TAYLOR
MADISON
Real
Name: Inapplicable
Identity/Class: Olympian
construct
Occupation: Day care
worker at the Schuyler
Hill Memorial Day Care Center, volunteer children’s hospital worker
Group
Membership: None;
formerly
the Schuyler Hill
Memorial Day Care Center staff
Affiliations: Alice (last name
unrevealed), Avengers
(Black Knight (Dane Whitman), Black Panther (T’Challa), Black
Widow
(Natasha Romanoff), Captain America (Steve Rogers), Crystal (Crystalia
Amaquelin
Maximoff), Deathcry,
Giant-Man (Hank Pym), Hercules (Heracles), Quicksilver (Pietro
Maximoff), Sersi,
Thor (Eric Masterson), Vision), children at the White Plains hospital (Bradley (last name unrevealed),
others), Inhumans (Marilla, unidentified flying waiter), Edwin Jarvis,
Luna
Maximoff, Wakandans (unidentified guards &
citizens), loosely Uatu the Watcher
Enemies: Ares,
Diablo (Esteban Diablo), Hera, Masters
of
Alchemy (Carbon, Cobalt, Neon, Phosphorus, Plutonium,
Titanium), le
Sabre
Known
Relatives: Inapplicable
Aliases: None
Base
of Operations: New York
City, USA
First
Appearance: Avengers
I#349 (July, 1992)
Powers/Abilities: Taylor
Madison had no superhuman
powers, other than existing as a mystical construct. She was skilled in
working
with children and was very courageous when threatened.
History:
(Avengers
I#384
(fb) – BTS) – After discovering that Hera
wanted vengeance on Hercules, Zeus decided to force Hera’s hand in an
effort to
reduce the harm. Knowing that Hera often tried to strike at Hercules
via
matters of the heart, Zeus created a construct to be the perfect love
and
soulmate for Hercules so that Hera would attempt to use the construct
to her
advantage. Once Zeus had forced Hera’s confession of revenge, the spell
that
created the construct would dissipate.
(Avengers
I#349 (fb) – BTS) –
Unaware of her true nature, the construct became Taylor Madison, a
volunteer
worker at a children’s hospital in White Plains, Westchester County,
New York.
(Avengers
I#384 (fb) – BTS) –
Taylor also took a job at the Schuyler Hill Memorial Day Care Center.
(Avengers
I#349) – Taylor was
unknowingly drawn to invite the Avengers to the White Plains hospital
and when
they arrived, she watched the children having fun with the Avengers and
spoke
with Crystal about how the idea seemed to just pop into her head. When
Crystal
asked how long she had been working at the hospital, Taylor replied
that she was
just a volunteer there. Taylor then commented about how one of the
children,
Bradley, never seemed to talk to anyone but was having fun talking to
both Thor
and Hercules. She then walked over and explained to Hercules how
Bradley often
carried around his teddy bear Tipps when going through chemotherapy.
Taking
Zeus’ bait, Ares and Hera soon invisibly arrived in the hospital’s
courtyard
and plotted against Hercules. Deciding to force Hercules to kill an
Avenger,
Ares took possession of Thor and forced Thor to attack Hercules. While
Hercules
tried to talk sense into Thor, unaware of Ares’ possession of him,
Taylor led
the children away from the battle scene. Soon realizing that Bradley
had went
back for Tipps, Taylor ordered the nurse Alice to continue leading the
kids
away while she ran back to Bradley, unaware that Hera was watching her.
The
possessed Thor soon noticed Bradley and prepared to force Hercules’
hand by
hurting Bradley but Taylor arrived and demanded Thor stay away.
Hercules
managed to draw Thor away by re-entering the battle and Crystal
eventually
called down lightning to separate them. The lightning caused Ares to
appear
amongst the combatants, revealing his hand in the fight. Hera soon
revealed
herself to rescue Ares and as they teleported away, Hercules told them
they did
not deserve to be called Olympians. Hercules then apologized to Taylor
Madison
but Taylor told him that he made up for the damage in his bravery. As
Taylor
helped tend to a cut on Hercules’ forehead, Hera watched from afar,
commenting
to Ares that the plans of Hera were delicate, subtle things and in the
end, she
always won.
(Avengers
I#355 (fb) – BTS) –
Hercules eventually received Taylor Madison’s phone number after the
hospital
battle.
(Avengers
I#355) – After Hercules
continued to go back and forth in his decision to call Taylor, Black
Widow took
the number from Hercules and called Taylor herself, inviting Taylor to
a dinner
party the following Thursday. Surprised that super heroes even threw
dinner
parties, Taylor accepted the invitation.
(Avengers
I#357) – On the night
of the dinner party, Taylor arrived and was led inside by the Vision.
Upon
seeing Hercules, Taylor commented that he had shaven his beard, unaware
that
Hera was once more watching her relationship with Hercules. During the
dinner
party, Hercules asked how Bradley was doing and asked why Taylor chose
hospital
work, as he would think it to be overwhelmingly sad. After explaining
to
Hercules that she had personal reasons for wanting for work with sick
children,
Uatu the Watcher appeared before the dinner table just as Black Widow
was
making a toast. After staring down each of the Avengers, the Watcher
teleported
away. Despite the Avengers’ worries, Sersi seconded Black Widow’s
toast,
commenting that they should be thankful for the warning.
(Avengers
I#359) – Taylor visited
Central Park and appeared sad when Edwin Jarvis and Marilla were out
taking
Luna Maximoff for a stroll. When Jarvis stopped to say hi, Taylor wiped
a tear
from her eye and thanked him for the dinner party a few nights earlier.
Jarvis
began to say that Hercules would be glad to hear that they had run into
Taylor
but Taylor asked Jarvis to not tell Hercules they saw her. She then
quickly
said she was late for an appointment and told Jarvis she would be in
touch,
leaving Jarvis to wonder if he had upset her. Marilla commented that
Jarvis was
dense for not seeing that Taylor Madison was in some sort of pain.
(Avengers
Collector’s Edition#1) –
Taylor Madison accompanied the Avengers to Wakanda for an anniversary
celebration aboard their Protocraft One. Upon arriving at the Wakandan
Royal
Palace, Taylor and the Avengers found themselves facing the alchemist
Diablo,
who proclaimed that the Avengers now served him. Hercules immediately
attacked
Diablo, only to be shot down. Taylor rushed to Hercules’ side and
despite
Hercules’ fears that he had brought Taylor into danger, she admitted
that she
would rather be nowhere else. Diablo then unleashed his Masters of
Alchemy,
living Elements of Doom under his control, and ordered them to take the
hostages to Wakanda’s Vibranium Mound. Taylor was taken alongside the
Wakandan
hostages and the Avengers were left helpless to stop them, lest they
endanger
the hostages. When Diablo threatened Taylor, Hercules yelled for Diablo
to keep
his hands off her but was met with a punch from Carbon. The Avengers
soon took
the fight directly to the Masters of Alchemy and as the fight wound
down,
Diablo prepared to sneak away but Taylor Madison hit him over the head
with a
rock, knocking him out. With Diablo defeated, Hercules commented that
Taylor
had the makings of an Avengers and the team prepared to celebrate the
anniversary they had come to Wakanda for.
(Avengers
Annual I#22) – Hercules
and Taylor Madison were enjoying some quiet time together and Taylor
commented
on how quiet Avengers Mansion seemed to be. As Hercules prepared for a
kiss,
the intruder alarm went off. Shortly thereafter, the French le Sabre
appeared,
battling Hercules. As Hercules battled le Sabre’s steed, le Sabre took
Taylor
hostage and demanded the Black Knight’s Ebony Sword. Le Sabre was soon
met in
battle by the Black Knight himself, who forced le Sabre to admit that
another
group of intruders was probably already at the Black Knight’s castle in
Washington, D.C.
(Avengers
I#367) – Contemplating his
recent change in form, Vision wandered around the Avengers
headquarters,
spotting Taylor Madison speaking with Hercules. Remaining at very low
density,
Vision watched as Hercules asked Taylor why it had taken so long for
her to agree
to see him again. She admitted that the day they had met at the
hospital, she
had never felt that way about someone before and it frightened her. She
then
explained that her true reasons for working with the terminally ill:
she felt
that they had true courage despite their too-brief life. Taylor then
explained
that while Hercules was immortal, she was not. She then kissed Hercules
and
told him that she could not see him, asking Hercules to not call her
again.
(Avengers
I#384 (fb) – BTS) –
Taylor stopped going to her job at the Schuyler Hill Memorial Day Care
Center.
(Avengers
I#380) – Despite respecting
Taylor’s wishes for weeks not to see her, Hercules eventually called
her,
claiming that his thoughts and heart remained with her. She claimed
that she
felt the same way but still felt that she could not get involved again,
as it
would not be fair to Hercules since she was not immortal. Taylor then
asked
Hercules to please understand and then hung up just as Augustine Jones
(secretly Hera in disguise) arrived, answering Taylor’s ad for a
roommate. The
phone then rang again and Taylor went to answer it, asking Augustine to
make
herself at home. Augustine commented that she intended to.
(Avengers
I#381) – Augustine asked
about Taylor’s dating of Hercules, commenting that she did not mean to
be
nosey, but Taylor replied that they weren’t really dating and that they
had
only had dinner a few times. She then explained to Augustine that it
didn’t
work out and revealed to Augustine that she was not well. The phone
then rang
and Taylor asked Augustine to get it, telling her that if it were
Hercules, she
could not see him. Instead, Augustine told Hercules that Taylor was
dying to
meet him for dinner that night at le Circle restaurant. When Hercules
commented
that it was unexpected, Augustine explained that the surprises were
just
beginning.
(Avengers
I#382 – BTS) – Hera posed
as Taylor Madison and met Hercules for dinner, telling him that a lot
had
changed recently. She then excused herself and met with Ares, claiming
that she
would truly make Hercules suffer.
(Avengers
I#384) – Hera, as
Augustine Jones, told Taylor that she had a surprise in store for her
and
convinced Taylor to go with her to Avengers Mansion. Once there,
Augustine
invited them inside the Mansion to await for Hercules’ return from a
mission.
When Giant-Man told Augustine that all of the Avengers were present and
accounted for, Hera revealed herself and took them all captive just as
Hercules
and Quicksilver were returning to the Mansion. Upon seeing Hercules,
Hera began
torturing both Jarvis and Taylor before attacking Hercules outright.
Zeus soon
interrupted the battle, freeing Hera’s hostages and reminding Hera who
was in
charge of the gods. Revealing that he had known of Hera’s schemes
against
Hercules from the very beginning, Zeus revealed that Taylor Madison was
nothing
but bait for Hera. Confused, Taylor asked Hercules what Zeus was saying
and
Hercules asked Zeus to further explain. Zeus then revealed the truth of
Taylor’s
existence as a construct created to lure Hera into a trap. Despite
Taylor’s
pleas that she could think and feel, Zeus reminded her that her time
was short.
Hercules exclaimed that he cared nothing of Taylor’s origins, only for
the love
he had for her. Zeus then revealed that the spell that had created
Taylor would
end when Hera confessed to her scheming. Hercules begged for Zeus to
allow
Taylor’s continued existence but Zeus explained that she was created in
an
effort to protect Hercules but was never real. The spell ending,
Hercules
shared one last kiss with Taylor before she dissipated. Hercules then
attacked
Zeus, angry that Zeus had tampered with his emotions. Not willing to
suffer
Hercules’ ingratitude, Zeus removed Hercules’ immortality as a lesson.
Comments: Created by Bob
Harras, Steve Epting and
Tom Palmer.
Profile
by Proto-Man.
CLARIFICATIONS:
Taylor Madison has no known connections to
- Dr. Marla Madison, 2nd wife
of J. Jonah Jameson, designed Spider-Slayer @ Amazing Spider-Man I#162
- or any other "Taylor" or "Madison"
characters
Alice has no known connections to
- any other "Alice" characters
Bradley has no known connections to
- any other "Bradley" characters
Alice
was a nurse working at the children’s hospital in White Plains where
Taylor
Madison volunteered. When Ares possessed Thor and attacked Hercules at
the
hospital, Taylor ordered Alice to get the rest of the children to
safety while
she went back for the missing Bradley.
--Avengers
I#349
Bradley
was a patient at the children’s hospital in White Plains, Westchester
County,
New York. He was known for being somewhat quiet and always carrying
around his
teddy bear, Tipps, which helped him get over the chemotherapy that he
had to
endure. When Taylor Madison invited the Avengers to the hospital for a
visit,
Bradley befriended Thor and Hercules before Ares took possession of
Thor and
attacked Hercules. During the scuffle, Bradley dropped Tipps and went
back to
get it, where Thor/Ares prepared to kill Bradley in an effort to force
Hercules
to kill Thor. Taylor rushed to Bradley’s side, prepared to die for
Bradley but
Hercules attacked Thor and drew his attention away from Bradley.
Bradley and
Taylor were then led away from the fight.
--Avengers
I#349
images: (without ads)
Avengers I#367, p5, pan4 (Taylor Madison, main image)
Avengers I#359, p20, pan1 (Taylor Madison headshot)
Avengers I#349, p14, pan3 (Alice)
Avengers I#349, p17, pan1 (Bradley)
Appearances:
Avengers I#349 (July, 1992) – Bob Harras (writer), Steve Epting
(pencils), Tom
Palmer (inks, colors), Ralph Macchio (editor)
Avengers I#355 (Late October, 1992) – Bob Harras (writer), Steve Epting
(pencils),
Tom Palmer (embellisher), Ralph Macchio (editor)
Avengers I#357 (December, 1992) – Bob Harras (writer), Steve Epting
(pencils),
Tom Palmer (inks, colors), Ralph Macchio (editor)
Avengers I#359 (February, 1993) – Bob Harras (writer), Steve Epting
(pencils),
Tom Palmer (inks, colors), Ralph Macchio (editor)
Avengers Collector’s Edition#1 (1993) – Pat Garrahy (writer), Mike
Gustovich
(pencils), Tom Palmer (inks), Hector Collazo, Glenn Herdling (editors)
Avengers Annual I#22 (1993) – “Blood Wraith” story – Glenn
Herdling
(writer),
Mike Gustovich (pencils), Ariane Lenshoek (inks), Ralph Macchio (editor)
Avengers I#367 (October, 1993) – Bob Harras (writer), Jim Hall
(pencils), Don
Hudson (inks), Ralph Macchio (editor)
Avengers I#380 (November, 1994) – Bob Harras (writer), Mike Deodato,
Jr.
(pencils), Tom Palmer (inks, colors), Ralph Macchio (editor)
Avengers I#381 (December, 1994) – Bob Harras (writer), Terry Kavanagh
(plot
assist), Mike Deodato, Jr. (pencils), Tom Palmer (finishes, colors),
Ralph
Macchio (editor)
Avengers I#382 (January, 1995) – Bob Harras (writer), Mike Deodato
(breakdowns), Tom Palmer (finishes, colors), Ralph Macchio (editor)
Avengers I#384 (March, 1995) – Bob Harras, Terry Kavanagh (writers),
Mike
Deodato (pencils), Tom Palmer (inks), Ralph Macchio (editor)
Last
updated:
09/05/13
Any
Additions/Corrections? please
let me know.
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