Panther Superhero Fan Art

Panther

John “Panther” Big-Sky was a half-Native patriot who joined the Special Forces directly out of high school. He excelled and for years had successful covert missions. Eventually his luck ran thin and his cell was captured by a drug warlord in Columbia. The mission was so secret that the cell was disavowed by the US government and left to fend for themselves. Brutality claimed several members of the group, and starvation and disease attacked the rest. A failed rescue attempt was initiated, but with disastrous consequences. The rescue helicopter crashed after the liberation raid and only John remained of both his comrades and would-be-rescuers. John was quickly recaptured and tortured even more savagely than before. The months passed and even his incredible will began to fade. Finally the Spy (before becoming the American Banner) was given the task of rescuing the sole remaining member of the ops team. The mission was arduous but successful. John was severely wounded in the fracas and required a blood transfusion from the Spy as they trekked to a neighboring stronghold to reach the helicopter transport. The blood transfusion transferred a limited degree of the generally fresh super-soldier formula that course through the Spy’s veins. John gained enhanced stamina and reflexes to augment his already formidable natural athletic ability. He also mysteriously gained a heightened sense of sight and smell, traits the Spy never displayed. Aging seemed to stall for a decade after his blood transfusion from the Spy, but it has since continued on a more normal pace. Disillusioned with government military ops after his years of captivity, John was discharged honorably and headed home to Washington State. There he took to the woods and lived as a mountain man for nearly two years, all the while honing his newly gained senses. He then tried to return to society, but only had limited success as he realized he generally liked to be aloe. He wandered the Pacific Northwest and did odd-jobs along the way to keep him fed. All the time the local papers of his temporary hometowns would have short stories of people being help out of dangerous situation and by a “stranger”. One day at a café he noted a story on the television dealing with the Death Mask’s crushing defeat of the American Banner. He immediately saw through the disguise and realized it was the same man whom he owed his life and liberty too. John used some old military connections and eventfully tracked down his benefactor. John helped his old acquaintance get through his grueling rehab. The two eventually parted again just prior to his friend becoming the Spy.
Once the Spy was released from government control he looked John back up. Knowing that they now needed each other to balance their lives, they forged an alliance that formed a much stronger bond than their initial death defying union in the jungles of Columbia. They now consider themselves to be brothers, and not just because they share the same blood, but because of their years of depending on another through countless encounters with the worst villains the world has to offer.