El Aguila

El Águila (Alejandro Montoya) is a fictional mutant character in the Marvel Comics Universe. El Águila is patterned after the literary hero, Zorro.^{[citation needed]}

Publication history

El Águila made his first appearance in Power Man and Iron Fist #58 (August 1979).^[2] The character made several subsequent appearances in the title, including issues #58 (August 1979), 65 (October 1980), 78 (February 1982), and 99-100 (February–March 1982). He appeared in Marvel Super-Heroes: Contest of Champions #1-3 (June–August 1982) and Marvel Fanfare vol. 2 #3 (July 1982), and after an appearance in Marvel Comics Presents #9 (December 1988) a few years later he was not seen for some time. He finally made a return with a cameo appearance in G.L.A. #2 (July 2005), as well as Marvel Westerns: Outlaw Files (2006) and New Avengers #18 (June 2006).

El Águila received an entry in the original Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe #1, in the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Deluxe Edition #1, and in the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Master Edition #12.

Fictional character biography

Alejandro Montoya was born in Madrid, Spain, and later moved to America. Upon discovering his mutant powers, Alejandro decided to use his unique abilities as a swashbuckler and costumed crime fighter, taking up the mantle of El Águila (The Eagle), an identity passed down by his ancestors. As El Águila, he preys upon drug dealers and criminals that take advantage of the poor and needy. He is not a certified law authority and is wanted by authorities.

Soon after launching his crime-fighting campaign against drug dealers, slumlords, brutal police, and other wrongdoers, Águila encountered Iron Fist, Power Man, and Misty Knight.^[3] Águila aided Power Man and Iron Fist against female assassins out to kill Jeryn Hogarth.^[4] He also battled Hawkeye while investigating Cross Technological Enterprises, when Hawkeye was serving as their head of security.^[5] Águila teamed up with Power Man and Iron Fist to capture the Slasher, and fought the Constrictor.^[6] Alongside Colleen Wing and Misty Knight, he battled mercenaries working for Ward Meachum and fought Fera.^[6] He aided Power Man, Iron Fist, Colleen Wing, Bob Diamond, and Rafael Scarfe in an attempt to rescue Misty Knight and D.W. Griffith from captivity by Ward Meachum's mercenaries.^[7] He returned to Spain briefly on a request of his cousin Migdalia to save her village from the mutant Conquistador.^[8]

Águila was confirmed to have been depowered^[9] following the events of "M-Day." Though Alejandro now has no powers, he was still considered a "potential recruit" for the Initiative program^[10] because of his expertise in swordfighting and hand-to-hand combat.

Powers and abilities

Águila had the mutant power to generate electrostatic charges within his own body, and is able to discharge up to 100,000 volts through conductive metal. He most often uses his double-edged steel sword for this purpose, emulating his idol, Zorro. He is a skilled fencer with extaordinary swordsmanship skills, and an excellent hand-to-hand combatant and acrobat.

Predecessors

• In Marvel Westerns: Outlaw Files, the first known Águila precursor was an Aztec hero known as both Cuauhtli and the Eagle. He had the identity over 1000 years prior to Montoya.
• Marvel Westerns: Outlaw Files also identifies the first Spanish speaking Águila to use the name. Not much is known of this Águila.
• Paco Montoya was the Águila of the Old West. He was a Spaniard and the brother of Enrique. He is Alejandro's ancestor. He disappeared in the 1880s but apparently perished in battle with Devadia's Tarantula in the 1890s. He first appeared in The Original Ghost Rider Rides Again #15 and appeared right through until issue #20. Also had an entry in the Marvel Westerns: Outlaw Files.
• A Delvadian friend of Paco Montoya took on the mantle of Águila after Montoya's death in the 1890s. First mentioned in Marvel Westerns: Outlaw Files.
• The son of the friend of Paco took the role of Águila after his father. He traveled to Spain in the 1930s to oppose the USSR-supported Loyalists. He clashed with and seemingly slew Captain Terror during the Spanish Civil War and eventually returned to Central America and settled in Oroco. He passed the title on to another. First mentioned in Marvel Westerns: Outlaw Files.
• In the 1950s, the mantle of Águila was taken on by another descendant while vacationing in the Sierra Madres during the mid-1950s. He encountered and defeated the Ambassador of Terror and vanished soon after while investigating a subterranean coral city beneath the Gulf of Mexico. First mentioned in Marvel Westerns: Outlaw Files.
• A Santo Rican, took the mantle of Águila in the 1970s and was an agent of their communist regime. First mentioned in Marvel Westerns: Outlaw Files.
• In the 1980s, the next Águila assisted the leftist freedom fighters in Terra Verde and was executed by Caridad's death squads. First mentioned in Marvel Westerns: Outlaw Files.

References

External links

• Aguila (Alejandro Montoya) at the Marvel Universe wiki
• Paco Montoya at the Appendix to the Handbook of the Marvel Universe
• El Aguila at the Comic Book DB
• Aguila on Marvel Directory