BILL THE LOBSTER

Real Name: Bill

Identity/Class: Terrestrial crustacean (genus homarus) cyborg

Occupation: Adventurer;
    former thief, test subject

Group Membership: Avengers World (Blue Marvel/Adam Brashear, Gomi/Alphonsus Lefszycic, Dr. Toni Ho, Lightning/Miguel Santos, Ms. America/America Chavez, Pod-2/Aikku Jokinen, Wasp/Nadia Van Dyne);
    formerly Fallen Angels (Ariel, Boom-Boom/Tabitha Smith, Chance, Devil Dinosaur of Earth-78411, Don, Gomi/Alphonsus Lefszycic, Jamie Madrox duplicates, Moonboy of Earth-78411, Siryn/Theresa Cassidy, Sunspot/Roberto Da Costa, Vanisher/"Telford Porter," Warlock)

Affiliations: Avengers World, Black Panther (T'Challa), Fallen Angels;
    formerly Tadashi Fujita, Ramon Lipschitz

Enemies: Disruptors of the Coconut Grove, Earth-78411 dinosaurs, Tadashi Fujita, Ramon Lipschitz, unidentified scoundrels, Unipar;
    formerly Siryn (Theresa Cassidy)

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: New York City, New York, USA;
    formerly the Beat Street Clubhouse, New York City, New York, USA;
    formerly a research center near Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York, USA

First Appearance: Fallen Angels I#2 (May, 1987)

Powers/Abilities: Bill has had cybernetic enhancements done to his body that greatly increase his intelligence to near-human level. His durability, grip and strength have also been amplified, allowing Bill the strength to lift logs or even knock over a standing human being. These enhancements also allow Bill to remain outside of water for long periods of time, much longer than a normal lobster. The crushing grip of his pincers was also improved and he could move winches as if he had hands or cause severe pain to a human's ankles.

He was also a surprisingly effective combatant, hot-headed enough to physically challenge anyone he might consider an enemy, including a 20-foot, 2.72 ton dinosaur, with little concern about his personal safety.

As a lobster, Bill is able to briskly crawl on surfaces (even down the sides of boxes without falling) and swim backwards at great speed. The hair-like trichoide sensillae covering his body were covered with sensors that detected movement, pressure, tactile input and any change in ambient chemicals.

Bill is also able to communicate with humans via unrevealed means.

Height: 1'2" (including tail)
Weight: (originally): 4.5 lbs.; (after cybernetic enhancements): 10 lbs.
Eyes: Green
Hair: Green (trichoid sensillae)
Legal Status: Property of Alphonsus Lefsycic

History: (Marvel Pets Handbook#1 - Bill & Don entry - BTS) - Bill and Don were both ordinary lobsters, possibly born in the Atlantic Ocean.

(Fallen Angels I#3 (fb)) - Bill and Don were acquired as control test animals for experiments to cybernetically enhanced ordinary creatures performed by Ramon Lipschitz and Tadashi Fujita. The two lobsters were cybernetically enhanced in a laboratory in Coney Island by the two scientists, neither rejecting their new cybernetic parts, in an attempt to increase their intelligence and Lipschitz's cousin, whom the scientists insultingly referred to as Gomi, cared for the lobsters after their enhancements, excited to see the lobsters become sentient. The two scientists left Gomi to tend to the lobsters and while the scientists were extremely impressed at the lobsters' increased strength, they berated Gomi for feeding Bill and Don gourmet food and playing Menudo albums for lobsters. Shortly after the scientists experimented on Gomi as well, granting him the ability to project a pillar of telekinetic force, they became distracted from their goal. Suddenly fearing an audit from the university to inspect their progress and with their funding was cut, the scientists considered eating Bill and Don, eventually deciding instead to leave the laboratory for good, abandoning Gomi and the lobsters there.. While the audit never occurred, Gomi was subsequently met by the alien Ariel and mutants Chance and Vanisher, who were recruiting for Vanisher's band of mutant thieves, the Fallen Angels. Bill, Don and Gomi then voted two to one to accompany the Fallen Angels, sick of being alone.

(Fallen Angels I#2 (fb) - BTS) - Bill, Don and Gomi officially joined the Fallen Angels.

(Fallen Angels I#3 (fb) - BTS) - As part of the group, Bill and Don became very protective of Gomi, often becoming angry and aggressive if anyone picked on Gomi too much.

(Fallen Angels I#2 (fb) - BTS) - After the runaway New Mutant Sunspot saved the life of the mutant Chance, only to be left to a beating, Ariel and Chance decided to go back for Sunspot and sent Gomi, Bill and Don to find and recruit Sunspot and his ally Warlock into the Fallen Angels. The trio soon tracked Sunspot down to a church.

(Fallen Angels I#2) - Bill and Don noticed a disturbance at the church and informed Gomi that a group of thugs inside had felonious intent. Confronting the thugs as they attempted to rob the church, Bill, Don and Gomi made quick of the thugs but found Sunspot no longer there and decided to hastily leave the church. While running from the church, Bill and Don reminded Gomi that he need not apologize for leaving the church in a ransacked state after altruistically saving it from the thugs and when Gomi agreed, Bill and Don suggested Gomi hurry if they were to catch up to Sunspot. Gomi insisted that he was hurrying while he conversed with the lobsters and suggested they do the same. Finding Sunspot nowhere in sight, Bill and Don later seemed depressed about not locating Sunspot but Gomi insisted that Sunspot and Warlock could not have gotten far and suggested the two lobsters show the pioneer spirit they were known for. When Don subsequently wished to stop for lunch at a restaurant and Gomi seemed reluctant, Bill made a point of noting that one should feed their inner self  in order to keep the spirit from failing. Don attempted to go on inside the restaurant but Gomi quickly noticed it was a seafood restaurant serving lobsters and reminded Don about how Bill and himself were always telling Don not to take foolish chances.

Gomi, Bill and Don soon found Sunspot when Gomi noticed the commotion of the multiplying Madrox trying to get Sunspot to return home. Gomi tried to convince Sunspot to instead join the Fallen Angels before warning the confused Sunspot to watch his step, as Sunspot nearly stepped on Bill. Unsure of who Bill was, Sunspot looked down to see Bill and Don snapping their pincers at his ankles. Gomi then introduced Sunspot to Bill and Don and Warlock introduced himself to the lobsters. Gomi then prepared to lead Sunspot and his friends back to the Fallen Angels' headquarters, the Beat Street Clubhouse, but the Angels' leader, the teleporting Vanisher, appeared in person to recruit Sunspot. When Siryn, who had been searching for Sunspot alongside Madrox, arrived on the scene and attacked Vanisher, Gomi gathered up Bill and Don and admitted that the Vanisher teleporting away from Siryn was predictable. The mutant Chance then appeared and her ally, the alien Ariel, opened a teleportational doorway back to the Beat Street Clubhouse, which Gomi, Bill and Don immediately jumped through. Sunspot, Warlock and Madrox followed, leaving Siryn behind.

(Fallen Angels I#3) - Ariel welcomed Sunspot, Warlock and Madrox to the Beat Street Clubhouse and Gomi suggested they make themselves comfortable, as he planned to do the same for Bill and Don. Gomi then put on some music and Bill expressed hunger, prompting Gomi to apologize to Bill for not noticing sooner. Gomi then suggested that if Bill was hungry, he should speak up instead of suffering. As Sunspot, Warlock and Madrox watched, trying to figure out if Bill and Don were truly intelligent or if Gomi merely thought they were, Bill expressed annoyance that someone had left the record "The Bestiyri of Flanders and Swann" out of its dust jacket to become scratched. The Vanisher sent Ariel and Chance to steal food for them. Chance knew that the lobsters liked fish nuggets but she took Penguin McBurgers at McNulty's for them as a treat. Later, Bill attacked the Vanisher when he angrily berated Gomi for accidentally using his mental powers to launch items around the Clubhouse in an attempt to clear the table. Ariel reminded Vanisher how Bill and Don were protective of Gomi and commented that it was the Vanisher's own fault for being attacked after getting angry at Gomi. As Chance unloaded the food, Gomi asked if Chance got fish mcnuggets for Bill and Don but Chance revealed she had instead gotten them penguin mcburgers, prompting Bill to express happiness. Madrox then became curious about Bill and Don and asked Gomi where they came from, prompting Gomi to relate the origin stories of Bill, Don and himself. Shortly after, Ariel rescued the mutant Boom-Boom from the custody of X-Factor and Siryn located the Fallen Angels following their earlier escape from her. As tensions grew, Ariel admitted that everyone deserved an explanation for her gathering them all together and she bade them all to follow her through one of her teleportational doorways. Gomi, Bill and Don agreed and followed Ariel and the other Fallen Angels into a sunny garden on Earth-78411 ("Dinosaur World"), leaving behind the Beat Street Clubhouse.

(Fallen Angels I#4) - When a dinosaur attacked the Fallen Angels, Gomi, still clutching Bill and Don, was asked if Siryn had a plan as she flew off to engage the dinosaur. Boom-Boom hurled a time bomb at the dinosaur, whose tail hit Gomi, causing Gomi to drop Bill and Don. As the fight progressed, Bill and Don were rescued by a Madrox duplicate and most of the Fallen Angels fled. Gomi reacquired Bill and Don, agreeing that while Bill and Don were more intelligent and stronger than typical lobsters, they likely would not survive against a dinosaur. After escaping the dinosaur, Gomi conversed with Bill and Don and decided that the Fallen Angels' priority should be building a fire for warmth and protection. When Boom-Boom sarcastically questioned what they should use to build a fire, Gomi sat Bill and Don down and used his telekinetic powers to destroy a tree near Boom-Boom, remarking loudly that one typically started with kindling. Angry at nearly being hit by Gomi's powers, Boom-Boom rushed to fight Gomi but Bill and Don grabbed her legs, tripping her and causing her time bomb to destroy another tree. Bill and Don then tracked down a local creature, killing it to be cooked as food. The group then started a fire and Bill attempted to bring Gomi more wood as he cooked but Gomi politely informed Bill that they had enough fuel for the fire. Gomi continued cooking at Madrox used a portable Cerebro unit to show Boom-Boom how Bill and Don did not register as mutants. Gomi soon chimed in, explaining that Bill and Don's powers came from their cybernetic parts and that only Don registered as a mutant due to his blue color. Bill quickly snapped his pincers, prompting Gomi to remark that green was nice too. When Vanisher returned, he demanded the first helping of food despite Gomi's wishes that Bill and Don eat first. The conversation was interrupted, however, when Madrox detected a large mutant and Ariel then introduced the Fallen Angels to their newest members she had brought them there to recruit: Earth-78411's primitive humanoid Moonboy and red Tyrannosaurus-like Devil Dinosaur.

(Fallen Angels I#5) - Returning to the Beat Street Clubhouse on Earth-616, Bill and Don accompanied Warlock, Gomi and Ariel in searching for a larger space to house their larger group. Entering a warehouse area, Bill crawled onto a packing crate to better survey the area and Bill soon found a winch that opened an area large enough for Devil Dinosaur. Bill then crawled onto Gomi's shoulder as Gomi showed the other Fallen Angels the area decided on for Devil Dinosaur. Vanisher then decided the Fallen Angels should split and earn their keep by stealing food, with Bill, Don and Gomi getting stuck working with Boom-Boom, much to their chagrin. Upon learning this, both Bill and Don snapped their pincers at Boom-Boom. Shortly after, Bill rested on Gomi's shoulders as they ventured out into the night, only to run into a Madrox duplicate that didn't recognize them. Witnessing the duplicate get hit by a bicyclist, Gomi and Boom-Boom heard the cyclist claim the wreck was Madrox's fault but when Gomi argued that the cyclist was operating his bicycle illegally, the cyclist grew angry. The cyclist then got up in Gomi's face, only to be attacked by Bill and Don. Bill then returned to Gomi's shoulder as the cyclist sped off and the Madrox duplicate regained consciousness. Gomi then put Bill and Don back on the ground to help the duplicate to his feet and the group was soon reunited with Siryn and Madrox, who recognized his errant duplicate. The other Fallen Angels followed thereafter and they informed Gomi and his lobsters of the missing Devil Dinosaur and Moonboy. While the team regrouped, Boom-Boom angrily confronted Gomi about comments made about Boom-Boom's flirting with Madrox and Gomi picked Bill back up, warning Boom-Boom to watch her step. Unfortunately, as Gomi was cautioning Boom-Boom, Devil Dinosaur and Moonboy returned and Devil Dinosaur inadvertently stepped on Don, killing him.

(Fallen Angels I#6 (fb) - BTS) - Bill attended the funeral of Don.

(Fallen Angels I#6) - After the funeral, Gomi spoke with Bill and commented on how beautiful Don's funeral was. The grief-stricken Bill grumbled, prompting Gomi to remind Bill not to let grief make him bitter and that Devil Dinosaur's stepping on Don was an accident. Warlock and Sunspot soon came over to express their sympathies but an angry Bill crawled down the side of a crate and onto the floor as Siryn reminded Gomi that Bill still needed him. Sunspot then returned to the other Fallen Angels and when Chance insulted him, Sunspot remarked that he preferred the company of Moonboy and Devil Dinosaur than to those who left Bill and Gomi to their bereavement while gorging on the funeral food. Moonboy then attempted to get Sunspot's help in convincing Bill of Devil Dinosaur's sorrow over killing Don. When Gomi noticed was no longer in his presence, he correctly suspected Bill was attempting revenge on Devil Dinosaur. Moonboy soon noticed Bill and ran to retrieve him, only for Bill to attack Moonboy. Gomi and Sunspot arrived behind Moonboy and Gomi warned Bill that he could potentially sever Moonboy's foot with his pincer if he wasn't careful. Devil Dinosaur then moved to protect Moonboy as Gomi struggled to loosen Bill's grip on Moonboy's leg. Siryn ended up breaking up the fight with a sonic scream that stunned Bill into letting go of Moonboy. Gomi then picked up Bill and carried him away from Moonboy as Ariel suggested cooking Bill. Accusing Ariel of being vulgar, Gomi took Bill back to his glass habitat, where he remained until Boom-Boom ran into the room in fear of Warlock, who was affected by the unknowing Chance's mutant powers. The Fallen Angels then argued amongst themselves until Vanisher suggested they were no longer safe in the Beat Street Clubhouse, prompting Gomi to inform Bill of Vanisher's remarks. Gomi then gathered up Bill as the Fallen Angels decided to leave the Beat Street Clubhouse using an Ariel-generated teleportational doorway. Bill and the other Fallen Angels exited Ariel's doorway to find themselves on Ariel's home planet, the Coconut Grove.

(Fallen Angels I#7) - The Coconut Grove locals welcomed the Fallen Angels with all honors. As each of the Fallen Angels received new outfits and accessories to better fit in on the Coconut Grove, Gomi convinced Bill to put on a large pair of glasses and assured Bill that large spectacles added distinction to any countenance. The Fallen Angels soon called a meeting together and Ariel revealed that she had brought the Fallen Angels to the Coconut Grove because they were mutants (except for Gomi and Bill, whose powers were cybernetic). Ariel then arranged for agents of the Coconut Grove's Unipar to capture the mutant members of the Fallen Angels. When Gomi fought back and an agent attempted to subdue Gomi, Bill leapt from the table and attacked the agent but the Fallen Angels were all eventually subdued.


(Fallen Angels I#8) - Left behind when the other Fallen Angels were captured, the determined Bill, who was still angrily grieving the loss of Bill, made movements to rescue his teammates. A short time later, the Fallen Angels heard one of Unipar's agents screaming and when they turned around, they found Bill approaching the agent, with two more incapacitated agents in his pincers. Withstanding all blaster fire shot at him, Bill attacked the agent, clamping hard on the agent's leg. Siryn then assured Bill that Gomi was safe and suggested Bill retrieve the guard's keys. The still-angry Bill then did as Siryn suggested, retrieving the keys and using them to free Gomi. Bill then suggested they exit but Gomi insisted that they free the other Fallen Angels, much to Bill's annoyance. Reminded that Don's death was an accident and that Don would have sacrificed himself to save any of the Fallen Angels, Bill reluctantly freed the Fallen Angels. The Angels then voted to free the double-crossing Ariel as well and Bill led the Fallen Angels towards the exit, where they battle more Coconut Grove guards. Eventually making their way to Unipar, Ariel and a group of the Angels threatened Unipar as Bill, Gomi and Moonboy rode Devil Dinosaur to remind Unipar of the danger of not doing what they said. Bill then watched Unipar surrendered and Ariel quickly opened a teleportational doorway back to the Beat Street Clubhouse.




(Marvel Pets Handbook#1 - Bill & Don entry - BTS) - Bill ultimately forgave Devil Dinosaur for accidentally killing Don and decided to honor Don's memory by continuing to help others.

(Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Update '89 I#3 - Gomi entry - BTS) - Bill remained hale and healthy.

(X-Factor I Annual#8/2 - BTS) - When the House Committee that funded the government-sponsored X-Factor team was going through the team's mission logs, Valerie Cooper researched each of the X-Factor members, finding an image of Bill and the other Fallen Angels while researching Multiple Man (Jamie Madrox).

(Civil War Battle Damage Report - BTS) - Tony Stark considered Gomi and Bill potential recruits into the Fifty-State Initiative.

(Marvel Pets Handbook#1 - Bill & Don entry - BTS) - The general public remained unaware of Bill's existence.

(Avengers: No Road Home#9 (fb) - BTS) - Gomi and Bill joined the Avengers World, a self-described "worldwide force of international heroes" led by Blue Marvel (Adam Brashear).




(Avengers: No Road Home#9) - When the sun stopped shining in New York, Avengers World aided the city during the panic, with Gomi and Bill joining Pod-2 (Aikku Jokinen) in an attempt to stop high-ranking officers from starting a new World War. The international crisis was ultimately solved by other superheroes and Bill's mission apparently succeeded.

Comments: Created by Jo Duffy, Kerry Gammill and Tom Palmer.

Bill's eyes were incorrectly colored blue in Fallen Angels I#6.

In the file photo of the Fallen Angels seen in X-Factor I Annual#8, both Bill and Don were white. This was likely a coloring error.

Gamer's Handbook of the Marvel Universe Vol. 5 (1988) included Bill & Don's role-playing stats for TSR Inc.'s Marvel Super Heroes RPG as a section in Gomi's profile-and their stats are comparable to, say, Mockingbird (shown in the Advanced Judge Book, March 1986); any of these lobsters could give her a run for her Karma points!--which is no overstatement. Fallen Angels I#6 confirms that Bill is stronger than Moonboy and can cut off one of his hand-like feet. --Skippy
    Meaning: In the RPG, those two lobsters would defeat Barbara Morse in a fair fight! --Snood

Although Gomi spoke high about the adventurer, pathfinder lobsters, Bill, like Don, was prone to think with his two stomaches and ask for food frequently. Gomi had told the Fallen Angels of the lobsters' preference for fish nuggets; Fallen Angels member Chance, already familiar with their predilections, once brought Bill and Don a Special on Penguin McBurgers stolen at McNutly's, because they would surely prefer it.

Gomi's real name was revealed in Civil War: Battle Damage Report (2007), in a panel saying "Gomi & Bill the Lobster. Alphonsus Lefszycic." Based on that, one could assume that "Alphonsus Lefszycic" is Bill's real name; but Marvel Pets Handbook (2009) and Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A-Z#|4 (2010) lists Bill and Don's citizenship (sic.) as "property of Alphonsus Lefszycic." --Skippy Farlstendoiro

Profile by Proto-Man (with some text & information updates by Skippy Farlstendoiro).

CLARIFICATIONS:
Bill has no known connections to:

Don the lobster has no known connections to: Neither of these two lobsters have known connections to:

Don

A mutant blue lobster, Don was experimented on by scientists Ramon Lipschutz and Tadashi Fujita. Cybernetically enhanced, Don and his fellow test subject, Bill, convinced Lipschutz's cousin, Gomi, who had been equally enhanced, to leave Lipschutz. Don, Bill and Gomi were subsequently recruited into the Vanisher's Fallen Angels band of thieves by the alien Ariel and as a Fallen Angel, Don was fiercely protective of Gomi and had a penchant for being underfoot. Accompanying Gomi and Bill everywhere, Don was eventually killed after being stepped on by his Fallen Angels teammate, Earth-78411's Devil Dinosaur. Following his death, a funeral was held for Don.

Don was a mutant lobster with a blue coloring. Like Bill, Don had cybernetic enhancements that increased his intelligence, strength, grip and durability. He was also able to communicate with human beings.




--Fallen Angels I#2 (#3-5d,

images: (without ads)
Fallen Angels I#3, p4, pan3 (Bill communicating hunger, main image)
Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Update '89 I#3, p3, Fallen Angels entry (Bill, headshot)
Fallen Angels I#3, p9, pan4 (Bill attacking Vanisher)
Fallen Angels I#4, p13, pan3 (Bill grabbing Boom-Boom's leg)
Fallen Angels I#5, p6, pan6 (Bill sitting on a packing crate)
Fallen Angels I#7, p14, pan4 (Bill looking in a mirror wearing large sunglasses)
X-Factor I Annual#8, p51, pan4 (Gomi holding Bill & Don)
Marvel Pets Handbook#1, p26, Bill & Don entry (Bill with Don)
Avengers: No Road Home#9, p1, splash page (Bill being held)
Fallen Angels I#3, p4, pan2 (Don)

Appearances:
Fallen Angels I#2 (May, 1987) - Jo Duffy (writer), Kerry Gammill (pencils), Tom Palmer (finishes), Ann Nocenti (editor)
Fallen Angels I#3 (June, 1987) - Jo Duffy (writer), Marie Severin (pencils), Tom Palmer (finishes), Ann Nocenti (editor)
Fallen Angels I#4 (July, 1987) - Jo Duffy (writer), Kerry Gammill (pencils), Val Mayerik (inks), Ann Nocenti (editor)
Fallen Angels I#5 (August, 1987) - Jo Duffy (writer), Joe Staton (pencils), Val Mayerik (inks), Ann Nocenti (editor)
Fallen Angels I#6 (September, 1987) - Jo Duffy (writer), Joe Staton (pencils), Val Mayerik (inks), Ann Nocenti (editor)
Fallen Angels I#7 (October, 1987) - Jo Duffy (writer), Kerry Gammill (breakdowns), Tom Palmer (finishes), Ann Nocenti (editor)
Fallen Angels I#8 (November, 1987) - Jo Duffy (writer), Joe Staton (pencils), Tony DeZuniga (inks), Ann Nocenti (editor)
Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Update '89 I#3 (September, 1989) - Peter Sanderson (writer, research), Colleen Doran (Gomi entry pencils), Josef Rubinstein (inks), Gregory Wright (editor)
X-Factor I Annual#8 (1993) - "What Have You Got to Hide?" story - Skip Dietz (writer), Buzz (pencils), Al Milgrom (inks), Kelly Corvese (editor)
Civil War Files (2007) - Anthony Flamini (head writer, coordinator), Ronald Byrd (writer), Jeff Youngquist (editor)
Marvel Pets Handbook#1 (2009) - Michael Hoskin (head writer, coordinator), Madison Carter, Sean McQuaid, Stuart Vandal, Gabriel Shechter, David Wiltfong, Ronald Byrd, Eric J. Moreels, Jacob Rougemont, Markus Raymond, Jeff Christiansen, Mark O'English, Mike O'Sullivan, Chris Biggs, Rob London (writers), Kerry Gamill (Bill & Don entry art), Jeff Youngquist (editor)
Avengers: No Road Home#9 (June, 2019) - Jim Zub, Mark Waid, Al Ewing (writers), Paco Medina (art), Tom Brevoort (editor)

First Posted: 08/06/2020
Last updated: 09/20/2020

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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