Wikipedia

Griffin (Marvel Comics)

Griffin(Johnny Horton) is asupervillainappearing inAmerican comic bookspublished byMarvel Comics.He is the father ofYo-Yo Rodriguez.

Griffin
Griffin as depicted inNew Avengers#61 (March 2010). Art byDaniel Acuña.
Publication information
PublisherMarvel Comics
First appearanceAmazing Adventuresvol. 2 #15 (Nov. 1972)
Created bySteve Englehart
Tom Sutton
In-story information
Alter egoJohnny Horton
Team affiliationsSecret Empire
Masters of Evil
PartnershipsHeadlok
AbilitiesSuperhuman strength, speed, agility and durability
Enhanced reflexes/reactions
Flight via wings
Sharp claws and teeth
Spiked prehensile tail
Telepathic ability to command birds

Publication history

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Griffin first appeared inAmazing Adventures#15 (November 1972), and was created by writerSteve Englehartand artistTom Sutton.[1]

Fictional character biography

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John "Johnny" Horton was born inTacoma, Washington.He later became a punk in theNew Orleansgangs trying to make a name for himself until aChicagoman used him for some local muscle. Impressing his employer, Horton wanted to be more than a cheap hood resulting in the Chicago man bringing him to theSecret Empireto be made into a supervillain. An unnamed scientist/surgeon that worked there followed the Empire's orders by transforming Horton into a griffin-like creature using surgery and a mutagenic serum.

His first mission was to kill theBeastas part of the Secret Empire's campaign against theBrand Corporation.Griffin encountered Beast in his new furry mutation. During the struggle, Griffin was thrown off the building andAngelonly to be attacked by Griffin and rescued by Beast. He later met with Linda Donaldson (Number Nine of Secret Empire) at her office in the Brand Corporation to discuss the case with Beast and his frustration of being turned into a monster.

His next mission was to kill Angel. In his battle with Angel, Beast wrapped his long arms around Griffin's wings causing them to crash into the ground. Griffin was taken away by the Brand Corporation guards (who are presumed to be working forRobert Baxter).[2]

While in jail, he began to mutate with the serum used on him where his mind went first and ended up developing fangs, a powerful tail, and superhuman strength. He faked being sick and escaped. When he located and confronted the unnamed scientist that changed him, the scientist was thrown to his death when he was unable to tell Griffin where the members of Secret Empire were. The scientist was saved bySpider-Manand Beast and told them Griffin's origin before dying. With his telepathic ability to control birds, Griffin revealed himself and attacked Spider-Man and Beast until he was defeated on theBrooklyn Bridge.[3]

He later foughtGhost Rider,Angel, and theChampionsalongsideDarkstar,Rampage,Titanium Man,and theCrimson Dynamoin Los Angeles. They defeated the Champions and imprisoned them in a cell within theSan Andreas FaultuntilDarkstarreleased them and Griffin was defeated again.[4]To push his powers to their limits, he attacked Spider-Man with a flock of gulls and fled to attackAvengers Mansiononly to findWonder Manthere. During the battle, Griffin later mutated with a leonine face and lost the power of speech. Griffin was presumed to have perished in the Astro-Fighter ship fire.[5]

When he was residing in theAdirondack Mountains,he fell under the control ofHeadlokwho used him to attack theWest Coast Avengers.He was calmed byTigraand defeated and sent to theVault.[6]

DuringIron Man's "Armor Wars",Griffin escaped withMister Hyde,Titania,Armadillo,andVibro.He was defeated and was re-imprisoned byFalconandDemolition-Man.[7]

Griffin was seen in the Vault's Cell Block Five during theActs of Vengeancestoryline. He participated in a mass escape from the Vault.[8]

Griffin joinedBulletandOrkain a breakout orchestrated byMentalloandVenom.Griffin he was stunned byCaptain America's shield throw andHank Pym's force blaster, and was apprehended again.[9]

Later, his mind was reduced to an instinctual animal level. He pursued and foughtNamor the Sub-Mariner,but was defeated after Namor brought the battle underwater. Griffin ended up in Namor's custody as his steed.[10]Namor used the Griffin to get to theSavage Landonly to be ambushed bySuper-Skrulldisguised asIron Fist.[11]The Griffin helpedShannafree Namor andNamoritafrom Ward Meachum and the Super-Skrull.[12]

Griffin is briefly seen in the 'Superhuman Rehabilitation Unit', a facility controlled by theCommission on Superhuman Activities.[13]It is part of a deep 'hole' of cells. The front of each cell faces the others.

When Griffin was onRyker's Island's prison, he was restored to a more humanoid state (presumably his intellect was restored). He was also among the inmates assembled byElectroduring the impending breakout which is thwarted by the New Avengers.[14]

Then, Griffin was hired by theHoodto take advantage of the split in the superhero community caused by theSuperhuman Registration Act.[15]He helped them fight the New Avengers but was taken down byDoctor Strange.[16]

Griffin's daughter,Yo-Yo Rodriguez,is recruited byNick Furyto join his anti-Skrulltask force.[17]

Griffin is seen as part of the anti-Skrull resistance force, as the Hood allies his group with the still-free heroes. As part of the Hood's group, he joins forces with various superheroes in battling Skrulls inCentral Park.[18]

He joins with the Hood's gang in an attack on the New Avengers, who were expecting theDark Avengersinstead. Hood's people had been brought in under Norman Osborn's control, who now was in charge of the Super-Human affairs for America. Osborn was using this position to gain revenge on his many enemies and Griffin was just a small part of it.[19]Scorcher,Living Laser,Griffin, andRazor Fistare sent by the Hood to retrieveTigraandGauntletafter they flee fromNorman Osborn.They attack the heroes, who are ultimately saved byCounter Force.[20]He is seen to be among the new recruits forCamp H.A.M.M.E.R.,Osborn's training facility.[21]Later, he undergoes extensive Hammer training which does not bring him up to speed. He and his other recruits are considered failures.[22]

Griffin assistsMandrillin attackingSpider-ManandSpider-Woman.[23]Spider-Man knocks out the Griffin with one powerful uppercut.[24]He was later seen during theSiegeofAsgardas part of the Hood crime syndicate.[25]However, his team lost and so the Hood was thrown in prison.[26]Leaving the Griffin out of a job and back to a life of crime, he fought Spider-Man in the streets and was webbed up by him. The people yelled at Spider-Man for all the collateral damage that he caused during the fight. To make the situation worse for him, the Griffin told everyone at the scene that Spider-Man was his partner in crime, to make him look bad in front of the public.[27]

Griffin fought Amadeus Cho,Hercules' close friend, who is now the new Prince of Power, after breaking out of prison. His powers were amplified due to the approach of the Chaos King.[28]

During the "Fear Itself"storyline, Griffin is among the inmates to escape from theRaftafterJuggernauttakes the form of Kuurth: Breaker of Stone and damages the facility heavily. Griffin assistsBasilisk,Man-Bull,and another inmate in a bank robbery. When Hercules arrives to fight them, he recognizes the fourth person to beHecate.During the fight between Hercules and the villains, Hecate looks into the Shield of Perseus and regains her memories.[29]Hecate's magic turned Griffin into a more feline form. When Hercules fights a resurrected Kyknos, Basilisk and Man-Bull flee while Griffin stays behind and ends up becoming Hercules' steed.[30]After Hercules recovers, Hercules and Griffin track down Basilisk and Man-Bull and convince them to help fight Kyknos and Hecate. After Kyknos was defeated and Hecate escapes, Griffin, Man-Bull, and Basilisk return to their normal forms.[31]

Max Fury, Nick Fury'sLife Model Decoy,later recruits Griffin into theMasters of Evil.[32]

InAvengers vs. X-Men,Griffin appears as an inmate at an unknown prison and participates in a prison riot untilMimicandRoguedefeat him.[33]

Powers and abilities

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Griffin possesses an animalistic body that gives him superhuman physical traits, high-speed flight, and the ability to telepathically control birds. On occasion, he has mutated into a more bestial form with lesser intelligence.[6][34]

In other media

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References

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  1. ^Rovin, Jeff(1987).The Encyclopedia of Super-Villains.New York: Facts on File. pp. 149–150.ISBN0-8160-1356-X.[1]
  2. ^Amazing Adventures#15
  3. ^Marvel Team-Up#38
  4. ^The Champions#7–10
  5. ^Marvel Team-Up#78
  6. ^abThe West Coast Avengersvol. 2 #10
  7. ^Captain America#340
  8. ^Avengers Spotlight#26
  9. ^Death Trap: the Vaultgraphic novel
  10. ^Namor the Sub-Mariner#2–3
  11. ^Namor the Sub-Mariner#15
  12. ^Namor the Sub-Mariner#17–18
  13. ^Iron Manvol. 4 #14
  14. ^The New Avengers#1
  15. ^The New Avengers#35
  16. ^The New AvengersAnnual #2
  17. ^The Mighty Avengers#13
  18. ^Secret Invasion#6
  19. ^The New Avengers#50
  20. ^Avengers: The Initiative#25 (Aug. 2009)
  21. ^Avengers: The Initiative#28 (2010)
  22. ^Avengers: The Initiative#31 (April 2010)
  23. ^The New Avengers#61
  24. ^The New Avengers#62
  25. ^Siege#3
  26. ^New AvengersFinale #1
  27. ^Age of Heroes#1
  28. ^Prince of Power#1 (July 2010)
  29. ^Herc#3
  30. ^Herc#4
  31. ^Herc#5
  32. ^Secret Avengers#29
  33. ^X-Men: Legacy#275
  34. ^Namor the Sub-Mariner#3
  35. ^ab"Griffin Voices (Marvel Universe)".Behind The Voice Actors.RetrievedAugust 18,2024.A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.
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