Bushmaster (Marvel Comics)

Bushmaster is the name of two Marvel Comics brothers, both supervillains.

John McIver

John McIver was a powerful crime boss, criminal financier and organizer, and was often confronted by the super-hero Iron Fist. McIver is best known for his attempts to lure Misty Knight to his side. Bushmaster later died when he was turned into a metal-like substance after his last-ditch effort to find a cure by reversing the process that gave Luke Cage his powers failed.^[1]

Quincy McIver

Bushmaster
Bushmaster, from Avengers vs. X-Men #0 (May 2012). Art by Frank Cho.
Publication information
Publisher	Marvel Comics
First appearance	Captain America v1 #310 (October, 1985)
Created by	Mark Gruenwald and Paul Neary
In-story information
Alter ego	Quincy McIver
Team affiliations	Thunderbolts Serpent Society
Abilities	Bionic arms 14-foot-long (4.3 m) super strong snake-like tail 6-inch (150 mm) "fangs" strapped to his hands with sharp needles that contain a fast-acting poison derived from snake venom

Fictional character biography of Quincy McIver

Quincy McIver was born on a Caribbean island and is the younger brother of the first Bushmaster. He became a quadruple amputee when he lost his arms and legs in a boating accident while trying to evade the police underwater. Shortly later, the Roxxon Oil Company equipped him with bionic arms and a snake-like tail in the place of the lower half of his body. He took the name "Bushmaster" from his fallen brother. Years later, Sidewinder enlisted Bushmaster to join the criminal trade union known as the Serpent Society.^[2] Bushmaster was grateful for the unity and the steady employment. After all, he considered himself to be a freak, and the Society was his best chance in life. In fact, he made a friend in Diamondback, a fellow Society member.

In his first mission with the Serpent Society, he was hired by AIM to hunt down MODOK. MODOK severed Bushmaster's artificial appendages, and Diamondback saved Bushmaster's life.^[3] He soon received new bionic arms.^[4]

After the Viper took over the Society, Bushmaster remained loyal to Sidewinder. He was poisoned by the Viper, but was saved by Captain America and Diamondback.^[5] He then participated in the Serpent Society's mission to recover mystic objects for Ghaur and Llyra. He withdrew from combat against the X-Men to repay his debt to Diamondback.^[6]

Sidewinder, disillusioned by the betrayals of some of the Serpents, had turned over control of the guild to the Cobra, and Bushmaster served him next.^[7] At Diamondback's trial, Bushmaster voted to spare her life from a death sentence.^[8] After the trial, Bushmaster fought Diamondback, and next, Captain America and Paladin. He was finally taken into custody.^[9] He was later released from the Vault.^[10]

During the Civil War event, Bushmaster II, like many other villains, was apprehended by Baron Zemo and forced to join Thunderbolts. He briefly appears along with fellow Serpent Society members King Cobra and Rattler.^[11]

Alyosha Kraven later began collecting a zoo of animal-themed superhumans,^[12] including Gargoyle II, Tiger Shark, Kangaroo II, Aragorn (the version that was owned by the Vatican Black Knight), Vulture, Mongoose, Man-Bull, Dragon Man, Swarm, Mandrill, Grizzly III, Frog-Man, and Rhino. Bushmaster is apparently killed by Kraven and left face down in the water aboard the sinking ship.^[13]

Later, several Serpent Society members including Anaconda, Black Mamba, Bushmaster and Cottonmouth, fought members of the New Avengers in a semi-tropical locale. He was defeated by Ronin and Luke Cage.^[14]

Powers and abilities of Quincy McIver

The second Bushmaster was given bionic prosthetic limbs and a tail attached through surgery courtesy of the Roxxon Oil Company and Brand Corporation. His long, snake-like, superhumanly strong bionic tail enables him to move and strike at superhuman speed. He has two 6-inch (150 mm) "fangs" strapped to the back of each of his hands, which are needle sharp at the tips and contain a fast-acting poison derived from snake venom.

Quincy McIver in other media

• Bushmaster appears in The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes episodes "Ultron-5", "Along Came a Spider...", and "Yellowjacket", as a member of the Serpent Society and has no dialogue.

References

External links

• Bushmaster I at the Appendix to the Handbook of the Marvel Universe
• Bushmaster II at the Appendix to the Handbook of the Marvel Universe