When Arber Besnik was a young man growing up in rural Albania, he discovered that he could fly. His neighbors believed him to be an abomination, and he was shunned. Then the Fascists invaded Albania, and Besnik offered his services to them. They decided to pit him against the Red Owl, the masked figurehead of the Albanian resistance, hoping that the Red Owl's defeat would demoralize the resistance. They drew inspiration from Albania's flag, and thus Besnik became the Black Eagle, a visual slap in the face to those who claimed to represent the Albanian people.
Of course, even though Besnik could fly, and even though he was faster and stronger than the Red Owl, his archenemy always prevailed. When the Fascists and the Nazis were driven out of Albania, the Black Eagle sought refuge in Italy, fearful of what his countrymen would do to someone who willingly collaborated with the Axis powers.
Besnik is dead now, but he may have finally gotten one over on his old foe, even though he never learned of it. You see, Besnik disowned his daughter, who emigrated to America and married the Red Owl's son (since the Red Owl never revealed his true identity to anyone, even his son was unaware of his lineage.) No doubt the old hero would be horrified if he were ever to discover that his beloved granddaughter carries his nemesis' genes... |