| Man Mountain Marko | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | The Amazing Spider-Man #73 (June 1969) |
| Created by | Stan Lee (writer) John Romita Sr. (artist) |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Michael Marko |
| Species | Human |
| Team affiliations | Maggia Sinister Six |
| Abilities | Superhuman strength, stamina and sturdiness |
Man Mountain Marko (Michael Marko) is asupervillain appearing inAmerican comic books published byMarvel Comics.[1] Marko was and remains an affiliate of numerous organized-crime entities in theMarvel universe, including theMaggia.
He was allied withSilvermane, Caesar Cicero,Eel, andNightshade. His most frequent enemies areSpider-Man,Power Man,Iron Fist,Thunderbolt, andBoomerang. He appears to have no relation to Cain Marko, seen in various Marvel titles as theJuggernaut, despite similarities in surname, physique and superpowers.
Man Mountain Marko first appeared inThe Amazing Spider-Man #73 and created byStan Lee andJohn Romita Sr.
Marko is first seen asSilvermane's loyal lieutenant in an incident dealing with an ancient tablet which he steals. He attacksCurtis Connors when he thinks the formula he created has killed Silvermane. Marko is quickly defeated by Spider-Man.[2][3]
Marko and some of his colleagues rob the Debutante Ball of Millie Hogarth. Unfortunately, for them, Millie's father is the agent forPower Man andIron Fist, who are called in to defeat the villains. Man Mountain Marko later assists Caesar Cicero's men into attacking Luke Cage andBig Ben Donovan.[4]
During a trip to gather protection money, Marko has a breakdown and trashes an entire bar, with Spider-Man inside of it. Investigative reporterBen Urich tells Spider-Man that Marko has apparently kidnapped a child. Ben knows of a facility where Marko is known to work out. Spider-Man finds steroids in Marko's locker. The owner of the gym tells him that theMaggia genetically altered Marko to make him stronger. Spider-Man steals information from the Maggia and confronts Marko at his home. Eventually Marko is subdued and it turns out the kid he 'kidnapped' simply had a twisted sense of hero worship, admiring Marko's size and strength.[5]
Man Mountain Marko is later seen as a sexually threatening hitman sent after private investigatorJessica Jones.[6] This was part of a conspiracy by a powerful business magnate who wished to use Jones andCaptain America to humiliate the President of the United States. Jones severely beats Marko, then literally throws him at the businessman's feet. Marko and his bosses are arrested byS.H.I.E.L.D.[7]
During the "Manifest Destiny" storyline, Marko develops a singing career focusing on the concept of violence against female super-heroes. While on a plane with the super-heroDazzler he becomes enraged over the perceived lack of alcohol. He injures passengers and takes a hostage, he breaks the hostage's wrist to prove he is serious. Dazzler, at low power, manages to subdue him.[8]
During the "Dark Reign" storyline, Marko is sent byNorman Osborn as part of a fact finding mission to an 'Atlas' facility run by a youngerJimmy Woo. Atlas is an international crime organization that is working against the government's interests. Marko is working as the head of a squad ofB.A.T.F.E. government agents. Marko's forces including a seeming snitch that had been advising the government on the activities of Atlas. Marko, against the recommendations of his guides, rushes off the recommended path to follow the snitch, who is revealed to be Jimmy Woo. Before Marko can do anything about the situation, he is eaten by a sentient dragon named Lao.[9]
Marko is revealed to have survived and is hired onto theSinister Sixteen byBoomerang andOwl.[10] After being manipulated and abandoned by Boomerang, Marko seeks revenge on him with the help ofCyclone,Shriek, andKangaroo, but the quartet are defeated by Boomerang and his alliesBeetle,Speed Demon, andOverdrive.[11]
In "All-New, All-Different Marvel", Marko is hired by Lorraine Monroe to stand guard over Tempest Monroe, the comatose fiancé ofSpider-Man 2099. Upon discovering Tempest's whereabouts, Spider-Man 2099 distracts Marko long enough forParker Industries to covertly relocate Tempest.[12] Spider-Man 2099 subsequently tracks Marko down and beats him to near-death while demanding to know where to find Lorraine.[13] Marko is recovered by the Fist, an offshoot of theHand, who heal him and further augment his strength and durability using technology provided byTyler Stone.[14]
Marko later appears with Speed Demon robbing a pawn shop until they are caught byRage. After a brief fight, they escape while Rage is arrested by theAmericops.[15]Captain America captures Speed Demon, who confesses to his and Marko's robbery of the pawn shop.[16]
During the "Devil's Reign" storyline, Man Mountain Marko appears as an inmate of the Myrmidon.Moon Knight is informed by8-Ball that Marko is the "king of the cage". Moon Knight beats Marko into surrender and temporarily blinds him asThunderbolts agents arrive to capture him.[17]
Man Mountain Marko has been shown to have superhuman strength, stamina, and sturdiness roughly comparable to, if not slightly exceeding, those ofSpider-Man. It has been said that this is a result of steroids and genetic manipulation.
He received a power upgrade from Tyler Stone after getting a vicious beating from Spider-Man 2099. Though Spider-Man had previously broken many of Marko's bones, afterward Spider-Man was unable to do any damage to Marko.[14]
During the "Fear Itself" storyline, it is revealed that Man Mountain Marko had a cousin namedMan Mountain Mario who was an inmate at theRaft. After the destruction of the Raft prison byJuggernaut, Man Mountain Mario helps defendCrossbones from thugs. While the two of them were trying to escape, Mario told Crossbones about his grandma, who helps criminals leave the border. Crossbones manages to escape from the Raft and returns the favor for Mario helping him by killing Mario to help with his escape.[18]
A possible future version of Man Mountain Marko from Earth-982 appears in theMarvel Comics 2 imprint. This version is the head of the Maggia in New York.[19] He later appears in the seriesSpectacular Spider-Girl as an underling for the Maggia's new leader.[20]
Man Mountain Marko appears in theSpider-Man episode "Wrath of the Sub-Mariner", voiced byJack Angel. This version isSilvermane's henchman.
Spider-Man called the Shocker's ex-girlfriend, only to find her home under siege by a giant thug named Man Mountain Marko.
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