| “ | ...I shall not be moved. | „ |
| ~ Bronze Tiger |
| “ | When I saw that mean beating my father, I... as I looked down on that... the dead body... I felt sorry. And scared. But what scared me was that I wasn't sorry for killing him. I was sorry it ended so soon. That's why I got into the martial arts. To control the rage. But I still got off on the conflict. And it wasn't the rage that needed controlling. It was the joy. | „ |
| ~ Bronze Tiger |
Bronze Tiger (real name Benjamin "Ben" Turner) is a fictional character and superhero from DC Comics.
He is one of the world's greatest martial artist who was brainwashed to become a member of the League of Assassins, but has recovered and became a vigilante. Though known for being a martial artist, his Prime-Earth counterpart had the ability to transform into a tiger via talisman. He has worked with Richard Dragon and Batman, and been a member of the League of Assassins, Justice League Task Force, G.O.O.D. and the Suicide Squad.
He was created by the late Dennis O'Neil, the late Jim Berry, and Leopoldo Duranona, and first appeared in Richard Dragon, Kung Fu Fighter #1 in May of 1975.
Biography[]
Background[]
Benjamin "Ben" Turner was raised in Central City with his parents and sister, but when he was ten years old, his family was attacked by a burglar one night. Ben stopped the burglar by stabbing him repeatedly with a knife, something he lamented on enjoying, much to his shock. Disturbed by his enjoyment in the killing, Ben went on to learn Tae Kwon Do at the age of thirteen to control his homicidal urges and his anger. Though he learned martial arts, Ben found no way to control his anger, and briefly turned to a life of crime before realizing that his profession would lead him behind bars. He then turned to find a mentor to teach him, and found Kirigi until the master tried to use his homicidal urges for his own benefit.
After leaving Kirigi, Turner became the student of the legendary martial artist O-Sense, and became close friends with O-Sense's second student Richard Dragon. After receiving training in combat and philosophy, O-Sense sent to find their own destinies, and two went off to New York to open their own martial arts school. While there, Turner was injured when a spy named Swiss kidnapped O-Sense's goddaughter Carolyn Woosan, causing Dragon to have to partner with Lady Shiva to stop him and other threats.
Becoming Bronze Tiger[]
Turner was brainwashed by Professor Ojo to be a member of the League of Assassins after the group murdered his ex-fiancé Myoshi, thus gaining the name "Bronze Tiger". While serving the league, Bronze Tiger taught Cassandra Cain with the assassins, and gained a dangerous reputation across the world. While doing missions for the league, Turner was tasked to murder Kathy Kane, but he started to regain his memories. The League then turned against him and nearly killed Turner, but he was saved by the Batman, who saved the assassin only to learn of the murder of Kane. Due to his identity being revealed, Bronze Tiger was deprogrammed by Amanda Waller, who then decided to make him her first recruit of the Suicide Squad.
After leaving the Suicide Squad, Bronze Tiger became a member of the Justice League Task Force, and was tasked to help Batman find Jack Drake. During this time, Turner encountered Cassandra, who was searching for Lady Shiva whom she believed was her birth mother.
In Other Media[]
Batman: The Brave and the Bold[]
Bronze Tiger aka Ben Turner grew up in Central City. One night, he witnessed a burglar attack his parents. Since then, he channeled a deep rage and searched for a way to control it. He eventually turned to Asia where he studied martial arts. Turner eventually became a student of Master Wong Fei. He was considered Wong Fei's best student, but Turner was never acknowledged as such for being too full of pride. Turner would never bow before Master Wong Fei or anyone for that matter. He also developed contempt for his classmate, Fox. In a way, Fox was his opposite. Fox was wealthy and fought for thrills. Turner was penniless and fought to protect. He soon became dissatisfied and left the Temple prematurely thinking he mastered Wudang.
Turner traveled to a village and nominated himself as its protector. As Bronze Tiger, he constructed the Tiger Cage and challenged anyone to fight him. He soon nursed a undefeated record with 65 victories until Batman arrived and requested his help in fighting the Terrible Trio. Bronze Tiger obliged Batman, only because his desire to confront Fox was still strong. When surrounded by the empowered Shadow Clan and Terrible Trio, he used his wits to fool Fox into a false sense of security. He surrendered to save his village and bowed to Fox. This was only to get close enough to knock the Wudang Totem free. Batman and Bronze Tiger embraced the totem and transformed. Bronze Tiger defeated Fox and broke his arms and legs in the process.
After returning the totem to Wudang, he decided to stay, relocate his village there, and restart the school. Soon after, he challenged Batman to a rematch. Months later, Bronze Tiger was attacked by Faceless Hunter and implanted with a Starro clone.
Portrayals[]
Films[]
- In Justice League: Gods and Monsters, he was voiced by Arif S. Kinchen.
- In Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay, he was voiced by Billy Brown.
Television[]
- In Batman: The Brave and the Bold, he was voiced by Gary Anthony Sturgis.
- Sturgis reprised his voice for the character in Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate.
- In CWs Arrow, he was portrayed by Michael Jai White, who also played Spawn in the titular 1997 film.
- White reprised his voice for the character in Batman: Soul of the Dragon.
Web Series[]
- In Deathstroke: Knights & Dragons, he was voiced by Delbert Hunt.
Video Games[]
- In Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham, he was voiced by Ike Amadi, who also voiced Javik in Mass Effect 3, Knack in the titular video game, Jawbreaker in Skylanders: Trap Team, Baranor in Middle-earth: Shadow of War, Cyrax in Mortal Kombat 11, and Jax Briggs in Mortal Kombat Legends series.
- In Lego DC Super-Villains, he was voiced by Kane Jungbluth-Murry.
Gallery[]
.webp "Bronze Tiger (The Brave and the Bold).webp (139 KB)")
.jpg "Bronze Tiger's Tiger Form (The Brave and the Bold).jpg (113 KB)")
.webp "Bronze Tiger (Hell to Pay).webp (117 KB)")
.jpg "Bronze Tiger (Soul of the Dragon).jpg (239 KB)")
.webp "Bronze Tiger (Arkham).webp (70 KB)")
.webp "Bronze Tiger (Lego Batman).webp (81 KB)")
.png "Bronze Tiger (Best Fighter in DC Comics).png (277 KB)")
.jpg "Bronze's Tiger Form (DC).jpg (939 KB)")
.jpg "Bronze Tiger (Animalistic Tiger Form).jpg (1.13 MB)")
Trivia[]
- Not quite as popular as Lady Shiva, but Bronze Tiger is far more prominent than Dragon in the comics and especially in adaptations.
- Bronze Tiger originally used his mask as a conduit for his wrath, to the point that while in the Squad the sight of it made him uncomfortable and nervous of losing his temper. Later he was able to dominate his rage and wear it normally.
- Aside from Richard Dragon, Lady Shiva, and Cassandra Cain, he is, without a doubt, the strongest non-augmented martial artist in the entire DCU. There are a few others who might be near his level (primarily just Batman, Black Canary, and Connor Hawke), but beyond that, he has no peers. Even the people who could conceivably survive a fight with him will do everything in their power to avoid a scenario where they would have to fight him to begin with.