Ani-Men
Ani-Men | |
---|---|
Frog-Man |
The Ani-Men is the name of several fictional teams appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Four of them are villain groups, while one of them was introduced as a team of agents serving the High Evolutionary.
Publication history
The first Ani-Men debuted in Daredevil #10 (October, 1965) and were created by Wally Wood (writer, co-artist) and Bob Powell (co-artist).[1]
The second Ani-Men debuted in Daredevil #157 (March, 1979) and were created by
The third Ani-Men debuted in Scarlet Spider Unlimited #1 (November, 1995) and were created by Glenn Herdling (writer), Todd Smith (artist), and John Nyberg (inker).
The fourth Ani-Men debuted in Code of Honor #3 (April, 1997) and were created by
The fifth Ani-Men debuted in GLA #1 (June, 2005) and were created by Dan Slott (writer) and Paul Pelletier (artist).
Fictional team history
Original Ani-Men
The original lineup of Ani-Men (consisting of
Later, Ape-Man, Bird-Man, and Cat-Man form a team called the "Unholy Three" and work with the Exterminator.[3]
With the Ani-Men regressed back to normal and using their special costumes again, Count Nefaria sends Ape-Man, Bird-Man, Cat-Man, and Frog-Man to kill
Death-Stalker's Ani-Men
The Exterminator, now known as the Death-Stalker, recruits a new team of Ani-Men, with a new Ape-Man, Bird-Man, and Cat-Man by giving them the costumes of the previous Ani-Men members. Roy McVey became Ape-Man, Achille DeBacco became Bird-Man, and Sebastian Patane became Cat-Man.[6] He sends the new Ani-Men to capture Matt Murdock. The Black Widow defeats Bird-Man, and the Death-Stalker murders Ape-Man and Cat-Man upon the completion of their mission.[7]
Bird-Man is later murdered by the Scourge of the Underworld in the "Bar with No Name" incident.[8]
High Evolutionary's Ani-Men
A new group wearing the name Ani-Men are a bunch of
Hammerhead's Ani-Men
During the Secret Wars storyline, a new version of the Ani-Men (consisting of a new Ape-Man, Bird-Man, and Frog Man) commit crimes while the heroes are on Battleworld. They obtain the equipment of the original Ani-Men and use it to rob a vault wagon only to be opposed by the NYPD.[10]
These Ani-Men (consisting of Ape-Man, Bird-Man, and a new Cat-Man) are among the many criminals hired by Hammerhead during the "Civil War" in an effort to take over the underworld while the Kingpin is incarcerated. Unbeknownst to them, the Kingpin has tricked Iron Man into leading a S.H.I.E.L.D. unit to the warehouse where they are meeting, which Iron Man believes to be the headquarters of Captain America's Secret Avengers. Iron Man and the S.H.I.E.L.D. unit break in, and a huge fight breaks out. The battle results in arrests, injuries and death, but it is unrevealed if any of those apply to the new Ani-Men.[11]
Independent Ani-Men
This Ani-Men assemblage has no known connection to any prior incarnations or any info on their history except for the fact that they resemble humanoid versions of the animals they represent. This group consists of Giraffe-Man (a humanoid
Other versions
Earth X
In the Earth X universe, the Ani-Men were animals in the Wakandan preserve that were mutated when the Terrigen Crystals were detonated in the atmosphere.[13]
Ultimate Marvel
In the Ultimate Marvel universe, there is a group called the Ani-Men who are associated with Dr. Arthur Molekevic.[14]
References
- ISBN 0-8160-1356-X.[1]
- ^ Daredevil #10-11. Marvel Comics.
- ^ Daredevil #39. Marvel Comics.
- ^ X-Men #94-95. Marvel Comics.
- ^ Iron Man #115. Marvel Comics.
- ^ Daredevil #157. Marvel Comics.
- ^ Daredevil #157-158. Marvel Comics.
- ^ Captain America #319. Marvel Comics.
- ^ Scarlet Spider Unlimited #1 (November, 1995). Marvel Comics.
- ^ Code of Honor #3. Marvel Comics.
- ^ Civil War: War Crimes #1. Marvel Comics.
- ^ Great Lakes Avengers #1 (June 2005). Marvel Comics.
- ^ Earth X #4. Marvel Comics.
- ^ Ultimate Fantastic Four #3. Marvel Comics.
External links
- Ani-Men (disambiguation) at Marvel.com
- Ani-Men I at Marvel.com
- Ani-Men I at The Appendix to the Handbook of the Marvel Universe
- Ani-Men II at The Appendix to the Handbook of the Marvel Universe
- High Evolutionary's Ani-Men at The Appendix to the Handbook of the Marvel Universe
- Ani-Men - GLA foes at The Appendix to the Handbook of the Marvel Universe
- Hammerhead's Ani-Men at The Appendix to the Handbook of the Marvel Universe
- Ani-Men at Comic Vine