Armadillo (character)

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Armadillo
Menagerie
Notable aliasesAwesome Armadillo, 'Dillo, Mr. A, Tony
AbilitiesSkilled street fighter
Superhuman strength, stamina and durability
Hardened claws
Armored hide

Armadillo (Antonio Rodriguez) is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.

Publication history

Created by Mark Gruenwald and Paul Neary, the character made his first appearance in Captain America #308 (August 1985).[2]

Gruenwald recounted that Armadillo "is just a silly monster I wanted to throw in as kind of a joke on the old Marvel armadillo thing in the letters page".[3]

Fictional character biography

Antonio Rodriguez was born in

San Antonio, Texas. He was given superhuman strength and durability by Dr. Karl Malus. This process involved having his human genes combined with the genetic material of an armadillo which gave him the appearance of a humanoid armadillo.[4][5] The Armadillo's original motivation during his criminal career was to get enough money to be able to pay a doctor to discover a way to cure his girlfriend Maria of an unspecified terminal illness. When she was cured from her treatment, Maria abandoned him because of his appearance. Since that time, his motive has been to secure enough money to pay the Power Broker or some other scientist to reverse the process which transformed him. As part of the Armadillo's first encounter with superheroes, he was dispatched by Dr. Karl Malus to break into the West Coast Avengers Compound and free Goliath. There, the Armadillo battled Captain America who released him after learning of the sacrifice he made for the comatose Maria.[4][6]

The Armadillo later joined the Unlimited Class Wrestling Federation. While on tour with the UCWF, he battled Captain America and Hawkeye atop the Empire State Building. He had apparently gone berserk after discovering his estranged wife Bonita with another man, and was intending to commit suicide. Captain America tried to talk him down, but the Armadillo jumped off the building. He survived the fall, but was arrested.[7][8]

He was later seen incarcerated in the

Moonstone.[12]

After being released from the Vault, Armadillo became the regional champion of the Ultimate Fighting League. After his defeat by Daniel Axum (formerly the villain Battler),[13] Armadillo was reduced to begging in an alleyway. There, he talked Daniel Axum out of joining a Spider-Man Revenge Squad.[14]

Having fallen on hard times, Armadillo proceeded to join the

Constrictor and Jack O'Lantern in robbing an armored car. After his defeat by Hercules, Armadillo was incarcerated at The Raft, and chained to Tiger Shark.[15] During the break-out initiated by Electro, Armadillo and Tiger Shark escaped and hid out in the town of Fairbury, Illinois. There, they were confronted by the New Warriors, resulting in a battle in which both fugitives were defeated.[16] Afterwards, Armadillo joined Vil-Anon, a twelve-step group dedicated to helping individuals overcome their criminal tendencies.[17]

During the

third-degree burns."[21]

Around this time, he was seen entering the office of The Consultant, a criminal PR agent of sorts who improves the reputation and occasionally powers of super-villains. Upon Armadillo's entering his office, the Consultant asked his secretary to cancel the rest of his appointments for the afternoon as he anticipated a lot of work improving Armadillo's image.[22]

The Armadillo later took place in the

Fifty State Initiative, as a member of Texas's superhero team, The Rangers.[23] He assists in saving the President from an assassination attempt by HYDRA forces. Many other heroes are involved in this as well.[24]

However, he was fired by the Rangers for unstated reasons.

Nightshade (with whom he'd developed a friendship, and shows a desire for them to remain as a team).[26][27]

Armadillo is mentioned as being incarcerated in The Raft next to Doctor Doom prior to the breakout in Secret Invasion.[28] A group of former HYDRA agents kidnapped Armadillo to evaluate a neurotoxin Anathema on him. They made a presentation to Madame Hydra, to get back in Hydra. Armadillo is saved by the True Believers.[29][30][31]

After the Siege of Asgard, he was seen as a bodyguard for the new Rose. Armadillo comes into conflict with Jackpot and Spider-Man when they try to infiltrate the Rose's penthouse. Armadillo throws Jackpot through a window and prevents Spider-Man from saving her.[32]

Armadillo later hides out in Puebla, but one of the locals reports him to a vigilante group, who attack him. The fight is quickly joined by the Hulk and She-Hulk. She-Hulk convinces Armadillo to stop fighting. She also suggests helping the people of Puebla before turning himself in promising to act as his lawyer in court.[33]

He is next seen fighting the Scarlet Spider at a rodeo in Houston when he drunkenly tries to reconnect with his ex-girlfriend.[25][34][35]

Following the

Chameleon's forces while Boomerang steals from him.[37]

Working for She-Thing, Armadillo is next seen attacking the Thing while they are both imprisoned.[38]

Armadillo later joins HYDRA after Baron Helmut Zemo promises to cure his condition in exchange for his allegiance. He takes part in HYDRA's plot to sterilize the human race by using Inhuman blood,[39] but betrays Zemo after Sam Wilson, the new Captain America, tells Armadillo that by serving HYDRA, he'd be trading his soul and humanity just to be cured.[40]

Armadillo is later revealed to have been hired by Dr. Karl Malus in exchange for a cure to his condition. He aids the Sons of the Serpent in a trafficking plot to ship illegal immigrants for a genetic experiment conducted by Karl Malus and fights Sam Wilson, who had followed the leader of the smugglers to a diner. During the fight, Armadillo expresses his anger and frustration on Sam for not keeping his promise to cure him.[41]

Armadillo is later seen on a crime spree when he is defeated by

Ironheart.[42]

During the "Opening Salvo" part of the 2017 "Secret Empire" storyline, Armadillo is recruited by Baron Helmut Zemo to join the Army of Evil.[43]

During the "Search for Tony Stark" arc, Armadillo rejoined Hood's gang and assisted in the attack on Castle Doom.[44]

During the "

Black Ant for Kraven the Hunter's "Great Hunt" that is sponsored by Arcade's company Arcade Industries. He was seen watching the fight between Spider-Man and Scorpion until the Hunter-Bots created by Arcade Industries arrived.[45] Then he was seen fleeing from the Hunter-Bots when the "Great Hunt" begins.[46] Armadillo was seen with the remaining animal-themed characters who were gathered by Vulture.[47] Armadillo partook in the attack on the Hunter-Bots.[48] Armadillo was freed when Kraven the Hunter had Arcade lower the forcefield around Central Park.[49] Armadillo and the Serpent Society were seen charging towards the police only to be subdued by the Avengers and the Fantastic Four.[50]

During the "

Menagerie, Armadillo and Man-Bull fought Spider-Man and She-Hulk until Mary Jane Watson arrived in her Jackpot outfit. She helped Spider-Man entangle Armadillo's ball form.[52]

Powers and abilities

Due to a genetic altering procedure performed on him by the villainous Dr.

bulletproof
and his claws can tear through all but the densest of substances. Like an actual armadillo, he can roll up into a ball.

Armadillo is an excellent hand-to-hand combatant as he was a skilled street fighter prior to his superhuman transformation.

Love interests

Armadillo had different love interests:

Reception

  • In 2020,
    CBR.com ranked Armadillo 1st in their "Spider-Man: 10 Weirdest Animal Villains From The Comics That We'd Like To See In The MCU" list.[55]

In other media

  • Armadillo appears in M.O.D.O.K., voiced by Dustin Ybarra.[citation needed] This version's story longs for his wife Irene even though they have been apart for eight years and he never formally proposed to her. In his most notable appearance in the episode "If Saturday Be... For the Boys!", Armadillo and several other D-List villains are recruited by MODOK for his plan to steal Captain America's shield. During this time, Armadillo takes a detour to Irene's house to try and win her back, but ends up in a fight with her new boyfriend Mandrill until MODOK breaks it up and teaches Armadillo to move on with his life.[56] Armadillo also makes minor appearances in the episodes "If Bureaucracy Be... Thy Death!", "What Menace Doth the Mailman Deliver!", and "Days of Future M.O.D.O.K.s".
  • Armadillo makes a cameo appearance in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.[57]

References

  1. ISBN 1-84340-205-X
    .
  2. ISBN 978-1-4654-7890-0
    .
  3. Fictioneer Books
    . p. 14.
  4. ^ a b c Captain America #308
  5. ^ Latinos Breaking into Comic Books
  6. ^
    ISBN 0-8160-1356-X.[1]
  7. ^ Captain America #316
  8. ISBN 978-1-4165-3141-8
    .
  9. ^ Captain America #340
  10. ^ Avengers: Deathtrap, The Vault #1
  11. ^ Marvel Graphic Novels and Related Publications p.75
  12. ^ Thunderbolts Annual 1997
  13. ^ Marvel Graphic Novels and Related Publications p.19
  14. ^ Thunderbolts #76-81
  15. ^ She-Hulk vol. 2 #30
  16. ^ New Warriors vol. 3 #1
  17. ^ Spider-Man Unlimited vol. 2 #12
  18. ^ The New Avengers #35
  19. ^ The New Avengers #56
  20. ^ The Punisher War Journal vol. 2 #4
  21. ^ She-Hulk vol. 3 #17
  22. ^ Underworld #5
  23. ^ Civil War #7
  24. ^ Avengers The Initiative #2 (July 2007)
  25. ^ a b c Scarlet Spider vol. 2 #16
  26. ^ Super-Villain Team-Up vol. 2 #1-5
  27. ^ No Law and Disorder: Van Lente talks "Super-Villain Team-Up/M.O.D.O.K.'s 11"
  28. ^ Secret Invasion #1
  29. ^ True Believers #4
  30. ^ Preview: True Believers #4
  31. ^ KEEP 'EM HONEST: Bates on "True Believers"
  32. ^ Amazing Spider-Man Presents: Jackpot #3
  33. ^ The Incredible Hulks #616
  34. ^ a b Review Scarlet Spider #16
  35. ^ EXCLUSIVE: Yost Embraces "Scarlet Spider's" Otherness
  36. ^ X-Men: Legacy #275
  37. ^ Nick Spencer (w), Steve Lieber (p), Rachelle Rosenberg (i). "Department of Revenge-Ucation" The Superior Foes of Spider-Man, vol. 1, no. 12 (4 June 2014). United States: Marvel Comics.
  38. ^ Fantastic Four vol. 5 #9. Marvel Comics.
  39. ^ All-New Captain America #1-3. Marvel Comics.
  40. ^ All-New Captain America #4. Marvel Comics.
  41. ^ Captain America: Sam Wilson #2. Marvel Comics.
  42. ^ Invincible Iron Man vol. 3 #6. Marvel Comics.
  43. ^ Captain America: Steve Rogers #16. Marvel Comics.
  44. ^ Invincible Iron Man #597. Marvel Comics.
  45. ^ The Amazing Spider-Man vol. 5 #17. Marvel Comics.
  46. ^ The Amazing Spider-Man vol. 5 #18. Marvel Comics.
  47. ^ The Amazing Spider-Man vol. 5 #19. Marvel Comics.
  48. ^ The Amazing Spider-Man vol. 5 #20. Marvel Comics.
  49. ^ The Amazing Spider-Man vol. 5 #22. Marvel Comics.
  50. ^ The Amazing Spider-Man vol. 5 #23. Marvel Comics.
  51. ^ Spider-Woman Vol. 8 #1. Marvel Comics.
  52. ^ Jackpot #1. Marvel Comics.
  53. ^ Captain America #316. Marvel Comics.
  54. ^ Captain America #340. Marvel Comics.
  55. ^ C. B. R. Staff (2020-05-12). "Spider-Man: 10 Weirdest Animal Villains From The Comics That We'd Like To See In The MCU". CBR. Retrieved 2022-11-08.
  56. ^ Towner, Eric and Alex Kramer (director); Patton Oswalt (writer) (May 21, 2021). "If Saturday Be... For the Boys!". M.O.D.O.K. Season 1. Episode 4. Hulu.
  57. ^ "'Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse': The best Easter eggs, references and cameos you might have missed". The Week. Retrieved 2023-06-07.

External links

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