Angry Birds

I was giving some thought to what kind of Thanksgiving Day post to create this year--and it occurred to me that, with all the villains out there who have a connection with birds, it might be fun to spotlight a villain who has some connection with a turkey.

And I found that doesn't sound any less ludicrous when I read it back to myself. What was I thinking? What idiot out there is going to start a life of crime as a super-villain and name himself "the Turkey," or "Tom Turkey," or "the Turkey Baster," or "Gobble Gobble."

So we're going to take the leftovers (ha ha!--get it?) of this idea, and instead have a look at villains who based their powers and/or villain name on a bird. And we'll cap it with a little fun.

First, you probably remember Brother Voodoo's old sparring partner, the Black Talon--who, let's face it, looks like a human chicken:

(Sadly, fighting the Avengers didn't make him any more reputable in villain circles.)

The Talon's main power was to raise the dead as zombies/zuvembies/you get the idea. Naturally, he would eventually hook up with Nekra, the Grim Reaper's lover, who also has a flair for raising the dead. Talk about the "deadly duo":

Then there's the Gamecock, who also tries to make the chicken outfit work for him, but as a gang leader. (If you decide to follow Gamecock's lead, you may not want to try getting anyone to join your gang when you're standing in front of them dressed like a chicken. It can only end badly.)

The Gamecock somehow got involved in a fight contest held by the Viper, and met his end thanks to the appetite of the Puma:

Then comes the name that every bird-based villain wants but was already taken: Bird Man, part of the "Unholy Three" (later the Ani-Men) who gave Daredevil trouble in his early days:

Here at the PPC you can find entries for many other bird-villains:

• Black Crow, who went up against Captain America in one of the more perplexing battles of his career.
• The Harpy--a/k/a Betty Ross, who really, really hates the Hulk.
• The Vulture--two, count 'em, two Vultures. These wings aren't big enough for both of them.
• Sauron--more like a pteranodon than a bird. Maybe a prehistoric bird.
• Dark Phoenix, eventually facing off against her mentor and put under wraps.
• Deathbird has caused trouble in some circles, mainly involving the X-Men and, in a more humiliating match-up, Hawkeye.
• The Owl, another Daredevil foe, whose headquarters he likes to call his aerie. I don't know how his men take him seriously.
• Wind Eagle, a Black Panther foe. If you don't remember Wind Eagle--well, I doubt the Panther does, either.
• Warhawk--another X-Men foe, but who really has nothing to do with birds aside from his chosen name.

On another bird-related note, hopefully most of you were able to have fun with the Subservient Chicken, Burger King's interactive ad campaign to promote its new chicken sandwich. Unfortunately, the page has been retired...

...but you can learn more about it here.

Finally, from 1987, it's the Marvel Comics float at the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade!

   

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!