantage in trapping the anti-registration Group, Bill heroically used his full power, one last time, against the pro-Registration forces and the authorities, in order to stop the authorities from ever apprehending and capturing the rest of the anti-Registration Group and help them escape their secret headquarters. After sacrificing his own heroic career for the survival of the entire anti-Registration Group until the very end of the war, Bill was eventually imprisoned at the Raft for the next of his twenty years of life, for his lawless but not immoral actions.
Bill's long-term imprisonment also saddened Hank and Janet during the days of the war, causing for them to consequently and secretly contact Scott Lang, the current Ant-Man, so they could help Rogers and the rest of the anti-Registration Group in finding the true mastermind of triggering the event in the first place, unbeknownst to Stark and the authorities' knowledge and awareness. Thanks to their secret support, they were able to finally defeat the one responsible for causing the Superhuman Civil War, finally revealing himself to be Helmut Zemo.
Legacy
While currently being imprisoned for helping the Secret Avengers by the last second, Bill had no regrets for any of it whatsoever, now that the anti-Registration Group were successful into influencing the pro-Registration Act into signing a mutual peaceful treaty after having able to finally defeating and apprehending the true mastermind of Civil War, which was Helmut Zemo, ending the conflict and eventually, the Superhuman Registration Act, after the events of the Secret Invasion, once and for all.
Bill Foster's maternal nephew Thomas, while a current student at M.I.T. just like his uncle did, informed the Black Panther and Everett Ross, that he intended to follow in his uncle's footsteps by cracking the Pym Particle formula and becoming a hero in order to revive the mantle of becoming the Goliath himself. Agreeing with Tom's righteous and selfless decision and motivation, the Black Panther and Ross promised to help him achieve his goal, to which he was able to fully help and support him in Tom's training and improvement into finally becoming the all-new Goliath. Upon hearing this accomplishment in his long-term sentence to imprisonment, Bill couldn't be more proud and honored to what his nephew had eventually become, keeping the flame of his heroic legacy burning as he still could.
However, a miracle would eventually arrive into Bill's life while he's serving his imprisonment, as the aftermath of the events from the dangerous extraterrestrial Secret Invasion have given him another chance to see the brightest of days. The legislative worldwide bill and documents, the Superhuman Registration Act, have finally been abolished only forty-eight hours after the attempted invasion of the Skrulls, where both leaders of both sides, Tony Stark and Steve Rogers, demanded the United Nations to finally abolish the act, after both sides reunited into saving the Earth from the Skrull Empire's invasion, ultimately ending the superhuman civil war, once and for all.
As a result to the abolishing of the registration act, Bill's long-term sentence, along with his fellow inmates who were once heroes opposing the act once, finally came to an end. Bill was eventually released from the Raft, and left prison by safely riding a helicopter to Ryker's Island along with his former fellow inmates. Receiving a message from the authorities, he was happily greeted by his nephew Bill and his sister through video chat, who were both going to pick him up. As Bill sees the two of his most loved ones patiently wait for him outside the Ryker's Island facility, he could only smile in content, realizing that hope can never get lost, ever.
Powers and Abilities
Powers
Size Manipulation: Due to his infusion with Pym Particles, Goliath possesses the ability to increase his size, to a maximum safe limit of approximately 25 feet in height. Persons infused with the particles who are able to increase their sizes do so by means of acquirement of mass from an unknown, presumably extra-dimensional, source and expand their own molecular structures at the same time; as they are so expanding their molecular structures, they add this mass to them. William Foster himself generally attained a stature of 15 feet for the majority of his crime-fighting activities. At 15 feet, which is 2.5 times his normal height of 6 feet, Foster's weight increased by a factor of 15.625, the cube of the factor of 2.5, from his normal weight of 200 pounds to a weight at 15 feet of 3125 pounds.
It is not known precisely how such persons, including William Foster himself, determine the specific sizes, larger than their normal ones, they wish to become. In William Foster's own case, it presumably involved biofeedback, an acute awareness of his bodily conditions.
For some such Pym Particle infuses as William Foster, there appear to be no limits on how long they can remain in their expanded forms. The longest period of time Foster himself ever attempted was three weeks.
- Size Enhancement
- Enhanced Durability
- Size Reduction
- Size Addition
- Super-Human Strength Based On Increased Size
- Mutated by Pym Particles
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Abilities
- Genius-Level Intelligence
- Trained Combatant
- Trilingual
Strength level
Class 15+ (Variable)
Weaknesses
- After-Effects Of Size Changes
Paraphernalia
Equipment:
- Goliath Suit
- Upgraded Goliath Suit
- Toolbot
- Avengers Identicard
- Cowl Communicator
Transportation:
- Ants
- Rover Airship
- Quinjet
Weapons: None known.
Notes
- No special notes.
- ↑ Modern Comics: Ant-Man Vol 1 24
Trivia
- No trivia.
See Also
- Appearances of William Foster (Earth-61615)
- Character Gallery: William Foster (Earth-61615)
- Quotations by William Foster (Earth-61615)
Discover and Discuss
- Search News for: Bill Foster · William Barrett Foster · William Foster (Earth-61615)
Links and References
- None.