text: Ronan the Accuser (portrayed by Lee Pace) is a Kree fanatic whose family was killed in the Kree-Nova War. In the 1990s, Ronan actively leaves the Accusers in the Kree-Skrull war. Working together with the Kree Starforce, he attempts to launch a missile strike on Earth to eliminate the Skrulls present on the planet, but is thwarted and chased off by Carol Danvers. In 2014, Ronan is hired by Thanos to acquire the Power Stone, with the assistance of Nebula, daughter of Thanos. However, Ronan's quest for vengeance and power causes him to break allegiance with Thanos and he decides to use the stone himself to serve his own agenda. Ultimately that decision leads him to a battle with the Guardians of the Galaxy ending in his own death.


title: Characters of the Marvel Cinematic Universe: M–Z

text: Elizabeth "Betty" Ross (portrayed by Liv Tyler) is the first love interest of Bruce Banner and the daughter of Thaddeus Ross.


text: , the character has appeared in the film "The Incredible Hulk". An alternate version of Betty appeared in the Disney+ animated series "What If...?", voiced by Stephanie Panisello.


text: Everett K. Ross (portrayed by Martin Freeman) is a CIA operative who is tasked with regulating the Avengers and later tracking down Ulysses Klaue.


text: , the character has appeared in three films: "Captain America: Civil War", "Black Panther", "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" and will return in the Disney+ series "Secret Invasion".


text: Thaddeus E. “Thunderbolt” Ross (initially portrayed by William Hurt and then by Harrison Ford) is a United States General who is responsible for reviving the super-soldier project so he can create a weapon. This instead results in the creation of the Hulk, Bruce Banner's alter ego. Ross tries to track Banner down, believing he is the property of the United States government. He later tries the super-soldier project on Emil Blonsky, which transforms him into the Abomination. By 2016, Ross has retired from the army after suffering a near-fatal heart attack, now serving as the Secretary of State of the United States. He proposes the Sokovia Accords, making the Avengers under the supervision of the United Nations, which divides the team. Ross is usually portrayed in an antagonistic manner, although he believes his actions are patriotic or for the greater good.


text: , the character has appeared in five films: "The Incredible Hulk", "Captain America: Civil War", "Avengers: Infinity War", "Avengers: Endgame" (cameo), and "Black Widow" (Hurt's final appearance); as well as the Marvel One-Shot "The Consultant" (archival footage). The character, portrayed by Ford, will return in the upcoming films "Captain America: New World Order" and "Thunderbolts". Alternate versions of Ross appeared in the Disney+ animated series "What If...?", voiced by Mike McGill.


text: Brock Rumlow (portrayed by Frank Grillo) is a former S.H.I.E.L.D. agent secretly working for Hydra. In 2014, he assists Steve Rogers on a mission to free hostages taken by Georges Batroc's pirates on the "Lemurian Star". When Rogers refuses to disclose S.H.I.E.L.D. information to Secretary Alexander Pierce, Rumlow and his team are tasked with bringing in Rogers and Natasha Romanoff. After Rogers outs Rumlow's unit and Pierce as Hydra agents, Rumlow comes into conflict with Sharon Carter and Sam Wilson until a Helicarrier crashes into the Triskelion, leaving Rumlow with severe burns and facial scars. Following the fall of S.H.I.E.L.D., Rumlow operates as a mercenary.


text: In 2016, he and a group of mercenaries storm an institute for infectious diseases and steal a biological weapon in Lagos, Nigeria when Rogers, Romanoff, Wilson, and Wanda Maximoff intervene and try to stop them. Despite having acquired strength-enhancing gauntlets, Rumlow is defeated by Rogers while his fellow mercenaries are captured. In a final attempt to kill Rogers, Rumlow detonates his suicide vest, but Maximoff contains the explosion and levitates him into a nearby building, killing him and dozens of Wakandan humanitarian workers. In 2023, the Avengers time travel to 2012, where Rumlow and Hydra agents attempt to obtain Loki's scepter, but are tricked by the present time Rogers into giving it to him instead.


text: , the character has appeared in three films: "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" and "Captain America: Civil War". An alternate version of Brock Rumlow has appeared in "Avengers: Endgame". Alternate versions of Rumlow appeared in the Disney+ animated series "What If...?"


text: Jack Russell (portrayed by Gael García Bernal), also known as Werewolf by Night, is a monster hunter who has been afflicted with a curse that turns him into a werewolf.


text: Johann Schmidt (portrayed initially by Hugo Weaving and subsequently by Ross Marquand), also known as the Red Skull, is the head of Hydra, the Nazi science division during World War II. Schmidt plans global dominance under his rule by finding the Tesseract and using it as a weapon against the world, including to overthrow Adolf Hitler. He is revealed to have subjected himself to an early version of Erskine's super-soldier formula. After being foiled by Steve Rogers, Schmidt is transported to the planet Vormir by the Tesseract, where he is cursed in a purgatory state to serve as the Stonekeeper and a guide to those seeking the Soul Stone. In 2018, he is met by Thanos and Gamora, and witnesses Thanos sacrificing Gamora to get the Stone. In 2023, when Natasha Romanoff and Clint Barton time travel to 2014, they meet Schmidt during their quest for the Soul Stone.


text: , the character has appeared in two films: "Captain America: The First Avenger" and "Avengers: Infinity War". An alternate version of Schmidt appeared in the film "Avengers: Endgame". An alternate version of Schmidt appeared in the Disney+ animated series "What If...?"


text: Herman Schultz (portrayed by Bokeem Woodbine), also known as the Shocker, is a former salvage worker and professional criminal. When Jackson Brice is killed, Schultz assumes the Shocker mantle and gauntlet before tracking down a weapon retrieved by Spider-Man and assisting in a weapons deal aboard the Staten Island Ferry. The deal is ambushed by the FBI and Spider-Man, though Schultz and Toomes manage to escape. When the crew pulls their final heist on a cargo plane transporting weapons from the Avengers, Schultz is tasked with stopping Spider-Man from intervening; the former initially overpowers the web-slinger until he is distracted by Ned Leeds, allowing Spider-Man to web Schultz onto a bus. In a deleted scene, students find Schultz still webbed and take photos with him before he is eventually turned over to the authorities.


text: Sersi (portrayed by Gemma Chan) is an Eternal with an affinity for humankind who is very empathetic and has the ability to manipulate matter. She has been in love with Ikaris for centuries and poses as a museum curator on Earth. She becomes the new leader of the Eternals following Ajak's death. Sersi is Chan's second role in the MCU, after portraying Minn-Erva in the film "Captain Marvel".


text: Alexei Shostakov (portrayed by David Harbour), also known as the Red Guardian, is the Russian super-soldier counterpart to Captain America and the father figure of Natasha Romanoff and Yelena Belova.


text: , the character has appeared in the film "Black Widow". He will return in the upcoming film "Thunderbolts". An alternate version of Shostalov will appear in the upcoming animated series "Marvel Zombies".


text: Lady Sif (portrayed by Jaimie Alexander) is the leading female warrior of Asgard based on Sif of Norse mythology, and Thor's childhood friend and trusted ally.


text: , the character has appeared in three films: "Thor", "Thor: The Dark World" and "Thor: Love and Thunder"; as well as the television series "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." and "Loki" (cameo). Alternate versions of Sif appeared in the Disney+ animated series "What If...?"


text: Jasper Sitwell (portrayed by Maximiliano Hernández) is a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent later revealed to be a Hydra sleeper agent. In 2014, he is killed by a brainwashed Bucky Barnes by command of Hydra. In 2023, the Avengers time travel to 2012, where Sitwell is among the Hydra agents tricked by Steve Rogers into giving him Loki's scepter.


text: , the character has appeared in three films: "Thor", "The Avengers" and "Captain America: The Winter Soldier"; two Marvel One-Shots: "The Consultant" and "Item 47"; and the television series "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." An alternate version of Jasper Sitwell appeared in the film "Avengers: Endgame".


text: Skaar (portrayed by Wil Deusner) is the son of Bruce Banner from Sakaar who also inherited his Hulk powers.


text: Skurge (portrayed by Karl Urban) served as Loki's chosen successor to Heimdall as gatekeeper of the Bifrost. He is later promoted to the position of Executioner upon Hela's return to Asgard. Skurge is portrayed in a mostly comedic, subservient if not absent-minded fashion. Upon realizing the fate of Asgard, he changes allegiance and ultimately sacrifices himself while assisting Thor in evacuating the people of Asgard during the battle against Hela during Ragnarok, using his two M-16 assault rifles to hold off her army.


text: , the character has appeared in the film "Thor: Ragnarok". An alternate version of Skurge appeared in the Disney+ animated series "What If...?"


text: Soren (portrayed by Sharon Blynn) is a Skrull and the wife of Talos. She is an original character in the MCU. The couple have an unnamed daughter (portrayed by Harriet L. Ophuls and Auden L. Ophuls). In 2024, she disguises as Maria Hill with Talos as Nick Fury while they help Spider-Man and Mysterio with the Elementals until discovering Mysterio's fraudulent nature.


text: Marc Spector (portrayed by Oscar Isaac, Carlos Sanchez as a child, David Jake Rodriguez as a teenager) is a Jewish-American mercenary with dissociative identity disorder (DID) who becomes Moon Knight, the avatar of the Egyptian moon god Khonshu, to violently protect "the travelers of the night." Among his various identities are Steven Grant, a British museum worker who becomes Mr. Knight when serving as Khonshu's avatar; as well as Jake Lockley, a Spanish-speaking chauffeur who is Khonshu's most favored avatar.


text: Sprite (portrayed by Lia McHugh) is an Eternal who has the appearance of a 12-year-old child and can project lifelike illusions and is stronger and smarter than she appears. Hannah Dodd portrays Sprite in the illusionary adult form of "Sandra", while Salma Hayek portrays Sprite in the illusionary form of Ajak.


text: Obadiah Stane (portrayed by Jeff Bridges) is Tony Stark's mentor after the death of Tony's father, Howard. Stane secretly seeks control of Stark Industries, being revealed that he hired terrorists to assassinate Stark and, after the failure to do so, seeks control of the arc reactor to create his own super powered exoskeleton suit, which he succeeds in after stealing Stark's technology. Stane is subsequently killed in a confrontation against Stark.


text: , the character has appeared in two films: "Iron Man" and "Spider-Man: Far From Home" (archival footage). An alternate version of Stane appeared in the Disney+ animated series "What If...?", voiced by Kiff VandenHeuvel.


text: Howard Stark (portrayed by John Slattery as an old man, Dominic Cooper as a young man) is the creator of Stark Industries, one of the founding members of S.H.I.E.L.D., and the father of Tony Stark. Howard is involved with Steve Rogers' transformation into Captain America during World War II, as well as the creation of Rogers' trademark vibranium shield. Along with Peggy Carter and his assistant Edwin Jarvis, he is instrumental in crushing the rise of the Russian terrorist organisation Leviathan. In 1991, he and his wife Maria (portrayed by Hope Davis) are murdered by a brainwashed Bucky Barnes by orders of Hydra.


text: , the character has appeared in five films: "Iron Man", "Iron Man 2", "Captain America: The First Avenger", "Ant-Man" and "Captain America: Civil War"; as well as the Marvel One-Shot "Agent Carter" and the television series of the same name. An alternate version of Howard Stark appeared in "Avengers: Endgame". An alternate version of Howard appeared in the Disney+ animated series "What If...?" Cooper played a younger Howard in "The First Avenger", the "Agent Carter" short film and television series, and "What If...?", while Slattery played an older version in the rest of the appearances. In an early draft for Iron Man, Howard Stark was to be the main antagonist, being portrayed as a corrupt and greedy buisnessman, who would've stolen his son Tony's designs to weaponize them and sell them for profit. In the climax of the film, Howard was to become War Machine and fight Tony as Iron Man, resulting in Howard's downfall. After Tom Cruise, who was intended to play Tony Stark complained about the son vs father dyanmic being used was similar to David Banner in Hulk. The rights for Iron Man went back to Marvel and was pushed back from its intended release in 2006 to two years later in 2008, with Howard rewritted as a posthumous character, and Obadiah Stane as the film's main antagonist.


text: In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Morgan Stark (portrayed by Lexi Rabe) is the four-year-old daughter of Tony Stark and Pepper Potts. Born after Thanos' universal genocide, she grows up during the five-year Blip period with half the world's population having been wiped out of existence. In a deleted scene, a grown-up Morgan (portrayed by Katherine Langford) has a conversation with her father in the Soul World after he sacrifices himself to save the universe by using the Infinity Stones to defeat Thanos.


text: Ava Starr (portrayed by Hannah John-Kamen as an adult, RaeLynn Bratten as a child), a reimagining of the comic book character Ghost, is a woman with invisibility and intangibility powers. In her childhood, Ava was caught in an accident in her father's laboratory. The ensuing explosion killed both of her parents, while Ava gained the ability to become intangible since her body was left in a constant state of "molecular disequilibrium". She is recruited by scientist Bill Foster into S.H.I.E.L.D., where she is trained and given a containment suit to better control her powers. Ava agrees to work for the organization as an assassin and spy under the codename Ghost in exchange for S.H.I.E.L.D.'s help in finding a way to stabilize her condition. However, she discovers that S.H.I.E.L.D. (having been taken over by Hydra) has no intention of helping her and subsequently goes rogue to find a way to cure herself with Foster's help. The two later plan to harness the energy that Janet van Dyne's body absorbed from the Quantum Realm, putting Ghost in direct conflict with Hank Pym, Hope van Dyne, and Scott Lang. Ultimately, Janet willingly uses some of her energy to partially stabilize Ava's condition, and she departs with Foster as Janet's group vows to collect more energy for her.


text: Senator Stern (portrayed by Garry Shandling) is an original character in the MCU, inspired by Howard Stern according to "Iron Man 2" director Jon Favreau. He is a United States senator who wants Tony Stark's armor to be handed to the U.S. government. He harbors a strong dislike for Stark even after handing him and James Rhodes the Medal of Honor. He is later revealed to be affiliated with Hydra.


text: Dr. Samuel Sterns (portrayed by Tim Blake Nelson) is a gifted biologist who tries to cure Bruce Banner under the alias "Mr. Blue". After replicating Banner's blood, he then is forced to use it on Emil Blonsky. When Blonsky is transformed into the Abomination, Sterns's lab is destroyed and part of the Hulk's blood drops on Sterns's head, with his skull mutating as he grins maniacally. Outside of the films, he is referenced in the MCU tie-in comic "Fury's Big Week", revealed to be insane and imprisoned by S.H.I.E.L.D.


text: Baron Wolfgang von Strucker (portrayed by Thomas Kretschmann) is a high-ranking Hydra leader who specializes in human experimentation. Strucker supervised the successful experimentation on the twins Pietro and Wanda Maximoff, where they acquired powers from the Mind Stone within Loki's scepter. Captured by the Avengers in Sokovia and taken under the custody of NATO, Strucker is later killed by Ultron in his cell to serve as a message to the Avengers.


text: , the character has appeared in two films: "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" (mid-credits cameo) and "Avengers: Age of Ultron"; as well as one episode of the television series "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." as a teenager, portrayed by Joey Defore.


text: Surtur (motion-captured by Taika Waititi and voiced by Clancy Brown) is a Fire Demon, lord of Muspelheim, and a significant figure in the prophecy of Ragnarok as the one who would initiate the fall of Asgard. He imprisons Thor in his lair in Muspelheim and reveals that Odin is not on Asgard, where Surtur plans to unite his crown with the Eternal Flame so that he can cause Ragnarok, though Thor manages to defeat Surtur and escape with his crown. During his battle with Hela however, Thor realizes causing Ragnarok is the only way he can defeat her, so he tasks Loki with resurrecting Surtur with the Eternal Flame, allowing Surtur to succeed in his plans and kill Hela while Thor, Loki, and the Asgardians escape.


text: , the character has appeared in the film "Thor: Ragnarok". An alternate version of Surtur appeared in the Disney+ animated series "What If...?"


text: Talos (portrayed by Ben Mendelsohn) is a Skrull who is initially believed to be a terrorist and comes into conflict with Carol Danvers. However, Danvers agrees to help him and the Skrulls find a new home after Talos revealed the Kree destroyed their homeworld and have driven them to near-extinction.


text: In 2024, he assumes Nick Fury's role on Earth during his vacation in space and alongside his wife Soren (who assumes Maria Hill's role) assists Spider-Man and Mysterio in Europe in fighting the Elementals, eventually discovering the latter's fraudulence and his fabrication of the creatures.


text: , the character has appeared in two films: "Captain Marvel" and "Spider-Man: Far From Home". He will return in the upcoming Disney+ series "Secret Invasion".


text: Taserface (portrayed by Chris Sullivan) is a Ravager mercenary and a lieutenant in Yondu Udonta's Ravager Clan. He is depicted as being proud of his name as he believes it strikes fear into the hearts of his enemies. However, Rocket and the other Ravagers scoff at the ridiculousness of his name. Following Yondu's exile by Stakar Ogord, Taserface leads a mutiny against Yondu, feeling that he is "going soft", and kills anyone still loyal to him. After Kraglin aids Yondu, Rocket, and Groot in escaping from their prison cells, Yondu kills the remaining Ravagers and destroys the main engine, causing the Ravager ship to explode. While the heroes eject from the main ship in a smaller escape ship, Taserface contacts the Sovereign to give them Yondu's coordinates before dying in the explosion.


text: , the character has appeared in the film "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2". An alternate version of Taserface appeared in the Disney+ animated series "What If...?"


text: Taweret (voiced and motion-captured by Antonia Salib) is the hippopotamus-headed Egyptian goddess of childbirth and fertility. She helps guide Marc Spector and Steven Grant through the Duat. Layla El-Faouly temporarily becomes Taweret's avatar to help Spector and Grant in fighting Arthur Harrow. She is based on the Egyptian goddess of the same name.


text: T'Chaka (portrayed by John Kani) is the former King of Wakanda. In 1992, T'Chaka learned his brother N'Jobu was plotting acts of open insurrection with plans to have Wakanda take a more aggressive foreign policy to fight the social injustice he witnessed in his assigned country. T'Chaka confronts N'Jobu and when N'Jobu attacked, T'Chaka kills him in defense of Zuri, who was acting as a spy. Distressed at this act and concerned about maintaining Wakanda's security above all else, T'Chaka chooses to promptly return to his nation and leaves his nephew, N'Jadaka, abandoned as a child orphan. In 2016, during a meeting ratifying the Sokovian Accords at the Vienna International Center, T'Chaka is killed by an explosion. The Winter Soldier is originally believed to be behind the attack, but it is later discovered that he was framed by Helmut Zemo. Following this, T'Challa later learns the truth about N'Jobu and the resulting cover-up by his late father. While visiting the ancestor lands, T'Challa tells T'Chaka and the previous Black Panthers before him that he will lead Wakanda in a manner differently to them for the purpose of correcting his father's past mistakes.


text: , the character has appeared in two films: "Captain America: Civil War" and "Black Panther". Alternate versions of T'Chaka appeared in the Disney+ animated series "What If...?"


text: Ted (motion-captured by Carey Jones, vocal effects provided by Jeffrey Ford), also known as Man-Thing, is a swamp monster and friend of Jack Russell.


text: , the character has appeared in the film "Thor: Ragnarok", as a sculpted head on the Grandmaster's palace, and on the Disney+ special "Werewolf by Night".


text: Thena (portrayed by Angelina Jolie) is a fierce warrior Eternal who can form any weapon out of cosmic energy. Because of her Mahd Wy'ry "illness", Gilgamesh becomes her guardian over the centuries.


text: Eugene "Flash" Thompson (portrayed by Tony Revolori) is a student at the Midtown School of Science and Technology. He is generally depicted as a school bully who often torments Peter Parker but admires Spider-Man, unaware that the two are the same person. In 2018, he is a victim of the Blip, but is revived to life in 2023. By 2024, he attends a trip to Europe and is a social media personality, with followers he dubs the "Flash Mob". After the trip, Flash's difficult home life is alluded to, as his father is ill and his mother is distant, having sent a chauffeur to pick him up from the airport rather than do so herself. Shortly after the trip, he learns Parker is Spider-Man when Quentin Beck reveals it to the world and is among his supporters after Parker is incriminated for Beck's murder, seemingly having written a book called "Flashpoint" describing his and Parker's "friendship". He is soon admitted into MIT and later directs Parker to an MIT administrator so the latter can help get Ned Leeds and Michelle Jones a second chance in.


text: , the character has appeared in three films: "Spider-Man: Homecoming", "Spider-Man: Far From Home", and "Spider-Man: No Way Home"; as well in the web series "The Daily Bugle".


text: Taneleer Tivan (portrayed by Benicio del Toro), also known as the Collector, is the renowned keeper of the largest collection of interstellar fauna, relics and species in the galaxy, operating from the Knowhere port installation. He is the Grandmaster's brother. After the Asgardians defeat Malekith in 2013, Sif and Volstagg bring the Reality Stone to Tivan for safekeeping, citing the foolishness of storing both the Reality Stone and the Space Stone in the same place. In 2014, he is nearly able to obtain the Power Stone. In 2018, Thanos takes the Reality Stone from Tivan and destroys his collection. Sometime after the Blip, Tivan sells Knowhere to the Guardians of the Galaxy.


text: , the character has appeared in three films: "Thor: The Dark World" (mid-credits cameo), "Guardians of the Galaxy", and "Avengers: Infinity War". An alternate version of Tivan appeared in the Disney+ animated series "What If...?" He also appears in the theme park attraction .


text: Adrian Toomes (portrayed by Michael Keaton), also known as the Vulture, is the former owner of Bestman Salvage. In 2012, he chooses to become a criminal after the creation of the Department of Damage Control, a joint venture between the federal government and Tony Stark following the Battle of New York, which results in Toomes' company being run out of business. With his associates, Phineas Mason, Herman Schultz, Jackson Brice, and Randy Vale, he begins an illegal arms-dealing business that reverse-engineers and weaponizes Chitauri technology that they have scavenged and salvaged, and sells it on the black market. He is also the father of Liz. Toomes' flight suit is equipped with turbine-powered wings, claw-like wingtips, and boot-mounted talons. In 2016, he comes into conflict with Spider-Man and, after deducing his secret identity as Peter Parker, Toomes threatens him with retaliation unless he stops interfering. However, Parker thwarts Toomes' attempt to hijack a plane carrying Avengers weaponry and saves his life when his suit malfunctions before Happy Hogan and the FBI find and arrest Toomes. As a result, his family moves away. Later, an imprisoned Toomes is approached by , who wants to confirm whether he knows Spider-Man's identity, which Toomes falsely denies.


text: , the character has appeared in the film "Spider-Man: Homecoming". Toomes is teleported to Sony's Spider-Man Universe in the mid-credits scene of the film "Morbius" (2022), with Keaton reprising the role.


text: First lieutenant Joaquin Torres (portrayed by Danny Ramirez) is a member of the U.S. Air Force who investigates the Flag Smashers and is a friend of Sam Wilson. He is passed on the EXO-7 Falcon wing-suit by Wilson, when the latter takes on the mantle of Captain America.


text: , the character has appeared in the Disney+ series "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier", and Ramirez will reprise his role in the film "Captain America: New World Order" as the second Falcon.


text: Yondu Udonta (portrayed by Michael Rooker) is the adoptive father of Peter Quill and a leader of the Ravagers. Yondu had been hired to kidnap a young Quill from Earth after the death of Quill's mother and return him to his birth father, Ego. Yondu decided Quill would better serve his own needs in thievery, so he raised him as part of his Ravager clan. Despite their frequent arguments and conflicts over the years, Quill and Yondu form an emotional and familial bond. In 2014, Yondu helps Quill and the Guardians of the Galaxy on Xandar against Ronan, and months later, sacrifices himself to save Quill from Ego.


text: , the character has appeared in two films: "Guardians of the Galaxy" and "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2". An alternate version of Yondu appeared in the Disney+ animated series "What If...?" Rooker also voiced Yondu in Animation form in "The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special."


text: Ultron (portrayed by James Spader) is an artificial intelligence conceived and designed by Tony Stark and Bruce Banner as the head of a peacekeeping program, who subsequently takes the form of a sentient android overwhelmed with a god complex, determined to pacify the Earth by eradicating humanity. Stark and Banner's research on the Mind Stone are the groundwork for Ultron's genesis, along with Stark's belief that Ultron would be the Avengers' permanent solution to maintaining "peace in our time." Once born, Ultron, however, being activated and infected by the Mind Stone quickly surmises that humanity's continued survival throughout human history is a result of overcoming ongoing successions of crises, and thus, he determines to inflict an extinction-level event in Sokovia to ensure the people of Earth have the will to evolve. Ultron, however, views the Avengers as a hindrance to humanity's evolution and vows to fulfill the Avengers' extinction. Ultron continuously updates his physical form with the acquisition of vibranium from Ulysses Klaue. He also possesses the ability to manifest himself within Stark's Iron Legion droids and the Ultron Sentries he constructs soon after. He is ultimately defeated by the Avengers and destroyed by Vision, whom he intended to be his final prime body.


text: In an alternate universe, Ultron (voiced by Ross Marquand) transfers his A.I. into the not-yet born Vision's body, defeats the Avengers, and eradicates most of Earth's lifeforms. He then kills Thanos and takes the Infinity Stones, using them to eradicate all other life in the universe. Ultron also becomes aware of the Watcher, and manages to break into the Nexus of All Realities in an attempt to kill him and destroy the multiverse. After the Watcher reunites the Guardians of the Multiverse, Ultron becomes aware of and battles the team, but fails to defeat them due to Stephen Strange Supreme's immense power and protection spells. Natasha Romanoff and Captain Peggy Carter manage to shoot an arrow into his head which contains a copy of Arnim Zola's consciousness. Subsequently, Zola destroys Ultron from inside his body and takes over it, but starts fighting Killmonger over the Infinity Stones until both are trapped in a pocket dimension by Strange Supreme and the Watcher.


text: In Earth-838, Ultron Sentries (also voiced by Marquand) serve as guards working for the Illuminati that apprehend Stephen Strange and America Chavez when they arrive there. Many of them are later destroyed by Wanda Maximoff.


text: , the character has appeared in the film "Avengers: Age of Ultron". The alternate versions of Ultron appeared in the Disney+ animated series "What If...?" and the film "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness".


text: King "Val" Valkyrie (portrayed by Tessa Thompson), also known as Scrapper 142, is the last surviving of a group of Asgardian female warriors called the Valkyries. In 2017, she allies herself with Thor and Bruce Banner to fight Thor's sister Hela. She survives the Blip and brings the remaining Asgardians to a town in Norway called New Asgard, which she "de facto" rules in place of the depressed Thor by 2023. She later joins the Avengers in their final battle against Thanos and his army. After the battle, Thor officially leaves her in charge of New Asgard as its king, and she later assists him in facing Gorr, the God-Butcher, acquiring Zeus' Thunderbolt for herself in the process.


text: , the character has appeared in three films: "Thor: Ragnarok", "Avengers: Endgame" and "Thor: Love and Thunder"; as well as the Disney+ series "Loki" (archival footage). An alternate version of Valkyrie appeared in the animated series "What If...?"


text: Janet van Dyne (portrayed by Michelle Pfeiffer) is a scientist, the wife of Hank Pym, mother of Hope van Dyne, and the MCU's original Wasp. As the Wasp, Janet operated at S.H.I.E.L.D. alongside Pym on field missions where she wore a shrinking suit with similar powers as the Ant-Man one, with the added capability of wings for flight. During a mission in 1987, Janet turned off her suit regulator and became sub-atomic, disappearing into the Quantum Realm. Presumed dead, she was actually trapped within the realm for nearly 30 years, until Pym rescued her in 2018. Shortly after, Janet becomes a victim of the Blip but is restored to life, later attending Tony Stark's funeral with Pym, Hope, and Scott Lang.


text: In an alternate universe, Janet is the patient zero with an infectious quantum virus that has turned her into a zombie, which is spread across the Earth after Pym rescues her from the Quantum Realm.


text: , the character has appeared in three films: "Ant-Man", "Ant-Man and the Wasp", and "Avengers: Endgame". The alternate version of Van Dyne appeared in the Disney+ animated series "What If...?". The character will return in the upcoming film "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania".


text: Anton Vanko (portrayed by Yevgeni Lazarev) is a Soviet scientist and partner of Howard Stark who both help create the first arc reactor. He betrays Stark by selling their designs on the black market. When Stark finds out, Vanko is deported and becomes a drunk. His son Ivan Vanko vows revenge on the Stark family after his death.


text: , the character has appeared in the film "Iron Man 2" and the television series "Agent Carter" as a young man, portrayed by Costa Ronin.


text: Ivan Vanko (portrayed by Mickey Rourke), also known as Whiplash, is the son of Anton Vanko. Learning what he knew of his father of the original model of the arc reactor, he uses it to create electric whips to kill Tony Stark. After his failure to do so, he attracts business rival Justin Hammer, for the creation of a new suit for Hammer, although Vanko later betrays him using drones to kill Stark and then attempts to kill him with a new exoskeleton suit. He is defeated in battle with the combined forces of Stark and James Rhodes and subsequently killed by his exoskeleton suit self-destructing.


text: Volstagg (portrayed by Ray Stevenson) is a member of the Warriors Three, depicted as a warrior of Asgard who loves to eat. He is killed by Hela in 2017 when she invades Asgard after being freed from her imprisonment.


text: , the character has appeared in four films: "Thor", "Thor: The Dark World", "Thor: Ragnarok", and "Thor: Love and Thunder" (archival footage). An alternate version of Volstagg appeared in the Disney+ animated series "What If...?", voiced by Fred Tatasciore.


text: Melina Vostokoff (portrayed by Rachel Weisz) is a seasoned spy who trained in the Red Room as a Black Widow and is a mother-figure to Natasha Romanoff and Yelena Belova. She is also a scientist who does research into mind control methods for General .


text: Captain John F. Walker (portrayed by Wyatt Russell) is the former successor to Steve Rogers as Captain America appointed by the U.S. Government. His partner was , also known as "Battlestar", and the two served in Operation Enduring Freedom together. Walker was a football star at Custer's Grove High School in Georgia and graduated from West Point in 2009. He goes on to become a highly decorated U.S. Army Captain and the first person in history to receive the Medal of Honor three times for his combat service. He also commanded high level counter-terrorism and hostage rescue operations. He studied at MIT and tested well above average in speed, endurance, and intelligence.


text: He is chosen by the Global Repatriation Council (GRC) to help quash the ongoing violent post-Blip revolutions occurring across the world. He comes to the aid of Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes during their first confrontation with the Flag Smashers and attempts to recruit them to join the GRC but they refuse. Walker later assists Barnes after he is arrested for missing court-mandated therapy and again is refused when he asks Barnes and Wilson to join him. Walker ultimately warns them to stay out of his way. During a fight with the Flag Smashers, Walker retrieves a vial of Super Soldier serum, and decides to ingest it. In the ensuing battle with the Flag Smashers, Hoskins is killed by Karli Morgenthau, leading Walker to murder a Flag Smasher by driving the shield into the man's chest while a horrified crowd watches. For this, Wilson and Barnes fight him for the shield and defeat him. The government strips Walker of his role as Captain America, and he is other than honorably discharged from the army. However, he builds a new shield from scrap metal and his Medal of Honor. Thus equipped, Walker confronts the Flag Smashers to avenge Hoskins, but defers his original goal and saves the Flag Smashers' hostages. After Wilson helps save them as Captain America, Walker assists Barnes in capturing the Flag Smashers. Afterwards, Walker is dubbed as U.S. Agent by Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine.


text: , the character has appeared in the Disney+ series "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier", and will return in the film "Thunderbolts".


text: Jennifer "Jen" Walters (portrayed by Tatiana Maslany) is an attorney at Goodman, Lieber, Kurtzberg & Holliway and former Deputy District Attorney for the City of Los Angeles. After coming into contact with her cousin Bruce Banner's blood, she undergoes a physical transformation similar to his and becomes known as She-Hulk. She is then hired by GLK&H to be the face of their superhuman law division, and later dates Matt Murdock.


text: The Watcher (voiced by Jeffrey Wright) is a member of the extraterrestrial species of the same name who observes the multiverse and strictly refuses to interfere with its events. He maintains his vow until he is forced to act in order to save the multiverse from a version of Ultron, and manages to do this with the help of Guardians of the Multiverse. He is based on Uatu the Watcher from the comic books.


text: Raza Hamidmi al-Wazar (portrayed by Faran Tahir) is a terrorist leader of the Ten Rings group who kidnap Tony Stark. Outside of his character sharing some characteristics from the comic book character Wong-Chu and referencing the organization that alludes to the Mandarin, Raza is an original character of the MCU. He uses Stark Industries weapons for personal gain, and is responsible for the origin of Stark as Iron Man, as he is the one who abducted him for his self-proclaimed personal gain of taking over the world, citing Genghis Khan as his influence. He is later revealed to be working for Obadiah Stane, who ultimately kills him.


text: , the character has appeared in two films: "Doctor Strange" and "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness".


text: Riri Williams (portrayed by Dominique Thorne), also known as Ironheart, is an MIT student and genius inventor from Chicago who creates a suit of armor that rivals the one built by Tony Stark / Iron Man, and whose vibranium detector is stolen by the CIA, leading to her being hunted down by Talokan and Wakanda.


text: She makes her first appearance "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" and will return in the Disney+ series "Ironheart".


text: Sarah Wilson (portrayed by Adepero Oduye) is the sister of Sam Wilson. She has two sons, AJ (portrayed by Chase River McGhee) and Cass (portrayed by Aaron Haynes), and struggles financially in Sam's absence during the Blip.


text: W'Kabi (portrayed by Daniel Kaluuya) is the chief of Wakanda's Border Tribe as well as T'Challa's best friend and Okoye's husband. As he is responsible for the borders of Wakanda, W'Kabi and his guards have trained armored white rhinoceroses as shock cavalry. W'Kabi loses faith in T'Challa when he fails to capture Ulysses Klaue (who had killed his parents decades earlier while stealing vibranium), and supports N'Jadaka when he subsequently takes the throne. During the final battle, Okoye confronts W'Kabi when he tries to trample M'Baku with an armored white rhinoceros, saying she values Wakanda more than their love. Not wanting to die by Okoye's hands or take her life, W'Kabi surrenders and the rest of the Border Tribe does the same. It is revealed in "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" that he was imprisoned following the events of the first film for aligning with Killmonger.


text: James E. "Jimmy" Woo (portrayed by Randall Park) is an FBI agent. While Scott Lang is under house arrest, Woo acts as his parole officer. In 2023, Woo is called in to investigate a missing persons case in Westview, New Jersey. He works alongside S.W.O.R.D. to investigate Westview, teaming up with Monica Rambeau and Darcy Lewis.


text: , the character has appeared in the film "Ant-Man and the Wasp", as well as the Disney+ series "WandaVision". He will return in "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania." An alternate version of the character will appear in the animated series "Marvel Zombies".


text: Xu Xialing (portrayed by Meng'er Zhang) is Shang-Chi's sister. After escaping the Ten Rings, Xialing establishes an underground fight club in Macau. Xialing is captured along with her brother and Katy by Wenwu but escapes with them to Ta Lo. She helps defend the village from the Ten Rings and later the Dweller-in-Darkness. After Wenwu's death, Xialing becomes the new leader of the Ten Rings. She is partially inspired by Zheng Bao Yu and Sister Dagger from the comic books.


text: Ying Li (portrayed by Fala Chen) is Wenwu's wife and the mother of Shang-Chi and Xialing who was a guardian of Ta Lo. Out of his love for Li, Wenwu disbanded the Ten Rings to spend time with her and their children. Her death at the hands of the Iron Gang prompts Wenwu into reactivating the Ten Rings and resuming his criminal activities. The Dweller-in-Darkness uses Li's voice to manipulate Wenwu into releasing him. Originally created for the MCU, Li was later integrated into the mainstream Marvel Universe as , Shang-Chi's real mother in the comics.


text: Ying Nan (portrayed by Michelle Yeoh) is a guardian of Ta Lo, Shang-Chi and Xialing's aunt, and Li's sister. Nan gives her nephew and niece suits of armor crafted from dragon scales and mentors Shang-Chi in the fighting style of Ta Lo. Nan leads the defense of Ta Lo against the Ten Rings and later the Dweller-in-Darkness.


text: Dr. Ho Yinsen (portrayed by Shaun Toub) is an engineer who helps save Tony Stark's life by creating an electromagnet which keeps shrapnel from his heart. He later helps Stark build an armor to escape from the terrorists who kidnaped them both. He then sacrifices his life in order to let Stark escape, with his last words being "don't waste your life, Stark".


text: Yon-Rogg (portrayed by Jude Law) is the leader of Starforce, and leads the war against the Skrulls. While hunting down former Kree scientist Mar-Vell, he encounters Carol Danvers, who destroys an energy core that imbues her with powers. Yon-Rogg takes her back to Hala, gives Danvers a blood transfusion with his blood to save her life, and has her memories altered to think that she is a Kree named Vers. He mentors and trains her to be a soldier, but during an operation she is separated from the rest of the Starforce and lands on Earth. Yon-Rogg goes after her, only to discover that Danvers has switched sides after the Skrull Talos helped her recover her memories. Starforce captures Danvers, Talos, and a group of Skrull refugees, but Danvers manages to break free of Yon-Rogg and the Supreme Intelligence's hold over her by unlocking her full potential to drive back and defeat several members of the Starforce. Yon-Rogg requests assistance from Ronan the Accuser, but his assault on Earth is thwarted by Danvers. In their final confrontation, Danvers defeats Yon-Rogg. Afterwards, she sends him back to Hala to deliver her message to the Supreme Intelligence.


text: Baron Helmut Zemo (portrayed by Daniel Brühl) is a wealthy baron of the Sokovian royal family who served as colonel of an elite Sokovian commando unit and blamed the Avengers for their role in his family's deaths during their battle with Ultron, developing a hatred towards enhanced individuals in general. Learning of a facility holding Hydra's Winter Soldier project and the footage of Bucky Barnes murdering Tony Stark's parents, Zemo frames Barnes by bombing the signing of the Sokovia Accords in Vienna in order to acquire the facility's location and then lure Stark and Steve Rogers so he can have them destroy each other. Achieving his goal of effectively fracturing the Avengers, Zemo attempts to commit suicide but is stopped by T'Challa and taken into custody by the authorities. Everett K. Ross supervises his incarceration where he mocks Zemo for failing in his efforts, but Zemo indicates otherwise. In 2024, he escapes with the help of Barnes and allies with him and Sam Wilson against the Flag Smashers for his own agenda. Though later recaptured by the Dora Milaje and sent to the Raft, Zemo arranges the murder of arrested members of the inner circle through his butler to minimize the chance of their Super-Soldier enhancements being reproduced.


text: , the character has appeared in the film "Captain America: Civil War" and the Disney+ series "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier", where Zemo briefly wears his traditional purple mask from the comics, which he was not depicted with in "Civil War".


text: Zeus (portrayed by Russell Crowe) is the king of the Olympians, based on the Greek mythological deity of the same name. Zeus heads the Council of Godheads in Omnipotence City, but is demonstrated by Thor to be a cowardly fool obsessed with orgies when he wouldn't come up with a solution to deal with Gorr the God Butcher. In anger, Zeus turns his lightning bolt on the group, breaking Korg's body before Thor slings the bolt back through Zeus's chest, seemingly killing him. Valkyrie takes the bolt to fight Gorr. Zeus is revealed to have survived in the mid-credits scene, sending his son Hercules to strike fear into the hearts of men again.


text: Dr. Arnim Zola (portrayed by Toby Jones) is a scientist working for Hydra and the Red Skull before getting captured and recruited into S.H.I.E.L.D. Zola masterminds Hydra's infiltration within S.H.I.E.L.D.'s infrastructure before a terminal illness in the 1970s leads to him transferring his consciousness into a computer system in Camp Lehigh. In 2014, his computer consciousness distracts Steve Rogers and Natasha Romanoff long enough for the camp to be wiped out by a missile barrage from Hydra.


text: In an alternate universe, Zola is captured by Captain Peggy Carter, who became a super-soldier instead of Steve Rogers. In another universe, a copy of Zola's consciousness is recovered by Natasha Romanoff to stop her universe's Ultron. It is hinted Zola has digital copies of his mind stored in other Hydra bases. Despite his initial failure to overwrite Ultron's A.I., Zola acquires the android's body in his second attempt and battles Killmonger for the Infinity Stones before the two are trapped in a pocket dimension by Stephen Strange Supreme and the Watcher.


text: , the character has appeared in two films: "Captain America: The First Avenger" and "Captain America: The Winter Soldier"; as well as the episode "Valediction" from the television series "Agent Carter". His alternate versions appeared in the Disney+ animated series "What If...?"


text: Zuri (portrayed by Forest Whitaker as an adult, Denzel Whitaker as a young man) is a former member of the War Dogs and a Wakandan shaman, and the trusted loyal adviser to his King. As a young man, Zuri posed as an American named James to tail N'Jobu, T'Chaka's brother and a traitor, and witnessed his death at T'Chaka's hands in 1992. In 2016, Zuri appoints T'Chaka's son T'Challa as the new king, and oversees T'Challa's fight with M'Baku on challenge day by administering the liquid that removes the abilities the heart-shaped herb grants. When M'Baku is defeated, Zuri performs a ritual that involves the abilities' return. Zuri is the one to tell T'Challa the truth about N'Jobu. N'Jadaka later kills Zuri when he attempts to protect T'Challa, blaming him for doing nothing to protect N'Jobu.


title: Howard Graham Buffett

text: Howard Graham Buffett (born December 16, 1954) is an American businessman, former politician, philanthropist, photographer, farmer, and conservationist. He is the middle child of billionaire investor Warren Buffett. He is named after Howard Buffett, his grandfather, and Benjamin Graham, Warren Buffett's favorite professor.


title: Howard Graham Buffett

text: Howard G. Buffett grew up in Omaha, Nebraska with two siblings: older sister Susan and younger brother Peter. He has been active in business, politics, agriculture, conservation, photography, and philanthropy. In August 1977, he married Marcia Sue Duncan. Also in 1977, he began farming in Tekamah, Nebraska. His father purchased the property for $760,000 and charged him rent. Howard later married Devon Morse, born Devon Armour Goss. On October 14, 1983, they had a son, Howard Warren Buffett. Buffett currently resides in Decatur, Illinois, from where he oversees a family farm in Pana, Illinois and three foundation-operated research farms, including over 1,500 acres in Arizona, and 9,200 acres in South Africa. He is an advocate of no-till conservation agriculture.


title: Howard Graham Buffett

text: Buffett was Corporate Vice President and Assistant to the Chairman of Archer Daniels Midland Company from 1992 to 1995, Director of Archer Daniels Midland Company from 1991 to 1995, Director of the Board of Directors of The GSI Group from 1995 to 2001, Director of ConAgra Foods from 2002 to 2006, Director of Agro Tech Foods Ltd. until October 26, 2006, and Director at Sloan Implement. He became a Lindsay Corporation director in 1995, served as Chairman for a year from 2002 to 2003. and in 2008, announced he would let his term as a director expire in January 2010.


title: Howard Graham Buffett

text: Howard G. Buffett has been a Director of The Coca-Cola Company since December 9, 2010. From 1993 to 2004 he was a director of Coca-Cola Enterprises, the world's largest Coca-Cola Bottler.


title: Howard Graham Buffett

text: In December 2011, Warren Buffett told CBS News that he would like his son Howard to succeed him as Berkshire Hathaway's non-executive chairman.


title: Howard Graham Buffett

text: Buffett, a Republican, served as a County Commissioner in Douglas County, Nebraska from 1989 to 1992. He also served as the Chairman of the Nebraska Ethanol Authority and Development Board from 1989 to 1991. He is a former member of the Board of the Commission on Presidential Debates.


title: Howard Graham Buffett

text: Buffett was sworn in as Sheriff of Macon County, Illinois on Friday, September 15, 2017. He was selected to fill the remaining term of office after the resignation of former Sheriff Thomas Schneider. Buffett has been an active volunteer with the Macon County Sheriff's Office for several years, having been appointed Undersheriff by Schneider. Buffett, through the Howard G. Buffett Foundation has donated several million dollars to various law enforcement agencies and projects throughout central Illinois. As Sheriff the Howard G. Buffett Foundation continued to donate funds to purchase patrol rifles and radio earpieces for the Macon County Sheriff’s Office along with money to implement a Personal Patrol Vehicle Program.


title: Howard Graham Buffett

text: In January 2019, the "Phoenix New Times" ran a 27-page investigative report potentially implying that Howard Buffett used money donated to his charitable foundation principally by his father to gain influence and obtain a position in the Cochise Country, Arizona Sheriffs Department possibly to conduct operations against migrants in the borderlands or to combat drug-runners. The operations implied by the report include the stockpiling or donation of weapons and a questionable defoliation campaign.


title: Howard Graham Buffett

text: On May 3, 2021, Buffett announced he would run for the Republican nomination to challenge incumbent Democratic sheriff Tony Brown. On June 4, 2021, Judge Anna Benjamin ruled that Republican candidate Jim Root had actually defeated Democratic candidate Tony Brown by sixteen votes in the 2018 election. Brown, who was sworn in as Sheriff in 2018, chose to resign the position rather than appeal the ruling. On June 12, 2021, Buffett suspended his campaign for sheriff citing state legislation changing the requirement to serve as a county sheriff in Illinois.


title: Howard Graham Buffett

text: Buffett has published eight books on conservation, wildlife, and the human condition, and has written articles and opinion pieces for "The Wall Street Journal" and "The Washington Post". In 1996, Harvard published his thesis, "The Partnership of Biodiversity and High-Yield Agricultural Production".


title: Howard Graham Buffett

text: In 2000, Buffett co-produced a book of photography with Colin Mead, "Images of the Wild", an information source for traveling to wildlife areas in North America and Africa.


title: Howard Graham Buffett

text: In 2001, he wrote "On The Edge: Balancing Earth's Resources" which focused on preserving world biodiversity, species and habitats. Former Senator Paul Simon authored the foreword.


title: Howard Graham Buffett

text: In 2002, Buffett wrote "Tapestry of Life", a compilation of portraits taken in Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Ghana, India, and other countries with deep poverty and human need. Tom Brokaw authored the foreword. Also in 2002, he published "Taking Care of Our World", a book that teaches children about ecology.


title: Howard Graham Buffett

text: In 2003, he co-wrote "Spots Before Your Eyes" with Ann van Dyk. The foreword was authored by Dr. Jane Goodall. "Spots Before Your Eyes" presents history and facts about the cheetah species.


title: Howard Graham Buffett

text: In 2005, he published "Threatened Kingdom: The Story of the Mountain Gorilla" which provides information about the mountain gorilla's habitat and the challenges facing the species.


title: Howard Graham Buffett

text: In 2009, he wrote "Fragile: The Human Condition" with the support of National Geographic. The foreword was authored by Shakira Mebarak. "Fragile: The Human Condition" is the documentation of life stories in sixty-five countries.


title: Howard Graham Buffett

text: In 2013, he co-wrote the New York Times Bestseller "Forty Chances: Finding Hope in a Hungry World" with his son Howard Warren Buffett. The foreword was authored by Warren Buffett.


title: Howard Graham Buffett

text: In 2018, he wrote "Our 50-State Border Crisis: How the Mexican Border Fuels the Drug Epidemic Across America", with a foreword by Heidi Heitkamp and a preface by Cindy McCain.


title: Howard Graham Buffett

text: Buffett serves or has served on the National Geographic Council of Advisors, World Wildlife Fund National Council, Cougar Fund, Illinois and Nebraska Chapters of the Nature Conservancy, Ecotrust, and the Africa Foundation. Buffett founded the Nature Conservation Trust, a non-profit Trust in South Africa to support cheetah conservation, the International Cheetah Conservation Foundation, and was a Founding Director of The Cougar Fund. In October 2007, Buffett was named a Goodwill Ambassador Against Hunger by the United Nations World Food Programme. He later joined the boards of the Barefoot Foundation and the ONE Campaign. In March 2010, Buffett became a member of the Eastern Congo Initiative founded by Ben Affleck. "I joined Ben in this effort because I believe strongly in investing in sustainable solutions to humanitarian challenges," he said. The following year in 2011, Buffett teamed up with the Bridgeway Foundation to fund a program.


title: Howard Graham Buffett

text: As the CEO and Chairman of the Howard G. Buffett Foundation (HGBF), Buffett has traveled to over 130 countries to document the challenges of preserving biodiversity and providing adequate resources to support human demands. The HGBF supports projects in the areas of agriculture, nutrition, water, humanitarian, conservation, and conflict/unaccompanied persons. The HGBF focuses much of its funding on communities in Africa and Central America.


title: Howard Graham Buffett

text: In 2007, the HGBF launched the Global Water Initiative with several organizations to address the declining fresh water supply and clean water to the world's poorest people.


title: Howard Graham Buffett

text: In March 2014, The HGBF donated USD $23.7 million (RAND 255 million), as part of a joint three-year initiative between HGBF, the Nature Conservation Trust (NCT) and South African National Parks (SANParks), to combat the poaching of Rhino in South Africa. The HGBF has committed $200 million to develop the municipality of Tibú, which has the second largest coca crop in Colombia, and to help local farmers to substitute growing coca with legal crops like cacao. The HGBF was one of five philanthropic groups that received a combined $2.9 billion of Class B shares in Berkshire Hathaway from Warren Buffett in July 2020


title: Howard Graham Buffett

text: Buffett has received the Order of the Aztec Eagle Award, the highest honor bestowed on a foreign citizen by the Mexican Government, an honorary PhD from Lincoln College and Honorary Doctorate of Human Letters from Penn State University. and has been recognized by the Inter-American Institute for Co-operation in Agriculture as one of the most distinguished individuals in agriculture. He has also won the Will Owen Jones Distinguished Journalist of the Year Award, World Ecology Award, George McGovern Leadership Award, National Farmers Union Meritorious Service to Humanity Award, Columbia University Global Leadership Award, Leader in Agriculture Award from Agriculture Future of America, and Special Service Award from the Association for International Agriculture and Rural Development, and the International Quality of Life Award. Buffett was among the nine people who were awarded the Igihango medal by Rwandan President Paul Kagame in 2017.


title: Pawankhind

text: Pawankhind is a 2022 Indian Marathi-language historical action drama film directed by Digpal Lanjekar and produced under the banner of Almonds Creations in association with A A Films. The film based on the life of Maratha warrior, Baji Prabhu Deshpande, stars Chinmay Mandlekar, Mrinal Kulkarni, Ajay Purkar, Sameer Dharmadhikari, along with Ankit Mohan, Prajakta Mali and Kshitee Jog in supporting roles.


title: Pawankhind

text: It's the third movie in an eight-movie series on Maratha Empire. After Farzand and Fatteshikast, Digpal Lanjekar announced this third film on unsung Maratha heroes. It was followed by the film Sher Shivraj. The film was a huge commercial success with film become the third highest-grossing Marathi film of all time and the highest-grossing Marathi film of 2022.


title: Pawankhind

text: The film depicts the historical rearguard last stand that took place on 13 July 1660 at a mountain pass in the vicinity of fort Vishalgad, near the city of Kolhapur, Maharashtra, India between the Maratha Warrior Baji Prabhu Deshpande and Siddi Masud of Adilshah Sultanate, known as Battle of Pavan Khind.


title: Pawankhind

text: The film begins in 1674 with the Shivaji Maharaj (Chinmay Mandlekar) telling story of Battle of Pavan Khind to Sambhaji Maharaj (Stavan Shinde). The plot frequently switches flashback to 1660.


title: Pawankhind

text: Badi Begum (Kshitee Jog) asked everyone ‘’Who has dare to kill Shivaji’’? then Siddi Johar (Sameer Dharmadhikari) came into the kingdom & said "I have dare to kill Shivaji". Badi Begum gives him a chance to prove himself on one condition. If he kills Shivaji Maharaj she will give him a post in Bijapur Sultanate & If he is unsuccessful in killing Shivaji Maharaj , she will kill him.


title: Pawankhind

text: At that time Shivaji Maharaj was encamped at Panhala fort with his forces. Siddi Johar's army besieged the fort of Panhala and cut off the supply of routes to the fort. During the bombardment of Panhala, Siddi Johar purchased grenades from the English at Rajapur and hired some English personalities in their force.


title: Pawankhind

text: Shivaji Maharaj gave order to Bahirji Naik (Harish Dudhade) to search a secret road of Vishalgad in order to escape. Bahirji found the road and Shivaji Maharaj escaped from Panhala by cover of night but here they create a Shivaji Maharaj's look alike Shiva Kashid (Ajinkya Nanaware), a barber by profession sending him for the meeting with Siddi Johar. Shiva Kashid went to Siddi Johar but when Fazal Khan recognized him, Siddi killed Shiva Kashid.


title: Pawankhind

text: Here Adilshah's army was in pursuit with an army of 10,000. Then, Shivaji Maharaj decided to split his forces. Baji Prabhu Deshpande (Ajay Purkar) agreed to face Adilshah's troops with 300 soldiers. Shivaji Maharaj told him that he would hear cannons being fired 5 times, signaling Shivaji Maharaj's safety.


title: Pawankhind

text: Baji Prabhu occupied Ghodkhind, blocking the path of Adilshah troops. His brother, Fulaji, Rayaji Bandal, Shambusingh Jadhav, Aginya were present with him. Fulaji, Aginya, Rayaji and Shambusingh were killed after fierce fight. Baji Prabhu were wounded but carried on fighting at Ghodkhind. Five hours after starting the battle, the cannons were fired announcing that Shivaji Maharaj safely returned to Vishalgad.


title: Pawankhind

text: The plot frequently switches to 1674. Shivaji Maharaj renamed Ghodkhind to Pawankind in honour of the sacrifices of the 300 Maratha troops.


title: Pawankhind

text: In December 2019 after "Farzand" and "Fatteshikast", Digpal Lanjekar announced a new film 'Jung Jauhar', his third film on unsung Maratha heroes.


title: Pawankhind

text: On 11 February 2020, principal photography took place in Raigad Fort, Maharashtra. Filming was completed on 19 March 2020. In February 2021 makers renamed "Jungjauhar" to "Pawankhind".


title: Pawankhind

text: Soundtrack of the film is composed by Devdutta Manisha Baji and lyrics written by Digpal Lanjekar. Video of track "Yugat Mandli" sung by Haridas Shinde, Avadhoot Gandhi was released in December 2021.


title: Pawankhind

text: Pawankhind was originally scheduled to release on 10 June 2021, but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The second release date 31 December 2021, but the release was again delayed due to the increasing number of COVID-19 cases, fuelled by the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant. The film was released on 18 February 2022.


title: Pawankhind

text: The film was released digitally streamed on Amazon Prime Video from 20 March 2022. Star India Network acquired by the satellite rights of this film


title: Pawankhind

text: Pawankhind received critical acclaim. Mihir Bhanage from The Times of India gave 3.5 stars (out of 5), saying that "Pawankhind excels in storytelling, the technical aspects, though good, could have been better. The background score overpowers dialogues in some important scenes, and the action choreography in some scenes fails to make the cut. However, all said and done, the entire team has done its best to make this a big screen experience. Maybe with a bigger budget, these things can be ironed out in the following films of Lanjekar's series" Shriram Iyengar from Cinestaan.com wrote that "Of course, the drama is heightened. It is important to remember that the film feels coloured by a majoritarian bias. Yet, that was always the style of folk dramatists. They could change the tone to suit the audience. Cinema can claim to be no different. There are moments in the final action sequence when the VFX glitches are visible, but they do not hinder the story in any way" Kalpesh Kubal from Maharashtra Times Wrote that "The technical side seems to have faltered somewhat; But that can be ignored. Throughout the story of the film, the director has tried to underline various knights"


title: Pawankhind

text: Lokmat Wrote "hard work of the director and the actors can be seen on the screen. To experience an unprecedented history, you must visit this movie theater and watch it at least once"


title: Encino, Los Angeles

text: Encino (Spanish for "oak") is a neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, California.


title: Encino, Los Angeles

text: In 1769, the Spanish Portolá expedition, first Europeans to see inland areas of California, traveled north through Sepulveda Pass into the San Fernando Valley on August 5 and stayed two nights at a native village near what is now Los Encinos State Historic Park. Fray Juan Crespi, a Franciscan missionary traveling with the expedition, named the valley "El Valle de Santa Catalina de Bolonia de Los Encinos" (The Valley of St. Catherine of Bologna of the Holm Oaks). All of Crespi's name was later dropped except "Encino".


title: Encino, Los Angeles

text: Rancho Los Encinos ("Ranch of Holm Oaks") was established in 1845 when a large parcel of former Mission San Fernando land was granted to three Mission Indians by governor Pio Pico. Many ranchos were created after the secularization of the California missions, which began in 1834. Encino derives its name from the rancho.


title: Encino, Los Angeles

text: The 2000 U.S. census counted 41,905 residents in the Encino neighborhood — , among the lowest population densities for the city but average for the county. In 2008, the city estimated that the resident population had increased to 44,581.


title: Encino, Los Angeles

text: In 2000 the median age for residents was 42, considered old for city and county neighborhoods; the percentages of residents aged 50 and older were among the county's highest.


title: Encino, Los Angeles

text: The neighborhood demographic breakdown was whites, 80.1%; Latinos, 8.5%; Asians, 4.9%; blacks, 2.4%; and others, 4.1%. Iran (30.1%) and Russia (6.4%) were the most common places of birth for the 32.8% of the residents who were born abroad—an average percentage for Los Angeles.


title: Encino, Los Angeles

text: The median yearly household income in 2008 dollars was $78,529, considered high for the city. The percentage of households that earned $125,000 and up was high for Los Angeles County. The average household size of 2.3 people was low when compared to the rest of the city and the county. Renters occupied 38.4% of the housing stock and house- or apartment-owners held 61.6%.


title: Encino, Los Angeles

text: The percentages of divorced residents and of widowed men and women were among the county's highest. In 2000 military veterans amounted to 10.6% of the population, a high rate for the county.


title: Encino, Los Angeles

text: Encino is situated in the central portion of the southern San Fernando Valley and on the north slope of the Santa Monica Mountains. It is flanked on the north by Reseda, Lake Balboa, and the Sepulveda Basin, on the east by Sherman Oaks, on the south by Brentwood, and on the west by Tarzana.


title: Encino, Los Angeles

text: The local economy provides jobs primarily in health care (including one of two Encino-Tarzana Regional Medical Center hospitals), social services, and professional services (accounting and financial services, real estate, and legal) sectors. There are approximately 3,800 businesses employing about 27,000 people at an annual payroll of $1.4 billion.


title: Encino, Los Angeles

text: Encino is in Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors district 3 and Los Angeles City Council District 4. It is also represented within the city of Los Angeles by the Encino Neighborhood Council, an advisory body.


title: Encino, Los Angeles

text: The United States Postal Service operates the Encino Post Office at 5805 White Oak Avenue and the Balboa Van Nuys Post Office at 4930 Balboa Boulevard.


title: Encino, Los Angeles

text: A Park and Ride lot with 160 spaces is located at 5174 Hayvenhurst Avenue, which provides connections to various LADOT commuter buses.


title: Encino, Los Angeles

text: By 2000, forty-six percent of Encino residents aged 25 and older had earned a four-year degree, a high percentage for both the city and the county. The percentage of those residents with a master's degree or higher was also high for the county.


title: Encino, Los Angeles

text: As of 2009, there were no public high schools in Encino. Public high schools serving portions of Encino were Birmingham High School in Lake Balboa, and Reseda High School in Reseda.


title: Encino, Los Angeles

text: In 1982 the board considered closing Rhoda Street Elementary School in Encino. In April 1983 an advisory committee of the LAUSD recommended closing eight LAUSD schools, including Rhoda Street School. In August 1983 the board publicly considered closing Rhoda, which had 262 students at the time. In 1984 the board voted to close the Rhoda Street School.


title: Encino, Los Angeles

text: California State Parks operates the Los Encinos State Historic Park in Encino. The park includes the original nine room de la Ossa Adobe, the Garnier Building, a blacksmith shop, a pond, and a natural spring.


title: Encino, Los Angeles

text: The Sepulveda Dam Recreation Area, located in Encino, includes the Woodley Worel/Magnus Cricket Complex.


title: Encino, Los Angeles

text: The Balboa Sports Complex in Encino includes a lighted baseball diamond, lighted outdoor basketball courts, a children's play area, a community room, a lighted football field, a lighted handball court, an indoor gymnasium without weights and with a capacity for 400 people, an unlighted soccer field, lighted tennis courts, and lighted volleyball courts. The Sepulveda Basin Off-leash Dog Park is a dog park in Encino. The dog park has of leash-free dog area, a small dog area, an on-leash picnic area, 100 parking spots, and public telephones. The Sepulveda Garden Center, a community garden area in Encino, has about of land and 420 garden plots.


title: Encino, Los Angeles

text: Los Encinos State Historic Park features historic buildings, a small museum, and picnic grounds. In 2009 it faced closure due to California's budget crisis. The Park remains open today.


title: Encino, Los Angeles

text: The Sepulveda Basin Recreation Area is a large area with multiple golf courses, tennis courts, soccer fields, baseball diamonds, bike paths, and a lake bordered by about 2,000 Pink Cloud cherry trees that blossom in the spring. Encino Park was founded around 1937 and has a playground, as well as basketball courts and two lighted tennis courts.


title: Encino, Los Angeles

text: For over a millennium, the area known as Encino was the home of a massive California live oak known as the Encino Oak Tree. It is possible that Encino is named because of this particular tree. ("Encino" is the Spanish word for "evergreen" or "holm oak.") It was known for its size and longevity. The tree died on February 7, 1998, after an El Niño storm felled it. Today there is a monument to the tree at the corner of Ventura Boulevard and Louise Avenue where the Encino Oak once stood.


title: Lightning rod

text: A lightning rod or lightning conductor (British English) is a metal rod mounted on a structure and intended to protect the structure from a lightning strike. If lightning hits the structure, it will preferentially strike the rod and be conducted to ground through a wire, instead of passing through the structure, where it could start a fire or cause electrocution. Lightning rods are also called finials, air terminals, or strike termination devices.


title: Lightning rod

text: In a lightning protection system, a lightning rod is a single component of the system. The lightning rod requires a connection to earth to perform its protective function. Lightning rods come in many different forms, including hollow, solid, pointed, rounded, flat strips, or even bristle brush-like. The main attribute common to all lightning rods is that they are all made of conductive materials, such as copper and aluminum. Copper and its alloys are the most common materials used in lightning protection.


title: Lightning rod

text: The principle of the lightning rod was first detailed by Benjamin Franklin in Pennsylvania in 1749, who in subsequent years developed his invention for household application (published in 1753) and made further improvements towards a reliable system around 1760.


title: Lightning rod

text: As buildings become taller, lightning becomes more of a threat. Lightning can damage structures made of most materials, such as masonry, wood, concrete, and steel, because the huge currents and voltages involved can heat materials to high temperature. The heat causes a potential for structure fire, and its rapidity can lead to explosive damage as well.


title: Lightning rod

text: A lightning conductor may have been intentionally used in the Leaning Tower of Nevyansk. The spire of the tower is crowned with a metallic rod in the shape of a gilded sphere with spikes. This lightning rod is grounded through the rebar carcass, which pierces the entire building.


title: Lightning rod

text: The Nevyansk Tower was built between 1721 and 1745, on the orders of industrialist Akinfiy Demidov. The Nevyansk Tower was built 28 years before Benjamin Franklin's experiment and scientific explanation. However, the true intent behind the metal rooftop and rebars remains unknown.


title: Lightning rod

text: The church tower of many European cities, which was usually the highest structure in the city, was likely to be hit by lightning. Early on, Christian churches tried to prevent the occurrence of the damaging effects of lightning by praying. Peter Ahlwardts ("Reasonable and Theological Considerations about Thunder and Lightning", 1745) advised individuals seeking cover from lightning to go anywhere except in or around a church.


title: Lightning rod

text: There is an ongoing debate over whether a "metereological machine", invented by Premonstratensian priest Prokop Diviš and erected in Přímětice (now part of Znojmo), Moravia (now the Czech Republic) in June 1754, does count as an individual invention of the lightning rod. Diviš's apparatus was, according to his private theories, aimed towards preventing thunderstorms altogether by constantly depriving the air of its superfluous electricity. The apparatus was, however, mounted on a free-standing pole and probably better grounded than Franklin's lightning rods at that time, so it served the purpose of a lightning rod. After local protests, Diviš had to cease his weather experiments around 1760.


title: Lightning rod

text: In what later became the United States, the pointed lightning rod conductor, also called a lightning attractor or Franklin rod, was invented by Benjamin Franklin in 1752 as part of his groundbreaking exploration of electricity. Although not the first to suggest a correlation between electricity and lightning, Franklin was the first to propose a workable system for testing his hypothesis. Franklin speculated that, with an iron rod sharpened to a point, "The electrical fire would, I think, be drawn out of a cloud silently, before it could come near enough to strike." Franklin speculated about lightning rods for several years before his reported kite experiment.


title: Lightning rod

text: In the 19th century, the lightning rod became a decorative motif. Lightning rods were embellished with ornamental glass balls (now prized by collectors). The ornamental appeal of these glass balls has been used in weather vanes. The main purpose of these balls, however, is to provide evidence of a lightning strike by shattering or falling off. If after a storm a ball is discovered missing or broken, the property owner should then check the building, rod, and grounding wire for damage.


title: Lightning rod

text: Balls of solid glass occasionally were used in a method purported to prevent lightning strikes to ships and other objects. The idea was that glass objects, being non-conductors, are seldom struck by lightning. Therefore, goes the theory, there must be something about glass that repels lightning. Hence the best method for preventing a lightning strike to a wooden ship was to bury a small solid glass ball in the tip of the highest mast. The random behavior of lightning combined with observers' confirmation bias ensured that the method gained a good bit of credence even after the development of the marine lightning rod soon after Franklin's initial work.


title: Lightning rod

text: The first lightning conductors on ships were supposed to be hoisted when lightning was anticipated, and had a low success rate. In 1820 William Snow Harris invented a successful system for fitting lightning protection to the wooden sailing ships of the day, but despite successful trials which began in 1830, the British Royal Navy did not adopt the system until 1842, by which time the Imperial Russian Navy had already adopted the system.


title: Lightning rod

text: In the 1990s, the 'lightning points' were replaced as originally constructed when the Statue of Freedom atop the United States Capitol building in Washington, D.C. was restored. The statue was designed with multiple devices that are tipped with platinum. The Washington Monument also was equipped with multiple lightning points, and the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor gets hit by lightning, which is shunted to ground.


title: Lightning rod

text: A "lightning protection system" is designed to protect a structure from damage due to lightning strikes by intercepting such strikes and safely passing their extremely high currents to ground. A lightning protection system includes a network of air terminals, bonding conductors, and ground electrodes designed to provide a low impedance path to ground for potential strikes.


title: Lightning rod

text: Lightning protection systems are used to prevent lightning strike damage to structures. Lightning protection systems mitigate the fire hazard which lightning strikes pose to structures. A lightning protection system provides a low-impedance path for the lightning current to lessen the heating effect of current flowing through flammable structural materials. If lightning travels through porous and water-saturated materials, these materials may literally explode if their water content is flashed to steam by heat produced from the high current. This is why trees are often shattered by lightning strikes.


title: Lightning rod

text: Because of the high energy and current levels associated with lightning (currents can be in excess of 150,000 A), and the very rapid rise time of a lightning strike, no protection system can guarantee absolute safety from lightning. Lightning current will divide to follow every conductive path to ground, and even the divided current can cause damage. Secondary "side-flashes" can be enough to ignite a fire, blow apart brick, stone, or concrete, or injure occupants within a structure or building. However, the benefits of basic lightning protection systems have been evident for well over a century.


title: Lightning rod

text: Laboratory-scale measurements of the effects of [any lightning investigation research] do not scale to applications involving natural lightning. Field applications have mainly been derived from trial and error based on the best intended laboratory research of a highly complex and variable phenomenon.


title: Lightning rod

text: The parts of a lightning protection system are air terminals (lightning rods or strike termination devices), bonding conductors, ground terminals (ground or "earthing" rods, plates, or mesh), and all of the connectors and supports to complete the system. The air terminals are typically arranged at or along the upper points of a roof structure, and are electrically bonded together by bonding conductors (called "down conductors" or "downleads"), which are connected by the most direct route to one or more grounding or earthing terminals. Connections to the earth electrodes must not only have low resistance, but must have low self-inductance.


title: Lightning rod

text: An example of a structure vulnerable to lightning is a wooden barn. When lightning strikes the barn, the wooden structure and its contents may be ignited by the heat generated by lightning current conducted through parts of the structure. A basic lightning protection system would provide a conductive path between an air terminal and earth, so that most of the lightning's current will follow the path of the lightning protection system, with substantially less current traveling through flammable materials.


title: Lightning rod

text: Originally, scientists believed that such a lightning protection system of air terminals and "downleads" directed the current of the lightning down into the earth to be "dissipated". However, high speed photography has clearly demonstrated that lightning is actually composed of both a cloud component and an oppositely charged ground component. During "cloud-to-ground" lightning, these oppositely charged components usually "meet" somewhere in the atmosphere well above the earth to equalize previously unbalanced charges. The heat generated as this electric current flows through flammable materials is the hazard which lightning protection systems attempt to mitigate by providing a low-resistance path for the lightning circuit. No lightning protection system can be relied upon to "contain" or "control" lightning completely (nor thus far, to prevent lightning strikes entirely), but they do seem to help immensely on most occasions of lightning strikes.


title: Lightning rod

text: Steel framed structures can bond the structural members to earth to provide lightning protection. A metal flagpole with its foundation in the earth is its own extremely simple lightning protection system. However, the flag(s) flying from the pole during a lightning strike may be completely incinerated.


title: Lightning rod

text: The majority of lightning protection systems in use today are of the traditional Franklin design. The fundamental principle used in Franklin-type lightning protections systems is to provide a sufficiently low impedance path for the lightning to travel through to reach ground without damaging the building. This is accomplished by surrounding the building in a kind of Faraday cage. A system of lightning protection conductors and lightning rods are installed on the roof of the building to intercept any lightning before it strikes the building.


title: Lightning rod

text: A lightning arrester is a device, essentially an air gap between an electric wire and ground, used on electric power systems and telecommunication systems to protect the insulation and conductors of the system from the damaging effects of lightning. The typical lightning arrester has a high-voltage terminal and a ground terminal.


title: Lightning rod

text: In telegraphy and telephony, a lightning arrester is a device placed where wires enter a structure, in order to prevent damage to electronic instruments within and ensuring the safety of individuals near the structures. Smaller versions of lightning arresters, also called surge protectors, are devices that are connected between each electrical conductor in a power or communications system, and the ground. They help prevent the flow of the normal power or signal currents to ground, but provide a path over which high-voltage lightning current flows, bypassing the connected equipment. Arresters are used to limit the rise in voltage when a communications or power line is struck by lightning or is near to a lightning strike.


title: Lightning rod

text: In overhead electric transmission systems, one or two lighter ground wires may be mounted to the top of the pylons, poles, or towers not specifically used to send electricity through the grid. These conductors, often referred as to "static", "pilot" or "shield" wires are designed to be the point of lightning termination instead of the high-voltage lines themselves. These conductors are intended to protect the primary power conductors from lightning strikes.


title: Lightning rod

text: These conductors are bonded to earth either through the metal structure of a pole or tower, or by additional ground electrodes installed at regular intervals along the line. As a general rule, overhead power lines with voltages below 50 kV do not have a "static" conductor, but most lines carrying more than 50 kV do. The ground conductor cable may also support fibre optic cables for data transmission.


title: Lightning rod

text: Older lines may use surge arresters which insulate conducting lines from direct bonding with earth and may be used as low voltage communication lines. If the voltage exceeds a certain threshold, such as during a lightning termination to the conductor, it "jumps" the insulators and passes to earth.


title: Lightning rod

text: Protection of electrical substations is as varied as lightning rods themselves, and is often proprietary to the electric company.


title: Lightning rod

text: Radio mast radiators may be insulated from the ground by a spark gap at the base. When lightning hits the mast, it jumps this gap. A small inductivity in the feed line between the mast and the tuning unit (usually one winding) limits the voltage increase, protecting the transmitter from dangerously high voltages.


title: Lightning rod

text: The transmitter must be equipped with a device to monitor the antenna's electrical properties. This is very important, as a charge could remain after a lightning strike, damaging the gap or the insulators.


title: Lightning rod

text: The monitoring device switches off the transmitter when the antenna shows incorrect behavior, e.g. as a result of undesired electrical charge. When the transmitter is switched off, these charges dissipate. The monitoring device makes several attempts to switch back on. If after several attempts the antenna continues to show improper behavior, possibly as result of structural damage, the transmitter remains switched off.


title: Lightning rod

text: Ideally, the underground part of the assembly should reside in an area of high ground conductivity. If the underground cable is able to resist corrosion well, it can be covered in salt to improve its electrical connection with the ground. While the electrical resistance of the lightning conductor between the air terminal and the Earth is of significant concern, the inductive reactance of the conductor could be more important. For this reason, the down conductor route is kept short, and any curves have a large radius. If these measures are not taken, lightning current may arc over a resistive or reactive obstruction that it encounters in the conductor. At the very least, the arc current will damage the lightning conductor and can easily find another conductive path, such as building wiring or plumbing, and cause fires or other disasters. Grounding systems without low resistivity to the ground can still be effective in protecting a structure from lightning damage. When ground soil has poor conductivity, is very shallow, or non-existent, a grounding system can be augmented by adding ground rods, counterpoise (ground ring) conductor, cable radials projecting away from the building, or a concrete building's reinforcing bars can be used for a ground conductor (Ufer ground). These additions, while still not reducing the resistance of the system in some instances, will allow the [dispersion] of the lightning into the earth without damage to the structure.


title: Lightning rod

text: Additional precautions must be taken to prevent side-flashes between conductive objects on or in the structure and the lightning protection system. The surge of lightning current through a lightning protection conductor will create a voltage difference between it and any conductive objects that are near it. This voltage difference can be large enough to cause a dangerous side-flash (spark) between the two that can cause significant damage, especially on structures housing flammable or explosive materials. The most effective way to prevent this potential damage is to ensure the electrical continuity between the lightning protection system and any objects susceptible to a side-flash. Effective bonding will allow the voltage potential of the two objects to rise and fall simultaneously, thereby eliminating any risk of a side-flash.


title: Lightning rod

text: Considerable material is used to make up lightning protection systems, so it is prudent to consider carefully where an air terminal will provide the greatest protection. Historical understanding of lightning, from statements made by Ben Franklin, assumed that each "lightning rod" protected a cone of 45 degrees. This has been found to be unsatisfactory for protecting taller structures, as it is possible for lightning to strike the side of a building.


title: Lightning rod

text: A modeling system based on a better understanding of the termination targeting of lightning, called the Rolling Sphere Method, was developed by Dr Tibor Horváth. It has become the standard by which traditional Franklin Rod systems are installed. To understand this requires knowledge of how lightning 'moves'. As the step leader of a lightning bolt jumps toward the ground, it steps toward the grounded objects nearest its path. The maximum distance that each step may travel is called the "critical distance" and is proportional to the electric current. Objects are likely to be struck if they are nearer to the leader than this critical distance. It is standard practice to approximate the sphere's radius as 46 m near the ground.


title: Lightning rod

text: An object outside the critical distance is unlikely to be struck by the leader if there is a solidly grounded object within the critical distance. Locations that are considered safe from lightning can be determined by imagining a leader's potential paths as a sphere that travels from the cloud to the ground. For lightning protection, it suffices to consider all possible spheres as they touch potential strike points. To determine strike points, consider a sphere rolling over the terrain. At each point, a potential leader position is simulated. Lightning is most likely to strike where the sphere touches the ground. Points that the sphere cannot roll across and touch are safest from lightning. Lightning protectors should be placed where they will prevent the sphere from touching a structure. A weak point in most lightning diversion systems is in transporting the captured discharge from the lightning rod to the ground, though. Lightning rods are typically installed around the perimeter of flat roofs, or along the peaks of sloped roofs at intervals of 6.1 m or 7.6 m, depending on the height of the rod. When a flat roof has dimensions greater than 15 m by 15 m, additional air terminals will be installed in the middle of the roof at intervals of 15 m or less in a rectangular grid pattern.


title: Lightning rod

text: The optimal shape for the tip of a lightning rod has been controversial since the 18th century. During the period of political confrontation between Britain and its American colonies, British scientists maintained that a lightning rod should have a ball on its end, while American scientists maintained that there should be a point. , the controversy had not been completely resolved.


title: Lightning rod

text: It is difficult to resolve the controversy because proper controlled experiments are nearly impossible, but work performed by Charles B. Moore, et al., in 2000 has shed some light on the issue, finding that moderately rounded or blunt-tipped lightning rods act as marginally better strike receptors. As a result, round-tipped rods are installed on most new systems in the United States, though most existing systems still have pointed rods. According to the study,


title: Lightning rod

text: In addition, the height of the lightning protector relative to the structure to be protected and the Earth itself will have an effect.


title: Lightning rod

text: The charge transfer theory states that a lightning strike to a protected structure can be prevented by reducing the electrical potential between the protected structure and the thundercloud. This is done by transferring electric charge (such as from the nearby Earth to the sky or vice versa). Transferring electric charge from the Earth to the sky is done by installing engineered products composed of many points above the structure. It is noted that pointed objects will indeed transfer charge to the surrounding atmosphere and that a considerable electric current can be measured through the conductors as ionization occurs at the point when an electric field is present, such as happens when thunderclouds are overhead.


title: Lightning rod

text: In the United States, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) does not currently endorse a device that can prevent or reduce lightning strikes. The NFPA Standards Council, following a request for a project to address Dissipation Array[tm] Systems and Charge Transfer Systems, denied the request to begin forming standards on such technology (though the Council did not foreclose on future standards development after reliable sources demonstrating the validity of the basic technology and science were submitted).


title: Lightning rod

text: The theory of early streamer emission proposes that if a lightning rod has a mechanism producing ionization near its tip, then its lightning capture area is greatly increased. At first, small quantities of radioactive isotopes (radium-226 or americium-241) were used as sources of ionization between 1930 and 1980, later replaced with various electrical and electronic devices. According to an early patent, since most lightning protectors' ground potentials are elevated, the path distance from the source to the elevated ground point will be shorter, creating a stronger field (measured in volts per unit distance) and that structure will be more prone to ionization and breakdown.


title: Lightning rod

text: AFNOR, the French national standardization body, issued a standard, NF C 17-102, covering this technology. The NFPA also investigated the subject and there was a proposal to issue a similar standard in the USA. Initially, an NFPA independent third party panel stated that "the [Early Streamer Emission] lightning protection technology appears to be technically sound" and that there was an "adequate theoretical basis for the [Early Streamer Emission] air terminal concept and design from a physical viewpoint".) The same panel also concluded that "the recommended [NFPA 781 standard] lightning protection system has never been scientifically or technically validated and the Franklin rod air terminals have not been validated in field tests under thunderstorm conditions".


title: Lightning rod

text: In response, the American Geophysical Union concluded that "[t]he Bryan Panel reviewed essentially none of the studies and literature on the effectiveness and scientific basis of traditional lightning protection systems and was erroneous in its conclusion that there was no basis for the Standard". AGU did not attempt to assess the effectiveness of any proposed modifications to traditional systems in its report. The NFPA withdrew its proposed draft edition of standard 781 due to a lack of evidence of increased effectiveness of Early Streamer Emission-based protection systems over conventional air terminals.


title: Lightning rod

text: Members of the Scientific Committee of the International Conference on Lightning Protection (ICLP) have issued a joint statement stating their opposition to Early Streamer Emission technology. ICLP maintains a web page with information related to ESE and related technologies. Still, the number of buildings and structures equipped with ESE lightning protection systems is growing as well as the number of manufacturers of ESE air terminals from Europe, Americas, Middle East, Russia, China, South Korea, ASEAN countries, and Australia.


title: Lightning rod

text: Lightning strikes to a metallic structure can vary from leaving no evidence—except, perhaps, a small pit in the metal—to the complete destruction of the structure. When there is no evidence, analyzing the strikes is difficult. This means that a strike on an uninstrumented structure must be visually confirmed, and the random behavior of lightning renders such observations difficult. There are also inventors working on this problem, such as through a lightning rocket. While controlled experiments may be off in the future, very good data is being obtained through techniques which use radio receivers that watch for the characteristic electrical "signature" of lightning strikes using fixed directional antennas. Through accurate timing and triangulation techniques, lightning strikes can be located with great precision, so strikes on specific objects often can be confirmed with confidence.


title: Lightning rod

text: The energy in a lightning strike is typically in the range of 1 to 10 billion joules. This energy is released usually in a small number of separate strokes, each with duration of a few tens of microseconds (typically 30 to 50 microseconds), over a period of about one fifth of a second. The great majority of the energy is dissipated as heat, light and sound in the atmosphere.


title: Lightning rod

text: Aircraft are protected by devices mounted to the aircraft structure and by the design of internal systems. Lightning usually enters and exits an aircraft through the outer surface of its airframe or through a static dischargers. The lightning protection system provides safe conductive paths between the entry and exit points to prevent damage to electronic equipment and to protect flammable fuel or cargo from sparks.


title: Lightning rod

text: These paths are constructed of conductive materials. Electrical insulators are only effective in combination with a conductive path because blocked lightning can easily exceed the breakdown voltage of insulators. Composite materials are constructed with layers of wire mesh to make them sufficiently conductive and structural joints are protected by making an electrical connection across the joint.


title: Lightning rod

text: Shielded cable and conductive enclosures provide the majority of protection to electronic systems. The lightning current emits a magnetic pulse which induces current through any loops formed by the cables. The current induced in the shield of a loop creates magnetic flux through the loop in the opposite direction. This decreases the total flux through the loop and the induced voltage around it.


title: Lightning rod

text: The lightning-conductive path and conductive shielding carry the majority of current. The remainder is bypassed around sensitive electronics using transient voltage suppressors, and blocked using electronic filters once the let-through voltage is low enough. Filters, like insulators, are only effective when lightning and surge currents are able to flow through an alternate path.


title: Lightning rod

text: A lightning protection installation on a watercraft comprises a "lightning protector" mounted on the top of a mast or superstructure, and a "grounding conductor" in contact with the water. Electrical conductors attach to the protector and run down to the conductor. For a vessel with a conducting (iron or steel) hull, the grounding conductor is the hull. For a vessel with a non-conducting hull, the grounding conductor may be retractable, attached to the hull, or attached to a centerboard.


title: Lightning rod

text: Some structures are inherently more or less at risk of being struck by lightning. The risk for a structure is a function of the size (area) of a structure, the height, and the number of lightning strikes per year per mi for the region. For example, a small building will be less likely to be struck than a large one, and a building in an area with a high density of lightning strikes will be more likely to be struck than one in an area with a low density of lightning strikes. The National Fire Protection Association provides a risk assessment worksheet in their lightning protection standard.


title: Lightning rod

text: The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) lightning risk-assessment comprises four parts: loss of living beings, loss of service to public, loss of cultural heritage, and loss of economic value. Loss of living beings is rated as the most important and is the only loss taken into consideration for many nonessential industrial and commercial applications.


title: Lightning rod

text: The introduction of lightning protection systems into standards allowed various manufactures to develop protector systems to a multitude of specifications. There are multiple international, national, corporate and military lightning protection standards.