Puck (comics)

Puck
Puck in his dwarf state. Art by John Byrne
Publication information
Publisher	Marvel Comics
First appearance	Alpha Flight #1 (August 1983)
Created by	John Byrne
In-story information
Alter ego	Eugene Milton Judd
Species	Altered Human
Team affiliations	Alpha Flight Beta Flight Gamma Flight X-Force
Notable aliases	Geno
Abilities	Superhuman strength, agility, reflexes, durability Superhuman longevity Skilled fighter

Puck is the codename of two fictional characters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The two characters are a father and daughter pair, who are both members of Alpha Flight, in the universe.

The first Puck debuted in Alpha Flight vol. 1 #1 and was created by John Byrne. He had originally intended for the original Puck to be a dwarf with no superhuman powers, merely great fighting and acrobatic skills; subsequent writer Bill Mantlo would later retcon that Puck's small stature was due to mystical influences. Byrne commented on this, stating, "Of course, [Mantlo] then went on to do the 'origin' of Puck, with the whole 'demon inside' thing being based, apparently, on the single reference Puck had made to being in constant pain, something which Bill failed to grasp was an effect of the condition — achondroplasty, called by name in the same issue that referenced the pain — which caused Puck's dwarfism." Byrne has also stated that Puck was based "very, very loosely on a friend who was short (but not as short as Puck) and occasionally bald, but never possessed by demons."

The second Puck debuted in Alpha Flight vol. 3 #1 and was created by Scott Lobdell and Clayton Henry.

The first character to use the codename is a man whose real name is Eugene Milton Judd. He was born in 1914 in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. He spent years traveling the world as a soldier of fortune, working as an intelligence agent and bouncer, before becoming a professional adventurer and joining Alpha Flight.

Early in his career, Judd was hired to steal the Black Blade of Baghdad. The Blade imprisoned an ancient sorcerer called Black Raazer, and Judd accidentally freed him. Judd was able to trap Raazer using some ancient mysticism and the light from his own life force. This caused the 7' tall adventurer to shrink to about 3' 6" in height, as the Black Blade had the ability to take life force from others, which caused a physical reduction in size. It has also granted him immortality. At some point, he became friends with the American playboy Dan Kane, otherwise known as Captain Terror. When Captain Terror was defeated in the Spanish Civil War by the 1930s El Aguila, a fellow hero fighting on the opposite side, he retired, but Puck fought El Aguila for revenge. He also formed a friendship with noted author Ernest Hemingway and became an accomplished bullfighter. Eventually joining Alpha Flight, he adopted the codename 'Puck.'