4341. Doctor Octopus

Doctor Octopus (Dr. Otto Gunther Octavius) is a fictional character, a supervillain that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics since 1963. A highly intelligent mad scientist, Doctor Octopus is one of Spider-Man's greatest foes. He is typically portrayed as a stocky, myopic man who utilizes four powerful, mechanical appendages, and is obsessed with proving his own genius and destroying Spider-Man. In his first several appearances, Dr. Octopus' last name was spelled "Octavious." All stories since have spelled it Octavius. Spider-Man has also nicknamed Octopus as Doc Ock. The character has appeared in numerous Spider-Man cartoons and video games and is portrayed by Alfred Molina in the 2004 film Spider-Man 2. In 2009, Doctor Octopus was ranked as IGN's 28th Greatest Comic Book Villain of All Time. Comics journalist and historian Mike Conroy writes of the character: "Created by Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, Doc Ock, as he became known, has become one of the web slinger's most persistent and dangerous foes."

Born in Schenectady, New York, Otto Octavius had a turbulent upbringing. His father, Torbert, a factory worker, was abusive and violent towards both Otto and his mother Mary, leading Otto to be shy and reclusive in school. Young Otto's shyness and good work in school got him labeled as a "teacher's pet" and targeted as a subject for bullying. Torbert Octavius did not appreciate having a bullied son, and roared at Otto to use violence in dealing with the bullies. Mary Octavius would defend her son from Torbert's tirades, saying Otto was a gifted thinker who would use his brain to solve problems, not his fists. Due to his mother's insistence and her disgust towards men who worked in manual labor, Otto was determined not to become like his father and threw all his efforts into his education, regularly scoring top marks. Otto's devotion to study paid off with him being awarded a university scholarship. During Otto's freshman year of college, his father's death due to an industrial accident pushed Otto towards the study of, and obsession with, physical science. After graduating from college, Otto Octavius found work in an engineering firm.
Otto became a brilliant and respected nuclear physicist, atomic research consultant, inventor, and lecturer. He designed a set of highly advanced mechanical arms controlled via a brain–computer interface to assist him with his research into atomic physics. The tentacle arms were resistant to radiation and were capable of great strength and highly precise movement, attached to a harness that fit around his body.
Though his relationship with co-workers was typically hostile, a fellow researcher named Mary Alice Anders befriended him when Otto impressed her with a demonstration of his harness, and the two began a courtship. In due time, Otto proposed marriage to Mary Alice. However, Otto's mother did not approve, believing that no woman was good enough for her son. To please her, he ended his engagement. Later, when he discovered that his mother had begun dating a librarian, he rebuked her, causing her to have a fatal heart attack in the heat of their argument. With the death of his mother and Mary Alice Anders out of his life, Octavius' disposition towards nearly everyone became mean-spirited, and he had become more distracted from paying attention to detail and safety precautions in his work.

4181. Crimson Dynamo

The Crimson Dynamo (Russian: Красное Динамо, Krasnoye Dinamo) is the name of several fictional characters in the Marvel Comics Universe, most of whom have been supervillains. The various Crimson Dynamos have been powered armor-wearing Russian or Soviet agents who have clashed with the superhero Iron Man over the course of his heroic career. The original Crimson Dynamo first appeared in Tales of Suspense #46 (Oct. 1963).

The Crimson Dynamo wears an armored battle-suit that serves as an exoskeleton, providing the wearer with superhuman strength and durability. The suit's outer layer was composed of a carborundum matrix alloy, and is equipped with hand-blasters that can fire high-frequency electrical bolts, small missiles contained in the back shoulder area of the battle-suit, computers and radio transmitter and receiver, boot jets that allow flight. Subsequent versions of the battle-suit have featured upgrades of various kinds, by the Gremlin and other Russian scientists. As Crimson Dynamo, Valentin Shatalov's version of the armor was equipped with a powerful chest-mounted fusion-caster weapon.

4119. Caretaker

Caretaker is a fictional Marvel Comics character. There have been two incarnations of the character, The first version appeared in Ghost Rider vol. 2 #28 in the Rise of the Midnight Sons storyline. After this version died his granddaughter assumed the role. She debuted in Ghost Rider vol. 3 #26.

Caretaker is a member of The Blood, a mystical organization dedicated to fighting evil. Caretaker himself is the guardian of the family line associated with the ancient Medallion of Power. He watches over the Salem Fields Cemetery in Cypress Hills, Brooklyn, New York.
The cemetery has been the site of much magical evil, partly due to an ancient race of evil beings trapped beneath it.
Caretaker has his own system of secret tunnels leading throughout the place, many that go in visual range of the bodies. Well before becoming involved in the lives of both Ghost Riders, Caretaker meets and befriends Doctor Strange.
Ghost Rider, very weak from an attack on his human host, Daniel Ketch, was being pursued by Lt. Badalino through the cemetery. Caretaker knocked out the police officer with his shovel. With the assistance of Johnny Blaze, Ghost Rider is able to escape capture. At a later time, Caretaker informs Daniel that he need not wait until innocent blood had been spilled before transforming into Ghost Rider.
Caretaker later works with Seer, a younger, 'rookie' member of his race, who sometimes fails to listen to orders.

Caretaker is part of the ancient race called 'the Blood'. He is seemingly immune or resistant to aging and conventional disease. He possesses a degree of superhuman strength and is a skillful fighter, mainly using his shovel. When needed, he has shown he can overpower Ghost Rider and Vengeance (a similarly powered being) at once. He can break the connection users have with the Medallion of Power: he can turn Ghost Rider back to Daniel Ketch at will.
Caretaker also rides an "ancient motorcycle," which possibly refers to its being an older 1960s-era model.

4039. Dark Phoenix

Famous Covers Series

With the new experience, of a cosmic entity dealing with human emotions, Phoenix was thus an easy target for the illusionist, Mastermind, who needed a trophy to join the Inner Circle of the prestigious (and infamous) Hellfire Club. With the help of a psionic device, created by the club's White Queen, Emma Frost, Mastermind made Phoenix believe that she was his 18th-century lover, Lady Grey. Phoenix joined the club as their Black Queen, which would allow her to relish the extremes of human emotion and sensuality. When the X-Men came to her rescue, Jean's true love, Cyclops, faced Mastermind in a psychic duel and was defeated. Cyclops' "death" broke Mastermind's hold over Phoenix's psyche--as well as any control Jean's psyche had had over the Phoenix. It brushed aside the X-Men and departed for the heavens.

As the Black Queen

As the Phoenix was the light and life of the universe, the Dark Phoenix represented power and destruction. The Phoenix became Dark Phoenix from allowing human emotions to cloud its judgment. In this state, Phoenix was the strongest, but also an evil entity that thirsted for power and destruction. Totally uncontrollable, Dark Phoenix was a force to be reckoned with as it was not bound by a human conscience. When Dark Phoenix flew back into space, her true firebird form was seen across the entire universe and even attracted the attention of Eternity.
To sate its hunger, the Dark Phoenix flew to a distant galaxy and devoured the star of the D'Bari system. The resulting nova killed billions of innocent people and a Shi'ar vessel attacked it. The Shi'ar Empress, Lilandra Neramani, was alerted before the vessel was destroyed and called a council of her intergalactic counterparts, including the Kree and Skrull empires. They concluded that, for the rest of the universe to live, Dark Phoenix must die.

Meanwhile, the Beast had found a way to neutralize Phoenix's power, temporarily. When Dark Phoenix returned to Earth, the X-Men held it at bay, while Professor X rebuilt the mental blocks in Phoenix's mind, that Mastermind had broken down. Scott, then, proposed to the Phoenix. At that moment, the Shi'ar arrived and teleported everyone aboard their flagship. Lilandra announced that Phoenix, who everyone believed to be Jean, would have to die. Professor X, unwilling to give up on one of his pupils, but romantically involved with Lilandra, challenged her to Arin'n Haelar, a Shi'ar duel of honor that cannot be refused. Professor X named the X-Men as his champions in the duel, Lilandra, her Imperial Guard.


Cyclops and Phoenix

The duel took place the next day, in the Blue Area of the moon. The Imperial Guard made short work of the X-Men, leaving Cyclops and Phoenix to make a final stand. A stray bolt hit Cyclops and Jean's control broke and Phoenix became the Dark Phoenix again. Lilandra ordered Plan Omega, which would destroy the whole solar system, in hopes of eliminating Dark Phoenix as well. Professor X ordered the X-Men to subdue Phoenix, so that Plan Omega would not be necessary, and they managed to subdue the Phoenix, for a brief time. In this moment of lucidity, Phoenix fled into a back alley, with Cyclops in pursuit. Phoenix subdued him, with her telekinesis, and told him that she was losing control of herself and that there was only one way to prevent the Dark Phoenix from taking dominance over her again. Unbeknown to Cyclops, as Phoenix was talking to him, she was using her powers to activate an ancient Kree energy weapon behind her. Phoenix, then, bade Cyclops an emotional farewell and triggered the weapon, which atomized her on the spot.

4038. Gray Hulk

Marvel Legends Galactus Series

The gray Hulk, the baser instincts of Bruce Banner, was the first version of the Hulk that the public witnessed. Perhaps because of the time relativity- the gray Hulk is the physical representation of Bruce Banner's adolescence. That is why the gray Hulk posesses a selfish sarcastic attitude- a somewhat typical teenager from hell attitude.

The gray Hulk's morales are somewhat more flexible than most of his other counterparts. In his first appearance the gray Hulk had decided to kill Rick Jones because he was the only one who knew his secret identity. He was only stopped by the sunrise. Gray Hulk uses his crafty mean streak to compensate for the fact that he isn't quite as strong as the savage green Hulk. The Abomination found this out, when after he compared gray Hulk to the savage green Hulk, Hulk doused him in toxic waste nearly killing his emrald foe. In fact one sure way to increase the gray Hulk's strength is to note that he is less impressive than his green counterpart. After all though not as strong he is still the Hulk and "the madder Hulk gets the stronger Hulk gets".

The gray Hulk also enjoyed his happiest times as a Las Vegas legbreaker Mr. Fixit. The sorcerors of Kai placed a spell on Hulk that temporarily allowed Hulk to remain during the daylight. He wore fine clothes, ate fine food, garnered respect and fear from all of Las Vegas. Hulk also engaged his more carnal desires as the most eligible bachelor in town. It was ironic that the emergence of Bruce Banner ruined things for the Hulk instead of the other way around.

4037. Nightcrawler

Marvel Legends Galactus Series

Nightcrawler's main power is that of teleportation. He can move himself and what he's carrying to nearly any location that he has seen. The farther he tries to teleport though, the more the risk he has of teleporting into a solid object. Nightcrawler teleports through an unknown dimension and leaves behind the smell of brimstone. This ability allows Nightcrawler to teleport in and out to attack his foes or make a speedy retreat.
Kurt is also extremely agile and is a trained acrobat and gymnast. He has a prehensile tail that is extremely strong as it can lift a human being and support Nightcrawler's weight in his acrobatics. His feet also have a prehensile quality which he can use to hold himself up and cling to walls.
Nightcrawler's blue fur allows him to blend into the shadows. This ability has also been tied to the dimension he travels to when he teleports. He can even appear to be in the shadows in broad daylight.

1230. Mandarin

The Mandarin is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics supervillain and the archenemy of Iron Man.
In 2009, Mandarin was ranked as IGN's 81st Greatest Comic Book Villain of All Time.
The Mandarin is a superb athlete with tremendous skill in the various martial arts. Through repeated practice, he has toughened all the striking surfaces of his body, especially his hands, which are covered with thick calluses. He can even split Iron Man's magnetic-beam reinforced alloy armor with repeated blows. So great is the Mandarin's martial arts ability, that he can even survive years without food and water, apparently sustaining himself purely via his mastery of chi. The precise degree of The Mandarin's martial art powers has been the subject of multiple implied retcons by Marvel Comics. Initially, Mandarin was portrayed as being such a superhumanly skilled martial artist that he could destroy Iron Man's armor with his bare hands.^[18] Later portrayals focused on his use of the rings, and implicitly retconned the Mandarin's skill to being great but no longer superhuman.The most recent continuity has restored Mandarin's martial arts ability to its original superhuman level.
The Mandarin is one of Marvel Earth's greatest scientific geniuses, and highly skilled in various sciences. Not only has he made himself into an expert authority on alien Makluuan science, but he has also built upon this knowledge by making further discoveries based upon it.
The principal personal weapons of the Mandarin are the ten rings which he wears on the fingers of each hand. The rings' operations cannot be explained by contemporary Earth science, but it is known that they served as near-limitless power sources for the warp-drive engines of the Makluan starship of Axonn-Karr. The Mandarin learned how to convert the rings to his personal uses and to make them respond to his mental commands. The fingers on which he wears each ring, and the known functions for which he uses each ring, are given below.

127. Spider-Man

Spider-Man is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and writer-artist Steve Ditko. He first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15 (Aug. 1962). Lee and Ditko conceived of the character as an orphan being raised by his Aunt May and Uncle Ben, and as a teenager, having to deal with the normal struggles of adolescence in addition to those of a costumed crime fighter. Spider-Man's creators gave him super strength and agility, the ability to cling to most surfaces, shoot spider-webs using devices of his own invention which he called "web-shooters", and react to danger quickly with his "spider-sense", enabling him to combat his foes.



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