Walter Jon Williams

Shad is a fictional vigilante from the Wild Cards series of books, and was created by Walter Jon Williams. Better known as Black Shadow he first appeared in the short story "Strings" in the first Wild Cards anthology, and has played a pivotal role in several of the later books of the series. Black... Shadow is an Ace, a victim of the alien Wild Card virus who has manifested superhuman powers, without visible deformities. He can absorb photons in the form of heat and light, leaving only a cloud-like void of blackness visible, and can incapacitate his foes with hypothermia. Shadow can use the absorbed energy to boost his strength and speed to superhuman levels, and can "see" in the dark using thermal imaging. He can also absorb other frequencies of energy such as radar microwaves, but this requires a greater effort. Since most of his body's energy comes from heat absorption, he needs very little food. He can also cling to walls and ceilings, like the comic-book hero Spider-Man. Combining these powers with his ruthless attitude and criminal skills makes him one of the most effective Aces in the Wild Cards series. Shad is the internal name of an ace who adopts multiple identities.
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Black Eagle is a fictional character from the Wild Cards anthology series and a member of The Four Aces. He was created by Walter Jon Williams, and first appeared in the story "Witness" in the first book of the series, Wild Cards. Earl Sanderson, Jr. was a member of the 332nd Fighter Group during... World War II. He was also a member of the American Communist Party, hoping to create a more equitable society for Black and White alike. During the first outbreak of the Wild Card virus on September 15, 1946, Earl was one of the lucky few who was neither killed nor deformed by the disease, instead gaining fantastic powers to become an Ace. He joined the Four Aces, and helped capture Nazi war criminals and topple tyrants; he even saved Gandhi from a fanatic's bullet, but back at home the political climate of America was changing. The Four Aces found themselves called before the dreaded HUAC where the former Communist Sanderson was torn to shreds on the stand by racist Congressmen. After the trial he escaped prison and fled the country.
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The Envoy is a fictional character from the Wild Cards anthology series and a member of The Four Aces, first appearing in the story "Witness" by Walter Jon Williams in the first book of the series, Wild Cards. David Harstien is an Ace, one of those gifted with amazing powers by the Wild Card... virus. He emits pheromones which make anyone feel like he is their best friend, causing whoever is near him to become completely agreeable—as long as he's in the same room. The effects quickly wear off, however, leaving his victims fully aware of their often uncharacteristic actions. In 1946 he became a behind-the-scenes member of the Exotics for Democracy, who would later become publicly known as the Four Aces. The group enjoyed some public success in capturing Nazi war criminals, while behind the scenes Envoy was secretly attending international summits and making everyone get along just long enough to sign peace treaties; but once his power wore off, many nations reneged on their agreements. This caused the Four Aces to come to the unfortunate attention of HUAC, the House Un-American Activities Committee, who were looking for scapegoats.
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