Keeper of Infinite Earths - The Knights of Freedom
Created by Bob Justice
Black Tiger
Alter Ego: David Loo
Occupation: Physical Education Teacher/Martial Arts Instructor
Known Relatives: Parents, deceased
Group Affiliation: The Knights of Freedom
Base of Operations: The Freedom Tower, Washington, DC
Background/History:
The Loo family immigrated to the US in the early 1800s fleeing a conflict within the martial arts society that left David’s great-grandfather an outcast with a price on his head. With no way to protect his family, they left Japan and eventually ended up in San Francisco. David was born a US citizen, but was raised in a very traditional dojo fashion. Only Japanese could be spoken in his grandfather’s house and all the old traditions were followed. Outside David was a typical American boy, until WW 2 broke out. The bombing of Pearl Harbor made anyone who looked Oriental seem suspicious and the backlash left crime in Chinatown to be handled by the citizenry since the police could not care less about them. David donned a mask and used his multiple martial arts disciplines to protect the innocent as the mysterious Black Tiger. Initially placed in an internment camp for Japanese-Americans, he and his partner, Cub, helped stop a plan to assassinate Mrs. Roosevelt on a trip to California which earned them a measure of trust and freedom, as well as an invitation to join the Knights of Freedom.
Following the war, they heard of the Ninja Master who was trying to establish himself as the next emperor and whose agents they had fought here in the US. They went to Japan to help in rebuilding the country as a cover, but mostly to track down Ninja Master. They battled him and his minions for years until Black Tiger was captured and crippled by the tortures of Ninja Master. Following the loss of use of his legs, David focused on the mental and mystical side of the martial arts and continued teaching while Cub took on the mantle of the Black Tiger. The network of agents and students that helped battle Ninja Master and the Yakuza eventually became the organization known as Samurai, still led by Black Tiger 1.
Personality/Motivations:
David enjoyed the disciplined life of a martial artist and wanted to teach and continue those traditions, but the war made him focus on proving himself as an American and as a hero to teach by example. He continues today despite his handicap leading the battle against crime and injustice in his ancestral homeland.
Quote: "Discipline of the mind is more necessary than the physical body