| Armadillo | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | Captain America #308 (August 1985)[1] |
| Created by | Mark Gruenwald Paul Neary |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Antonio Rodriguez |
| Species | Human mutate |
| Place of origin | Earth-616 |
| Team affiliations | Unlimited Class Wrestling Federation The Rangers Vil-Anon Sinister Sixteen Hydra Menagerie |
| Notable aliases | Awesome Armadillo, 'Dillo, Mr. A, Tony |
| Abilities | Skilled street fighter Superhuman strength, stamina and durability Hardened claws Armored hide |
Armadillo (Antonio Rodriguez) is asupervillain appearing inAmerican comic books published byMarvel Comics. Created by writerMark Gruenwald and artistPaul Neary, he first appeared inCaptain America #308 (August 1985). Armadillo is depicted as a superhuman with the appearance and abilities of anarmadillo, including enhanced strength, durability, and the ability to curl into a ball.
Initially introduced as anantagonist, His transformation was the result of experimental procedures performed on him in the hopes of curing his girlfriend’sterminal illness, which ultimately led to hismutation. Over time, Armadillo transitioned from a reluctant villain to a recurring antihero, occasionally working with teams such as the Initiative and serving as a minor ally to established heroes.[2]
The character has appeared in variousMarvel media, including animated series and video games.
Created byMark Gruenwald andPaul Neary, the character made his first appearance inCaptain America #308 (August 1985).[3]
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".[4]
Antonio Rodriguez was born inSan Antonio, Texas. He was givensuperhuman strength and durability by Dr.Karl Malus. This process involved having his human genes combined with the genetic material of anarmadillo which gave him the appearance of a humanoid armadillo.[5][6] 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 unspecifiedterminal 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 thePower 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 theWest Coast Avengers Compound and freeGoliath. There, the Armadillo battledCaptain America who released him after learning of the sacrifice he made for the comatose Maria.[5][7]
The Armadillo later joined theUnlimited Class Wrestling Federation. While on tour with the UCWF, he battled Captain America andHawkeye atop theEmpire 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.[8][9]
He was later seen incarcerated in theVault. Having been talked out of a criminal career by Captain America and his allies, he surrendered toVagabond to avoid further prosecution.[10] Armadillo only wished to serve out the remainder of his sentence. To this end, he fought against various supervillains who wished to engineer large-scale breakouts, includingVenom,[11][12] and later various supervillains released by theThunderbolts as they broke outMoonstone.[13]
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),[14] Armadillo was reduced to begging in an alleyway. There, he talked Daniel Axum out of joining aSpider-Man Revenge Squad.[15]
Having fallen on hard times, Armadillo proceeded to join theConstrictor andJack O'Lantern in robbing an armored car. After his defeat byHercules, Armadillo was incarcerated at theRaft, and chained toTiger Shark.[16] During the break-out initiated byElectro, Armadillo and Tiger Shark escaped and hid out in the town ofFairbury, Illinois. There, they were confronted by theNew Warriors, resulting in a battle in which both fugitives were defeated.[17] Afterwards, Armadillo joined Vil-Anon, a twelve-step group dedicated to helping individuals overcome their criminal tendencies.[18]
During theCivil War storyline, theHood hires Armadillo as part of his criminal organization to take advantage of the split in the superhero community caused by theSuperhuman Registration Act,[19] and he is later seen among his gang.[20] Armadillo is then spotted at the funeral ofStilt-Man which was located at the Bar with No Name. After poisoning the guests, thePunisher blew up the bar.[21] It was later mentioned that "they all had to get theirstomachs pumped and be treated forthird-degree burns."[22]
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.[23]
The Armadillo later took place in theFifty State Initiative, as a member of Texas's superhero team, theRangers.[24] He assists in saving the President from an assassination attempt byHydra forces. Many other heroes are involved in this as well.[25]
However, he was fired by the Rangers for unstated reasons.[26] He was next seen doinglucha libre wrestling in Mexico for small cash, eventually being recruited byMODOK. After being one of the few villains that does not betray MODOK, Armadillo gains more money than initially promised. He happily departs withPuma andNightshade (with whom he'd developed a friendship, and shows a desire for them to remain as a team).[27][28]
Armadillo is mentioned as being incarcerated in The Raft next toDoctor Doom prior to the breakout inSecret Invasion.[29] A group of former Hydra agents kidnapped Armadillo to evaluate aneurotoxin Anathema on him. They made a presentation to Madame Hydra, to get back in Hydra. Armadillo is saved by the True Believers.[30][31][32]
After theSiege of Asgard, he was seen as a bodyguard for the newRose. Armadillo comes into conflict withJackpot 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.[33]
Armadillo later hides out inPuebla, but one of the locals reports him to a vigilante group, who attack him. The fight is quickly joined by theHulk andShe-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.[34]
He is next seen fighting theScarlet Spider at a rodeo in Houston when he drunkenly tries to reconnect with his ex-girlfriend.[26][35][36]
Following theAvengers vs. X-Men storyline, Armadillo is seen taking part in a prison riot.Mimic andRogue were the only ones to respond. Copying the powers of Armadillo,Equinox, andMan-Bull, Mimic and Rogue were able to stop the riot.[37]Boomerang andOwl then hire Armadillo onto theSinister Sixteen, assembled to distract theChameleon's forces while Boomerang steals from him.[38]
Working forShe-Thing, Armadillo is next seen attacking the Thing while they are both imprisoned.[39]
Armadillo later joinsHydra afterHelmut Zemo promises to cure his condition in exchange for his allegiance. He takes part in Hydra's plot to sterilize the human race by usingInhuman blood,[40] but betrays Zemo afterSam Wilson, the new Captain America, tells Armadillo that by serving Hydra, he would be trading his soul and humanity just to be cured.[41]
Armadillo is later revealed to have been hired by Dr. Karl Malus in exchange for a cure to his condition. He aids theSons 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.[42]
Armadillo is later seen on a crime spree when he is defeated byIronheart.[43]
During the "Secret Empire" storyline, Armadillo is recruited by Baron Helmut Zemo to join the Army of Evil.[44]
During the "Search for Tony Stark" arc, Armadillo rejoined Hood's gang and assisted in the attack on Castle Doom.[45]
During the "Hunted" storyline, Armadillo is among the animal-themed superhumans who are captured byTaskmaster andBlack Ant forKraven the Hunter's "Great Hunt".[46] Armadillo was freed when Kraven hadArcade lower the forcefield aroundCentral Park.[47]
During the "Gang War" storyline, Spider-Woman fought Armadillo in the Bronx. Upon being defeated, Armadillo states to her that he has no idea what Hydra is up to while having referenced Baron Zemo's cure offer to him.[48] As members of theMenagerie, Armadillo and Man-Bull fought Spider-Man and She-Hulk untilMary Jane Watson arrived in herJackpot outfit. She helped Spider-Man entangle Armadillo's ball form.[49]
Due to a genetic altering procedure performed on him by the villainous Dr.Karl Malus, Armadillo has superhuman strength, stamina, and durability. It was originally believed that his costume, a scaly nine-foot-tall orange armored hide with claws useful for digging through earth, was bonded to his skin by this process.[7] It was later revealed that it was not a costume, but part of his body that had been mutagenically altered with the genetic material of an actual armadillo. His armor isbulletproof 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.
Armadillo had different love interests: