Ani-Men
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
This comics-related article or section describes an element of the series in a primarily in-universe style. Please rewrite this article or section to explain the fiction more clearly and provide non-fictional perspective. |
| Ani-Men | |
 The cover to X-Men #95, featuring the original Ani-Men fighting the X-Men. Art by Gil Kane & Dave Cockrum. |
|
| Publication information | |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | Daredevil #10 (Oct 1965) |
| Created by | Wally Wood and Bob Powell |
| In story information | |
| Member(s) | Ape-Man, Bird-Man, Cat-Man, Dragonfly, Frog-Man |
The Ani-Men is the name of several fictional teams within the Marvel Universe. Four of them are villain groups, while one of them was introduced as a team of agents serving the High Evolutionary.
Contents |
[edit] Original Lineup
The original lineup of Ani-Men (Ape-Man, Bird-Man, Cat-Man, Frog-Man) are recruited by a man named the Organizer. The Organizer is secretly Abner Jonas, a candidate for mayor of New York City, who sends the Ani-Men on missions to undermine the current administration. Daredevil defeats them and the Ani-Men and Organizer all go to prison. Later, Ape-Man, Bird-Man, and Cat-Man form a team called the "Unholy Three" and work with the Exterminator.[1]
Ape-Man, Bird-Man, and Cat-Man later rejoin the Ani-Men, and the group goes to work for Count Nefaria. Nefaria also recruits a new member for the group, Dragonfly. Nefaria's scientists submit the unwilling Ani-Men to processes that gave them superhuman powers and animal-like forms, although eventually they revert back to normal.
Nefaria sends the four original Ani-Men to kill Tony Stark, however the Spymaster had intended to kill Stark with a bomb, which kills the Ani-Men instead.[2]
[edit] The Exterminator Groups
The Exterminator, who was now known as the Death-Stalker, sometime later recruited a new team of Ani-Men, with a new Ape-Man, Bird-Man, and Cat-Man.[3] He sent the new Ani-Men to capture Matt Murdock. The Black Widow defeated Bird-Man, and the Death-Stalker murdered Ape-Man and Cat-Man upon the completion of their mission.[4]
The Bird-Man was later murdered by the Scourge of the Underworld in the "Bar with No Name" incident.[5]
[edit] Servants of the High Evolutionary
New group wearing the name Ani-Men she was created by the High Evolutionary and she carried his orders out. The High Evolutionary dispatched the Animen to a laboratory operated by his former assistant Miles Warren (the Jackal) to clean up his files. After three weeks, the Animen were almost done with their cleanup and had spread a virus into all of Warren's files, but they were discovered by Scarlet Spider. When the High Evolutionary teleported the Animen back to Wundagore, the Scarlet Spider was accidentally brought with them, having stuck himself to Crushtacean with his webbing.
Later, the Scarlet Spider joined members of the Cult of the Jackal in sneaking into the citadel of the High Evolutionary in an attempt to learn the truth about Warren's involvement with the High Evolutionary. The Animen came to face the cult members and Scarlet Spider, but the fight was brought to an end after the Scarlet Spider was able to learn the truth from the High Evolutionary. The High Evolutionary sent the Scarlet Spider home, but Crushtacean foolishly touched a ball of impact webbing the hero had left behind, covering himself and the other Animen with webbing, much to their embarrassment.
Animen: Buzzard, Crushtacean, Flying Fox, Komodo, Spinneret, first appearance in Scarlet Spider Unlimited#1 (November, 1995).
[edit] Fourth Lineup
A new group of Ani-Men surfaced in GLA #1 (June 2005). This assemblage has no known connection to any prior incarnations. They attacked the Milwaukee Convention Center, holding humans responsible for their trangressions against the animal kingdom. This group consisted of Giraffe-Man, Great Horned Owl-Man, Pig-Man, and Rabbit-Woman.[6]
[edit] Civil War
A new set of Ani-Men were among the many criminals hired by Hammerhead in an effort to take over the underworld while the Kingpin was incarcerated. Unbeknownst to them, Kingpin had tricked Iron Man into leading a S.H.I.E.L.D. unit to the warehouse where they were meeting, which Iron Man believed it to be the headquarters of Captain America's Secret Avengers. Iron Man and the S.H.I.E.L.D. unit busted in, and a huge fight broke out. The battle resulted in arrests, injuries and death, but it is unrevealed if any of those appiled to the new Ani-Men. The New Ani-Men: Ape-Man, Bird-Man, Cat-Man, first appearance in Civil War: War Crimes. [7]
