Puck (Marvel Comics)

Puck is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He is a member of Alpha Flight, in the Marvel Universe. A daughter of his has also adopted the name Puck and Alpha Flight membership.

Puck debuted in Alpha Flight #1 (Aug 1983) and was created by John Byrne. He had intended for the original Puck to be a dwarf with no superhuman powers, merely great fighting and acrobatic skills; subsequent writer Bill Mantlo retconned Puck's small stature as being due to mystical influences. Byrne commented on this, "Of course, [Bill 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."

A letters page in Alpha Flight seemed to confirm that Judd is named after the Shakespearean character. In a FAQ on May 30, 2006, John Byrne stated that the character was named after a hockey puck.

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

Eugene Milton Judd 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 trapped Raazer using ancient mysticism and the light from his own life force, but was transformed into an immortal, dwarfish form as a result. 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 Águila, a fellow hero fighting on the opposite side, he retired, but Puck fought Aguila for revenge.^{[volume & issue needed]} He also formed a friendship with noted author Ernest Hemingway and became an accomplished bullfighter. He was paroled into Beta Flight and, eventually joining Alpha Flight, he adopted the codename "Puck".^{[volume & issue needed]}

Puck is seriously wounded by teammate Marrina, made temporarily bestial under a summoning call sent by the Master of the World and hospitalized. While recovering, he battles an illegal drug ring operating out of the hospital. A solo adventure of Puck set shortly after his recovery was produced to be a fill-in issue of Alpha Flight, but never published; however, the adventure remains part of the Marvel canon due to Puck making a fleeting reference to "the affair of the Brass Bishop". Puck returns to active duty, and battles Omega Flight. Puck comforts Heather Hudson after James Hudson's presumed death. Puck then encounters Namor, and allies with the Sub-Mariner in battle against the Master.

Puck journeys to the realm of the Great Beasts alongside Alpha Flight, where they battle the Great Beasts. Puck encounters the Beyonder, and battles the Hulk during the events of Secret Wars II.