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| Griffin | |
|---|---|
_(Griffin).jpg) Griffin as depicted inNew Avengers #61 (March 2010). Art byDaniel Acuña. | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | Amazing Adventures vol. 2 #15 (Nov. 1972) |
| Created by | Steve Englehart Tom Sutton |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Johnny Horton |
| Team affiliations | Secret Empire Masters of Evil |
| Partnerships | Headlok |
| Abilities | Superhuman strength, speed, agility and durability Enhanced reflexes/reactions Flight via wings Sharp claws and teeth Spiked prehensile tail Telepathic ability to command birds |
Griffin (Johnny Horton) is asupervillain appearing inAmerican comic books published byMarvel Comics. He is the father ofYo-Yo Rodriguez.
![[icon]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aWiki_letter_w_cropped.svg) | This sectionneeds expansion. You can help byadding to it.(March 2015) |
Griffin first appeared inAmazing Adventures #15 (November 1972), and was created by writerSteve Englehart and artistTom Sutton.[1]
John "Johnny" Horton was born inTacoma, Washington. He later became a punk in theNew Orleans gangs trying to make a name for himself until aChicago man 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 Empire to be made into a supervillain. An unnamed scientist/surgeon who 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 theBeast as 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 andAngel only 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 arms around Griffin's wings, causing him to crash into the ground. Griffin was taken away by Brand Corporation guards.[2]
While in jail, Griffin mutates further, degrading his mind and giving him 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-Man and 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 theChampions alongsideDarkstar,Rampage,Titanium Man, andCrimson Dynamo in Los Angeles. They defeated the Champions and imprisoned them in a cell within theSan Andreas Fault untilDarkstar released 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 Mansion only to findWonder Man there. 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 ofHeadlok who used him to attack theWest Coast Avengers. He was calmed byTigra and defeated and sent to theVault.[6]
During the "Armor Wars" event, Griffin escaped withMister Hyde,Titania,Armadillo, andVibro. He was defeated and was re-imprisoned byFalcon andDemolition-Man.[7]
Griffin was seen in the Vault's Cell Block Five during the "Acts of Vengeance" storyline. He participated in a mass escape from the Vault.[8]
Griffin joinedBullet andOrka in a breakout orchestrated byMentallo andVenom. 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, but was defeated after Namor brought the battle underwater. Griffin ended up in Namor's custody as his steed.[10][11] Namor used Griffin to get to theSavage Land, only to be ambushed bySuper-Skrull disguised asIron Fist.[12] The Griffin helpedShanna free Namor andNamorita from Ward Meachum and the Super-Skrull.[13]
Griffin is briefly seen in the 'Superhuman Rehabilitation Unit', a facility controlled by theCommission on Superhuman Activities.[14] It is part of a deep 'hole' of cells. The front of each cell faces the others.
When Griffin was onRyker's Island, he was restored to a more humanoid state. He was also among the inmates assembled byElectro during the impending breakout which is thwarted by the New Avengers.[15]
Then, Griffin was hired by theHood to take advantage of the split in the superhero community caused by theSuperhuman Registration Act.[16] He helped them fight the New Avengers but was taken down byDoctor Strange.[17]
Griffin's daughter,Yo-Yo Rodriguez, is recruited byNick Fury to join his anti-Skrulltask force.[18]
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.[19]
He joins with the Hood's gang in an attack on the New Avengers, who were expecting theDark Avengers instead. 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.[20] The Hood sendsScorcher,Living Laser, Griffin, andRazor Fist to retrieveTigra andGauntlet after they flee fromNorman Osborn. They attack the heroes, who are ultimately saved byCounter Force.[21] He is seen to be among the new recruits forCamp H.A.M.M.E.R., Osborn's training facility.[22] Later, he undergoes extensive Hammer training which does not bring him up to speed. He and his other recruits are considered failures.[23]
Griffin assistsMandrill in attackingSpider-Man andSpider-Woman.[24] Spider-Man knocks out the Griffin with one powerful uppercut.[25] He was later seen during theSiege ofAsgard as part of the Hood's crime syndicate.[26] However, his team lost and so the Hood was thrown in prison.[27] 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.[28]
Griffin foughtAmadeus Cho,Hercules' close friend, who is now the new Prince of Power, after breaking out of prison. His powers are amplified by the approach of theChaos King.[29]
During the "Fear Itself" storyline, Griffin is among the inmates to escape from theRaft afterJuggernaut becomes Kuurth, the 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.[30] Hecate's magic turned Griffin into a more feline form. When Hercules fights a resurrectedKyknos, Basilisk and Man-Bull flee while Griffin stays behind and becomes Hercules' steed.[31] 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.[32]
Max Fury, Nick Fury'sLife Model Decoy, later recruits Griffin into theMasters of Evil.[33]
InAvengers vs. X-Men, Griffin appears as an inmate at an unknown prison and participates in a prison riot untilMimic andRogue defeat him.[34]
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][35]
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