Samuel Barone is the second person to use the name Black Talon. The first one was a Nazi agent named Desmond Drew, who fought Captain America in the 1940s. The successor to Drew named Samuel David Barone wore the same costume as the original and was an ally of the Grim Reaper, operating in the New Orleans area. He first appeared in The Avengers #152 (Oct. 1976), created by Gerry Conway and John Buscema.

One of his most notable feats was resurrecting Wonder Man as a zombie at the behest of the Grim Reaper and sending him to denounce the Avengers when they were presenting a new lineup and accuse the Vision of stealing his mind. When the heroes tracked Wonder Man to Black Talon, he battled the Avengers himself, and was defeated when the Scarlet Witch banished the demon Damballah that Talon had summoned to aid him.

He then joined the second Lethal Legion, a team of villains led by the Grim Reaper. With the Grim Reaper and Nekra, he battled the Vision and Scarlet Witch. Under the Grim Reaper’s orders, he attempted a recreation of “Simon Williams” as a zombie. With the Man-Ape, Black Talon deserted the Lethal Legion during a battle with the West Coast Avengers.

Black Talon’s partner Nekra learned his voodoo rites, and she later used them on two occasions to resurrect the Grim Reaper as a zombie. Black Talon also formed the X-Humed from four dead mutants (Changeling, Scaleface, Living Diamond and Harry Leland), but was unable to control all of them at once; Changeling was able to break his hold long enough for She-Hulk to triumph.

Black Talon also fought Deadpool, who viciously mocked him for his chicken costume. He technically retired from supervillainy, instead becoming a secretive cocaine producer, selling to the Hood. He came across the Zombie (Simon Garth) carrying the zombie head of Deadpool, and offered to sell the head to Hood.

When he attacked New York City with a zombie force, the Punisher supposedly killed him. Somehow Talon survived this assault and was later seen amongst the prisoners being held at Pleasant Hill by S.H.I.E.L.D.. He was among the inmates that rioted when an attack by Baron Zemo caused them to learn that S.H.I.E.L.D. had tampered with their minds, causing them to live alternate lives in an alternate reality.

As for his family history, not much is known about Samuel Barone’s background or relatives. He seems to have been influenced by Haitian culture and religion, as he worships Damballah, the snake god of voodoo. He also wears a costume that resembles a chicken or rooster, which are often used as sacrifices in voodoo rituals.