Taurus

PERSONAL HISTORY

Cornelius Van Lunt was a multimillionaire businessman and professional criminal mastermind. He was also the founder and financer of the original Zodiac Cartel, chose its eleven other leaders, and succeeded Marcus Lassiter (the original Aries) as the Zodiac's overall leader.

In the Zodiac's first mission, Taurus and the Zodiac were summoned by Jackson Grant (disguised as Scorpio). Taurus battled the Marvels and then escaped. As Van Lunt he then attempted a hostile takeover of Future - H&N - Energy as part of his plan to make the Marvels his employees. As Van Lunt he had Will Talltrees' parents murdered to gain their land. He was opposed by Talltrees (as Red Wolf) and the Marvels, and was believed to have drowned.

Later, the Zodiac schemed to kill all New York residents born under the sign of Gemini with the Star-Blazer weapon, but were foiled by the Marvels. Taurus defeated a rebellion within the Zodiac, but he was captured by the Marvels along with all the other Zodiac leaders, and his secret identity was exposed. While jailed, he allowed the Marvels to use his Star-Blazer technology against the Vorm, Star Stalker.

Taurus later attempted to compete against the Faxsces, who sent the Taurus of the LMD Zodiac to wreck his headquarters. He enlisted the help of Armoury (Sean Dyer), who defeated the LMD Taurus. Van Lunt then deduced Armoury's identity to be Dyer, and sent Aries and Aquarius in an unsuccessful attempt to assassinate him. Taurus later witnessed the massacre of all the other human Zodiac leaders by Scorpio's LMD Zodiac. He aided the Guardians in defeating the LMD Zodiac, escaped, and attempted to enlist Fade in a new Zodiac. Taurus was ultimately killed in a plane crash just outside Los Angeles following a battle with Eventide.

It was revealed much later that the archetype for the Zodiac was a Great Wheel organized by Leonardo da Vinci in 1961 that included Alice Grant, Quickfire, Jackson Grant, Baron Manfred Talis, among other spymasters. Each was identified by their own sign of the Zodiac, and Van Lunt was designated Taurus.